Chapter 15 ： New Skill

"Rufus, can I borrow your knife for a moment?" Perry asked, walking towards Rufus with a focused look in his eyes, his hand outstretched, signaling his request.

Rufus, who had just finished cleaning his knife, paused for a second before handing it to Perry, curiosity evident on his face. "What do you need it for?" he asked, a bit perplexed.

Without hesitation, Perry responded, "I need to cut a *sleeping mushroom*."

"What?!" Rufus's eyes widened in shock. "Why on earth would you want to do that? Is it for revenge or something?" he questioned, bewildered by Perry's unusual request.

Perry chuckled at Rufus's misunderstanding, shaking his head. *How could Rufus even think that?* he wondered. "No, no! I just read up on this mushroom. While I'm still awake now, I'll soon fall unconscious again. The spores it releases could knock out both me and Toto for at least three days if we don't do something."

"Three days? That's no joke," Rufus said, now more serious. "But what does that have to do with cutting it with a knife?"

Perry explained patiently, "Actually, the mushroom itself contains the antidote. If I cut off the cap and root properly and eat them, it should neutralize the toxin."

Without wasting any time, Perry approached the mushroom, its blue cap swaying slightly in the breeze, almost as if it were warning him to stay away. With a careful slice, Perry cut the cap in half and delicately removed the root.

Rufus, watching with keen interest, moved closer and asked, "I see. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Looking at the enthusiastic Rufus, Perry thought it might be useful to have a hand. "Sure, could you help me pull out the stem?"

"Absolutely!" Rufus replied eagerly, stepping up and gripping the mushroom's thick white stem. With a firm tug, he yanked it from the soil, its shape resembling a chunky radish.

Grinning, Rufus handed it over to Perry. "Here you go! Wow, that's one hefty mushroom. So, what's next?"

Perry inspected the stem, thinking quickly but also a bit unsure of the next step. He silently called out to his system, *System, how should I prepare this? Any suggestions?*

A prompt immediately popped up in his mind: **[Host, the task requires simple cooking. I suggest roasting the mushroom with the stem intact over an open fire.]**

"Sounds good," Perry nodded in approval.

Just then, Rufus noticed Perry deep in thought and waved a hand in front of him. "Hey, what are you spacing out for? What's the plan with this mushroom?"

Perry snapped back to reality. "Oh, nothing. I'm thinking of roasting it. You got fire?"

Before Rufus could answer, footsteps approached, and they saw Larkin returning, holding several large, papaya-shaped fruits.

"Hey Perry, you're awake already! Look what I found—*Fruit Water!*" Larkin proudly handed the fruits to them.

Perry examined the fruit, feeling the liquid sloshing inside. Shaking it slightly, the sound of water became clearer. "*Fruit Water?* What's that?" he asked, intrigued.

Larkin smiled as if presenting a treasure. "It's a fruit filled with the purest spring water. It's common, but pricey."

"Wow!" Rufus exclaimed, eagerly twisting off the top and taking a swig. "It really is refreshing!"

Perry followed suit, cracking open the fruit and drinking. Cool liquid flowed over his tongue, carrying a faint sweetness. It was incredibly refreshing, making him feel instantly rejuvenated.

Larkin's gaze fell on the mushroom stem near Perry, curiosity piqued. "What are you guys doing with that?"

"I'm planning to roast it. The *sleeping mushroom* can act as an antidote to the sleep spores we inhaled," Perry explained.

Larkin, intrigued, took a closer look at Perry's notes. "Ah, I get it. I'll go gather some wood for the fire while I stretch my legs." She placed Toto's share of *Fruit Water* nearby before handing her knife to Rufus.

"Wait, don't you have your own knife?" Larkin asked, slightly annoyed.

Rufus grinned sheepishly. "I lent mine to Perry. Can I borrow yours, just for a bit?"

With a reluctant sigh, Larkin handed over her knife. "Fine, just don't lose it. I just bought it."

"Thanks!" Rufus said, taking the knife and heading out to find firewood.

Perry turned back to the mushroom, preparing to get started. He cut the mushroom into portions fit for roasting and took them to the river to clean. Rufus quickly returned with the firewood, and before long, a small fire was crackling. Perry placed the pieces of mushroom on skewers and set them over the flames.

Soon, a rich aroma filled the air, a scent even more enticing than the mushroom's sleep-inducing spores. The fragrance had a cheesy, savory quality that made Perry's stomach rumble.

Unable to resist, Perry took a bite and was surprised by how delicious it was. The stem was crisp, and the cap had a tender, almost creamy texture. It was like biting into a perfectly grilled slice of cheese.

"Wow, who knew this would taste so good?" Perry said, smiling in satisfaction.

Just then, a familiar system notification echoed in Perry's mind: **[Task 3 Complete: Skill Unlocked—Cooking Hand Lv.1.]**

A joyful little blue orb floated before him, bouncing up and down as if celebrating his achievement. Perry laughed, opening the skill description with curiosity.

**[Cooking Hand Lv.1: Enables swift learning and mastery of basic cooking techniques. As the level increases, more complex and challenging dishes can be prepared.]**

Perry grinned, pleased. "This is perfect. I've never been great at cooking, but now it looks like things just got a whole lot easier."

Meanwhile, Toto, drawn by the delicious smell, slowly opened his eyes. His voice groggy with sleep, he mumbled, "Perry, what are you cooking? It smells amazing…"

"You're awake, Toto," Perry said, quickly handing him a piece of the freshly roasted mushroom. "Eat this—it's just what we need."

Toto stared at the blue mushroom in his hand, puzzled. "Is this… a blue mushroom? I've never seen one like this before."

"It's a *sleeping mushroom,* but don't worry. It's the antidote to the spores we inhaled. If we don't eat it, we'll be out cold for three days."

Toto frowned. "A *sleeping mushroom*? Can you really eat this?"

"Of course!" Perry reassured him. "It may sound weird, but it'll keep us awake. Trust me, just eat it while you're still conscious."

Reluctantly, Toto took a bite of the blue part and immediately made a face. "Ugh! What is this taste?! It smells so good, but it tastes like moldy bread!"

Perry smacked his forehead. "Oops, I forgot to mention—you need to eat the blue and white parts together, or yeah, it's pretty awful."

Toto gave Perry a skeptical look. "You're not messing with me, are you?"

With a grin, Perry took a big bite, mixing both blue and white parts, chewing happily with a satisfied expression. "See? It's actually pretty tasty."

Toto hesitated, then followed suit. This time, his eyes widened in surprise. "Wow! It's totally different now! It's crispy and… is that a hint of cheese?"

At that moment, Larkin returned, proudly holding up a large fish. "Toto's awake? Perry, look what I caught! This fish is big enough for a feast!"

Perry blinked in surprise. "You caught that in such a shallow river?"

Larkin laughed, her face beaming with pride. "I'm a pro at catching fish! I went a bit further down the river. There's no way Rufus can beat me now." She looked around. "Speaking of which, is he still out?"

"Not yet," Perry replied, eyeing the fish. An idea struck him, and he thought of his newly acquired cooking skill. "Larkin, how about I help you cook that fish?"

Larkin raised an eyebrow. "You can cook fish? Well, that'd be great because I wasn't planning to do it myself."

Perry smiled confidently and walked to the riverbank, ready to prepare the fish. *System, do you have any information on this fish?* he asked mentally.

**[Fish Species: Pli Fish, Grade C. Further details are restricted due to host's current level.]**

"Hmm, so it's not an ordinary fish," Perry murmured to himself. He hoped the system might trigger a task for the fish, but it remained silent.

*Guess I'll have to rely on myself for this one,* Perry thought, picking up Rufus's knife and carefully beginning to clean the fish. While he worked, Larkin and Toto chatted nearby, sharing laughs over the mushroom's bizarre taste.

Perry methodically scaled the fish and cleaned out the guts, following Larkin's advice to bury them to avoid attracting wild animals. However, soon he encountered a problem—he wasn't sure what spices to use for the fish. The herbs and seasonings in this world were unfamiliar to him, and he didn't have any on hand.

He frowned, pondering. "Can this fish be eaten plain?"

Looking over at Larkin, Perry wondered if trying a new method might work.