Paul stared at the holographic screen in shock, too stunned to speak a word. What kind of magic trick was this?
[Welcome to Divine Recipe System]
[Chef Profile]
User: Paul Keller
Realm: Core Realm
Level: 1
Recipe Mastery Level: Unknown
Realm Affinity: Unknown
Chef Rank: Novice
Magical Affinity: None
Culinary Affinity: None
[Basic Stats]
Health: 89/100
Mana: 15/15
Stamina: 50/50
Attack Power:
-Physical Attack: 20/20
-Magical Attack: None
Speed: 35/35
Strength: 20/20
[Core Stats]
Cooking Skills: 10/100
Magic Control: 5/100
Creativity: 30/100
[Additional Stats]
Luck: 5/100
Reputation: 0/100
[Recipe Book]
Level 1 Recipes
[Ingredients Available]
None
[Quest and Mission Tracking]
Locked.
[Inventory]
Empty
[Creature Summoning Panel]
Active Companions: None
Creature Stats: Locked
[System Points (SP): 0]
Initially petrified, Paul's eyes gleamed with interest by the time he finished reading everything on the screen.
[Your Basic Stats will increase over time as you level up and complete more quests]
'What is this? What's happening?' Paul thought, unable to discern the sudden turn of events. He kept gawking at the screen as if it'd give him all the answers he was looking for.
"Why are my cooking skills so low?" A frown marred his face when he saw the points. He was a brilliant chef, alright. How could his score be so low?
[Host, your skills have been assessed according to this world]
"Oh," Paul didn't understand. But he didn't question more. Instead, his focus shifted to something that had him fascinated since the beginning.
"Magical affinity? Do you mean to say that magic prevails in this world?"
[Yes, Host]
"Awesome." Paul was over the moon. He couldn't help but be pleased with the unexpected pot of luck he had stumbled up.
Magic? Would he soon be hurling fireballs and summoning thunderstorms? He hoped so.
"May I check the recipe book?" Paul was interested in the recipes the system had for him. 'Level 1? What could Level 1 recipes mean? Are they categorized based on the difficulty of preparation?'
The screen shifted and Paul's eyes almost popped out of his sockets when he saw the dish names.
[Healing Soup] [Strength Boosting Chicken]
'Healing soup is at least fine. What the hell is strength-boosting chicken?' Paul was dumbstruck and he picked the recipe for the chicken.
Paul's surprise was unaffected when he saw the recipe. He was familiar with the ingredients and the cooking style. The only difference was that he had to infuse his mana into the dish while preparing it.
What baffled him was the effect the dish had on the body. True to its name, the Strength Boosting Chicken had the to ability increase one's physical strength and stamina.
"What the fuck!" Paul was overwhelmed and he could barely manage to speak in his excitement. "Is this true?"
[You may test it out if you want, Host]
The system answered for him as the holographic screen vanished and Paul couldn't wait to do so. But he didn't have any ingredients to cook the chicken or the soup except for a few potatoes, oil, salt, and pepper. How could he prepare the dishes?
"How do I get the ingredients? Can you provide them for me?" Paul asked the system hopefully. But the system's response crashed all his hopes.
[You will have to look for the ingredients on your own, Host]
"Damn it! What do I do now?" Paul thought for a moment and recalled the mountain behind their village. From the host's memories, he realized he could find at least a few ingredients.
"At least this man has a hoe," Paul picked up the tool lying in the kitchen and smiled in satisfaction.
Without dilly-dallying, he left in search of the ingredients.
On his way, Paul found a few villagers murmuring to themselves as they pointed fingers at him. He ignored them until a woman who seemed to be in her fifties stopped him.
Aunt Mary. The big mouth of the village.
"Paul, why did you quit your job?" Her nosy expression made him curse under his breath. He hated it the most when people were overly interested in his life. Didn't they have better work to do?
"I didn't like the shop owner," Paul replied half-heartedly.
"You should endure it. He might have a bad temper, but he's a good man."
Good man? And he? Paul was speechless. The woman's definition of good was messed up.
Not noticing his strange expression, she asked again, "How will you survive then? Winter is approaching and it will be hard to find a job then."
"I'll find something by then. It's not a big deal. I have some work. So..." Paul nodded at her and left under the woman's scrutinizing gaze.
Although he wanted to have a moment of peace, it was short-lived when he was stopped again, this time by the man he had worked with in Thomas' kitchen.
"Paul, why did you quit your job? You should have apologized. Master Thomas would have forgiven you," the man, who Paul remembered to be Simon asked him.
Although his tone was heavy with concern, Paul didn't miss the wickedness and joy flashing in his eyes. His brows contorted thoughtfully, not understanding why the man was hostile towards the host.
'What beef did these two have? Why does he seem like he can't wait for me to die?' Paul thought, his mind spinning stories of all kinds, each more dramatic than the other.
"I just didn't want to work there anymore." Paul shrugged lightly.
"What are you going to do then? It'll be difficult to find another job."
"I'll think of something. Listen, Simon," Paul interrupted when he noticed the man was about to continue. "I have something important to handle. I'll talk to you later."
Simon didn't reply. But Paul didn't wait for him and walked away.
This time, he didn't stop even once until he reached the mountain. From the host's memories, he was certain he could find the root vegetables.
However, before he could even start looking, the system went berserk in his mind while the floating screen appeared before him as though it was scanning something.
[Scanning started]
[Scanning complete]
[Ingredient: Vital Leaves]
[Effect: Replenishes lost energy and improves stamina]
[Level 5]
Paul was intrigued and started studying the leaves that resembled a lot like arugula leaves but not quite at the same time.
'Since the system believes these are useful, I must get them.' Paul didn't doubt it and squatted to harvest it.
[Host, pull it out from the roots]
"Why?"
[You didn't check the Inventory. Otherwise, you'd understand that you can cultivate crops once you reach higher levels]
"Holy fuck! You aren't serious, are you?" Paul almost destroyed the Vital Leaves in his astonishment.
[I am, Host]
"What will happen to the ingredients until then?" Paul realized he hadn't explored the system's features in detail. In his hurry to test the recipe, he had overlooked everything else.
[The Inventory will store the ingredients for you to use in the future]
"Will they not get spoilt over time?"
[No, Host. The Inventory is not time-bound. Everything will be as it was when you stored it]
"What kind of a magical thing did I activate? System, you are awesome."
[Hehe, thank you, Host]