Pretty boy Samuel. 1

{Sammy}

"No"

{You haven't heard it yet!}

I'm currently trying to cook a dish, a creamy soup that involves cream cheese. I used the spoon on standby and tasted it. 

The creamy texture enveloped my tongue and the sweetness invaded my mind as it was the only thing I could focus my mind on. 

It was simply delish. 

{It's about EXP this time! EXP!}

"There is no concept of EXP in this world."

{Ugh! It's raising your stats!}

[Samuel, I think it would be best if you listen to Luna]

"Just wait I'm cooking"

After being satisfied by the taste I turned off the stove which I personally made with the help of some smithy. 

It uses mana stones to operate and it's similar to electric stoves back in my previous world. 

It's cheap and accessible in which it was a very popular item in every household. Yes, I got a percent every time it got sold. 

The best part with this mana stove is that you can control the temperature. Which was the best. 

I took a tray and a bowl from the drawers and placed them down. With the ladle inside the pot, I took out a proper portion and placed it in the bowl. 

Putting a cloth with a fancy fold I placed the spoon an inch just on the left side of the bowl. Taking the tray I started walking toward Ophelia's room. 

{Okay, okay would you listen now?}

'Fine'

{There's this swamp on the lower right part of the Marquis territory right?}

'What? there's a dungeon there?'

{No but there is an array of monsters that you could use to raise your stats}

I nodded at those words, I'm currently a decimal away from the requirements of aura. 

Stepping foot in front of Ophelia's door I was about to knock when… 

"Come in~"

She already knew I was behind the door. Strange I'm pretty sure I didn't leave any sounds, so how does she keep noticing I'm there?

I opened the door with one hand and supported the tray with the other. Opening the door, what met me was the same Ophelia as three years ago. 

Unkempt pink hair as if she had just risen from the bed, and half-closed eyes like her sleep hasn't been completed yet, but her cerulean eyes couldn't help but shine under the sun's warm light. 

"Have you woken up yet, Lia?"

"mmh~"

Her speech tho, for all I know Penelope is the only one who has this kind of speech and Ophelia is already inheriting that attitude. 

"I've made a veggie soup"

"By veggie you mean Celery, carrot, potato and possibly creamy smell if from a cream cheese right~?"

"...Yes"

"Haha! I was studying your cookbook!"

Oh, that, I did leave it to her but to think she memorized it, and this dish is something I'm trying to properly perfect. 

"Well then. Would you like for me to fix your hair?"

With a bright smile, she looked at me and said. 

"Yes please!"

Our day is as always, Though I felt like Ophelia is quite aggressive in her approach towards me I just thought of it as a sign of our relationship is close. 

{You dense—}

[Shush]

{Okay, Sammy, remember the swamp?}

"Yeah, since the place is quite near I'll just run there"

{Don't forget an extra set of clothes}

"Sure sure, the swamp is going to make me a bit filthy right?"

I packed an extra set of clothes and bought a lot of potions, they will surely help me from returning. 

Also, with 「True Eye」I discovered about [Winter soul] and why it's not sealed

===

[Winter Soul]

—Winter is Harsh, and so are you. Your emotions are easier to control but once lost it would be hard to realize what's happening. 

You are more accepting of things you wouldn't even consider doing, you are more durable and more enduring. 

Requirements:None. 

===

Emotions are easier to control, but that doesn't explain why my face is always blank or does it?

Well, I'll try to understand that later on my plan, for now, is to go to the swamp, as both voices inside my head agreed I might go there to see the reason why. 

"Okay, Luna before I Dive in and start explaining."

I decided to walk there since it's near, it might take a few hours but that's fine. 

{Err… }

"Luna"

{We need the Swamp Toad Skin, The Zulu Ivy, and the Swamp fly Wings}

"Those are all ingredients, what are we making with those?"

{We need the Delu herb, White deer horn, and Aloe vera}

"...???"

{We're making a cream that improves skin health}

"Oh! That would be popular with ladies!"

{Not only ladies}

"'Eh?"

{Since it's for skincare it's extremely good for commoners who have freckles, pimples and even for people who have dry skin}

"oh!... Oh!"

[Haha, Since we don't know which is the exact ratio you're going to dismantle a lot of those monsters Samuel]

"I see… I see… for the people's welfare!"

With my newfound enthusiasm, I started walking faster toward our destination. It took an hour and a half. I rested near the tree and prepared a notebook. 

"Swamp toad skin… Zulu Ivy and Swamp fly wings… alright all listed."

I took out my short sword, and I marked a nearby tree for the next time I'll be here. I then looked at the greenish swamp, it looked… Quite good, the scenery I'm thinking of is full of puddles, and murky-looking water. 

What I have before me is crystal clear water, and trees that are growing straight out of the water. The Green luster of the leaves, and the uneven grounds thanks to the roots of the trees. 

It was… a disadvantage of grounds for me. But that didn't make me falter. I'm determined to get what I'm told.

After a while, I saw a pack, a pack of swamp toads. It seems like I hit a jackpot but Markus and Luna warned me. 

{Careful they shoot liquid from their eyes, if that gets on your eyes you might get permanently blinded}

[They seem to have claws, be careful of your approach]

I nodded, I prepared items for this very occasion, but since the only ones I have fought are mostly brute force-based monsters such as Goblins and Kobolds I never got the chance to use it. 

I took out a brown pouch with a string attached from the inside. 

"Fire in the hole!"

I pulled a string and like a match being lit it made a 'psst' sound and I threw it to the toad pack. 

—BOOM!

It wasn't a grenade by the way, it's a concussion grenade. If I threw a grenade I won't have to dismantle anything from the toads. 

"Let's go Hunting!!"

{Heh…}

[Increase the charm of our boy huh]