[Location – Black Forest: Frost Forest Level 1]
The icy wind cut like small blades as Zarkrion and Fariella advanced at full speed through the white trees of the Frost Forest. Freshly fallen snow crunched beneath their boots, and the cold moisture clung to Fariella's hair as she ran at his side with her bow in hand, exhaling a white mist every time she breathed out.
"Huuuhh, it's so cold in this area of the Black Forest, you never warned me about this, Mr. Zarkrion," said the elf as she hugged herself from the cold.
"Oops, sorry, I forgot that little detail. I usually don't go out accompanied, and when I come here I don't feel cold thanks to my dragon abilities and my cooking uniform."
"Take this Rock Bear leather coat," Zarkrion said as he threw the coat to the elf after pulling it out of his infinite inventory.
"Excellent, now let's get to work!" the girl exclaimed as she put the leather coat on.
Ice Slimes bounced between the frozen bushes, emitting shrill squeaks and moving with surprising speed for gelatinous creatures. Every time one jumped, it left a trail of frost on the branches and the ground. Zarkrion, with his legendary frying pan in hand, advanced like a warrior chef in the middle of a culinary hunt.
"There go three more!" Fariella shouted while pointing at a group of Slimes hopping between two fallen logs.
Zarkrion lifted a cauldron with a skill no human cook could replicate, spun it through the air, and trapped two Slimes in a perfect motion.
The third tried to escape, but Fariella cornered it with an arrow that formed a cage of hardened foliage around the small being.
"Nice shot!" Zarkrion exclaimed.
"Thank you, Mr. Zarkrion!"
Then, the dragon raised his right hand.
[SYSTEM – ANALYSIS]
Race: Snow/Ice Slime
Level: 17
Rank: F-
Zarkrion frowned, analyzing the information.
"Fariella… don't burst them, okay?" he said in a serious tone, as if he were about to announce an important law. "If you do, I won't be able to use their cold viscosity for the frozen dessert."
"Understood, Mr. Zarkrion! No bursting!" she replied with an exaggerated military salute.
And so began endless hours of running, shouting, slippery footsteps, and cauldrons flying through the air. The Slimes did not fall behind: they launched sharp icicles like daggers and giant snowballs that rolled through the bushes like roaming monsters.
"Fire Arrow!" Fariella exclaimed, melting the sharp icicles.
"Professional Baseball Frying Pan!" Zarkrion responded, forcefully deflecting a snowball that came straight at his face.
After a full hour of pursuit and culinary chaos, both of them stood panting in front of a mountain of cauldrons filled with Snow Slimes. The dozen containers formed a tower so tall it almost brushed the low branches of the trees.
"Hey, Mr. Zarkrion…" Fariella said, a drop of icy sweat running down her temple. "Don't you think… that's too many Slimes for some desserts?"
Zarkrion crossed his arms, observed the tower of cauldrons, and slowly nodded.
"Mmm… yes, maybe… but there's no need to worry. If there are leftovers, we'll see what to do with the rest."
Fariella opened her mouth to reply, but Zarkrion had already taken out a portable metal table, his utensils, knives, spatulas, an electric mixer, and finally a portable freezing machine that emitted a faint blue vapor.
"Since we're very prepared," Zarkrion said while arranging everything, "we're only missing the ingredients."
With a flick of his wrist, he took out of his inventory:
Two giant basilisk eggs.
Freshly cultivated reddish apples.
Shiny grapes that looked like pearls.
Three plump, fragrant pears.
A bottle of milk bought from the vending machine in his home.
Fariella watched with eyes so wide they almost looked like two miniature moons.
Zarkrion poured the milk into a deep steel bowl, its surface reflecting the surrounding snow. Then he took the large basilisk eggs and, with an impeccable motion, cracked them open, separating the whites and yolks with surgical precision into different bowls.
The yolk fell like liquid gold.
The white like a transparent tide.
He mixed the yolk with a bit of white flour and slowly whisked it.
"Now," he murmured as he closed the small pot of milk to let it rest, "it's time to use the Slimes. Fariella, will you help me?"
The girl took an Ice Slime with both hands, holding it as it squirmed restlessly.
"But… how are you going to cut it without it exploding? They're very fragile…"
Zarkrion took a deep breath, grabbing a special knife.
"Let's assume this is new even for me," he said, focused. "Let's see…"
As he brought the knife closer, the blade vibrated.
An instant later, luminous markings appeared over the Slime, lines that indicated the exact places where he should cut, as if a magical force were guiding his hand.
Zarkrion narrowed his eyes.
"What…?"
Then he understood.
"My class… the Chef Mage is activating."
He cut exactly along the markings.
The Slime did not burst.
Instead, it gently dissolved into a puff of pure, cold air.
"Wow!" Fariella shouted, amazed. "It dissolved without bursting! This is magnificent!"
Zarkrion smiled in silence.
So this is one of my abilities as a Chef Mage… not bad.
He repeated the process again and again. The Slimes broke apart like frozen mist, releasing their cold essence into a small container. When he finished, he added that bluish essence to the basilisk egg whites and grabbed the electric mixer.
The cylinder emitted a magical hum.
The mixture began to rise, to fluff up, to shine.
"WOOOW!!" Fariella shouted, jumping. "What is that thing?!"
"An electric mixer," Zarkrion replied with the tone of a culinary sage.
He poured the foam over the milk with yolk. He stirred calmly. Then he cut the fruits, peeled them, placed them in the blender, and turned them into a fragrant, sweet juice. He mixed everything in a special pot and placed it in the portable freezer.
"Now we wait two hours," he announced.
But the system intervened.
["It is not necessary. Thanks to the enchantment of your uniform and your Chef Mage Class skills, you can reduce the time of any food you prepare without damaging its process or flavor."]
Zarkrion raised an eyebrow.
"I see… even better."
In barely two minutes, the ice cream was ready.
It shone like small bluish gems, in the shape of soft little scoops decorated with grapes and pears around them. It was a culinary work of art.
[Congratulations – You have made "Snowy Slime Ice Cream"]
[Dessert Quality: SSS+]
"I want it, I want it, I want it, I WAAANT IT!" Fariella screeched like a child.
Zarkrion served her a portion.
"Enjoyyyyy~" she sang, taking the first bite.
And then it happened.
Fariella fell into an ocean of cold, sweet, fruity flavors. The smooth texture, the natural sweetness, the fragrance of the fruits… everything carried her to a distant childhood memory, when she tasted her first dessert at a village fair. Her body began to glow.
"I feel… satisfyingly strange!" she said, laughing. "I'm not tired anymore!"
[Snowy Slime Ice Cream has eliminated fatigue from Fariella's body
You have completely cured Fariella's mana fatigue]
[New Title Acquired: Miraculous Cook]
[You have used your unique skill: Abundant Cook]
Zarkrion opened his eyes, surprised.
"Wonderful… with this skill I can improve the health of others through what I cook…"
"That's incredible, Mr. Zarkrion!"
Zarkrion took a spoonful of the ice cream.
"SUBLIME!!"
"GOURMET!!"
"DELICIOUSLY SPLENDID!!"
Fariella burst out laughing.
"You should be famous, Mr. Zarkrion. The world has to know your cooking!"
Zarkrion lowered his gaze. His smile turned bitter.
"Maybe you're right… but I don't know if the world would forgive everything I've done. I was exiled by my own kingdom… and in this world they also want me dead. I don't think a tyrant is forgiven just because he cooks well."
Fariella shook her head.
"People don't forget… but they can change. And you changed me. I saw you talk to yourself about your identity… and even so I wasn't scared. I know who you are. But I also know who you can become."
Zarkrion remained silent.
She continued:
"And besides… you don't want to hurt anyone. You stayed here, in the Black Forest, because you're afraid of failing, right? Because you don't know what's going on outside…"
Zarkrion slowly nodded.
"You're right about that, even so I'd still like to go out and see what it's like outside."
Then Fariella's expression changed. Her gaze darkened. Her eyes became serious, tense… almost desperate.
"In fact… Mr. Zarkrion," she said softly, "that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about."
The dragon looked at her attentively.
"Of course, tell me."
Fariella took a deep breath, clenched her hands, and finally, with sudden urgency, said:
"Mr. Zarkrion… could you ask me a favor…?"
A favor of life or death.
Zarkrion froze.
"What? Life or death, you say?"
The wind stopped moving.
The snow seemed to freeze in midair.
The icy air became silent, so silent it felt like the entire forest was holding its breath.
Zarkrion's heart skipped a beat.
Fariella looked at him with a fear he had never seen before.
Something was very, very wrong.