CHAPTER 33: NEW SKILL

After we finalized the menu, I stretched my arms and let out a long sigh.

"That settles it. I’m going to sleep. Weekend’s over — and I don’t feel like being dragged to the disciplinary hall on Monday morning."

Instructor Samantha’s warning echoed in my head.

If anyone misses the practical assessment, prepare for punishment.

Yeah. I wasn’t about to experience that.

I stood up, chair legs scraping lightly against the floor — but just as I was about to leave, Lily’s hand shot up like a nervous student.

"Boss, one thing is still remaining."

I paused mid–step and glanced back.

"What’s remaining?"

She looked dead serious.

"...the diner’s name. You still haven’t decided what we’ll call it."

Ah. Right.

A brand needed an identity.

A business needed a soul.

I stayed silent for a moment — then the title clicked into place — simple but meaningful.

"KITCHEN 21."

Lily blinked. "...Kitchen... twenty-one?"

Alicia frowned lightly. "It sounds strange."

"Why twenty-one?" Lily asked, genuinely puzzled. "Does it mean there will be 21 dishes on the menu?"

I just smirked — amused.

They would never understand the actual meaning — 21st century cuisine — Earth’s glory.

"It’s not something you need to worry about," I said casually, walking toward the stairs, "you’ll understand someday."

And I left the two girls whispering and guessing behind me...

completely unaware that tomorrow —

KITCHEN 21 would be the name which will be remembered as the place which revolutionized the culinary world.

*****

I went up to my room with a strange mix of anticipation and calm buzzing under my skin. Tomorrow wasn’t just another academy day — it was the first real practical assessment. A dungeon dive. A field test. An event that, in the game, was the first flag leading to chaos.

And there was a fat 5000–point reward for top 3.

Top 3? Please.

I was aiming for first.

I already knew what kind of "misfortune" was pre–scripted to happen in that dungeon. The protagonist was involved — which meant narrative bullshit would definitely occur. Some near–death incident. A twist. A monster spawn that should not exist for a 1st year test.

So I wasn’t going in half–prepared.

"It’s shopping time..."

I murmured under my breath, opening the system shop window floating before me like a transparent blue screen.

Current points: 4800.

That wasn’t a small amount — but it wasn’t unlimited either. I needed to convert that into survivability. Real combat stats. Because right now? My physical capability was... tragic.

Strength? Pathetic.

Agility? An embarrassing joke.

Even if my cooking made me feel overpowered in the kitchen, in an actual fight I was a 16–year–old noble brat with semi–decent aim. That’s it.

I scrolled through the skill catalog until I found exactly what I needed.

[Movement Arts · Lv. 1]

A foundational close–quarter movement skill designed for footwork, evasion, and acceleration.

Cost — 2000 points.

Painful. But crucial.

I purchased it.

Then I didn’t stop there. I dumped more points into it. Level 2. Level 3. Level 4. Level 5.

By level 5 the effect text got a bonus:

"[Agility Amplification +50 (temporary: when activated)]"

Now that was more like it.

With roughly 1000 points left, I bought 30 mana bullets — good ranged fallback — and upgraded [Detection] another level. I wasn’t going in blind.

When I was done, the window updated:

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Status Window

Name: Lucien Ashborne

Age: 16

Race: Human

Affiliation: Imperial Academy / House Ashborne

Stats

Strength: 11

Agility: 7 (+50*)

Endurance: 7

Intelligence: 17

Mana: 4

Charm: 63

Skills

Mana Control Lv. 5 ↑

Horse Riding Lv. 3 ↑

Basic Etiquette Lv. 4

Intimidation Lv. 3 ↑

Cooking Lv. 8 ↑

Marksmanship Lv. 6 ↑

Detection Lv. 6 ↑

Movement Arts Lv. 5

Culinary Creator (Passive)

Points Remaining: 50

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I stared at the stat screen for a few seconds, absorbed in quiet satisfaction. My cooking level has gone up by 1. The agility boost alone was a life saver. Tomorrow when things go sideways inside the dungeon — and I’m betting they will — even if I am unable to counter it but I will atleast be able to run.

Just kidding. Nothing like that gonna happen.

*****

I woke before dawn.

The sunlight hadn’t even warmed the curtains yet, but my body felt alert — mind sharp. Dungeon day.

I dressed, tied the academy uniform properly, and headed downstairs.

The smell of lightly toasted bread and vegetables hit the air — Lily must’ve prepped while I slept. Breakfast was simple — omelette and bread with light seasoning — but it was enough fuel for the morning.

While I ate, I began packing lunch portions.

Not just for me — for Ariana as well — and one extra portion.

Experience had taught me something: whenever there’s a "plot event," it’s never a bad idea to have spare food on hand. The "extra" would come in handy. Someone always ends up starving, fainting, collapsing, or stuck in a trap.

When I finished sealing the food containers, I loaded them into my mini storage pouch and slipped the pouch into the inner pocket of my uniform jacket.

After that — I called the two downstairs.

Lily and Alicia stood before me — both already ready, clean, dressed properly in the new clothes. Alicia still lacked emotions — but her posture was firmer than yesterday. Lily, meanwhile, had the bright focus of someone who had found new purpose in life.

I retrieved a pouch from the drawer and placed ten gold coins into her hands.

Their eyes widened. They stiffened.

"Boss...?" Lily whispered.

"This is for hiring kitchen helpers and waitresses," I said plainly, tightening the straps of my gloves. "Go to the Merchant Association. They’ll guide you. Get a nameplate carved — ’Kitchen 21.’ Find Reena there — she’ll handle the logistics."

Lily’s lips trembled slightly. Alicia’s fingers clenched at her skirt. To them — slaves until yesterday — this was not just permission. This was trust. Authority. Freedom disguised as responsibility.

They bowed slightly — voices soft, but steady.

"Yes, Boss. You can count on us," they said.

I nodded once — and headed toward the door.

Halfway through turning the knob, a thought struck me.

Wait.

I paused, walked back into the kitchen, opened the spice cabinet, and took out several tiny jars.

I placed all the jars into the storage pouch.

"...almost forgot the secret weapons," I muttered.

Lily and Alicia exchanged confused looks — as if I had just armed myself with magical artifacts rather than kitchen spices.

I only smirked and headed back toward the exit.

"Work hard," I said simply.

"We won’t let you down," Lily promised.