The tavern was silent.

Ryo stood behind the counter, casually stretching his arms. Across from him, a handful of adventurers and villagers sat at the newly cleaned wooden tables, eyeing him expectantly. Some whispered among themselves, skeptical but curious.

Anna, standing beside Ryo, was trembling—not from excitement, but from pure stress.

“Young Master… do you even have a menu!?” she hissed under her breath.

Ryo blinked. “Oh. Right.”

Anna grabbed her head. “How did you open a tavern without a menu!?”

“Eh, I’ll just cook whatever.”

Anna gasped. “You—You can’t just ‘cook whatever’—!”

Before she could spiral into another fit of despair, Ryo turned to the small crowd and clapped his hands.

“Alright, folks. No menu today—just a simple dish to start off.”

The adventurers exchanged uncertain glances.

“What kind of dish?” one of them asked.

Ryo tapped his chin. “How about something easy? Let’s go with… beef stew.”

The murmurs grew louder.

“Beef stew? That’s it?”

“I mean, that’s pretty standard tavern food.”

“Wait, does he even know how to cook?”

Anna, overhearing the whispers, grew even more anxious. She turned to Ryo in desperation. “Young Master, you’ve never even cooked before, have you!?”

Ryo, who had technically only cut a single vegetable in his entire life, simply shrugged. “Let’s find out.”

Anna almost collapsed.

The moment Ryo entered the kitchen, something felt different.

The knives, pots, and pans—all of which he had unknowingly restored earlier—felt natural in his hands, as if he had been using them for years. His movements flowed effortlessly, almost as if…

As if he had already mastered them.

Of course, he had.

[Skill Acquired: Advanced Cooking → Proficiency Maxed!]

[Passive XP Growth Applied: Cooking Skill Boosted to Legendary Rank!]

Ryo blinked.

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“Huh.”

Anna, who had followed him inside, stared in horror as Ryo picked up a knife. “Wait! Shouldn’t we—”

But before she could finish, Ryo had already started slicing vegetables.

Chop. Chop. Chop.

In a single second, the entire cutting board was covered with perfectly diced potatoes, carrots, and onions—each piece uniformly cut to the ideal size.

Anna froze.

“W-Wha—?”

Ignoring her, Ryo moved on to the beef. He placed it on the counter and, without hesitation, began slicing.

Swish. Swish. Swish.

Each cut was flawless, as if made by a master chef who had trained for decades. The meat was trimmed, portioned, and prepared in record time.

Anna’s brain short-circuited.

“Y-Young Master… you…”

Ryo hummed as he tossed everything into a large pot. He worked at a calm, unhurried pace—yet somehow, within five minutes, the entire stew was already simmering perfectly.

A rich, mouthwatering aroma filled the kitchen almost instantly.

Anna’s stomach growled.

She clapped a hand over her mouth in shock. What the…?

Even without tasting it, she could tell—this was no ordinary stew.

Back in the tavern hall, the adventurers and villagers were still chatting when the scent hit them.

The murmuring stopped.

Heads turned toward the kitchen.

“What is that smell…?”

“It… it smells amazing…”

“Wait, is that the stew!?”

A minute later, Ryo emerged from the kitchen, carrying bowls of steaming beef stew. He set them down on the counter.

“Alright, dig in.”

The adventurers hesitated.

The stew looked normal enough. Perfectly cooked vegetables, tender beef, a thick, savory broth—but the aroma was something else entirely.

It was warm and inviting, with an impossibly rich depth of flavor.

“…Alright, I’ll try it first,” said one of the adventurers, a burly man with a scar over his nose. He grabbed a spoon and scooped up a bite.

He placed it in his mouth—

And his eyes widened.

“—!?”

His spoon clattered against the bowl.

The entire tavern watched in stunned silence as the adventurer froze, trembling.

Then, he dropped his head onto the counter.

“W-What’s wrong!?” one of his friends shouted.

The adventurer slowly lifted his head, his expression shaken to the core.

“…This… This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

Silence.

Then, in an instant—

Spoons flew into bowls.

One by one, the villagers and adventurers took a bite—

And every single person stopped moving.

Their eyes widened. Their hands trembled. Some even let out quiet gasps.

Then—

The entire tavern erupted.

“WHAT IS THIS!?!?!”

“THIS CAN’T BE JUST BEEF STEW!!”

“HOW CAN SOMETHING THIS SIMPLE TASTE SO GOOD!?”

Some people banged their fists on the table in shock. Others clutched their heads in disbelief. A few even looked like they were about to cry.

Anna, still standing by the counter, watched in horror.

“…He’s a monster,” she whispered.

Ryo, meanwhile, simply took a seat and poured himself a drink.

‘Huh. It’s not bad.’

By the time the last bowl was empty, the tavern was filled with chaotic energy.

Adventurers demanded seconds. Villagers pleaded for recipes. Some even offered their life savings to learn how Ryo cooked like that.

Rumors spread like wildfire.

“The tavern owner is a legendary chef in disguise!”

“He must have trained under the royal palace chefs!”

“No, no, he’s clearly a retired hero who mastered cooking after slaying dragons!”

Anna tried to stop the rumors. “H-He’s just a normal—!”

A villager grabbed her shoulders. “Where did he train!?”

“Does he take apprentices!?” another cried.

Anna felt her soul leave her body.

Ryo, meanwhile, lazily sipped his drink.

“Alright, we’re closed for the night.”

The crowd immediately panicked.

“WAIT—”

“Just one more bowl!”

“I’ll pay ten gold coins for another serving!”

Ryo waved a hand dismissively. “Too much effort. Come back tomorrow.”

The crowd collectively collapsed.

Anna buried her face in her hands.

‘It’s only been one day… and the entire village is already obsessed.’