“Help me—cough, cough—Sen…”

Ray collapsed onto his knees, coughing up blood.

‘How did this happen.’

A frail, elderly man was sprawled across the floor, limp and motionless.

‘Why.’

Foam formed at the ends of Bricks' mouth as his eyes bulged from their sockets.

‘Make it stop.’

Hands shaking, I continued to cut the tomatoes.

* * * FLASHBACK BEGIN * * *

Kacha.

The West City Gates opened, allowing the exhausted adventurers to stumble into the city with sighs of relief.

*Trring!

-----------------------------------------------------

Goblin Subjugation [Rank E, Emergency Kingdom Quest] – Complete.

- 100 EXP earned.

- 10 gold earned.

-----------------------------------------------------

“Bwahahaha! How does it feel, lad? The first quest is always a memorable one.”

I gazed up at the blue sky.

Going to a different world, encountering a dragon, meeting a goddess, and fighting goblins alongside comrades… it all felt so surreal.

There were still so many things that I still didn’t understand.

But, I couldn’t help but grin.

“I feel great!”

I had resolved to live my life to the fullest here, without regrets.

“Bwahahahaha!”

“Ugh, keep it down will you? Some of us have a hangover here.”

Ray closed his eyes with a pained expression as he massaged his forehead with his palm.

There were murmurs of agreement among the adventurers.

Yesterday’s celebratory feast had gone late into the evening, and some of the adventurers, including Ray, had challenged Bricks to a drinking competition.

That night, the legend of the Bwahahaha drinking demon was born.

* * *

“My Goddess. Something terrible has happened!”

A winged messenger hurriedly arrived at the Temple of Lilianna and kneeled on the marble floor.

In front of her was a divine woman of unparalleled beauty, skin radiant with a golden tan and flowing hair the color of sand.

Lily's silky white dress contoured around her body elegantly, and a golden band was wrapped around her torso just below her breasts, accentuating her delicate curves.

She was aggressively mashing buttons on a PS10 controller.

“My Goddess—“

“Gimme a second!”

“But my Goddess—“

“ARGGGGG, why in the world did the developers make it so that the final piece for the ultimate weapon is won through a bird race mini-game? Mind you, a bird race that is ONLY winnable if you do it perfectly?!”

“…”

“Fueeee. So what did you want, Alex?”

“The Festival of the Gods is tomorrow, but the hired event organizer forgot to make dinner plans!”

“So?”

“So, as the Goddess of Food and Leisure, please help us.”

“…”

“…I’ll help you beat the bird race.”

“Deal.”

“……”

* * *

“…Eh? You’re a blacksmith, Bricks?”

“Bwahahaha! Didn’t I mention it before? I have to head back to the workshop, but you lads can come visit me anytime. I’ll give you some good deals.”

After giving us a warm, crushing bear hug (which Ray desperately tried to avoid) and directions to his workshop, Bricks departed with a wave.

Yawning, Ray watched Bricks’ withdrawing figure.

“Hey Sen, what are your plans? You mentioned that you’re from an eastern continent across the sea, right?”

“Y-yeah… I’m not really sure, to be honest. Everything’s been so hectic since I came here that I haven’t had a chance to think about it.”

‘I suppose I should probably look for a class, since I’ve reached level 10. Maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll find a special or hidden class? Ohhh, what if I get a hero class?!’

The idea was electrifying.

“Hmm. From that stupid look of yours, I bet you’re going to look for a class without even knowing where to go. An idiot like you will probably fall for that scam asking you to buy an expensive magic potion to get the ‘Hero’ or ‘Pirate King’ class, and end up becoming a debt-bound s*x slave for some duke somewhere.”

“H-haha…hahahaha, no I wouldn’t!”

‘I probably would.’

Ray sighed.

“Actually, I have something to ask you. Would you like to work with me? I run a freelance questing business and I could use a partner these days. Solo questing’s not as profitable as it used to be.”

“I-I’d probably just bring you down though.”

“Tch, stop it with that crap and say yes. I know you want to.”

“…Ray!”

“Stop that too. I’m getting goosebumps.”

* * *

“Oi gramps, I’m back.”

“Heh, you’ve got some nerve showing your face again, boy. Your rent’s late by 3 months.”

We entered a small, dilapidated bar, a stark contrast to the vibrant commercial district that we were just in.

The wooden floor creaked as we walked towards the dimly lit counter.

If I were to describe the place, it would be ‘eerie as f***’.

Two empty booths occupied the lobby, and a collection of old, dusty bottles sat on the tables with red liquid dripping out of one that tipped over.

At the back wall was a rickety shelf that held all sorts of colorful jars of various shapes and sizes, like the ones used to trap ghosts in the movies.

To top it off, a ghoul-like elderly man sat on one of the counter stools with a mischievous grin on his face and one arm propped on the counter, matching the bar’s creepy atmosphere perfectly.

I would have passed him off for an undead, if not for his piercing blue eyes that were full of life.

Ray looked at him quizzically.

“Ah? I paid you last week.”

“That only covered the previous 3 months of rent you didn’t pay me. You still owe me 3 months worth.”

“Tch, so stingy. I’ve got a promising new hire, so we’ll be able to get something for you soon.”

Ray motioned at me with his thumb.

The old man eyed me curiously.

“I’m Brann, the owner of this bar. What’s your name, boy?”

“S-sen, sir.”

“Hahahaha, ‘sir’ you say! Boy, I like your attitude a lot more than that useless buffoon over there who can’t even pay his rent on time.”

Brann’s laugh raised a small cloud of dust from the counter.

Ray glared.

“Tch, shut up you damn geezer.”

“Hahaha!”

‘I wonder what their relationship is…’

Despite the insults and name-calling, their words didn’t seem hostile at all.

Sighing, Ray dropped 5 gold coins on the counter and walked towards the door at the back of the room, motioning for me to follow.

“Consider this a down payment for that rent. Also, get us some food, will you?”

“You got it. Two regulars coming right up.”

Ray stepped through the door, and Brann walked to the back of the counter to prepare something that I couldn’t see.

I rushed to catch up to Ray, but Brann caught me with a serious look before I could leave.

“Take care of him, won’t you?”

Confused, I nodded and went through the back door.

‘Ray seems perfectly capable of taking care of himself though.’

From the back room, a set of stairs led up to Ray’s office.

It was a completely different atmosphere than the bar below.

A wide open room that looked out into the city from a balcony!

Both the Western District and castle were visible from here.

The floors of the office were hardwood and the walls were a greyish white.

Numerous shelves and cabinets lined these walls.

Four three-seater sofas, all of which could be reclined to become queen-sized beds, were placed along edges of a large, square table.

The office gave off a surprisingly modern vibe, but I wasn’t complaining.

I threw myself onto a sofa, comforted by the smell of leather that reminded me of home.

“Let’s rest here for a while and head out in the afternoon. I’ll help you find a class so that you’ll be more useful for our work.”

Ray jumped onto the sofa opposite the central table, placing his hands behind his head.

I wholeheartedly agreed to this plan.

‘This might be a good time to ask him some questions about this world.’

“Say… can I ask you a few questions?”

“…”

“Ray?”

I glanced over, and saw a balloon-sized snot bubble extending from Ray’s nose, inflating and deflating with every breath.

‘He fell asleep instantly!’

* * *

After eating the lunch Brann made for us, Ray and I headed towards the Adventurer’s Hall for my class aptitude test.

According to Ray, the test would calculate the best possible class based on my talents and latent potential using a complex algorithm only understood by the Gods.

Moreover, it would be best for me to allocate my extra ability points after I selected a class, since different classes would benefit from different attributes.

“For example, a warrior-type class would benefit most from STR and DEX, while a mage-type would be best improving INT and WIS.”

“What’s your class, Ray?”

“I’m a Magic Swordsman. Ah, we’re here.”

My first impression of the Adventurer’s Hall was…

‘Huge!’

From the outside, it looked more like a small castle than a building.

The door itself was at least 15 meters high and 10 meters wide, and on either side of the doors were large, yellow banners that exhibited the same red lion emblem that was sewn on our tunics.

Fwoosh!

With a small push, the doors flung open wide.

“Whoooooaaa!”

An open space atrium larger than the main chapel of a cathedral was visible from the entrance.

On the first floor, thousands of adventurers of various races were gathered, some looking for new party members and others discussing high rank quests.

The second floor was a large balcony that stretched from the left side of the room to the right in the shape of a U, and seemed to be a socializing area that had tables set up so that adventurers could leisurely chat and eat while watching the people below.

The entire back wall was a magic circle with a giant HUD displaying all sorts of quests.

Unlike the quest board that I had seen before which only went to C rank difficulty, this HUD had quests ranging all the way to A, as well as some that were even listed as S or SS.

Ignoring my gaping mouth, Ray walked me over to the left side of the atrium where there were semi-windowed terminals through which adventurers could talk with an administrator.

“Heya, this guy needs to do a class aptitude test.”

Ray motioned to me.

The administrator, a busty and brunette elf woman wearing pointed glasses, nodded.

“Certainly. That will be 2 gold. Please step forward, new adventurer.”

I approached the terminal and shelled out the gold.

“Good. Now, please swallow this pill and do NOT chew. It will feel unpleasant for a moment, but it won’t hurt. Your test results should be sent directly to you via HUD.”

The administrator handed me a pill that looked like one of those booger-flavoured jelly beans that your friends give you as a prank.

Despite its weird appearance, I took it.

Nothing happened for a while.

‘?!’

Suddenly, my brain felt as if it was being prodded by a slimy tendril, which then squirmed its way inside as if to nest itself in there.

It seemed to be sapping my energy as well, but I bore through it.

‘I want a good class!’

*Ting!

-----------------------------------------------------

Aptitude Test Results: Sen Arkfield, Level 12

- Recommended Class: Hobo

Would you like to change to this class? Y / N

-----------------------------------------------------

“……………..”

‘Hobo.’

The word echoed in my head.

'Hobo... Hobo... Hobo....'

I felt like I was falling into an abyss.

Falling…

Falling……

Falling……….

-----------------------------------------------------

Splat

-----------------------------------------------------

‘Splat?’

-----------------------------------------------------

Teehee~ I was just fooling around! xP. Did you miss me? I’ll give you a great class, but in exchange, you have to do something for me!

- Goddess Lily

-----------------------------------------------------

‘I respectfully decline!’

*Ting!

-----------------------------------------------------

You have become eligible to obtain the hidden class: ‘World Chef’.

Would you like to change to this class? Y / N

You are unable to refuse due to Goddess Liliana’s intervention.

Congratulations! You have attained the hidden class ‘World Chef’.

Your stats have been redistributed.

You have gained the stat ‘Flavour’!

Please view Status Window for further details.

You have learned 『Cooking Blade』.

『Resolute Will』has changed to 『Chef’s Resolve』.

Please view Skill Window for further details.

-----------------------------------------------------

‘…’

“What class did you get?”

“…a cook.”

“…”

*Ting!

-----------------------------------------------------

Dinner Plans for the Festival of the Gods [Rank C, Emergency Goddess Quest]

The Festival of the Gods is a gathering of the heavenly beings to celebrate the creation of the world. Unfortunately, an emergency in the Heavenly Realms necessitates a brave chef to make enough food for 250 Gods and Goddesses by tomorrow morning! Goddess Lilianna will grant you a temporary skill for the duration of this quest.

Requirements: Class - World Chef

Temporary Skill: 『Create Ingredients』

- Allows the user to summon an unlimited amount of any ingredient

- Leftover ingredients will disappear upon the quest’s completion

Rewards:

- Hidden Class - World Chef (Already granted)

- 4000 EXP

- 1000 Gold

Would you like to accept the quest? Y / N

You are unable to refuse due to Goddess Liliana’s intervention.

Quest accepted!

You have learned 『Create Ingredients』!

-----------------------------------------------------

To Be Continued…