The next day, Finn woke up early to prepare breakfast. He was preparing for a lot of people, so he got all three staff members to help out. The adventurers also woke up early, and he could hear some of those camping outside already shuffling.

When he looked out, some were already warming up, definitely ready to hunt early in the morning.

He decided to make it with simple fried rice, egg, and meat. It was fascinating how complete the kitchen was. There was even a wok.

Sizzle, Sizzle

The aroma spread through the inn. There was a special insulation that protected the building, so the people outside didn't smell it, but those in rooms had their stomachs gripped by the calls of hunger.

It was a torturous hour while the food was being prepared, and they could swear they ran out of saliva while waiting.

When Finn called for them, a queue formed within the next three seconds.

"..."

Finn gave an awkward smile and just signalled for the staff members to start serving.

For convenience, he made it canteen style with several large containers lined up. The guests would take their respective plates and go through the food line, filling up their plates as they go.

The first one on the line was Marcus and Micc, who hurried to the dining table and practically buried their heads onto the plate. Micc, all while chewing, even had the mind to use an assessment tool.

"It's really essence food…"

"This is amazing."

"According to the appraisal tool, it increases recovery by 10%!"

If they went out after eating, they could totally do a lot more than usual, right?

"That's a really good effect," Micc said. "You made this, Finn?"

"The money is really worth it, isn't it?"

"Definitely!"

Too worth it!

At this, several people looked lovingly at the members of the Traniel adventurer team.

Someone even slapped Marcus' back.

PAK!

"OWW!"

"We owe you!"

…

Another hour later, the fights resumed with several people hunting down the monsters fighting in the barrier. This was mostly to gather payment for the next meals and stay.

Not everyone could stay there the whole day, however. After all, most of them were at least of the Toughened level, and the number of monsters of that level that appeared outside the barrier was less than a handful.

They had to go out deeper into the forest, at least to the border of Level 2, though it was a comfort to know they had a resting place just hours away.

As the groups headed out, the staff and Katnia were left behind. Katnia immediately went next to Finn while Leiah looked reluctantly back at them.

Leiah paused her steps and headed to them, stopping just a meter away from Finn.

"Join us?"

Finn thought for a while and then looked at his stats.

[Status]

Name: Finnick Altheus Solthar

Race: Human

Class: Innkeeper, Chef

Level: Awakened Tier 3

Awakening Type: Physical

Affinity: Fire, Earth, Wind

…

VITALS

HP: 491/500

Mana: 460/500

Stamina: 480/500

Wallet: 587 Gold

Hearth Points: 369 Points

…

Skills:

Active: [Ingredient Scan] [Dish Analysis] [Heated Arc] [Farming] [Assessment] [Feather Step] [Sticky Soil] [Blade of Fire] [Thunder Clash] [Stone Guard]

Passive: [Blade Proficiency - Growth Type (Lv 2)] [Monster Instinct][Foraging][Strong Stomach] [Improved Palate] [Fire Resistance]

Condition: Normal]

Technically speaking, the current level of the mobs going to him (Awakened) was perfect, because he was still at this level. However, he was also curious how large groups of toughened and above worked, and he also felt that the best way to master one's skills was when they were in danger.

Hiding behind the barrier was cool, but he felt that he should still challenge himself every so often. That said, because he knew Katnia and Leiah didn't get along, he asked the halfkin to help guard the Inn instead.

He also talked to Ranran and started pre-preparing meals in the kitchen with her. They would be paying some cores in exchange for dinner later, and he hoped they'd be fed Essence food. Finn quite liked this group, after all.

And so, Finn, as well as most of the guests (except most Awakened-level ones, as they chose to stay within the barrier and massacre from within) headed out further east. Hopefully, he'd get more information or even encounter a few of those thornspawn vine thingies he had to kill for a mission.

As long as that mission existed, he would always have this uncomfortable tingling feeling at the back of his head, having to fear that the (Flexible) tag would activate once again and force him to go out when he wasn't ready. At least right now, he had powerhouses with him.

Each adventurer team went on their own adventures, just going back to the inn after a long day to rest.

He was, naturally, moving with the small group of the Traniels. Interestingly, the Lian adventurer team also came with them, making them a relatively big group of nearly 20 people.

Durgan came with them, too. The group decided not to go too far, just enough to encounter a group of Toughened monsters, but also with enough Awakened monsters for people like Finn, who were still at that level. This was somewhere near the border of Level 2, but not necessarily so. Especially with their numbers, they would naturally attract more toughened-level monsters anyway.

The adventurers also had a tacit understanding that someone with decent strength would be around Finn at all times to ensure his safety.

Not only did he like him as a person, but they also didn't want to risk the new magical resting spot they found!

Surprisingly, Finn could really hold against the monsters on his own.

This became clear about half a day later, when they hovered near the border of a Level 2 area.

Normally, a fighter would have a hard time fighting against a monster at their level. Even with a team, on average, they could only kill one to three an hour.

At best, twice that if the team or the individual was particularly powerful and had good equipment.

With them watching his back, Finn was part of the latter. It got to the point that they couldn't help but ask:

Wasn't he a cook?

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