Search For Ingredients

Crumb finished his sandwich and then rushed back to Chuck who was finishing the second one. Chuck was a bit hungry but not really. He had a big breakfast this morning before everything happened. His stomach grumble was more like a lunch bell. He cut the sandwich in half and gave a portion to Crumb.

The goblin began to even tear up. "You even give Crumb part of your food?"

"Sure, I can always make more if we have enough ingredients."

Crumb took it and quickly nodded before handing the rest of the rats to Chuck.

Chuck bleed them and stored them in his inventory.

After Lunch, Crumb laid down and patted his small goblin belly. "Too good." He said.

Chuck nodded. All though the sandwich still got an awful rating, it was a step better than just plain meat.

"If we had other ingredients I could make something even better."

Crumb scurried to his knees and crawled over to Chuck. "You no lie?" He asked while grabbing his sleeve.

Chuck nodded. "I can make things a lot better than this. And if I make it at home, it would be ten times better. I have lots of tools for making food. This time I only brought out two." He said while raising the knife and spatula that he was washing in the stream.

"Where is your home? Is it far?" Crumb asked.

"It's not far. It is near the base of the big mountain."

"That not far at all. We can get more food and then make it at your house."

Chuck displayed a guilty expression across his face.

"What wrong?" Crumb asked in a panic. He needed to make sure this food wizard, or chef was able to keep cooking for him.

"My home is actually a restaurant."

"A retaur-want?"

"A place where people go to eat. They give me money and I make them food. But it won't be open for a few days. And the gods of this world said that only employees are allowed to come in before it opens."

"Employees?"

"People who work in the restaurant. So we can only make okay food here and have to wait three days until I can make you really good food."

"No, no, no, Crumb no want to wait."

"There isn't anything I can do about the rule. A silver light is covering my home."

Crumb nodded in understanding. He had seen that silver light that blocked off dungeons before.

"Then… can you teach Crumb to make good food."

[Class quest triggered]

[No matter how amazing a chef is, if he wants to run a big restaurant, he will need hlep in the kitchen. Accept an apprentice and instruct them on the Way of the Immortal Chef.]

[Reward: Some one who can help in the kitchen.]

Chuck made up his mind. "That's it." He said as if he just now struck upon a good idea. "Why don't you work with me. Then you can come to my place. I can teach you how to make good food. And when we work together, we will make even better food. I can even pay…"

"Yes, yes, I want that." Crumb interrupted before Chuck could even offer a wage.

"Great, as long as we have enough food, I can make sure you eat 3 meals a day."

Crumb crashed into the ground. "Did… Did you say 3?"

"You bet." Chuck said with a smile.

"Good, good, let's go now. I will stay with your from now on. We will make good food."

"Great. Do you plan on coming back here?"

"No, no, this place not have good food."

"Then let's take the dungeon core. We can get good stuff for it."

"Dungeon core?" Crumb asked with a confused expression.

"The red shinny rock."

"Oh, Oh, I know that. I didn't know you can exchange that for food."

Chuck nodded. "At my place you can. But let's try to grab more food on our way over."

"We don't need to. Food go bad if you don't eat it quick." Crumb said.

"Not at my place." Chuck responded. "I can keep food good a long time."

"Okay, we get lot's more."

Crumb disappeared and then returned with 3 dungeon cores.

"What! How do you have so many?"

"I took them for place nearby. Those people always try to take the rats I capture. Once I kill them and take their rocks, they stop coming back. Here you hold them. Make them disappear like rats."

Chuck wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. Crumb was clearly a dungeon master, but he didn't seem to know anything about it. It was like tricking a child to give you their mom's purse in exchange for a piece of candy.

Of course, he didn't feel bad about it. He would feed Crumb and teach him to cook as well.

Crumb gathered his supplies and filled a water bottle.

When the pair left the dungeon. The doors turned to dust and the area turned into a normal cave.

"That happen when red stone come out." Crumb said. The goblin wasn't surprised. He had destroyed two other dungeons. "Follow Crumb, I show you where to get good food."

Without waiting for a reply, Crumb took off into the grass. Chuck quickly ran after him.

After half an hour, Chuck was panting, and they arrived at the edge of the forest. Crumb was still fine, but Chuck had worn himself out.

"You weak, need to get stronger." Crumb said in annoyance as he waited for Chuck to catch his breath.

Crumb started walking a few minutes later. He led them to a large tree in the forest that had a set of double doors on it. The door had four stars, but unlike the gold stars he had seen before, these stars were gray.

"Why are the stars Gray?" Chuck asked.

"It means no one home."

Chuck frowned as he thought. He remembered that the star on his door was still gold when he left it. Perhaps it meant the dungeon master was dead, but the dungeon hadn't been claimed or destroyed.

Crumb didn't bother and waltzed straight in like he owned the place. Chuck followed him in. He still wasn't sure what level Crumb was at, but by his actions and the fact he wasn't winded in the slightest from their run, he determined Crumb must be several or more levels higher than him.

Inside was a long winding cave. There were torches on the walls that lit the way. Crumb didn't give Chuck any time to look around and kept walking forward. After venturing the path for a minute, they came to a large open room with a pond in the center.

Crumb crouched behind a large boulder and motioned for Chuck to come over.

Chuck peeked out and saw several rats running around. On the far side of the pond. A large boar was laying down and resting.

Crumb whisper. "I steal rats from here. Once you get stronger, we can come back for boar. Boar is so good." Crumb said while wiping the drool from his mouth.

Chuck spoke quietly. "I can get strong real quick. Let me kill some rats. If I get another level or two, we may be able to kill the boar."

Crumb raised an eyebrow. "We see. Right now you weak. If you get strong then maybe."

"Okay, okay." Chuck realized he was getting ahead of himself again. He had already almost died to Crumb today. There was no point in taking dumb risks no matter how awesome his level up modifier was.

Chuck checked his health. It was now at 25/30

Looking out again, there was at least 50 rats. If they were all at least level three, and he killed them all he would be able to get to level 4. That was under the assumption that the level requirement kept doubling.

Level 1 100XP

Level 2 200XP

Level 3 400XP

Level 5 800XP

Level 5 1,600XP

Chuck didn't know if it worked like that, he would have to wait and see.

"Okay, you fight. I watch." Crumb said. "Drip blood to attract rats."

Chuck nodded and pricked his finger. He let a few drops of blood fall to the ground.

A group of five rats that were closest to them quickly scurried over.

Chuck did his best to stay quiet as he attacked.

When the first one came around the corner, its neck was stabbed by the blade. A moment later a second was pinned by the spatula. He quickly pulled his blade from the first rat and then killed the second.

Two came around the corner at the same time. Chuck used the edge of the spatula and brought it down on the neck of another. It only cut a bit into the rat's flesh, but it broke its neck while another died to his knife. When the last one came around it was met with the spatula knife combo.

[Congratulations, you have reached level 2]