IFTD 8

Chapter 8
If You Can’t Kill Monsters, You’ll Die

The tutorial dungeon.

Known as the training ground for hunters.

It appeared along with the system the moment the gate opened and the dungeon manifested. The tutorial dungeon, active 24/7, appeared in front of every hunter.

The monsters that spawned were all real, weren’t they?

Then why was there a slime already dead right in front of her?

A window popped up.

Slime (F) has been defeated!
50 EXP gained!

“Uh… so I… defeated a monster? Like a hunter?”

But she hadn’t done anything at all.

Another message followed.

Would you like to collect the byproducts?

“Byproducts too?”

So this really is just like a real dungeon. Could she possibly get slime meat too? SoRi’s heart raced as she answered.

“Yes, I’ll take it.”

Slime (F) corpse X1 acquired!
Slime (F) slime X1 acquired!

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

Getting slime meat in a tutorial dungeon? What a fantastic discovery.

Acquired byproducts are automatically stored in your inventory.

“Getting the slime meat is great, but…”

SoRi scanned the area suspiciously. Slimes were still swarming around.

It seemed she had entered the tutorial dungeon because her restaurant had leveled up.

“How can they just randomly connect me like this?!”

Luckily it was only the tutorial dungeon; if it had been a real dungeon, who knew what could have happened. The thought made her shiver.

At that moment, a new message shook SoRi’s heart with tension.

Congratulations!
Achievement ‘First Monster Defeat’ unlocked!
You have now entered the path to becoming a full-fledged chef. Cooking live, vivid monsters is only a matter of time! Try preparing a freshly alive monster now.
Reward: Skill ‘Grill in One Go (C)’, 150 EXP

She had unlocked an unexpected achievement—defeating a monster!

But what truly caught her eye was the additional note: “the path to becoming a chef.” She had barely swung her arm a few times, accidentally killing a monster, and suddenly she was a chef?

She didn’t quite understand how it happened.

SoRi, hopeless in cooking, might finally be stepping onto the path of a chef!

Her heart raced with curiosity and excitement. If her cooking skills accumulated, she wouldn’t have to create disastrous dishes like the Poisonous Spider Soup again.

Just imagining it made her face light up.

“Wait, the skill name… what was it? ‘Grill in One Go’?”

Couldn’t it have a slightly fancier name?

Skill: Grill in One Go (C)
—Instantly grills monsters of rank C or lower.

At that moment, a new message appeared, calming her minor complaints.

You have become Restaurant Owner (Lv. 3)!
‘Cooking’ has now been added to your stats.
Remaining stats: 4

Thanks to the EXP she had just earned, her restaurant had reached level 3. The addition of cooking to her stats caught her eye, and the notification showed she had four remaining stat points.

SoRi calmly opened her stat window in front of the wriggling swarm of slimes.

“As long as I don’t provoke them, they seem manageable.”

Basic
Name: Kang SoRi (26)
Class: Restaurant Owner (Expanded) (Lv. 3)
Strength: 7, Muscle: 6, Cooking: 0, Luck: 9

Skills
Passive: Customer Happiness is My Happiness (D)
Active: Management—Cleanliness is My Power (C), Pleasant Service (D)
Cooking—Grill in One Go (C)

Remaining Stats: 4

“Cooking actually appeared.”

Her skills were divided into Management and Cooking. SoRi stared at the updated stat screen with fascination, then called out with determination.

“Cooking +4!”

Cooking increased by 4.

Basic
Name: Kang SoRi (26)
Class: Restaurant Owner (Expanded) (Lv. 3)
Strength: 7, Muscle: 6, Cooking: 4, Luck: 9

As she wished, cooking was now 4. Now all that remained was for this hopeless cook to become a master chef.

“Perfect.”

At first, she had been angry that the restaurant had randomly thrown her into a dungeon despite not being a hunter, but not anymore.

“Who knew I’d get a cooking skill here.”

She was now curious how she could enter the tutorial dungeon whenever she wanted.

“Ah, but I should head back now.”

Where had that storage room door opened to again?

With slime meat in hand, she could proudly say she had made a big haul. Besides, she had entered the dungeon leaving her restaurant in operation. Even if it was a slow day, random customers could come in at any moment.

But there was no guarantee she could leave the dungeon easily once she entered.

Even a chef starts with just one monster.

Quest: The Basics of Cooking are Ingredients
Try catching 5 Slimes (F) using your newly acquired cooking skills!
Reward: 100 EXP, Skill: Instant Freeze (C)
Failure: Death!

She had accepted the quest.

Like before, it said “Death” right at the start. Does it always threaten death first?

“You think I’ll just obey willingly?!”

SoRi mimed punching the window, then lowered her arms.

“…I see how it is.”

Phew. She exhaled deeply. She had no choice—this cold, logical system would really kill her.

Yet she couldn’t understand it.

“Doesn’t that make no sense? How can I defeat monsters with cooking skills?”

Tilting her head, the system kindly showed her the phrase it had displayed earlier.

“…Cooking live, vivid monsters is only a matter of time! Try preparing a freshly alive monster now…”

“Oh!”

SoRi realized it meant she could directly use her cooking skills on the wandering slimes.

“That’s what it meant?!”

She carefully studied the wriggling slime horde. According to the system, she could now defeat slimes without touching them.

She noticed the dungeon entrance she had come through. The system left a message:

You may leave at any time.
—Tutorial Dungeon Rule #1

Unlimited quests without penalties and tutorial dungeon rules. She was being given a choice.

But SoRi was already fully absorbed in “the path of a chef.” Cooking had always felt like magic to her.

“And just out of curiosity?”

She wanted to see how the skill worked. She wasn’t a combat hunter, but she felt she could understand a similar thrill.

“Grill in One Go!”

She shouted the skill at a slime grazing alone. Her cheeks flushed crimson.

“Do I have to say it every time?”

It was still awkward for her to calmly speak skills like ‘Grill in One Go.’

Regardless, her first cooking skill attempt was a success.

The slime she had targeted immediately caught fire. The flames didn’t die down until it was evenly grilled.

“Hope it’s not burning…”

That would make it useless as an ingredient.

Slime (F) defeated!
50 EXP gained!

After the fire died down, she checked the slime—it was “just right.”

Slime (F) whole roast X1 acquired!

She had successfully obtained a cooked byproduct.

“This is different from before.”

Before, it had just been a ‘corpse.’ Now it was a whole roast. No slime residue.

SoRi was thrilled at the clean, appetizingly roasted slime. Its aroma was richer and sweeter than freshly grilled beef.

“Grilling without burning is really hard!”

She noticed two slimes lingering a little farther apart. As soon as she cast the skill, both caught fire simultaneously.

Slime (F) defeated!
50 EXP gained!
Slime (F) defeated!
50 EXP gained!

“Yesss! Double kill!”

Unexpectedly, she succeeded in defeating two at once.

Slime (F) whole roast X2 acquired!

She then defeated two more.

Congratulations!
Quest ‘The Basics of Cooking are Ingredients’ Complete!
Please claim your reward.

Fortunately, she survived once again.

“This quest is insanely easy!”

SoRi was brimming with confidence.

100 EXP gained!
Skill: Instant Freeze (C) acquired!

Skill: Instant Freeze (C)
—Instantly freezes monsters of rank C or lower. Useful for long-term storage.

Oh ho! She had acquired a surprisingly practical skill.

“Time to head back.”

Her step was now confident and cheerful.

Bang!

The door opened first.

“What the heck are you doing here during business hours, you lazy owner!”

‘Junior manager’ appeared in the tutorial dungeon, angrily grabbing SoRi’s ear with his tiny hands.

Lee GiJoon’s reaction was unenthusiastic.

“Huh. Is that so?”

He didn’t seem to care. How was the dungeon? That was all he asked. SeongHoon was getting flustered alone.

“You’ve heard of Happy Restaurant, right?”

She explained again since he seemed doubtful.

“You know the first dungeon in Kapcha, right?”

“Yeah, Happy Restaurant. I heard their steak is good?”

“I’m not saying it’s good. That’s not the issue.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

SeongHoon was standing in front of a famous dish from a renowned restaurant, but he had no interest in the food.

Ah… I really want to go to Happy Restaurant again.

That thought kept creeping in. And the fact that she was there? That was a rare scoop.

“She was there.”

Finally, SeongHoon revealed the real reason in a dramatic voice. When GiJoon and he were dating, SeongHoon would often start a conversation with “Your person.”

“Your person?”

GiJoon, spoon in hand, asked, puzzled.

SeongHoon swallowed. He didn’t yet have the courage to say her name.

GiJoon soon realized who “that person” referred to and furrowed his brow.

“Oh. Her?”
“Yeah. The one who was once your person.”
“Why are you talking about her now? Whether she was there or not has nothing to do with me.”

As expected, GiJoon reacted harshly. But SeongHoon knew it wasn’t his true feelings.

He knew GiJoon had kept her photo face down on his desk for a year. GiJoon probably thought SeongHoon wouldn’t know.

“She must have been working there, right?”
“No. She was serving. She said she’s the owner now.”
“What?”

GiJoon’s face showed surprise.

“She’s running the restaurant?”
“Yeah, and she seems to cook herself. It’s a bit different from before. So, do you want to go see for yourself?”

It was a perfect move. SeongHoon provoked GiJoon again.

“Did you call me here just to say that? Why would I go? She’s cooking or something!”
“I thought it was actually good. She must have practiced.”