Metamorphosis: Chef Awakens

"Ugh..."

How much time had passed? My head throbbed, and my whole body ached like I'd barely slept. There wasn't a single spot that didn't hurt.

"Ow, my back..."

I'd just woken up, my mind still fuzzy as I shook off the daze and got out of bed, shuffling toward the bathroom. Figured I'd splash some water on my face to clear my head.

Screeech—

I reached the beat-up bathroom door and grabbed the doorknob, which felt oddly higher than usual, then pushed it open.

"What the...?"

Was my brain still foggy? A weird sense of déjà vu hit me.

"...Nah, just my imagination."

I brushed it off as nothing and stood in front of the sink. Must've been exhaustion playing tricks. I turned on the faucet.

Whoosh—

"Ah, guess I haven't paid the gas bill."

I splashed the cold water—probably 'cause no hot water—over my face and wiped it off. It really woke me up, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠things started coming into focus around me.

"What the hell, why is this actually so high?"

The doorknob and sink weren't a trick of my mind—they really felt taller. And then...

"...What the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fuuck?!"

I turned to the mirror, and the reflection staring back wasn't a sturdy, handsome young guy missing an arm. It was a dainty little girl.

*****

"This is... me...?"

I still couldn't believe it. White-and-black streaked hair. Long eyelashes and those adorable aegyo-sal under my eyes. And above all, that mystical white left eye adding an air of mystery.

I had no clue what had happened to me.

"No way, fuck... All from eating that one pasta?"

The only suspect was the pasta I'd scarfed down yesterday. I'd made it on a whim after reading it triggered awakening, and now it seemed like that was the culprit.

Streeetch—

Still in denial, I pinched my cheek hard, hoping it was a dream.

"Ah... it hurts...?"

Nope, just forced me to accept this was reality. And more importantly...

"Left arm?"

I'd been too busy staring at my flipped face to notice, but there it was—my long-gone left arm.

"Did I seriously awaken for real?"

I'd seen it on the news and galleries before. Cases where awakening fixed physical defects in the moment it happened. The gender swap was weird, sure, but...

"...Kinda disappointing, but whatever."

Hey, I awakened, right? I poked and prodded every inch of my body, testing it out.

"Left arm's a bit stiff to move."

Everything else worked fine, but the regenerated arm moved with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a creaky feel. Guess even a short time without it dulled the sensation.

"Eh, it'll loosen up over time."

Better than gone forever. It wasn't immobile, just a little stiff—totally bearable. Satisfied enough, I checked elsewhere.

"Suck... my height shrank too, huh? Not a little, a lot."

Visibly shorter—maybe 30cm less than before. Gone was my Alexander the Great II stature. Kinda bummed me out.

"Sigh— the price is fucking huge."

Body was already girl-mode. Guess this was awakening's cost. Whatever, move on. More than that, I was itching to brag to someone right now.

Should I tell friends or family? Nah...

"Friends...? What were they again?"

Lifelong loner here—no friends. Parents? Don't even start. And Store Manager was unreachable with the gate bullshit going on.

"Sigh..."

No dopamine outlet for my big moment. I let out a frustrated breath. That's when...

"Gallery...?"

My eyes landed on the computer in the corner of the room, still on. Gallery—the holy grail for bragging, shitposting, and dopamine hits. How had I not thought of it sooner? My trolling skills must be rusty.

I bolted to the desk, plopped down, and hammered the keyboard.

"Tsk tsk, such primitives."

What're they gonna do if they don't believe me? I already awakened.

I must've been gallery-scrolling for a while when something popped up in my field of view.

Ding!

"What ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the—this... System?"

"Whoa... teacher, you're moving too fast."

The blue window flipped through screens in seconds. First time seeing anything like it, but not bad. I'd heard awakened folks just get new powers that manifest intuitively. This must be one of those.

"So what's next? Keep going."

The System paused, like gauging my reaction, then churned out new text at my urging.

"So basically just a game status screen, huh?"

The detailed rundown hooked me. Exclusive to me? Hell yeah, I'd roll with it.

"Alright, bit embarrassing but..."

"S-status window!"

I cringed internally but said it. The effect was insane.

"Oh."

"...Is this good?"

I'd tested it out of curiosity, but no idea if it was decent.

"Sigh, but these numbers look trash no matter how you slice it..."

Maybe 'cause the visible stats were so low, but yeah, I wasn't strong.

"How's no stat over 4...?"

Wasn't expecting superhero powers, but still disappointing.

"That Hell whatever—skill?"

The one eye-catching thing amid my pathetic stats. Name sounded game-like, but no clue how it worked or applied.

"And job's Chef...?"

Expected something cool like swordsman, mage, archer after awakening. Chef? Kinda deflating.

"Sigh, guess I'll settle for the arm coming back."

I glanced between the status and my left arm, clenched my fist decisively, and headed to the kitchen.

"Yeah... gotta test it out."

At the kitchen, I eyed the unsorted kitchen knife. Grabbed it and inspected.

"...Feels heavy?"

This thing was almost as thick as my forearm. Never felt huge before, but now it had real weight. The low stats were sinking in.

"Stats like a middle school girl, huh?"

Fitting for my new body.

"My bad for expecting more."

I shook my head, grabbed some leftover noodles from yesterday's Underworld Pasta, plopped them on the cutting board, and gripped the knife right-handed.

"Why am I so tense over this?"

Just testing that Hell True Taste or whatever skill. But nerves made my hand shake—could totally flop.

"Hoo."

Deep breath in and out, tiny hope it wouldn't suck. I pressed the knife into the noodles and sliced.

Shwick—

"Oh..."

Left arm still awkward, couldn't hold steady, but the tough pasta clumps sliced like soft tofu—clean and perfect.

"Not bad at all."

The physics-defying feel was wild. World went nuts post-towers and gates, but as a normie, it never hit home. Never awakened before, so this sensation? Mind-blowing. Not amazed? You'd be a cyborg.

"Kinda addictive..."

Lost in it, slicing away for ages. Then, like "enough," a System window popped.

Pam-pa-bam!

"What? So before it was vague?"

That lame old trumpet fanfare with the message. I pulled up status again, checked skills.

"No wonder it was so vague."

"Anything I see as an ingredient..."

I glanced at my arm for a sec.

"...Nah."

Shook my head.

"Pfft, no way."

...Don't get weird ideas. Still...

"Not a total bust."

If even my skill was garbage on top of trash stats, I'd despair. But this added description? Sketchy powerful, even if abstract.

"World ain't out to just kill me, huh."

Relieved I'd salvaged something, I sighed in relief, patting my chest. Then...

"Now what?"

Quests—the thing from the first System mention.

"Goblins, huh."

I read the quest window slowly. Basically, smash some goblins. But my eyes stuck on "unlock" and "points."

"I... can get stronger...!"

Points and unlocks—words that make your heart race. Pumped at the growth potential.

"Can't pass this up~"

About 12 hours left. No time to waste. I yanked out the baggy hoodie stuffed in the corner—loose but stayed on fine.

"Oh, knife!"

Grabbed the cheap knife and my phone, thinking it'd work out somehow, and headed out.