Chapter 11

"Hey, now that you're the strongest among us, it's only natural to take on a bit more responsibility!" Beck, with a playful grin, came over and patted Ji Ran's shoulder.

Ji Ran looked helpless, "You're kidding, right? My level is still far behind yours. It's only thanks to Lidia that I'm not a burden!"

Actually, Ji Ran wasn't wrong. He had inherited the game's skills, one of which was the appraisal skill. Using this skill, he could see the levels of other players, monsters, and NPCs, as long as their levels weren't too far from his own.

With his current appraisal skill level, he could see the levels of those up to fifteen levels higher than himself. So he could tell that Beck and Ban were level 30, Ailin was level 33, and Uncle Lai was just a question mark.

Ji Ran was currently level 22, and Lidia, who he had brought along as a companion, was just level 20.

Recently, Ji Ran had noticed that his level growth had slowed down. The experience points from ordinary beasts were now negligible, and only magical beasts could provide substantial experience. Although cooking and crafting could also provide some experience, the amount was definitely not much. Eating food was even less effective, providing only a minimal boost.

But even so, he had managed to level up four times in the past ten days, which was already a rapid pace compared to others. Of course, if they knew that Ji Ran was still level 0 less than a month ago, they would be shocked to the point of dropping their jaws...

In fact, everyone's strength had increased over the past few days. The biggest contributor was undoubtedly the various meals Ji Ran had prepared. These meals provided various beneficial effects, greatly increasing their training efficiency, which naturally led to a rapid increase in strength. The lower one's strength, the greater the effect, as in the case of Lidia, who had started at just over level 1, equivalent to about level 14 or 15 in the game. Now, she had leveled up more than Ji Ran!

In this world, each level increase was quite difficult. Although it wasn't as challenging as upgrading from bronze to silver or silver to gold, each level increase required a breakthrough. Failing to break through could mean being stuck at that level for life.

But for Ji Ran, this barrier was almost non-existent. Although levels 39 to 40 and 69 to 70 required breakthroughs, the usual level 10 increases were nothing special; he just needed enough experience, and the breakthrough would come naturally. Compared to the natives of this world, he had a significant advantage.

And this advantage seemed to be contagious.

Ban and Beck had been stuck at level 3 for some time, and this adventure was partly to help them break through. Unexpectedly, they didn't break through in battle, but after eating a few meals prepared by Ji Ran, they did! This made them overjoyed and even more treasured Ji Ran.

The most surprising was Lidia.

None of the group were magic users, so no one could guide her training. Her former teacher had only taught her the basics, allowing her to reach level 1. She had planned to work hard to reach level 2 after entering the academy. At her age, level 1 was enough to pass the exams. But after eating a few meals prepared by Ji Ran and receiving a magical item he crafted for her, she surged to level 2!

This rapid increase in strength was a pleasant surprise for anyone. Lidia knew the reason for her sudden power boost, and now she looked at Ji Ran with stars in her eyes—don't misunderstand, it wasn't a crush, but rather a hope that Ji Ran would make more meals to boost her mental strength...

Of course, she also knew that such rapid growth was unlikely to continue. She didn't even know how to proceed after level 2... Without a lineage, she couldn't go further.

But regardless, hope was now within reach—or rather, in that person.

"Can we eat the armored lynx's meat?" Beck picked up the armored lynx's corpse. Apart from the magic crystal, the most useful part of the armored lynx was its scales. Although some were damaged in battle, most were still intact and could fetch a good price.

"No problem, but it might not be enough. It's almost noon, and if you don't want to hunt again, we can eat some of the beef jerky." Ji Ran looked at the armored lynx.

A few days ago, the group encountered a level 3 magical beast—the unicorn buffalo. This beast had thick skin and immense strength, and it took a while to kill. However, the effort paid off, as it yielded about 300 pounds of meat!

With so much meat, they couldn't finish it in one meal. The weather was also hot, so it couldn't be stored. So Ji Ran came up with a solution: turning the beef into jerky.

Thus, in addition to preparing a delicious beef and potato stew for everyone, he spent a day turning the remaining meat into beef jerky.

In reality, it was impossible to make beef jerky in a day with no resources. But Ji Ran used the cooking skill from the game, along with some wild seasonings and salt he had gathered, to successfully make the jerky.

These beef jerky pieces became cooking items with additional effects. Eating them could speed up the recovery of injuries. While they weren't as potent as alchemical potions, they could reduce recovery time from several days to just one.

When Ji Ran explained the effects of the beef jerky to the group, Lai and the others immediately treated it as a treasure, storing it all in their magic pockets and only using it in emergencies. As they said, this beef jerky could save a life in a critical moment!

In the wild, the biggest fears were illness and injury. To address these, one usually needed potions made by alchemists. But those potions were expensive, and few adventurers could afford to carry them regularly. Now, the beef jerky almost solved the problem of injuries!

Eating a piece of beef jerky when injured could quickly restore one's combat ability. Was there any food more suitable for adventurers?

Well, of course there was, but Ji Ran would need to work on it. For now, the conditions weren't sufficient, and even a skilled cook couldn't make something out of nothing.

When Ji Ran suggested eating the beef jerky, Lai was the first to object, "No way! That stuff is so useful, how can we just use it to fill our bellies? Don't worry, we can hunt a couple more beasts, or dig up some potatoes if necessary!"

Hearing Lai's words, Ji Ran could only shake his head and smile wryly. These people really treated the beef jerky as a treasure... Well, if that's the case, he would have to put in more effort.

Fortunately, this world, like the game world, had various wild vegetables and fruits that could be easily found. Otherwise, he would have even fewer ingredients to work with.

Hunting ordinary beasts wasn't difficult, and there were still a few lynxes around, though their meat wasn't very tasty—mixing it with the armored lynx's meat made it edible. Lai and the others went hunting, and Ji Ran helped clean up the armored lynx.

In the cultivation game "Immortal Freedom," Ji Ran had learned several gathering skills. He needed to mine for crafting and gather meat and vegetables for cooking. Learning these skills allowed him to be self-sufficient and save costs. To deal with the armored lynx's corpse, he used the butcher skill.

Taking out a dagger given to him by Lai and the others, Ji Ran began to clean the armored lynx. This wasn't a difficult task, and with the butcher skill, he seemed to naturally know where to cut for maximum efficiency. He could dissect the armored lynx without damaging any of the intact scales... It didn't take long to clean the armored lynx thoroughly.

"Big Brother Ji Ran, your technique is so skilled..." Lidia didn't go hunting but stayed by Ji Ran's side to help, such as gathering wood and fetching water. She grew up in a mountain village, so these tasks were not difficult for her.

"Hehe, practice makes perfect. Back home, I used to do this a lot," Ji Ran said as he cut the armored lynx's meat into pieces, looking up at Lidia.

To be honest, Lidia, though still young, was beginning to show signs of beauty. However, due to malnutrition, she was small and underdeveloped, giving her a slightly androgynous look with her short hair. But Ji Ran was sure that with a bit of makeup, Lidia wouldn't be any less beautiful than the idols he knew from Earth... of course, Western ones.

Lidia had already gathered enough wood and was now squatting beside Ji Ran, resting her chin on her hands, "Big Brother Ji Ran is so amazing, knowing everything. I'm not like that. I haven't even mastered magic well, and I don't have any other special skills..."

Ji Ran could tell from her expression what she was thinking. After all, when his parents had just passed away, he had felt even more lost than she did.

"Don't worry, Lidia. Look, you have the power of magic, which none of us have. Everyone has their strengths, and there's no need to compare your weaknesses with others. Reaching level 2 without a lineage is something most mages can't do. You have such strong talent, so why worry?"

To be honest, Ji Ran wasn't very good at comforting others, but he could empathize. He had once felt hopeless about his future, wondering if he could keep going. He could deeply understand Lidia's current feelings and managed to say some comforting words.

"But I only have a bit of magical talent, which can't compare to you. Look, your sword skills are amazing, you can cook unique meals, and you can craft magical items... I can only do magic..." Although she had perked up a bit, Lidia still lacked confidence, lowering her head and fidgeting with the grass at her feet.

"…Well, it's because I've been learning from a young age," Ji Ran said, blushing slightly. In total, he had only spent three years in the game.

"People can't choose their birth, but they can choose their future. Don't blame your parents for giving you life. After that, your fate is in your hands. You felt it was unfair to live in a small mountain village, so you came out. You've had a smooth journey and met Uncle Lai and the others, which is your luck. Seize this luck and change your fate. Everyone has various talents; the key is finding where to apply them. Your ability to freely combine spells, isn't that a great talent? Believe me, if you work hard, you will definitely become a powerful mage!"

Ji Ran had to rack his brain to come up with these words. His eloquence was actually quite good, having spent many years in society. But it was his first time playing this role, so he had to think hard to say these things.

And the effect was immediate.

"Really?" Lidia's eyes began to sparkle.

"Really!" Ji Ran nodded firmly, looking at Lidia with sincere eyes. At this moment, he couldn't show any hesitation, as it would greatly hurt Lidia.

"…Thank you, Big Brother Ji Ran." The little girl looked at Ji Ran for a moment, then suddenly lowered her head. Ji Ran couldn't see that her face was blushing.