Is This Even Spicy...?

The first floor, of course, still overflowed with stretches no one had mapped. Whether the floor even had an end was an open question; combing the whole of it would take three weeks at the least.

Fortunately, the Tower picked up right where I had left it.

At least I won't have to walk forever.

The place I had first stepped into the Tower was a solid half-day from the village. I would have to go back there someday, but…

Hidden.

The things tucked out of sight when you play a game, or when you go poking around somewhere new. I meant to look for those.

It might turn out to be a waste of time. Then again, everything was experience. That was why I had bought LSO in the first place.

Might as well wander.

And so I started drifting across the first floor.

Not at random, though. I had taken an escort commission from the guild, and I was riding with a merchant toward another city. A horse-drawn wagon piled high with cargo. Aside from me, the escort party looked to be about eight.

Should someone with a rank this low even be on a job like this…?

My Adventurer's Plate was Copper. The lowest rank there was.

Well… it's easy on me, so I'm not complaining…

"Whatever. I'll just give it my best."

It wasn't as if I had muscled my way in. I had simply shown the commission to the receptionist, and I had been waved through without a hitch.

The land's wide open, too. Not much chance of an ambush.

For someone carrying a bow, the road could not have been better. I volunteered to keep watch from the top of the wagon and stayed there.

Time passed, and the caravan pulled over to rest. Horses could not walk all day any more than people could, so we ate while we were stopped.

Everyone else made do with the preserved rations they had brought—jerky, hardtack, the usual. I was no different, except that I had a warm packed lunch from that morning.

The inventory really was a miracle. Food I had tucked away the instant it came off the stove, still exactly as I had made it? Unbeatable.

I kept scanning the surroundings even as I ate. No raiding party. If anyone meant to hit us, they would wait ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠until night, when everyone was asleep.

No sense burning myself out now…

We moved on. The wagon rolled across the plain again, and nothing yet rose up to bar the way.

If the escort could just end without incident…

Night fell. Traveling after dark was too much even for this group, so they started making camp. A big fire roared to life. The client unpacked his goods. There was no liquor—not on an escort job—but he laid out all kinds of meat and vegetables.

Not a single person here who can cook, huh…

The cooking fell to me as a matter of course. Not that I minded. I would level Cooking while I was at it. Two birds, one stone.

I browned the meat, and when it was about ready I tossed in the trimmed vegetables and stir-fried them together. The dish I was aiming for was curry. Hard to mess up, taste guaranteed, and it played well with rice, noodles, or bread—whatever you had.

About time?

I poured water into the pot. The others on the escort had fetched it from the river for me.

Come to think of it, I'm the only one actually working…?

I was putting my back into it because I was the least experienced, but it really did feel like I was doing all the labor. On the other hand, I had heard they rotated the night watch, and they had already told me I was excused.

I can sleep properly tonight, then…

While I was thinking, the pot came to a rolling boil. I dropped in the curry roux I had packed just in case, gave it a good stir, and it was done.

Two stars was a little pathetic, but the taste was still a sure thing.

"Food's ready."

No sooner had I said it than people grabbed their bowls and started lining up.

"This is… stew?"

"Well… you could call it that?"

The yellow did not seem familiar; they peered at it like it was some curiosity. Even so, the sharp, savory smell of the curry had everyone swallowing.

"Eat it with the bread."

Maybe it was the medieval setting. Every loaf was hard and tough as leather. You would have to soak it in something like stew just to get it down.

I'd rather have rice, honestly…

Unfortunately, rice was not easy to come by inside the Tower. And even if I had found some, I had never cooked it in bulk; I would probably have burned the lot.

Well. Eat what's in front of you…

I tore the tough bread into pieces and dunked it in the curry.

Chew, chew.

This is actually hard. And tough…

It felt less like bread than like gnawing on a tire. Only after it had soaked in the curry could I chew it at all.

Still tastes good, though……

That foreign curry flavor, and a sharp little kick of heat. I would have liked it a bit spicier, but I decided to be happy with what I had. Carbs plus curry still cleared the bar, every time.

I was sitting there smiling to myself when the people who had eaten the curry started ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gulping water.

"Does it taste bad?"

It was my cooking. Of course I cared how they reacted. One of the men, still chugging, opened his mouth.

"Ah—no. It's not that it tastes bad…. If anything, I'd say it's good. But…"

"But?"

He wiped the sweat beading on his forehead with his sleeve, then said it.

"It's spicy."

"Spicy?"

I echoed him, dubious.

"Yeah. Insanely spicy."

"…This?"

I looked down at the curry I was still eating. It was the hottest one they sold at the market, sure, but not the kind of heat that should have people pouring sweat…

I had not known. Spicy food barely existed inside the Tower. And I had not known how thoroughly growing up in Korea had trained me to heat.

Even so, watching them eat it with gusto anyway pulled a smile out of me. Everyone else was losing their minds trying to climb the Tower. Taking it slow like this did not seem so bad.

After the meal I lay down on top of the wagon. The others had said they would handle the night watch, so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sleeping through would not be a problem.

"The sky's beautiful…"

The night sky. Not a scrap of cloud, every star burning clear. You hardly ever saw it like this outside the Tower.

Mm……

I could have dropped off just like that, but my body ached. Ever since I had entered the Tower, I got stiff if I did not move. And today I had spent the entire day sitting still on a wagon, doing nothing but keep watch.

A light walk, maybe?

The idea sat well. Deciding took no time; acting took even less.

"I'm going to take a short walk."

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Thanks for the cooking."

The moment I said I was stepping out for a bit, they saw me off without a second thought. Had the curry really been that good?

I walked the grassland. The treeline sat far off. Down by the water, fireflies were glowing. The grass tickling my ankles felt pleasant.

I was not sure how long I had been walking.

"Time to head back."

I was satisfied. The stiffness had gone out of me. I had done what I had come out to do. All that was left was to return.

I stretched out on the wagon roof. Before I slept, I figured I would skim the community.

The community ran twenty-four hours a day. There was no dead hour. Fresh posts kept rolling in even this late; that was proof enough.

"There's a post about me, too…"

Had there been another Player on the escort? That aside, I had not expected Cooking to be a niche skill…

Information posts were scattered through the feed as well. The one that caught my eye was the thread on combo skills.

"Skill combos, huh…"