Chapter 21 - A Virtual Banquet

[You have completed the Mine Iron Ore quest.]

[You have received your recommendation letter from the Mining Association.]

After Broken received his recommendation letter, he was filled with hope that Fokil would recognize his hard work and reward him with something interesting.

Nevertheless, as he walked back to the smithy, he suddenly felt a pang of hunger in his stomach and thought to himself, "Am I hungry?"

[You are on the brink of starvation, as you haven't ingested any food in days. Your stats have been reduced by 30%.]

"I'm not sure if I'm feeling this hunger because of the game or if it's actual hunger in my real body," He pondered, "but it seems I've been playing for an especially long time today, and I haven't even had breakfast yet. I think I should look for food in the game before logging out and getting something to eat in the real world to satisfy my physical appetite."

Broken walked towards the market, eager to find something more enjoyable to eat than the dry bread he'd been eating for too long. "Maybe I'll buy some real food this time," he thought, "I have enough money for that, right?"

He stepped into a food stall and, without any hesitation, took a seat. A male waiter abruptly threw menus at him and, in an annoying tone, demanded, "What do you want, dude?"

[Goblin Skewers: Marinated chunks of goblin meat threaded onto skewers and grilled to perfection.]

[Phoenix Wings: Crispy, golden-brown wings of a phoenix, served with a sweet and tangy dipping sauce.]

He thought to himself, "What the heck is this? They can't actually be trying to sell me a phoenix's wings, can they?" He then turned to the waiter and asked, "Is this the real deal? Is it a phoenix's wings?"

The waiter scoffed, "Of course not. Let's just order quickly and save me the trouble, okay?"

"I want this one, Minotaur Burger," Broken declared.

Then, the waiter swiftly departed, only to reappear minutes later with a burger that was five times larger than the standard human-sized burger.

To his surprise, the meat itself was huge - approximately one kilogram - making him gasp in awe.

"Look at the size of that meat," he uttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I would never have been able to finish something like this in the real world."

The food in front of him was quite a luxurious meal for a beginner, costing him around 10 silver. As Broken bit into the burger meat, he was filled with curiosity. Closing his eyes, he felt a sensation he had never experienced before.

"Man… How can a taste like this really feel on my tongue?" He exclaimed in amazement, "I mean, dammit! The capsule device injecting this kind of taste directly into the brain is truly amazing."

Players in the Immortal Legacy wouldn't actually be full in their physical body, but they still limited the amount of food one could eat at one time. This was because their virtual body could still become full, even though the amount they could eat was many times more than in the real world.

"There are even people who play this game just to be able to satisfy their food cravings," Broken remarked. "They can find things here that they might not be able to get in the real world, but at a higher price."

"The satiety system in this game world is also designed to prevent people from becoming addicted to the taste sensations that are just a trick of the brain," he said with amazement.

Broken devoured the food with relish and, for a moment, he forgot that his actual physical body was also hungry as well. After a short while, he had finished the meal, and from the content look on his face, it was clear he really enjoyed this kind of lifestyle.

"Let's do more things like this in the future," he said, thoughtfully pausing for a moment before adding, "I think I should also bring Lily to experience all of this."

[You have eaten a large portion of the Minotaur Burger.]

[Random stats will be given temporarily.]

[You gain a Strength stat increase of 10 for 24 hours.]

[You gain a Stamina stat increase of 10 for 24 hours.]

Ah… Broken nodded slowly after he had finished his hearty meal. "So, this kind of stat bonus makes food like this even more valuable. With a bonus of 20 stats, which can be equated to two level increases, it's a major boon. I think anyone planning to go on a major raid would find it worthwhile to consider eating something this expensive, or even more expensive than this."

Broken earned a significant amount of money in one night's worth of mining in Immortal Legacy. Even though it was still in-game currency, if he converted it into dollars, it was equivalent to a week's salary from his previous job at the convenience store.

"At least, if I focus solely on mining, it's already a better outcome than my old job. But then, I can do even better and greater than this," he said confidently.

Broken hastily exited the diner, and with the lingering taste of the meal still on his tongue, he hastened towards Fokil's smithy. It only took him a few minutes to arrive there, and just as he did, he noticed the door to the smithy was slightly open.

"Excuse me, Mr. Fokil," Broken said quietly, but he was sure that the Dwarf could still hear him. "I brought a recommendation letter that I want to show you."

He had the Divine Touch skill, which could allow him to have a boost of Affinity with NPCs, but he wasn't sure if this would also work on male NPCs. However, it seemed that the skill would have a huge effect on female NPCs.

"What do you want, brat!" bellowed a deep, imposing voice from within the smithy.

Broken, feeling slightly intimidated, tried to steady his trembling voice and replied, "I brought a recommendation letter from the Mining Association. I was hoping you'd take a look and consider teaching me the art of blacksmithing."

"Go away, now. Don't waste my time," he said sternly.

"But I mined 10 high-quality iron ore in just one night, on one try," Broken pleaded. "I want to prove to you how determined I am. Please, let me take on some quests so I can show you."

"Do you think I will believe your bullshit?" Fokil asked firmly, his voice full of resolve. "If you don't go away," he continued, his tone becoming more authoritative, "I will have to force you to leave this place immediately."

"Tsk!" Broken clicked his tongue in frustration, shaking his head in disbelief. "Why does this Dwarf have to be so difficult to deal with?" he muttered to himself. "I hope the reward I get will be worth the mental effort I'm putting in."

No response came from within the smithy, and a few minutes later, Broken was still standing there, waiting. He was hopeful that the hard work he had put in so far would be rewarded, and he was determined to get the Dwarf to listen to him.

After a few minutes of silence, Broken heard heavy footsteps coming closer, and soon enough, the figure of the Dwarf emerged through the door frame. His eyes were bloodshot, likely a result of his drunkenness, and a pungent smell of sweat and burning metal wafted into Broken's nostrils.

Fokil kicked the door open with a loud thump, causing Broken to take a step back in surprise. With the door now fully open, a wave of hot air from the Smithy rushed out and embraced his skin.

"Bring me five moonstones if you feel confident in your ability to convince me," Fokil muttered under his breath.

Immediately afterward, a series of system notifications appeared in front of Broken.

[You've activated the Quest Advancement skill!]

[Your rating for the quest 'Become an Apprentice of Fokil the Blacksmith' is about to be upgraded!]