Chapter 3: Nature's Blessings and Bitter Memories
As the first rays of sunlight peeked through the dense trees, Emily woke up on her leafy bed feeling refreshed. The events from yesterday replayed in her mind, making her more determined to figure out this strange world.
Her stomach grumbled, reminding her she needed food. Emily looked around and spotted some peamato fruits on nearby trees. Remembering the voice that talked about them, she wondered if this world was like the games she used to play back when she still had some free time on Earth.
If there is a food stat, then perhaps there’s some way I can see my status? I’m not sure it would work though, after all, it is highly unlikely such a world exists.
“St–Status…”
The voice echoed in her mind once again.
“Displaying status.”
And some kind of translucent interface showed up, unfolding in front of her.
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[General]
Name: Eloweth
Race: Elven
Guild: None
Age: 10
[Stats]
HP: 80/100
MP: 200/200
Physical Attack: 1
Magical Attack: 1
Physical Defense: 1
Magical Defense: 1
Accuracy: 1
Movement Speed: 110
Magical Affinity: Enhancement
[Levels]
Strength: 1
Dexterity: 1
Magic: 1
[Skills]
[Active]
[Passive]
[Racial]
Nature Affinity
Agility
[Unique]
Enchanted Eats
[Equipment]
Weapon: None
Jewelry: Sylvan Guardian Amulet
Accessory: None
Headgear: None
Torso: Cloth tunic
Legs: Cloth tunic
Gloves: None
Boots: Cloth boots
[Buffs]
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“Whoa!! It worked! I can’t believe my eyes! Huh? Eloweth?”
Oh… I remember now. It is inside these memories that are present in me but feel somewhat distant. Yes, that’s my elvish name. I remember my elven grandmother telling me it means ‘life’s blessing’. It seems I never met my elven parents and my grandma took care of me. All I have from my mother is this necklace. I say grandmother but she had the appearance of a very young elf, after all, elves are known for having a very long life expectancy.
Unfortunately… She decided to sacrifice herself so that I was able to escape the dark elves’ assault. I know these are not exactly my memories, it all feels like a dream, but this still makes me feel sad somehow. She seemed to take care of Eloweth with great care and even sacrificed herself for me. This… feels so unfair… I just hope she’s okay in heaven. I’m sorry Sylvan grandma, I really wish I could have done something about it. And thank you for giving me this second chance, I’ll never forgive what you did for me.
“Okay, enough tears for now, Emily!”
I brushed away my tears with the sleeve of my tunic.
Alright, I need to investigate more about my stats. Let’s give this a try.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Skill information.”
“Which skill would you like to learn about?”
“All of them.”
Enchanted Eats: Eloweth's unique passive skill, infuses her cooking with mystical qualities. Each dish carries the essence of the forest, offering nourishment and comfort to those who enjoy it.
Nature's Affinity: You have a deep connection to the natural world. Nature’s blessing grants you extra maximum mana points.
Agility: A passive racial skill that grants a +10 bonus to movement speed and a +10 accuracy bonus when wielding a bow.
“W-what!?”
I said enough crying for now but after hearing about that cooking passive I got… How am I supposed to stay calm? Is there a God in here or something? I feel so blessed! I have no more excuses. This is it. I need to follow my passion and make my dream come true! I’ll definitely do it this time.
Now… I seem extremely weak in combat, although I don’t know what is the standard in this world. The racials sound good though. So I have extra MP, which is useless right now as I don’t have any active skills… But it seems I have a bonus with bows. I should attempt to craft one later just in case… Being faster also helps, being so weak I can already see myself running more than fighting. I just hope the enemy isn’t fast as well.
Let’s see… What else should I check?
“Inspect.”
The Sylvan Guardian Amulet: a beautiful, magical necklace with a shiny green gem in the middle. The gem is surrounded by a silver design with special elf symbols that shine softly. When you look closely, the gem seems to move like water.
[Effects]
Hidden
Hidden, huh? Alright… nothing to see there. That can only mean one thing… I need to experiment with cooking and try my unique skill right now, yes! That’s right! Let’s do this right away!
Emily started walking through the forest around her camp, gathering some mushrooms she recognized from her past in the village, the forest mushrooms.
She set about creating a makeshift dish, hoping to eat something more sustaining and more importantly, test her unique abilities.
As she kept walking around the forest, she also recognized some wild herbs that could come in handy for the dish. She had no idea what she was doing, the ingredients she had were so limited that she didn’t have many options. But she still gathered some wild thyme and wood sorrel she came across to add depth to the dish.
In the absence of a knife, Emily improvised, using her hands to carefully tear the peamatos into rustic wedges, each piece bursting with juicy sweetness. As for the mushrooms, she gently snapped them at their stems, allowing their earthy essence to mingle with the other ingredients.
In the dim forest, Emily faced a daunting challenge: creating fire without knowing how. Yet, determination fueled her as she gathered rocks and dry leaves. With trembling hands, she fashioned a nest of leaves between the rocks, silently praying for guidance. As she rubbed two sticks together, her heart pounded with anticipation.
At first, there was only silence, but then a small wisp of smoke emerged, igniting a spark of hope within her. With each rotation, her muscles strained with effort, yet she persisted, fueled by a fierce determination to succeed. And when the flames finally burst to life, casting a warm glow upon the forest floor, Emily's smile lit up the darkness.
Without a pot, Emily improvises a cooking method using what she has available in the forest. She decides to cook the dish using a flat rock heated by the fire. First, she carefully selects a large, flat rock from the forest floor, ensuring it is sturdy and clean. Placing it near the flames, she allows it to heat up gradually, testing its temperature with the back of her hand to ensure it's hot enough for cooking.
Once the rock was sufficiently heated, Emily arranged the sliced peamatos and forest mushrooms on its surface, arranging them in a single layer to ensure even cooking. She sprinkles the wild thyme and wood sorrel over the ingredients, allowing their flavors to infuse into the dish as it cooks.
Using a makeshift spatula crafted from a sturdy branch, Emily carefully flips the ingredients as they cook, ensuring they are evenly caramelized and tenderized by the heat of the rock.
With each flip, she inhales the mouthwatering aroma wafting from the cooking dish, her anticipation growing with each passing moment.
After several minutes of cooking, the peamatos have softened and caramelized, while the mushrooms have released their rich, earthy flavors.
Satisfied with the results, she removes the dish from the heat, using a handful of leaves as makeshift oven mitts to protect her hands from the hot rock. She picked up and cleaned a small stick with her cloth sleeve, and split it in half to use as makeshift chopsticks.
Despite the lack of conventional tools, Emily’s resourcefulness and connection to the forest enabled her to craft a dish that celebrated the simplicity and abundance of nature.