Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Slayer of a Hundred

Taking advantage of the moment, Heath also took the opportunity to instruct Scallion Duck on the things a chef should be cautious about, starting naturally with the proper handling of each ingredient.

"Scallion Duck, look here. For these chicken wings, to help them absorb the marinade, we usually need to score them—just like this, make a few cuts to create fissures," Heath said, holding the kitchen knife and swiftly slicing the chicken wings. Scallion Duck watched intently by his side.

"But these days, some chefs pay particular attention to aesthetics. Their scores are often more discreet, so as not to spoil the appearance of the ingredient, while still allowing the flavors to seep in," Heath continued, flipping his wrist and slicing the chicken wings a few more times.

Compared to the earlier wings where the meat was turned out by the cuts, these wings looked much more normal. If Heath hadn't deliberately pointed them out, Scallion Duck wouldn't even have noticed where the scores were.

Scallion Duck studied earnestly, its attitude serious and focused. Heath was satisfied; he didn't dislike slow learners, but he detested those with talent who were too lazy to make use of it.

To Heath, talent was like a deposit in the bank—if you wished to withdraw it and use it, you had to input the password through effort and diligence. Scallion Duck was just that sort: it learned the culinary arts with utmost seriousness.

Heath patiently taught while his hands worked quickly through the ingredients. He suddenly thought it might be worthwhile to capture a Fire-type Pokémon in the future, so he could have help with grilling or roasting. On second thought, it seemed unrealistic—capturing a Fire-type Pokémon just for cooking was rather extravagant. Even though he had only two Pokémon so far, Heath already understood why being a trainer was no easy task.

Pokémon had large appetites, and there were costs for healing items, nutrition, and training—all expenses needed to make them stronger. Among them, Dragon-types were the greatest resource consumers; only the wealthy could keep up.

Luckily, Scallion Duck and Zorua were easy to care for, which saved Heath a good deal of trouble.

Heath busied himself for over an hour, and that was with Scallion Duck helping to chop ingredients. Later, Zorua was pressed into service as a waiter at Heath’s direction; otherwise, Heath reckoned he would’ve needed another hour.

Looking at the joyous Officer Jennys on the floor, Heath couldn’t help but smile. Officer Jenny was present in every town, the backbone of law and order and, sadly, those with the highest casualty rates. Fortunately, in Evergreen City things were stable, and there hadn’t been any major injuries.

In his four years living here, Heath had attended more than one Officer Jenny memorial—though always in other cities. Jenny Maple would organize the farewell ceremonies for the Officer Jennys in the conference room.

"It's not easy..." Heath sighed and twisted his neck. After all this work, he was genuinely tired. He wondered if his cheat system would reward him—surely it would?

[You have served more than one hundred guests for the first time, and earned the special achievement “Hundred-Slayer”]

Just as Heath was thinking this, a prompt popped up. He paused; so the more guests he served at once, the more achievements he could earn? Still, the title “Hundred-Slayer” sounded odd—especially after serving over a hundred Officer Jennys. Stranger still.

[You have earned the special achievement “Hundred-Slayer” and received a special lottery ticket]

A lottery ticket made of gold foil dropped into Heath’s hand, with only the words “Lottery Ticket” written on it. But Heath soon noticed a line of small print on the ticket.

"Final interpretation belongs to the cheat system... Well, that's reasonable," Heath muttered, his lips twitching. His cheat system was quite experienced in these matters.

[Lottery Ticket: Use to randomly obtain any item (Note: You may receive items from other worlds)]

The introduction was concise. Heath didn’t hesitate—he’d have to use the lottery ticket eventually, so he might as well use it now.

The possibility of items from other worlds made Heath excited and nervous. Could this ticket really pull something from another world? If so, that would be truly formidable.

If he could get his hands on just one piece of the blue cat’s futuristic tech, Heath felt he could become rich and reach the pinnacle of life—he could even raise six pseudo-legendary Pokémon without a worry. Things like a time machine, a magnifying cannon, or even a door to anywhere would be great. Of course, other worlds had their own treasures, but what Heath really wanted were the magical cooking tools from “Chinese Master Chef.”

For a chef, nothing could surpass that as a reward—those special utensils were simply too powerful.

With a mix of excitement and apprehension, Heath watched as the lottery ticket slowly dissolved. Then, from the air, a long, long blade fell before him.

A dark red blade, its spine covered in black, spiked material that stretched all the way to the tip. Heath stared in wonder—what was this?

[You used the lottery ticket and obtained the “Heaven and Earth Peerless Blade”]

Heath was stunned as he read the text box, feeling the weight of the sword in his hand. He swallowed—what on earth was happening?

[Heaven and Earth Peerless Blade: The sword born in pursuit of the strongest name, a hero’s blade. Why must your next Monster Hunter be a Monster Hunter?]

Reading the cheat system's information, Heath felt conflicted. Was this truly the blade he imagined—the Heaven and Earth Peerless Blade?

"Is this thing meant for me to sheath, draw, and then perform the Rising Dragon Slash?" Heath's expression was complicated; he couldn't quite understand why he’d drawn such a weapon.

The Heaven and Earth Peerless Blade, known as the “Three Heavens Blade,” was a weapon from the popular Monster Hunter game series in his previous life—very cool, and Heath had loved playing it. He never expected to be standing here, actually holding it.

Heath gently stroked the blade and scratched his head. What should he do with it? For now, he’d have to put it away—he didn’t want Maple to interrogate him about where he’d acquired such a long weapon.

Just as Heath was about to make something for himself, Scallion Duck, and Zorua, a loud explosion suddenly echoed from afar.