Chapter 13 ： Cook

[Wake up, Perry… Wake up…] The system's voice echoed in Perry's mind, gently stirring him from unconsciousness.

His senses slowly returned as he blinked his eyes open, taking in the sight of the glowing crystals on the cave ceiling and the jagged rocks surrounding him. A small blue orb, part of his system, hovered around his head, radiating a faint light as it circled.

"Stop spinning, you're making me dizzy," Perry muttered under his breath, swatting half-heartedly at the orb, trying to push it away.

"You're awake," Rufus's voice came from nearby. He was sitting by the cave entrance, meticulously cleaning his knife, his sharp eyes on the blade but clearly waiting for Perry to regain consciousness.

Perry turned his attention to Rufus. "What happened earlier?" he asked, rubbing his temples in an attempt to dispel the lingering grogginess clouding his mind.

"You got hit by the sleeping mushroom's spores," Rufus explained, sheathing his knife with a soft click. "That thing sprays a sleep-inducing gas when threatened. We took care of the rest while you were out. If we hadn't, they'd keep knocking us out with their spores."

Perry glanced beside him and noticed Toto lying nearby, breathing steadily in a deep slumber. "Where's Larkin?" Perry asked, scanning the cave for any sign of their companion. All he saw were a few large, toppled mushrooms that seemed out of place.

"Those… are sleeping mushrooms?" Perry's eyes widened. The mushrooms were much bigger than he remembered. "I thought they were tiny."

Rufus chuckled, his voice low and amused. "They get bigger when someone approaches them. That's when they release the gas. Larkin went to get some water while you were sleeping."

As Perry processed the information, the system's blue orb suddenly zipped directly in front of his face, startling him. He jerked back, reflexively waving his hand to swat it away again.

[Host, new task triggered: 

Task 3: Cook and consume a sleeping mushroom. 

Reward: Gain 'Chef's Hand Lv1'. 

Time limit: Two hours. 

Failure: Three days of sleep.]

Perry's eye twitched with irritation. "Can you not pop up in front of me like that?" he grumbled softly, glancing quickly at Rufus, who, thankfully, seemed too absorbed in cleaning his knife to notice the system's intrusion. "Cook a sleeping mushroom? Can these things even be eaten?"

[Yes, but be careful. Consuming the wrong parts could have… undesirable effects,] the system replied calmly.

Perry frowned, thinking back to his grandfather's old notebook. "Wait… there might be something in there about these mushrooms," he said, a spark of excitement lighting up his face. He turned to Rufus. "Do you have the notebook?"

Rufus nodded and retrieved the worn book from Toto's bag, handing it to Perry with a casual toss. He then pulled out a fruit from his own pack, lazily peeling it as he settled by the cave entrance again.

Perry took the notebook and walked outside the cave, sitting by the riverbank to flip through its yellowed pages. Larkin's absence raised some concern, but he pushed it aside for now—there were more pressing matters. He muttered under his breath as he scanned the entries, searching for anything about the sleeping mushroom.

"Sleeping mushroom… sleeping mushroom…" His fingers quickly skimmed over the pages until something caught his eye. "Aha! Got it!" he exclaimed. The blue orb floated over to hover by his shoulder, as curious as he was.

"Sleeping mushroom: a blue mushroom found in caves. It enlarges and emits sleep-inducing spores when disturbed. The amount of spores inhaled determines the length of unconsciousness. In certain cases, those affected may briefly awaken before falling back asleep. Excessive exposure to the spores results in being slowly digested by the mushroom's enzymes. The mushroom is carnivorous, though it typically only consumes small creatures."

Perry paused, a shiver running down his spine. "So I woke up briefly, but we were close to being this mushroom's next meal. That's… unsettling."

He continued reading, soon finding a section on the mushroom's edibility. To his surprise, the book detailed that parts of the mushroom could indeed be safely consumed, but only if properly prepared.

"The roots and caps of the sleeping mushroom are edible," Perry read aloud, "and have a refreshing, invigorating effect. The taste is said to be quite pleasant, but the rest of the mushroom is toxic and can cause severe poisoning if ingested."

Perry breathed a sigh of relief. "Good thing I didn't try eating it without checking. I could've ended up worse than just asleep."

[Host, time is ticking. You should gather the mushroom's edible parts and start cooking,] the system chimed in, reminding him of the task's urgency.

With a determined nod, Perry stood up and headed back into the cave. He approached the fallen mushrooms, carefully slicing off the roots and caps. He knew he had to work quickly—three days of forced sleep wasn't something he wanted to risk.

"Let's get to it," he muttered to himself, preparing to cook the mushrooms and complete the task.