Chef in the Apocalypse

[Your skill VIP15 has made this boost permanent]

’Perfect.’ Jayce placed his now empty plate aside, savoring the delicious flavors of the Korean BBQ and rice dish he had just consumed. Leaning back in satisfaction, he brought up his status screen.

Name: Jayce

Title: N/A

Class: Chef

Subclass: N/A

Level: 15

EXP: 100/800

Health 400/400

Mana: 240/240

Strength: 20 (+15)

Dexterity: 20 (+11)

Intelligence: 20 (+12)

Vitality: 21 (+22)

Luck: 101

Stat Points: 0

Skills:

Basic Cooking (lvl. 4)

Ingredient Analysis (lvl. 4)

Taste Enhancement (lvl. 4)

Nimble Fingers (passive)

VIP15 (max)

Executive Chef (passive)

He had come a long way in the past two weeks, destroying his leveling speed in his previous life by a great margin. Thinking back to how weak and helpless he was back then made him feel bizarre.

His strategy had been pretty simple when assigning his stat points. The first thing he did was increase his luck to 100 so that he could take advantage of the VIP15 skill, making it trigger more often. Then, just to be sure, he placed another stat point in Luck to test if there was a cap for the attribute. To his surprise there was not.

The system placed caps on attributes, this was something that became a painful reality for him in his last life, forcing him to plateau in strength for a long time. It wasn’t until he met with some others who had been through the same issues that he found out it was because he needed to complete the prerequisites for the class upgrade quest.

Yes, he had run around for almost an entire year, unable to level up, all because he was unaware of this piece of information. Now, he currently found himself in the same position, with a new class, and no idea what the prerequisites were for unlocking the Class upgrade quest.

Thankfully, he was aware of the common classes prerequisites, meaning his faction would not have to go through the same hardships that he had faced. However this was still far away in the future, something he would not have to worry about for a while.

The World Quest on the other hand, was something that he needed to complete sooner rather than later.

Objectives:

Create a Faction (minimum 20 players) ✓

Faction members reach an average level of 10 ✓

Kill 50 Goblins [137/50] ✓

Kill 50 Bloodfang Wolves [0/50] X

Reward:

1st place: Unique Skill

2nd place: Epic Skill

3rd place: Rare Skill

He had completed 3 out of 4 objectives for the World Quest, which should have made him happy. However he wasn’t sure about the progress of the other supporters, could they have already completed it?

Jayce really wanted the rewards for this quest, having no real combat abilities in his arsenal seemed to be working out for him now, but who knew what would happen in the future? The gap between him and the others would only continue to grow as everyone got stronger. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He needed skills and abilities to ensure his, and his faction’s survival. If he were to run into a boss monster on the level of the Collosal Draconic Beast that had killed him and his party in his previous life, he would be even more useless than back then.

He had no doubt that if he could locate the Bloodfang Wolves, their party could easily take down the 50 monsters in no time flat. However, from his memory, these monsters lived and hunted in packs in forested areas which meant that he had a tough decision to make.

Jayce made his way to the corner of the shelter, finding Colin sitting with Jackie, their heads close together in conversation. He cleared his throat and gestured towards Colin with a nod, silently asking for a private moment. Jackie smiled, giving Colin a quick peck on the cheek before getting up and leaving them to talk.

Jayce’s expression was serious as he approached Colin, the weight of his thoughts evident in his furrowed brows. Colin, ever jovial, noticed the troubled look on Jayce’s face and greeted him with a hearty slap on the back. "What’s eating at you, Leader?" Colin teased, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Are all those admiring glances from the ladies finally getting too much for you?"

Jayce managed a faint smile at Colin’s attempt to lighten the mood, but it quickly faded as he plunged into the heart of the matter. "We need to talk, Colin. About our next steps."

Colin’s playful demeanor shifted, his brows knitting together in curiosity. "Alright, shoot. What’s on your mind?"

Jayce’s gaze turned serious as he began to explain his plan. "I’m thinking of taking a scouting party outside the city, towards the forested area. We need to explore, and look for other places for shelter."

Colin’s confusion was evident. "Why? We’re surviving just fine here, and the goblins are manageable opponents."

Jayce knew he couldn’t reveal the truth about the World Quest, so he chose his words carefully. "It’s not just about survival anymore, Colin. We need to get stronger. The enemies around us won’t be enough to help us level up significantly. If we want to stand a chance against any threat that might come our way, we need to seek out stronger opponents."

Colin’s brow furrowed in thought. "But isn’t our main goal to stay alive? Wouldn’t sticking around here give us the best chance at that?"

Jayce shook his head. "Yes, survival is crucial, but we can’t afford to be complacent. What if something stronger than goblins appears? We need to be prepared, not caught off guard. Not to mention, how long will we be able to stay cooped up in this small nightclub for?"

Colin pondered Jayce’s words for a moment, his gaze drifting towards the ground. "You have a point," he finally admitted. "Alright, you can count me in. Just tell me where to go, and I’ll be right there by your side."

A sense of relief washed over Jayce, but he knew there was one more person he needed to convince. "Talk to Jackie about it," he advised. "We’ll need her skills on this scouting mission too."

Colin’s trademark dazzling smile returned as he clapped Jayce on the shoulder. "Consider it done, Leader. You can always count on me."