PP Chapter 5

Dohwa, who knew the infamy well through Sohyun, accepted the cook quest with a slightly tense face.

Skipping all the boring story text, all that was left for Dohwa was a basic frying pan, a kitchen knife, and a quest to make an apple tart.

“Is this for real? Why are there so many ingredients?”

Dohwa, who had searched for various things and found the ingredients for the apple tart, muttered in a shrill voice.

Indeed, it wasn’t easy. Does it make sense that raising a cook is harder than raising a damage dealer?

Glancing at his DPS class that was already level 30, Dohwa glared at his level 5 Cook class.

“And how am I supposed to get the ingredients……”

Muttering gloomily, Dohwa started searching the internet again.

“Is this right?”

He glared at the internet browser with a look of utter disbelief.

According to his search, to level up the Cook class, it seemed he also had to level up a class called ‘Plant Expert’ alongside it.

​He tried to raise a Cook, and suddenly he had to become a Plant Expert too.

​Having half-heartedly accepted the Plant Expert quests as well, Dohwa wore an empty expression.

“This is why people said raising crafting classes is hard.”

Crafting classes were great for making money, and items were produced right away. But to level up such a crafting class, you either had to buy all the materials from the market board or gather those materials yourself.

“Why is it so evil?”

He could now understand the people who said crafting was harder than battle classes.

As he was just staring at the screen with a hollow face, Won returned before he knew it.

Because items that could be equipped by a low-level cook were limited, Dohwa’s character looked scruffy in many ways.

Seeing that, Won immediately sent a party invite.

Feeling slightly timid, Dohwa accepted Won’s party request.

[Party] Won: What’s this? What happened that you suddenly took up a crafting class?

Pouting his lips at the words that plainly showed his bewilderment, Dohwa mumbled.

“What do you mean why? I’m doing this because of you……”

Dohwa, who muttered words Won couldn’t hear, answered Won’s chat with slumped shoulders.

[Party] Peach: No… I was so grateful for the clothes that I wanted to make you some food, so I took it, but I don’t know how to do anything.

As if his dejection could be felt through the screen, Won didn’t type for a moment.

Then, at some point, he laughed like crazy and spoke in a voice dripping with affection.

[Party] Won: Wow, really? Today’s my birthday. How did you know to do something so cute?

“What, it was his birthday? Then why is he playing games? Does he have no friends?”

If Won had heard him, it was a remark that would have made him burst into tears from laughing too hard rather than just being absurd.

And unfortunately, Won, who hadn’t heard Dohwa’s muttering, continued typing.

[Party] Won: Crafting is a bit of a nuisance from start to finish. But it won’t be that hard if I help you from the side.

“He’s going to spend his birthday helping someone else level up their crafting?”

What kind of person is this? Does he really hate seeing the game shut down that much? I wouldn’t quit the game even if he didn’t go this far.

Dohwa, who had already grown fond of Betting Bad, thought so while unable to hide his smile.

At least for the time being, he probably won’t be released back into the wild. With a skilled rotten veteran by his side, there was nothing to fear.

No. Actually, dungeons were still scary, but even so, it was incomparable to when he did them alone.

Dohwa laughed happily and replied to Won’s chat.

His low mood had improved so much that he now felt joyful, as if floating in midair.

[Party] Peach: It’s your birthday, are you sure you have time? If it’s okay, please help me.

[Party] Won: I don’t have any plans, so it’s fine. I don’t have any friends, you see. Looking at it, it seems you couldn’t even finish the first quest. Wait a moment. I’ll go get some materials and food.

[Party] Peach: Are you going to buy it from the shop?

[Party] Won: No. Food and materials for your current level are needlessly expensive, so it’s better to gather and make them directly.

[Party] Peach: Heh, then won’t that be too much of a hassle for you??

[Party] Won: It’s not difficult for me, so it’s fine.

[Party] Won: Oh, if you think you’ll be bored, do you want to follow me?

To be honest, he didn’t think he’d be that bored waiting here.

The graphics were so pretty that just watching other users pass by, or looking at the character customization he had poured his soul into, was quite fun.

However, he felt bad sending someone who was suddenly doing crafting because of him off alone.

After a moment’s hesitation, Dohwa sent back a reply saying he would.

Dohwa, who was now quite accustomed to riding on Won’s mount, was carried off somewhere.

​Won, who expertly chopped wood and cut grass, switched his class to Cook right on the spot. He pulled out a high-grade frying pan that looked extraordinary at first glance and made an apple tart for him.

It was a tool that looked so high-level he almost felt sorry to make him use it just for an apple tart.

Feeling inexplicably sentimental, Dohwa watched Won work with a blank face.

Even while doing all that, Won struck up conversations from time to time so Dohwa wouldn’t get bored. If someone else saw, they would have thought he had two bodies.

Even after making the apple tart, Won made and gathered all sorts of things.

As he watched blankly, wondering what on earth he was doing, Won answered as if he had read his mind.

[Party] Won: I’ll give you the quest items for the next levels in advance.

[Party] Won: You’ll have to do some hellish grinding to level up… but it’ll be easier if you have them beforehand.

Even after finishing a difficult dungeon, Won was the type to say, ‘It was a bit hard, wasn’t it? lol.’

Since someone like him was saying it would be hellish grinding, Dohwa felt a bit fearful.

‘Should I have just bought them and given them to him instead?’

But then there would be no sincerity.

Dohwa, who surprisingly had a romantic and classic side, pondered such things with a serious face.

What was certain was that it was too late to worry about it now.

​Considering that Won was helping him, he had to level it up somehow.

Dohwa squeezed his eyes shut, thinking about the notoriously long grinding that lay ahead.

“Sigh, I don’t know. It’ll work out somehow.”

He tried to think as positively as possible, but there wasn’t a shred of hope in the voice that escaped his lips.

But it couldn’t be helped. Dohwa wasn’t particularly fond of repetitive labor.

However, in order to make food worth eating for Won, he had to hit max level in both classes he was currently raising.

“I’m screwed. Why did I think of making it myself?”

Dohwa sighed, thinking like someone who had failed at making handmade chocolates on their first Valentine’s Day after starting a relationship.

Meanwhile, Won was steadily filling Dohwa’s inventory with the things he had spent a long time making and gathering.

In his attempt to repay the favor, he had only increased Won’s workload. Dohwa looked at the food filling up his inventory with a solemn gaze.

“……Well, I just have to make it for him anyway.”

Even though it seemed like Won would be helping with all the leveling and grinding.

​Even though it seemed Won would help him whenever he wandered around, not knowing how to use his skills.

Even though it seemed Won would be the one gathering the ingredients for the food Dohwa was making to give to Won…

Feigning ignorance of this painfully obvious future, Dohwa shadowed Won for the rest of the day.

And doing exactly as he was told, he chopped wood, cut grass, mined things, cooked food, accidentally blew it up, and then made it again while watching Won laugh.

In this manner, he painstakingly pushed his way up to level 50.

Naturally, unless it was food made by a max-level player, there was almost no use for it for Won.

Knowing that, Dohwa pondered for a long time, then made the best food he could at his level and sent it to Won via mail before logging off.

The food he gave along with a birthday message was none other than a peach cake.