The Happy Belly, Capital City
It has been over a week since Michael opened The Happy Belly, and the number of people visiting his restaurant doubles daily.
The number of sales that have happened in the past week has gone beyond his expectations.
Michael was currently looking at his status screen.
>> Host Name: Michael Ashbluff
>> Age: 16
>> Level: A mortal with a thrash body.
>> Current Wealth: 16,000 Gold coins(After deductions)
>>SP(System Points): 1300 SP
>> Mission: A good merchant is nothing without a healthy body. Complete your first trade and earn 100,000 gold coins as a profit from it (You cannot take help from your family's existing business)
The amount of gold that he earned within 5 days was a staggering 16000 Gold coins.
On the other hand, the current situation of system points is quite pitiful. He only got 1300 SP, which was much lower than his expectations.
"Hey, System, why did you give me so little SP? In these five days, I think I have served more than 1,300 people.
System, don't tell me you are siphoning my points or something. Hey, I want to file a complaint against my System."
"Ding! Host, the System is fair. You are wrongly accusing me. I said you would get points based on the number of people using your service, but I never said it was the only requirement."
"The number of SP granted is also based on various other evaluations, like the task difficulty and the quality of work delivered. The actual grading system could not be revealed to you because you will only do the required things and not be creative."
"Also, you don't have to feel cheated because, based on the evaluation, you will sometimes get surprises, which will be more than the awarded SP. So keep working hard and strive to become a good merchant."
Michael was not fully convinced by it, but then he had no other option. Right now, he can only hope that he will get the so-called surprise, and for that, he will give his all.
With the restaurant's increasing popularity, the amount of work they must do has also been growing.
When Michael made his restaurant, he created a building with two floors, including the ground floor. Initially, he was using the ground floor, but in the past two days, the number of people visiting his restaurant has increased more than double or triple.
According to the latest Kingdom-wide survey, the Capital city is home to more than 40% of Mage Apprentices.
This was only the case within the capital city, which is said to be the home to many geniuses. The situation is worse in other cities.
As said earlier, you need good talent and heavy pockets to learn Magic.
Take out either of them, and you can only stay as a mortal, or even if you try to become a mage, the Mage Apprentice is as far as you can go.
That's also the reason behind Michael's mortal status.
Although rich, his body didn't gain any natural talent for Magic, so the predecessor didn't care to learn any magic.
Either way, the ones who try to be Apprentice Mages only do so to get rid of their mortal status and earn extra money. The worst Apprentice Mage can still earn better than the best mortal.
Because of this, there was an influx of customers.
The most astonishing fact is that this happened solely through word of mouth. Michael cannot imagine the results if he had explicitly promoted his restaurant.
To tackle this issue, Michael has decided to open the first floor to serve more customers and hire additional staff to serve the customers more efficiently.
He had already put the hiring notice on the second day itself. Since then, he has received lots of applications.
Today was the restaurant's day off, so Michael decided to use the time to interview potential employees.
Raziel joined him, saying he wanted to see his future coworkers. Both were waiting for the candidates to come in.
While waiting, Michael decided to browse the System for skills to help him in the hiring process.
Many skills could help him find out about the person, but most were expensive. Finally, he found one skill that was perfect for his requirements.
Eyes of Truth (Beginner): Provides all the information about the person on whom you will use the skill. The skill could only be used on those below the Fifth Tier.
Price: 300 SP
[Tip: Currently, the Host can only use this skill for a maximum of 10 times.]
"System, why is there a limit on how many times I can use the skill."
"Host, you are still a mortal without any Mana. Using it 10 times is the best you can use. To increase the limit, improve your cultivation."
"Damn it, my body is limiting me. I hope I will be able to complete my mission soon."
Michael purchased the skill and read about it. He was surprised to find that this eye skill would modify his eyes.
The System recommended purchasing an anaesthetic vial to help him lessen the pain when the modification is done.
Michael made an excuse and went inside the bathroom. He first used the anaesthesia vial and then asked the System to use the skill.
Within a few seconds, he felt a sharp pain in his eyes. The power of anaesthesia reduced the pain, but it could not eliminate it. Michael gritted his teeth, and after some time, the pain stopped.
"Ding! The Eyes of Truth has been successfully implanted."
As soon as he heard the message, he opened his eyes. Suddenly, he saw that the world around him had been completely changed.
He could see the slight mana flow in his surroundings, and the pictures were much clearer. It felt like his eyes were the lenses of a high-definition camera.
After washing his face, he came outside and sat beside Raziel. He wanted to use the skill to check its effects, so he considered using it on Raziel.
"Ding! The eye of truth is been used". Soon, he saw Raziel's details.
>> Name: Raziel Gourd
>> Age: 22
>> Race: Demon(Rezo Tribe)
>> Level: First Tier Mage
>> Talent: Low Grade
>>[ Raziel is the only son of his family. His father is a clerk in the Blacksmith Guild, and his mother is a housewife. He wanted to make his restaurant famous but failed to do so.
But now, with Michael, he hopes to learn the art of cooking and someday release his family stew recipe with improved flavour.]
"This Kid..." Michael never knew that Raziel was so dedicated to cooking.
"Now that I know it, in the future, I will help you complete your dream."
Michael was surprised to learn that he could obtain so much information with a beginner-level skill. He was now looking forward to the upgraded skill.
Soon, the candidates started arriving for interviews.
Michael was clear that he would hire young people for posts like servers and cleaning staff. It's because the work is taxing for older people.
Another important thing is that the capital city is home to many prestigious institutions and businesses, and many young people from different parts of the Kingdom come to try their luck there.
There are always many young people looking to improve their lives. Although this job won't make them rich, it will at least help them reduce some of their financial burdens.
Once he expands his business, he will build dormitories for his staff. The city already has inns and houses for rent, but the cost of living is high.
Of course, he's not doing it completely out of goodwill. Providing help to these young people in their earlier years will help them form a deep impression of his character.
As the saying goes - Help the young and weak today, and they will remember you when they are strong.
Maybe years later, they will become his eyes and ears in the Kingdom when they have achieved something and help him hold power behind the scenes.
One thing Michael was clear about was that with the Merchant System, his wealth would grow quickly, but holding money without power would make him a puppet in the hands of powerful people. To stop that, he will have to start preparing from the beginning.
For the chefs, he is going to hire experienced people. He was not concerned about someone stealing the recipes because they are secondary; only by using the ingredients purchased from the System can they achieve the effect of his magic food.
Of course, food prepared with normal ingredients tastes a hundred times better than what the other restaurants serve, but with the competitive pricing, he was confident about the sales.
Hiring cleaning staff was much quicker as he asked them to perform various cleaning spells. Although the restaurant already has self-cleaning surfaces, some cleaning is still needed for tables and utensils.
He hired the mortals for the waiter position. His logic was clear. For those positions that don't need Magic, he will try to hire mortals for it.
In this world, the life of the mortals was pretty tough. They have few opportunities to change their lives unless they are born into a rich family like him.
Being a mortal in a past life and this one, he has a soft spot for them. He plans to give them good earning opportunities by incorporating them into his ventures.
Lastly, for the chef position, he asked those who came for interviews to perform some basic skills like Knife skills or show their cooking techniques.
He has always believed that if your basics are clear, you can absorb any skills or strategies the job throws.
Since the Eye of Truth had a daily limit, he used it on the 8 shortlisted candidates for the chef position.
He was happy that his method of shortlisting chefs based on basic skills was the correct decision.
With the eye of truth, he selected 6 chefs with the best conditions. He assigned three as Senior Chef and 3 as their juniors.
After interviewing the candidates for a full day and being satisfied with their backgrounds, he hired 10 cleaning staff members working in two shifts, 6 mortals—3 for each floor, 3 chefs, and 3 junior chefs.
All three head chefs were Tier 2 mage, and the junior chefs were Mage Apprentices. Surprisingly, of the 6 chefs he hired, three were from the Elves race, two were humans, and one was a demon.
Raziel recommended one of them, the demon Azirel. Azirel and Raziel were best friends. Azriel had completed high school but started doing odd jobs since he was not talented in Magic.
Raziel told him about the restaurant hiring; at first, he suggested a cleaner position to him, but to their surprise, he was good with knives; he was hired for a junior chef position. Azirel was happy since the pay was much better than his past work.
In total, he hired 19 people to work at his restaurant.
"Hey Boss, don't you think you have hired too many workers? We have just started. Do you think we need this many people?"
Michael looked at him as if seeing some dumb kid.
"Of course, we need that many. You have seen how our food has magical effects. In the coming days, we will get more customers than we currently have. How do you think we will manage them all?" Michael replied.
Raziel smiled stupidly. "Boss, you are right. I forgot how good our Magic food is."
The next day, Michael and all the staff came 2 hours early before the restaurant opened.
Yesterday, Michael had already taught them things that needed to be done.
Being a Head chef, he started assigning work to Raziel and other chefs he had hired.
They started preparing things that were necessary for making the precooked components.
After 9 am, the restaurant was opened for the business. As soon as they were opened, the orders started pouring in.
Since he had hired 6 additional chefs, he assigned two chefs each for three dishes.
Soon, the customers noticed the effect of the hiring process. Their orders took at least 15 minutes, but now they got it within 5 minutes.
"Today, we are getting our food much earlier than regular. I think the Boss has hired more staff in their restaurants." Said one dwarf.
"I don't care. I am fine with anything unless the taste of the food is not compromised, " replied another.
While they were waiting in the queue, Nancy stood up. Seeing her do so, everyone got quiet. They still remembered how powerful this lady was.
"Hello, Everyone. I have a small announcement. Since we have hired new staff, the previous restrictions have been lifted. Now, everyone can order more than one dish per person."
After the announcement, without waiting for any replies, she sat back in her seat.
But the people who were standing in the queue were very excited.
"Hey, did you hear that? Finally, I could eat all three dishes together without choosing any single one."
"Not gonna lie; it was torture for me to choose between the Roasted Chicken and the bread pudding. Now I can happily eat both of them at the same time."
The announcement made everyone excited. Although the dishes were magical, one was insufficient for the breakthrough.
The effect is not visible unless one eats at least three dishes. But now, with the restrictions lifted, they can advance much earlier than they had estimated.
Everyone started ordering three dishes simultaneously, and the restaurant received triple the orders within an hour.
Michael was not surprised by this. He knew his food was the best, and their restrictions dented his earnings.
But now, a new problem has arisen because of that.
Since people can order multiple dishes, the time it takes to eat them has also multiplied. Earlier, one person used to take 10 minutes to eat, but now, the same person takes around 20 minutes.
But Michael was powerless against it. The restaurants had limited seating, and he could not keep expanding the space.
Of course, he can rent another place, but the problem is that he has already purchased both the stores on the lane. Now, he can only find different ways to meet the growing demand.
Yearwood Royal Mage Academy
Jenny was sitting on her bed with a satisfied look on her face. For the past few days, she has been eating food from The Happy Belly daily, and today, the food finally showed its effect. Just an hour ago, she had her breakthrough in First Tier Mage.
She never imagined that the problem that had haunted her for the past year would be solved within a few days. Jenny was thinking of meeting Michael and thanking him for his help.
While contemplating it, there was a knock on her door. Jenny opened her door and saw her father, Jose, standing before her.
Jose had flowing silver hair and a long beard, his piercing blue eyes twinkling with wisdom and mischief. Clad in flowing robes, he exuded an aura of knowledge and authority. But as soon as he saw Jenny, his eyes displayed a hint of worry.
Jenny has been stuck to the Apprentice Mage stage. He knew how hard she was trying to advance, but he could do nothing. At one point, he thought of using medicines that helped in breakthroughs but hesitated to use them.
Those medicines did help advance, but they were at the cost of their potential. If Nancy cannot break through, he will ask her to use that medicine. The potential is useless if she doesn't advance to First Tier Mage.
As he entered her room, he saw a smile on Nancy's face. It had been a long time since he had seen his beautiful daughter smile like that.
But as he looked at her more, he was shocked. He realized that Nancy had advanced to First Tier Mage.
"Nancy, when did you advance to the first tier." He asked her happily.
"Father, I just had a breakthrough. I was going to surprise you, but you spoiled it," Nancy said with fake anger. She knew how much her father was worried about her.
"I am indeed surprised. As I always told you, you need to persist, and you will get the results. See, I was not wrong. Without opting for those medicines, you were able to achieve a breakthrough."
"Father, about that…" Nancy was unsure whether to tell her father about The Happy Belly's magic food.
But then she thought that with her father's connection, he would know about it sooner or later, so she didn't plan to hide it.
"Father, I had a breakthrough because of the magic food I ate at The Happy Belly."
"What Magic Food? What Happy Belly? Don't tell me you used some medicine to break through the first-tier mage. Nancy, I told you that it will affect your potential." Jose was agitated.
He never expected his daughter to use those medicines without even informing him. More than that, he was worried about her.
Nancy saw that her father had misunderstood, so she quickly told him everything about Magic Food and the restaurant.
While Jose was listening, he was shocked to find that there was such magical food that helped people in breakthroughs.
"So that's how I was able to have a breakthrough. Father, I know about those medicines you talk about. Although they help us, they are also painful.
But this magic food was nothing like that. In addition to being tasty, it helped me absorb mana more easily. Also, the increase was not sudden; the process was more natural."
After listening to Nancy, Jose was half convinced that this magic food was unlike the medicines. Still, he decided to see for himself.
After that, Nancy took him to the restaurant.
When they reached The Happy Belly, it was almost time for the restaurant to close. When Jose entered, he saw many apprentice mages.
While eating the food, they had that satisfied expression as if they had eaten some elixir.
Jose went to the counter and was surprised to see a Third Tier Mage sitting there.
You have to remember the most powerful Mage of the Yearwood Kingdom was the King at the Ninth Tier Mage Stage.
Even in Capital, the third-tier mage became Class 1 Teachers in the Yearwood Royal Mage Academy.
So, seeing one sitting on the counter was pretty surprising.
Now Jose wanted to meet the restaurant owner who made that Magic food and a Third-Tier Mage to sit on the counter.
"Hello, Miss. My name is Jose Yearwood, and I am the Principal of Yearwood Royal Mage Academy. I want to meet the owner of this restaurant."