The Chef From the Apocalypse Enters the Food Industry - Chapter 46

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Chapter 46. Intensive Training!
“Me? Teaching the Owner?”
“You wanted to learn, didn’t you? It would be a waste to have you only assist in the kitchen with hands as skilled as yours.”
I dried my hands with a cloth and picked up an extra knife.
“A knife isn’t merely a tool for cutting. It’s the first step in bringing out the true flavor of ingredients.”
During the apocalypse.
I never learned swordsmanship from her, but I’d watched her handle a blade countless times.
It was clean, swift, and precise.
‘That natural elegance. She was born with it.’
I just needed to apply that to cooking.
“Here, take the knife. I’ll show you how.”
Haran gripped the knife with trembling hands once more.
I stood beside her and corrected her posture.
“Relax your shoulders. Use your wrist snap.”
[Using Skill 【Utensil Enhancement】.]
[Utensil Enhancement succeeds.]
[Proficiency is temporarily adjusted.]
The moment my hand touched hers, Haran’s knife work became noticeably smoother.
Tap-tap-tap-tap!
Rhythm bloomed.
The sound of slicing radish filled the kitchen like cheerful music.
“Wow…! My hands are moving on their own!”
“You have talent. You were born for this.”
The swordswoman of my past life had more than enough qualities to become a chef in this one.
A radiant smile spread across Haran’s face.
It was different from the smile she’d worn when I made hamburgers for Yeon-hee—this one overflowed with confidence.
“Owner, I’ll work hard. I really want to become a true chef.”
“Of course. I’ll train you to become the head chef of this restaurant. Ha.”
I’d said it half in jest, half in earnest.
But her eyes were deadly serious.
She gripped the knife tightly, like a warrior heading into battle.
Yet the blade’s edge pointed not toward enemies, but toward delicious cuisine.
‘Welcome. This time, let’s truly become a chef of dreams.’
I spoke silently to her, and to myself.
I felt grateful that in this life, I could hold a knife that created delicious food instead of one stained with blood.
“Well then, today we begin intensive training.”
“Yes!”
* * *
The knife work training session flew by in a flash.
“You’ve got the hang of knife work now, right?”
“Yes! Thanks to you.”
“Then let’s move on to lesson two right away. There’s something more important than knife skills.”
“Something more important?”
“Ingredients. No matter how skilled your knife work is, if the ingredients are poor, the dish will be ruined.”
“Ah!”
I removed my apron.
Haran’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Right now? Where are we going?”
“To the Market. It’s a practical lesson.”
“Wonderful!”
* * *
The Wholesale Market was brimming with energy.
The sounds of haggling echoed everywhere, mixed with the rumble of motorcycles carrying goods.
Haran followed close behind me.
“First, let’s look at vegetables. Go ahead and pick a radish.”
“A radish?”
“Yes. Selecting radishes is more fun than you’d think.”
In front of the vegetable stall, radishes were piled high like mountains.
Haran pondered for a moment, then picked up a large one.
“This one! It looks big and firm, doesn’t it?”
“Wrong! Rejected.”
“What? Why?”
I smiled and set down the radish she was holding.
Instead, I picked up a different radish I’d already selected.
And placed it in her hand.
“Feel it. The surface is different, isn’t it?”
“Oh, this one is smoother than the one I picked?”
“Exactly. And when you lift it, it should feel heavier than its size suggests.”
“Really? This one does feel heavier.”
“That means the inside is dense. And most importantly, see how the green part here is wider? That’s what makes it delicious.”
My hand naturally brushed across the back of hers.
Haran flinched and her face flushed red.
I found myself clearing my throat awkwardly.
“Ahem. You understand now?”
“Yes, yes! Smooth, heavy, and green!”
We walked side by side through the Market.
At the fish stall, I taught her how to pick one with clear eyes, and at the butcher’s, how to judge meat by its grain.
The merchants watched us with satisfied smiles.
“Your new bride is blessed. Your husband is quite the homemaker.”
“Oh, no! We’re not… that kind of relationship…”
“I’ll give you one more, so stop fighting and go.”
It was an unexpected misunderstanding.
I worried Haran might get angry, but fortunately she didn’t.
Even amid the awkward atmosphere, I did what I had to do.
[Activating Skill 【Ingredient Appraisal】.]
I used the skill intermittently to check if there were any hidden ingredients.
That’s when I passed in front of a shop selling all sorts of meat.
As I casually walked by, my eyes suddenly widened.
‘Wait… could this be…?’
A creature that could instantly restore the vitality of my exhausted family from the festival.
No—one that could overflow them with energy.
“Owner, that one there… how did you manage to get it?”
“Oh. You recognize it.”
Haran’s gaze followed where my finger pointed.
She furrowed her brow and stepped back.
“Ugh. Owner, that looks kind of scary, doesn’t it? With feather coloring like that, isn’t it sick?”
“Sick? Not at all!”
I grinned widely.
To the untrained eye, it might look grotesque.
Even Haran, who had interest and training in cooking, might not recognize this particular detail.
But knowledge reveals what the eye can see.
‘To me, that’s premium medicinal tonic.’
If I mixed this with the medicinal ingredients I’d spotted earlier.
The resulting dish would be potent enough to raise the dead.
“That’s the genuine article. People can’t eat it because it’s so rare.”
“Really? I can’t even imagine…”
“You’ll understand once you see it prepared. You’ll be shocked.”
I opened my wallet.
Without hesitation.
“Right. You’ll be shocked. Something this rare should only be sold to those who truly appreciate it.”
The Owner agreed enthusiastically.
I had no reservations.
“Owner, give me all five of those inside.”
“You recognize how precious this is, but you’re really buying all of them? These are expensive!”
“Expensive or not, good food is worth eating!”
“Ha! You really know your stuff. Let me get them right away!”
The Owner excitedly opened the refrigerator.
Haran still had a skeptical expression.
But I accepted the heavy black bag and licked my lips in anticipation.
‘An unexpected treasure. If I make a broth with this…!’
Tomorrow morning, I could already picture my family members brimming with vitality and energy.
* * *
The next morning, early.
A time meant only for us, before opening the Store.
From the Kitchen wafted a rich, earthy aroma mingled with the scent of herbal medicine.
“Wow… that smell is incredible!”
“What exactly did you prepare?”
Everyone’s gaze fixed on the massive pot lid.
I grinned and flung the lid open.
Whoooosh!
A billowing cloud of steam parted to reveal a jet-black chicken.
Atop it lay a generous mound of cultivated ginseng.
“Wait, isn’t that a Silkie Fowl?”
The Jang Owner’s eyes widened.
Jin-woo, watching from beside him, chimed in.
“That’s right! A Silkie Fowl. Black feathers, black bones—the whole thing. They say it’s the best for nourishing the body.”
“A Silkie Fowl, huh…”
I shook my head and picked up the ladle.
“Half right, half wrong.”
“What? Half wrong?”
“This isn’t a Silkie Fowl—it’s a Yeonsan Black Chicken. To be precise.”
The people exchanged puzzled looks.
Their expressions suggested they saw no difference.
I lifted one well-cooked chicken leg and explained.
“There is a difference. What you typically know as a Silkie Fowl is a breed called Silkie Fowl, which is why it has white feathers and five toes.”
I held up the chicken leg to show its four toes.
“This one has four toes. More importantly, from the moment it hatches, everything—feathers, skin, bones, claws—is pitch black. This is the true native breed.”
The Silkie Fowl has fluffy feathers along its shanks.
Of course, given my nature, if there had been any feathers, I would have singed them off with a torch or plucked them clean.
This bird had smooth shanks from the start, making it convenient to prepare.
It was fundamentally different from the improved breeds commonly seen on the market.
‘It’s rare enough to be designated a national treasure, after all.’
Even the system didn’t treat this bird as a mere ingredient.
It classified it as a superior ingredient.
The moment I activated a skill on it.
[Skill 【Ingredient Enhancement】 is activated.]
[The potential of the target is drawn out to its maximum.]
[Enhancement—Critical Success!]
[The grade of the ingredient rises.]
[Superior Ingredient → Mystical Creature]
I classified it as a spiritual ingredient.
Blessed by the system, vitality infused into bone and flesh—it had become a true medicinal tonic.
Not merely a tonic in name alone.
[Dish Completed: Ultimate Black Chicken Soup]
[Grade: Spiritual-Class Restorative Cuisine]
[Medicinal Cooking skill effect applied.]
[Upon consumption, instantly restores depleted stamina and maximizes vitality.]
[Upon consumption, Stamina increases by 1.]
[Upon consumption, Strength potential increases by 1.]
[Upon consumption, Endurance increases by 1.]
‘This is literally an elixir, nothing less.’
After hearing the description, the chicken seemed to shimmer with new significance.
“Wow….”
Everyone gazed at the black chicken soup with eyes full of wonder.
“You’ve all worked hard preparing for the festival. Please enjoy this and regain your strength.”
I ladled generous portions of the tender black chicken and rich broth into bowls.
The dark meat was so soft it practically melted at the mere touch of chopsticks.
The deep brown broth was medicinal tonic incarnate.
“Let’s dig in!”
Slurrrp—
With the sound of broth being consumed, conversation vanished entirely.
Only the sounds of eating filled the space.
Jin-woo drank the broth while perspiring freely, and Jang Owner uttered continuous exclamations of delight.
“Ahhhh! Heat is surging through my whole body. It feels like my exhausted spirit is coming back to life!”
“Owner, you’re truly the best. My fatigue has completely vanished.”
Haran gave a thumbs-up, her cheeks flushed with satisfaction.
This was no mere food.
It was comfort itself, and a definite reward.
[Those who consumed the food reach maximum satisfaction.]
[Team cohesion strengthens.]
Outside, Jang On-gyu’s festival had ended, but ours was only beginning.
There were no dazzling fireworks, no loud music.
Yet with steaming earthenware pots before each of us, sharing this moment of mutual appreciation for one another’s efforts—
this was the true festival.
* * *
Interesting things continued to happen after the festival.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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