Culinary System: Transmigrated to Game World

The third day arrived with a cool breeze that swept through the air, making the whole morning feel like a much-needed break after the brutal heat of the day before. The sky was clear, the sun just starting to rise, casting a warm orange glow over everything. Kai groaned as he slowly stretched, his sore muscles aching from all the work they'd done the previous day. The constant digging, uprooting, and battling roots had left him feeling like he'd been hit by a wagon, but at least today would be a little different. Today, they'd deal with rocks. Not just any rocks, but huge, stubborn, heavy boulders that seemed to laugh at their efforts.

Congratulations!

Level 2 Achieved!

New Reward Unlocked:

Leverage Stick – A sturdy, thick branch for increased leverage to move large rocks.

Stone Hammer – A heavy stone attached to a branch for smashing and breaking rocks into smaller pieces.

Kai looked around and saw that Varaan was already awake. She was sitting near the fire, carefully sharpening her dagger on a flat stone. Her face was calm and focused, like nothing could bother her. Kai shook his head and smiled, amused by how relaxed she seemed, even though there was hard work ahead.

He squinted at the two things next to Varaan. One was a thick branch that looked like it could be a small tree, and the other was a rock tied to a piece of wood, probably for smashing things. He raised an eyebrow. "What's this? A free shopping spree? What am I supposed to do with these?"

Varaan, sitting casually with her arms crossed, smirked. "Don't act so surprised. The game system gives us rewards every time we level up. Now we get to choose one." She pointed to the two items with a dramatic gesture. "Pick wisely, rookie."

Kai's eyes narrowed as he looked at the two tools. "Right. So, I have to pick between a fancy crowbar and a rock tied to a stick. What's next, a training montage?"

Varaan laughed sarcastically. "I'm sure the crowbar will be great for all your life goals. Just imagine how many boulders you'll move with that...," she said, shaking her head.

Kai gave her a look. "And you think the rock on a stick is going to be better? What is this, caveman style?"

Varaan shrugged. "Well, you can smash things with it. Very satisfying. You get to break rocks and maybe even your hopes and dreams while you're at it."

Kai smirked. "Ok, great. Let me pick the tool that'll let me smash things—and my spirit."

"Hey, if it works, it works," Varaan said with a grin. "Pick one, or we'll just stand here all day arguing about rock therapy."

Kai sighed, clearly enjoying it. "Fine. But next time, I'm picking the crowbar. You can have the rock."

Varaan laughed, tapping the stone hammer. "Deal. Just try not to knock yourself out with that stick."

"So....ready to face some rocks today?" Kai asked, trying to make light of the situation.

Varaan didn't even glance at him. Her voice, however, was dripping with sarcasm. "Of course, I've been dreaming about this moment all night long. Rocks? Rocks are the absolute highlight of my life. Forget about fighting monsters. This right here? This is true excitement."

Kai chuckled and stretched again, his joints cracking as he stood up. "I can see that. Well, lucky for you, I'm here to make all your dreams come true."

Varaan finally looked up, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "Yeah, because nothing says 'best day ever' like moving rocks from one pile to another."

Kai grinned. "Hey, every great adventure has its share of boring stuff. But don't worry, we'll make it fun."

Progress: Tools – 10%

They grabbed their shovels, leverage stick and stone hammer, Kai felt the weight of his aching arms already. The smaller rocks were easy enough to deal with. They weren't heavy, just the size of a fist or a little larger. They could simply pick them up and toss them to the side, which Kai found somewhat satisfying. But Varaan didn't seem quite as thrilled. She moved slower, bending over each rock with careful precision, inspecting them like they were rare artifacts.

"I'm starting to think these rocks are hiding treasures," Varaan mused aloud as she picked up a particularly jagged rock, turning it in her hand. "Maybe there's a diamond or some ancient curse inside this one. Who knows?"

Kai snorted, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Yeah, I'm sure they're just full of magical surprises. Maybe one of them will grant me the power to move the next boulder without breaking my back."

Varaan rolled her eyes but didn't argue. She tossed the rock onto the growing pile with a grunt. "I'll believe in magic when a rock gets up and starts singing."

Kai laughed. "You never know. Maybe one day we'll discover that these rocks are secretly alive."

"Sure, and maybe I'm secretly a dragon not vampire," Varaan muttered under her breath.

Kai laughed.

Progress: Problem Solving – 20%

As they made their way through the smaller rocks, things started to get more complicated. The medium-sized rocks—big enough to require some effort but not too massive to require full-on muscle power—were harder to handle. They weren't just going to toss these aside. Kai crouched down and tried to dig around one of them, using the shovel to loosen the soil. He gritted his teeth, feeling the strain in his muscles, and glanced over at Varaan.

"Any ideas?" he asked, wiping his sweaty face with the back of his hand.

Varaan leaned against her shovel, eyeing the rock like it had offended her personally. "Well, if we had a cart, maybe we could load them up and get them out of here faster. Or better yet, if we had a small army of ants..."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Ants, huh? You think ants would help us with this?"

Varaan shrugged. "Hey, at this point, I'm willing to try anything. Why not ants? They're strong little creatures."

"Right," Kai said with a smirk. "I'll just talk to them. Maybe they'll agree to be our rock-moving army."

Varaan chuckled. "You're a piece of work. But I guess we don't have much choice but to keep moving them manually."

Kai sighed, bending down to dig deeper into the soil. "Yeah, guess we're stuck with rocks, ants, and no magic for now."

Progress: Stamina – 25%

Their work was slow but steady. The medium rocks were heavy, and each one was a battle. But things started to get a little more serious when they ran into the boulders. Massive, half-buried giants that seemed to laugh in their faces. There was no way they were getting around these without a lot of effort. They had to move them.

Kai stood in front of one, staring up at the giant boulder with a grim expression. "This is going to be a pain."

Varaan crouched beside him, inspecting it with her usual lack of enthusiasm. "Yeah, that small house. No big deal." She remembered when they had seen this rock the day before yesterday while mapping the terrain.

Kai grimaced, rubbing his hands together. "Alright, we can't just lift it. We'll need leverage. If we can wedge this stick under it, we might be able to get it to budge."

Varaan looked at him, her eyebrow raised. "Leverage? You sure this isn't just some made-up nonsense?"

Kai sighed. "It's a real thing, I promise. Just trust me."

With a roll of her eyes, Varaan grabbed the stick and helped him position it under the boulder. They used a smaller rock as a fulcrum, wedging it just right to get the most power from the stick.

"Alright," Kai said, planting his feet firmly. "On three. One, two, three!"

Together, they pushed with all their might, gritting their teeth as the boulder slowly lifted, inch by inch. It felt like a never-ending struggle, but eventually, the boulder rolled away from their path with a loud thud. Both of them collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily and covered in sweat.

"We did it," Kai said, exhausted but smiling.

Varaan, however, didn't seem impressed. "Wow, a boulder moved. What's next? A few more just like it?"

Kai chuckled. "It's one step closer, right?"

Progress: Leverage – 25%

The next few hours were a blur of more rocks, sweat, and sore muscles. Kai's shovel kept hitting hidden rocks, causing his arms to ache every time. "Ugh, not again," he groaned, glaring at the offending rock like it had insulted his mother.

Varaan's voice drifted over, dripping with sarcasm. "Having trouble again? Maybe these rocks are in love with you. You should try talking to them."

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll start responding to sweet talk," Kai said, kneeling down to examine the rock. "We need a better way to find them before I end up digging up every inch of soil here."

Varaan unsheathed her dagger and handed it to him. "Here. Maybe this will help you connect with the rocks on a spiritual level."

Kai took the dagger with a sigh, trying to poke at the dirt. "This isn't working either."

Varaan gave him a look of mock sympathy. "Don't worry, rookie. You'll figure it out... probably."

They spent the next hour digging around the stubborn rock, their muscles sore and tempers frayed. But eventually, with a final effort, they managed to free the rock. Kai held it up in triumph—only for Varaan to grab it from his hands and toss it onto the pile without a second thought.

"Congrats," she said dryly. "One rock down. Now, let's do it another 500 times."

Progress: Collaboration – 20%

By late afternoon, the sun was starting to set, casting long shadows across the land. The rocks were piled up around the edges of the plot, and they had made more progress than Kai had expected. The land wasn't cleared, but they were getting closer.

Kai stretched, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "We'll need to organize these rocks. The bigger ones will be for the foundation of the hut, and the smaller ones can be used for pathways or maybe a fire pit."

Varaan raised an eyebrow. "You think we can really build a hut out of rocks?"

Kai smiled, trying to sound confident. "Why not? They're sturdy, and we've got a ton of them."

Varaan sighed but didn't argue, and they spent the next hour sorting the rocks. The work was slow, but there was something almost satisfying about it. By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, they'd finished for the day.

Progress: Land Cleared – 20%

Progress: Building – 1%

Exhausted, they sat by the stream, cooling off. Kai leaned back and stared up at the stars, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction. "Not bad for a day's work. We're getting there."

Varaan glanced at him. "You're insane if you think this is going to work. But hey, I'll give you credit for not giving up."

Kai grinned. "Maybe, but it's our insanity. And I think it's going to work."

Varaan shook her head but didn't argue, and for the first time, there was a hint of respect in her eyes. "You really are impossible."

Kai laughed, feeling a little lighter than he had before. "That's what everyone keeps telling me."

As the two of them sat by the stream, looking out at the land they'd begun to shape, Kai couldn't help but feel that, even though they were far from finished, they had taken a huge step forward. And maybe, just maybe, they had a chance to make this place their own.

Progress: Rock Cleared – 80%

Progress: Land Cleared – 28%

Progress: Day's Work Complete – Level Up: 3