Chef in the Apocalypse

"Divine Shield?" Jayce mumbled to himself, surprised at the notification.

If a person had not played Cataclysm: World's End before, then they would not have a name or player ID. Therefore there were a bunch of people that were assigned names from the system.

He had seen many names in his previous life, and it was often easy enough to differentiate whether they were assigned a name or chose one themselves. This was because the system tended to give out simple names, whereas people would choose cool sounding or even silly names.

Take Jayce for example, because he had played the game, therefore he kept his player ID: Let Me Cook. As Colin had said that he'd never played Cataclysm before, that would mean he was assigned the name Divine Shield.

He knew of some Guardians in his previous life which were named Bronze shield 1 and Broken Shield 4. Much like in-game, no one could share the same ID, which made a system generated name without a number at the end extremely rare. Even if it was the first iteration of the name, it always had a number.

This was also the first time he had seen a name with the prefix Divine, raising further questions. Was the name Divine linked to Colin's potential? If so, what were the odds of him living so close to Jayce. When he also thought about how he met the rare Cleric Lianna in the streets, he began to ponder deeply.

"Were they like this in my previous life? Or is it because I went back in time?" Thinking about what he remembered of them in his last life, he was leaning towards the former.

While he wasn't close with Colin in his first time around, he could still feel the same air of righteousness in this life. Lianna, on the other hand, was already dead by the time he reached her. However she was still wearing the green robe of a Cleric, backing up his theory.

"Is it because of my Luck?" He pulled up his stats out of habit, focusing on the mysterious Luck stat.

Name: Jayce (Let Me Cook)

Title: N/A

Class: Chef

Subclass: N/A

Level: 2

EXP: 0/200

Health 120/120

Mana: 60/60

Strength: 3

Dexterity: 3

Intelligence: 2

Vitality: 4 (+2)

Luck: 27

Stat Points: 0 𝚋ｅｄｎ𝚘𝚟ｅｌ.ｃｏ𝚖

After zoning out a little in deep thought, he decided to open up the new Faction partition in the system.

Faction: Hell's Kitchen

Leader: Let Me Cook

Vice Leader: Vacant

Faction Level: 1

Members: 28/50

Players:

Divine Shield

Frost Mage13

Nurse Joy

Crippled Swordsman5

Rough Swordsman42

Tough Shield8

…

The first thing that struck him was that he had 28 members including himself, which meant that everyone in the shelter had accepted his Faction invitation. He let out a sigh of relief, then looked at the list of players.

Divine Shield was Colin, and Frost Mage13 should be Jackie. Did that mean Nurse Joy was Lianna? If he remembered correctly, Nurse Joy was from Pokemon, an old game that originated on the handheld consoles a very long time ago.

Thankfully, the handheld consoles had improved and breathed new life into the game, becoming popular amongst children and adults alike once again. He himself had played throughout middle school with his friends, until he lost his parents.

Foraging the recesses of his memories, he suddenly recalled the lady that he would talk to at the Pokecenter who wore a short pink dress and a white apron. Well, the word "talk" wasn't really accurate, as he would just mash the A button until his pokemon were healed.

His thoughts wondered again, suddenly imagining what Lianna would look like in a Nurse Joy outfit. He let out a curse, feeling his body flush in response.

Now was not the time to have such fantasies, they could wait for later. No wait, what did he mean later? Feeling flustered, he tried to take his mind off of the image.

"Food, I came in here to make some food." Jayce murmured, bringing up his menu.

In the next moment, a grin spread across Jayce's face. "It looks like my level increase in Basic Cooking has produced some nice results."

Glancing at the list before him, he noticed that the temporary stat boosts for all his dishes had increased from 2 to 3, effectively enhancing their power by 50%. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he decided to prepare some Miso Soup for his new faction members.

The stat boost for Miso Soup had now become +2 Vitality and +1 Intelligence, meaning that if his VIP15 skill activated, everyone in the shelter would receive this additional benefit. After surviving for so many years, Jayce understood the importance of Vitality. It not only bolstered one's body but also helped fight against illnesses and malnutrition. In his days as a medium-level swordsman, he could easily endure a week without food thanks to his decent Vitality stat.

Without hesitation, Jayce immersed himself in the process of making the miso soup with meticulous precision. He measured the ingredients—miso paste, dashi broth, and tofu cubes—carefully, ensuring a perfect balance of flavors. As he stirred the pot, the ingredients blended harmoniously, releasing a tantalizing aroma that permeated the entire kitchen.

[Congratulations, you have prepared "Miso Soup"]

Stepping back, Jayce admired his culinary creation with a sense of fulfillment. The starting gear he wore seemed to make cooking a breeze, eradicating the days of almost burning down their camp.

However, a tinge of bitterness crossed his face as he reminisced about his former questing group. "I wonder what they're doing now?" he mumbled, a wave of melancholy washing over him.

Shaking off the melancholy, he called for Colin. With the generous amount of Miso Soup he had prepared, it would be more efficient if everyone lined up to receive their share. Soon enough, the shelter's inhabitants formed an orderly queue, their faces brimming with excitement.

"It's time for Leader's cooking! I can't wait."

"I always feel invigorated when I eat his food."

Jayce overheard the excited chatter and praise throughout the room, filling him with warmth. These people were now part of his faction, and it was his responsibility to ensure their survival.

Once everyone received their share, Colin handed Jayce a bowl with a playful smile. "Eat up, Leader. Or should I call you Boss? Maybe Chef?"

"Jayce is fine," he replied with a flat tone, brushing off the playful banter. Taking a sip of the still-steaming soup, he sighed in satisfaction. No matter how many times he tasted his own cooking, it never failed to refresh him.

The moment he finished the last spoonful, a notification appeared in his system. Holding his breath, he willed it to open, eager to see what awaited him.

[You have consumed Miso Soup. Vitality increased by +2 - Intelligence increased by +1 for 1 hour]

[Your skill VIP15 has made this boost permanent]

"Lucky~" Jayce smiled in satisfaction.