Morning dawned with a strange, heavy silence, as if the house itself were holding its breath. A ray of light filtered through the window, cutting through the suspended dust and falling directly onto the deplorable figure of Zarkrion Volcanius, who stood in the middle of the living room, staggering like a lost soul escaped from a bad horror novel.
His eyes were sunken beneath such dark circles that it looked as if someone had painted two purple half-moons under his eyelids. His dull, dry skin gave the impression that he had fought ten dragons… and lost all ten times.
His hair was completely messy, and his horns… oh, his horns were covered in little white pillow fuzz, stuck there as if they had declared permanent residency.
And worst of all, he was only wearing his casual pajamas: a wrinkled black T-shirt and soft pants that looked two sizes too big after a night without sleep.
Zarkrion moved like a specter, mumbling incomprehensible things, bringing a hand to his face every two steps. Ever since he had opened his eyes a few minutes ago, he had not stopped lamenting.
"Why is life so unfair to me?" he murmured in a defeated, almost broken voice, as if existence itself had put him in a judo lock. "I spent months training, hunting, leveling up… just to finally get a class! And all for the result to be… that!" He grabbed his hair with both hands, pulling a few strands. "A Chef Mage class! A CHEF MAGE?! Who invented that? That class doesn't even exist!"
His shoulders trembled.
"How cruel fate is with me…" he continued, almost with a dry sob. "I just want to survive… just that… but it makes things harder for me every single time…"
He took another step and leaned against a table, letting out a defeated sigh that seemed to belong to an old man on the verge of retiring from life.
At that moment, soft footsteps came down the stairs, accompanied by an adorably lazy yawn.
"G… Good morning, Mr. Zarkrion, how did you…?"
Fariella Almont froze mid-sentence.
Her eyes widened so much it looked like they might pop out of her face. Her mouth formed a perfect O. A chill ran down her spine when she saw the state the dragon was in.
Her soul left her body.
"JESUS CHRIST, SATAN JUST BROKE INTO THE HOUSE!" she screamed in horror.
Zarkrion, unfazed, yawned with half-lidded eyes as if he were on the verge of collapse.
"Good morning, Fariella…" he said in such a lifeless tone that the girl felt genuine concern. "How did you wake up?"
"Uh… I woke up fine…" she replied, swallowing hard while analyzing him like an alarmed doctor. "But… you didn't. Mr. Zarkrion… did you sleep at all last night?"
Zarkrion let out a yawn so long the window trembled.
"What do you think?"
"Mmmhaaaa… unfortunately, I couldn't sleep," he replied in a thin voice. "There was a small inconvenience… with the voice in my mind…"
"A voice in your mind? What voice is that? I think the lack of sleep is really affecting you."
"Mmm, just forget what I said." Yawned Zarkrion.
Fariella looked at him with narrowed eyes, as if scolding a child who had done something foolish.
"Mr. Zarkrion… you should go back to bed. You don't look well at all. Sleeping is essential to recover energy and properly develop the brai—"
"Don't worry about me, child…" he replied, swaying to one side as if he were about to fall. "I'm fine, really… I just need to rest a little…"
The dragon took another step… and his knee buckled.
"Come, I'll prepare you som… some fo—"
PUM.
Zarkrion fell to the floor like a felled tree. The impact echoed so loudly that the walls trembled slightly. The dragon lay flat on his back, instantly asleep, snoring with the peacefulness of a freshly bathed baby.
"Mom… I want to eat… kimchi… make me some…" he murmured between snores.
Fariella pressed a hand to her forehead.
"That's exactly why I told you to go to bed…" she crouched carefully. "This man looks way too heavy to carry… so I'll just let him sleep here."
With tenderness and absolute silence, she dragged a blanket from the sofa and gently covered the dragon. Her movements were careful, almost maternal. Then she took a small cushion from the sofa and placed it under his head, making sure he wasn't left in an uncomfortable position.
"There… now you'll sleep better," she whispered, smiling sweetly.
And so, on the soft wooden floor, the Dragon King chef slept deeply for several hours.
….
A few hours later…
The Black Forest stretched out like an ocean of shadows, thick trees rising like ancient towers. However, within that ominous environment, Zarkrion walked with a firm step, full of energy, as if he had never been on the verge of death from lack of sleep.
"I feel very refreshed," he said with a confident smile. "I must have slept last night."
Fariella walked at his side, dressed in her new protective outfit. She carried the half-broken bow that Zarkrion had tried to repair with his workshop tools, glue, hand-carved wood, and a lot of improvisation.
She no longer had bandages and looked completely recovered. Her face showed vitality, and her eyes shone with constant curiosity.
"By the way, Mr. Zarkrion," she asked, tilting her head, "why are we going deeper into the Black Forest? Weren't you going to cook?"
Zarkrion smiled as he brushed aside some large branches with his hand.
"Yes, I plan to cook. But the ingredients I need for today's meal aren't in the storage. So we need to reach a specific place."
Fariella swallowed hard, but she was excited.
"I see, sir… then tell me how I can help. I'll do whatever I can!" she said with sparkling eyes and drooling a little. "I want to try that food…"
Zarkrion let out a soft laugh.
"You'll see."
Soon, they arrived at a different area of the forest: a ruined place, covered in thick fog. Ancient rocks were scattered among thick, thorny vines. Above them, twisted plants held dark berries that seemed to shine with an almost metallic tone.
The atmosphere sent chills down the spine.
"Mr. Zarkrion…" Fariella grabbed the sleeve of the dragon's cooking uniform with both arms. "Are you sure… this is the place where we'll get the ingredients?"
Zarkrion, completely relaxed, nodded.
"That's right. You don't need to worry. The monsters in this area aren't very strong."
"Really?"
"Yes. There are only slimes, low-level goblins, and earth larvae here. You'll be able to deal with them easily."
Fariella took a deep breath.
"What a relief… although, of course… I wasn't scared. I was just asking to be sure," she said, trying to sound brave.
Zarkrion thought to himself, smiling inwardly:
'You don't have to act tough… but you look very cute like that.'
Then he pointed at the plants.
"Look, Fariella. I need you to help me collect these berries. I call them explosive sugar berries."
"Explosive?" she asked excitedly.
"When you taste them, at first they're spicy like dynamite in your mouth. But then the flavor turns sweet like honey."
"I want to try them right now!" she said, hurrying.
Both began collecting berries for several minutes until they filled two baskets.
Zarkrion stretched his back.
"Alright. Now I'll get to work on the food."
Fariella looked at him, confused.
"Are we cooking outside? But… how will that be possible if you don't have the necessary equipment?"
Zarkrion looked at her with a mischievous smile.
"What do you mean I don't have the necessary equipment?"
Next, he stuck his hand into the air in front of him where there was nothing.
The space in the air opened like a dimensional portal.
Fariella's eyes went wide.
Zarkrion began pulling out…
A very long white table.
Canteens full of ingredients.
Cutting boards.
Spoons, pots, plates, jugs.
And finally… a portable stove.
Fariella screamed:
"WHAT KIND OF MAGIC WAS THAT?!"
"The kind of magic that only a mage like me can use."
["A Chef Mage, you mean."]
Zarkrion, ignoring the system's offensive comment, simply put on his gloves, ready to cook, as the system appeared in a window:
… …
[Appreciation System – New Mission: Use your class]
[Cook something extravagant and new using the Chef Mage class.
Then discover your level of talent by acquiring a unique skill.
Reward:
+Acquire Unique Skill
+100 AP
+150 EXP
No penalty]
….
Zarkrion sighed dramatically.
"This system has nothing better to do than give me missions and more missions… this already feels like a university…"