In A Parallel World With Random Skills, I Reluctantly Become A Mafia Boss?

Chapter 5: Start

I looked around, half-expecting an ember to still be burning, but alas, there wasn't any fire to speak of. Though I did notice something strange on the far side of the wall. It was where Phoenix-san spent her last moments, if I remember correctly. So, I moved closer to find out what it was..

What was sitting there, wasn't a flame, but a large, round-shaped egg with a pure white gloss. It was covered with some kind of mist-like coat. When I examined it closer, it seemed that the coat exuded a comfortable warmth.

I got the slight idea of making this egg into a scrambled egg. But even though it was tempting, I refrained myself from enticing the spirit of Phoenix-san haunting me. It was because I was about fully sure that this was her egg.

When I moved closer, I could see a black spot forming on my shirt but I didn't feel that hot. Still, I moved away. I checked it, and it was actually burned in seconds. Was there a reason my skin was immune to the scorching heat?

Because I didn't have anyone to ask, I set that aside for now. Because I had an idea, I quickly retrieved the meat and held it over the egg with the mist evaporating atop it.

It turns out my hypothesis was correct, since the meat was cooked into dark-brown in a matter of seconds. How hot was this egg really? I quickly turned it over to the other side and did the same for the other two pieces.

While feeling thankful in my heart, and confirming the meat being cooked, I immediately bite into the large piece, and chewed so fast, I swallowed in the next moment. My impressions were..

Disgusting. This meat was the worst meat I have ever tasted thus far. It had a rubbery texture, bitter as a gourd, or even more than that, and it stuck to your teeth and molars. It wasn't a dish I expected at all. But this wasn't a time to be picky. Since at the very least, it filled my stomach.

This only made my dream of trying many different dishes around the world, even more enticing. I will definitely eat to my heart's content in the future. But for now, I had to regain the strength to fuel my body.

Powering through the worst meal I have ever had in my life, I finished eating. After that, I stood up and tried to take the egg with me. I wouldn't dare leave it here by itself. I held the egg with my right hand. But as soon as I did so..

The ring on my finger suddenly released a large amount of darkness, spreading into ethereal tentacles. By the time I regained my calm, it had fully covered the mist and the egg. The next moment, the darkness disappeared, taking the egg with it into the ring.

"Strange, it didn't show that reaction before, even when I held the meat.."

It had me thinking that this ring might have some kind of use, but I had no way of knowing since I didn't have enough mana to use 'Appraisal' on it. The egg might still be safe, since the ring didn't break or anything like that. I just had to gather enough information about it once I find someone knowledgeable about this world.

Releasing a tired sigh, I checked if I still had the piece of paper tucked into my shirt. It was still there, without a scratch. Even though the middle of my shirt was burned, it had no trace of ever being blackened.