Ren went to a few restaurants in Erendia Town and sold one [Pelka Meat] to each high-end restaurant he could find.

One, in particular, was Master Chef Pablo, an NPC that owned Meaty Steak restaurant that sold luxury gourmet food with a fine dining experience. Their expertise was expensive steaks.

There were also restaurants owned by players. Business owners were slowly integrating their businesses into the game.

However, only a few players achieved the [Intermediate] level in their Cooking life skills. Unlike with the NPCs in which some already acquired the highest title of [Grand Master Chief].

And one of these Grand Masters was situated in Erendia Town.

Grand Master Chief Pablo gasped when Ren talked to him at the restaurant's back door.

"Did you say . . . Pelka Meat?" asked Chief Pablo

Ren nodded. "That's right." and gave the meat to the Chief for inspection.

"This is very rare. I could even set a very high price for this!"

That was how Ren wanted it. If he were the one who approached the rich elders, they would just brush him off for their lack of understanding of the rarity of the meat.

They would even think that he was a scammer.

But if it was a certified Grand Master Chief, they would surely believe in the prestige of the meat and even be curious about the meat enough to pay millions just to taste it.

And once the popularity of the meat exploded that everyone was going gaga over them . . . then that would be the time to auction the meat.

"Do you want it?" Ren asked.

"Want it?" Chief Pablo looked at Ren in incredulity.

"Do I want it? Of course, I want IT! Do you have more? I can pay you to double the market price."

Ren smiled, one that didn't reach his ears. He felt like he would never smile genuinely again until Evie was with him.

"I only have one slice at the moment. I was actually asking around other restaurants, making a comparison about the price of the Pelka Meat."

Chief Pablo's eyes, which shone like stars, disappeared, and his expression fell when he stared at Ren next. He coughed and swallowed before he asked. "And how much are they offering you?"

"5 000 gil per gram," Ren said straight to the point. The weight of a slice of Pelka Meat was at least a kilo, so all in all, that was 5 000 000 gil.

That was the price of the most delicious meat in COVENANT, and possibly in the whole world.

Chief Pablo's eyes widened. "That much?!" his big eyes then squinted. "Are you sure they priced it right?"

Ren shrugged. "I don't know. You tell me. But if you don't want it, then–"

"Wait!" Chief Pablo held onto Ren's shoulder.

Grinding his teeth and with bloodshot eyes, he conceded. "I'll pay you 6 000 gil per gram. Just sold it to me right now."

"Sure."

After selling some [Pelka Meat] in the land of the Elves, Ren then went to the north in the Dwarven continent and sold [Pelka Meat] from there to the human settlement and down to the southern desert. Spreading the meat far and wide in a single day.

Ren only sold to Grand Master Chiefs and to popular restaurants where the tourists often took their meals.

When night came, Ren went to other Pelka areas he knew that became accessible now. However, only a few of them were left after they hunted them in the past.

After selling meat all day, Ren still had over four thousand left, and he knew that this four thousand plus was the only Pelka Meat left in the world.

Unless there were other Pelka areas that Ren didn't know off. Or if the Developers decided to add more Pelka areas in the future.

Though Ren doubted it since if they did that, the Pelkas wouldn't be rare anymore. And it wasn't in their nature to do that in the first place.

Respawn meant respawn. Not respawning meant not respawning.

That was their hard take on everything.

However, even if Ren sold all his [Pelka Meat] in the auction to the highest bidders. It was still not near half of Frizkiel's debt. But money was still money. And every gil was important to accumulate that large sum.

Ren went to the last Pelka areas that he knew of, blissfully unaware of the chaos he would cause to the world of gourmet food.

Meanwhile, Mr. Rudolf, a dignified old man in his late seventies, owner of numerous chains of Michelin-awarded restaurants, logged into COVENANT.

In his more than seventy years on earth, he was proud and confident to say that he had tasted all the dishes the world had to offer him. He was even dubbed a master of gourmet food, the man with a golden palate, a world-renowned food critic.

Any food he gave a nod to instantly become popular, and in turn, that restaurant would easily get an award. In contrast, any restaurant he gave a bad rating would be closed the next day.

That was how influential he was in the world of food.

Bored and seeking other flavors, Mr. Rudolf went into COVENANT to experience new dishes. Fantasy dishes. And when he was alerted that there was a new menu in town, he immediately logged in to the game.

In Grand Master Chief Pablo's restaurant, Mr. Rudolf took his usual table. And when the new menu stumbled on his view, he frowned.

A steak?

It was a simple steak like the steak in the real world. However, there wasn't anything simple about the price.

It was 7 000 per gram!

Whereas the most expensive stake he had, both in real and in-game, was just about 1 000 per gram.

Masking his disappointment with a big sigh. Though he was indeed curious and intrigued, Mr. Rudolf ordered the said steak.

When it was delivered to his table, the appearance was pleasing enough, and the aroma . . . there were no herbs like he used to smell in steak – that buttery garlic smoky smell.

What is this?