Eden of the Eclipse

22 - Wild Chef

Worm coughed and chocked, gagging on the very air itself before sucking in a deep, hard, breath. Her orange eyes squinted through small tears, and she gritted her teeth as she swallowed the final piece of tomato-soup-covered meat splashed with a spice that tasted like salt and sugar.

"Sir. . ." She spoke, "You should never cook again."

Macos laughed as he spun the now-empty bowl in his hand. He looked down at them and grinned with a hint of mischief.

"Are you sure?" He asked, "Did you two not enjoy the bonuses it gave?"

The two girls grimaced at the same time. The NPC's cooking was terrible, not only did the dish have healing properties, but it also had a one-time bonus of increasing their overall health.

". . .I can't deny that," Lucy said, crossing her arms as she nodded.

"Indeed." Word aided. "We likely are amongst the two tankless players at the moment. In terms of pure health points. That is, if someone didn't place all their earned Souls into their hp."

Lucy tilted her head. Who would be stupid enough to do that? Actually. . .she decided to keep her mouth shut. After all, there had been a player who tried to rape a goblin. The absurdity aside, the article had been amusing, at least.

"My turn then. . ." Macos shrugged as he moved to pour himself a bowl. Before that, however, he glanced back at Lucy for a moment. "Ah, right, girl, your quest is complete now."

[Quest 'Innkeeper's Helping Hand' completed!]
{Rewards: 'Wild Chef'}

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the option for the subclass 'Wild Chef'! Would you like to accept it?]

Lucy's expression immediately brightened.

"Of course!"

[Congratulations! You have obtained the crafting class 'Wild Chef'!]

Then a system announcement came.

[Player Eve has earned the achievement 'Traveler's First Step' by becoming the first player to unlock a crafting class! Congratulations!]

Lucy quickly opened her Traveler's Book and checked both the achievement as well as the subclass.

[Traveler's First Step]
—what's a traveler that can't do everything required to carry themselves forward in the changing world? By unlocking a subclass, you've advanced from baby to toddler.
*Decreases all subclass timers to instantaneous.

'Wild Chef'
—as a Wild Chef, when you cook something that's at-least edible—based on the ingredients thrown in—it gains properties.

*Through gaming magic, you somehow cook faster.

*The better quality your meal, the better properties it brings out from its ingredients.

'Great achievement.' Lucy smiled. 'But that's how subclasses work?'

Less like how a traditional subclass would be in a mmo, it was more of a passive skill with a game-changing modifier. She relayed what she saw to her companion with a hint of puzzlement and Worm placed a finger to her chin.

"Hmm. . .if I had to conjecture. . .it's likely the realism thing at work again," The video-game writer said, "Eclipse's developers want players to be able to do anything they want, so you could probably craft a sword or cook without any subclasses—as long as you have the materials, tools, and know-how—they simply won't gain as many benefits as if you were to do so while having the required subclass. It's the same thing with equipping the wrong equipment for your class. You can certainly do it for many of them, but it would be far less worthy."