An Unbeknownst Shadow

The great thing about the Culinary System was that it didn't require you to carry around pots, pans, or even utensils to use it. The system will fabricate anything that is required, even the needed ingredients. Some of the more complex recipes may require the user to obtain certain ingredients however.

Zero quickly realized that even though he had technically died, being reborn with this new more powerful body still required food and drink for him to survive. Which was one of the many reasons he had chosen it - he didn't want to be caught in a food crisis in the middle of nowhere.

He sat in a tiny clearing in the middle of the forest by a fire he had created by rubbing a stick against a piece of wood he had luckily found thanks to a rotted out tree that had fallen in the forest. 

"Guess I have my parents to thank for this. All those nights being locked out of the house finally came in handy." He said in a dark undertone with a slight smile.

Through some trial and error, he had figured out the way to create the equipment he needed. Zero held his hand out with his palm facing downward. "Create recipe: Revitalizing Chicken Soup." A surge of energy rushed through him and like magic(literally), a small metal pot and several ingredients appeared before him on a small cutting board. 

Amazing, he thought to himself. This was one of several base recipes that he had been gifted as a bonus for choosing this system. Which he still thought was a little interesting.

He looked over the various ingredients: raw chicken, whole carrots, onions, bullion cubes, and even a bottle of fresh water. There were even the utensils he needed to prepare everything. While he did so he knew exactly what to do with everything thanks to the cooking knowledge endowed to him by his system.

Zero first poured the water in the pot and set it on top of the fire, using a few thick shortened branches as a grate between the fire and the pot. He then expertly grabbed the knife and began seamlessly chopping through the vegetables. 

"This is like twice the speed I used to be able to cut vegetables!" Zero exclaimed. It was as if he was in someone else's body - it just knew what to do. "So is this what everyone else feels like with their system??"

As he finished cutting through the vegetables he saw a random number appear in his vision that read '+25exp'. It then vanished as quick as it appeared.

"Interesting...guess it's 25 experience points for chopping vegetables. Hm."

He then diced through the chicken and threw all the ingredients in the water that had just begun to boil. Another '+25exp' popped up.

As the ingredients boiled together, the pot of soup began to give off a golden glow as it cooked through the ingredients and Zero could sense a particular energy radiating from the meal in front of him. 

[ Meal Complete! ] was stated more digital words over the pot before vanishing. +50xp

"Good, already have 100 experience points." He waved open his HUD and looked at the progress on the experience bar. "Only another 400 to go before I can get another skill point." Zero grabbed the large cooking spoon that had appeared with the rest of the kitchen items and dipped it into his soup. 

"Let's see what's so revitalizing about this soup then." He said as he sipped a bit from the spoon.

His eyes flew wide open as the warmth of the soup ran down his throat and drained out into the rest of his body - as it did so, it was like some of his tiredness and ache from running through the woods off the actual path was wiped away. Left in its wake was a new sense of motivation and alertness like he had just taken the best nap, following several more spoonfuls of the concoction. 

"Whoa! This...I feel good as new again!" Zero yelled in a hush whisper to himself. "Wait, what's that?" He could see a small blue 'i' in a circle near the pot. He reached out and pressed it; once he did so a larger box expanded out to show the following: 

[Recipe: Revitalizing Chicken Soup

Recovers 100% Health. Becomes less effective by 40% the more it is used within a single day.]

Zero clicked the box close. "Yikes, that's a steep drop. I'll have to keep that in mind when I'm in a pinch then." He soon finished the rest and decided to finally try to rest. He picked a remote spot off the path that was in the denser part of the forest to hide the small glow from his fire. 

There had been no recent screams of terror, that he had heard, so maybe he was far enough off the North trail to run into anyone else.

Zero waved his hand over the various utensils and stated, "Return to inventory." With that all of the utensils and the pot he used glowed white and disappeared from sight.

"Let's hope the night goes by quietly..." Zero muttered as he nestled up against the bed of leaves he had made.

*************************

"Hey."

.....

"Hey, wake up."

.....

"You've got to be kidding me...HEY!"

Zero was jarred out of his sleep by the sound of someone yelling right next to him. He quickly turned on his back and looked up and found himself eye to eye with a tall boy that had a black spiky mohawk that tied off in a loose ponytail behind him. He didn't wear the same cream tunic he or any of the other players he had seen so far wear - instead, he had on a black cape that wrapped around the front of him inscribed with weird emblems and a black sleeveless shirt.

Along both of his arms was some form of mesh material intertwined up to his wrists that bore black fingerless gloves. 

Oh shit, Zero thought as he noticed that it was still night out. How did this guy sneak up on me while I was asleep?! The soup must've made me sleep harder or something!

Zero also noticed that the boy stood several feet away from him. But that wasn't the only thing. 

Why am I still even breathing? Zero thought as he jumped to his feet and added a little more distance between them.

The other boy sighed. "Finally, you're awake. I was about to start kicking you."

Zero didn't respond. He was too busy looking him over for weapons, but found not one. 

"What? Are you mute?" The boy asked with a serious face. "If so....you can use sign language. I know a little."

Zero raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" Is this some kind of ploy? He thought as he looked for some way to make a quick escape. He wasn't proud enough to think he could take on this boy and his athletic body head on.

"Oh good, you can speak. This will make it a ton easier." The boy responded taking a step toward Zero.

Zero instantly backed up in response. "Make what easier exactly?" He saw a thin opening between two trees on his left not far behind the boy.

The boy held out his hand as if he was about to grip something. 

"Killing you."