The sunrise had barely tinted the sky when Ken stepped out of the cottage, a bucket in each hand. His breath misted in the cool air as he made his way toward the riverbed, where he had found a deposit of workable clay days before. Kneeling by the bank, he dug his fingers deep into the soft, earthy mound. It was perfect—rich, dense, and pliable.
By midmorning, he had crafted three new claypots, shaping and smoothing the curves with increasing precision. He left them near the hearth to dry slowly while he packed up for the day's outing.
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[Clay Crafting EXP +4% → 4%]
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Before heading toward the village, Ken carried a bundle of tools and bait into the forest. He followed the marked trails deeper than usual, his eyes scanning for signs of heavier game. A pair of worn trails, both leading to a muddy stream crossing, made ideal locations. He worked fast, digging two new pitfall traps, reinforcing the bottoms with woven twigs and masking the tops with dry leaf mats.
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[Basic Trapping EXP +7% → 52%]
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On his way back, he checked his regular traps: a plump rabbit, two small river fish, and a lucky quail awaited him. He dispatched and cleaned the animals quickly, storing them in his moss-cooled pouch before veering into the garden to pull wild parsley, crownroot, and green onion. His foraging trail also yielded a handful of wild sorrel and sweetgrass bulbs—just enough for one new special.
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[Ingredient Identification EXP +5% → 70%]
[Basic Gardening EXP +5% → 38%]
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Back home, Ken grilled the rabbit over a low flame while prepping the other ingredients. His hands moved instinctively now—cleaning, slicing, and seasoning each piece with practiced efficiency. The sorrel cakes were fried in boar fat, the scent of herbs mixing with the earthy smoke of the hearth.
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[Ingredient Prep EXP +6% → 100% → Level Up to Lv. 2!]
> Ingredient Prep (Lv. 2 – 0%)
Knife handling speed and ingredient processing speed increased.
[Seasoning Sense EXP +3% → 63%]
[Fire Control EXP +5% → 78%]
[Butchering EXP +2% → 27%]
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Day 3 Menu:
1. River Fish Flatwraps – 5 pcs
2. Rabbit & Garlic Wraps – 5 pcs
3. Sweet Sorrel Cakes (Special) – 5 pcs
All meals were carefully wrapped in either mint leaves or bark sheets, stacked in a hand-drawn crate, and cushioned with soft moss. By late morning, Ken arrived at the village square, taking the same corner stall as before. He lit his grill-fire early this time and seared a ribbon of fish over it, the smell quickly drawing in a curious crowd.
The first customer was a man who had bought one of Ken's wraps on the first day. "You back today, too?" he asked, sniffing the air eagerly.
"Yep," Ken smiled, flipping the fish. "Same fish wraps, rabbit wraps, and something new—sorrel cakes."
"Got coin for two," the man said and passed over a few copper bits.
By noon, most of the day's meals were gone. The fish wraps sold first again, followed by the rabbit. A few villagers split the sorrel cakes, with mixed reactions—some loved them, others found them too "grassy." Ken took careful note.
By the end of the day, only two sorrel cakes remained, which he tucked away for his family's dinner.
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[Sales Milestone: High Turnout]
+10 EXP | Ken EXP: 60/80
[Fire Control EXP +5% → 83%]
[Food Packaging EXP +5% → 45%]
[Meal Preservation EXP +3% → 35%]
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Back at home, Ken sat beside the fire with his system interface open, tired but satisfied. Three days of sales. Three total sellouts. And now he had enough feedback to build a real plan.
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> New Business Rule: MENU STRATEGY
– Core Items (Always Available):
• River Fish Flatwraps
• Rabbit & Garlic Wraps
– Rotating Special (Changes Every Market Day):
• Sweet or unique dish, trial-based
– Limit: 15 Meals per Market Day (until further upgrades)
– Claypot meals only on special request and returnable pot policy
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KEN — STATUS
Level: 4
EXP: 60/80
Unspent Attribute Points: 5
SKILLS UNLOCKED:
Ingredient Prep (Lv. 2 – 0%)
Fire Control (Lv. 1 – 83%)
Seasoning Sense (Lv. 1 – 63%)
Ingredient Identification (Lv. 1 – 70%)
Basic Gardening (Lv. 1 – 38%)
Basic Trapping (Lv. 1 – 52%)
Butchering (Lv. 1 – 27%)
Meal Preservation (Lv. 1 – 35%)
Food Packaging (Lv. 1 – 45%)
Clay Crafting (Lv. 1 – 4%)
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Ken leaned back, watching the flicker of firelight reflect on the three drying claypots. He didn't need a restaurant.
He just needed to keep showing up—day after day, dish after dish.
Tomorrow? He'd be back with something new.
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