Leo stood in front of his kitchen counter, staring at the camera he'd just set up.
"Alright chat," he said, spreading his arms dramatically. "Welcome to my first-ever cooking stream! No gaming today. No headshots. Just... culinary violence."
[Chat]:
"Oh no, he's cooking 💀""This is how streamers die.""Please tell me Mira's supervising."
Leo laughed. "No supervision today! Just me, a stove, and enough confidence to burn my apartment down."
He adjusted his mic, turned to the System interface hovering faintly in the corner of his vision, and whispered, "Alright System. I've cooked exactly twice in my life. I need help."
[Skill Detected: Cooking (Beginner) — Tap to Max?]
"Do it," Leo said immediately.
[Ding! Cooking Skill MAXED!]
The change was instant. The aroma of ingredients, the rhythm of chopping, the proper heat level — it all made sense.It was like his hands remembered things they'd never done before.
He cracked an egg into the bowl one-handed. Flawless.He chopped onions so smoothly they looked machine-cut.Chat went wild.
[Chat]:
"BRO'S ACTUALLY A PRO??""No way he learned this overnight.""Cooking stream speedrun??""Gordon Ramsay who??"
Leo grinned. "See chat? I told you! Easy peasy. I've just been… secretly talented this whole time."
He winked at the camera.
[Passive Skill: On-Camera Confidence — Lv. MAX][Bonus Effect: Viewers stay 50% longer.]
The viewer count ticked up in real time. Ten thousand… twelve thousand… fifteen.
Leo poured the sauce onto the pan, explaining as he went. "So the trick to the perfect stir-fry—"
The doorbell rang.
He froze. "Uh… one sec, chat."
When he opened the door, Mira stood there holding a grocery bag and looking suspiciously at his apron.It said "Chef of Chaos."
"...You're streaming, aren't you?" she asked flatly.
"Maybe," Leo said, smiling innocently.
Mira sighed. "You told me you didn't even know how to cook last week!"
Leo stepped aside. "Come on in. Witness greatness."
She walked into the kitchen, glancing at the neat counter, the sizzling pan, and the chat flying by on his second monitor.
[Chat]:
"MIRA'S HERE!! THE DUO RETURNS!!""She caught him red-handed.""Plot twist: Mira's better at cooking."
Mira folded her arms. "So, when did you suddenly become a five-star chef?"
Leo shrugged. "YouTube tutorials."
"Liar."
He laughed, turning back to the pan. "Come on, at least try it before you accuse me."
He plated the dish — golden stir-fried noodles, glistening under the light. He handed her a fork.
Mira took one bite, blinked, then took another. "...Okay, this is actually amazing. How?!"
Leo smirked. "Told you. Hidden talent."
[Charisma +1 | Relationship Progress: Mira +3 ❤️]
She pointed her fork at him. "You better not secretly have a personal chef hiding somewhere."
"Wouldn't be able to afford one even if I tried."
Mira rolled her eyes, but she was smiling now. "You're seriously leveling up every day, huh? I'm impressed."
He chuckled nervously. "Guess I'm just on a lucky streak."
[Acting (Convincing Smile) +1.]
They streamed for another hour — Mira teasing him whenever he overexplained, Leo joking about becoming a "cooking prodigy overnight."It was chaos, but the good kind — the kind that made viewers feel like they were hanging out with friends.
[Chat]:
"This collab is gold.""Cooking streams > FPS streams.""Leo and Mira need a channel together fr."
By the end, their viewership had peaked at 32,000 — a new record.
As the "Stream Ending" screen faded in, Mira helped him clean up.
"You know," she said, placing a plate in the sink, "you should do more of these. You're kind of... fun to watch."
Leo smiled. "Kind of? Ouch."
She laughed. "Fine, very fun. You're good at this, Leo. Like, really good. I think you're finally finding your thing."
Her words lingered longer than he expected.After she left, Leo sat alone in the quiet kitchen, the soft hum of his monitor filling the air.
[Quest Complete: "Stream Something New"][Reward: New Skill Tree Unlocked — Entertainment Fusion.][Subskills Available: Event Hosting | Creativity | Spontaneity | Emotional Connection]
Leo leaned back, smiling at the glowing interface. "Entertainment Fusion, huh? Sounds like the next step."
[Next Quest: "Host Your First Live Event."][Reward: ???]
He chuckled, stretching. "From gamer to chef to host… what's next, System? Singing?"
[Singing (Untrained) — Would you like to Max this skill?]
Leo froze.Then grinned. "Oh, this is going to be fun."