Chapter 5
I finally made it home after escaping the Gate.
As I headed home, I worried someone might stop me and give me a hard time, but luckily, nothing like that happened.
I made it home with a free pass.
“Phew—there really is no place like home…”
The moment I got home, I flopped down on the floor.
It was my first time killing a goblin, and I’d even gotten mixed up with a massive guild. I was completely exhausted.
But it wasn’t all bad.
I had gotten something out of it, after all.
My body was worn out, and I’d lost a little testosterone, but…
I’d gained something in return.
“Yeah, I went through all that hell just to make this…”
I immediately reached into my pocket to check the fruits of my labor.
And what awaited me was…
“Ah… fuck…”
Not a potion bottle filled with green liquid, but a breath of air—no, not even a refreshing one.
There was nothing in my hand.
“When the hell did I drop it?! Was it when I was slung over her shoulder?”
I searched every inch of my body just in case, but I couldn’t find it.
I had no idea where or when I’d dropped it.
Was it when Cheonhwa first grabbed me?
Or when she slung me over her shoulder and forcibly carried me out of the Gate?
“Ah, I’m getting dizzy—”
I didn’t know which, but the fact that going back to retrieve it would be difficult was eating at me.
How could I go back in after barely escaping those monsters?
“I’m a dumbass sea cucumber, a sea anemone…”
I could only resent my stupid past self.
Smack—!
“No, get a grip! At least I still have the other stuff.”
After my not-so-brief bout of self-loathing, I came to my senses and checked my Status Window.
I’d gained two things from this Gate.
The Goblin Head Smoothie was already lost, so I’d let that go. At least I still had the Shop Window.
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Shop.
1. Skill Draw. 1 point.
2. Recipe Draw. 2 points.
3. Item Draw. 2 points.
4. Ingredient Draw. 3 points.
Remaining Points: 5
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“Yeah, at least I’m glad I got this much.”
If there had been a problem with the Shop Window and I couldn’t use this either, I would’ve been devastated.
Sure, it had pulled a scam by calling itself a point shop when it was actually a draw shop, but still.
It was at least some consolation to me, a sea-anemone-level fool who’d lost the smoothie.
“Let’s see… Skills, recipes, items, ingredients. It’s got everything, doesn’t it?”
Even so, it had a decent selection for a shop.
Even if everything was a draw.
I tucked away my disappointment and started thinking about what to do.
“Hmm… Skill Draw is the cheapest, I guess. One point seems worth a try.”
The first thing that caught my eye was Skill Draw.
It used the fewest of my limited points, and it seemed likely to give me at least something decent.
More than anything, there was no reason not to use those points while I had them.
Of course, I shouldn’t spend all of them.
“All right, let’s roll!”
After a brief moment of deliberation,
I pressed the Skill Draw button without hesitation.
Ding—!
The moment I pressed it, the Shop Window changed, and something like a slot machine started spinning inside the blue window.
The presentation was so elaborate that I flinched in surprise for a moment, but…
It only served to stimulate my brain, and my dormant dopamine started waking up.
Please! Just give me something good!
Hoping for the best skill I could get, I touched the lever beside the slot machine.
Click—
The lever went down, and the slot machine, which had been spinning rapidly, began to slow.
It felt like my nerves were fraying along with it.
Clunk—
“Oh—!”
The slot machine stopped completely, and I could see what was inside.
[7] [7] [7]
“Yeehaw—!!!”
777.
Even I, who’d never played a slot machine, knew that had to be a good number.
And on top of the 777, an enormous shower of rainbow-colored particles burst forth.
I’d definitely won something.
“Hehehe, all right, let’s see what it is!”
I immediately looked to see which skill I’d drawn.
What pretty little thing could be waiting for me?
My anticipation soared, and then I spotted the result message.
[Congratulations. You have acquired the skills ‘Cook Your Food!’ and ‘Appraisal Eye (鑑定眼)’]
“Ohh~! Two of them!”
I’d gotten two skills, no less.
I couldn’t guess what they did from their names alone, but…
The fact that I’d gotten two instead of one already felt promising.
Keeping that good feeling, I brought up my Status Window to check the skills I’d acquired.
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Status Window
Name: Lee Jiha
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Class: Chef (料理師)
Stats
Strength: 2
Agility: 3.5
Mana: 0.2
Stamina: 1
Free Stat Points: 1
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Skills
1. (Passive) Hellish True-Taste Blade Lv. 1
I’d decided not to draw this one again…
Effect: Slices ingredients perfectly.
ㄴ Can perfectly slice anything the user recognizes as an ‘ingredient.’
2. Cook Your Food! Lv. 1
Aah! Germs!
Effect: Cooks ingredients perfectly.
3. (Passive) Appraisal Eye (鑑定眼) Lv. (X)
You’re a fine ingredient…
Effect: Grants the ability to appraise.
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“Hmm, just as I thought, it’s the same.”
I studied the Status Window floating before my eyes.
My Agility had increased by 0.5 thanks to the Goblin Head Smoothie, and I still had one unused Free Stat Point.
And then there were the skills whose detailed descriptions hadn’t appeared yet.
Just looking at the Status Window filled me with anticipation.
Appraisal Eye… I could more or less guess how to use that one.
“Cooked…?”
Reading the skill descriptions gave me a rough idea, but I couldn’t quite tell what the details meant.
Then I guess I’ll have to try them out.
Clunk—
Trying things out directly was the best way to learn when I didn’t understand something.
I quickly searched the fridge for an ingredient I could use to test the skills, and…
“Found it.”
In the back of the freezer, I found about 100 g of pork hind leg buried in the corner.
I’d stuck it in there after using some for kimchi stew and having an awkward amount left over. This was perfect.
I put the hind leg, still wrapped in plastic, on the folding table and unwrapped it.
It was covered in frost, so it must have been in there for quite a while.
All right, first, that Appraisal Eye thing.
I decided to try Appraisal Eye first, since I had some idea how to use it.
‘Appraise.’
I silently repeated the word ‘appraise,’ in a way similar to how I brought up my Status Window, and…
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Frost-covered pork hind leg.
K-kill me…
This ingredient has been stored for a long time.
Its freshness has deteriorated!
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“Hmm, so this is how it works.”
Just as I’d expected, an appraisal window appeared, letting me check the details of that frost-covered, spoiled hind leg meat that was practically rotting.
As far as convenience went, this skill was top-notch.
With a satisfied smile, I moved on to check the next skill.
I’d leave this one for later. So, about cooking ingredients…
Did I just put the ingredient in a frying pan and cook it, like I’d put an ingredient down to slice with the Hellish True-Taste Blade skill?
I couldn’t figure it out.
I wondered how long I’d been thinking about it when…
“Should I just imagine something like a flame…?”
Since I couldn’t get a feel for it, I decided to keep it simple.
What did it mean to cook something?
In the end, wasn’t cooking food just applying heat to it?
I thought of the simplest things that came to mind when I thought of heat, and imagined the pork hind leg catching fire in my mind.
Then…
Fwoosh—!
“Waaah—!”
Flames burst from the spoiled hind leg, and it immediately started burning.
“W-what is this, magic? I’m a mana cripple, though!”
A flame appeared out of thin air, just like when a mage conjured fire.
Apparently, this was what it meant by ‘cooking’ something.
What the hell is this? Explain it already!
I quickly checked the Skill Window to read the detailed description that should’ve been added when I used the skill.
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Skills
1. (Passive) Hellish True-Taste Blade Lv. 1
I’d decided not to draw this one again…
Effect: Slices ingredients perfectly.
ㄴ Can perfectly slice anything the user recognizes as an ‘ingredient.’
2. Cook Your Food! Lv. 1
Aah! Germs!
Effect: Cooks ingredients perfectly.
ㄴ Depending on the user’s abilities, applies a ‘cooked (ignited)’ state to ingredients. (The degree of cooking can be adjusted.)
3. (Passive) Appraisal Eye (鑑定眼) Lv. (X)
You’re a fine ingredient…
Effect: Grants the ability to appraise.
ㄴ Can appraise foods, ingredients, and items not created by the user.
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“This is totally broken!”
After a quick read, I thought I had the gist of it.
Depending on my abilities, I could set the target on fire, and adjust how much it burned.
“Hehehe, I’m basically a great archmage now, aren’t I?”
There was no reason to get this worked up just for making a flame once, but…
My positive-thinking engine was already overheating.
Still, I had gotten stronger, so I decided to let myself bask in this happiness for a bit.
*
“Hmm, did I go a little too far?”
I must’ve overused it because I was so excited about getting such a good skill.
By the time I came to my senses, various vegetables, along with the pork on the table, had turned into black lumps of charcoal.
Awkwardly scratching my head, I cleaned up the charred lumps and sat back down.
Then, after calming myself, I started thinking about where to go next.
Maybe I’m stronger than I thought.
Even if my stats were pathetic, the skills I’d gotten were pretty good, and my confidence rose.
And that growing confidence was enough to decide where I’d go next.
“The Tower is next, right?”
After some thought, I decided on the beginning and end of every Awakened person’s journey.
I was going to head to the Tower.