“That brat? Yeah, I taught him all he knows.”

  —Rask, wiping blood off the cutting board.

  Day 23

  Cooking with Rask… is hell. I’d rather face down another Lord than be stuck in that torture chamber for one more day.

  Even now, just thinkin’ about it sends chills down my spine. That ol’ bastard Rask—by the void, man! Was it really necessary to shove me whole inside a giant bird’s gut? Spent near an hour diggin’ around in its open belly.

  What a day…

  I even felt bad for Selera when I showed up still stinkin’ like hell—and that was after a shower.

  She did mention something interesting though. Turns out Artefacts aren’t crafted at all. They come straight from the System itself. Strange business… now I’m itching to see one with my own eyes.

  When I came back to the Storage, I stared at the anvil and all the smithin’ junk waiting for me. Gave it a good long look, then told it “No” and called it a day. Tomorrow’s problem.

  ??Cooking (Level 2?4)

  Day 24

  Tomorrow came.

  Damn. Crafting ain’t no joke either but… no fire? Where the hell was my forge? Tools? Yeah, that old dusty book just said, “If you don’t have fire, pump it yourself.” Like… seriously? Now I’m supposed to be a Heat Magus too, ey?

  Ridiculous. But backing down now would just make me lose face after beggin’ Gob for the chance, so I went through with it. Dug out some scrap gear, slapped a couple enchantments on for Crafting, Heat, Water, and Cooking to wrap it all up. Put all that junk on and got to work.

  Hours. Just hammering ingots. And guess what? Nothing done.

  First one? Overheated the damn iron. Pushed too much Magika through the gloves, and the ingot went white instead of red. One hit—crack!—split down the middle like a dry bone.

  Second? Went too cold too fast. Book said “balance fire with water” but didn’t say how the hell to know the balance. So I blasted a water thread straight in. Steam everywhere, burnt my hand through the glove, and left the ingot brittle as chalk. Snapped before I even shaped it.

  Third through fifth? Bent the shit out of them. Warped edges, uneven lines, nothing even close to the diagrams. Felt like I was fighting the metal instead of working it.

  Last one? Thought I had it—steady heat, even hammer rhythm. Looked half decent. Then I tried to cool it slow with Water Magika… aaaand the whole thing twisted on me, shrieking like a banshee as it split down the seam.

  By the end, my arms were noodles, my ears ringing, and I swear the anvil was laughin’ at me.

  But hey… at least I didn’t burn the Storage down.

  Veleth went well, nothing unusual, and if there was, too damn tired to notice.

  And then… Rask again. Just how… how can he make Cooking completely kill my appetite? Shouldn’t it be the other way around? How am I supposed to enjoy a plate after all that!

  I’m fine getting covered in blood and guts a couple of times, sure—but doing it over and over and over? On things that stink worse than shit, acids that eat through my skin, and tasting stuff that makes me puke on the spot… like, come on!

  Today alone he had me slice open a Moon-Slug from Dorran III—giant gray bastard, guts full of glowing worms that still wriggle after you fry ‘em. Then came a Lava Eel from the vents of Orvos—half fish, half magma, trying to chew my hand off while I gutted it. And to top it all, the Cloud Jelly… stringy, transparent crap that slips through your fingers and clings to your tongue like it wants to live there.

  Really ugly, stinky stuff.

  Feels like I’m the ol’ Gilleos’ personal kitchen slave now.

  Still got some levels that I don’t think are worth the effort, but whatever.

  ??Cooking (Level 4?5)

  ??Heat Handling (Level 4?6)

  ??Water Handling (Level 1?4)

  Day 25

  Finally!

  Yes! Come on!

  Guess who got his first craft right? Your one and only. Got that bastard to actually hold together this time!

  Started with a simple vambrace—figured less surface area, less chance for me to screw it up. Heated the ingot just right, steady flame, not that panicky overblasting I did before. Hammered it out even, flat, folding the metal clean.

  Still almost dropped the whole thing when the seam started warping again, but I cooled it slow with Water Magika and kept the hammer hovering with Kinetic till it sealed proper. First time I didn’t hear the metal scream at me. That alone nearly made me cry.

  Looks rough, yeah, but it’s my first real piece. Slapped an Enchantment on it, crafting-oriented. Not really my style to wear a hunk of metal into battle, but it’ll do for the workshop.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Of course, then I glance at the pile and—void’s sake—there’s a whole other set waiting. Greaves, chest, gauntlets, helm. That’s days of hammering, sweating, swearing. Sigh…

  Still, can’t help but be happy with it. Gonna keep this one for the story.

  Rask was as cruel as always, maybe more, but I’m gettin’ the hang of the old bastard. Doing things quicker now, and he shouts less. Not nice words, mind you, just… less of them.

  After three days, I started to notice another side to Cooking. Turns out it ties to Alchemy, kinda like how Crafting ties to Enchanting. Cooking itself doesn’t give System prompts on products, but a lot of the ingredients for Alchemy come straight from beasts, and they need proper handling—cutting, gutting, storing, extracting oils and whatnot. That’s where Cooking kicks in.

  But it’s not just a stepping stone. Cooking stands on its own. Finished dishes restore stamina, and others give buffs. Weird ones, too—stuff the System doesn’t list, but they’re real. Mysterious, hidden boosts.

  Strange thing, really. Makes me wanna ask Selera for a breakdown. Old bastard Rask only knows how to yell curses, not explain jack shit.

  Selera went on about etiquette and noble family customs today… I had to do my best to stay awake.

  ??Cooking (Level 5?6)

  ??Crafting (Level 4?5)

  ??Heat Handling (Level 6?7)

  ??Water Handling (Level 4?5)

  ??Kinetic Handling (Level 4?5)

  Day 27

  Two more days. Two whole void-damned days just to hammer out the rest of the set.

  Turns out, making a vambrace? That’s baby work. Sure, it had me cursing up a storm when I started, but compared to the chest piece? Ha. That vambrace was like carving my name in sand. The chest armor was like carving it into a mountain with a spoon.

  The thing’s big, heavy, and every time I thought I had the curve right, it warped or cracked the moment I cooled it. Had to start over more times than I care to count.

  Keeping the heat steady with Magika while also keeping my hammer rhythm smooth—felt like juggling knives on a rope over a pit. My arms went dead more than once, and if not for using Kinetic to brace the hammer in place, I’d still be lying on the floor crying about it.

  Still, got it done. Whole set’s rough as shit, but it’s mine. My sweat, my burns, my hammer marks. Chest piece feels like a victory all on its own, but seeing the whole set lined up? Damn… feels like I actually built somethin’.

  Stuck an Enchantment on each piece too—and it worked. Tried it out, clunky as it looks. Ain’t pretty, but it’s honest work, huh?

  And that also means… gotta visit that Tyron again tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

  Nothing much in the kitchen today. Just Rask finding new ways to torture me. He’s… getting creative. The bad, hellish kind of creative. I swear, the crap he brings in makes hell feel like a damn vacation spot.

  Selera was teaching me about dancing and music today. Now that… is cool. Though it got my blood pumping a little when—uh, yeah. Let’s just say it was… informative.

  Kinda really like this dancing thing too. Not bad at all.

  Level 93?94

  ??Cooking (Level 6?7)

  ??Crafting (Level 5?6)

  ??Heat Handling (Level 7?8)

  ??Water Handling (Level 5?6)

  ??Kinetic Handling (Level 5?6)

  Day 28

  Well… that was… sigh.

  Went to Tyron all proud of my stuff. Guy ignored me for half an hour—just hammerin’, sparks flying, like I didn’t even exist. Then he finally grabs my helmet, taps it once, and the whole thing cracked like a rotten egg.

  Before I could even blink, he scooped it up bare-handed, melted the damn thing like it was clay, tapped here and there, cooled it with a breath—and ta-dah, the shiniest, most perfect piece of helmet I’ve ever seen.

  Threw it at me like trash and muttered, “Come back when the rest looks like this.”

  I froze. No words. Just turned and left.

  But damn… I kept staring at that helmet. It was just… flawless. Not a bend out of place, lines so clean they looked drawn by the System itself. How the void am I supposed to keep the curves that straight?

  Went back to the Storage, hammered away for a bit, but the mood was in the gutter. Got some dents smoothed, but nowhere close. Not even sure how long it’d take me to hit that level. Pretty sure the old bastard just didn’t wanna see my face again. Still… someday, I’ll show him. Maybe.

  Veleth picked up on my sulk. Linked with me, let me see through the void again. Stars, endless drift… damn, it felt good. Brought my smile back. Probably my favorite guy on the ship—well, besides that little green bastard, wherever he’s hiding these days.

  The kitchen… no comments.

  Selera rambled about money today. Now that I liked. She went on about etiquette before, but this time it was how currency works. Most planets got their own, but some are sector-wide. She had a whole stash—copper-ish, silver, gold, and some shinies like gems. All carved with weird symbols and glowing lines, some with enchantments running inside. Swear I could probably make a few of the cheap ones right now if I had the scraps. The rest? No clue.

  ??Crafting (Level 6?7)

  ??Water Handling (Level 6?7)

  Hope yawned as the annoying bird marked the waking time.

  He dragged himself up lazily, brushed his teeth, pulled on his work gear, and after a few stretches stepped out of the room—ready for another round of crafting. Or so was the plan, if not for—

  “Good mornin’, lad!” Gob greeted with a wide smile, sharp teeth flashing with a glint.

  “Huh? Oh, Go—Senior, how’s it been? Haven’t seen your ugly face in a while,” Hope laughed.

  “Hey, hey, where’s the respect, kiddo? Gonna tell Selera ‘bout that, ey.” Gob clutched his chest in mock pain.

  “Yeah… let’s not. So? Just here to say hi, or is it important?”

  “Well, there’s work—but first, how’ve Tyron and Rask been treatin’ ya? Learned a thing or two?”

  Hope exhaled tiredly. “That… well, I’ve barely seen Tyron’s face, and Rask? Every damn nightmare’s got his voice in it.”

  Gob chuckled loudly. “Well, you asked for it, lad. Anyway, the Captain wants to see you.”

  Hope’s eyes widened. His next task? Another quest for another quarter?

  Truth be told, he was more than a bit excited—finally getting out of the hell that was the kitchen.

  “Nice!”

  Gob grinned, grabbed his coat, and with a flick they both warped straight into Syra’s chambers.

  It hadn’t even been a week since the last time, but to Hope, it felt like ages.

  And there she was. Her strange arm, an Artefact, gleamed faintly under the chamber light. An eyepatch covered one eye. The other gaze cut straight through him.

  Her presence was as commanding as ever. Quite the badass, truly.

  “Well, lad,” Syra said with a grin, “heard you’ve been learning a lot under my crew. Glad to hear it. So—I’ve got another job for you.”

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