It was four in the morning. Darkness and silence still covered the world so when Melina's alarm clock went off, it felt like a magic spell had been broken. The grating noise scraped against Melina's ears, and she grabbed the clock, shutting it off and setting it down on the nightstand with a bit more force than necessary.

Irritated, she bundled up under the blankets again, unwilling to move away from the bed's warmth and comfort. Approximately five blissful minutes passed before she heard the usual loud knock on her door.

"Melina, are you ready? Time to get up!" Master Gilbert called.

She groaned loudly and slowly clambered out of the bed, the chill of the morning hitting her body like needles. Annoyed, she replied. "I'm up!"

It came out sounding more irate than she had intended it to be, and she could feel a tense pause behind the door. "You alright, girl?"

"I—" she began, but stopped, realizing how annoyed she still felt. Melina took a deep breath to calm herself, then replied. "I'm fine. I'll be down in a minute."

"Very well," Gilbert said, and she could hear his heavy footsteps going downstairs.

Why do I feel so irritated first thing in the morning? Did I not get enough sleep? I went to sleep at nine so technically, I should be fine. After all, I used to do just fine with a mere four hours of sleep per day. Then again, I was much older then—perhaps this young body requires more rest. I'll try going to sleep earlier this evening.

After dressing up and washing her face, Melina headed to the kitchen and began their daily activities. Although, on this day her tasks would be slightly different. Instead of making copious amounts of bread and pear rolls, she'd have to focus on a dish from the puff pastry she prepared yesterday.

"Feel free to ask me for help if you need it and do not worry about time today. Focus on the quality," Gilbert informed her and handed her an open notebook with a recipe—lamb pastry bundles.

"Are you sure I can handle this? I've never really worked with meat before."

"It's ground meat, so it's much easier to work with. Besides, I'd like to see how well you'll work from just a recipe."

Melina nodded and took the notebook. The instructions were written down in neat handwriting, so she had no trouble reading through them. However, after she finished reading, she felt a little worried. She had never done some of the things described in the recipe.

But if I'm afraid each time I see a new cooking technique, I'll never improve. If I follow these instructions carefully, then I should have no trouble. After all, I've made so many potions before—this is no different.

Melina set the notebook on the counter and got to work. The first step described how to make the filling for the bundles. Much to her chagrin it involved grating copious amounts of onions, which made her eyes tear up as the onion juice got into them. It was annoying, to say the least, and she had the urge to constantly rub at her eyes although she knew that it would only make matters worse as her hands were covered with onion juice.

Once that was done—with a lot of tears shed—and Melina had washed her hands and face thoroughly, she combined onions with cumin, paprika powder and ground lamb meat. With everything combined, she made all of the ground meat into small patties. The task was simple enough, even if not all of her patties turned out to be the same size. What worried her the most was the part that followed—cooking the patties in a skillet.

"How are you doing?" Gilbert asked curiously as he noticed her staring at the many meat patties she had made.

"I'm just worried about cooking them right…" Melina admitted.

"It's not any more difficult than cooking omelets. You've mastered those haven't you?"

"Isn't meat different from an omelet?"

"The only thing different is the cooking time. Just cook each patty for 3-4 minutes on each side and you should be good. Don't push for cooking many at the same time initially. Start with one pan and then work your way up as you gain some confidence."

"But what about—"

"Don't worry about anything else this morning. Your focus should be solely on these lamb bundles."

Melina nodded resolutely and placed the skillet over the hot stove. After waiting for a moment, she poured a little bit of oil into it and then placed her first four patties inside. They sizzled right away and a rich, meaty aroma began filling the kitchen.

It was almost nerve-wracking, waiting for the patties to cook. Melina kept watching the clock on the wall like a hawk, waiting for three minutes to pass. Once they had, she checked the bottom of each pattie and flipped them over. They appeared nice and brown, and her <Chef's Intuition> was urging her that she did it correctly.

After another three minutes, she removed the cooked patties from the pan and placed them on the tray. Gilbert came over and cut one pattie in half, checking whether it was cooked—there was a little bit of pink at the very center.

"Give them another half a minute and you're good," he noted and returned to his work. Melina felt disappointed at her failure but returned the uncooked patties to the pan.

This isn't really such a big deal—I just return the patties to the pan and finish cooking them. But why do I feel so angry at myself? I should have been able to do this on the first try.

The process of cooking the remaining patties was slow, very slow. In fact, it took her more than an hour to finish cooking all of them and she had to finish cooking a few more batches after Master Gilbert ascertained them to be undercooked.

Thankfully, the next part of the process was much easier. Melina had to roll out her puff pastry dough, cut it into squares, and then place each meat patty along with a bit of cheese on it. After carefully sealing the pastry shut, she covered it with egg wash and placed it in the oven to cook.

Melina felt annoyed with herself—she wasted most of the morning making these new pastries and now didn't have enough time to even prepare her pear rolls. The best she could do to help was pull out the cooked bread from the oven and stack them on the shelves.

[You've made <Lamb Pastry Bundle – Rank D>. You've gained +7 exp.]

I didn't even manage to make them Rank C. My head is such a mess this morning.

But as she began pulling out the cooked pastries, a notification that she had been waiting for finally graced her vision.

[Congratulations! You have reached Level 20.]

[You may unlock a new skill. The skill you choose will directly impact the availability of advanced classes later on.]

"Master, I finally reached Level 20," Melina announced as she finished pulling out the last lamb pastry.

"Oh! What skills is the System offering?" Gilbert perked up and looked away from the basket of bread he'd been arranging.

"Let me see…"

[Masterful Butchery: Grants enhanced precision when breaking down ingredients, especially meats. Increases yield from hunted creatures.]

"It could be useful in certain scenarios, but I believe it is safe to say that neither of us will be going out to hunt monsters anytime soon," Gilbert commented and took the basket of bread out into the shop.

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"Indeed…" Melina shook her head, sorting the lamb pastries onto the tray.

"What's next?" Gilbert asked, returning back to the kitchen.

[Sugar Touch: Grants greater control over sugarwork, caramelization, and chocolate tempering, increasing the quality of sweets and desserts.]

"This sounds more useful than the butchery one, but I don't think I need it right now."

"You have a sweet tooth, that's why you like it better," Gilbert retorted and took the tray of lamb pastries, carrying it into the shop.

"Do I?" Melina asked, taking the other tray and following after him.

"You do."

I never thought of myself as someone who prefers sweets. At least I wasn't exactly craving them before the time rewind.

"Either way, we should probably check the other skills."

[High-Heat Control: Enhances precision in high-temperature cooking methods like grilling, searing, and roasting, preventing burning and ensuring perfect doneness.]

"After this morning I am almost tempted to take this one," Melina grumbled, straightening out one of the less-than-perfect lamb pastries.

"You are too hard on yourself. For your first time cooking meat, you did very well," Gilbert consoled. "Are there any more skills? We should get one chosen for you before opening the bakery."

"There's two more."

[Dairy Expert: Improves quality of dairy-based recipes, from making cheese and butter to crafting delicate custards and creams.]

"This is actually the best one out of the ones offered so far," Gilbert noted. "After all, we use butter or cheese or milk in almost every recipe."

"But we're not exactly making cheese and butter."

"However, we use them. I have this skill myself and it's one of the reasons why the quality of my pastries is never below Rank A."

Melina looked at her master, feeling genuine pride for him. Reaching Rank A meant that his pastries were basically perfect. Then again she didn't need the System to tell her that. It was clear every time she ate his food.

Let's check that last skill. I really hope it's <Food Manufacturing>. We need it if we want to fix this place.

[Food Manufacturing: Increases the yield of dishes you can cook from ingredients without reducing the size of the dish.]

"Oh! I got it!" Melina cheered, ready to take the skill straight away.

"Oh, it's the one you mentioned before. But wait… Are you sure you want to take it?" Gilbert questioned.

"Yes! This way we'll be able to expand the bakery and sell more bread and pastries. We need it."

"Are you sure that's what you want? For this place to grow bigger?" Gilbert gave her a meaningful look. Melina looked around the shop and the humble-looking pastries lining its shelves. It was a simple place, but she knew that it could be much more. That it deserved much more.

"Yes!" She said resolutely and chose <Food Manufacturing> among the skills presented to her.

[New skill obtained: Food Manufacturing – Rank F]

"Well, if you are so sure, then go ahead and open the bakery."

Melina's irritation was growing and that in itself was irritating her. The customer stream which hadn't bothered her a few days ago, felt almost oppressive. Their voices were loud and their questions too prying. She had a hard time keeping up her smile. Part of her considered running away and hiding somewhere. To be alone.

"Miss Melina, are you alright?" Alistair asked, waiting in line for his daily pastries.

"Oh, I'm quite fine. Perhaps, I didn't get quite enough sleep yesterday," she lied, plastering on the best smile she could manage.

Clearly, it was not very convincing because Alistair frowned. "If you are tired, perhaps you should rest. Master Gilbert, I believe your apprentice needs a break."

Melina almost wanted to cry as all the eyes in the bakery were on her. She hadn't wanted anyone to notice her subpar mood.

"Really? You did seem a bit odd this morning," Gilbert noted. "Perhaps you could deal with the custom orders in the back. That should be easier."

"Master, I am fine. Really. There's no need for that," she shook her head and took a paper bag, ready to take Alistair's order.

"Come now, Melina. If you are not feeling well, then there's no reason to put up a tough front," Erina emerged from among the customers. "Why don't you help me sort out my order for today."

Melina looked at Gilbert, who nodded. She didn't feel good leaving the old baker alone with all these customers, but if even Alistair noticed that she wasn't doing too well, then she really must have looked tired.

"Alright. But call me if you need help, Master," Melina said, beckoning Erina to go into the kitchen.

"Who do you take me for? I've managed this bakery for years before you came," he grumbled and took over the counter.

"Don't worry about him. He's much tougher than he looks," Erina chuckled, pulling Melina along. "Now where is that order of mine?"

"It's right here. Let me make sure that everything is correct," Melina walked over to the boxes and began counting the bread and pastries in there, comparing them with the numbers written down on the order note.

"So what happened to you that got you so down?" Erina asked.

Melina finished counting the pumpkin bread and then looked at the innkeeper.

"I am honestly not sure. I might have gone to sleep a bit too late, but I didn't think one hour of lost sleep would impact me this much."

"Are your special days approaching?" Erina asked in a merely audible whisper.

"Special days?" Melina paused and looked at the woman blankly.

I am such a fool! Of course! The special days. I haven't had them for so long because I was malnourished for years. I forgot that I was supposed to have them. This explains all the irritation and mood swings.

"Is it not that?" Erina cocked her head.

"No… I believe it's exactly that. I kind of forgot that they were drawing near," Melina chuckled and closed the boxes with pastries, making sure they were secure and wouldn't fall out.

"Oh, perhaps you need to visit the apothecary. Do you know where it is?"

"No. I've never been there before, but I'm sure I'll manage to find it."

"I'll take you," Erina offered. "It's not too far from the inn, so we could drop this bread by the cafeteria first."

"I wouldn't want to bother you."

"It's not a bother at all," Erina smiled and then walked into the shop. "Master Gilbert, do you mind if I borrow Melina? We need to buy a few things."

"I don't mind. Do what you must," Gilbert said dismissively, too busy packing pastries into a paper bag to pay them proper attention. Melina still felt bad about leaving him, but some matters had to be settled. She didn't want to end up with bloody legs.

"Let's go then. You carry this box for me," Erina said, and the two of them left.

The innkeeper chattered happily on the way, asking Melina about her time in Sunglow and telling some silly stories about her patrons. It was a pleasant walk which allowed Melina to take her thoughts off the nagging irritation that had been bothering her the whole morning.

They dropped the bread and pastries at the inn, where kitchen staff basically grabbed them off their hands and then continued on their way to the apothecary. It was just a few side streets away from the inn, tucked among some houses.

The apothecary was a quaint little place, however as Melina stepped inside, she was once again surprised. The woman minding the shop was a half-elf woman with long blonde hair and piercing silver eyes.

"Hello, Heilia! I brought you a new customer," Erina waved at the apothecary. "Her name is Melina and she's Gilbert's apprentice I've told you about before."

"It is a pleasure to meet you. How may I help you?" The apothecary said with an impassive expression.

"Likewise. I'm in need of… pads, if you have some," Melina said somewhat awkwardly. It was odd asking for such things from an elf when they did not have to deal with this human peculiarity.

"Of course. Which kind would you like? I have basic kinds which are cheap but might be a bit rough on the skin. There are those made from softer material which are a bit more expensive," the apothecary informed, but then a calculating glint appeared in her expression for a split second. "I also have pads infused with magic which you will not notice and you only need to change once a day."

"Only once a day?" Melina perked up. When she was an [Archmage], she made a special potion to lessen the effects of her cycle, but obviously, she could not make one now.

"They are the best! I'm never going back to the regular stuff," Erina nodded with her head.

"I'll take the magic pads."

"It'll be 1 gold coin for a set of ten," Heillia announced, and Melina's jaw nearly dropped open.

"No—"

Erina pulled Melina closer and whispered in her ear. "They are rewashable. Magic enchantment removes everything after a single good rinse with water."

There was a moment of silence until finally Melina caved and pulled out a gold coin from her pouch. "I'll take them, but this is burglary."

"Magic is not cheap," the apothecary grinned victoriously and snatched the coin.

"Those better be worth that outrageous price," Melina grumbled.

"Oh, trust me. They are!"

"I'll go get—" Heillia was about to turn, but paused mid-step, her face turning pale.

"Is something wrong?" Melina asked.

"I hear it… A monster attacking the wall. Something is colliding with the stones," the elf muttered, her large ears listening intently. "Water… no, the noise is not as fluid… it's fire… Fire monster is attacking Sunglow."

The loud alarm bell rang through the town.

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