While I was looking for ingredients to cook something so I could do this other mission, I opened my stats.
"Status," I whispered
The holographic panel appeared, crisp and cold.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Rin TakamineAge: 15Level: 3HP: 172MP: 210
Strength: 7 → 50Agility: 8 → 50Endurance: 6 → 32Intelligence: 8 → 50Spirit: 15 → 85Luck: ???
Titles: Persistent Idiot, Hardheaded, Ungrateful, Milkman, Motherfucker, Sister breeder
Skills: Addictive seed (Unique), Extraction (Mythical), Paste (Legendary), Elasticity (Uncommon), Business Instinct (Rare)
And you'll ask,
'where are all the points I've earned during this time?'
They're gone.
Obviously, to increase the stats, you needed a point, but this changes every 5 levels. After level 10, he wanted 2 points, after 15, he wanted 3, and so on. And then it had the nerve to call me ungrateful.
"What a scam system." A fake tear rolled down my cheek as I sliced green onions dramatically.
The system didn't reply. It just floated there, judging me in silence — like the eyes of a disappointed teacher watching a kid eat glue.
And two years of daily grind added up fast. 1460 stat points distributed over time — spread naturally by the system, I didn't have even a choice.
Sayuri leaned on the counter, arms crossed. "Are you talking to yourself again?"
"I'm… expressing my emotions."
Ayame smirked from the table, swinging her legs. "He's definitely lost it. Too many protein shakes."
"Ha-ha. Very funny." I poured broth into the bowl, trying not to burn my pride. "Some of us have responsibilities, you know."
"Like pretending to be a chef?" Sayuri teased.
"Like keeping giving a dose of milk to the starved." I countered.
That earned a short silence. Then Ayame grinned. "Okay, fair."
The kitchen smelled good — a mix of soy, sesame, and rice.
Sayuri peeked over my shoulder again. "Soooo.... You're making lunch?"
"Yup."
"Will you use your special ingredient?"
"Yes."
Ayame raised an eyebrow. "Something healthy, maybe?"
I smiled faintly. "No promises."
The two sisters exchanged skeptical looks while I plated the food — grilled chicken with a sesame glaze, fresh rice, and a small bowl of warm milk on the side.
A simple, balanced lunch.
If you didn't know what milk I was using.
Sayuri tasted first — cautious as ever — then blinked."…It's actually good."
Ayame followed, mouth full already. "Dude, this is restaurant level!"
I leaned on the counter, smirking. "You say that every time."
"That's because you keep getting better," Sayuri admitted quietly.
For a second, the room went calm — sunlight spilling over the table, the soft clinking of chopsticks, and the sound of their laughter.
Maybe all this grinding, cooking, sweating, and complaining was worth it — even if the system was a scam.
[Mission Complete: Cook a meal using original ingredients and your 'milk'.
Reward: Common skill 'Cooking' and Uncommon skill 'poison resistance'.]
Skills also had their own rarity system — because of course they did.
From lowest to highest, it went: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythical, and Unique.
Common ones were your basic everyday abilities — like running faster or cooking better rice.
Uncommon meant useful.
Rare started to sound cool.
Epic was "main character energy."
Legendary meant breaking logic.
Mythical… that was the kind of stuff that made gods jealous.
And Unique? That was in a category of its own — one of a kind, uncopyable, and can be cursed with a catch big enough to make you regret having it.
Now, how did I get the skills 'Elasticity' and 'Business Instinct', you might ask?
It happened a few months ago, I don't remember exactly when but...