55 A Tsundere Chef? (1/2)
”Where am I? Why is it all dark? Why is it cold!” Pedro felt that his body was like falling deep in the ocean, where it was cold and dark.
[System Notification! Special log in confirmed!]
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Checking player information data!
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Log in completed!
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Initializing engine!
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Entering game in 3!
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Entering game in 2!
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Entering game in 1!
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[Log in successful! Player 'Death' welcome back to Bearth!]
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”...” Pedro slowly opened his eyes as he saw the ceiling of his room in the Karakoa.
”I am in-game? What happened?” Pedro slowly rose to a seating position as he places his hand to his forehead trying to remember the previous events. The last thing he could recall was him in the traffic and the old woman collapsed.
”I guess I'll log out to know what had happened!” Pedro opened his interface and worked his way through the logout button.
”What's this? I can't log off!?” Pedro relentlessly pressed the logout option which was greyed out in his interface.
”No... No... No... No... This can't be happening?!” Pedro kept pressing the logout option relentlessly as a female figure slammed open his bedroom door.
”Will you be SILENT! We are talking about something here!” Madame Soledad's face frowned as she scolded Pedro who seemed like he just woke up and kept pressing something in the air.
”Madame! Wha... What are you doing in my room?!” Madame Soledad was holding the remaining serving of the dish he made before he logged out.
”Oh! Your ”Apprentice” is awake, Soledad!” Before Pedro could react further, another woman peaked out of the door.
”Senior Alivia?!” Pedro wore a grim look as another man peeked in and it was no other than Elder Frederico. Pedro could only sigh as they went to his room's living room that was cramped of the remaining dished he made. Madame Soledad and Alivia returned to eating the dishes Pedro made as soon as they sat on the couch.
”Kid! Though it has fewer nutrients than the usual dish, It tastes good compared to Frederico's!” Madame Soledad kept eating like a glutton and indirectly mocked Elder Frederico's dish.
”You can... just... eat... many of this... to match... the nutrients... Frederico's dish provides!” Alivia kept eating the already cold dish as she 'ignore' Frederico's presence.
”Frederico! Why don't you taste it!” Madame Soledad glanced to Frederico who crossed his arms and looked irritated.
”Hmph! My dish might not taste this good, as you say! But it is full of nutrients!” Frederico replied in a stubborn manner as Pedro sat down on a separate couch.
Cooking was a simple and basic talent. The higher your rank is, the higher the quality and amount of nutrients it can give. Consequently, the harder it is to master making the dishes by the increased failure rate.
In his past life, players initially just cooked by the usual method they learn from NPCs until some culinary students who played the game and explored the different ingredients available in the game. They experimented until they found out that the taste of food can be improved and was not dependent on the cooking rank of a player.
Hence, although the quality and nutrients of the dish Pedro cooked were low, the taste was something new and delicious to NPCs like Madame Soledad and Alivia who had not tasted something like that before. (This can be related to real-life where there were foods that tastes good but was not that healthy or has fewer nutrients compared to the foods or dish designed for a healthier diet.)
”Now! Now! Frederico! Have a taste! Here! Choo! Choo! the train is coming!” *Choo! Choo! Madame Soledad lifted her spoon with the sauce and a chunk of Octrocras (Squid-like) meat. Frederico looked sideways irritated like a child saying 'HELL NO!'.
”OPEN UP!” Madame Soledad shouted as her eyes turned all black. Other than Alivia, Madame Soledad scared the sh!t out of Pedro and Frederico. Hopeless, Frederico could only open his mouth as Madame Soledad shot up the spoon to his mouth just like a mother and child.
*GULP! The room was filled with awkward silence as Frederico swallowed the food. Madame Soledad, Alivia and Pedro stare in anticipation of Frederico's reaction.
'Hallelujah! Hallelujah!' Frederico had an awkward, happy look on his face like he was someone who was reborn again. Tears start to flow out of his eyes as if God has given him enlightenment.
”Well... I must admit... It tastes good! BUT! IT CAN'T MATCH THE NUTRIENTS IN MY DISH!” Frederico acted like a 'tsundere' that made Pedro frown as he considers the scene in front of him weird and awkward. (Imagine an old man acting like a tsundere... LOL)