"Even if we say that I won't have a lot of customers in the future, working in a kitchen this old and outdated will only cause me headaches I could've prevented." ~Shallies Mythernal

A week quickly passed…

[Shallies, Grace and her group have just made it to Cinterbrim Town.]

Stachie's timely notice greeted the semi-retired Godkiller as soon as she woke up. Grace and her party had emerged from the dungeon three days ago. Given that they had had to make their way back without a transport, this much time was to have been expected.

"Good, we can visit them tomorrow. We'll let them rest today."

[I'll add it to your to-do list.]

"Thanks."

Shallies stretched the sleepiness away before changing out of her pajamas. She also tucked Apple under her leaf blanket before heading out of their bedroom. There, in the narrow hallway, she found Valor'el yawning himself awake. He noticed her presence and promptly withdrew, not wanting to seem disrespectful.

"Lady Shallies, good morning."

After a week of effort and constant reminders, the seraph was finally accustomed to addressing her as 'Lady' instead of 'Godkiller'.

"How's Arun'dul?" she asked, noticing which room he came from.

To their surprise, the other seraph had not awakened since his subjugation. It was a Curse-Induced Coma Condition, exacerbated by the physical stress. While Valor'el had proposed to return him home, Shallies felt somewhat responsible for Arun'dul's current state. She, with Apple's help, had been maintaining his nutritional needs while the seraph had been providing hygienic care for the past week.

"No development," he replied disappointedly.

Shallies nodded, moving on quickly before the mood soured. The worst thing with Curses was their unyielding and persistent nature. And the fact that the god, who had indirectly afflicted Arun'dul, was no longer present spoke to the virulent aspects of his Condition. One where intervention could cause more harm instead of healing.

It was better to observe and let the Condition play out for now. The seraph was strong, possessing two Hero Classes. He should be able to survive, provided nothing worse happened.

"Want something for breakfast?" Shallies asked, inviting Valor'el downstairs. "Renovations start today, so if you want anything for lunch and dinner, I'll make them now."

"I don't want to impose," the seraph replied modestly, holding out a hand to gesture his restraints. "I can eat whatever you provide, Lady Shallies."

With that, they went on and prepared for the day.

Yor'ylin and Danilo arrived just in time for Shallies to finish her tasks in the kitchen. Together with Apple and Valor'el, they started with breakfast. A more extravagant version of the Tomato Soup, now with cream instead of melted butter, some mashed up beans for extra thickness and texture, and a hearty serving of Grilled Cheese Sandwich to match. For the drinks, coffee or tea or water to whoever wanted which.

To avoid the stress of hiding Valor'el's identity during his stay, the group decided to introduce him as one of Shallies' former party members. Technically, they were telling the truth. They simply hid the fact that their last quest together had been centuries ago.

There was no need to go into further detail, especially since revealing that an Acting Deity was in the presence of mortals could quickly create an uncontrollable ripple effect. Simplicity was best. They didn't even bother telling them about Arun'dul.

The couple wasn't bothered by Valor'el's appearance, a true testament for business-minded people. In fact, they had gone to great lengths in convincing the seraph to procure one or two of their services. It was more of the fact that a nomad seraph, one with proper authorization to roam, was a rare sight for the couple, that they just had to see if any of their merchandise was up to par with the legendary race's standards.

Valor'el, after concluding the same thing, was kind enough to oblige. They began discussion in earnest while Shallies cleaned the dishes.

[Congratulations, Shallies. You're now Chef Level 6]

After a week of feeding the same set of people, the Chef had begun to find consistencies on how the experience allocation for this Class was defined.

It was different from the Combat Classes, first and foremost, where Base and Advanced Classes earned experience by defeating monsters and doing quests appropriate for their tier. The Chef Class, however, earned experience from a customer once a day.

She would also receive bonus experience for every new person who ate her food. It seemed that the Classes and levels of the consumer mattered somewhat, gaining larger bonus experience from higher leveled people.

This meant that repeat customers, while providing constant experience, were not as significant as the first time they ate her meals. At higher levels, especially once she had fully established her tavern and had gained regular customers, gaining levels for her Chef Class would come down to a snail's pace. Consistent, but incredibly slow.

She didn't mind the grind. Fortunately, she could keep gaining experience for her Skill Masteries, as long as she kept utilizing them.

The thing that intrigued Shallies, however, was the realization that experience allocation for other Profession Classes was unique to their Class. There was no way, for example, for a Builder to earn experience by cooking food for others, and vice versa.

Hold on…

Shallies blinked after catching herself smiling. Her habits from previously grinding levels were surfacing. She shook her head, quietly laughing at her own musings.

There's really no need to find efficient ways to level up this Class…

With the dishes cleaned, Shallies found her guests finalizing their dealings. Their timing was impeccable. Now it was time to begin the renovations in earnest.

"What's the approach?" Shallies asked the couple. She had already prepared the kitchen, removing anything important and storing it inside her Class Inventory. Yor'ylin was swiping over her System Console, making sure things were in order.

"Well, since we're expanding this quadrant, I need to establish a Light Frame, so we can demolish this area without compromising the rest of the house. Then Dan and I can work on the actual frame and foundations. Once we've secured the integrity of this section, we can go from there."

"Don't take this the wrong way," Shallies began, her eyes towards Danilo, "but I'm wondering exactly how you're going to help. Is it by crafting materials?"

"That, too," he said, nodding along. "I'm also borrowing half of Yorie's Builder levels through the Party System. This way, we can finish your kitchen much faster."

Shallies blinked at that. She turned to Valor'el, who, much to her surprise, had the same expression of bewilderment. They both turned back to the couple, their eyes glinting with a question.

"You can share Profession Class levels through the Party System?" they both asked, almost shouting.

They had to be specific, mainly because of how untrue the alternative was. In all their years leveling Combat Classes, both Shallies and Valor'el were absolutely sure that sharing levels was not a possibility. This had to be something specific to Profession Classes, or even more specific, just the Builder.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

"They're always shocked whenever we say that," Yor'ylin said, amused.

"It's not like we advertise such a thing," Danilo added. His wife was visibly enthused to share.

"It's different for every Profession Class, but for Builders, when we reach level 60, we're able to choose the Apprenticeship Skill. It lets us share half of our levels to up to three party members."

"Do they become your apprentices?" Shallies asked for clarification. "I mean, is it only while you're in a party?"

"Technically," Yor'ylin confirmed. "It ends when we disband, but the Skill was primarily used to take actual low-level Builder apprentices, so they got used to their work quicker."

With this, Shallies took a glance at Valor'el, who understood exactly what she wanted to do.

"Can we help?" asked the seraph. "Since you can take three temporary apprentices, Shallies and I can help with the work. We're pretty good with instructions."

"That's a little…" the elven Builder scratched the back of her head. "It wouldn't be proper to make the client do part of the work."

"It's more of a curiosity," Shallies clarified. "I want to know how it works since I'll probably take a similar skill for mine, if my Chef Class has it. Plus, there's no such thing for Combat Classes, so I'm also here for the novelty of it."

Unable to decline, Yor'ylin passed the question over to her husband. Danilo seemed amused.

"We haven't had anyone ask to be an apprentice since Catelyn." He also scratched the back of his head, pondering on what to do. "Eh, I guess it's fine. As long as you're the one who asked. Feels a little weird, but it also seems kind of appropriate, given the previous owner of this house. And we can finish up a lot quicker this way."

"Well," Yor'ylin started, "as long as you guys are sure."

"Wait," Shallies held up a hand. "You're not the kind who screams and shouts orders, are you?"

"No…?" The elf turned to her husband. "I don't think so…?"

"She's quite tame," he assured them. "As long as you follow instructions and don't disturb her when she's thinking."

Shallies nodded. "Fair enough. Let's do it."

"What about this far?" Shallies asked Yor'ylin.

The two women stood in the backyard, where the path of trees led towards Cinterbrim Town. They had taken a few paces from the backdoor that connected to the kitchen.

"Yes," the elf replied. "This should be enough space. How do we take care of the trees, though? Seems a little excessive to cut them down. I can work around the foundations to incorporate them, if you want."

"No need. We can just move the trees. I'd rather have a completely isolated fridge."

"What?"

Giving Yor'ylin a signal to watch, Shallies gestured over to Apple. The teacup fairy evaluated the discussed space, before giving a thumbs up.

"Apple here is a Grovekeeper," she explained. "These trees were made by a Biomekeeper. Though it is a tier above, it looks like Catelyn made them somewhat easy to negotiate with."

Yor'ylin watched in awe as all the trees they had intended to cut down uprooted themselves and started to walk. Apple guided them like an orchestra's conductor, echoing bells and waving her hands as they all adjusted to their new allotted space.

In just a matter of minutes, the backyard obtained a huge lot that was almost as large as the original allotment for the house. Apple, with both hands on her waist, made a huge grin.

"Amazing," Danilo said with a sigh. He had heard the march and had joined them to watch. "I saw the trees when Catelyn brought them to life. But to see them take a walk is something else!"

Like a proud big sister, Shallies didn't bother hiding her giddy smirk.

"So? This should be good enough, right?" she asked Yor'ylin.

"It's perfect!" Inspired, the elf activated her Skill, Light Frame.

From within her, a cube made out of blue light expanded throughout the backyard. It reached the house, enveloping it with the same light. A scan travelled along the cube, before emitting a grid. Shallies and the rest created ripples within the cube as their weight shifted.

"With this, we can keep the integrity of the house while we dismantle the kitchen foundations," Yor'ylin explained. "We can start by demolishing the walls."

"So it won't collapse?" Valor'el asked, as he held a sledgehammer. He wasn't exactly nervous, and was more curious than anything else. "Are you sure?"

"Yep," the elf replied. "Give it a whirl."

The seraph stepped forwards and swung the sledgehammer. Shallies noted and appreciated how he kept his power under control. But the single swing still created a large hole on the wall.

Debris gave way, and the cracks crawled along the structure. But when it collapsed, only the wall itself broke down. Content that it worked, Valor'el and Danilo proceeded to demolish all four corners of the kitchen.

"Wow…" Shallies sighed.

It was odd looking at an empty quadrant and somehow the entire house was still standing. She could see into the dining area, the stairs, and even the bathroom. No walls, no pillars, no frames. And yet, the Light Frame kept the house in full integrity.

"Shallies," Yor'ylin beckoned. "Help me out here."

Sauntering over, the Chef, turned temporary Builder apprentice, looked at what the elf was preparing on her System Console.

"What's up?"

"Help me align these layers." Yor'ylin took what looked like wall components from her Class Inventory and stacked them together temporarily in the backyard. Two stacks and counting, each towering over them.

They were made of different materials, Shallies noted. Neither brick, nor cement, nor marble, but it looked some type of stone. It took her a moment to analyze it.

"These are from the frost golems," she said, finally. They were part of the materials she had given them to work on.

"And these are from the flame ones." Yor'ylin produced more materials, for a total of four stacks. "The idea is to combine and align them before covering them in the actual wall. Then we can integrate the entire framework with your System Console so you can control the temperatures for each section of the house. Including your fridge room, of course, just in case you want to make it warm instead."

"You said we can maintain the overall look of the rest of the house, right?" Shallies asked.

"That's right. I can adjust the walls and slip the layer in between without causing a collapse, but I need these properly aligned. My Skills can help you out. Let me give Valor'el and Dan some instructions, and I'll come back to you."

Shallies gave it a go. Initially, she instinctively used her mana-control to levitate the components. The realization was almost immediate. She had to stop herself. Pure Profession Classes like Yor'ylin and Danilo didn't have mana-control to rely on, or at least, not on the level she was capable of.

By hand, the temporary apprentice Builder took two components. One from the frost golems, and one from the flame. They had some weight, huge squares that were supposed to go in-between walls, but nothing she couldn't handle.

She stacked the flame one over the frost, and almost instantly, her System Console activated. It was different from the information screen that usually hovered in front of her. Rather, a non-invasive display appeared over the components.

[Precision Sight activated.] [Alignment: 43%] [Adjustments required. Please follow the prompts, Shallies.]

Under Stachie's guidance, ripples and lines appeared over the materials. Shallies followed them, finding patterns to match until the alignment indicator became 100%.

"Good," Yor'ylin said. "You're a quick learner."

She produced another item from her Class Inventory. A small, metallic square rod. It had runes running along its length. Shallies read it easily.

Combine, merge, join, and seal.

Yor'ylin observed her read the runes, then smiled. "I'm guessing you know what's this for, then?"

"Sealing these components together," Shallies replied.

"Great! Just run this along the edges, and make sure you don't move the alignment when you do."

Without pause, Yor'ylin produced more tools. She had clamps, a set of stands, and a magical saw.

"Place them over the stands, and make sure the clamps are tight but not too much. Check the alignment one last time, then use the seal rod. The merge will be instantaneous. After that, cut the excess. Lastly, pile them up on this cart so we can bring them around easily."

In response to the barrage of instructions, Stachie listed them on a heads-up display over her master's peripheral view. With magical tools incorporated into the operation, and her temporary Builder levels, Shallies finished the fine cut in a matter of minutes.

She looked around, and saw that everyone had a task to do. Valor'el was demolishing the kitchen floor. Danilo was polishing some windows and frames, and etching out some designs that matched the house's motif, on a number of pillars.

Apple was busy tending to the newly moved trees. Since they weren't the same as treants, having them uproot was extremely exhausting, especially since they had never done such a thing in their life.

Lastly, Yor'ylin walked around the kitchen. She fiddled with her Light Frame, leaving notes on some sections and drawing additions to the entire structure. She also marked the extensions for the new kitchen, and the fridge room. She even indicated the area for the cellar, beneath the kitchen. They would have to dig tomorrow, but marking everything now meant less double checking. Lastly, she made an obvious indicator for the doors and the new connecting road towards the forest path.

Even with practice and recognizing the component patterns for better efficiency, by the time Shallies finished aligning everything, it was almost noon. She could've done this task faster with mana-control, but the satisfaction of physically contributing to the project left her smiling.

"I'll go prepare lunch," she told them. "I'm just reheating stuff and preparing the table, so be at the porch in five minutes."

Both the guys nodded, but Yor'ylin was too immersed in her task to respond.

"Don't worry," Danilo said. "I'll nudge her out of it in a bit."

With a nod, Shallies and Apple went to the courtyard where they set up a small open kitchen with the appliances they'd taken from the house. She took a huge pot with the Beef Stew she had cooked up earlier and set it on the heat to warm up. A second, smaller one, she used to heat up some Mashed Potatoes.

The teacup fairy was setting up the table on the porch. A roof overhead covered them from direct sunlight, while the open area gave them a beautiful view of the fields and trees up north.

Valor'el was first to arrive. He held something under his arm. A small, metal box that he presented to Shallies.

"I found this when I was breaking the floor," he said. "I think it belonged to Cate. Kept it hidden from the other two."

Shallies took the box and tucked it discreetly inside her Class Inventory, only giving the seraph a nod of gratitude. The couple were close behind, but were thankfully too busy chatting with each other to notice anything.

Excitement had filled the semi-retired Godkiller. Both because Catelyn might've potentially left a message for her, and because she was looking forward to some feedback on her Beef Stew with Mashed Potatoes.

After the meal, the rest of the day was spent working on the kitchen and fridge project. Only when the evening came, and Yor'ylin and Danilo had left, did Shallies, Valor'el, and Apple sit down at the dining counter to open the box.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.