The next morning, the village of Windmere was already buzzing with excitement.
Word had spread like wildfire.
The Lazy Bear Tavern, which had been abandoned for a decade, had not only reopened overnight but was now serving food that defied reality.
The rumors became even wilder with each retelling.
“I heard the owner used to be a royal chef!”
“No, he’s actually a retired S-rank adventurer who mastered cooking during his travels!”
“Are you crazy? He’s obviously a wandering saint who learned divine cooking techniques from the gods themselves!”
Ryo, sitting at the counter with a cup of tea, sighed.
“…This is getting out of hand.”
Anna, standing beside him, paled. “Getting out of hand!? Young Master, they’re treating you like a mythical figure!”
Ryo lazily waved a hand. “It’s fine. It’s not like anything crazy is going to happen.”
At that exact moment—
The tavern door slammed open.
A well-dressed nobleman strode in, flanked by two heavily armored knights. He had sharp features, slicked-back blonde hair, and an arrogant smirk. His extravagant clothes screamed rich and powerful.
The tavern fell silent.
Anna gasped. “T-That’s—!”
The noble adjusted his pristine white gloves and smirked.
“I am Lord Cedric d’Montclair, heir to the Montclair family. And I have come to sample the so-called ‘legendary cuisine’ of this humble establishment.”
Ryo blinked.
“…Nah.”
The entire tavern froze.
Lord Cedric’s smirk cracked. “I beg your pardon?”
Ryo stretched his arms. “I said, ‘Nah.’ Too much effort.”
Gasps filled the room.
Anna nearly fainted.
The noble’s face turned red. “You—! Do you even know who I am!?”
“Not really.”
Cedric slammed his fist on the counter. “You dare deny a noble’s request!? That is an insult to my status!”
Ryo tilted his head. “And?”
The tavern erupted in chaos.
“HE JUST ‘AND’-ED A NOBLE!?”
“IS HE INSANE!?”
“WAIT, IS THIS HOW LEGENDS ARE BORN!?”
Anna, barely holding onto her sanity, grabbed Ryo’s sleeve. “Young Master, please, just serve him something before we all get executed.”
Cedric gritted his teeth. Then, after taking a deep breath, he smirked.
“Very well. If you refuse to serve me, then let’s settle this another way.”
He dramatically pointed at Ryo.
“I challenge you to a cooking duel!”
Silence.
Ryo yawned. “No thanks.”
Cedric twitched. “Coward!”
Ryo scratched his head. “Alright, fine. But if I win, you leave me alone.”
Cedric grinned. “Deal. And if I win, you will become my personal chef.”
Anna paled. “W-Wait, don’t agree to that—”
But Ryo had already nodded. “Sure.”
The village gathered in front of the tavern as Cedric’s servants set up a cooking station. The noble had brought his own royal chef as an assistant, while Ryo… casually strolled into the kitchen and grabbed whatever was available.
The rules were simple: both would cook the same dish, and the villagers would judge.
Cedric, smirking, announced, “We shall prepare the finest steak dish.”
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
“Steak? That’s too simple.”
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“Wait, but if both dishes are steak, wouldn’t the noble have the advantage?”
“I mean, he’s using top-tier ingredients and a trained royal chef…”
Anna clutched her head. “Young Master… do you even know how to cook steak!?”
Ryo, already heating a pan, shrugged. “We’ll find out.”
Cedric worked with precision. His royal chef assisted him, preparing a high-grade wyvern steak coated in a special blend of exotic spices.
The moment the meat hit the pan, a golden aroma filled the air.
People gasped.
“T-The smell alone is incredible…”
“Can anyone even beat that?”
Cedric smirked. “Hmph. This is the result of true culinary mastery.”
Then, he turned toward Ryo—only to freeze.
Because Ryo… was barely doing anything.
Unlike Cedric’s extravagant preparation, Ryo simply grabbed a normal cut of beef, sprinkled some basic salt and pepper, and tossed it onto the pan.
Sssssssss…
The sizzle was normal. The method was too simple.
Cedric sneered. “Hah! That’s it? That’s all you’re doing!?”
Anna panicked. “YOUNG MASTER, PLEASE, AT LEAST TRY—”
Ding!
[Skill Acquired: Meat Preparation → Proficiency Maxed!]
[Passive XP Growth Applied: Legendary Cooking Technique Activated!]
The moment Ryo flipped the steak—
The world changed.
A golden wave of divine light radiated from the pan. The scent was so rich, so overwhelmingly perfect that time seemed to slow down.
The villagers felt their knees go weak.
Cedric stumbled backward, sweating.
Even the royal chef gasped in horror.
Anna, who had long since given up on logic, prayed to the gods for an explanation.
And then—
Ryo placed his steak on a plate.
“Alright, done.”
The villagers tasted both dishes.
Cedric’s wyvern steak? Incredible. An absolute masterpiece, perfectly balanced, expertly seasoned.
But Ryo’s steak?
The moment the first villager took a bite—
They fainted.
Then another. And another.
Within seconds, half the crowd collapsed in pure bliss.
“D-Divine…” one whispered before passing out.
Cedric, trembling, tried a bite—only for his soul to leave his body.
“I… I CAN SEE THE HEAVENS…”
And just like that—
The winner was clear.
Ryo yawned. “Can I go back to being lazy now?”
Cedric, still on his knees, bowed deeply.
“P-Please… make me your apprentice.”
Anna screamed into her hands.
Morning sunlight filtered through the windows of The Lazy Bear Tavern, casting warm golden rays across the wooden interior. The scent of freshly baked bread and sizzling bacon filled the air.
For most taverns, this would be the start of a peaceful day.
For Ryo, however—
“Please! Take me as your disciple!”
He sighed. Again.
Kneeling before him with unwavering determination was none other than Lord Cedric d’Montclair, heir to a noble family, self-proclaimed gourmet, and now his biggest fan.
Anna, standing nearby, looked emotionally exhausted. “Young Master, what… what do we do with him?”
Ryo took a long sip of his tea.
“Ignore him,” he said.
Cedric clutched his chest as if shot. “S-Such coldness! But it only fuels my desire to learn from you, Master Ryo!”
Anna’s eyebrow twitched. “He’s calling you ‘Master’ now!?”
Ryo lazily pushed his plate forward. “If you want to be my disciple, bring me another serving of eggs.”
Cedric immediately stood up. “At once!”
He bolted into the kitchen.
Anna watched him go, her hands trembling. “Young Master, what have you done?”
Ryo yawned. “Delegation.”
Word of Ryo’s god-tier cooking had spread far beyond Windmere Village. Adventurers, merchants, and noble messengers had begun arriving daily, all seeking a taste of the legend.
This morning, however, the visitors were different.
They were knights.
Adorned in gleaming silver armor, bearing the royal crest of the kingdom, the knights rode into the village square. Everyone stopped what they were doing. Farmers, merchants, even wandering adventurers—all fell silent.
At the head of the group was Sir Reginald Hawthorne, a veteran knight known for his unwavering loyalty to the royal family. He dismounted his steed, scanning the village with sharp, calculating eyes.
“We’ve arrived,” he said. “Now… let’s find this ‘legendary chef.’”
Back at the tavern, Ryo was seconds away from a nap when the door slammed open.
A dozen armored knights entered, their presence commanding instant attention.
Anna froze. “T-That’s the royal crest!”
Cedric, still holding a plate of eggs, gasped. “Sir Reginald! What an honor!”
The lead knight stepped forward. His gaze landed on Ryo.
“So,” he said. “You’re the one they call the ‘Legendary Chef.’”
Ryo yawned. “Mmm.”
Sir Reginald reached into his coat and produced a golden scroll, sealed with wax. “By order of His Majesty, King Alden IV, you are hereby invited to the royal palace to serve as the personal chef of the royal family.”
The tavern fell silent.
Anna’s jaw dropped. “T-The royal palace!?”
Cedric’s hands trembled. “To cook for the king himself… a dream come true…!”
The knights stood firm, awaiting Ryo’s response.
The villagers, adventurers, and even the birds outside held their breath.
Ryo stared at the scroll.
Then, he slowly…
Slid it across the counter.
“…Nah.”
Anna nearly died on the spot.
The knights blinked.
Sir Reginald frowned. “Pardon?”
Ryo stretched his arms. “I said nah. Too much effort.”
The entire tavern erupted into chaos.
“HE JUST REFUSED A ROYAL ORDER!?”
“IS HE OUT OF HIS MIND!?”
“IS THIS HOW LEGENDS ARE MADE!?”
Anna, her sanity hanging by a thread, grabbed Ryo’s shoulders. “Young Master, you can’t just ignore the king!”
Cedric collapsed. “T-To reject a royal invitation… you are truly beyond my comprehension, Master Ryo…”
Sir Reginald’s eye twitched. He had personally delivered invitations to nobles, warlords, and S-rank adventurers—
But never had anyone refused this fast.
“…Do you understand the weight of your decision?” he asked, his voice sharp. “Refusing a royal summons is—”
“Yeah, yeah,” Ryo waved a hand. “Something about disrespect, dishonor, and probably execution.”
Anna’s soul left her body.
Sir Reginald narrowed his eyes. “Then why refuse?”
Ryo finished his tea.
“…I like it here.”
Silence.
For the first time, the seasoned knight paused.
This man—who had faced countless warriors, dueled generals, and even advised the king—was at a loss for words.
“…You refuse the comforts of the palace for a humble village tavern?”
Ryo nodded.
Sir Reginald studied him. Despite the unbelievable arrogance of rejecting the king’s offer, there was… no fear in Ryo’s eyes.
Was this… confidence?
Or something else?
The knight slowly exhaled. “Very well. I shall report your response to the king.”
Anna looked horrified. “T-The king is going to be furious—”
Reginald smirked. “Oh, I doubt it.”
Anna blinked. “What?”
The knight turned toward the door. “I suspect His Majesty already expected this outcome.”
With that, he and his men departed.
The tavern remained dead silent as everyone processed what just happened.
Then—
“HE REALLY JUST REJECTED THE KING!?”
“IS HE SOME KIND OF SECRET OVERPOWERED LEGENDARY FIGURE!?”
“MAYBE HE’S A FALLEN GOD TRYING TO LIVE AMONG HUMANS!?”
Anna buried her face in her hands.
Cedric started writing notes. “I must learn from Master Ryo’s way of thinking…”
And Ryo?
Ryo stretched.
“…Alright. Time for a nap.”
Anna screamed.