~Chapter 5~
Getting Healthier
What Lee Seojin made looked like an ordinary egg rice dish, no matter how you saw it.
Is there any Korean who doesn’t know the taste of egg rice?
It’s not bad, but also not impressive enough to call it a gourmet dish.
Especially for someone like Jo Sang-man, who is picky about food—he usually disliked settling a meal with something as basic as egg rice.
And yet, now, he found it unbelievably delicious.
The whites were soft but held texture, and the yolk’s richness soaked into each grain of rice.
Slurp! Chew chew! Gulp!
Nom nom! Munch munch! Gulp!
Watching Sang-man devour the egg rice like a man possessed, Yoo Tae-an tilted his head in confusion.
‘Is he serious?’
It felt like something out of a dream.
No matter how tasty it was, it was still just egg rice. Why was he going crazy over it?
While Tae-an stood stunned, Sang-man polished off his bowl and turned to Seojin with a face of awe.
“What did you do to that egg rice?”
“Nothing special.”
“Then how… how is this even possible? Egg rice—being this good?!”
Sang-man’s dramatic reaction made Tae-an curious too.
But he quickly shook his head.
‘That old guy’s taste buds must be shot today.’
Unable to admit Seojin’s egg rice was that good, Tae-an convinced himself Sang-man was just acting weird and returned to the kitchen.
Seojin was about to follow him with the empty bowl when—
“Seojin.”
“Yes?”
“Can I… have one more bowl?”
At that moment, Jang Youngshim, who was sweeping the floor, added softly:
“Sir… If you don’t mind, could I try just one spoonful?”
Both Sang-man and Seojin were surprised.
Youngshim had never shown any interest in idle conversation at work—this was the first time she’d spoken casually.
* * *
The heart of egg rice is, of course, the egg.
But eggs used in Korea, especially those in restaurants, are all about the same.
Cheap and bought in bulk—they’re not special.
However, the purified pig-nosed lizard eggs that Seojin had treated with his Hand Taste skill were on a different level.
If normal eggs were shrimp crackers, these were real shrimp.
That difference in quality made all the difference in flavor—along with Seojin’s refined cooking technique.
After gobbling down two bowls, Jo Sang-man wore a blissful smile.
“I didn’t know you had this kind of talent, Seojin~ You’ve got golden hands!”
Just yesterday, Sang-man had been cold to Seojin. But now, his attitude had completely changed.
When it came to good chefs, Sang-man was always kind. As a restaurant owner, it made sense.
If Seojin didn’t have a paralyzed arm, the head chef might have been replaced today.
On the other hand, Yoo Tae-an didn’t like this sudden shift one bit.
Normally, he’d be yelling orders and bossing Seojin around—but now, the mood didn’t allow for it. He felt cheated.
Meanwhile, Seojin found the improved work environment from just two bowls of egg rice quite satisfying.
But one person was left sulking in the dining area.
‘So petty…’
It was Jang Youngshim, who hadn’t gotten even a spoonful because Jo Sang-man hogged it all.
* * *
After finishing work and returning home, Seojin fried more eggs—30 to be exact.
Then he began making rolled omelets.
Both dishes were manageable despite his hand issue. They only needed eggs and seasoning salt, which meant they’d taste great even in the Field.
He wanted to make steamed eggs too—but had no container suitable for carrying it.
Containers made from Earth materials became unusable once inside the Field.
Fried eggs and rolled omelets could be served as-is, but the watery steamed eggs were a different story.
‘Time to go.’
With his inventory stuffed full of the two dishes, Seojin began his second trip into the Field.
* * *
During the short transition between reality and the Field, Seojin was overcome by a strange sensation.
It was like he stood at the origin of the universe.
And during this strange state, a deep desire within him stirred.
‘I want… my own restaurant.’
Why was he so obsessed with having a restaurant?
It wasn’t just because he liked cooking.
When he was about 10 years old, a chef visited his orphanage and cooked a meal for the children and staff.
The menu wasn’t special—curry, fried chicken, and udon.
But to Seojin, that meal was unforgettable.
It was that good.
The chef said something to the children that stuck with Seojin forever:
“I wanted a job that made people happy. And I realized, people look happiest when eating my food. So I decided to spread happiness through cooking. I hope you all grow up to bring happiness to others too.”
That chef wasn’t famous. Just someone who did volunteer work when he could.
Seojin never saw him again.
But that day planted a seed.
Seojin decided to become a chef who made happy meals—affordable and generous.
He wanted to serve food to those in orphanages or difficult circumstances, just like him.
But that wasn’t possible working under someone else.
You had to follow the boss’s menu and prices.
To fulfill his dream, Seojin needed his own place.
As he entered the Field again, he reaffirmed this desire.
[Pig-nosed Lizard Egg]
[Pig-nosed Lizard Egg]
[Pig-nosed Lizard Egg]
The eggs were scattered everywhere again.
The Field was truly strange—anything monster-related regenerated over time.
All the eggs Seojin had collected yesterday had returned.
Excited, he began using Hand Taste to purify them.
Then—a familiar and delightful message popped up:
[Hand Taste skill has leveled up due to sufficient proficiency.]
[Hand Taste – Active]
Enhances lowest-grade ingredients from the Field.
Can now affect up to 50 items of the same kind in a single use.
If you consume a newly purified ingredient for the first time, you will become healthier.
Skill improves with continued use.
‘Become healthier…?’
The new description caught Seojin off guard.
It wasn’t clear how. But there was only one way to find out.
He pulled out one of the rolled omelets from his inventory.
He hadn’t cut them—this way, he could sell them to Hunters like gimbap rolls.
He applied the Seasoning skill to infuse flavor salt, then took a big bite.
Chew chew.
The outside was fully cooked, but the inside was slightly runny—like a cross between an omelet and a rolled egg. Hard to pull off for beginners.
It had a pudding-like bounce with a warm, moist center—delicious.
The egg quality was excellent.
Plus, Seojin had perfect seasoning sense, never once being criticized for it during restaurant work. With the Seasoning skill, it was flawless.
After he finished the roll, a new message appeared:
[You have consumed ‘Pig-nosed Lizard Egg’ for the first time.]
[The nutrients have permeated your body. You’ve become slightly healthier.]
[Agility has slightly increased.]
“…!”
Seojin was shocked.
An increase in agility meant improved physical performance.
Even a small gain—without any exercise—was amazing.
He’d never read anything about this in his Field research.
He walked quickly.
After hurting his leg, he’d avoided fast movements—but now his steps felt a bit lighter.
So that’s what it meant by “become healthier”!
He ate another egg—but there was no further change.
‘So it only works the first time for each new ingredient. I wonder if there are more?’
He scanned the area eagerly, but saw nothing new except more eggs.
Keeng keeng!
Pig-nosed lizard cries echoed.
‘If I catch one of those…?’
But the moment he even thought it, the lizards bolted—far too fast for a normal person to catch.
Clicking his tongue, he searched for other ingredients—and saw some flowers.
He tried the skill on them.
[Ingredient not lowest grade – cannot be purified.]
‘Ah…’
Even edible flowers had to be lowest grade to qualify.
He tried another.
[Not edible – cannot be purified.]
He kept testing every flower, plant, and tree in sight.
[Not edible.]
[Not lowest grade.]
[Not edible.]
…
Just message after message—until finally:
[Use ‘Hand Taste’ on lowest-grade ingredient: ‘Unnamed Edible Herb’?]
“Yes!”
He agreed—and the herb’s name changed:
[Purified Unnamed Edible Herb]
It looked like green onions gathered in clumps.
When he pulled one up by the root, another message appeared:
[This herb has no name. Would you like to name it?]
He smelled and tasted it raw.
It was green onion.
“I’ll call it Green Onion.”
[‘Unnamed Edible Herb’ will now be called ‘Green Onion.’]
The name updated in real time.
Looking at this system, Seojin thought: “This world is really like a virtual reality game.”
Then another message appeared—this one thrilling him:
[You have consumed ‘Green Onion’ for the first time.]
[The nutrients have permeated your body. You’ve become slightly healthier.]
[Agility has slightly increased.]
* * *
Meanwhile, No Minwoo’s heart was racing.
He had joined a party that included one of Korea’s strongest S-rank Hunters—Delicate.
It was a rare honor, one only possible because he was a porter.
The party consisted of S to B-rank Hunters only.
Normally, no C-rank or lower could join, but porters were the exception.
There were three porters total. Minwoo was one of them.
The dungeon they were attacking was extremely dangerous.
But high-ranked Hunters made sure porters never had to engage with monsters. Plus, the loot they received was high-value.
After a full day of battle, the team scattered for short personal breaks.
Growl~
At a spot a bit farther from the group, Minwoo took out a fried egg he had saved in his inventory and took a sneaky bite.
Chew chew. Gulp.
‘Ahh… this flavor.’
Other Hunters were grimacing over flavorless monster meat—but not him.
He felt a little guilty, but didn’t stop.
They’d be in this dungeon for days. Without this egg, he’d starve.
He looked around, then reached for another.
But then—
“…Where did you get that, you little bastard?”
A low voice whispered in his ear.
Startled, Minwoo turned.
Delicate was standing right behind him.
