While everything was settled, Finn headed in to really prepare breakfast. As he did so, he checked on the status of the inn, which he hadn't bothered with for a while now.

[INNKEEPER DASHBOARD]

Inn Name: Wanderer's Refuge

Inn Level: 1

Inn Status: 27 Cleanliness, 14 Ambiance, 21 Comfort

Reputation: 9

Current Guests: 3

Number of Staff: 2

Rooms: Basic Bedroom x 4, Toilet x 1, Kitchen x 1, Living Room x 1, Dining Room x 1, Front Desk x 1, Barrier x1, Utility Room x 1, Garden x1

Barrier Type: Basic

Barrier Health: 9501/10000

Active Functions: None]

Okay, so there had been a few increases in points. Presumably, the soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and so on had to do with the increased [Cleanliness], among other things.

The new bedroom, garden, and other things were added to the rest. The points weren't that high, though, so obviously he still had to invest hundreds (if not thousands) of gold to activate some of the [Inn Functions] he had been eyeing.

He looked at the Panda. "How is reputation calculated again?"

"Number of people who know your Inn in a favorable light," he said. "Extra points might be added if the level of favor is high. A maximum of 1 point per person. If people objectively see it negatively, then it could also affect it."

He nodded. It was straightforward enough, at least. The number he had now, then, probably corresponded to Syl and then these five. Then some of them had extra good feelings about the Inn, adding a few more points.

He smiled when he thought of how the reputation before was 2, when Syl had been his only customer.

Anyway, moving on, he started to prepare for the kids' breakfasts. They'd definitely be famished after their monster run.

…

It took another two hours before the young mercenaries felt the need to head back. They were covered in sweat and grime, but there was a satisfied light in their eyes. "We enjoyed it, huh," Aaron said as he looked at the mountain of monsters they collected.

"I'd need to rest a bit because of this."

"I am the same."

"I've never killed so many within a few hours," Aaron said. "And with my HP practically intact. 250." he said, referring to his HP.

He had killed dozens the past two hours or so (reckless Zach's blood splattering outside helped attract more monsters to them).

Ren looked at him. "268."

Aaron paled. "Damnit!" Lost again!

They then looked at Zachary, who was quite bloody. He had a bright smile on his face, though. "I can just take a bath and then sleep in the room," he said. Despite everything, his stats weren't dangerously low. It should be filled up within a couple of hours of resting in the room.

In any case, there was one thing they were sure of. "This is really productive."

If they could kill so many every hour, all at their own pace and without having to worry about their lives, how much would they be able to earn in a day!?

More importantly: How much could they grow as fighters? Thinking of this made them want to jump back out and fight.

Their battlelust paused when they smelled the delicious aroma of food, though. The scent inside the inn generally would not head out, but a certain Panda wanted to eat in his little hammock made by Tumble.

Their stomachs growled, and their feet moved on their own.

During the first hour in the kitchen, Finn focused more on determining what to cook as well as preparing the ingredients, and because this was his first time handling some ingredients, it took a while. The previous night, he already had an idea about the ingredients.

Then, he thought about what the kids would like. All of them were quite young. Although they were more mature than their Earth peers, they were still energetic kids and would need a lot of carbs, protein, and other things. He could bet they'd also be especially appreciative of playful food.

They were among his first customers, and he quite liked them. He naturally wanted this trip to be as memorable as possible.

He decided to make something fun for breakfast. He started by creating a flat bread made from thornroot. By this time, he could already make yeast from the thornroot and from fruits. He didn't have flour yet, so he could only make flat bread, but he could manage.

As for the filling, he shredded and pulled meat into thin strips. He tossed them with a glaze made of sunberry reduction and a variety of spices he put by taste. He then made sauce by using various herbs infused with a bit of tang from the ivara gel and the basilume.

[Thornroot flat bread with Shredded and pulled Brindlejaw meat (D)]

[Information: Flatbread made from mashed thornroot tubers, pan-seared, and filled with slow-pulled brindlejaw meat simmered in stonebulb, veilroot, and finished with ivara vine and basilume. Increases agility by 10% for 10 minutes.]

[New Recipe Detected! 0.1% permanent increase in stamina recovery!]

Other than that, he also made use of the gugu bird eggs he got, making a simple dish.

[Sunberry-Veilroot Egg Skillet (D)]

[Information: Skillet of gugu bird eggs simmered in matis and sunberry sauce, mixed with veilroot and glecksmar meat, topped with basilume. Avoid hunger debuffs for the next 15 hours.]

[New Recipe Detected! 0.1% permanent increase in mana recovery!]

This was what the drooling trio saw when they entered the kitchen, submerged in the aroma of the food.

He smiled and set it up in front of them, teaching them how to eat it.

The meat was put on the flat bread and it was wrapped around for eating by hand. The egg could be added in or eaten separately, depending on the guest.

Anyway, without further ado, the young men bit into the food, and their eyes shut as the flavor burst into their mouths.

It was still warm, crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The first bite cracked slightly at the edges, and then it was followed by the savory flavor from the meat.

The shredded pork was juicy and tender, soaked in flavorful, rich glaze that clung tightly to each fiber, each one stimulating the taste bud.

The surface of the thornroot bread had some blisters that promised crispiness, and then released faint earthy sweetness when bitten. At a bite, the brindlejaw meat spilled out in strands. They were so thin and tender that they felt like they'd dissolve in the tongue.

Similarly, the egg skillet melted in their mouth. They were velvety and rich on their own, giving soft and a bit of sweetness that was satisfying to the taste buds.

It offered a different taste from the wrap, but at the same time, balanced it in a way that they'd want to eat more meat wraps!

And then— when biting into the meat wrap again—the egg mixture added another layer of texture and taste.

"OH MY GOODNESS!!" Zachary exclaimed, almost in tears. "This is amaziiiingg!"

Aaron looked at him. "How are you so good? Did the greatest chef teach you?" He wondered if they were famous.

Finn smiled, old memories resurfacing. "Hmn," he said. "A great chef had, indeed, taught me."

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