-392- I'll be living here with you

When the enticing aroma filled the entire living room, only about ten minutes had passed.

In this world, the cooking process had been greatly simplified, similar to equipping and removing clothing. By using a knife to click on ingredients, they would be neatly sliced into countless pieces. By pouring the ingredients into a pot and lifting the lid at the set time, the ingredients would turn into delicious food. This entire process took very little time, and there was no need to worry about failure.

However, if a player's proficiency in the "Cooking" skill was not high enough or if they attempted to cook complex dishes or use advanced ingredients, there was still a possibility of failure.

In other words, with a high enough proficiency in the "Cooking" skill, almost any dish could be successfully prepared, making it very convenient in this world.

Rozen had not learned the "Cooking" skill; his twelve skill slots were all filled with combat-related skills. If he wanted to solve the problem of food, he would need to go to the main street or other floors to find food. This was the only inconvenience of living here.

Makes you wonder if Asuna knew about this, and that is why she came here specifically to cook for Rozen.

"Alright."

Asuna emerged from the kitchen, holding a steaming plate of dishes in her hand.

Seeing this, Rozen immediately jumped up.

"Is it ready? Then come over quickly!" Rozen's words were filled with excitement, and his eyes were fixed on the dish in Asuna's hand.

Seeing Rozen like this, Asuna squinted her eyes.

"Weren't you acting all unaccepting of my sudden appearance earlier? Why are you suddenly so enthusiastic?" Asuna responded somewhat teasingly.

To this, Rozen bluntly voiced his thoughts.

"Who wouldn't be enticed when the kitchen has been filling the whole place with such an irresistible aroma?"

Upon smelling that aroma, Rozen had decided to put everything else aside.

"Is that so?" Asuna sighed and said, "In that case, come help me serve the dishes."

Rozen, who was usually lazy in everyday life, nodded enthusiastically and eagerly ran into the kitchen. By the time they had served all the dishes from the kitchen, the dining table in the living room was filled with a variety of delicious dishes.

Not only did they look incredibly appetizing and smell heavenly, but the ingredients used were clearly of high quality. If they had all been purchased, it would have cost a fortune.

However, what surprised Rozen even more was something else.

"You can handle such high-quality ingredients?" Rozen asked Asuna in amazement, "Have you been practicing the 'Cooking' skill regularly?"

"Yeah," Asuna replied matter-of-factly, "Although there are many delicious foods in Aincrad, cooking my own meals not only saves money but also serves as a leisure activity."

Using cooking as a regular leisure activity?

Rozen couldn't help but think that this Vice Commander might surprisingly have the makings of a good wife and mother. With this in mind, he casually asked, "So, what's your proficiency level in the 'Cooking' skill?"

Generally, it was considered taboo to inquire about other players' skills because it meant revealing one's power composition to others, which could make them a target.

Therefore, even friends who often teamed up for adventures or guild members rarely disclosed their skill information voluntarily.

However, when it came to production skills, there was less secrecy. Some players even chose to expose their skill proficiency to attract customers for their businesses. So, Rozen judged that asking this question should not be a big deal.

The response he received left him utterly dumbfounded.

"I've already mastered it completely," Asuna replied casually.

Rozen raised his head abruptly, a stunned expression on his face. "C-Completely mastered...!?"

Asuna, appearing rather proud, asked, "Impressive, right?"

Rozen was left speechless. How could "impressive" even begin to describe it? If she had indeed completely mastered the "Cooking" skill, she would be a master-level culinary expert. If she opened a restaurant, it would undoubtedly thrive and be a lucrative business. In fact, with Asuna's popularity, opening a restaurant could make more money than most chefs who had completely mastered the "Cooking" skill.

However, in all of SAO, there were likely only a handful of players who had completely mastered the "Cooking" skill, and Asuna had managed to achieve this while also being a skilled combatant. It was truly unbelievable.

Rozen himself had only completely mastered five skills: "One-Handed Sword," "Martial Arts," "Blade Throwing," "Weapon Defense," and "Battle Healing."

As for Kirito, Rozen remembered that he had completely mastered only three skills: "One-Handed Sword," "Searching," and "Weapon Defense." Even for top players, they generally had only one or two skills that they had completely mastered.

Asuna had managed to completely master not only her main weapon skill, "Rapier," but also the production skill "Cooking." This was nothing short of astonishing.

"Forget about that for now, hurry up and taste it. I put a lot of effort into making this," Asuna said, waving her hand at Rozen, who was likely still bewildered. She invited him to sit at the dining table.

Rozen couldn't hide his amazement but decided not to dwell on it for now. He took a seat at the table to try the dishes.

However, that expression disappeared in a matter of seconds.

"Delicious!" Rozen exclaimed involuntarily as he took a bite of the meat, his eyes lighting up.

The dishes were a far cry from what Rozen usually ate; Asuna's "Cooking" skills were at a completely different level.

Rozen quickly dug into the dishes, devouring them as if he hadn't eaten in days.

"Why are you eating so fast? No one's going to steal it from you!" Asuna was taken aback by Rozen's voracious appetite.

"Mmm!" Rozen replied with his mouth full, barely able to speak coherently.

"Gu!"

"Gu!"

Saichou and Hanachou, also joined them at the table. They enjoyed the meal enthusiastically, just like their master.

"Really..."

While Asuna complained with her words, her gaze towards Rozen was incredibly gentle.

She leaned her elbow on the table, resting her chin on her hand, observing Rozen eating voraciously as if she were watching her husband, showing both happiness and contentment.

After a while...

"I've actually requested a break from the guild," Asuna said suddenly, without any warning. "From now on, I'll be living here with you."

This announcement left Rozen wide-eyed.

"Pfft!!!!!"

The food in his mouth sprayed out in all directions, drenching Asuna in half-chewed morsels.

"-----You idiot!!!!"

"-----I'm sorry!!!!"

In the small cabin, Asuna's angry shout and Rozen's cries of remorse filled the air.

It was certain that things were going to get more lively here than anyone could have imagined in the coming days.