As I was in the midst of preparing some side dishes, the familiar status screen unexpectedly appeared with a few lines of text.
You have gained the skill Culinary Arts.
What? I got a skill? curious about this development. I decided to open my status screen to take a closer look at the skill.
Culinary Arts (C) (Passive)
NOTE: As a hero bonus, all Skills have ranked up from E to C.
I pondered over whether I should delve into the skill description, but just then, Lara interrupted my thoughts with a question. "Hey! What are you staring at? Did you finish those dishes?"
Sorry about that; I suddenly got a new skill, so I was looking at that. I'll get back to work," I apologized to Lara, sounding a bit embarrassed, and returned to my tasks. However, Lara stopped me and inquired, "New skill? What's it called?
"It's called Culinary Arts. From its name, it looks like a cooking-related skill," I explained about the newly acquired skill.
"What? You already have that skill? What's its rank?" She appeared somewhat surprised and asked curiously.
"It's a C-rank skill," I informed her.
"What, C rank from the get-go? It takes a few months just to acquire the 'Culinary Arts' skill, and usually, everyone starts with the E rank. Even my rank is only around C+. Are you some kind of cooking genius?" Lara's expression began with wide-eyed surprise and transformed into one of pure happiness as she spoke to me.
"I was a little suspicious when you were learning everything so quickly. It turns out you really are a cooking genius. Do you want to work for me? I can make you a better chef than the royal chefs from the palace. What do you say?"
"I really appreciate the offer, but there's something I have to do as an Adventurer," I replied with an awkward smile. It felt uncomfortable to decline her offer, especially when she was so delighted about my skill. Truth be told, I was no genius; it was merely thanks to the hero bonus. However, I didn't want to reveal that.
"Really? That's a shame. Well, let's finish our work, and we can talk later," she said, her expression now tinged with disappointment. I felt a twinge of guilt for turning her down.
After a few minutes, we completed all our tasks, and everyone started to leave. Then, Lara suddenly asked me, "Kid, I didn't catch your name."
"Oh, sorry about that; I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Dokuta Doyama, an Iron-Ranked adventurer who recently arrived in the capital city. Before this, I was working as an adventurer in Random Town," I provided a brief introduction.
"Iron Ranked adventurer? So you're somewhat of a veteran. I thought you had just joined the adventurer guild. Well, it looks like I guessed wrong. Anyway, Dokuta, what are you planning to do now? It seems like you're not planning to leave with the others," she inquired curiously.
"Well, that's true. I'm planning to stay behind a little longer and make a few more of those dishes. I want to acquire as many resistance skills as possible," I explained my plan.
"Really? Well, that's fine. While you're at it, could you give me the recipe for that Dumpling thing? If possible, can I have it by tomorrow?" she asked with a hopeful look.
"Sure, I'll make sure to translate it within today," I reassured her.
"Really? Thank you, and by the way, don't forget to do the dishes after you finish your cooking," she reminded me before bidding me farewell.
After she left, I was the only one in the kitchen. "Now then, shall we take a look at a few of those recipes?" I pondered aloud. I decided to browse through the recipes, and many of them caught my eye. There were dishes like 'Paralysis Pizza,' 'Blinding Burger,' 'Petrifying Pasta,' 'Freezing Fries,' and 'Burning Burrito.' I realized that I had the ingredients to make some of these. However, I first needed to translate that recipe for Lara before experimenting with the others.
After translating the recipe, I decided to start making the Burger and the Fries. They were both easy to make and easy to eat. I began by preparing the 'Blinding Burger' and 'Freezing Fries.' After finished cooking, I washed the dishes and returned to my room, taking the 'Blinding Burger' and 'Freezing Fries' with me. The reason for this was that if I happened to pass out again, I didn't want it to happen in the kitchen. Passing out on a bed seemed like a much better option.
I opened the door to my room, but Henshiro was nowhere to be seen. I wondered where he had gone. Anyway, it was time for a midnight snack. I started by eating the burger, which was even worse than the dumplings. Just taking a single bite made me feel like I was going to pass out, but I managed to finish it. Then I moved on to the fries. They were extremely cold, but their taste was better than the burger, although the texture felt like I was eating ice.
As I consumed the last fry, my consciousness began to fade once again, and everything went dark. Just like before, right before passing out, I saw a familiar blue screen.
…..
I woke up with a sudden jerk, feeling disoriented. As I looked around, I realized I was in my guild dorm. The plate I had used to bring the food the previous night was on top of me, along with a few crumbs of bread and fries, likely from the 'Blinding Burger' and 'Freezing Fries' I had eaten. It appeared that I had passed out before I could clean up the mess.
I got up, cleaned myself off, and glanced around the room, but Henshiro was nowhere to be seen once again. Where had he gone? Did he leave the guild dorms? I wondered about Henshiro for a moment. Then, I took out my pocket watch, 'Lucid,' to check the time, and it was around 7 in the morning.
Reflecting on it, I remembered seeing the status screen before passing out. Should I take a look at it now? I decided to do just that and opened the status screen to see if I had acquired any new skills. Sure enough, there were a few new skills listed.
Blind Resistance (C) (Passive)
Cold Resistance (C) (Passive)
Faint Resistance (C) (Passive)
"Wow! I got three new resistance skills, that's awesome," I exclaimed in excitement. Maybe I should go to the kitchen again today With that decision, I refreshed myself and headed to the kitchen.
When I arrived, Lara greeted me with a curious expression. "Good morning, Dokuta. What are you doing here today?" she inquired.
"Good morning. Actually, I came here to help you guys again and to make more food for myself," I replied, explaining my purpose.
"Oh, did you change your mind and decide to become my pupil?" she asked, teasing me with a smile.
"No, nothing like that," I chuckled with an awkward smile.
"Well, anyway, you already know what to do, right? Unlike yesterday when you came late, today you have to help us with three different rushes, so get ready," she informed me, her expression turning stern.
"Yes, Ma'am," I responded to her and proceeded to complete all the tasks she assigned me. I handled everything from peeling potatoes and cutting vegetables to cooking and serving food.
Just like yesterday, a few people attempted to threaten me in hopes of getting free food, but once again, I used my FM skill to send them flying. The whole day passed in a similar manner. I even learned a few more recipes from Lara, and today the night rush concluded earlier than usual, so everyone left a bit earlier. Only Lara and I remained.
"So, are you planning to cook those special dishes again today?" she asked curiously.
"Yes, and I think starting tomorrow, I'll go back to hunting," I informed her about my future plans.
"Really? Well, that's a shame. You're always welcome here, so stop by whenever you can," she told me with a gentle smile.
"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind," I replied with a smile of my own, and then I bid her farewell.
Once again, I found myself alone in the kitchen, but unlike yesterday, I had more time today. So, I decided to cook as much food as possible.
With that in mind, I started cooking. Today, I prepared 'Paralysis Pizza,' 'Petrifying Pasta,' 'Burning Burrito,' and finally, the infamous 'Final Fried Rice.' Once everything was done, I cleaned the dishes and returned to my room. Even now, Henshiro was nowhere to be seen. Had he truly left the guild dorms? Perhaps I should ask someone about this later.
After that I started eating all the 'Foods', I started with the 'Burning Burrito,' it was so hot that I couldn't taste much, yet I somehow managed to finish it. Next was the 'Petrifying Pasta,' which had a slightly sweet taste. It wasn't as bad as the burrito, so I ate it without much trouble. Then came the 'Paralysis Pizza,' and it was so terrible that I felt like gagging from the first bite, but I powered through and finished it. Finally, it was time for the last boss, the 'Final Fried Rice.'
The last time I had tried this dish, I couldn't even taste it before fainting. However, things were different now. I was much stronger, and I was determined to conquer it. I started eating the fried rice as quickly as I could, barely bothering to chew and swallowed it down. After finishing the fried rice, a flurry of notifications popped up.