(Oh!!!)

(I guess... I am lucky the attack range of the water ball is quite short...)

Nick relaxed slightly to dodge the red and grey gases effortlessly. However, he still distanced himself from where the two water balls exploded.

He quickly stabilized himself and prepared to charge at the Spice Slime again. But this time, much more careful than before. After all, there's no promise that the water ball attack won't come again.

Apparently, the Spice Slime was slower than the Saline Slime in speed but had this weakness compensated by having a sturdier body. And luckily, the dangerous water ball attack no longer appears during in between the fight.

It is likely a one-time trick during the battle.

Nick couldn't help but slightly complain as his attack barely produced the result he was aiming for. Of course, he also suspected that he was a part of the problem and not only Spice Slime's fault for everything.

After all, Nick had been materializing the Tool Spirit for over half an hour.

One must remember that he could barely maintain the Tool Spirit for ten to eleven minutes when working inside the kitchen. For him to keep it materialized until now is already considered a great improvement.

Even if there's a break in between, keeping the Tool Spirit in his hand would still cost Nick some stamina. And right now, the only worry would be letting the fatigue catch up to him.

Nick would definitely collapse on the spot when that happened since it was too much and too early for the current him to handle.

But the fight had to be concluded no matter what. Even if Nick had to risk endangering himself, he must finish this battle and return to the Stone Door before it's too late. His fighting style started getting rougher and more unrefined as he gradually became tired.

Luckily, Nick successfully keeps the monster obediently under his foot after putting in some effort.

He then turned the kitchen knife around and went for the kill.

Until half an hour ago, Nick was merely a refugee, a world traveler bearing the soul of a chef. But now, he was a monster killer.

Although he had slaughtered plenty of livestock before, a monster like this slime was his first in this world. Furthermore, they're not similar to the domesticated animals back on Earth.

This battle ended with Nick's victory.

**Ding!**

**Spiritual Sesame Seed x 10gm is added to your inventory. Your storage slot is now 3/10 full.**

The notice quickly follows. But the current Nick is already exhausted to the point his Tool Spirit vanishes from his grip. Also, he was hoping for a different drop and not sesame seeds.

(D*mn... I thought I'll get white or black peppercorn because the monster had a "Spice" in its name...)

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Nick was slightly disappointed. But it was not to the point of complaining about it. After all, the Heavenly Empress had already told Nick about this world's main problem.

It was starving from the lack of resources. And naturally, that includes food and everything else, not just cultivation ingredients.

He could only hope that the next Spice Slime could make his wish of having both salt and peppercorn in hand possible, as that would make his food taste better. Although, the sesame seeds could also partly fulfill his wish.

The only limitation was that sesame seeds had fewer dishes that could bring out their flavor. Instead, salt and peppercorn are more flexible, as they can be added to almost everything to enhance the food's flavor.

Furthermore, Nick finally notices the thin strand of Yuan Qi that emerges from the monster's corpse and enters his body. As Nick couldn't feel anything different, he didn't pay much attention to this matter.

After a short rest, Nick turned around and hurriedly returned to the Stone Door. He could already feel the tiredness creeping up to his limbs and body.

The current Nick was no different from a regular person because he could no longer materialize the Tool Spirit. If any monsters here decide to attack Nick, he will definitely fall on the spot.

On his way back to the Stone Door, Nick witnessed a battle between two Saline Slimes. There are no fanciful moves in the fight, but still cruel to watch. After all, the loser would disappear after getting dissolved by the winner's bodily fluid.

To Nick's surprise, the winner evolved into a Mutant Slime after devouring its opponent. The content in the information box above the Mutant Slime also received an update with several modified contents.

Needless to say, this monster is definitely stronger than three of Nick's opponents combined.

The Mutant Slime is capable of covering three meters distance from a jump and as agile as a Saline Slime. And before Nick could read its information, the monster had already jumped out of his view.

Nick finally came to the Stone Door after walking for another hundred meters. With no reason to stay any longer, he firmly placed his palm on the door to see what would happen on his way back.

Like a shattering window, Nick's background had returned to the room he shared with Shen Mi Kang. That fellow was still asleep in the same posture and snored like a pig.

The first thing Nick immediately did was to see how long the time had passed. Apparently, the time flow between the two spaces was the same. He then gave out a breath of delight while returning to the room.

From entering the Food Dungeon and returning, only one hour had passed. But many things had happened in between these sixty crucial minutes. The most obvious one would definitely be Nick's cultivation strength.

Killing the monster inside the Food Dungeon apparently gave some experience point boost to Nick. Although the benefit was minuscule, it still doubled compared to cultivating using the Yuan Qi Turquoise Fruit.

Also, Nick was dumbfounded when he felt something was stored within his inner pocket. And naturally, Nick took two glazed containers out. On the bottles was a piece of square paper with different words written.

[Quality Salt]

[Sesame Seed]

Feeling curious, Nick opened both bottles and gave them a sniff. And to his surprise, their quality was superb. It doesn't even lose to the high quality, expensive cooking condiments he's been sourcing for his restaurant back then.

(D*mn! This refined salt and sesame were too good to be true... It even made me starving for a bowl of noodles right now...)

Nick couldn't help but feel that his appetite was aroused by the condiments in his hand. But unfortunately, the time was too late for him to visit the canteen to find something to eat.

It was vexing, but Nick forced himself to sleep with a growling stomach. Of course, that's just momentarily.

Because he fell into his slumber immediately after lying on the bed. After all, since the condiments were true, the fatigue that's been building up in him is also credible. He forgot about it because his mind was too occupied by something else.

...

...

...

"Chengzi, did you eat the two Yuan Qi Turquoise Fruits before going to sleep yesterday? Why do I feel like your condition is much better than mine?" Shen Mi Kang asked while they were on their way toward the canteen.

These small but noticeable changes made Shen Mi Kang slightly jealous of Nick.

"Yeah, I did," Nick answered with a smile on his face. Obviously, he couldn't say that there's more to it.