"Work, hustle, get dumped, lose friends… and in the end, you still die."
Emmet leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the glow of his monitors.
On his main screen, the AI was running through his thousand lines of code, while his second monitor displayed a stream of a [Last Age] player.
His eyes fell tiredly on the second screen, letting him exchange gazes with his reflection.
His neck-length brown hair was rough from repeatedly ruffling it, and his blue eyes drooped with fatigue.
He had good facial structure, but it was hidden by his constant face-rubbing, dark circles, and the strands of hair partially covering his eyes.
Emmet became a victim of the brutal corporate world after graduating from university at the age of 20.
For the past year, he had been trapped in the same cycle—wake up, work, go to the gym, check unfinished tasks again, sleep, repeat.
He managed to play the trending game [Last Age], but only barely.
It was unlike his university days, when he spent hours playing sloppy VRMMOs—and a few fairly good ones—with his pals.
'I don't know why I was so desperate to leave. I should have just taken a gap year, then do my masters after.
'Fucking internet propaganda, making me believe this shit is all free food, games, doomscrolling, and maybe four or five hours of non-pressuring work.
'I travelled all the way to the big city for this.'
Emmet's inner wallowing was disturbed by the sound of his alarm. It was 5:12pm that he set it to today.
Perfect time to leave without seeming desperate to stay or leave.
After finishing his work, Emmet left after a casual goodbye to his coworkers.
He crossed the city and reached his moderate-sized apartment.
It had a main room, a kitchen, and a single bedroom.
After changing his outfit to looser clothes, he cooked and ate his dinner while scrolling through the internet.
At about 7:00 PM, he opened the rectangular VR pod in his room, lay on its cushion, and put on the headset.
The moment the headset sealed around his eyes, the suffocating gray of reality vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he was in another world entirely.
[Location: Redra City]
Upon entering Redra City, Emmet, or better still Vemmet, had a brighter face.
The tension in his shoulders disappeared instantly. Here, he could breathe.
Here, his hair was white with black tips and his eyes were red, enhancing his natural beauty.
"Oh, how the air of this place is just better! I can't wait for a promotion at work so I'll have fairly more free time."
He found himself on the top floor of Ana's Den, a second-rate restaurant in Redra City.
The setting sun cast long, orange shadows across the cityscape, and the smell of roasted spice wafted up from below.
After taking a moment to breathe in the simulated fresh air, Vemmet made his way down to the middle floor.
It was a well-equipped kitchen, but when he didn't see his teacher, he went to the ground floor.
The main dining area was bustling.
Tables were full, and the low murmur of satisfied patrons and the clinking of cutlery filled the space.
Near the service counter, he spotted Ana, the owner, a beastkin woman with short white hair and falling white dog ears.
She was currently taking an order from a demanding-looking adventurer. She was clearly too busy for a chat.
Vemmet nodded toward her, receiving a quick, distracted smile in return, and slipped back to the kitchen.
It was his sanctuary.
He didn't want to half-ass quests in the game and ponder unnecessarily at work, so he completely missed out on all the fun and occupied himself with his other favourite hobby.
Cooking.
The massive, stone oven glowed softly, and the long prep counters were clean and ready.
He pulled out his ingredients: a fresh, marbled cut of Rock Boar loin, a handful of Glimmering Cap mushrooms, and a flask of Sun-Tears oil.
He started by thinly slicing the Rock Boar loin against the grain, then quickly pounded the slices flat.
He tossed the meat in a mix of ground Fire Pepper and salt, searing it instantly on the super-heated flat top until a perfect, crisp crust formed.
While the meat rested, he sautéed the Glimmering Caps—which sparkled iridescently as they cooked—in the rich, golden Sun-Tears oil, adding a splash of River-Vine stock for depth.
Finally, he stacked the meat, poured the mushroom and stock reduction over it, and garnished the plate with finely chopped Sky-Leaf herbs.
He moved with the skill of an expert, swift yet calculated. Arguably, like a five-star chef.
The resulting dish, The Crimson Boar Medallions, smelled potent and delicious, a masterpiece of Redra City flavor.
Ding!
[You have successfully made an Epic-Tier Meal, "The Crimson Boar Medallions"!]
With a large grin on his face, Vemmet rated the visual appeal of his dish.
The perfectly seared boar loin, tender yet crisp, was enveloped in the earthy richness of the Glimmering Caps, all lifted by the delicate, almost citrusy hint of the Sky-Leaf herbs and the luxurious warmth of the Sun-Tears oil.
As the aroma alone promised a potent burst of energy, anyone consuming this dish could anticipate not only deep satisfaction but perhaps a fleeting fortification of mana, or a slight, temporary quickening of the mind.
"9/10! Welcome to the ranks of my top 10, young one!"
[You have made 3000 rare+ meals successfully!]
[Legendary Title "Please Go Outside" has been obtained!]
Vemet froze.
"…Hey. That's uncalled for."
He laughed in excitement, almost rushing down to call Ana to feast on his great art.
Ding!
[Hidden conditions have been met!]
His self-absorbed reverie was cut short by the unusual continuation of the system notification.
[You can obtain the SSS Class, "Culinaire's Greatest Enemy"!]
[Do you wish to obtain it? Y/N]
[Note: It will replace your old class and you will lose your old skills.]
"Yes!" Vemmet said without hesitation.
Ding!
[You have obtained SSS Class, "Culinaire's Greatest Enemy"!]
"Hehe… Hehehe."
At the sight of the notifications, Vemmet started laughing out loud.
Then, he held his food up like a baby and started circling the kitchen.
In his head, it was like he had obtained nirvana, and was walking through a field of flowers where happiness was absolute.
He looked down again.
"A little over a year of obsessively cooking in hidden pain has brought heavenly blessings!
"O gods, this mortal soul is forever grateful," he said earnestly towards the heavens.
His eyes then turned back to the notification, his mouth whistling.
"Still, why the 'greatest enemy' part? I hope this is not those classes that pit you against some group or maybe even players."
After a moment of thought, he added, "I actually don't care. Give me the SSS Class however, baby!"
Vemmet opened his status, reaching for the descriptions of his new class.
…
Just reading some of his newly obtained abilities, Vemmet had a strong idea.
The meal he had been waiting for the right moment to cook.
The one that was planned to open the way for him.
A meal that increased the charm stat by a lot, the legendary meal, Lilith's Velvet Dessert!
Vemet stared at the ability list.
Then he leaned back and grinned.
"Yeah… I'm quitting my job."