Chương 14

Rudra took a deep breath, letting his racing heart settle before picking up the glowing blue skill book off the rusted anchor. The item's information immediately cascaded across his vision. [Skill Book: Minor Tidal Push has been acquired!] [Skill Book: Minor Tidal Push] [Rating: Normal] [Generates a sudden, highly pressurized burst of water from the tip of the user's weapon. The higher the skill level, the greater the force.] [Acquisition Condition: 30 Intelligence.]"Sweet," Rudra grinned.

Since his Intelligence was sitting at exactly 60 after his desperate stat dump during the boss fight, he easily met the requirement. He smacked the book against his chest. It dissolved into motes of blue light and sank into his avatar. He opened his skill window to check the specifics. [Minor Tidal Push (Lv. 1)] [Active] [A foundational spell created by the Temple of Asterion. Channels a pressurized burst of water from the tip of your weapon. - Deals water magic damage equal to (Intelligence x 0. 5). - Applies a 'Stagger' effect, pushing the target backward by 1. 5 meters. - Resource Consumption: 15 Mana. - Cooldown Time: 4 seconds.]"Hell yeah," Rudra said, his grin growing wider at the low cooldown time. With his new skill secured, he spent the next hour tossing the sunken archive for loot. Deep in the flooded basement, he spotted a small, waterlogged chest. He hauled it up to the dry boss room and popped the lock.

Inside was a small, carved stone statue of a man, 10 shiny gold pieces, and a tightly rolled parchment. He tried to unroll the parchment, but a red warning flashed. [This is a sealed quest item. It cannot be opened by the current user.] Accepting the restriction, Rudra stored the loot in his inventory and finally turned to leave the dungeon. The heavy stone doors closed behind him. The bright morning sun immediately hit his face. He had been in the dungeon all night.

As he shielded his eyes, a massive golden notification hijacked his vision. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. [System Notice: You have reached Level 10!] [The system has analyzed your foundational achievements, combat style, and stat distribution.] [You are now eligible to choose a Class. Please visit the Adventurer's Guild or a local Combat Hall to register your path.]"Right. The Class change," Rudra muttered. GRRRRRR.

Before he could even celebrate, his stomach let out a violent, echoing roar. His Satiety gauge was flashing dark red.

"Fuck, I'm starving," he groaned, clutching his stomach.

"Food first. Class later." He sprinted back to Seabreak Town. He completely ignored the shiny Adventurer's Guild building and threw himself into the first busy restaurant he saw. He ate like a starved beast. He demolished four massive plates of roasted boar and potatoes. The meal cost him 75 coppers. Paying for basic meals was going to drain his wallet quickly, which deeply reinforced his need to learn how to cook his own food immediately.

He wiped his mouth, walked straight up to the kitchen counter, and leaned over.

"Excuse me, sir?" Rudra called out. The cook, a burly NPC named Broc, stopped chopping onions and glared at him.

"What? Kitchen's closed to customers." Rudra easily turned on his polite, transactional charm.

"I apologize for interrupting. I just wanted to say that was the best meal I've had in weeks. Seriously. I was wondering if you could teach me the absolute basics of survival cooking. I'll gladly pay for your time." Broc's hardened face softened slightly. He remembered watching this guy inhale four plates of food without taking a single breath, so he figured the compliment had to be genuine. [Affinity with Broc the Cook has increased by 10!]"Alright, kid," Broc grunted.

"You can assist me in the kitchen for the next four-hour shift. I'll teach you what I know, but it'll cost you 10 silver coins." [Quest: "Learn from the Cook" has been generated.] [Difficulty: D] [Clear Conditions: Pay 10 Silvers. Do not make more than 5 mistakes while assisting.] [Reward: Skill 'Basic Cooking' will be generated.] Rudra accepted the quest. He only had six silver left from his starting money, so he broke one of his newly looted gold coins to hand over the ten silver fee.

He tied an apron around his waist. Thanks to years of helping his mother in the kitchen back in the real world, Rudra's hands were steady. He wasn't a master chef by any means, but he followed Broc's instructions carefully. His good coordination helped him chop the vegetables evenly without slicing his own fingers off. As Broc demonstrated precise techniques for skinning, deboning, and fire control, Rudra found himself genuinely enjoying the rhythm.

The sheer number of buff-granting dishes he could potentially make in the future sparked his imagination. Four hours later, the dinner rush ended. Rudra wiped the sweat from his brow as the system chimed. [Quest "Learn from the Cook" has been completed.] [Skill: Basic Cooking has been generated.] [Affinity with Broc has increased by 25!] [Basic Cooking (Lv. 1)] [Passive] [You can prepare edible meals from raw ingredients. There is a very rare probability of creating Rare-rated dishes. - When Rare-rated dishes are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +2.]"Permanent stats from good food," Rudra drooled slightly, staring at the blue text. Satisfied with his new skill, Rudra untied his apron. The Class change could still wait just a little longer. Leaving the restaurant, Rudra bypassed the Adventurer's Guild once again. He made a beeline for the Temple of Asterion. Old Medivah was sitting in his usual spot near the altar.

When Rudra walked through the doors, the old man shot up from his chair.

"Boy," Medivah said, his voice trembling slightly.

"Did you find it?" Rudra grinned. He reached into his inventory, pulled out the carved stone statue and the sealed parchment, and placed them gently onto the wooden altar.

"Yeah," Rudra said.

"I found it."