AN: Easter Special + Challenge Completion Double Bonus Ultimate Rising Phoenix... I ran out of things to say.

One Change: Only the more attentive readers will care, but I changed the Basement Dome level to 7, and Uncle Jeff had it at level 11. Nothing else changes.

Enjoy the chap.

.

Chapter 9: System Updates and Friends.

It was around six in the evening when he left, and around six in the morning when he got back, yet even after the most active day of his life, he still couldn't fight his body's natural alarm clock and woke up four hours later to find an uninvited occupant's butt resting atop his head.

'You had the whole bed to sleep in, and you chose my head? Really, Luc?' Axel pushed the blue fluff ball off his head with a huff and rolled over, just staring up at his ceiling for a long minute. 'I need a shower.'

His body was sticky and still covered in the bandages that soldier dude wrapped him in.

Knowing he wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep, he pushed his way out of the comfort of his sheets and grunted as his entire body ached something fierce. 'God, it's like I ran a triathlon through a Super Mario course.'

Waddling like a penguin, he moved over to his bathroom door before pausing at the sight of the small shower. 'I have a better idea.'

Leaving the sleeping kitten on his bed, he grabbed a change of clothes and made his way down the stairs at a turtle's pace, only to stop and stare at the trail of blue fur in his kitchen. 'That son of a…' Looking back up, he considered going to strangle his new partner for such a heathenous action, only to stop and stare again at the obvious doggy/cat door cut into the bottom of both his loft door and the basement door.

"…System."

{Yes, User?}

"Why….you know what, never mind."

{Hn.}

"Regrets have been made."

The basement door slid open as he approached, but Axel paused at the long flight of stairs through the long tunnel. 'I didn't think this through.'

A thought occurred to him, and he summoned his Serving Tray, hovering it close enough to sit down on comfortably. 'Mush.' The tray floated down the tunnel at his mental command. 'I'm like Aladdin, but better cuz I'm a chef.'

The flight wasn't fast, but it barely had a mana cost, and he frankly didn't care as long as he didn't have to walk and came out into his giant dome, the lights turning on with a clap of his hands. 'Never gets old.'

He pointed the tray toward a side room and floated inside before eyeing the control panel excitedly. "Why shower in a tiny ass bathroom when I have access to customizable biomes. Uncle Jeff knew what life was really about."

A few minutes playing with the controls, and the room morphed before his eyes, expanding into a natural cavern filled with steam from a large square pool bubbling with sulfuric water. 'My own indoor natural hot spring. This is a win.'

Surrounding the square pool of steaming water was a cold plunge pool, a deep dive pool going down a hundred meters, and a long curved swimming pool circling the dome's edge. There were no chairs, markers, or any additional features besides the pools, but what was present was enough to put a five-star hotel spa wet area to the challenge.

Axel gestured and his hovering seat brought him to the hot spring, gently lowering him into the steaming water with a groan of satisfaction leaving his lips. 'I always wanted to try one of these.'

Volcanic hot springs were always advertised in diving magazines he subscribed to, listing the numerous healing and skin benefits of bathing in natural sulfuric water. 'Too bad I can't try out some more exotic bath types.'

The side chambers could simulate various kinds of natural weather patterns, climates, and environments, but they didn't produce any materials he could remove or create things not found in nature. Any water, dirt, or plant life formed inside couldn't be taken out, but if he planted a flower seed in the soil and let it grow, he could remove the flower as he wished.

'Still better than that tiny shower.' Finding out about the Biome gave him the answer to all his questions about why everything in the loft felt smaller. 'Uncle Jeff never even used that shower. That mold must have been growing for twenty years, damn it, Uncle.'

Grumbling to himself about his uncle's cleanliness not extending outside of the kitchen, Axel laid back and floated in bliss, feeling the water washing over his exhausted body like a rejuvenating blanket. 'Actually, it's a bit too rejuvenating.'

Axel blinked and flicked open his status before pulling up the Biome's information.

[Basement Dome lvl 7]—The essential workshop of any crafter, designed to the specifications of a chef. Space Expanded by 500%. Self-repairing. Sanitation available upon request. Customizable side chambers. Ingredient Preservation. All harm from status effects are disabled within the dome. Recovery is enhanced by 200% within the dome.

'Seven perks for a level 7, I wonder what level 11 did….wait.' His eyes narrowed at those last two lines. 'I didn't really think of it before with all the new stuff, but I could use some clarification.'

"System."

{Yes, User?}

"Explain the functions of the Basement Dome to me. What are the limits of these abilities?"

{Understood. The Basement Dome is a core function of the system, designed to give the crafter their ideal workshop. The User has inherited the ideal setup from the previous User. At level five, the benefits are as follows.

Space within the main dome is expanded by 500%.

The dome may repair any damage to its structure over time.

Upon request, a designated area may be sanitized.

Six side chambers are available for full nature customization, with a size limitation of 50% of the main dome.

Upon request, ingredients stored in designated areas may be preserved indefinitely.

Harm from status effects will not cause damage within the dome.

Base Recovery is sped up by 200% within the dome.

Those are the current functions.}

Axel's eyes widened slightly at the fifth effect. "Explain the last three in more detail."

{Understood.

-Ingredient storage may be selected from the consol within each side chamber. Please select the option to create a storage container.}

"Is space expanded in the storage?"

{Negative. The space is only as large as the area supplied.}

"So if I turned a full side chamber into a storage room?"

{The space would become the full scope of the side chamber.}

"Hn. And the other two perks?"

{Within the dome, all Status Effects are disabled from preventing further harm.}

"What about existing damage from them? And does it eliminate the cause?"

{Negative. User is required to heal from damage himself. Pain is not removed, only further harm. Outside the dome, the cause will continue if it remains.}

Axel's brow scrunched up as he tried to process that. "So I can set myself on fire and feel the pain, but I won't be burned or be injured by it?"

{Direct fire damage does not apply as a status effect.}

"But a secondary effect like a burn does?"

{Correct.}

"That's kinda cool. Weird, but cool. What about my shoulder? It was burned half a day ago."

{The Dome cannot prevent an injury that already existed. Only halt damage or other continuous effect within its walls.}

Axel rubbed his shoulder over the bandages with a thoughtful look. "What about poison?"

{Damage will be disabled.}

"But I would still feel it being processed by my body?"

{Correct.}

"Would it stop my body from developing antibodies?"

{Negative.}

"Huh, well, that's something." The thought of training his body against various poisons appealed to him. Countless types of aquatic life could do horrifying things with them. "And the recovery perk?"

{Base recovery is boosted by 200% within the dome.}

"So I would heal 3x as fast as my body will allow?"

{Correct.}

"Now that's impressive." Axel recalled his earlier thoughts about how he had lasted so long in the forest. "I think I healed somehow when I was outside; why was that?"

Instead of responding verbally, the system opened his status screen and highlighted a section.

[Class: Dimensional Chef – A rare combination of Chef and Dimensional Traveler. Not even dimensional displacement will douse the flames of your passion.

All culinary-related skill percentage boosts are doubled within a kitchen.

Knowledge Retention and Muscle Memory are enhanced by 10% for a dish previously made.

Your body adapts to any realm like a natural inhabitant.

Once a day, the user may boost Immune System, Digestive System, Cardiovascular System, and Pain by 250% through Autophagy for 120 seconds.]

"Are you saying I activated that ability?"

{User's cells have been energized and optimized. It is the most likely hypothesis.}

"I don't remember any pain…." Axel trailed off and recalled another fact. He was drunk off his ass. "Oh, guess I should keep booze on me more often." He refocused on the ability. "So it basically sped up my natural recovery at the cost of pain?"

{Correct. However, Autophagy is highly dangerous. It is the process in which starving creatures break down their damaged cells to produce energy while replicating the highest quality cells. If the User does not consume a rich source of nutrients and a minimum of 70% of maximum calorie intake before Autophagy ends, total body failure, proceeded by death, is possible.}

"Intense. Is that why it's limited to once a day?"

{Correct. The User's body must regenerate new cells before restarting the process.}

"What happens if I do it twice a day? Assuming I have a sufficient food source."

{User risks genetic diseases such as cancer and the replication of mutated cells. Aside from producing energy, Autophagy is a natural process meant to expel cellular error and replicate higher-quality cells.}

"Keep it to once a day, got it." The things the system could do to his body were becoming more fascinating as he explored the various abilities. "Thanks for the help, System."

{Of course.}

Axel's gaze dropped to the blinking notifications he had swiped away back in the lagoon. "System, can you compress the notifications and just show me the final result?" He didn't really feel like going through them all.

{User is advised to read things thoroughly.}

"Hn."

{….compressing notifications.}

"Thank you."

So he was lazy; sue him.

[User: Axel Marc.

Class: Dimension Chef lvl 6 14

- Class Perks

Shop Points: 2 7

Active Skills: 5/5

Flame Generation lvl 2 4

Water Generation lvl 2 7

Flame and Water Manipulation lvl 6 12

Item Box lvl 2 5

Serving Tray lvl 4 8

Passive Skills: 5/5

Cooking lvl 2 5

Kitchen Knife Proficiency lvl 3 5

Frying Pan Proficiency lvl 6 10

Butchering lvl 1 5

Explorers Map lvl 2 5

Mana: 160 240 ]

"Oh, things really shot up." He went down the list with a hum.

[Active Skill: Flame Generation lvl 4

- Create flames out of mana. You are 26.5% more resistant to fire and heat.]

[Active Skill: Water Generation lvl 7

- Create water out of mana. You are 28% more resistant to water and cold.]

[Active Skill: Flame and Water Manipulation lvl 12

- Your control over fire and water is increased by 30.5%.]

[Active Skill: Item Box lvl 5

- A dimensional pocket that supports up to 480 pounds of weight.]

[Active Skill: Serving Tray lvl 8

- A branch of barrier magic. Create a mana construct of a serving tray to be controlled as you desire. Spend mana to alter the shape, density, and design as you please.]

[Passive Skill: Cooking lvl 5

- Be a master of culinary skills and techniques, either innately or through training. +27% (54% in a kitchen) increase in Motor Control, Hand-Eye coordination, and Reflexes when cooking.]

[Passive Skill: Kitchen Knife Proficiency lvl 5

- A kitchen knife is to a chef what a paintbrush is to a painter. +27% (54% in a kitchen) increase in strength and dexterity when handling a kitchen knife.]

[Passive Skill: Frying Pan Proficiency lvl 10

- Be a master of the way of the frying pan. Between heaven and earth, none may escape your pan. +29.5% (59% in a kitchen) increase in Strength and Endurance when handling a Frying Pan.]

[Passive Skill: Butchering lvl 5

- You gain intuitive knowledge on how to butcher a corpse for edible parts. +27% (54% in a kitchen) knife handling skills when dealing with a corpse.]

[Passive Skill: Explorers Map lvl 5

- Gain a mini-map in the corner of your vision. Automatically updates surroundings and key locations as you travel.Range and detail are based on level.]

"Nice to see things go up." All his skills seemed based on percentages with the exception of Serving Tray and Explorers Map. 'I guess I gotta feel out the Tray, and Explorers map just seems to expand the distance around me that gets recorded. It was around twenty feet at the start, and now it seems to be about thirty five feet, so three feet a level?'

He eyed the map in the corner of his vision and let it expand. 'I can follow my trail all the way from here to the inner area of the Emerald Lagoon.' Everything was decently marked in a pixelated format, with clear designations for when he entered a different area. 'I can see the line between the outer area and inner area of the Emerald Lagoon. Oh, and even the dive pools I explored show everything, including the species I found inside them.'

That last part interested him a lot. Axel played around with it and found he could input coordinates and leave notes, but it didn't do anything besides leave a marker. If he hadn't explored the area, it just showed a floating pin in a dark area. 'Guess I gotta explore to expand the Explorer's Map.' He hummed at his pun and moved to the Class level and Shop Points. "System, can you summarize what leveled me up?"

{System advises…}

"Hn."

{Summarizing…

Daikon Beetle (CL-1) = +1 level.

Snake Frog (CL-1) = +1 level.

X%$V& = +2 levels

Emerald Great Leg (CL-8) = +4 levels.

Dimensional Chef reached level 10 = +1 SP

Achievement: Defeated 50 opponents = +1SP

Achievement: Defeated 1 opponent over 1 ton = +1SP }

"What?" Axel sat up and rested against the edge of the pool. "I can understand the SP, but whats with the corrupted text?"

{Outside of the shop, the system relies on the User's senses to record data to analyze. During the User's underwater adventure, the User was highly intoxicated. The system is unable to correctly identify targets. Displaying resulting experience gained.}

"Oh." Axel thought that was fair. "How does experience work? I killed dozens of those beetles. Or, well, they killed themselves on my barriers, but it still counts."

{Class Levels are generated through the leeched energy released upon the death of an opponent. The greater the User contributes to bringing upon its death, the greater the energy gained upon its release. The greater the soul of the user, the less there is to be gained from those weaker. Further, gaining too much energy from the same source builds a resistance to its species.}

"…So, I gain class level EXP by killing. Kill stealing will earn me much less. Killing stuff weaker than me has little results. And farming the same species has diminishing returns. Did I get all that right?"

{User comprehended a higher concept involving 4th-dimensional energy transmission as a primate would comprehend a spacecraft. However, it is still accurate.}

"Monkeys can be pretty smart if they try." Axel chuckled and stood up. "One more question, though."

{Yes?}

"Why am I killing things to level up with a Shop System?" He stepped out of the hot spring and moved over to the cold pool. "Shouldn't I be leveling with Restaurant stuff?"

{The Shop's purpose is to support the growth of the User to further the customer flow. The greater the quality of customers, the greater the fuel the shop harvests. The stronger the User becomes, the higher the survival rate of dealing with such customers.}

"You want to eat my customers?"

{Negative. The process in which the shop harvests energy is similar to how the User harvests experience through killing, without violence.}

Axel blinked at that. "Are you….hungry? Is that what all this is?"

{…That is not a totally incorrect way to process things.}

"Are you some kind of dimensional leech?"

{The System is a highly sophisticated….User, I am transmitting thoughts to your mind. Diving underwater does not turn me off.}

Axel came back up from his abrupt cold dive and spat out some water. "Thanks for the help, System. I'll make sure to feed you some time."

{Hn.}

"Hn." Axel smirked at his corruptive influence. 'Still don't know what it is, but who cares, this has been pretty fun so far.'

Stepping out of the pool, he stretched his limbs with a refreshed feeling. "I could get used to this speedy recovery stuff." His body didn't feel nearly as stiff as it did when waking up. Still quite painful and sore, but at least he could fully extend his limbs now.

"Alright, let's see what this ingredient preservation thing is about."

Stepping out of the 'Spa Room' as Axel decided to name it, he went into another room and found the option on the customization panel. "So, how does this work?"

{Designate a crate size.}

"Hn." He clicked the option for a 24x24 crate, and the room shifted as a wooden crate rose from the floor. "I thought you don't provide furniture?"

{Ingredient Preservation is the reward when unlocking level 5 of the Basement Dome. Crates of various materials and sizes may be provided solely for the storage and preservation of ingredients.}

Reaching into his Item box, Axel pulled out a daikon horn and flipped it between his fingers. "So I just toss it in?"

{Correct.}

Shrugging, he did so and the daikon vanished into the crate like dropping a stone into a pond. "Ok, now what?"

{Make contact.}

As soon as his hand touched it, a system screen popped up with an inventory list, showing [Daikon Horn x1] on it.

"Oh, that's pretty cool. So it will remain fresh until I remove it?"

{Correct.}

"And I'm only limited by the physical size of the crate?"

{Correct.}

A hum was his answer, but his eyes shined with an excited gleam at what it meant. 'I think it's time to organize my Item Box.'

It was still full of goodies from his trip to the point of hitting the weight limit, even with the level ups.

Moving back over to the console, Axel started putting together a design with rows of shelves with a + mark walking path, only the moment he went to press enter, he got an error sign. "System?"

{User must provide building materials for furniture items or spend Shop Points to upgrade the Basement Dome.}

"…so you can provide wooden crates but not shelves?"

{Correct.}

"Anyone ever tell you you're stingy?"

{Hn.}

Axel blinked at that. 'Guess Uncle Jeff agreed with me.'

Grumbling at the weird mechanic, he looked over the options again. "How am I supposed to get building materials down here? My Item box can barely hold 500 pounds." There was a tunnel entrance, but that was a long walk for carrying heavy loads.

Again, rather than verbally answering, the system pulled up an option.

[Cellar Door Access] – Add a Cellar Door and drop-off area.

[Direct Storage Access] – Summon and deposit ingredients in basement storage to the main floor kitchen.

"And I'm assuming both cost 1 SP?"

{Correct.}

"Well, that pretty much solves my problems. If most of the creatures in this world are as big as the few I've run into, then I'll probably need a bigger entrance. Buy it."

{Purchases may only be made from the central console.}

"…" Not even bothering with a response to that, Axel just turned and walked off to the central console as it rose from the earth. "Buy it."

{Purchase confirmed.}

There was a sound of machinery moving before things settled. Axel looked around but didn't see any changes. "Where's the cellar door?"

It seemed his intention was all that mattered as a circular portion of the ceiling slid down, showing a large platform he could step onto. Jumping on, it rose up at a steady pace and brought him into a warehouse-like chamber lit by LED lighting. "Hm." He looked around and found a ramp and stairs leading up to metal cellar doors. Approaching had them open on their own, letting in natural light as he found himself at the back of his shop.

'Weird.' The building had no back area in NYC due to the apartment building, but here it was out in the open. Returning to the chamber and down into the dome, he asked about it and got a strange answer.

{Space will be made.}

'Right.' Axel shrugged it off as Space Shenanigans. "Whatever, for now, can you just create a bunch of storage crates? I'll organize it later."

Crates were formed, and Axel upturned his Item Box, throwing everything out like tipping over a barrel and letting the crates categorize it all for him in a list.

[Inventory:

Daikon Horns – x27]

[Inventory:

Striped Salmon – x4

Golden Caviar – 5g ]

[Inventory:

Boneless Mackerel Pike – x6]

[Inventory:

Snake Frog meat – 30kg]

The lists went on as he separated them by crates. Beer Lobsters, Spring Onion Crabs, Pincer Fish meat, Garlic Crabs, Lily Oysters, Tea Frog leaves, Emerald Candy, Cocovine fruits, Sakeyashi Fruits and Emerald Great Leg meat. The last few interested him the most, but the rest were exciting him just as well.

'I have so many things to play with.' He was damn near rubbing his hands together like a Bond villain. 'Although, I'm surprised by the caviar. That was a lucky catch. But I don't have as many of the fish and crustaceans as I thought I would.' He thought back to why that could be and recalled again the feast he threw with Lucifer. 'Damn cat's a bad influence. I wouldn't say I wasted the ingredients, but I could have done so much more with a proper kitchen. Meh, life.' He enjoyed himself just as much, so he couldn't complain.

The Emerald Candy did surprise him.

[Inventory:

Low-Quality Emerald Candy – x44

Mid-Quality Emerald Candy – x14

High-Quality Emerald Candy – x4]

'Where did I get the High-Quality from?' He tried to recall it and slowly got a vague memory of cutting around weird stones when he was butchering the shark. 'Oh, was it stuck between the beasts scales? Lucky.'

The Emerald Great Leg inhabited the Central Area in normal times, so it seemed to live generally at those depths. And speaking of the beasty.

[Inventory:

Emerald Great Leg meat – 214lbs]

'Hell yes.' The beast was listed as weighing around a ton in the encyclopedia. 'Even if remove all the bones, organs, and such, there is still going to be well over a 1000 pounds of meat. I sold half of it off, meaning I'm still looking at three times the amount of meat I already have stored. Sushi's on the menu for a while.'

Axel didn't mind that. High quality sushi for three meals a day sounded like his type of menu. 'I need quality sushi rice, wasabi, ginger, seaweed, I have daikon….' His mind went off on various ways he could work with them. 'Shark fin soup, fillets, kebobs, could even do a shark masala…'

"Rao!" Practically sensing the topic of food, a blue-furred missile knocked the wind out of Axel's sails with a mighty 'Oof.'

A winded Axel wheezed on the ground as a chirping feline rapidly tapped his chest with his paw before its small fluffy head was gripped in an iron claw, dangling off the ground with innocent eyes shining through Axel's fingers.

"Ohohoho." His eyes glowed with an inner light. "You think I forgot about your heresy in my kitchen? What did I tell you about shedding, little one?"

"Reow?"

"Take your punishment like a man."

"Rao!"

The tiny blue devil did not escape his fate.

Only once he was satisfied did he let Lucifer go. "Now, how the hell did you get down he…." He recalled the dog/cat flap and sighed. "Whatever." Standing back up, he barely had a moment before his partner was atop his shoulder and tapping his head excitedly. "You got a sixth sense for food, bud?"

"Rao."

"Of course you do." Axel rolled his eyes and dusted himself off. "Well, I was about to start playing around anyway."

Over to the side, Axel went through the miscellaneous things in his Item Box. 'Can't forget to add clothes.' His two frying pans were ruined, and the spare kitchen knife he brought along was a chipped mess after his butchering attempt on the shark. 'That things bones were no joke. Maybe I should have a knife made from its teeth?'

The thought went through him as he organized what to put back in his Item Box while Lucifer went exploring around the room. "Keep your fur on your body, Luc!"

"Rao!" The kitten rubbed against a counter without any shame.

Shaking his head at the brat, he went through the crates. 'The Emerald Candy has no expiration date, and it weighs practically nothing, so I'll keep it. Sakeyashi fruit….' He could see Lucifer's tail stick up straight from halfway across the room. '…Can stay in storage for now.'

Most of the rest was better off in storage where it wouldn't spoil, so he only removed around ten pounds of shark meat. 'I wonder how it tastes? I was too out of it to eat back at the site.'

Wandering over to the counter, Axel put a slab down on a cutting board and just took a second to marvel at the cut under the light. It was a beautiful reddish-pink color with a quality like the best cut of well-marbled beef. Firm, shiny, and with a fresh scent to put freshly caught to shame.

"Hoh…" He almost shed a tear at the piece of fleshy art and idly slapped away a seeking paw. "No."

"Raooo."

"Shush, I'm having a moment." Lucifer grumbled and tried to sneak off to the other side of the counter. "I can still see you."

"Rao."

"Yes, I can."

"Rao."

Axel could only chuckle at the feline. "Give me a few min, bud. I promised you a feast from that stupid shark, and I'll deliver."

"Ro?" Lucifer peered over the counter and gave him a suspicious look.

"Promise."

"Rao." The feline chirped and returned to his wandering.

Axel pulled out his personal set of kitchen knives, smiling slightly at how they gleamed in the light. He wouldn't dare use them for random fun fighting stuff. They weren't unique or special to anyone else but him, and he had used them for so many years that they simply fit into his palm like nothing else.

'I got something new for you, girls.' When a man spends the vast majority of every day in a kitchen for a decade, he can't be blamed for treating his knives like his own daughters. 'Let's find all the secrets of this meat.'

He raised his blade, found the grain, and had just barely touched the edge to the flesh when his system chimed loudly and he barely pulled back before ruining the cut. "What the fuck, system?"

{The doorbell has been rung.}

"What?" Axel blinked. "I'm closed."

The chime came again. {The doorbell has been rung.}

"But…" He looked down at the gleaming meat.

{The doorbell has been..}

"Alright!" Axel 'gently' tossed down his knife and grudgingly moved away from the counter. "Who wants to die."

"Rao?" Lucifer appeared on his shoulder in a flash.

"We're being delayed. Let's go find out why."

"Rao!" Lucifer's claws came out with a hiss, and Axel eyed them warily.

"Stab my head again, and you can walk."

"Ro."

Axel didn't trust the gleam in his eyes.

0000

{The doorbell has been rung.}

"I can tell!" Axel grunted and swung open his front door, coming face to face with another agent looking dude in a suit and pitch black sunglasses. "What do you want?"

"Rao!"

"S-sir." The man took a step back at the intensity radiating off Axel and Lucifer's forms. "We're delivering a shipment from the Emerald Lagoon for Mr. Marq."

"Oh." Axel calmed slightly and nodded at the guy. "Forgot that was coming today." He looked past the agent and saw a truck lined with crates. "That half the meat from the shark?"

"Rao?" Lucifer perked up.

"From the Emerald Great Leg, yes. Where would you like it dropped off?"

Axel was about to say the front door before he recalled his new drop off area. 'Talk about good timing.' He pointed a thumb to the side. "I got a cellar door out back; I'll show you where." He grabbed Lucifer by the scruff before he could run off. "Stay, I'll feed you soon."

"Ro…." The feline's ears drooped but settled as Axel rubbed his furry head.

The man signaled the truck to circle around back before following. "We also have your payment for the sale of 50% of the creature."

"Hn. How much did it come out to?"

"6.18 million yen."

"…Hn…" Axel's steps almost faltered before he pushed through with a will. "I-is that after…"

"That is after the 32% transfer to Luke Spigot, Sam Igneel, and Nathan Char."

"…Spigot?" Axel fought a losing battle with his curving lips.

"Yes?"

"No, it's nothing." Axel pushed down his amusement. 'I'm so giving him shit for that.' He opened the cellar door and showed him the ramp. "I got more than enough space in here."

"Understood. Just a moment to instruct the crew, and I'll transfer the payment."

"Hn."

Axel stood aside as the truck came up, and a team of workers moved with more passion for their job than he had seen an Olympic team move with. 'Guess eating quality food every day inspires people.'

"Ro?"

"Yeah, that's all ours. Oi, don't drool on me."

The agent soon came back with a briefcase. "Here you are, sir. Would you like to count it or transfer it to an electronic account? We were unable to find one on file for you."

"No thanks, and I don't have one." Axel mumbled out as he took the case. 'This is like forty grand, more money than I've ever held at once.'

"Understood." The man nodded and didn't question it. "In that case, have a good day, sir." He bowed his head and left just like that.

'Huh, either that Vice-Chief guy really wants to hire me, or these guys are just that professional.' Axel could respect that. Do your job and leave; enough said.

The movers were soon done and left without fanfare, letting Axel step into his cellar and close the door behind him. He just stopped and stared at all the large crates and the briefcase in his hand for a long moment. 'I'm not broke.'

He couldn't help but laugh. "I'm not fucking broke!" He cheered and almost threw Lucifer off his shoulder from his excitement, but he didn't care. One doesn't know the joy of having money until they were forced to eat cup ramen for years just to get by.

"Rao!" Lucifer didn't get why he was happy, but the mood was infectious as the little furball jumped around excitedly, probably thinking Axel was delighted due to all the meat they got.

"Yeah, bud, let's go eat and celebrate."

"Raow."

The door was locked and with a mental command, the floor begun moving down as they descended into the dome with Lucifer happily enjoying the ride.

They touched down in the center of the dome, and Axel looked around at all the crates. "Hey, System, can you move these crates into the storage room?"

{Negative.}

"Can you do anything?"

{User may spend Shop Points to…}

"Yeah, yeah." Axel grumbled. "Can you apply the storage enchantment or whatever to these crates?"

{Affirmative.}

The crates all glowed as one, with symbols being burned into the wood before it all settled. "Hn. I apologize."

{Hn.}

"Rao?"

"Ignore the moody System, bud. Let's focus on what's important." Axel's eyes landed back on the slab of meat on his counter, and Lucifer was quick to follow.

The knife was raised once more with an excited gleam. The edge slotting right back into the barely-there cut from earlier.

And then a chime rang again.

{The doorbell has been…}

"THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME."

Axel tossed his knives and the slab of meat into his Item Box and stomped back up the stairs as the doorbell chimed a dozen times. "If this is a fucking girl scout, I'm declaring war on your troop!"

The door was slammed open and Axel was met by a blinding white smile. "Axel!" The human golden retriever returned. "Hey buddy, how you feeling? It's a great-."

Axel slammed the door closed. "We saw nothing."

"Rao." Lucifer nodded.

The chime started up again almost immediately, and Axel sighed as he opened the door again. "What do you want, Luke?"

The guy was standing there with a frown, wearing a god awful bright yellow shirt and jeans. "Closing the door in my face was quite rude you know? It's almost like you don't want to see me!"

"I don't."

"See, that's why you need to get out more, man. Lose that chip on…" He started going off, and Axel looked up, asking god why, before the golden retriever was elbowed in the side by Sam, looking much cleaner and happier now in a blouse, knee-high jeans, and a pair of aviators with a fresh bandanna over her brunette hair. "Hey, Axel, we brought beer." She held up a thirty-pack with an innocent smile, the brand being unfamiliar to him and tugging on his desires.

"Hey, Sam." Axel sagged and moved away from the door. "Come in, I guess."

"Thanks!" She pushed past a dejected Luke. "Huh, nice place. Hey, Luc."

"Rao." The feline jumped over to get some affection.

"I still think your treatment is weirdly different for us." Luke complained as he entered behind her.

"It is." Axel admitted and looked past to the big form of Nathan, waiting politely for permission. "Come on."

"Mn." The man walked through, having to duck to get past the door.

The three curiously looked around. Seeing the simple design of wooden tables, chairs, walls, and the bar area by the kitchen.

"This place is kinda depressing." Luke's comment had zero tact and got him a shoulder slap from Sam, but Axel didn't care.

"I'm not open yet." He shut the door and turned to his guests. "Now, why are you here."

"Why?" Luke tilted his head in honest confusion. "Isn't it obvious?"

"No?"

"To celebrate, of course!" Luke threw his hands up. "We took down an Emerald Great Shark! Well, mostly you, but we helped. We got less from the actual job we were there to do, and that was with the customer paying triple the usual amount."

"What he said." Sam sat on a table and cracked open a beer. "A million isn't retirement money, but it's a nice nugget to resupply with."

"And now we know what takes up the majority of your resupply budget." Luke added with narrowed eyes. "No more than ten sticks of dynamite from now on."

"What! You can't do that!"

"I'm team captain, and I can list a dozen occasions on which your bag was far too close to an open flame."

"No, you can't."

"There was that time in the Wul Jungle."

"That wasn't my fault!"

"It was, and you…"

The two trailed off with zero awareness of their surroundings or Axel's twitching brow before Nathan grunted and got their attention focused on the steaming Axel.

"Are you two done?"

"Dude, how are you…"

"Luke, shut up."

Axel took a breath and let go of his heat. "Why are you celebrating here?"

"Because you have the meat, right?"

"I do…."

"Then let's party! You're a chef, right? Make some food. It'll taste better if we all eat it together." Luke's words were so cheerful that Axel couldn't even be offended by them.

Sam shrugged at his look. "I wanted to try it. Heard some people talk about it before; it's supposed to be ten times as impactful as top-quality Bluefin Tuna."

Axel considered it. 'It's not like I'll run out anytime in the near future.' He grunted and turned to enter his kitchen. "Fine. Stay there. Nathan, come make the tea."

Luke and Sam cheered as they pushed two tables together.

"Mn." The big guy followed easily and entered the narrow kitchen with surprising grace, not bumping into a single thing as Axel showed him where the supplies were.

"I didn't stock up yet, but I have some leaves from a Tea Frog I got yesterday."

Nathan's eyes shined as he gave Axel a respectful nod. "Good." He didn't say anything else but gave the impression of it being a big deal, not that Axel cared.

He reached into a cabinet and thought about his desire for the tea in storage before they appeared before him without a sound. 'Nice.' They were wrapped up and stored correctly, showing that even drunk, he never forgot the basics. "Here, you might have to grind it up; there's a mortar in that cabinet."

Nathan caught it and went to work easily as Axel pulled out a cutting board and removed the meat from his Item Box when the big guys back was turned. 'Well, distractions aside, I'll finally get to cut you up.'

Pushing aside his other feelings, he tuned everything else out and raised his knife for the third time. 'Follow the grain and-.'

The doorbell rang, and Nathan flinched at the sound of shattering wood, looking over to find a shadowed Axel standing over a broken cutting board.

Not even the system added the notification that time.

"I'll get it!" Luke's cheerful voice only made Axel raise his knife with a demented smile.

"It's stabbing time."

It was only Nathan's silent yet calming gestures that gave Luke enough time to open the door and for a cheerful voice to stop Axel's murderous intentions.

"Axel!...oh, who are you?" Axel put down his knife and came out to find Abby at his door.

"What god did I offend this time?" Axel mumbled as the woman saw him and turned away from whatever Luke was saying.

"Oh good, I was worried I got the wrong place." She entered and gave Axel a hug. "Hey Axel."

"Hn."

"Don't be grumpy and answer properly."

"…Hi Abby."

"Good." She leaned up and kissed his cheek to the cat calls of the annoying duo, as Axel mentally labeled them.

"Why are you here."

"I told you I'd come to check up on you. You're not looking half-dead anymore! Well, besides your eyes. Did you get enough sleep?"

"I never do."

"Rao!" The traitorous feline remembered the woman with the magic hands and jumped onto her shoulder.

"Lucifer. How you doing, boy?"

Axel rolled his eyes as she started getting comfortable and pushed the touchy woman away. "I'm fine, thanks for checking. Now you can go and-."

"She can join the party!" Luke's cheerful voice cut Axel off before the blond shivered at the phantom feeling of death enveloping him.

"Party?" Abby distracted Axel enough for Luke to start breathing again. "Oh, for the hunt yesterday? Sounds fun! I'll join."

"No, you really don't have-."

Sam tossed Abby a beer, and she cracked it open before he could finish what he was saying. He shot the sharpshooter a dirty look that she pretended to ignore and gave up.

"Hn." Abby cheered and sent him a playful wink before sitting by Sam as Axel returned to his kitchen with a mutter only heard by Nathan. "If that doorbell rings again, I'm committing manslaughter."

The big guy shivered and gave him space.

A new cutting board was brought out, and Axel returned to the slab of meat damn near taunting him by this point. He looked left and right and even equipped a frying pan in one hand for the next distraction, but nothing came.

His blade rose and fell, and he finally got the satisfaction he was looking for, tuning out the world to focus on his work. The meat had weight to it but could be cut thin, letting him layer out dozens of pieces in rows on half a dozen platters Nathan helpfully brought over. Each cut was a focused movement, and he wouldn't let himself serve sloppy cuts to his guests, soon having an assortment he was happy with. 'Can't serve one type alone.'

The pinkish meat was stunning but boring when alone. Reaching out, he pulled out some Striped Salmon, Boneless Mackerel Pike, and Lily Oysters. The first having a beautiful orange flesh and the second a soft white. Adding them to the assortment brought out the colors of each, and the Lily Oysters only needed a dash of lemon before being added.

A dash of Golden Caviar and a garnish of daikon and ginger completed the plates. 'Lacking Wasabi, but it's as good as I can make it. I'm sure it will still make them happy.'

[Image #1&2]

Only after the thought came did he realize what he just said, and the sounds of the merriment flowing into the kitchen reached his ears. 'When's the last time I actually looked forward to eating with others?'

"Axel! Where's the food, man!" Luke's cheery voice was already sounding tipsy, and Axel suppressed the small smile on his face.

"Shut it, will you, Spiggot?" He pushed through the curtain with delicate trays in each arm. "I'm done."

"How do you know my last name?!" Luke was ignored as cheers resounded from the rest, and Lucifer was practically scratching the paint off the table with how hard he was trying to run forward, only held back by the combination of Abby and Sam restraining him.

"Why is he so strong?!"

"He's a baby Bush Tiger!"

"Bush Tiger's aren't blue!"

"Is that really the problem right now?!"

Axel shook his head and put the trays down. "I got him, ladies."

The arrow was released from its string, only to be grabbed inches from its target by an iron claw on its scruff, leaving the kitten pawing wildly at the air.

"Raaoooo!"

"Luc." Axel brought him up to eye level, and the young feline drooped.

"Rao."

"Hn." Axel put him down and rubbed his head. "That plate's yours. Eat slow and don't choke, alright?"

"Raow." Lucifer licked his hand and dove at his prey with an excited cry.

The rest of the group watched the show with beers in hand.

"Huh, I guess I don't have to worry about him raising a beast." Luke rubbed his chin like a responsible big brother.

"Mn." Nathan nodded. "Strong."

"It was kinda hot." Sam hiccupped, already on her fourth beer. "Wouldn't mind a man doing that to me."

"Got some kinks you wanna share." Abby elbowed the woman and got a grin in return.

Axel eyed the peanut gallery with a dry gaze. "Eat and get out."

"Now, now, let's enjoy the meal!" Luke took his seat with a passing pat on the shoulder, obviously missing the murderous cues Axel was sending his way for making him be social.

"Mn." Nathan sat and studied his plate respectfully.

"Don't need to tell me twice." Sam excitedly eyed her plate.

"Thanks, Axel." Abby sat next to him, leaning over the table with a teasing smirk that drew the eye to her bust.

[Image #3]

Axel ignored her. He ignored them all. Nothing mattered but the plate before him. Nothing mattered before the ultimate quest to eat. His chopsticks raised the sparking sashimi and-

"A toast!" Luke raised his glass and only narrowly dodged the thrown kitchen knife that grazed his hair.

"Sit. Eat. Now."

"R-right."

Chopsticks were raised, and soon, all he heard were satisfied noises. Axel focused on his own food, feeling soul-deep satisfaction as the shark sashimi melted on his tongue and brought him the flavors of the ocean he so craved.

"Woooo! It's melting on my tongue!"

"Holy shit, those are Lily Oysters! How the hell did he get them?"

"Is that fucking Golden Caviar?"

"Hey Sam, aren't these from those mackerel you kept failing to catch?"

"It is! And I caught like three of them, you dick!"

"And they were tiny."

"You would know about tiny things, wouldn't you?"

"Daikon Horn?" Nathan's question was directed at Axel, who nodded in confirmation. "Good. Combo."

"Daikon Horn?" The question was repeated by Abby with a different intention. "You mean from those beetles? Aren't they supposed to be avoided?"

"Oh, hell yeah." Luke turned away from his argument with Sam and spoke up strongly. "Despite being a capture level 1 creature, they often take the lives of hunters and stronger beasts through their swarms and suicidal attacks."

Sam agreed. "Not worth the trouble."

"So, how did you get them?" Abby turned to Axel in interest, and the poor chef was forced away from his wonderful trip down in the ocean to answer.

"Ran into them a couple times."

"A couple?" Luke's eyes widened. "I thought it was just during the chase?!"

"Hn. Then too. Those assholes are petty little shits."

"What happened?" Luke's question was met by three other curious pairs of eyes, and Axel put down his chopsticks with a sigh.

"I had just entered the outer area…" His story began to follow the course of his journey, ignoring a few details, and Axel found himself getting more into it as he talked, surprising himself with how animated he got at parts, with Lucifer chirping in when he popped up.

Soon, the sun began setting, the food was eaten, and Axel found that he wasn't so eager to kick everyone out. 'Maybe it's not bad every now and then.'

0000

Outside the restaurant, a certain pink-haired old woman turned away from the sight of Axel and his friends having fun with a smile. 'No matter the age, those who can sit around a table and share a meal will be favored by the world.' An aged chuckle left her lips as the woman made her way to her own restaurant, not a few doors down. 'You've made me wait a decade, little Jeff, but it seems your nephew appeared after all.'

Chapter End.

AN: A wild Granny appears. One more chapter and we will reach the first mini-time-skip for Arc 1.