(Author's Note: From this chapter onward, there are a few adjustments, mainly on the monsters. Hopefully, this clarifies all your questions)
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Nick openly expressed his joy for the "White Peppercorn" to drop from the Seasoning Slime he killed. There appears to be more for him to expect from this Food Dungeon called "Harmony."
After pumping his fist to subdue the excitement, Nick continued to look for his next target. After all, there's a time limit on how long he could manifest the Tool Spirit.
Although the amount of Yuan Qi he obtained from the food and Yuan Qi Turquoise Fruit is substantial, it is barely enough to sustain him for more than four fights. He wouldn't benefit from it for trying to hold on longer too.
All he could afford was a quick rest while observing his surroundings for new targets. Luckily, the information boxes floating around were plentiful. And all Nick had to do was pick one that "appears" suitable as his next target.
It appears that Nick's selection was quite limited.
The monster turned out to be another Seasoning Slime. And thanks to all the fighting experience he had so far, going after the same defeated foe naturally won't scare Nick away.
Furthermore, the more confidence Nick demonstrated, the better the Tool Spirit in his hand would materialize.
It is a kitchen knife for those who can barely utilize the Tool Spirit. But to Nick, this six-and-a-half-inch tool could help him turn the simplest ingredient into a delicacy.
(Come here!)
Nick attacked the monster with confidence. The kitchen, barely the length of a short sword, displayed an impression it was the sharpest in Nick's hand. And without any extensive effort required, the Tool Spirit easily stabs into the Seasoning Slime. It breaks the monster's core before it can react.
This might be a lucky strike, but even Nick was shocked by how quickly the fight ended.
It was not hard for someone to see how much Nick improvement was, from barely managing to dodge the Seasoning Slime's attack to a fighter that could defeat the monster in a flash.
**Ding!**
**Quality Salt x 20gm is added to your inventory. A 2/10 storage slot was used.**
(Salt again?)
Nick was happy with the swift victory but slightly annoyed at the system for dropping Quality Salt again.
As someone passionate about culinary and taste, it's natural for Nick to start demanding more. After all, [Harmony] had already dropped Quality Salt, Sesame Seed, and White Peppercorn from the five Seasoning Slimes he had killed up until now.
Naturally, Nick started to demand something more.
And what else could that be, if not the seven necessities he grew up with? These seven things were Wood, Rice, Oil, Salt, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, and Tea. But that's a general idea.
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For a chef, the seven necessities were obviously Salt, Pepper, Sugar, Herb, Spice, Oil, and Ingredients.
To Nick, these things were irreplaceable if he wanted to chase after the same passion he had back on Earth. And for him to restart his devotion to food in this world, completing the collection as soon as possible is naturally his main focus.
Nick continued. The Seasoning Slime was his second monster for the day. And based on his tiredness level, he could go for one to two monsters before hitting his limit.
When he found one more target nearby, Nick charged over and attacked the monster decisively.
**Ding!**
**White Peppercorn x 20gm is added to your inventory. A 3/10 storage slot was used.**
It was three Seasoning Slime again for today. Right now, it is safe to say that Nick has gotten used to the monster's fighting habit at this stage. Unless the Seasoning Slime suddenly exhibits a different pattern, there won't be a problem for him to deal the killing blow.
With the defeat of the third monster, the fatigue started to creep onto Nick's body. He's confident he could go for one more fight, but Nick half-heartedly calls it a day to be safe.
Still, that didn't stop him from trying his luck on his way back to the Stone Door. The only difference between him and before was that Nick is pickier with his choice of target. He decided to ignore all the Seasoning Slimes that passed by.
After all, he had been encountering the Seasoning Slime so far. And up to date, there are only three kinds of drops: Salt, Sesame Seed, and Pepper.
Sadly, no matter how much Nick tried, he could not come across anything else in his surroundings. The delay also added to the accumulated fatigue, leaving Nick unable to maintain the Tool Spirit in his hand.
Eventually, he came back to the Stone Door with slight disappointment.
Touching the Stone Door with a heavy heart, Nick was brought back to the real world, where Shen Mi Kang was sleeping soundly on the bed next to his.
He went to bed without thinking too much. And obviously, the bottles on the table had grown from two to three.
...
...
Nick's following days were going in an orderly manner. With a savings of ten Contribution Points daily after deducting the cost of a Yuan Qi Turquoise Fruit, his first week went on without trouble.
It was Sunday.
To some, today was nothing special. And to those yet to save enough for the room rental, this was the last day to make an effort. Naturally, those like Nick, who had worked for six days straight, would be better off.
Nick's total income from working six days was 105 Contribution Points altogether. But after deducting the 7 Yuan Qi Turquoise Fruit, he was left with 70 points. Nick was left with twenty after paying off fifty to the Contribution Hall for his rent.
The twenty Contribution Points were nothing much. At most, all he could get were four Yuan Qi Turquoise Fruits.
As for the rest, they saved up slightly more than Nick. But their difference was obvious by looking at the disparity in their Innate Spirits. Nick had consumed 13 Yuan Qi Turquoise Fruits in this one week alone.
The others only had around three to four due to their average performance.
Obviously, it can't be compared. After all, Shen Mi Kang, Ah-Fei, and Tian Wenhao never worked for a day until a week ago. But for Nick, the work he had here was barely on par with all the responsibility he had back on Earth.
Since Nick is already used to these workloads, how could they be a problem for him?
"Are you going somewhere today, Chengzi?" Shen Mi Kang asked. Since this was their first off day, everyone naturally had no idea what to do or where to go. It was also a little too late for them to pick up a task to do.
"Yes." Nick nodded. He looks like there's a place for him to go to.
Naturally, that came as a surprise to Shen Mi Kang. After all, he thought Nick was the same as him, knowing nobody and having nowhere to go. Apparently, even someone as quiet and introverted as Nick had something other than working in his mind.
"Really? Where?" Shen Mi Kang lunged over and grabbed Nick into his arms before he could escape. He's obviously curious about what could make Nick think.
"Aargh! Let go!" Nick struggled and pushed Shen Mi Kang away.
"Have you heard the name Gu Yong Cheng before? This person is my savior. I am thinking about going out to see if I can meet him and express my gratitude to him." said Nick.
"Gu... Gu Yong Cheng?" Shen Mi Kang stuttered while he repeated what Nick said.