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6: Real Friends
🕑 Added 2025-08-09 13:18:06 +0000 UTCMicca soon emerged from her room, dressed in fresh clothes and carrying the bucket out. I was still staring at the status screen, puzzled by the dayâs revelations. Maybe now I could finally level upâhopefully.
I sat down on another chair, and Micca settled quietly nearby, sipping her cup of water and patiently waiting.
âDid you work it out?â she asked after a brief pause.
âNot entirely,â I admitted. âBut I think I have to make the entire meal on my own for it to count. Same with the butchery.â I fell silent for a moment.
âBut I got bonus experience for healing you. Thereâs no mention of healing in the skill descriptions. How many does it heal? How does it even work?â I buried my face in my hands. âSo many more questions.â
Micca smiled confidently. âSure, it poses a lot of questions, but the important thing isâyou earned experience. Your class isnât impossible to train.â
âThatâs great news!â
I smiled weakly at her. Today had been an absolute whirlwind of emotionsâenjoying my day off, worrying about a friend, gaining experience, and now facing a world of questions. I knew Iâd need to speak with Geo, Martin, and probably Elder Peter for advice moving forward.
But that last thought gave me hope. I could move forward.
âThanks,â I said to her. âThat helps.â
Sighing deeply, I picked up the half-eaten bowl of soup and quickly finished the rest.
âIâd better get going,â I said to Micca. âWill you be alright? Iâll leave the soup here if you want more. Thereâs plenty left.â
She just sat there, absorbed in the moment.
âIâll be fine. My hit points are up to 75 now, and the fever seems completely gone.â
With that, she got up and came over to give me a hug.
âI appreciate your coming to help. Could you let Larry know Iâll be back tomorrowâif he hasnât already replaced me?â she said, half worried, with a nervous laugh.
âOf course,â I said, returning the hug.
After saying my farewells, I left her house and headed back to the inn.
A short walk later, I entered the inn, which was bustling with activity. The moment Larry spotted me, he didnât even let me get a word in.
âThere you are, Trevor! Get over here and give me a hand. Itâs a madhouse!â Larry shouted over the crowd.
Before I knew it, I was put to workâcarrying bowls to customers and clearing away dirty mugs and plates.
When the night finally died down enough for a break, I headed to the kitchen to find Geo, but heâd already gone home for the day.
I made my way back out front and caught Larryâs attention.
âI checked on Micca. Sheâll be back for work tomorrow,â I said, deciding not to go into details about what had happened.
Larry just grunted and turned back to his duties.
The next morning, Geo woke me for our daily trip to the markets. As we walked, I explained what had happenedâand how Iâd earned experience. Geo winced a little when I told him about the butchering, doing it all by myself. Like me, he had plenty of questions.
âDo you get experience for everyone who eats it?â was his first.
I, of course, didnât know the answer to any of his questions.
âYou said it mentioned they enjoyed the meal, so if they donât enjoy it, you get no experience? What do you mean, it healed her? How?â The questions came rapid-fire, and I could answer none of them. I just chuckled awkwardly and said, âI donât know.â
âThe one concerning thing you mentioned was the butchering from start to finish. You said you had to pluck a chicken that had been freshly killed.â Geo fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.
âWe could get some rabbits, I suppose, or maybe some birds, but at the inn we donât really have the space to butcher anything larger from start to finish,â he finished.
âI understand,â I nodded. It was trueâthe innâs kitchen wasnât set up for full butchery at all.
After our daily shopping trip back to the inn, Geo said, âLetâs have you make the stew today. I wonât help with any of it. Iâll just make the bread rolls and supervise to make sure you donât mess up. Itâll be like a day off,â he said with a laugh.
I agreed immediately. Any chance to train my main class was one I wouldnât miss.
For this test, we decided not to use any wine. That way, there would be no outside influence to worry about. So, it was a very basic venison stew with root vegetables, onion, garlic, and thickened with root starch.
Micca, true to her word, had returned to work that day. Larry was a bit short with her, but since she still looked under the weather, it wasnât too bad. When she heard Iâd be making the stew on my own, a giant smile lit up her face. As she left the kitchen, she said, âIâll make sure everyone buys it.â
I felt both nervous and eager as the stew was taken off the heat and I prepared to serve it. If this didnât work, Iâd be back to square one. But I was confident it would.
At least, thatâs what I kept telling myself.
I glanced at my status screen, looking for any sign that I had used mana again.
Name: Trevor
Class: Arcane Chef
Rarity: Rare
Level: 1
Experience: 75/100
Hit points: 140/140
Mana: 45/50
Stamina: 70/140
I had used five mana
again while making this dish. That had to be a good sign, right?
When the night began, Geo had me serve the first few bowls of stew myselfâjust in case that mattered. Then it happened.
Notifications:
You have earned 25 experience for making an enjoyable meal
You have reached Level 2 in Arcane Chef
You have +2 unspent stat points
âŠ
You have earned 25 experience for making an enjoyable meal
You have earned 25 experience for making an enjoyable meal
That was one question answered. Geo served the next series of dishes to see if it mattered who served it.
Notifications:
You have earned 25 experience for making an enjoyable meal
You have earned 25 experience for making an enjoyable meal
You have earned 50 bonus experience for healing someone with your meal
âI got bonus experience for healing someone again,â I said to Geo as we waited in the kitchen.
âThatâs good news,â Geo replied thoughtfully. âYou donât need to serve the dishes, and I suppose anyone whoâs missing HP counts as you healing them?â
He was clearly lost in thought as I checked my status again.
Name: Trevor
Class: Arcane Chef
Rarity: Rare
Level: 2
Experience: 175/325
This was it! I thought I was finally doing it.
The night passed in a blur. Notifications kept popping up, but I ignored most of themâLarry wouldnât let me slack off, even if it was for my class.
When things finally died down, Geo was still in the kitchen. I guessed he was just as curious as I was about how it went. As I entered, Micca followed behind, barely able to contain herself.
âWell?â she asked impatiently, a giant smile on her face.
âHow did it go?â she pressed.
âUh, hold on. Let me checkâI havenât been able to keep up,â I said, pulling up my status again. In total, I had 62 notifications for making an enjoyable meal and four notifications for healing someoneâ1750 experience in all.
I was gobsmacked.
Level: 4
Experience: 753/1056
"I'm⊠I'm level 4!" I almost shouted. Looking closer at my status, I noticed Basic Meal Prep had only gained an additional 25 experience, so evidently that was once per meal.
"I have six unspent stat points too. What should I put them on?" I asked, not really expecting an answer. Iâd never had this problem before and wasnât sure where to spend them.
"Normally, cooks spend their points on Endurance and Dexterity, with a little in Strength, Wisdom, and Charismaâthe last two mostly for menu work and selling dishes," Geo began.
"However, Iâm not sure thatâs ideal for you. You already have Dexterity and Endurance fairly high compared to your other stats, and since youâre using mana now, Iâd suggest putting some points into Intelligence. Or, probably smarter would be to see that Elder friend of yours at the Temple and get his advice," Geo said, still thinking it over.
"Yeah, donât waste the points blindly," Micca said with a bright smile. "Go see the Elder. Iâm sure heâll have some good advice."
"Right, Iâm heading home! Iâm so glad this worked out. Have a good night," she said, then left the kitchen, leaving Geo and me behind.
âShe probably has the right idea. We need to get up early for the market again, and after that, I think itâs best you visit the Elder during lunch. Iâll make an excuse to Larry,â Geo said.
âBut I wonât get experience if I donât make the dish,â I blurted out.
Geo just laughed. âYou canât cook alone every day. Besides, itâs important to get yourself sorted early so you donât make mistakes.â
âOkay,â I said, feeling a bit dejected.
âDonât worry, Trev. Weâll get you leveled up in no time!â Geo said before heading out himself.
That night I barely slept. I kept checking my status screen, making sure this wasnât a dream or some illusion. This was realâI really had leveled up my class. It had been six weeks since I had gotten it.
Exhaustion finally took me in the early hours of the morning. I paid little attention after that, but I was pretty sure I had run out of stamina by the end.
The next morning, just as Geo had promised, I was woken by himâlooking just as tired as I feltâready for our trip to the market.
After he reassured me heâd cover for me, I was sent on my way back to the Temple, hoping to see Elder Peter and maybe even Martin, to get some advice on what to do next.
Walking inside, the Temple was much the same as before. Several people were praying to the statue in the middle of the room, and a few priests wandered through the hall. After a short time, I managed to get the attention of one and asked if Elder Peter was available.
Before long, I found myself back inside the small room with the table and chairs, sitting with tea and waiting for Elder Peter to arrive. Almost as soon as I poured my cup, he entered.
âAh, young Trevor, it is a pleasure to see you again,â Elder Peter said warmly.
âHow can I assist you today?â he asked, taking a quick sip of tea.
I began to explain everything that had happenedâhow I discovered how to gain experience, the bonus for healing, the experiment at the Inn where I reached Level 4. Finally, I brought up the topic of my unused stat points and how I was seeking advice on where to spend them, since I had no other class to guide me.
Elder Peter was silent for a long moment, processing everything Iâd told him. Then he began,
âHmmm, thatâs fascinating. So your skill requires you to cook and prepare everything solo for the experience to count, and you get a bonus for healingâor more importantly, your cooking actually heals, which I donât recall being mentioned in the skill description.â He poured himself a cup of tea and settled back into his chair, lost in thought.
âIâve seen many classes over the years and how they level up. What youâve described sounds almost like an adventurer-adjacent classâsince youâd need to be a solo cook, capable of butchering in the field.â He paused, thinking again.
âWait⊠Iâll be an adventurer?â I asked, hope creeping into my voice.
âNo, I donât think so. Sorry, I may have misspoken. What I mean is, cooking at the Inn will give you good experienceâsubstantial, even, given the number of people youâre feeding. But I imagine your future abilities wonât fit well in a town or team setting. The experience curve will probably drop off rapidly if you try to keep it up there.â His tone turned serious.
âThatâs not to say you couldnât level up in the city â itâs certainly possible, from the sound of it, and many people never leave. But I suspect that if you want to get the most out of your class, eventually youâll need to break free from the same routine. Alas, thatâs a concern for the future.â He paused, thoughtful.
âYou asked about your unassigned stat points,â he continued. âI believe Intelligence will be useful for your class, especially since I suspect youâll be using a lot more mana once you hit level 5 and unlock your new ability. As a second option, Wisdom, and Charisma will serve you well â Wisdom helps with flavour combinations and recipe retention, while Charisma makes it easier to gain peopleâs trust when cooking their food. That is, of course, if you plan on leaving the inn someday.â
After that, the conversation grew quiet for a long while as we both sipped our teas, lost in thought.
âThank you for all your help,â I said finally. âIs Martin in today? May I see him?â
Elder Peter smiled warmly. âOf course you may.â He rose from his seat and opened the door. âI assume you donât mind if I document what weâve discussed here today?â
âI donât mind at all. Thank you for your help.â I bowed respectfully before leaving the room and heading toward the kitchen, eager to discuss everything with Martin.
As I walked, I followed the advice Iâd been given and allocated four points into Intelligence and two points into Charisma â my lowest stat. I quickly glanced at my status screen.
Name: Trevor
Class: Arcane Chef
Rarity: Rare
Level: 4
Experience: 753/1056
Hit points: 140/140
Mana: 150/150
Stamina: 130/140
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 14
Endurance: 14
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 7
Charisma: 5
Willpower: 12
Perception: 8
Luck: 6
Walking into the kitchen, I was met with a far more organised scene than I was used to at the inn over the last four weeks. Martin quickly spotted me as he finished washing his hands and, with a friendly slap on my shoulder, pulled me aside.
"What brings you here, young Trevor? Have you come back to work with me?" he asked jovially.
I laughed awkwardly. "Uh, no, sorry. I came by to tell you Iâve figured out how to level my class. Iâm level 4 now, mostly from one night."
"You what?!" he exclaimed, shocked, before pulling me out of the kitchen and into the dining hall. We sat down, and he leant forward eagerly. "Tell me everything!"
What followed was almost a word-for-word recounting of the events I had told Elder Peter, but I also shared about the few new friends Iâd made, and the awkward encounter with Lukas.
âBah, a lot of new adventurers are like that,â Martin said with a knowing smile. âThey think theyâre too good for their roots. Pay it no mind, boy â heâll grow out of it, eventually. And if he doesnât, I wouldnât worry too much. Sounds like your new friends are good people.â Then, with a hearty laugh, he added, âNow watch you donât end up the same way when you get famous with that class of yours, you hear?â
I couldnât really see that happening, but I promised I wouldnât all the same.
We chatted for a while longer. I explained everything that had happened in the past four weeks â the kitchen I was working in, the dishes Iâd made, even if they werenât fancy.
After some time, Martin said he had to get back to work, so we ended the conversation. But before heading back into the kitchen, he paused and said, âOh, Trevor, if youâre getting bonus experience for healing, you could kill two birds with one stone by making food for the Medical Pavilion. Theyâd appreciate the donation, youâd be helping a lot of people, and youâd get plenty of bonus experience.â With that, he disappeared back into the kitchen.
Why didn't I think of that?
