Chương 97: Cooking Class

"Oh, you are new," a young beastkin woman said. Beastkin were humanoid beings from another continent. It was rare to see one. She had pointed fur ears at the top of her head, a bushy black tail, and an animal-shaped face.

"Mastered a skill, so took this auxiliary cooking class. Justin Burnstock," I introduced myself.

"Judy Nightveil."

"Descendent or dungeon?"

"Excuse me?"

"Did you arrive through the dungeon, or are you a descendant of beastkin who came through the dungeon? My apologies if that was offensive."

"Oh, just thought you were asking something else. My father came through the dungeon along with my mother's parents. He is a Professor here, so I get to take auxiliary classes without being a student."

"That must have been difficult."

"It can be challenging, but you are the one everyone has been talking about. Setting a record for your first three months. People are saying you will break the yearly record for skill level gain of 2, 025."

"Perhaps. Gaining a lot of skill levels is never easy. Circumstances play a role as well." I thought of the money the College gave me not to talk about the attack. I had accepted, as creating a controversy wouldn't have accomplished anything and would only draw negative attention. But I couldn't say that I gained a sizeable chunk of those levels because of near-death experiences.

"So, Cooking, I am surprised."

"I wanted to find a skill that is more fun and less constant studying. At least I should get to eat tasty things."

"Indeed. That's the same reason I signed up as well. The main class is for people who want to become professional chefs, even though this isn't a cooking school. People hear College of Advancement and think you are better than everyone else," she replied with an eye roll. Her eyes appeared a little larger than human eyes. A beastkin wasn't someone deformed from birth or because of the Mana of the dungeon. They were humanoids with animal traits. They came from another part of the world, over the Great Ocean.

Storms and waves made crossing very dangerous and difficult, but people knew a continent of beastkin existed, and possibly other surface continents as well. Even a Supreme Legend would hesitate before crossing the Great Ocean, since one wrong move and they could fall into the water and drown. Attempts to build larger and stronger boats all struggled against the massive waves and intense weather. That was why boats only sailed close to the coast and to nearby islands.

"Cooking for a living could be interesting, but I enjoy eating delicious food a bit too much," I said.

"Hmm, me too. Want to split?"

"Split?"

"That means we each try the other person's cooking. The professor takes a small piece of whatever we make to critique, but there is always a lot left over, which is what makes this class fun."

"Sure. My Cooking skill might only be at level 22, but I have confidence in my ability to make something that isn't terrible."

"Dungeon cooking is very different from cooking in a kitchen. I think you might struggle a bit, Justin," she said with a glint of competition in her eyes.

"Well, Judy, I don't easily back down from a challenge. Let's see if you can defeat me." It was just the two of us when the Assistant Professor showed up.

"Only two? Well, that is fine. Let's get started with today's challenge of braised fish. Observe while I show you how to debone." Like Monster Processing, Cooking was a lot more hands-on with its instruction, which was something I preferred to the rote memorization of other classes. At the end of the hour, the Assistant Professor tried both our dishes.

"More salt, spread the braising out more evenly, and watch your temperature control. I would grade it 2 out of 5." Ouch, that was brutal. The Assistant Professor then went over to Judy Neightveil.

"Over salted. More braising. And your temperature control is poor. I would grade it 2 out of 5. Now, both of you clean up for the next class." Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. He then left.

"Let's split," I said, and Judy nodded. We tried each other's dishes.

"Definitely better than mine. Has more flavor."

"No, no. Yours is better," she replied with a grin as we finished up our respective cooking. Her incisors were longer and sharper.

"Tomorrow, we will settle this."

"Tomorrow," she agreed, and we both quickly cleaned up. The next day, I arrived a bit early again, and Judy showed up just after me.

"Ready for round two, Miss Nightveil?"

"Call me Judy."

"Then you can call me Justin."

"And I will beat you this time! Don't you worry."

"So, what course does your father teach?"

"Professor Nyx Nightveil teaches Focused Stealth."

"Stealth, interesting. Would beastkin have an advantage?"

"Our Perception stat is higher, and we gain sensory and footwork skills more easily, but it is more about practical experience. He got stuck in the dungeon for a long time and ended up on this continent. What about you? What are you strong at?"

"Everything and nothing. I suppose I am good with a blade and am learning runes, but I am currently focusing a lot on foundational skills. One reason I wanted to take this class was to do something fun."

"My father keeps telling me I should focus on combat, but I don't think I will ever be an adventurer. I couldn't imagine getting lost and showing up in a place where I don't know anyone." Clearly, there was some family trauma there, which led to ending up on an entirely different continent. I wondered how many humans ended up on the continent with the beastkin.

"I can understand that, but I look at it as an adventure. Something exciting to experience."

"I prefer my experiences to be more of a culinary nature."

"What other things do you enjoy besides cooking?"

"Gardening. I work in the vegetable gardens that the College has."

"Don't they import all their food?" I asked, and she shook her head.

"No way. For this many students and staff? They grow a lot in specialty greenhouses, alongside Alchemical plants. The main reason Cooking is a skill taught is because of the overlap with Alchemy. There is a lot of drive to create tastier, less impactful Alchemical products for more widespread use."

"Huh. I didn't even know that."

"You are clearly a brute. Taking combat classes?"

"I will have you know I am finishing up my Dwarven classes this semester, lots of book learning. I am not just a brute, I am a well-educated brute," I replied, and she giggled. The Assistant Professor entered the classroom and immediately began teaching.

"You two again? Alright, let's get started. Today we are making fried oysters with a vegetable mash." He went up to my workstation to sample my cooking first.

"2 out of 5. The oysters are over-fried slightly, and the mash is too fine and keeps too much water." He then went over to Judy's workstation.

"2. 5 out of 5. Good job on the oysters, but your vegetable mash isn't even. Good job on the presentation with the plating. Now clean up." We exchanged dishes.

"You definitely ground up your mash a lot more than I did. My strength stat isn't that high," she said.

"It adds texture. Your oysters are very well done. You got the timing perfect. It looks like it's your win today."

"Hmm, perhaps. You will have to work harder. Otherwise, I won't be sharing my meals."

"I guess I will have to," I said as we finished up our respective dishes.

"I'm surprised no one else is here."

"Anyone who would focus on the Cooking skill would go to the main class, and the skill level gain from this isn't very high."

"Really? Too many people get caught up in skill-level gain around here," I replied with a shake of my head.

"Don't blame them. Everyone wants to do well. Cooking isn't an auxiliary skill most would choose to work on. I only show up now, since it is a good way to spend my lunch." I nodded.

"It is a nice hour break in the middle of the day from other courses." We said our goodbyes after cleaning up. Once I was done with the rest of my classes, I returned to my new dorm in the center of the campus, a perk of winning first place in the three-month evaluation.

"You seem in a good mood?" Healer Melon asked me during our late dinner together.

"Yes. Cooking class in the middle of the day is exactly what I needed to help me relax. There is a nice beastkin named Judy also taking the class."

"Do I need to tell you about certain things between men and women?"

"No, Healer Castelle already covered everything, as did my parents," I quickly replied, and he chuckled.

"I will only say that having children between races is impossible. Any children born are horribly deformed and pass away quickly, even if they are born alive, which is unfortunate, but that's just how it is."

"I…I will remember that."

"It isn't something that is regularly talked about. But it is a major reason proponents against integration between races always bring up. Just wanted to make sure you were aware."

"Got it," I replied, hoping to end this conversation.

"Sorry to ruin your good mood."

"No, better to know something than be ignorant. I wasn't thinking about any of that. Just enjoying the cooking class and not having to worry about what dark secret Judy hides."

"I got information about Windshell Gossimer by the way. That elf is a Princess of the White Water Islands. Five immediate legends in her family and at least twenty in the nation."

"That many?"

"Elves gain Vitality more easily than humans naturally. Also, that is their entire high-level combat ability. Humans tend not to join up with any specific nation, while elves are much more aligned with their nation. They raised her to be a high-level adventurer, just like you, except that she is already 20 years old."

"That is a lot older."

"Most elves prefer their children to gain lots of levels so they can protect themselves if they choose to leave their homes. They also have a robust schooling system. Nothing inferior to what you experienced, but there is a reason she is ranked second."

"Is there any chance she will do anything underhanded?"

"No. The College punishes such things harshly. So, there's no need to get overly worried. But once you leave, she might seek you out to kill you."

"She's that petty?"

"Being known as the top of one's graduating year is very important and a high mark of success. If you disappear in the dungeon a few years after you graduate, she will say such a thing."

"Great! First, I had to deal with the Dark Cabal, and now these White Water Elves are after me."

"Success invites competition," Healer Melon said. I hated how right he was.