Frostfire Legacy

Just as the two finished setting up the table and moving the food that was already done to it, Aster completed the rest a few minutes later.

Their menu was mostly meat, but, of course, he didn't forget about the balance of nutrients. Aster, despite having his body forcefully "molded" into a healthy one, was still in dire need of a balanced diet, after all.

"Then, before we eat, let me introduce the food to you two!" He asserted with a smile, as if trying to forget about something.

One after another, he introduced the dishes he had prepared.

Grilled Halloumi Green Salad with Mustard and Mayo Dressing, Steamed Chicken with Garlic Soy Glaze, Asian-Style Pork Fish Sticks with Teriyaki Sauce Dip and Glaze, Pan Grilled Burger Steak with Spicy Chipotle Mayo over Coconut Rice, Lemon Basil Cheesecake with Blueberry Coulis, and Orange Mint Infused Water.

Aster meticulously prepared everything because he was in a zen-like state while cooking.

"W-Wow…! This looks even better than what I made before!" Cassy exclaimed, awe written all over her face. "Then, time for judging the most critical part: the taste!"

As if unable to wait any longer, Cassy moved her fork and stabbed a slice of the Pork Fish Sticks, letting a crispy sound echo as the fork went in. After dipping its end over the sauce, making it look even more appetizing, she carefully brought it over to her lips and took a hungry bite.

"...!"

And in a flash, her expression changed to surprise as she ate the entire stick in just a few bites. After chewing at it for a while, she then swallowed it before letting out a soft sigh.

"Star... You should open a restaurant. I think you'd perform better doing that than being an adventurer!" With almost 100% seriousness, she suggested.

"Eh? You're overacting." But Aster dismissed it as just her trying to praise his cooking.

"I think so too." But Kali, who stealthily took a slice of her burger steak and tasted it—juicy and exploding with flavors—commented. "If you open a restaurant, I'm sure there'd be a lot of repeat customers looking for your dishes."

"Right?!" Cassy beamed, seeing that Kali agreed with her. "Rather, I'm curious as to what level your cooking skill is! Mine's just level 3, and I'm too far from reaching this level of deliciousness!"

As if curious about the taste of the other dishes, Cassy used her fork to pick up a small portion of the steamed chicken. It was so soft that the strands easily came off, together with the glazed skin. As she took a nibble, the savory taste of the soy sauce, mixed with the natural sweetness of the chicken, gave way to a wonderful combination of flavors, overloading her tongue.

Kali followed her lead, also taking a small forkful of the chicken and asking before tasting it. "I'm curious about that too. What level is it?"

"... Cooking skill?"

But his reaction confused the two—or just one of them, as Cassy quickly recalled Aster's situation. "Ah, right. You don't know about it, do you? Then, let me explain~!"

"Skills outside of battle skills, also known as daily life skills, all have levels. For example, K.'s Assassinate skill and my Healing spell don't have a level, but the Cooking skill does."

"I see..." Aster nodded. "Then, how can I check my skill level?"

He looked at the adventurer's card, but other than his stats, nothing else was written there.

"Ah, there should be a Skill Plate at the Adventurer's Guild. Let's go there and check tomorrow~!"

"We should. Checking your skills is a necessity for an adventurer. After all, if you know the enemy and yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."

"Ah, Sun Tzu! So his Art of War is still known even up to this day..." Aster smiled as he took a mouthful of the salad.

And, to his surprise, the taste changed again.

The grilled halloumi cheese gave the medley of fresh greens an enticing texture with its caramelized edges and creamy, nearly buttery center.

A symphony of textures was created, with crisp cucumber slices offering a cool contrast, juicy cherry tomatoes bursting with refreshing sweetness, and crisp lettuce leaves offering a satisfying crunch. Each ingredient was coated with a delightful kick from the creamy yet tangy mustard and mayo dressing.

This was a far cry from the simple flavor he tasted before serving the food!

It was the second time this happened, so Aster was starting to think that this was due to some corrective force getting applied after he completed his cooking.

'Maybe it's the effect of the cooking skill that they're talking about? Well, whatever it is, we'll know tomorrow.'

"But shouldn't you at least grasp your skills, even without checking the Skill Plate?" Kali asked with a frown. "It's as if you didn't even know what skills are just now."

"Ah..." Aster scratched his head.

Given that the mayor himself sent Kali over, he assumed she already knew about him. However, from the way she asked, he figured out that she was kept in the dark instead.

It would be awkward to keep it a secret between only him and Cassy, and it's technically not a secret, anyway, so he took a deep breath and began to explain. "Actually, I... I'm not from this era."

"...?"

When Aster threw his Advernturer's Card over to Kali, she checked it with light confusion on her face. Then, after scrunching her eyes many times before rubbing the card, checking if it was not a sticker or visual glitch, she stared at Aster with an inexplicable expression.

"... You're this old?"

"Well... Yes. But I spent 99% of that time frozen in a Cryogenic Chamber," he explained, before suddenly remembering about the laboratory. "Right, I should schedule some time to visit that place later." He added in a whisper.

After Aster's reveal, Cassy started talking about herself, which started a reveal of everyone's dreams and goals. Kali couldn't reveal the part about her being Aster's guard, however, as it was a secret mission from the mayor himself.

The three continued chatting about themselves until they finished all the food that Aster had made. After their meal, just as he wanted to go and wash the dishes, Cassy took over, doing it instead.

Having nothing to do, he instead checked the bedroom, trying to see if it was in a state that could be used promptly. It had been a little under two days since he returned, after all.

"... What?"

But when he entered the bedroom, he was surprised to see that his single bed was no longer there. Instead, a large, king-sized bed was in its place, taking up almost a quarter of the bedroom's space.

Seeing this and understanding the implied meaning behind why the bed was changed to a bigger one, cold sweat fell from his back.

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