[Welcome, please enter your name.]
'Huh? What is this? Where am I?'
[You are in Limbo, the temporary holding space for souls.]
'Shit! I died?! I was supposed to attend my first day at The Culinary Institute of the World! I was supposed to be a world-renowned chef…'
[Have no fear, User. That is my sole reason for existing, to help you reach that goal on a multiversal scale.]
'What are you?'
[I am the Multiversal Chef system, built by the governing body of the universe specifically for you. This is their way of apologizing for cutting your life short.]
'I see. Well, my name is Kenny. It's nice to meet you, mister or missus, system.'
[USER NAME: KENNY]
[Initializing…]
Kenny's soul was then sucked through a blue portal. His soul traveled across the multiverse until it landed on a small blue planet and in the small country of South Korea. His body was created on the spot, and he soon opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was several red beady eyes staring at him.
"HOLY SHIT!" He yelled as he instinctively ducked under a goblin's rusty spear.
"KEKEGAGAGAGAGA!" The goblins screeched in amusement. Kenny quickly got on his feet and began running.
"SYSTEM, DO I HAVE ANY SKILLS?!" He yelled as he ran deeper into the forest.
[Indeed.]
[Skills -
Chef's Dismantle (S+) (Mastery: 0%): When wielding [Chef's Deba Knife], the user is able to create precise invisible slashes. The strength of these slashes is dependent on the amount of MP input into the technique.
Chef's Cleave (SS+) (Mastery: 0%): When wielding [Chef's Meat Cleaver], the user is able to create precise invisible slashes that adjust to a target's durability. This technique automatically deducts the MP needed to slash a target and has a range of 6 meters.
Chef's Furnace (SS+) (Mastery: 0%): When the user uses [Chef's Dismantle] and [Chef's Cleave], the ability to unleash devastating flames is unlocked. The heat and firepower of these flames are immense and could harm the user if not handled carefully.
Malevolent Kitchen [LOCKED] (SSS+) (Mastery: 0%): The user has not met the requirements to view this skill.]
Kenny quickly read through his skills and opened his inventory to grab [Chef's Deba Knife]. Instantly, a knife with a thick, black wooden handle and a silver blade appeared in his right hand.
Kenny pivoted his foot to turn around, and the gang of goblins quickly surrounded him.
'Fuck! I haven't even been alive for five minutes and I'm already facing death again!' Kenny grimaced as he held his deba knife with fear.
"KEKEKEKEKEKE!!!" A goblin screeched as he charged Kenny. Kenny tightened his grip around his knife and closed his eyes. He felt a well of power deep within him and he focused all of it into his right hand.
"DISMANTLE!" He yelled as he swung his knife into thin air. Immediately, an invisible slash powered by 100% of his MP was created and not only cut down every goblin, but also a decent portion of the forest.
[Chef's Dismantle Mastery: +.1%!]
[+10 Gold!]
Kenny fell to his knees in exhaustion, "Holy shit…that was so cool…"
"My skills are just like that one guy in the anime my little brother was watching...Jujutsu Kaisen, I think?" Kenny said as he scrolled through his skills again. He also checked his status.
[Name: Kenny
Species: Human
Age: 21
Chef Grade: N/A
HP: 100/100
MP: 5/100 (5 MP/min)
Gold: 10]
"System, what is a chef grade?"
[Think of it as your traditional levels in a video game, only increasing your grade is much more difficult. The grades go from F- to SSS+ and are divided into low tier (F- to D+), intermediate tier (D+ to C+), advanced tier (C+ to A+), and God tier (A+ to SSS+). To increase your tier and grade, you must complete the prerequisites.]
"I see, I see. So what do I have to do to become F-?" Kenny asked as he stood up and examined the goblins.
[Quest: Become an F- graded chef!
Prerequisites: Invent one new dish using one E-rank magic beast of your choosing.
Rewards: F- Chef Grade and one random skill.]
"I assume these goblins are E-rank. And speaking of goblins, what fantasy world am I in?" Kenny questioned as he dug his hands into a goblin's chest and pulled out a dim yellow stone.
[You are in the Solo Leveling universe and you are correct, goblins are E-rank.]
"Solo Leveling? Isn't that the one show filled with hype moments and aura? That's how my brother described it at least…"
Kenny stuffed all 10 E-rank essence stones and goblin corpses into his inventory.
"I'm pretty sure that to leave this place, I have to defeat the boss." Kenny said as he began walking in a random direction. After fifteen minutes of walking, he was faced with a gang of grey wolves.
"AWOOOOO!!!" The lead wolf howled as it led the charge.
"Okay, Kenny, let's not cut down the entire forest this time. The skill says the strength of my slashes is dependent on the amount of MP I put into the technique, so let's try 1 MP for each wolf for now."
He gripped his deba knife and began slicing the wolves down like nothing. The ground was dyed red and scarred from his slashes. He looted their essence stones and corpses and moved on.
[Chef's Dismantle Mastery: +.1%!]
Kenny continued slicing and dicing his way through the dungeon until he reached two massive stone doors.
"Before I fight the boss. I should cook one of these monsters." He said as he took a goblin's corpse out of his inventory. Using the skills he honed for six years of his life, he skinned, deboned, and filleted the goblin before realizing something.
"How am I supposed to cook with no fire?" He facepalmed himself and walked back into the forest to collect firewood. He made a small firepit and cooked the goblin over the fire.
[NEW DISH CREATED! Please enter a name for this dish.]
"Hmmm, how about, fire roasted goblin?" Kenny said as he tapped his chin.
[NAME ENTERED!]
[Dish: Fire-roasted goblin, added to recipe book!]
[Quest complete!]
[Chef Grade: N/A —> F-]
[HP: 100 —> 120]
[MP: 100 —> 120]
[Skill gained: Inspect (D) (Mastery: 0%): The user is able to discern information at a deeper level.]
"Bon appetit." Kenny took a stick of goblin meat and ate it.
"It's severely lacking seasoning and I overcooked it a little but it's not bad. 6/10." He said as he wiped his mouth and stood up. His red eyes gazed upon the stone doors in front of him with anticipation.
He pushed the doors open and a loud roar echoed throughout the hollow chamber. Sitting upon a throne made of bones was a giant red-skinned goblin with a bovine's skull as a mask.
"Inspect." Kenny said as he switched his deba knife for a meat cleaver.
[Berserker Goblin (D-Rank): A halfway evolution between goblin and hobgoblin. These creatures do not discriminate between friend and foe, so they live most of their lives in solitude.]
"GURAAAHHHH!!!" The goblin yelled as he leaped into the air trying to crush Kenny. Kenny rolled out of the way and quickly slashed his meat cleaver in the air.
"Chef's Cleave!" He yelled and instantly, the goblin was bisected and the wall behind him was marked with Kenny's slash.
[-50 MP]
[Chef's Cleave Mastery: +.1%!]
"Phew, thank goodness this skill is broken. I don't think I could've fought that goblin at all without it." Kenny smiled as he looted the corpse and its essence stone. Soon, the exit appeared and Kenny walked through.
Instead of being met with Hunters and guns, he was met with an empty alleyway.
"I thank the system for not putting me in a high-profile dungeon." Kenny made a praying gesture before leaving the alleyway and taking in the capital city of South Korea, Seoul.