Dex and Rey spent the evening buried in the library, practicing spellcasting between stacks of books. Their days fell into a steady rhythm—research, sparring, fighting, and more studying. A full week passed before they finally paused long enough to check their status.
Dex went first, his eyes narrowing in concentration as his watch projected his stats.
---
Name: Dexter M. Cutler
Race: Baneful
Health: 600
Mana: 500
Bloodlust: 0
Level: 4
Strength: 22
Perception: 16
Endurance: 15
Charisma: 14
Intelligence: 19
Agility: 13
Luck: 20
Perks: S.T.A.R.S, Good Samaritan, Undead Slayer
Skills: Kenjutsu Intermediate, Ji Gen Ryu Intermediate, Archery Intermediate, Throwing Intermediate, Kickboxing Intermediate, Energy Manipulation (Locked),Cooking Novice
Abilities: Enhanced Strength, Enhanced Speed (Locked), Enhanced Endurance (Locked), Accelerated Perception (Locked), Berserk Form, Xtatic Form (Locked), Novice Destruction Magic, Novice Alteration Magic
Characters: Saki
Bloodline Mastery: 025%
Spells
Destruction: Flames, Sparks, Frostbite
Alteration: Candlelight, Oak Flesh
Other than an increase in bloodline and skill mastery, the only thing that had really changed was his spell repertoire.
Rey checked her status next, raising a brow when her watch lit up.
---
Name: Regina
Race: Baneful
Health: 600
Mana: 500
Bloodlust: 0
Level: 4
Strength: 24
Perception: 18
Endurance: 12
Charisma: 20
Intelligence: 22
Agility: 18
Luck: 12
Perks: Undead Slayer
Skills: Firearms, Krav Maga – Intermediate, Throwing – Intermediate, Kickboxing – Intermediate, Energy Manipulation (Locked), Marksmanship – Intermediate, Sniping – Intermediate
Abilities: Enhanced Strength, Enhanced Speed (Locked), Enhanced Endurance (Locked), Accelerated Perception (Locked), Berserk Form, Xtatic Form (Locked), Novice Destruction Magic, Novice Conjuration Magic
Characters: Lei
Bloodline Mastery: 025%
Spells
Destruction: Flames, Sparks, Frostbite
Conjuration: Bound Dagger, Bound Sword, Conjure Familiar
---
Dex frowned, rubbing his chin.
"Wait a second. Aren't the raise undead, conjure skeleton, and conjure ghost spells in the novice category? Why didn't you learn them?"
Rey folded her arms, her eyes narrowing as if she'd been expecting that question.
"Given that we both have the Undead Slayer perk—and you've got a perk that literally makes zombies more hostile—I thought it best to steer clear of those. Last thing we need is to summon something that hates us by default."
Dex blinked, then chuckled.
"Good point. Alright. You ready to do this draw?"
Rey gave him a small smirk.
"Ready when you are."
Both navigated to the character section of their watches and tapped on the Anime Character Draw. Golden light enveloped them, swirling until their forms shifted completely.
When the glow faded, Dex was gone—replaced by a tall man with tan skin, a short brown beard, short brown hair, and black eyes. He wore a chef's coat, apron, and hat over black pants and shoes.
Rey glanced at her own reflection in the polished surface of the library's table. Her long blue hair was now tied into pigtails on either side of her head, amber eyes gleaming. She was clad in a crisp white chef's uniform. She groaned, running a hand down the front of it.
"You see why I didn't want to do this while on a mission?"
Dex—now Mako—snorted.
"When you're right, you're right. Let's check out our stats."
---
Name: Mako (Dexter)
Race: Baneful
Health: 700
Mana: 600
Level: 4
Origin: Restaurant to Another World
Strength: 27
Perception: 22
Endurance: 20
Charisma: 19
Intelligence: 24
Agility: 18
Luck: 25
Perks: S.T.A.R.S, Good Samaritan, Undead Slayer
Skills: Kenjutsu – Intermediate, Ji Gen Ryu – Intermediate, Archery – Intermediate, Throwing, Kickboxing, Energy Manipulation (Locked), Cooking – Novice
Abilities: Enhanced Strength, Enhanced Speed (Locked), Enhanced Endurance (Locked), Accelerated Perception (Locked), Novice Destruction Magic, Novice Alteration Magic, Hero's Bloodline, Master Chef's Aura (Locked)
Familiarity: 000%
---
Name: Megumi (Regina)
Health: 700
Mana: 600
Origin: Food Wars
Strength: 26
Perception: 20
Endurance: 14
Charisma: 22
Intelligence: 24
Agility: 20
Luck: 14
Perks: Undead Slayer
Skills: Firearms, Knife Fighting, Throwing, Unarmed Combat, Energy Manipulation (Locked), Cooking – Novice
Abilities: Enhanced Strength, Enhanced Speed (Locked), Enhanced Endurance (Locked), Accelerated Perception (Locked), Novice Destruction Magic, Novice Conjuration Magic, Master Chef's Aura (Locked)
Familiarity: 000%
---
Mako stared at the screen, scratching the back of his head.
"The hell is Master Chef's Aura? And shouldn't our cooking skill be higher than that?"
Megumi adjusted her pigtails, tilting her head.
"Well, considering it's probably tied to how we raise our familiarity, I guess it wouldn't make sense to start out with their peak culinary skills. I'm just glad it's simplified into one skill instead of thirty. But yeah seriously… what the hell is Master Chef's Aura?"
Mako shrugged.
"Won't know until we unlock it. I do have an idea for how to raise it quickly, though."
He started tapping on his watch, navigating through menus with focus.
Megumi crossed her arms, eyebrow raised.
"Oh yeah? How's that?"
Mako smirked faintly.
"I'll tell you in just a sec."
Sure enough, just as he suspected, Tet's info appeared in the contacts list. He hit Call, and after a few seconds a familiar, playful voice answered.
"And what can I do for my wonderful apostles today? Your mission isn't for another week."
Mako leaned back against the chair.
"Tet, how do our IDs work?"
Tet chuckled.
"Oh, that's simple. Your identification messes with reality itself. Meaning your ID, social records, everything changes when you do. For example—you're Mako, right? Right. Check your wallet."
Mako pulled it out and blinked. Sure enough, his ID had shifted to match his new appearance and name.
Tet continued, smug as ever.
"It'll work no matter the world you're in. The world accepts you as real the moment you enter. If you need something that requires ID, you're set."
Mako grinned.
"Cool. Thanks, Tet."
"No prob!" Tet replied before the line went dead.
Mako turned back to Megumi with a sly grin.
"My idea is this—we go out, open a food truck, and spend the week cooking for people."
Megumi's eyes lit up. She smacked a fist into her palm.
"Hey, that could work! We've got unlimited funds and nothing else to do. Alright—let's go!"
That afternoon, they traveled to a random city in Japan. After filing paperwork, buying ingredients, and securing a truck, the two opened for business.
They agreed on a menu that blended Japanese and Western favorites—cutlet meals, soups, rice bowls, and hot sandwiches. Keeping it small and simple made sense while their cooking skill was still at novice level.
The tiny food truck grew hot quickly, but customers lined up one after another. To their surprise, the meals sold out completely by day's end. Their watches beeped in unison.
Familiarity: 030%
Cooking Novice → Intermediate
Megumi wiped sweat from her forehead, grinning.
"Oh, cool! Already at thirty. Let's move to a larger city tomorrow. My goal is to max out before the final day of the week so we can rest before the mission starts."
Once the streets were clear, they summoned their home gate. To their relief, it expanded wide enough to let the truck pass through. They parked it where the Hunters' mausoleum used to stand.
Megumi leaned against the hood, eyes gleaming.
"Cool. This means we can collect some cars and maybe even a few other vehicles. Be nice to get an airship one day."
They repeated the process across different cities. Each day brought longer lines, more customers, and higher mastery. Finally, on the sixth day, their watches beeped again.
Familiarity: 100%
Cooking – Intermediate → Master
Master Chef's Aura unlocked.
Description: When activated, Master Chef's Aura allows the user to intimidate any at or below their strength level.
Megumi groaned, tossing her apron onto a chair.
"Well, that's not gonna be useful until later. Oh well—at least we got a free level out of it. Can't use it until we see Tet the day after tomorrow, though."
Her form shimmered back into Rey, exhaustion plain on her face. She stretched and yawned.
"I'm going to bed. Night, Dex."
Mako gave her a lazy salute before returning to his true form.
"Same here."
Both headed off to their rooms, finally ready to rest.