As we walk around the streets of , I’m very surprised at how crowded it is. I’m already aware that it’s already nighttime in the game, but I have never seen so many people logged in before. It reminds me so much of New York's Times Square and just the thought of passing through such crowded streets again made my skin crawl. Still, it does feel like the virtual fantasy city is alive and real. At least that's one thing I can adapt to in this game.

aside, it’s time for us to start on our main objective for the day. Since we gained many experiences for our combat skills the last time, Kaz and I decided to try our hands with some crafting [Masteries]. After our first [Quest] a week ago, Kaz informed me that if we wanted to survive against more monsters like that [Wild Bear], we have to prepare ourselves and get some high-level gear. Since I have a [Woodcrafting] skill, I figured I can try to make my very own bow in the future. But there’s still the worry of obtaining some food cooked via other levels, so right now, I had to work on my [Cooking] skill. But first, I’ve been wondering about something.

"Kaz... Where do you think we should stay? I can't exactly cook in the middle of the street."

It’s true. There are so many players and player-made shops and stand around here, I knew I can’t cook without people stopping and staring at me out of curiosity. Besides, I’d just cooked for a few days in the real world and I don’t have the skills of an ace professional chef.

"We can't exactly use the inn's kitchen unless we're on a [Quest] and cooking outside the city would only give us more problems." Kaz scratched his chin as he hums a bit. "Fortunately, Mari told us about a special place to hone any kind of crafting [Skills] that’s nearby. I hope we can find a vacant place for us to work with. I do need to make more potions and level up my [Alchemy] skill so I can get more recipes."

"I guess... Well, let's stop by at the general store and get me a kit to work with first."

"Right. And maybe I can try to get a better [Alchemy] kit there as well! The basic one is great, but I think it's time for me to buy a new better one."

I nodded in agreement before we head off to the general store. Hopefully, by the time we get to that building, we can find a vacant area in time.

After a few minutes, we left the general store and headed to our next destination, and let me tell you, it wasn't very easy shopping while limiting our current budget in the game. While the [Beginner Cooking Kit] had a cheap price of 300 [Lapi], Kaz's [Advanced Alchemy Kit] was way more expensive than the first kit. With a price of about 1000 [Lapi], I feel that if it wasn't for the drops we sold from our few excursions, we’d be flatly broke right now. Regardless, there's no way I can complain forever. We got what we needed, so we might as well forge on ahead.

"Hey, we're here, Wind!"

Those words startled me so much that I jump almost like a lion about to pounce on its prey. Thankfully, it’s just Kaz's voice as I felt him tugging one of my sleeves. Guess that's what I get for straying myself into my thoughts again.

"So, this is the place, huh?" I looked up and see a three-story building right in front of me. It’s just like any building I saw around town. But the main differences were that the building’s roof had three chimneys and two bulletin boards plastered at the storefront, where several players are loitering right in front. This didn’t surprise me in the least. Mari did mention that the has a separate category of [Quests] for any players who prefer to focus on their crafting [Masteries]. Not to mention, there was a rack containing several pamphlets near the entrance.

"Yep! ever-famous ! Looks like Mari's rant about this place is true."

"Yeah. Now the only question is if they have a place for us to work on our [Skills]. You said it yourself, this place is ultra-famous. Though there’s a chance we won't able to find a vacant area without being bombarded by other players."

"Right, right! Let's go!"

As we entered the hall, I’m surprised at how many players are working there. According to the pamphlet, the first floor focused on players with [Blacksmithing] and [Woodcrafting] skills while the second floor focused on [Leathermaking], [Tailoring], and [Magecrafting] skills. Since we were focusing on my [Cooking] and Kaz's [Alchemy], we decided to go up to the third floor. But something then crossed my mind.

"Hey, Kaz, you have a [Scribe] skill, right? I wonder why the pamphlet didn't mention it."

"Yeah, that is strange. Though I did see a book icon on my mini-map earlier. I think that has a library and it may be related to it."

"Maybe... But let's not discuss that right now. We have to get to the third floor before it's too late."

I’m not kidding about that. I seriously don't want to cook outside and there was no way we’re leaving town at this time just to do that!

Fortunately, after a few minutes, we managed to locate two stations at the end of the third floor: one is a mini-kitchen for my [Cooking] skill and the other was a small pharmacy for Kaz's [Alchemy] skill. And much to our luck, both of them are right next to each other. That way, I won’t able to lose my sight of my brother in case a bunch of players started coming and going from this floor.

"Wow, for a small pharmacy, it has enough space for me to walk around."

I have to admit, he wasn’t exaggerating. His station is a table with a bunch of beakers, test tubes, and any kind of glass containers you would see in a science laboratory lined up and ready to use, both empty and filled with liquid. Everything is hidden behind a cubicle, which I guess it's their way of avoiding spreading any incoming explosions from Kaz's [Alchemy]. Once I saw his station, I heard a loud explosion nearby, causing me to jump back in shock. I managed to calm down though when I see several people gathering around the source of it.

"Was that another explosion?!"

"Man, that guy really needs to be careful! At this rate, the developers are gonna have to do something about the layout."

That explains a lot. Guess this has happened a lot more often since the game launched.

"Um... Are you sure he's okay?"

"Considering we're in the VR game, he'll be fine. Come on, we need to sharpen our skills before bedtime."

"R-Right!"

With that, we split up and head off to our stations to start our training. As for what to cook first, I have no worries about it. Thanks to Mari, I researched some of the game mechanics a few days ago. It seems that while the [Cooking] skill did grant me some recipes for me to start, its realistic mechanics give me the freedom to decide what kind of ingredients and cooking methods I can use for the recipe. This included spices and even some herbs that were usually used in [Alchemy] recipes. And by "realistic mechanics", I mean I can interact with my kit without using the menu just like Kaz, which means my cooking skills in real life will also be put to test.

To try my first venture into this virtual culinary experience, I decide to try cooking a [Roasted Rabbit Steak]. It’s a Level 1 recipe and is easy to cook if you have some frying pan experience if you opted out of menu-based crafting. Since Mom had taught me a lot about it before, I should have no problem utilizing it.

First, I placed the frying pan on a small wood-burning stove that was prepared on every [Cooking] station. Once I start the fire in the stove, I heated the pan for a few minutes before drizzling it with some cooking oil. I have to be careful with this though because adding too much might’ve affected the quality of the meal. This is actually the same as real-life food since too much oil could be unhealthy for our bodies. Then, as I waited for the pan to heat the oil, I start to cut the [Rabbit Meat] into pieces. Much to my surprise, just doing this caused it to turn into five [Sliced Rabbit Meats], at which I'm surprised that even a simple action like cutting would automatically make several more items.

Game mechanic aside, I placed one of the [Sliced Rabbit Meats] in the heated pan and start to flip it around with the tongs from the kit after a few minutes had passed. I didn't forget about seasoning the meat though, as I sprinkled some salt and pepper on and wait another few minutes. According to Mom, the main key to frying is timing, so I have to keep a close eye on the meat's color so that I don’t overcook or undercook it. I learned this the hard way the first two times when I tried to cook in her place and… let's just say we almost called the fire department afterward. Thankfully, once several minutes have passed, I removed the frying pan from heat and carefully transferred the cooked [Sliced Rabbit Meat] to a plate near me. With that, I finally finished cooking my first meal as a window popped right in front of me with new information about it.

[Roasted Rabbit Steak]

[Fried Rabbit Meat cut from a Wild Rabbit.

Effect: Temporarily increases Strength for 1 hour

Quality: 2]

So it increases Strength, huh? That might’ve helped me a bit with my [Swordsmanship]. However, considering that this game is a VRMMO, I still need to check if it tasted good first. With a knife and fork in hand, I cut a piece of the steak, took a full bite, and started chewing it.

NGH!

What the hell?! The steak... it’s too hard for me to chew! Ugh... What did I do wrong? I can see that the meat is well-done but other than its hard texture, the taste is a bit bland.

Wait…

Now that I thought about it, Dad did mention about the texture of steak when I cooked with Mom a few days ago. Not only that, the quality of the [Roasted Rabbit Steak] is two, so it made sense about the taste and texture. In that case, I figured that I should cut the muscles of the meat and try to boil it just in case. As for the flavoring, I can’t add more salt and pepper, so maybe I could try making a steak sauce to add on the steak. I do have some vinegar and spices from the general store, but first, maybe I should try adding some herbs to the steak.

Regardless, I slightly cut through another [Sliced Rabbit Meat] and fried it for a few minutes once more. After that, I managed to finish another steak. Only this time, the name and description were very different from the last one.

[Spiced Rabbit Herb Steak]

[A fried Rabbit Meat cut from a Wild Rabbit, served with [Salutem Herbs] and [Spicy Seed] spices.

Effect: Temporarily increases Strength and Vitality for 1 hour

Quality: 6]

I’m surprised by this sudden improvement. Not only had the quality jumped from 2 to 6, but it also gained a temporary Vitality boost along with the Strength boost. Apparently, not using the menu-based crafting system does have its benefits. Still, I felt I need to do another taste test just to be sure. I have to admit, just the smell of it is making my mouth water. Like before, I cut and bit a small slice and chewed through its muscle.

Hmm...

Huh... It's somehow... very delicious. This time, the texture of the meat had become slightly soft to the chew. Not to mention the mix of the spices and some [Salutem Herbs] gave it a kick out of my virtual taste-buds. Regardless, this one is an even bigger improvement than I imagined. Now, I wonder about what will happen if I make some steak sauce and add it onto the steak. Thankfully, this might only take another hour to do the sauce, and I’d get to experiment more with the [Sliced Rabbit Meat] too. So, I might able to finish this before curfew.

Phew! Didn't expect it to be this long. But I learned two things. One is that this cooking lesson took me about 40 minutes instead of my expected hour and another is that it drained some of my [Stamina Points] the more I used the realistic crafting system. Guess that it took a lot out of my virtual body. Regardless, I managed to finish the steak sauce along with my improved steak.

[Tomato Sweet Steak Sauce]

[A homemade steak sauce made from vinegar, tomatoes, and a bit of [Sweet Powder]. Tasting it with a steak reminds you of home!

Effect: Improves fried meat-based meals

Quality: 6]

[Gourmet Spiced Rabbit Herb Steak]

[A fried Rabbit Meat cut from a Wild Rabbit, served with [Salutem Herbs] and [Spicy Seed] spices. It is drizzled with delicious [Tomato Sweet Steak Sauce] and several [Mana Herb] garnishes.

Effect: Temporarily increases Strength and Vitality for 2 hours

Quality: 8]

I have to admit, boiling the meat for a few seconds didn't make sense for me. But it is enough to increase the meat’s quality up a bit. Regardless, I figured it’s time for another tasting. Looking at it just reminds me so much of Mom's delicious beef steak. So... I think it's time to di-

"WAIT!!!"

My eyes widened when I hear collective voices behind me. When I slowly turned around and look, I see a small group of players gathered right in front of me. I thought I might’ve done something wrong or made a mistake just like that guy with the failed alchemy project. It isn’t until I see some of their mouths drooling and staring at my steak that I realized why they were here. Knowing the inevitable, I sheepishly try to back away. "U-Um... Oh, look at the time... Maybe I should..."

Before I can escape, one of the players in heavy armor grabbed my collar, stopping me in my tracks. I could only look like most of the players were staring at me like hawks.

"Hey, you've made that steak, right? How in the world did you able to add some [Traits] on that steak?"

T-T-[Traits]?! What are they talking about?!

"More importantly, what level is your [Cooking] skill anyway?! Are you a professional chef in real life? If so, can you tell me the secrets of your cooking techniques?"

W-Wha-?! Why do they think I'm a high-level player if I only have a Level 4 [Cooking] right now?! Is it because of my steak?

"Hey, hey! Can you make more of those steaks? We some of that too!"

Okay, this has gone far enough!

"Stop it! I know you're all here because of my steak! But I don't have the money or ingredients to feed all of you! Not to mention, I don't..."

"Say no more!" The knight player stopped me before he turns to the others. "Hey, you heard him! Bring him more [Rabbit Meat] for this young boy to cook for us on the double!"

"Yes, sir!"

Wait, what?! This isn't what I said! I have no time to cook more steaks and sauce for everyone!

"Hold on, everyone!" I called out towards the crowd of players right in front of me. "I know you want to try my steak, but it's already late and I really need to log out now. So..."

But despite my pleas, they just continue blocking my path towards the stairs. No matter what I said, they still demanding me to taste my cooking, whether they want to or not. There’s just no way out! What could I do now?!

Wind's Masteries

[Archery] Level 11

[Woodcrafting] Level 1

[Swordsmanship] Level 10

[Cooking] Level 4

[Wind] Level 9

[Physical Enhancement] Level 3

[Hunting] Level 10

Kazu's Masteries

[Arcana] Level 10

[Thunder] Level 11

[Wind] Level 7

[Alchemy] Level 7

[Magecrafting] Level 1

[Magical Affinity] Level 11

[Scribe] Level 1