Gourmet Hunter

The freshly cooked pig's head meat was fragrant and glistening, trembling enticingly as it was sliced. After dipping it in the braising sauce, Du Pont took a big bite. Despite its fattiness, it was incredibly fragrant without any of the usual porky odor. Wrapped in a flatbread, the combination of lean and fatty meat was a unique delight.

After finishing a smoked meat pie, a wave of homesickness washed over Du Pont, and he couldn't help but think back to when he first arrived at the construction site after graduation.

Back then, his salary wasn't high, and there weren't many entertainment options around the construction site. His greatest joy each day was looking forward to getting off work on time. He and a few other new hires would buy some braised food and beer, dream about the future, and complain about their idiot boss. Life was tough, but there was still something to look forward to.

Unfortunately, the harshness of the construction site and the meager salary didn't match up. Many people felt hopeless and packed their bags to leave. Within a year, he was the only one left.

Boulderstone was currently feasting, conjuring up a dozen bottles of malt beer and placing them on the table. He had instinctively discovered the joy of eating braised food and even opened a bottle of beer, pushing it towards Du Pont.

Just as he was about to take it, the Butcher grabbed the bottle: "Forgot you Mages don't drink. Judy, got any milk? Get some for this kid."

"... " Du Pont was really tempted by the brown glass bottle, but remembering what the Butcher said about Mages not drinking, he restrained himself and took the large glass of milk that the Eccentric Chef handed over.

Although he didn't know why, the other party probably wasn't being stingy, but rather that Mages really couldn't drink.

"By the way, do you have any milk that tastes better? I always feel like this one has a weird taste."

"We don't usually study that," Judy, who had finished his work, returned to the small table and sat on his special high chair. "If you think it's fishy, you can add some sugar or ginger, which might help."

What kind of heretical way of eating is that? Du Pont shook his head: "The milk I drank at the infirmary yesterday tasted good, with a light fragrance. Is it a different source or did she make it herself?"

"The infirmary? That Half-elf Sophie. The milk is all the same, she probably added some seasoning. Elves have their own understanding of food, so it's normal for a Half-elf to have a unique recipe."

By this time, the initial awkwardness had disappeared, and Du Pont felt that the Halfling and Barbarian were quite easygoing. He boldly proposed an idea: "Do you have any tea leaves? If so, I can make a pretty good dessert."

"Tea leaves? You mean those leaves that the Far East Trade Company brings?" Judy shook his head: "The most ordinary ounce of that stuff costs 5 silver, and those Far East people still say that such high-quality goods can only be used to boil eggs. How could I keep that stuff in my small place? I'd lose money no matter how I sold it."

"... That's really extravagant."

As they chatted, the pig's head was almost finished. Seeing that the others were still craving more, Du Pont took a small pottery pot and braised pig's trotters separately, throwing the other internal organs into the large pot.

No one would question Du Pont's cooking skills anymore. Judy picked his teeth and said with some emotion: "Your cooking skills are really good, even your knife skills are impressive. I didn't realize you were just a third-year apprentice. Did you practice at home?"

"... Sort of. I like to eat, and I learned from some great chefs."

"That chef must have been pretty generous to teach you, a young man." The Halfling had a good impression of Du Pont: "Your level is good enough to open a small tavern. If you know other cooking methods, I can write you a letter of recommendation. Getting an advanced chef certificate would definitely be no problem, but the requirements for the master-level exam are much higher."

Du Pont smiled, about to be modest, but the System gave him a prompt.

[Your cooking skills have been recognized by Judy, the Halfling master chef. If you can spread your recipes, your reputation among Halflings and chefs will greatly increase, with an estimated gain of 1-3 points of Legend.]

[Your cooking skills have been temporarily assessed as Advanced, granting you the Eccentric Chef trait.]

[Eccentric Chef: You are skilled at turning inconspicuous or even repulsive garbage into delicious meals. When people who have tasted your cooking face you, your Charisma will temporarily increase by 2 points. The Charisma cap is 20.]

[You can continue to improve your cooking skills, and the effects of your traits will continue to improve, and you may gain unexpected effects.]

This message interrupted Du Pont's thoughts.

This didn't happen when I played tabletop RPGs and games before. What is this...?

But Du Pont quickly understood.

Tabletop RPGs are ultimately games within a set of rules, while he was in a real world. Many previously overlooked memories and events could affect him.

Like cooking skills.

In tabletop RPGs, cooking is almost negligible. Adventurers either bring dry rations or use Goodberry to pass the checks. If they don't have food, they can rely on their Survival skill when camping. If they pass the check, they can hunt for food.

However, some more meticulous Dungeon Masters would set up inn levels, and spending more money would give a temporary effect, such as being full and satisfied or boosting morale.

In high-level parties, Priests would also have a sixth-level Divine Magic spell called Heroes' Feast, which summons a table of delicious food. After eating it, it would increase the temporary hit points of the party members and grant immunity to poison and fear.

But if he remembered correctly, the effects provided by Heroes' Feast were not purely Divine Magic effects, but rather that some of the ingredients used were special magical creatures. It was the inherent effects of these ingredients that granted the diners immunity to poison and other special effects.

Thinking of this, a bold idea arose.

Since this world was so real, once his strength improved, could he try using some unique monster ingredients to make dishes and see if they would trigger special effects?

But just as the idea came to mind, the System's voice suddenly entered his ears.

[The user has gained a trace of insight into the Gourmet Hunter class.]

[Gourmet Hunter Prerequisites: Cooking Intermediate, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Spellcasting Ability, Create three dishes that exceed the public's imagination, one of which must be made from monster ingredients.]

[After meeting the prerequisites, the class will be automatically acquired.]

Gourmet Hunter: In the eyes of ordinary people, only what they are accustomed to eating is called food. But in the eyes of true masters, everything in the world is edible. Some magical creatures that ordinary people fear are especially delicious.

Class Features: Medium attack bonus class, has Favored Enemy ability, has Terrain Adaptation ability. Can create permanent/temporary stat-boosting/state-enhancing delicacies. After tasting certain ingredients, can increase Favored Enemy knowledge, further enhancing the Favored Enemy effect.

The maximum level of this class is 20. After having faith in and offering sacrifices to any deity with a preference for food or fire, Divine Magic can be obtained.

Class Proficiencies: Knowledge (Nature), Athletics, Survival, Sleight of Hand, Exotic Cuisine.

This class is a Ranger class, with a maximum Divine Magic level of 6. Gains an additional 5/4/4/3/3/2 spell slots. The spell list is Ranger. At level 4, if you have faith in a related deity, you can comprehend Fire Domain spells.

Specific details will be known after the user obtains the Gourmet Hunter class.

Seeing this information, Du Pont was shocked into silence.

Could this be the legendary hidden class?

This is my real cheat?!