3 The Third Step Requires A Spatula

Mmm...my back hurts. I'm itchy. Ah, right, I slept on this sorry excuse for a bed. It is just hay covered in fabric. Ugh...

I wonder what I can do with my Status now...oh, right, I got [Cooking] and leveled it up a bit by gathering Ingredients. What does it look like now?

[Cooking]

[Food Preperation]

[Gather]

[Chop]

[Peel]

[Boil]

[Steam]

Eh? What is all this? I thought I only had room for one Skill. Wait, [Food Preparation] counted as a Sub-Skill, right? So what are these other Skills?

[Basic Skills and Abilities do not take up Skill Slots. Using them can increase the Rank of the Sub-Skill they belong to.]

Huh. So...can I use them like moves from games? Like...

"Boil."

[Skill failed, no Target was Selected.]

Hoh? Is this perhaps my method of fighting? I doubt it would do a lot of damage, but I can at least try. No, I am cooking breakfast! No need to think about fighting!

Right, time to cook.

I get up from bed and look for a bathroom to freshen up in. Crap, I forgot this place is backwards. If I want water, I will need to draw it from the well out back. Great, more work.

Thankfully, I don't need water for what I plan to cook. Fried eggs! Mmmm...some people get theirs scrambled or hardboiled, especially since there is less effort involved, but there was something about breaking open the yolk that I personally enjoyed.

Oh, Beth and Jim are already up. Did they even go to sleep? If not, that is quite unfortunate.

Okay, first off. I need to gather my ingredients. Eggs and ham. Easy. Grease, a pan, and something to flip the food with...

Ah. There is no spatula! How am I going to make sure the egg doesn't break?! I can at least use a fork to flip the ham, but...no, wait. I can just pour the pan's contents onto my plate. Whew, ingenious. I don't have to make scrambled eggs.

But seriously, too many things require something like a spatula. I even have the stuff to make omelets, so having a spatula would be beneficial for that.

Okay, okay...Hm? Wait, I need a fire, don't I? There are no stoves in this place. Dang it, more work for me. Thankfully, they have logs just inside the door so I don't have to go in and out repeatedly.

Since I know a fire starter kit when I see one, I get the fire going and start slicing the ham. I want them in strips and cut thinly, like bacon. As I begin to cut, I pull up my Status. Sure enough, something new was added.

[Firestarter]

[Slice]

I will probably get Fry after this meal, too. But, the fire doesn't seem that strong. Thankfully, there is one of those pumps. You know, one of the fan-like accordion thingies that stoke fires.

Once the fire is hot enough, I plop some grease from last night onto the pan. I make sure to grease the entire bottom of the pan, as I don't want the ham to stick to its surface and burn.

Once I feel the pan is hot enough, I toss a couple strips into it. Immediately, the sizzling and popping cause the people at the counter to ooh and awe. I, however, am more focused on the ham. I don't want it to burn and cook unevenly, especially with a fire that is hard to control.

I pull a plate over and have it ready for my faux bacon. After making sure both sides are to my liking, I place it on the plate and make room for the other slices I have.

I had to be careful, as the pan was still hot, meaning the next strips would cook faster. That means I need to flip them more. But I did well, it seems. One was only slightly burnt. No, i should say I slightly charred it. Yeah, that is it.

Anyways, now there is ham juices and grease both in the pan to cook the eggs in. How wonderful. Carefully breaking the shell on the counter and dropping a perfect egg into the pan...

I accidentally burn it.

I am so ashamed. The pan and oil was too hot and the egg cooked too fast. So, I had to somehow kill the fire. And to do that, I nearly just put out the whole pit. Instead, I used the long tongs and shifted the logs and lowered the flame.

I took the pan off the cooking area, as well, but waiting for so long made me a little upset. I think maybe next time, I just cook them both at the same time, that way nothing overcooks.

While I wait on the fire again, I take a bit of the ham.

"Mmmm!!!"

Hot! Juicy! Delicious! Great!

Meat is always delicious! Well, it isn't bacon, but it does come close. I would say this is closer to spam or something like that. Ah, spam is just a mixture of all sorts of stuff and made into a paste. The processing it goes through can be rather excessive, but it does have a large amount of fat and fries well like this.

I guess I can let the two sample these...eh? Where did these guys come from?

"These are Thomas, a traveling hunter, and Kevin, a lazy bum with no job."

"Ah, come on, Beth. I pay the bills, don't I?"

Well...my audience grew. And so did the amount I have to cook. I leave the plate of ham strips and go back to cook some more. This time, I drop two eggs and two strips into the pan at once. For the eggs, I make sure I move the pan in such a way that the grease flows over the top, cooking it as well. Once the edge starts bubbling, that lets me know it is cooked through.

It was a little tough timing everything, but I think they all came out well. Four plates later, the others are fed. But now the fire is too hot again.

Poking the fire with my tongs, I knock the logs down even further, and the fire drops again. This time, though, it looks like it won't be enough. Thankfully, there are more logs.

While waiting for the fire once more, I see that more people have arrived. This time, however, I see some things.

[Drew Wilson]

[Rank E]

[Goblin Hunter]

[Gary Fletcher]

[Rank F]

[Bunny Slaughterer]

"Yo, Newbie! Check it out!"

"Hello. You can call me Drew. Goblin Hunter takes a while to say."

Ah. I nod in reply and head back inside the kitchen. What the heck?! Drew is a girl?! I can't talk to a girl! I say stupid stuff!

Okay, focus on cooking. It seems I will have to make several more dishes. Okay...don't look back...

Right. Flip the meat. Fry the eggs. Yeah. There we go. I don't have to talk to a girl. I can just stay back here and cook. Right, I can practice using a move.

"Slice."

And like a robot, my arm comes down, slicing a large chunk of ham off. I see. It is easier and faster, but it isn't about skill. My guess is that there is a chance of a perfect slice, like a critical hit or something, but then there is also a chance for a miss, or a failure.

I think I am better off making everything manually. I mean, I am doing well so far. And would you look at that, this one looks absolutely perfect! Well...okay, not really, but it seems to glow.

[Delicious Home-cooked Breakfast]

[Grants +15% more energy for the next four hours.]

Eh? Did I just make something great? I...

"Whoa, that one looks nice. Can I have it?!"

"Calm down, idiot."

Ah...they're right at the counter. Umm...I...

"Here."

Craaaaaaap!!!

I gave her the good one! What if she thinks I automatically like her or something?! Crapcrapcrapcrap...

"Awww...no fair. How come you get it?!"

"Because I am more polite. Now eat...Mm! Delicious!"

Hehehe, of course it is! No, wait. She doesn't think I am being creepy. Cool! Wait...I can go back and eat my food now, right?

Mm...it certainly is good. It appeals to my tastebuds tremendously. With this, I would say that today was a success. Hehehe, she said she thought my cooking was delicious.

Wait a minute, I still have the entire day left! I also need to turn in the Quest and see if there is another one! But first...I need to clean up. Makes things easier the next time around.

After everything is put into place, I approach Beth who is sitting next to the counter. She seems happy, and Jim doesn't seem too beat up, either.

"That was delicious, kid."

"Call me Ardin. And thanks."

"Alright, Ardin. How come you didn't use the spices and seasonings you got?"

Yeah, I wanted to use them as well, but I figured if I made too many mistakes, I didn't want to have to go back into the Dungeon any time soon. Perhaps tomorrow morning I will make a scrambled breakfast bowl and add onions, tomatoes, sprinkle some garlic, yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah.

Anyways, I hand Beth the loot she needs for the Quest.

"So you did find them. Are you trying to say that I should have been able to make at least this much?"

"Ah, of course not! I just didn't want to waste materials!"

Geez, that got scary fast! I thought she was going to throw me out! Even now, she is giving me the stink eye!

[You have completed the Quest!]

.

.

.

Now what? Ah, wait. I know.

"Where would I go if I need to have special cooking utensils made?"

She gives it a thought for a moment before she nods.

"I don't know about Debra, even though she smiths somewhat for her general store. You could try that fellow that bought a building close to the Guild Hall. I believe he is running his own smithy."

[Beth has given you a Class Related Quest!]

[Battle Chef Chain Quest 2/5]

[A good chef needs their own tools. Get 5 personally tailored cooking utensils for yourself.]

[Utensils made 0/5]

(Plans and materials needed for chosen items will appear here under the optional Side Quest portion.)

Hm? I don't get the last part. Wait, so, if I need a knife?

[Cooking Knife has been chosen.]

[Iron Ore 0/1]

[Rabbit Hide 0/1]

[Sturdy Stick 0/1]

Ah, I see. Wait, what? I need to kill a Rabbit now?! Oh someone please help! I don't want to die!

Wait...can't I party up with these two and get stuff that way? But then...I have to go talk to a girl...