‘I was wondering why there wasn’t a function to turn off taste every time I drank a bitter potion...’
The bitter taste of potions was one of the barriers of entry in Satisfy. In particular, a few people tried to turn off their taste function because they disliked the bitter taste. But the S.A. Group didn’t accept their request. The sense of taste was one of Satisfy’s best features that created a sense of reality. They didn’t want to give the players the authority to lower their immersion. But at this moment, Grid interpreted it differently.
"I can’t turn off the taste function and have to suffer from eating the food that Idan made... In other words, it sucks.’
There was a pervert among the Satisfy crew. Grid was sure of it and asked the employee for a cup of tea. He needed something to get rid of the subtle sensation of dirt on his tongue.
“Water... No, I don’t think that will work. Give me the cheapest herbal tea.”
"The cheapest herbal tea?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t care about the smell or the taste? If you want to order tea based on the price, I recommend our citron tea. That’s the cheapest. It’s also delicious.”
“Hoh?”
Grid belatedly noticed the employee that he hadn’t paid much attention to. The girl was a considerable beauty whose emotions were hard to read, but she was only an A cup. It meant that Grid didn’t recognize her as a woman. But Grid had a great sense of liking towards her.
‘She’s an NPC with considerable intelligence.’
It was uncommon for NPCs in hospitality to know exactly what the customer wanted. Satisfy’s artificial intelligence was perfect, but there was a big difference between NPCs. Store employee NPCs usually had slightly better intelligence than Jude. Given these points, the female waitress working in Idan’s restaurant was a very interesting NPC.
‘Could she be a pearl in the mud?"
If Grid was a regular player, he wouldn’t have noticed Yang Fei’s unusual point. But unlike usual players, Grid concentrated heavily on NPCs. That’s why he knew.
"Yes, a cup of citron tea please.”
“Yes.”
Yang Fei and Idan’s attention dispersed after Grid ordered the tea.
Clink.
Grid took out the Great Lord"s Sword from the inventory and used Character Observation.
Ttiring~
Name: Yang Fei
Age: 17 Gender: Female
Occupation: Restaurant Employee
t.i.tle: Quick-witted Person
A commoner born in an ordinary household with 1 son and 14 daughters.
As the 7th daughter among 14, Yang Fei had to take care of her sisters.
Since she was born and raised in a home where there was a struggle over just one bean, her survival skills are remarkable.
Level: 53
Strength: 22/99 Stamina: 92/510
Agility: 65/250 Intelligence: 204/1,090
Dexterity: 139/650 Charm: 53/150
Skills: Hospitality (A), Housework (A), Adaptability (S), Pushover Detection (SS)
"...”
Even talented knights rarely had S-grade skills. It was like a bean growing in the middle of a drought. However, Yang Fei had an S-grade and SS-grade skill. She was a mere employee. Were all the NPCs on the East Continent like this? Don’t speak nonsense. Yang Fei was just special.
‘I have to bring her with me when I return to the West Continent.’
It would be best to leave her as a maid for Irene and Lord, but it was a waste because her intelligence was very high for a mere maid.
‘In particular, there is the Pushover Detection skill.’
Grid decided.
"Yes, I will make her Rabbit’s deputy.’
Changing sand to a special remedy and selling it, or only paying Piaro 73 silver. For Rabbit, who was eagerly searching for ways to make a living, Yang Fei’s Pushover Detection skill was a great talent.
‘It’s like giving him wings!’
A huge smile. Grid was happy about finding new talents. He washed away the memory of eating poisonous food and laughed widely. Idan saw it and misunderstood.
‘This friend...’
Had there ever been anyone who laughed while eating his food? This was the first time since the little hero Kraugel.
‘I had a good feeling since the first time we met.’
Grid had no status in the East Continent. He was just a traveller. However, Gird had a high dignity and charm stat. It was easy to gain affinity with NPCs, even if he acted tactless. This was the reason why the famous Idan was talkative since he first met Grid.
That’s right. Originally, it wasn’t easy to receive quests from Idan. But Grid wasn’t aware of this fact. Only 31 players had gone to the East Continent. There was no information available about it.
“Hrmm... You.”
“Huh?”
Grid jumped with surprise as Yang Fei put the tea in front of him. He was worried about Idan misunderstanding again.
‘Will he wonder why I am rinsing my mouth after eating?’
There was no mistake. The affinity dropped again.
‘s.h.i.+t, I’m lacking subtlety.’
Surprising, Grid realized that it was one of his problems. He smiled nervously as Idan spoke.
“Smiling so happily after eating the meal I made. You are a true gourmet and you are polite to the chef.”
‘What is this nonsense?’
The chef should be polite to their customers.
‘You can’t make food at all.’
Grid wanted to say, but he maintained his smile. It was in an effort to get Idan’s liking. His effort succeeded.
“You are a foreigner... Do you plan to stay in Pangea for a few days? If you don’t mind, I’d like to provide you with three meals a day. It’s in return for recovering my frying pan.”
“Ah...”
This was what he really wanted. Grid’s goal was to acc.u.mulate a lasting relations.h.i.+p with Idan and consume his food. At this moment, Idan was making a promise to cook for Grid. The situation was better than he expected. But Grid...
"...Why aren’t I happy?’
Grid got gooseb.u.mps at having to eat Idan’s food three times a day. He stared into the air for a moment. Then he spoke with a grin.
"Yes, I will be honored.”
“Ohh! Indeed! I knew you would appreciate it!”
"...Ah, for reference, I like chicken, beef, and eggs.”
They were ingredients that couldn’t be tasteless no matter how bad the chef. Idan readily agreed to Grid’s words.
“Um, okay. I will prepare your three meals a day using these ingredients.”
"It’s appreciated!”
Grid was finally able to truly laugh.
***
During this time with Idan, Grid paid attention to his relations.h.i.+p with Yang Fei. He tried to build up affinity with her using glances and words.
The result.
"Goodbye.”
Yang Fei said goodbye to Grid at the entrance of the restaurant. Grid smiled as nicely as possible.
“Yes, thank you. I’ll come again in the evening."
The first friend in Grid’s life was an NPC. Even his wife and friends were NPCs. It meant he was an expert when dealing with NPCs. He was confident that he could quickly raise his affinity with Yang Fei. But in reality, it was only half right. It was true that Yang Fei was started to like Grid better, but it wasn’t for the reason he thought.
She had the Pushover Detection skill. She was aware of Grid’s nature.
‘A customer who orders without looking at the menu.’
Grid had ordered the cheapest tea. He never asked for the menu. Yang Fei had a chance to deceive him. In fact, it wasn’t the cheapest tea, but the second cheapest.
‘Selling citron tea every time he comes in...’
It seemed she would barely be able to receive this month’s salary. She didn’t have to let her thoughtless sisters and brother starve.
‘Sigh.’ Grid sighed as he watched Yang Fei. ‘I am lacking impact. It’s time to deepen this relations.h.i.+p.’
Grid released the power of his hands.
"Yang Fei, I think that your shoulders are too tense. Come here.”
“...?”
All of a sudden, touching her shoulders? Yang Fei tilted her head with confusion. Grid exerted his legendary hand techniques. He approached Yang Fei in an instant, aiming precisely at her shoulders and pressing firmly. Yang Fei’s expressionless face changed for the first time.
“Ahak!”
Grid saw Yang Fei as a young girl, but based on Satisfy, she was at an age to marry. However, Yang Fei wasn’t in a position to dream about marriage. Her sisters had to marry and leave the house first. In this case, it was likely that she would miss her prime age to marry. Yang Fei thought she would never feel the happiness of a woman for her whole life. But right now...
‘Ahh, this feeling must be...!’
She had to feed her family, not think about romance. She only knew theories about relations.h.i.+ps with men. Now, she finally experienced it in reality. Every time Grid’s fingertips touched her skin, she could feel the same sensation she got when reading books. Yes, this feeling...
Omitted.
“Hah... Hah...”
The expressionless face was gone. Only joy filled Yang Fei’s face as she flushed and gasped for breath. Her most and trembling eyes stared at Grid.
“How is it? Did your fatigue go away?”
“...Yes.”
"I"m glad. I’ll do it whenever we meet.”
“...!”
It was a ma.s.sage for Grid, but Yang Fei thought differently.
‘Doing this naughty act every time we meet...?’
It was embarra.s.sing. But she couldn’t refuse.
"Ah, I have become corrupt.’
Yang Fei was feeling confused.
On the other hand, Grid headed for the White Hammer smithy. He didn’t ask for any accommodations. For him, the smithy was the best place to stay and work.
‘There are 15 hours left until the blacksmith compet.i.tion. I will trim the Queen Rat’s Fur and eat Idan’s dishes.’
***
“Did you see the system message from two days ago?”
"Of course. Wasn’t there the message about the 31st visitor?”
"That"s right. He’s alone.”
"He must have little information about the East Continent, which is why he dared come alone.”
“How foolish. Kukuk, I don’t know who he is, but it’s good. We can eat properly."
A pub in Pangea. Players were sitting in a corner and laughing wickedly.