Chapter 6
Chapter 6 - A Legendary Chef Was Born…?
The berserk cave bear slammed headfirst into Adam’s [Shield of Protection].
The translucent barrier shuddered violently, rippling under the sheer force of the impact. For a moment, it looked like it might give.
But it held.
Adam barely remained standing.
He leaned heavily on his staff, using it as support as his body trembled under the strain. His vision swam with dark spots, the world tilting and spinning around him.
Still, he gritted his teeth.
He refused to fall.
With what little magic had trickled back into his body, he turned and raised his staff toward Mei.
Her condition was worse than he’d realized.
Cuts lined her back, her clothes torn and soaked through with blood. A deep wound stretched across her chest, and a jagged gash on her forehead continued to bleed freely.
Adam didn’t hesitate.
[Basic Heal]
The most basic healing magic. Effective for small cuts and bruises. Limited effect on severe injuries.
Class Skill: +50% Effectiveness
Talent - Medical Adept: +15% Healing Efficiency
A soft green glow enveloped her body.
Under normal circumstances, the spell would have barely patched her up.
But with the combined boosts from his class and hidden talent, the effect was amplified far beyond its intended limits.
Her broken bones reset with faint, sickening clicks. Open wounds sealed shut. Blood flow slowed, then stopped entirely as torn flesh knit itself back together. Even the bruising faded from her skin.
Within seconds, the worst of her injuries were gone.
But her eyes remained unfocused.
The blow to her head had left her concussed. Her body was healed, but her mind lagged behind, trapped in a dazed fog.
Still, the healing was enough.
Her breathing steadied. Her fingers twitched.
Slowly, she began to come back.
The first thing Mei saw when her vision cleared was a shimmering barrier in front of her.
Beyond it, a massive red-tinged bear was slamming against the shield again and again, each impact sending ripples through the surface.
Then she noticed Adam.
He was standing in front of her, barely.
The faint green glow around his staff faded as he turned, his strength finally giving out. His knees buckled, and he collapsed forward.
The moment he hit the ground—
The barrier shattered.
It broke apart into countless fragments of light, scattering into the air like fading embers under the bear’s relentless assault.
Mei’s eyes snapped fully open.
There was no time to think.
Her hand shot out, grabbing her pistol from where it had fallen beside her. She poured every last bit of magic she had into it, pushing past her limits without hesitation.
An image formed in her mind.
A simple one.
A small, unassuming purple light.
At the tip of her barrel, that image took shape.
[Purple Bullet of Destruction]
A lesser form of the Legendary spell created by Player Adam Colt. Though drastically reduced in power, it remains far beyond what should exist within the tutorial.
Class Skill: +50% Effectiveness
Talent - Master of Firearms: +25% damage with firearms
She pulled the trigger.
The purple light shot forward in an instant, faster than anything she had fired before. It cut through the air like a beam, striking the bear square in the chest.
Critical Hit!
The cave bear froze.
Its massive paw hung midair, moments away from crushing Adam where he lay.
Slowly, almost mechanically, it lowered its gaze.
A gaping hole had been carved straight through its abdomen. Purple energy flickered along the edges of the wound, eating away at what little remained.
For a brief moment, something almost human crossed its expression.
Confusion.
Then nothing.
Without a sound, the massive body tipped forward and collapsed face-first onto the ground.
The impact echoed through the cave.
Then silence, followed shortly by a soft system chime.
Combat Finished - Victory!
Defeated: 1x Cave Bear - Lv. 11
A large amount of Experience Points awarded!
Level Up!
Player Adam Colt - Lv. 1 → Lv. 5
Player Mei Mori - Lv. 1 → Lv. 5
The system messages flickered in front of her.
Mei didn’t even glance at them.
Her focus was entirely on Adam.
She tried to move toward him—
But her body refused.
Her legs gave out instantly, the backlash from her magic drain hitting all at once.
She collapsed where she stood, barely able to keep herself conscious.
Still, her eyes remained locked on him.
— — —
Some time later, the two of them woke in the inky darkness of the cave.
The cave bear’s massive corpse was gone.
In its place sat a neat pile of items, faintly glowing in the dark.
Neither of them paid it any attention.
Instead, they clung to each other.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” they both said at the same time.
Mei grinned. Adam let out a small chuckle as their voices overlapped.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
They simply stayed like that, holding onto each other in the quiet aftermath of the fight. The adrenaline had faded, leaving behind a lingering sense of relief that neither of them wanted to let go of just yet.
Then, almost in sync, their stomachs growled.
The moment shattered.
Adam pulled back slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. “...Right.”
He raised his staff and cast [Light Ball], illuminating the cave once more. Soft white light spread outward, pushing back the darkness.
That was when they finally registered the pile of glowing items.
“Oh, loot!” Mei exclaimed, instantly back to her usual self.
She rushed over without hesitation and dropped to her knees, digging through the items with sparkling eyes.
Every few seconds, she made some kind of noise.
“Oh!”
“Awe!”
“Ooh!”
Adam watched as she sorted everything into two separate piles with surprising efficiency.
Once she was done, she pointed at them.
“These are yours,” she said, indicating the first pile. Then she pointed to the second. “And these are mine.”
Adam stepped closer and looked them over.
His pile consisted of a white staff made from bone, a leather-wrapped bundle that looked… suspiciously like it was seeping blood, and a small leather pouch containing a handful of coins.
Mei’s pile was no less interesting. A dagger carved from a large bear tooth, a thick bundle of fur, and a cluster of sharp claws.
As Adam focused on each item, system panels appeared one by one.
Bone Staff Imbued with the Strength of a Bear - Rare
A mage staff crafted from the spine of a rare class of cave bear, imbued with a powerful berserk effect.
Effect: Allows the user to cast [Berserk] on an ally without consuming magic power.
Bear Steaks x50
Cuts of meat taken from a powerful bear.
Satisfies hunger for 24 hours when properly cooked. Doesn't spoil due to the lingering mana within the flesh and blood.
5 Coins
Currency used within the Game.
(Store currently unavailable. Locate traveling merchants to spend.)
He shifted his attention to Mei’s pile.
Bear Tooth Dagger - Rare
A dagger forged from the tooth of a powerful bear. Exceptionally sharp.
Effect: Attacks inflict Bleed for 3 seconds (Stackable up to 10).
(Bleed): Target loses 1% health over time.
Bundle of Cave Bear Skin - Crafting Material
Tanned hide of a Cave Bear. Suitable for crafting durable leather armor.
Cave Bear Claws x16 - Crafting Material
Claws of a Cave Bear. Useful for crafting accessories.
Adam didn’t hesitate.
He swapped out his crude wooden staff for the bone staff immediately, feeling the difference the moment he held it.
The bear steaks were stored away for later, and the coins disappeared into his inventory.
Across from him, Mei was already playing with her new dagger.
She tossed it lightly into the air, caught it, then spun it around her finger by the pommel with practiced ease. A grin spread across her face.
Her first real weapon beyond the starter gear.
She looked thrilled.
Adam glanced toward the cave entrance.
Moonlight filtered in from outside, replacing the daylight they had entered with. They had been out longer than he realized.
His stomach growled again, louder this time.
Thankfully, they now had a solution.
“Mei,” he called, “want to test your dagger on some trees?”
She looked up from a crouch. “Huh?”
“I need firewood.”
“Oh. Sure.”
She stood and headed out without complaint.
When she returned, she carried an armful of neatly cut logs. The edges were clean, almost too clean, showing just how sharp her new weapon was.
She dropped them in a pile at his feet. “Here ya go!”
“Thanks.”
Adam arranged the wood carefully, stacking it into a small pile. Once satisfied, he focused his magic and summoned a tiny spark.
A flicker of flame caught.
Then another.
Soon, a small fire crackled to life.
A system panel appeared.
[Spark]
Great for starting fires. Not much else. Kinda like a certain sidekick.
Castable: 39 / 40
Adam’s brow twitched.
He stared at the description for a second longer than necessary.
He knew the system was messing with him.
He just had no idea why.
“Mei, can you whittle this into a spike?”
Adam handed her his wooden staff. They needed something to cook the meat over the fire, and the useless stick had finally found its purpose.
“Okie!” she chirped, giving him a quick salute.
She got to work immediately.
In just a few seconds, the crude staff was transformed. One end had been shaved down into a clean, sharp point, sturdy enough to skewer meat without snapping.
She handed it back with a proud smile.
Adam nodded in approval and wasted no time putting it to use. He speared a thick cut of bear meat and held it over the fire, slowly rotating it as it began to sizzle.
As it cooked, he made a very deliberate decision.
“Stay over there,” he said, gesturing toward the far side of the cave.
Mei blinked. “Huh?”
“Just… trust me.”
She shrugged and wandered off, seemingly unbothered.
Adam let out a quiet breath.
Mei had many talents. Enough that most people would call her a once-in-a-generation genius. Some might even call her the main character of the world.
Because she was.
But when it came to cooking…
She was a disaster.
Once, he had watched her try to fry an egg.
Somehow, in the process, she had managed to set fire to the salt she was using.
A full pan of salt.
To this day, Adam still didn’t understand how that was even possible. Why she needed that much salt in the first place was an entirely different question.
He had chosen not to ask.
For his own peace of mind.
Another time, she had tried to help him by washing vegetables.
She used soap.
That was the day she was permanently banned from the kitchen.
Adam turned the skewer slowly, watching the meat cook as the smell began to fill the cave.
Then—
A pair of feet stepped into his line of sight.
He looked up.
Mei stood there, dirt smudged across her cheek, grinning as she held out a handful of plants.
“Wanna add these?”
Adam narrowed his eyes. “What are they?”
“Herbs,” she said confidently. Then, after a pause, “I think.”
“…Put them down. Over there.”
He pointed to a spot safely away from the cooking meat.
Far enough that she couldn’t accidentally ruin anything.
She placed them down obediently, still watching him with interest.
Adam crouched closer and inspected the plants. As his gaze lingered, system descriptions appeared.
Wild Lettuce
A wild forest variant of lettuce. Tastes similar to normal lettuce, though slightly bitter when overgrown. (Ripeness: Optimal)
Nettle
A spiny plant with medicinal and nutritional value once properly cooked. (Ripeness: Optimal)
Glasswort
A naturally salty plant. Can be used as a substitute for table salt. (Ripeness: Optimal)
Adam considered his options.
The lettuce could work as a wrap.
The nettle… he wasn’t confident enough to experiment with that yet, so he set it aside.
The glasswort, though, looked promising.
He crushed it between his fingers, releasing a faint briny scent, then carefully sprinkled it over the cooking meat.
Hopefully, it worked like salt.
He wasn’t a chef. He knew the basics of food prep from his work as a physical trainer, but that didn’t exactly translate into wilderness cooking expertise.
Still, it couldn’t be worse than anything Mei would attempt.
That alone gave him confidence.
Once the steaks were done, he wrapped them in the wild lettuce and let them rest for a few minutes to cool.
Finally, he unwrapped one.
A new system panel appeared.
Bear Steak Cooked with Wild Herbs
Bear meat cooked to perfection using wild herbs as substitutes.
Whoever made this should consider a career change from sidekick to chef. Seriously.
Effect: Satisfies hunger for 24 hours. Tastes great!
Adam stared at it.
“…Is that a compliment?”
“Only one way to find out,” Mei said, already reaching in.
She snatched one of the steaks before he could stop her and took a huge bite.
Her eyes widened as she began blowing air through her mouth, waving her hand frantically as she tried to cool it down.
After a few seconds, she managed to chew and swallow.
Adam watched her carefully. “Well…?”
She gave him a thumbs up.
“Ift’s gowd,” she mumbled through a mouthful of meat with grease dripping down her lips.
Adam shook his head and took a bite of his own.
The moment it hit his tongue, he paused.
The meat was incredibly tender, almost melting in his mouth. The glasswort added just enough saltiness, while the wild lettuce gave it a fresh, ever-so slight bitter crunch that balanced everything out.
It was… actually really good.
Adam blinked.
Maybe the system wasn’t messing with him this time.
He glanced down at the steak in his hands.
…Should he switch professions?
No. That was what the system wanted. And he refused to be its toy.
One day, he would find whoever or whatever was behind those system messages and he would show them that his muscles weren't just for show.