Frostfire Legacy

With everyone replacing their bulky bags with the Spatial Fanny Pack, movement became easy even when they were carrying a lot of items. In fact, they didn't need to leave Aster as a baggage carrier anymore since everyone could share the burden and carry a part of the items they brought.

Of course, the lighter ones were assigned to the agile cats, Kali and Tina, since they need movement speed over anything else. The next one was Cassy, who got a bit heavier than the others but was still manageable.

Then, the ones with the heaviest baggage were Aster and Liz. Aster, since he was rendered a middle-range fighter for now, and Liz, as she didn't need too much movement anyway as a tank.

Their formation was Liz at the front, Aster in the middle, and Cassy at the back. Then, Kali scouted ahead, with Tina positioned between Kali and Liz, acting as an intermediary. Of course, as usual, they ignored loot that was hard to collect, like a slime's core or fluids.

At most, they could only get the accessories from the goblins they encountered in the forest.

Since the distance from the entrance to the exit leading to the next floor was roughly 1.5 times that on the first floor, it should take them 1.5 times longer to reach it too. However, now that they were less burdened, their speed more than doubled, enabling them to reach halfway through the map in just a few hours.

"As usual, the sky remains bright even though it should be close to 9 p.m. outside," Aster commented.

From around noon to 9 p.m., that's 10 hours of travel to reach midway! It was a pace faster than when Aster, Cassy, and Kali tried to conquer the first floor!

As he lowered his gaze, three tents were already set up and complete. The girls didn't even need his help in propping up the tent.

Aster felt a little awkward. After all, the entire day, he did nothing but stand in the middle of the formation and occasionally let out one or two slashes. The girls did most of the work.

'I should thank them with my cooking skills, at least!'

He decided to pull out all the stops and pour his heart and soul into cooking!

The double burner raged like a Chinese-style kitchen's flames as two items were getting cooked at the same time. The juicy scent of fat sizzling, braised by the voracious flames, made the girls stare at him in a daze. At the same time, there's this refreshing smell coming from the other pot, which is boiling lightly.

He wasn't given any menu to cook, so he simply based his recipe on whatever ingredients they had. As such, after about thirty minutes of intense cooking and staring, the food was finally completed.

Aster plated them on top of the foldable table, adding some garnish, dips, and sauce, before taking a step back and nodding in approval.

"I overdid myself this time!" He smiled.

"Is it done? Can we eat now?!" Cassy asked, a trail of drool dripping down the corner of her mouth.

Of course, it couldn't be helped, as almost all of them but Liz were showing the same reaction. The enticing smell triggered their hunger, making their little tummies grumble in discontent.

Aster smiled and spread his arms as if he were welcoming them. "It is. Go on, dig in!"

As soon as they heard his words, the girls rushed to their seats and gandered at the food that they had been smelling for forever. Before them, there were four varieties of food.

A tantalizingly prepared burger steak, seared to perfection, swimming in mushroom sauce, with cherry tomatoes and crisp lettuce as garnish. Tempura of mixed vegetables and meat, with ginger-scallion sauce. Creamy mushroom soup with a side of garlic butter croutons and an eye-pleasing salad of cube-cut watermelon and cherry tomatoes, with lettuce and cucumber.

The recipe being half meat-based is to cater to the meat lovers Kali, Tina, and, unbeknownst to him, Liz too.

The three girls started devouring the meat, their voices lost in their desire to take one more bite after another. Liz watched this scene in shock. After all, it was her first time seeing someone rendered speechless due to food.

Liz stared at the plate before her, and she admitted that it looked amazingly delicious. She admits that she was amazed at Aster's cooking that she experienced once, but was doubtful it would be as delicious as the other three portrayed.

She grabbed her knife and fork and took a small, juicy slice of the burger steak before bringing it to her mouth. As she bit into it, flavors exploded inside her mouth, making her eyes open wide.

"...~!"

That one bite was several levels above the best food she had ever tasted, even in the five-star restaurants she visited!

After the first bite, time seemed to have skipped as she realized she had already completed her serving of burger steak. She felt disappointed. She wanted more of it! The serving felt too little, even though it was composed of three pieces of 180-gram patties—more than enough for one person's portion!

After that, she turned to face the Tempura, which was already dwindling in number at a rapid pace. Hands were going fast, as if not wanting anyone to steal what they got, and disappeared into their mouths, covering their faces in smiles of bliss.

Liz decided to copy them, and she poked two of them with her fork, delivering them to her plate. The tempura was already covered in the ginger-scallion sauce, making it look extremely appetizing. With little hesitation, she brought the food to her mouth and took a crunchy bite.

The taste of meat and vegetables mixed, creating a complex taste. The crispy outer texture, combined with the soft and firm mix inside, made for a wonderful experience too. Each bite represented a new mix of flavors!

Liz was lost in awe for a moment, bathing in the afterglow of tasting the tempura. However, when she tried to get another one, she realized that none were left!

Glancing left and right, the three culprits didn't even feel guilty as they continued devouring Aster's recipes one after another.

Right then, Liz realized. When it comes to Aster's cooking, she should grab her portion first before daydreaming!

The chef himself simply watched the girls turn the dinner table into a mini-war, eating what was left in the pots for himself. Such was the fate of the one who cooked.

'Still, to think that the flavor after the Cooking Lv. 99 correction changes depending on whether I was giving my best or not.'

Aster noted deep in his heart while in awe of the deliciousness of his cooking.