Mount Yeongryunsan, Deep Realm. In the Deep Realm, where food was scarce, porridge and Sustenance Pills were Wei Zhongqi’s most frequent meals. Porridge was a simple dish made by combining whatever ingredients the Deep Realm had to offer, cooking them down, and seasoning them just enough to make them palatable. It wasn’t much to look at, but it was better than nothing. Occasionally, when he was utterly sick of Sustenance Pills, Wei Zhongqi would treat himself to some porridge. Today, he was sitting alone, eating the porridge he had made. He scooped up a spoonful and tasted it. It had a strange flavor—bitter, slightly sweet, with a hint of saltiness. Wei Zhongqi put the spoon down for a moment and thought about the foods he had eaten when he visited Earth to see Do-Jun: ramen, dumplings, pajeon[1], pork belly, braised short ribs, spicy chicken stew... Every single dish had been delicious, and he found himself craving those flavors. The residents of the Deep Realm didn’t particularly care about food, since it was scarce to begin with, and the act of eating was seen as little more than a means to stave off hunger. Most residents would simply chew on nearby edible plants or gnaw on the bland, unappetizing meat of monsters that were safe to consume. “I am not going to live ,” Wei Zhongqi declared. It was a peaceful Friday evening. Do-Jun smiled as he welcomed Wei Zhongqi, who was visiting Earth after a long time. The last time they had met was over a drink of jukyeopcheong, so he was delighted to see him again. Wei Zhongqi caught up with Do-Jun, sharing updates on their lives. “You want to learn how to cook?” Do-Jun repeated Wei Zhongqi’s request. “Yes. I’m tired of living on Sustenance Pills and bland porridge.” Early in the morning, Yoon-Hee was giving Wei Zhongqi a cooking lesson. He watched her closely, with a serious expression, while taking detailed notes on parchment. His growing list of dishes already exceeded eight. “Simmer the chicken for about thirty minutes, and it should be cooked through. Oh, since potatoes take longer to cook, you’ll want to add them first,” Yoon-Hee explained. “That’s it for spicy chicken stew. Next... ramen and kimbap, right?” “Okay, let’s start with kimbap.” Kimbap required seaweed, rice, and various fillings. The essential tool was a bamboo rolling mat, tightly woven from natural bamboo strips. Wei Zhongqi wrote down everything she said and tried to watch as closely as possible. His obsession with kimbap stemmed from a previous meal when he paired it with ramen—it had been a perfect match for his palate. “Do you have somewhere to store the ingredients?” Yoon-Hee asked him. “Yes. If I place them in the Pouch of Greed, they’ll stay fresh.” “I’ll also pack you some side dishes. Would you like to take some?” Wei Zhongqi nodded eagerly. After completing the cooking lesson, Wei Zhongqi, with Do-Jun’s help, went shopping at a grocery store to buy cookware and various ingredients. Back at Mount Yeongryunsan, Wei Zhongqi unloaded his haul. He grinned with satisfaction at the five Pouches of Greed he had filled to the brim with cooking supplies. The thought of never having to eat bland porridge again made him smile from ear to ear. He lit a fire and set a pot of water on it. Carefully measuring the water to the last milliliter, he ensured it matched the instructions perfectly. When the ramen was nearly done, he cracked an egg into the pot. Soon, the intense aroma filled the air, tickling Wei Zhongqi’s nose and making him grin in anticipation. But just then, an unexpected visitor arrived. Murmu of the Three Moons, the fifth-ranked Transcendent in the Deep Realm, quietly approached Wei Zhongqi and peered into the bubbling pot of fiery red broth. The enticing smell had drawn him as he passed through the mountain range. “C-can I have a bite?” Murmu asked. “Sure. You know what, I’ll make you a fresh one,” Wei Zhongqi said. “But for a price, of course.” Wei Zhongqi nodded. “One bowl of ramen for three purple mastery stones.” “So, this is called ramen... Fine, here.” Though Wei Zhongqi had plenty of ingredients and could have offered it for free, he set a price to avoid being pestered daily for free meals. Murmu quickly pulled three mastery stones from his Pouch of Greed and handed them over. A few minutes later, he took a big bite and slurped down the noodles. As the flavors exploded in his mouth, his body quivered, and he gulped down his saliva. To think such a flavor existed! He felt like his life thus far had been in vain. Watching him, Wei Zhongqi chuckled. “I’ll throw in a roll of kimbap as a gift.” The next day, Wei Zhongqi decided to try a new dish. Yesterday was ramen and kimbap; today, it was spicy chicken stew. He wasn’t particularly hungry, but the thought of delicious food made his stomach rumble with excitement. While making the stew, he saw three demons entering the foothills of Mount Yeongryunsan. They sniffed the air as they climbed and eventually reached Wei Zhongqi’s home. Bowing respectfully, they said, “Uh... we’d like to try Earth’s food too.” Earth’s cuisine was seen as incredibly valuable. Rumors spread that traveling to Earth was a death sentence, so no sane being would consider going themselves. Wei Zhongqi glanced at the demons quickly and then shrugged. “Spicy chicken stew is five purple mastery stones each.” “Oh, that’s more than fair. A spot should charge that much. Haha,” said one of the demons with a chuckle. “A spot ...? Well, whatever. That’ll be fifteen stones for the three of you.” It just didn’t make sense. Wei Zhongqi frowned deeply as he looked at the twenty or so visitors gathered in his humble, straw-roofed house. How had they found his home? And more importantly, how had they learned that he could cook Earth’s food? Scratching his head, he stared at the Deep Realm residents, who had each found a spot to sit on the dirt floor. Among them were a few demons of Solomon and even some Usurpers. The Deep Realm dwellers clamored, demanding food. “Boss! One spicy chicken stew, please!” “Excuse me, what’s this braised short ribs thing written here?” Stunned by the sudden influx of residents ordering food, Wei Zhongqi momentarily spaced out. When had his house turned into a restaurant? “This is not a restaurant,” Wei Zhongqi clarified firmly, determined to set boundaries. The room stirred. Shocked by the news, the residents, who had come hoping to taste Earth’s cuisine, looked utterly dejected. Seeing their disappointed faces, Wei Zhongqi muttered, “W-wha... hold on...” He sighed and added, “Fine, just for today.” Only then did the visitors’ faces brighten. The next few days were some of the busiest days in Wei Zhongqi’s life. Word of mouth had spread, and his house was no longer quiet. His once-humble home had long since turned into a bustling restaurant, with an ever-growing number of customers. Whenever he tried to stop selling food, the patrons would display expressions of utter despair, as if their world had ended. Feeling sorry for them, Wei Zhongqi inevitably resumed selling food. After finishing a day’s work, Wei Zhongqi finally let out a sigh of relief. He had earned over four hundred mastery stones in a single day—an amount that would normally take four days of nonstop toiling on the Plains of Despair. Still, Wei Zhongqi was determined to stop this. He would rather toil for mastery stones than deal with this chaos. After all, this wasn’t why he brought all those ingredients back from Earth. Suddenly, a dimensional portal opened in front of his house. It was Kiriel, carrying an armful of comic books. “Wei Zhongqi, why do you look so haggard?” he called out. “Heh. Share your woes with me. I’m in a good mood, so I’ll kindly listen.” Wei Zhongqi explained everything in detail. Kiriel rested his chin on his hand as he listened nonchalantly, then shrugged as if it were no big deal. “I have a solution,” Kiriel said. “How much? Right now, I charge about five to fifteen mastery stones per dish.” “That’s why they keep coming back. Think about it—if you priced your ramen at ten thousand mastery stones, who in their right mind would buy it? Nobody. So, raise your prices.” Wei Zhongqi had considered this before but hadn’t tried it. Thinking it might be worth a shot, he decided to give it a try. The next day, customers arrived as usual. Wei Zhongqi handed them a menu listing various dishes from Earth, each with exorbitant prices, such as a bowl of ramen priced at ten thousand mastery stones each. New customers were stunned and left their seats and even Mount Yeongryunsan. After all, who would trade ten thousand mastery stones for some food? “See? No customers now, right?” Kiriel asked smugly. “If I had known they would give up so easily, I would’ve done this a long time ago.” Wei Zhongqi felt genuinely grateful to Kiriel. Having finished the comic books he had brought to the Deep Realm, Kiriel decided to get back to work. His task was to gather mastery stones. Staying on Earth too long risked complacency, and without gathering mastery stones, lower-ranked beings could overtake him. Kiriel headed to the Plains of Despair, an area littered with Headless Knights—a prime spot for gathering mastery stones. Few hunters ventured there, making it even better. Kiriel came to a sudden stop when he reached the entrance to the Plains of Despair. The normally sparsely populated area was now filled with hundreds of Deep Realm residents. The Headless Knights were being instantly slain as soon as they respawned, and the residents scrambled to collect the dropped mastery stones. “What are they doing...?” Kiriel’s expression darkened. The residents were not only collecting mastery stones but also discussing what food they intended to eat. “I’m going to get the ramen. Just 9,821 more to go.” “Oh, great choice. I’m saving up for something called pajeon. It’s pricey, but I’ve heard it’s worth it.” Kiriel was dumbfounded. Wei Zhongqi was in a good mood. He could finally enjoy the food he’d brought from Earth without worrying about other residents pestering him with their orders. “Wei Zhongqi, I’m going back to Earth now,” Kiriel said. “Ah, okay. Thanks for your help. I think I can finally relax a bit.” Kiriel stayed silent. He opened a dimensional portal to Earth and stepped through, but before leaving, he turned back. “Wei Zhongqi!” he called out. “Get ready to make some serious money.” The portal closed and vanished completely, leaving Wei Zhongqi tilting his head in confusion. Then, his face went pale. “N-no, you’re not saying...." 1. Pajeon is green onion pancake! “Pa” is green onion, “jeon” is pancake. ☜