It has been two years since he became a copper rank. Ian was sad after he finished his leveling. He hoped to gain more points before becoming a copper.
The first time he tried to use his power, he drained all energy within a second. Ever since that day, he would only use his power in an emergency.
On the day he went out to hunt since no one was available, Ian managed to kill three different copper creatures. He ate the smallest one of the three which looked like a raccoon. The other two, he planned to take home.
By now he had two years of cooking experience so he had no issue turning the small creature into barbeque. It was still too much for him to eat so he made jerky out of what was left. Even after eating most of the meat, he didn't earn a point.
He had been hunting for most of the day and besides the three copper creatures, he had also killed ten normal ones. He would usually kill a lot of creatures to take home so he'd bring a wheelbarrow to carry everything.
While he was stacking the bodies of all the creatures he killed another copper-ranked creature appeared. It was following the scent of blood.
The creature looked like a wolf. Its entire body was black except for its head which was white. It slowly walked up to the wheelbarrow and sniffed the bodies on it.
Ian was on the other side of it waiting for it to try and take some of his catch. Right as the wolf was about to grab one of the copper creatures, Ian jumped out from the other side.
He leaped through the air and landed on the wolf's back. He pulled out a knife that was made from the tusks of the boar he killed a few years back and stabbed it in its neck.
The wolf didn't have enough time to react and when it knew what was going on, its neck got stabbed. The blade struck its vital spot, killing it instantly.
Ian had used minimal effort to kill the wolf. Once he saw that it was dead, he grabbed the body and threw it on the wheelbarrow.
The cargo that he was carrying was quite heavy for the average person. This would also be true for Ian if he hadn't trained every day he was able to. Ever since he was first taken out to hunt, he was made to train so he could be stronger later on.
His base strength had increased by a good amount from his sixteen-year-old self. It would take him three hours to get from his house to the forest but since he was carrying a large load, it would take him four to five hours.
Ian did not encounter anything on the way back. He did take a few breaks to rest though. Carrying all of the bodies was great weight training for him so he didn't mind.
By the time he made it back to the town, the sky had turned orange and a huge shadow was cast over the town. There were still many people out and about.
On his way home, Ian saw Emmett and Zoey together. The two of them were sitting on a bench, chatting with each other. Ian didn't want to disturb them so he quickly made his way past them.
While chatting with each other, Zoey noticed Ian walk by and pointed it out to Emmett. Emmett turned his head to where Zoey was pointing and was surprised. He wasn't sure if Ian didn't see them or if he did and just didn't want to bother them, so he went up to him.
Ian noticed Emmett approaching so he put his wheelbarrow down. He was covered in sweat from carrying the wheelbarrow so was happy to take a break.
"You had a busy day didn't you?" Emmett asked Ian with a shocked expression on his face. Zoey was standing behind him with a shocked look as well.
"Ya, it's been a good hunt, but my arms are tired of carrying this." Ian stretched his arms while saying this.
Emmett checked out the creatures and asked Ian what he caught.
"I killed ten null creatures and four copper creatures, but I ate most of a copper-ranked spotted raccoon, and what I didn't eat I turned into jerky," Ian explained how he caught all of them after saying what he caught.
Emmett and Zoey were surprised by this, more Zoey than Emmett. Emmett was used to Ian hunting a lot but this was about double what he normally got. Emmett was thinking to himself as he looked at all the creatures.
Emmett turned to face Ian and asked, "Hey Ian, can I ask a favor of you?"
"Shoot," Ian replied without any hesitation.
"Well Zoey and I were going to eat something but the only restaurant in town is Zoey's. Since she eats her dad's cooking every day, she doesn't want to go and eat there. So, I was wondering if you could make one of your dishes for us?" Emmett tried to explain everything quickly but took too long.
Ian thought about Emmett's request for a moment. In that brief time, his stomach growled, breaking his thinking. He didn't put any more thought into it and just agreed since he was hungry too.
"I will make some noodle stew but I need to know if you want a meat base or a milky base broth. Also, what meat do you want in it?" Ian asked both of them as they all walked to Ian and Emmett's house.
Emmett asked Zoey which she would prefer since he didn't care. She wasn't sure what to choose so she went with a milky broth since it's unusual for a stew to have one. As for the meat she didn't really care about it.
Emmett was interested in the wolf that was at the top of the wheelbarrow so he asked Ian to use that for the meat. Ian had no objections so he agreed to use it, even if it is a copper creature.
Once they arrived back at their house, Ian placed all of the creatures into one of the many containers they have in their backyard. The containers have a rune in them so the inside of them stays cold. People use them to store meat so it lasts longer.
With everything Ian hunted, he almost filled up all five containers. Ian didn't place the wolf into one though and instead began to skin and chop it up for cooking.
Ian planned on cooking outside which made it easier for him. He had two different pots over a flame, one was for the broth while the other was for making the noodles.
As he waited for the water to boil he began to chop some vegetables. He quickly cut them up into thin strips.
Next, he began to make the noodles since the water was still not ready. He made dough that his mom showed him and with that, he sliced them into long thin, yet wavy noodles. His skills with a knife could easily compete with Zoey's dad.
Right as Ian finished making the noodles, the water was ready to use. As he placed the noodle into the water he checked on the broth. It was almost ready so he added the vegetables to it.
Off to the side on a different fire, Ian had the wolf meat slowly cooking over a steady flame. He had sliced the meat into thin slabs. With how much meat he cut, there would be enough for everyone to have five pieces.
All of the ingredients were coming along perfectly. Ian placed six bowls on the table next to him and ready himself to assemble them all together.
Ian was going to make three extra bowls for his parents and Ellie. Everyone inside the house had smelled the food by now and had come outside to await the food.
Ian poured the broth into the bowls first. He made sure to sieve the veggies from the broth. Once all the bowls had their broth, Ian split the veggies equally into the bowls. By the time he finished that, the meat would be done cooking.
With all the bowls finished and ready to be eaten, everyone took their spot and began to slurp up their noodles. Zoey watched as everyone happily ate their food. She hesitated for a bit but eventually took a bit after Emmett convinced her to.
To her surprise, the food was good. She was not expecting the veggies to make the broth slightly sweet and still creamy. The sweetness of the broth was not overbearing. It was really mellow.
Zoey then took a bite of the wolf meat. Her teeth bit straight through it with no resistance. The meat was very tender and instead of it being bland, it was tasty. It had absorbed some of the broth which made it juicy and sweet as well.
All of the ingredients mixed perfectly so that no flavor masked the other. The different flavors seemed to taste better the longer they stewed in the broth. Zoey now understood why Emmett and his family were downing their food so quickly.
Zoey too started to scarf down her meal. Ian and Emmett saw this and they both smiled.
When Zoey finished eating, she took a moment to think to herself. Her face was so serious. Emmett was a bit concerned and was about to ask if she was okay but then she looked up to speak.
"Ian, I'd like to ask you something," Zoey said in a serious tone.
Ian didn't say anything to respond. He just looked up at her but continued eating.
"Would you mind if we sold this dish of yours at our restaurant?" Zoey asked while still making eye contact with Ian.
Ian placed down his fork and said, "Let me finish eating, and then we can talk"
Zoey did not argue with this and decided to wait.