The right kind of "snack" side dishes could keep people eating to the end without getting sick of it.
This sort of cooking had clearly been researched—meals designed specifically to help adventurers take in nutrition efficiently. In other words, it was a tavern perfectly suited to the adventurer profession.
Xien glanced back at the signboard.
Yeah… it really did feel like a place with warmth.
They'd gone to a lot of places that day. To Xien, it felt like he'd stepped into a special tourist attraction—everything was so novel that he barely felt tired even after a whole day.
Carrying big bags and small bags under the glow of azure-core magic lamps, the streets took on a different kind of color.
Alise was thoughtful, too. Aside from what she believed he needed, whenever she spotted something suitable, she'd explain its use first and then ask if he wanted it.
After all, they'd saved a massive amount on his equipment purchases this time. Compared to that money, these small things were worth almost nothing.
In truth, everyone had a bit of a gamble riding on this.
They hoped to push Xien's growth as fast as possible—because only then would the team gain another layer of security.
During that period, they'd even been ready to tighten their belts. Their familia wasn't wealthy; otherwise, they wouldn't have gone on full alert over a single bottle of panacea earlier.
Earning magic stones wasn't difficult for them, sure—but they also had the responsibility of maintaining Orario's order and fighting the Evilus.
And that duty was entirely voluntary.
Aside from some minor support and conveniences from the Guild, they received no binding resource assistance. At most, people would sometimes offer help within their means—and they never accepted it.
So for Alise, today had truly been a happy day.
For a while, everyone wouldn't have to live harshly.
Back at the base, she greeted everyone, helped place the purchased items in Xien's room where they belonged, and reminded him of tomorrow morning's plan—basic training.
Then Alise left.
Click.
The door shut.
Xien flopped onto the bed—and only then did the exhaustion surge in.
"Fat Orange. Get up and report."
"Roger that, honored Host! What can this kitty do for you?"
The orange cat put on a shameless lackey act, rubbing its soft, warm body against Xien's arm over and over.
"Ahem. Not bad. You've learned pretty well."
"I saw the Interference Points went up today. Show me."
Forcing down the urge to pet it, Xien decided to handle business first. He wanted to see what he'd gained.
"Okay, meow."
Interference Points: 150
At this point, he roughly understood how these "Interference Points" were earned.
First was the 100 points from joining a familia.
For Astraea Familia, his joining would definitely patch several weak points—and they were a familia that represented Orario's justice. His presence strengthened them. That was clearly "positive interference."
As for the remaining 50…
That seemed related to Eina Tulle.
He'd chosen her—when she was still young—as his advisor, which would probably benefit her a great deal. And since she was an important character for pushing the plot forward, the points made sense.
Still… why hadn't his agreement with that "big sister" from Hephaistos Familia shown up?
He thought and thought, but couldn't find an answer.
So he dropped it.
"I want to spend points. Any suggestions?"
Looking at the shop—those endless strings of zeros, and the grayed-out items he couldn't afford—made his eyes hurt. Secondary biological engines, gene locks… all good stuff, all obscenely expensive.
"Given your current situation, Host, this kitty recommends these."
The system screen sorted rapidly, and several options appeared.
Sun Breathing
Cost: 100 Interference Points
Chinese Martial Arts (Bajiquan)
Cost: 100 Interference Points
Flow State (Beginner)
Cost: 100 Interference Points
"Damn—those look cool. I know the first two. What's the third?"
The first, Sun Breathing, came from an anime called Demon Slayer—a technique that helped ordinary humans push their bodies' limits and gain tremendous power.
The second, Bajiquan, was self-explanatory: a profound, practical striking art.
But the third… what the hell was "Flow State"?
"In simple terms," the cat said, "choosing it will strengthen your sixth sense, meow."
"I see. Put that way, it's pretty strong too… Ugh, I want them all."
"After purchase, do I learn it instantly, or is there some catch?"
To be safe, Xien wanted all uncertainties cleared up.
"Yes. External-learned skills like breathing techniques will store the knowledge in your mind. How far you can train it depends on you—though this kitty will support you fully."
"As for internal passive skills like Flow State, they directly enhance your body. They can also be improved through training, or strengthened further by spending more Interference Points."
"So that's how it works… Pretty fair."
"So even the 'learned' skills could theoretically do a one-step-to-master thing, but you don't do that because you want to cultivate strong people, right?"
Xien extrapolated quickly.
"Exactly, meow. In the end, what matters most for a strong person is willpower."
"We provide resources, but if you can't endure the hardship of practice, you'll never become strong, meow."
"Mm. That's reasonable. So it greatly reduces the impact of things like cultivation bottlenecks?"
Xien nodded. On that point, he agreed strongly.
In his view, power and capacity had to match.
Like water in a cup: the cup is your "capacity," the water is your "power."
Capacity is what determines how much power you can safely hold.
If the two didn't match, the ending was almost always "harm others, ruin yourself."
Even if there was no immediate problem, in the long run it would lead to self-destruction.
"Then which of the three do you recommend I pick first?"
"This kitty recommends Flow State, meow."
"Your captain is teaching you combat tomorrow anyway. For basic combat skills, picking one is enough."
"Flow State helps you handle sudden situations. A strong sixth sense can save your life, meow."
"That's why it's on the list, meow."
Hearing that, Xien fell into thought.
It really did make sense.
This skill didn't even require training, yet it could matter at the critical moment.
If it truly enhanced sixth sense, it was basically the same idea as a certain king's "Instinct"—perfect against hidden arrows.
As for the other two… he could exchange for them later, once he earned more Interference Points.
Besides, his main enemies were those disgusting, scheming Evilus types.
The grudge—being forced to eat slop, being beaten half-dead—wasn't settled yet.
He was carefully stoking that flame of revenge.
And those people loved dirty tricks.
A rule-breaking sixth sense was exactly the kind of weapon that countered them.
And it would help in the Dungeon too.
Decision made, he didn't hesitate.
He bought it.
"Alright, Host—let this kitty take a look. Oh, the energy's coming."
The orange cat rubbed its paws together. Then both fluffy paws pointed at Xien's face.
Sparkling star-like energy flowed out and entered Xien's body.
Xien felt…
Nothing?
Three seconds later, the cat finished—and looked refreshed, like it had just enjoyed a spa day.
Xien, meanwhile, stared blankly.
He almost suspected the cat had embezzled the energy.
"...That's it?"
"Yes, it's done. Check your panel, meow."
Xien manually switched to his status screen.
Host: Xien
Class: Abundance Apothecary (Apprentice)
Status: Healthy
Skills:
Resilient Body (Passive)
Breath of Abundance
Pharmacology Mastery
Flow State (Passive)
"Look, it's there—but I don't feel anything."
"It boosts your sixth sense," the cat said, puzzled. "What exactly are you expecting to feel, meow?"
It seemed to genuinely not understand why its host was always so stubborn about the strangest things.
"..."
"Shouldn't there be that… you know… sensation of gaining power or knowledge?"
Xien waved his hands in the air, feeling like this way of acquiring power lacked a proper sense of ritual.
"If it were an external-learned skill, you would feel knowledge being transferred into your brain."
"But this one won't, meow."
"Because it strengthens the body directly—and it's a perception-type enhancement. Normally it doesn't give feedback, meow."
"Fine. I'll know when it matters…"
"…Why do I feel like I got scammed?"
The moment he said that, the orange cat's fur exploded.
It slammed its huge body down onto him like Mount Tai crushing a man.
"Absolutely not, meow!"
"Products from this system are premium goods. Guaranteed fair trade, meow!"
"Okay, okay! Alright!"
Xien immediately changed the subject to avoid getting clawed.
Whether it really worked… he'd find out sooner or later.
And the cat wasn't going anywhere.
"Then I have fifty points left. Anything suitable?"
"Of course, meow. Given your current situation, here are more options."
A long list appeared: stamina potion, super rations, super water bottle, and more.
He scrolled… and suddenly saw something he actually wanted.
Complete Chinese Cookbook Collection
Cost: 50 Interference Points
He confirmed without hesitation.
The orange cat understood instantly, waved its paws, and a small "book" icon appeared on Xien's retina.
He tapped it.
All kinds of dish names were listed.
He randomly opened Kung Pao Chicken—
And a flood of memory rose inside his mind: every step of the recipe, as if he'd personally made it countless times.
"Knowledge-type skills have huge storage," the cat explained, "so we thoughtfully packaged it as a codex, meow."
"When you need it, you can choose based on reality. And you can use it repeatedly—no worry about forgetting after using it once, meow."
"Nice. Very human-friendly."
Xien gave the cat a thumbs-up.
"Meow meow meow! Host's praise is our greatest encouragement!"
Alright.
What needed preparing was prepared.
Looking at the night outside, Xien decided to sleep early.
With how things were going, tomorrow meant early training. He needed to fix his old "sleep until noon" college habit.
A little earlier—
After sending Xien back, Alise gathered the leadership members and shared what she'd seen today.
When everyone heard they wouldn't need to cut spending so hard for a while, they were all happy.
Even Kaguya—who'd originally had doubts about the decision—felt a bit emotional after hearing how much they'd saved. She hadn't expected their evaluation of the new member's potential to be so accurate.
The decision had also included their goddess's wisdom, of course.
But the fact that Laira—the team's "brains"—had been the first to agree was a key reason Kaguya ultimately accepted it despite her dissatisfaction.
Her dissatisfaction wasn't emotional favoritism.
It was about whether this kind of favoritism could threaten the team and the familia's development.
She would never allow a newcomer to destroy her "home."
But judging by the current outcome…
Maybe she'd been short-sighted.
She needed to take this newcomer more seriously.
Next, they discussed another decision.
Nothing more happened that night.
Early the next morning, Xien was woken by a magic-stone alarm clock.
Surprisingly accurate.
He'd noticed it yesterday—this world might look like a medieval adventure setting, but its tech level wasn't low. Magic-stone streetlights, alarm clocks… all incredibly convenient.
After washing up and getting dressed, the familiar knock came.
Is it finally starting? My adventurer road?
Heart pounding, hands trembling—almost the instant he heard the knock, he flipped out of bed and rushed to open the door.
His right hand shook slightly as he pulled it open.
A familiar red figure stood there.
"How'd you sleep?" Alise asked. "Ready?"
"Absolutely. All preparations complete, sir. Ready to depart at any time."
Xien straightened and saluted.
"Hahaha! You look energetic. Good—let's go."
Alise laughed, clearly pleased.
This little junior… he might actually have talent as the team's mood-maker. With him around, everyone might become even more united.
"Yes, Captain."
After a simple breakfast, they went to the base's rear courtyard.
Passing through a pavilion corridor, a huge open space came into view—clearly a training ground.
But there weren't many people.
Other than them, there was only a lone figure in the distance—oddly familiar.
When they walked closer, Xien finally recognized her.
Wasn't that Ryuu?
Could it be…?
Under his hopeful gaze, Alise began explaining.
"As an adventurer, the first thing you need to learn is how to fight."
"So before anything else, you'll do one week of basic combat training. Any objections?"
"Mm-hm!" Xien nodded like a pounding drum.
This was perfect.
Who didn't have a martial-arts dream?
Combat techniques—hell yes.
-------
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