In an era where everyone practiced martial arts, the best thing to come out of it was probably the improved life of the average wage earner. Why? Because no one had to worry about their boss withholding their pay anymore.
Everyone had at least a bit of strength. If a boss dared to withhold wages, they'd get beaten to a pulp in minutes. Generally speaking, most people wouldn't risk scamming others over a little bit of money.
After Ren finished buying all the ingredients at the market, he and Asuna returned to the apartment building. Asuna headed up to her own place first to drop off her things before coming back down.
Ren took advantage of the brief downtime to contact his previous landlord, informing him that he had already moved out. He told the landlord to go ahead and inspect the old apartment, as he was already gone.
The landlord didn't say much, simply stating he would head over to inspect the place shortly before hanging up. With that taken care of, Ren started cooking.
Asuna came down shortly after. Seeing Ren already busy in the kitchen, she hurried over to help him prep. Just like that, the two of them began making dinner together in Ren's apartment.
In reality, it was mostly Asuna asking Ren for cooking advice. Even in that short amount of time, she managed to learn quite a bit.
It wasn't long before dinner was ready. Ren called Asuna over to eat, and her eyes practically sparkled when she saw the potato and beef brisket stew he had made.
"It smells amazing! It looks so delicious!" Asuna had caught a whiff of the rich aroma the moment he opened the pot.
Sure enough, Ren's culinary skills were top-notch. With a talent like his, learning how to cook was probably a walk in the park for him.
"Of course it's good. Make sure you eat your fill," Ren said with a grin. He handed Asuna a bowl of rice before taking a seat of his own.
Asuna didn't stand on ceremony. She picked up her chopsticks and dug right in. She popped a piece of beef brisket into her mouth; the meat was stewed to perfection, practically melting apart with a gentle chew.
The rich, savory flavor exploded in her mouth, making her eyes shine even brighter. When she looked at Ren, her gaze was filled with even more envy.
"Honestly, I'm so jealous of your talent. Whatever you want to learn, you just pick it up instantly," Asuna said, chatting with Ren between bites.
Faced with Asuna's envy, Ren replied with a deadpan expression, "With a talent like this, maybe I'm burdened with some grand, world-saving mission. Right?"
Asuna chuckled at that. Maybe? Who could really say? The two of them chatted happily as they enjoyed the delicious meal. Honestly, moments like this were quite nice.
Taking turns treating each other to meals felt great to Asuna. Even though she had only known Ren for two or three days, she thoroughly enjoyed spending time with him.
Asuna ended up eating much more than she usually did, simply because Ren's cooking was too good to resist. After they finished, she took the initiative to help clear the table.
"I'm definitely coming over to freeload off your cooking again when I get the chance. Don't you dare refuse!" Asuna joked after helping Ren clean up the dining table.
Hearing this, Ren nodded and smiled. "No problem. If you ever want a meal, you can come down anytime. We live right next to each other now, anyway!"
It really wasn't an issue. As long as Asuna was willing, Ren naturally didn't mind. Who would complain about having a pretty girl keep them company during meals?
"Alright, then I'll provide the ingredients, and you can do the cooking!" Seeing that Ren had actually agreed, Asuna began to seriously consider making this a regular arrangement.
She obviously couldn't just eat his food for free. If she bought the ingredients from now on, she wouldn't have to feel guilty about freeloading.
Ren would provide the culinary skills, and she would provide the ingredients. It was a perfect trade. The thought of being able to eat Ren's cooking on a regular basis left Asuna feeling absolutely delighted.
After chatting with Ren for a bit longer, Asuna checked the time and bid him goodnight. It was time for her to head back, wash up, and start her meditation.
"I'll head upstairs now. I'll leave you to your own business," Asuna said, waving at Ren before opening the door and stepping out.
"See you later." Ren got up to see her out. After saying their goodbyes, he locked the front door and went to wash up.
By the time he stepped out of the bathroom, he had a new message on his phone. His old landlord had refunded his deposit. With that, his ties to the old apartment were completely severed.
Ren accepted the transfer and immediately began searching the web for the information he needed, downloading a massive trove of literature on potion-making.
He downloaded every book he could find on potion formulation and essence extraction methods. On top of that, he grabbed several comprehensive encyclopedias on medicinal herbs and ingredients.
After downloading every useful resource he could get his hands on, Ren checked the total word count. Added all together, it came out to nearly a million words.
*If I use text-to-speech at double speed, it'll probably take around fifty-five hours to get through all of this, right?* Ren did some quick mental math, then quietly removed the books on high-level potions from his immediate queue.
He would just listen to the low-level potion formulas tonight. He could take his time learning the high-level concoctions later. Besides, even if he learned them now, he probably wouldn't have the means to brew them anyway.
After filtering out the books he didn't immediately need, Ren checked the word count again. If he started listening right now, he figured he could finish learning everything by tomorrow.
Satisfied with his plan, Ren activated the Array in his room, lay down on his bed, and turned on his phone's text-to-speech function.
Soon, Ren slipped into a meditative state. His internal Magic Power began to steadily increase, while the potion-making knowledge read aloud by his phone continuously poured into his mind.
Meditating while simultaneously absorbing new knowledge—if word of this got out, people would probably die of envy. It was simply too convenient.
The night passed uneventfully. When Ren woke up the next morning, he wasn't in a rush to get out of bed. Instead, he grabbed his phone and started browsing the morning news.
The text-to-speech had been running all night, but it still hadn't finished. However, if Ren read the rest manually, it would go much faster. He was confident he could digest the remaining knowledge before noon.
After catching up on the news, Ren switched off the audio and began reading the text himself. Skimming at the same blistering pace he used for reading web novels, he rapidly absorbed the information on his screen.
Thanks to [Jianjigu], Ren practically had a photographic memory. A single glance was all it took for him to memorize the text, permanently storing the information in his brain.
Too lazy to get up for breakfast, Ren stayed curled up in bed, scrolling through his phone. By the time he finished reading through all the material, it was nearly noon.
"Phew, finally done!" Ren organized the vast amount of new knowledge in his head and let out a long exhale. After a good stretch, he finally got out of bed to wash up.
Having taken care of his morning hygiene, Ren couldn't be bothered to cook lunch. He grabbed his keys and took the elevator downstairs, ready to buy the supplies he needed to start brewing his own potions!
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