Glen Johnson took one look at the bowl set in front of him and felt his enthusiasm dim a little. The shredded pork scattered across the surface was cut unevenly, some strips thick and stubby, others long and ragged, the kind of knife work that announced itself immediately as amateur. He made up his mind on the spot: whoever had cooked this, she was no chef. Even a line cook at the most modest little diner wouldn't turn out prep work this rough.So she was either the owner, he figured, or someone who'd stepped in to help at the last minute. Glancing at her again as she moved behind the counter, he leaned toward the latter, though something in the way she carried herself around the space suggested the place was actually hers. He couldn't quite square the two impressions, but he let it go and picked up his chopsticks.The noodles were, in a word, unremarkable. The portion was generous, and the pork was plentiful enough, but the broth tasted like something boiled at home o

The System chime rang in Glen's head."Host has triggered an upgrade mission. Upgrade Mission 1: Work at this restaurant for one month and accumulate genuine praise from three hundred customers to complete the task.""Mission Reward: Beginner Cooking Skill Book x1, cash reward of five hundred dollars, Charisma +1.""Failure Penalty: Loss of hearing for one month."What the hell?Glen Johnson froze, staring at the wok in his hands. How had he triggered another upgrade mission now, of all times? He'd been half ready to bail on this sketchy job offer, to walk out the door and find something safer. But the Upgrade Chest had other plans. It was chaining him to this place, forcing him to stay for at least a month whether he liked it or not.Even if working as a chef here really did come with danger, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and stick it out. Losing his hearing for a month? That would be a nightmare. He'd be deaf, unable to work, unab

After the wave of customers left, the restaurant immediately returned to its quiet atmosphere. As the clock ticked past one in the afternoon and the lunch rush faded, not a single customer had walked through the door.Watching the empty dining room, Glen couldn't help but feel a surge of intense anxiety. He needed to earn genuine praise from three hundred customers in this restaurant within a month. That averaged out to at least ten people every single day. But from the looks of things, it was hard to say whether even ten people would walk through these doors in an entire day. At this rate, how could he possibly complete his mission?The thought gnawed at him, his mind churning with worry.Wendy Cross, on the other hand, the restaurant's owner, seemed completely unbothered. She had probably grown accustomed to this situation long ago and showed no signs of concern whatsoever. When there were no customers, she simply sat at a table by the window, quietly reading

Glen Johnson struck first.His fist connected squarely with Troy's face, sending blood spraying from the gang leader's nose. The cluster of thugs behind Troy froze for a split second, stunned into silence. Then the shouting erupted."Holy shit! He just hit Troy! Get him!"These punks spent their days prowling this corner of Old Town, shaking down shop owners and roughing up anyone who looked at them wrong. They were the ones who threw the punches, not the ones who took them. Sure, every now and then some hothead fought back, but that was always after they'd already taken a beating. Nobody ever swung first.Until now, she had never seen him fight like this.This kid had the audacity to throw the opening blow before they'd even touched him. She could hardly believe he had the nerve to attack first.Their pride stung worse than Troy's bleeding nose. Without waiting for orders, the gang surged forward with a chorus of furious shouts, fists raise

Glen Johnson was drifting in and out of consciousness when the voice echoed through his mind."Due to the host's exceptional task completion, in addition to the original rewards of one Beauty Potion and 3 free stat points, an additional Restoration Rune is awarded! 15 EXP and 1 Honor Point have also been granted."The words jolted him awake. His Spirit surged with sudden alertness, pulling him back from the edge of passing out entirely. The mention of a Restoration Rune alone was enough to shock his foggy brain into sharp focus, flooding him with an excitement that kept unconsciousness at bay.He didn't fully understand what a Restoration Rune could do yet, but he knew one thing for certain. In the game world he was so familiar with, any kind of rune was an incredibly precious item.Realm Conquest was a massive game that blended combat techniques and the arcane arts. Typically, new players entering the server could only choose the martial path at first. I