The stewpot simmered over a low flame, its bubbling rhythm steady and patient—like Kai's breath.
[XP: 36 / 150]
[Quest Progress: 6 / 10 Satisfying Dishes Created]
Six dishes had fed six different lives. Each time he served, he felt a little stronger. Not just from the XP or the stats. But from the weight of their eyes. Their trust.
He reached into his dwindling pantry. Only one potato, half an onion, a strip of dried pork rind. That was all.
His hand hovered over the ingredients, then pulled back.
No.
This next dish wasn't just for XP.
It was for someone else.
Kai stepped away from the hearth and opened a small wooden box near his bed. Inside, wrapped in oilcloth, lay an old spice jar. Almost empty. A faint scent still clung to the air when he opened it—peppery, floral, warm.
It had been his mother's. She'd called it "Sunroot Dust." She never told him what it really was. Just that it was precious.
Kai took a single pinch.
He set to work.
Chopping with Basic Knife Mastery, slicing the potato thinner than paper. Dicing the onion so small it vanished in the oil. He activated Heat Control I—the last of his 3 Mana just enough to maintain the perfect simmer.
The pork went in last, crackling into life. He added the Sunroot Dust.
A golden glow rose from the pan—not magical, not system-driven. Just warmth. Memory. Home.
When he plated the dish, he didn't wait for a customer. He set it down on the table… and sat.
He took one bite.
It wasn't perfect.
But it was real.
[Dish Quality: 8.0/10 – Honest and Warm]
+8 XP
[Progress: 7 / 10 Satisfying Dishes Created]
[XP: 44 / 150]
[System Notification]
Emotion-Infused Meal Created
Flavor Trace Registered: "Sunroot Memory"
First Personal Resonance Achieved
+1 Reputation
📜 Status Window: Kai Elgren
Level: 2
XP: 44 / 150
Title: None
Reputation: 7 (Street Name: "The Skillet Warden")
System: Culinary Ascension Protocol
🧠 Attributes
Culinary Sense: 6
Knife Technique: 6
Heat Control: 5
Stamina: 7
Focus: 8
Mana: 3
🎓 Skills
[Basic Knife Mastery] (Passive)
[Flavor Sense I] (Passive)
[Heat Control I] (Active – 10 MP)
🎯 Quest
Savor the Start
Progress: 7 / 10
Reward: +50 XP, unlock [Ingredient Recognition I]
🎒 Inventory
Iron Knife
Onion Slice
Pork Rind (used)
Cracked Bowl
Memory: "Sunroot Dust"
Kai leaned back and looked at the ceiling, letting the silence sit on his shoulders.
Some meals fed the body.
Some meals fed the soul.
And some… reminded you of what you'd lost.