The man stepped closer, close enough that I could see the red paint creeping up his neck. Too even to be blood, too deliberate to be accidental. And then I saw it clearly.
[Torren Kolth — ★★ Hunter]
> HP: 356/356
> SP: 100/100
> DEF: 45
'This must be some kind of passive effect from Appraisal. And taking a second look... this guy has over ten times my own HP. I guess it tracks since he looks so scary. But...'
Torren took a step forward, sniffing in the aroma for himself, brown faded eyes twitching at the brows.
'Please be okay. Please smell edible. Please—'
"Not bad," he murmured, then grabbed the entire pot with his bare hands.
"Wait wait, I have a... ladle..."
Too late. This man actually drank it all down from the rim to the bottom, slamming it down onto the counter like he owned the damn place.
Which I wouldn't contest, not immediately anyway.
> Bonus: Did you wash your hands before cooking?
'Not now. Whatever happens might very well decide my fate!'
Gulp.
[Health Boost (S) — 30min]
The pop-up vanished a second later.
Torren stayed there another second, staring at the empty pot. Then he burped. Loud, manly in all the ways a man can be.
"Thank you, cook. Not bad."
Then I saw it. His HP went up. It actually went up.
> HP: 455/455
"Whad'ja say your name was?" Torren said, rubbing the chest plate under his stomach.
"S-s-suyin."
"Suyin." He chewed on it for a second. "Sounds like something I'd scratch my ass with."
Gulp. Gulp.
He slammed a little sack onto the counter and turned away, grabbing his sword in the same stride.
'Thank God. Thank God. I lived.'
"On second thought..." He paused, turning back. "All the cooks here have pointed ears. Where's yers?"
"Err... I don't have any?" I double checked. Triple checked. Relief. Still had human ears.
"Strange. What race are ya?"
"Asian...?"
He burped again. "Never heard of it." He turned around for good this time, stepping toward the doorway where faint light peered in. "One last thing though..."
'What now...'
"Yessir!"
"Feed your damn turtle-dove. It's eating all the weeds for our drakes."
'My what?'
He was already gone. Daylight flooded the doorway and I stood there, hands still sticky with Gullmaw grease, trying to figure out what a turtle-dove had to do with anything.
Then I remembered the sack on the counter. I grabbed it and the fabric dissolved the second it touched my palm, turning to dust between my fingers.
> +288 Zeni
'Okay. Sure. Magic money dust. Why not.'
I wiped my hands on the apron and ran after him.
The doorway was narrow—an opening in the wall that I had to duck through sideways. Daylight hit my face and I blinked hard, one hand up against the glare.
When my eyes adjusted, the first thing I saw was Torren and three other hunters climbing onto wyverns. Actual wyverns—leathery wings, talons digging into the dirt. They launched into the air one after another, and the wind nearly knocked me off my feet.
The second thing I saw was the meadow. Green in every direction, tall grass rippling under the draft from the wyverns, stretching out toward a tree line I couldn't reach in a day.
The third thing I saw was what I was standing on.
I looked down. The ground under my feet wasn't ground. It was shell. Curved, ridged, covered in moss and scratches. I followed the curve forward and saw a head the size of a car, low to the grass, chewing weeds with its eyes half-shut.
I was standing on a tortoise.
I had been inside a tortoise.
I had cooked inside a tortoise.
What the hell is going on?!
[Ding!]
[Congrats — First Meal Complete]
> Your customer was mildly satisfied.
> +46 Zeni
Mildly?!
[Appraisal — Lv. 1 → Lv. 2]
[Cooking — Lv. 1 → Lv. 2]
[Butchery — Lv. 1 → Lv. 2]
[Heat Control — Lv. 1 → Lv. 2]
[You've unlocked:]
> x1 Book of Cookipedia
Something heavy fell inside the shell behind me.
[You've received:]
> x1 Hunting Knife
> x1 Starter Rod
> x1 Starter Net
Followed by even more clatter.
I ducked back through the doorway and there it was—gear scattered across the floor near the stove, a thick leather-bound book on the counter, and the place still reeking of Gullmaw broth.
Before I could touch any of it—
[Quest — First Steps]
> Cook three meals.
> 0/3 Meals Cooked
> Time Limit: 24 hours
> Failure: Discombobulation
'Well, things could definitely be worse. That sounds like a massage with a meaner undertone.'
I spoke too soon. Outside the door came a screech, then another. The same sound the wyverns had made when Torren's group launched.
The door slammed open. A woman stepped through first—beak-shaped helmet, armor fitted from the wings of whatever she'd killed. The chest plate didn't do much in the way of coverage, which was a choice. Behind her was a man in the same style of armor, except his was cladded head to toe without a patch of skin showing.
The woman held a bow. The man held a rifle as wide as his forearm.
I immediately noted two things. Now that my Appraisal was at level two, I could see a person's stats clearer than before, closer too. Secondly, I could faintly make out the gear the hot woman was wearing.
[Kael Voss — ★★ Hunter]
> HP: 312/312
> SP: 120/120
> DEF: 38
[Kaen Voss — ★ Hunter]
> HP: 189/189
> SP: 90/90
> DEF: 21
That, I suppose, would be revealed through a direct Appraisal.
"Is this canteen open?" The woman yawned and snapped her fingers. The leather on her arm creaked and my legs wobbled in the slightest. "You sleepy or what?"
From behind the hulking armor, a young, quiet voice spoke up. "Sorry for my sister. She's rather rash."
'I'm naive to think I'd catch such an easy break.'
"Yessir—ma'am. Welcome to... Suyin's Cozy Canteen!"