Chapter 5: 5. Work?
Chapter 5
My awakening was... strange. On the one hand, it is understandable that Lona's body is much healthier than what I had in my past life, after all, back then I couldn't even lie on my right side because my blood pressure would immediately start to rise, and with it my pulse, but now, despite the not very comfortable hard bed, I felt simply amazing! I felt confident in the strength of my body and the strength of my muscles, which in my past life I had only had during the period when my heart problems had not yet made themselves known and I was actively working out in the gym, and this, not to mention the thoughts that seemed to have become clearer, as well as the feeling of something warm and pleasant inside my body. And no, this is not the seed of some suicide who managed to rape Big Momma's guest, but something that evokes a feeling of POWER.
After such sensations, the first thing I naturally did was to check the system and the first change that literally caught my eye was the blue bar that appeared indicating mana, which, by the way, turned out to be at the 100 mark.
Then a new inscription appeared in the status: punch force, against which 195 kg. To be honest, the meaning is a bit unclear. If I remember correctly, a good amateur boxer's punch will be around 200 kg, and with the same leg, a person who has trained in kicking can easily multiply this value by 2. Again, the correctness of the punch is important. If I can really punch almost like a good boxer now, then... I still don't think that it will somehow help me against a spear or a sword. But in the future, I should definitely think about it.
- However, you should be more careful with the distribution of characteristics. - I muttered, shuddering from how much it hurt, before I lost consciousness.
- And if I also, like in the game, got experience by going through the traps, and then pumped up my stats right there on the spot... - I felt a little sick from how vivid the picture my imagination had thrown at me. The local goblins are still nasty, and their boss, the impaler, is even scarier. In the game, if you have a sufficiently pumped up physique, and he doesn't kill you in battle, but stuns you, then Lona will have a future as a penis attachment for a creature that is unlikely to be lower than a one-story house in height. That is, he will even move and fight while living Lona is hanging on his penis.
- I need to write down somewhere that I shouldn't fight the impaler until I can blow him up with one spell.
The next change I noticed was the appearance of 2 new skills.
The first was picking up a stone. It allowed me to get a stone by spending 1 unit of mana, even if there was none under my feet, which, to be honest, seemed useful, but I'm not sure I'll use it much in the future.
The second skill turned out to be really cool. Rest - this skill allowed me to convert part of my current satiety into physical endurance by spending mana, that is, purely theoretically, if I can stay constantly full, I can walk for as long as I want without getting tired, there is one downside, though. To use this skill, I have to hold still for three seconds, that is, I may not be able to use it in battle, although in the game it was almost the same, and there the main thing was to simply run far enough away from the enemy or distract him with summons, which would be problematic in real life.
And the last, this time extremely unpleasant change, was my inventory. Of all the meat that I collected in the sewers, only 25 pieces remained, everything else changed to rotten meat. Besides the unpleasant loss of provisions, which could have become long-lasting after smoking in a dark cauldron, it also meant that I had been unconscious for quite a while, because if it was like in the game, then it had been 12 hours since I picked up the meat!
I simply couldn't afford such a stupid waste of time until I had enough strength to maintain my own safety, as well as the means to survive.
Getting out of bed, I washed myself with water from the barrel and left the room and headed straight to Big Mom.
- What do you want?!
- I wanted to ask to use your kitchen. - I quickly said before my courage had time to leave me from the sight of this woman.
- And what good would that do you. If you don't know how to use a dark cauldron, then you won't be able to cook anything in this kitchen. - BM said more calmly.
- Well... I can use it.
- Yes? Well then, your luck is already much higher than most of those present. Come in, little one, you don't need to ask permission for something like that in my tavern.
- Thank you.
Having thanked her, I walked around the counter and approached the dark cauldron, next to which stood a bored man who looked at me with curiosity, but did not say anything.
To be honest, I was a little worried that when I approached the cauldron nothing would happen and I would try to shove a stick and 24 pieces of meat inside like a fool, but fortunately, the game convention really worked and a screen opened in front of me that was exactly like the one that appeared when opening the chest. So, sighing with relief, I threw the same stick and 24 pieces of meat from my inventory. Why not all 25? Because according to the recipe in the game, you had to use 2 pieces of meat per 2 kilograms of smoked meat, and all the odd ones just disappeared, so now I did not dare to check whether it would be the same here. The fact that after 12 hours the products randomly either spoil or remain completely normal already speaks of a slightly strange work of the laws of this world.
As soon as I pressed to accept the cauldron as gurgling, I suddenly felt a slight weakness.
- Didn't explode! - exclaimed the man, who, as it turned out, managed to move away from me and hide behind Big Mom.
- So you can cook smoked meat, - said Big Mom, and then, after thinking for a bit, added. - Take your meat and let's go chat a little.
- Um... okay? - I answered uncertainly and, taking the meat, followed the woman who was walking in the direction of the room I rented.
- I have a small offer for you, - said BM, as soon as the door to the room closed. - You will cook smoked meat and dried fruits from the products I provided, and in exchange, I will provide you with this room and three meals a day.
This offer, frankly speaking, was unexpected, after all, there was even a moment in the game where BM clearly felt sorry for the necromancer girl who was only a little younger than Lona herself, while Lona was not treated in such a way, which she managed to complain about out loud. And then I was offered such an extremely attractive offer for any refugee, and if it were the original Lona, she would most likely even agree, however... I don't want to remain weak, and for this I need to complete tasks for the mercenary guild.
- To be honest, I would like to agree, but only on the condition that it does not take up all my strength and time.
- Are you really trying to set conditions in your situation? - the woman raised an eyebrow.
- ... I want to become a strong mercenary, and if for this I have to refuse your offer, then so be it. - I said, plucking up my courage, looking straight into the eyes of probably the strongest mercenary in these lands.
- Hm. Okay, but you will have to cook 24 kilograms of smoked meat per day. In the case of long hikes, you will have to prepare a ration in advance for each day of the planned absence, do you agree?
- Yes!