"Floor 2 clear!" Erika raised her hands while seemingly happy. "Let's go complete the third one!"
"W-Wait, wait a moment please… I-I want to take a little break." Alberta sighed, sitting over her Portable Furnace Golem she brought with herself. "I-I've leveled up and all but I still feel tired… M-My head… it hurts."
"Alberta…" Eric sighed.
"Alright then, let's take a small break." I agreed. "I also want to relax a bit and inspect a few things. For now, Eric, give Alberta some potion for her headache."
"A-Ah! Yeah!" Eric nodded happily, being given an opportunity to earn more points with her.
He quickly summoned his cauldron using the Elixir Ring he had made for himself and me, and quickly started putting several materials he carried around, alongside a normal potion.
"{Brewing}! {Mixing}! {Synthesis}!"
Alberta was surprised by his swiftness, as Eric quickly gave her a green-colored potion.
"Here, drink this. It is an Herbal Potion made using herbs I make using my Spirits and some other materials I had." Eric said. "What you're experiencing is called Mana Fatigue, it happens when you overuse Mana for the first times through leveling, even if your MP is not gone yet, it happens and it's very annoying."
"S-So you made this potion to cure it?" Alberta was surprised.
"Yeah, more or less! Try it out, it has a nice flavor as well." Eric happily offered the potion to her.
Alberta slowly drank it, and after just a few seconds, she immediately bounced back to normal. Her headache was gone and her Mana conductivity was going rapid as well.
"Ahh… T-This potion… I-It has made me feel so relaxed and well." Alberta began overflowing with Ki as well.
Indeed, this was a potion we designed so it could help someone open their Meridians and begin the constant fluctuation of large quantities of Ki. Eric knew the whole recipe. It utilized materials only I could make, such as the Apples from Apul and his Magic Juice, alongside his own Spirits materials, such as his Yggdrasil Treant's branches, leaves, flowers, and so on.
It even utilized Erika's leaves as well as a bit of her sap.
"Fwaahhh… I feel so relaxed now." Alberta sighed. Her stuttering was gone due to the pure bliss she was experiencing.
"Good, just rest for a bit and you'll be ready to go again. Want me to make some food?" Eric wondered.
"Y-You can cook?" She wondered.
"Yeah, my aunt and uncle taught me. Although compared to Blake I am not as great." Eric said.
"Ahhh… I-I would like to taste your food, Eric…" Alberta said while blushing a bit.
From here, all of us could clearly see how Eric's heart was beating faster and faster by her words, she really got him.
"S-Sure, what do you prefer?"
"Hmm… I-I don't know. I'm fine with whatever you would make."
"Ahh… A-Alright then! Blake, can you help me out?"
"Sigh, you leave me no option then. Let's make a good snack for everyone then."
Like that, Eric and I started cooking something as I took out several items from my Inventory. Of course, goblin meat wasn't in the menu.
"I was about to ask you to make me a meal!" Erika seemed happy I joined into the cooking.
"Geez, Blake's not your walking chef you know?" Sighed Elizabeth. "Also weren't there snacks he gave to you? Where are they?"
"Oh… the sandwiches? I ate them already…" Erika blushed with embarrassment.
"Seriously…" Elizabeth sighed again, giving her a head pat.
As we cooked, Elfriedden was watching carefully. His eyes opening widely as I moved my hands using the Cooking Skill.
"Your cooking ability… is incredible, do you possess the Cooking Skill?"
"That's… you know how hard is to get Skills not related to one's Talents?! How come you have it?"
"Doing Alchemy and Cooking is not so different, you mix different ingredients to create something new. Eric has become the second best at cooking after me."
"Hahaha, you're praising me too much, I am still a long way to go…" Eric laughed.
"Hmph…" Elfriedden seemed jealous. "Then I should also be able to learn it… I'll cook something. A dish from my country."
We brought a nice amount of ingredients through my Inventory, and in an attempt to make him get more relaxed with us and get along, I let him have some ingredients he asked me to handle to him. He quickly started cooking, while saying this recipe was one his grandmother taught to him.
Meanwhile, everyone else prepared things for our meal in the middle of a dangerous dungeon. Chris burned the blood from the ground and cleansed everything with his spirits, while Erdrich brought the table I had inside my Inventory into the middle of the boss room.
The smell of boiling stew, rice, and spices filled the dungeon. If there was any surviving goblin right now, they would be drooling at our preparation. Once things were done, we quickly brought everything over the table.
I had prepared some spicy stew using several spices I bought in this city, alongside some simple rice with boiled vegetables. At the side, Eric made his specialty, noodles with a green sauce made from several delicious herbs, and some parmesan cheese on top, giving it to Alberta alongside skewered wild boar meat and a big jar with fresh juice from the apple fruits his Treant Spirit produces.
"Uwaah! I-It looks so delicious!" Alberta was literally drooling as she began eating everything slightly timidly. But once she realized the flavors were outstanding, she quickly forgot about manners and started eating desperately.
"I'm glad you like it. We call this Green Herb Noodles." Eric said. "I used some medicinal herbs to add more flavor, the meal can also enhance vitality and stamina."
"I-I can tell! Each bite I make… it fills me with energy… A-And this meat is so juicy!" Alberta continued eating everything. Eric seemed happy she was happy, what a simple guy he is.