It's just cooking a dish, how did it become the main character in a game?

The moment her senses returned, Nanxu felt a fresh, warm sensation on the tip of her tongue.

The delicate aroma of wild mushrooms mingled with the savory flavor of old hen soup, lingering in his mouth, causing him to unconsciously swallow large mouthfuls.

Fragrant!

It smells so good!

The warm current flowed into his abdomen and gradually permeated his limbs and bones, nourishing his weak body.

Nourished by this warm current, Nan Xu finally regained some strength and struggled to open his eyes.

But what he saw was not the familiar ceiling, but rather antique-style solid wood beams. Beneath him was a sturdy wooden bed, covered with soft bedding.

He recognized this architectural style very well; it was the most common furnishing in the virtual online game "Chef Soul".

Strange, wasn't I sleeping at home? How did I suddenly end up in a game?

"You're awake?"

Nan Xu turned his head and saw a bright-eyed, white-toothed girl sitting on the edge of the bed, her smile revealing a hint of gentleness.

Upon seeing this scene, Nan Xu suddenly shuddered!

Luo Qinzhu? Didn't she die long ago after losing the cooking competition?

He subconsciously summoned the game panel, wanting to see if he had been affected by an illusion-type debuff.

The next moment, a line of small print on the panel made Nan Xu's eyes widen:

[Template: NPC (1.0 version public beta countdown: 235 days 08 hours 15 minutes)]

His character model isn't a player, but an NPC? And he even went back to before the open beta started?

Nan Xu pinched his face in disbelief... The sensation was incredibly real, with 100% pain feedback!

That's right, I really have transmigrated into the world of "Chef Soul". If I were still in the game, the pain feedback would not be more than 50%.

Realizing this, his heart pounded, and he trembled as he raised his hands.

These hands are thin and weak, yet incredibly flexible, moving without any sense of sluggishness.

  

My hands... are back!

Nan Xu could barely contain his excitement!

As a professional player who makes a living playing "Chef Soul", he has devoted a lot of effort to this game.

With his exceptional talent and tireless efforts, he naturally became one of the top players in the game.

Unfortunately, fate played a cruel joke on him.

An accident left him severely disabled in both hands, to the point that he couldn't even hold things steadily.

Overnight, Nan Xu was practically rendered useless.

His intense resentment and pain led him to devote all his time and energy to "Chef Soul," which he considered his second life.

At least in the game, his hands can still be used normally.

But soon, harsh reality gave him a resounding slap in the face.

Due to his physical disability, Nanxu inevitably experiences a slight lack of coordination when controlling the hands of his game character.

The later the game goes, the more fatal this slight inconsistency becomes.

Nanxu has to put in several times the effort to barely catch up with the other exceptionally talented players.

The overpowered NPCs in the game, who seemed to have cheat codes, even made him question his existence.

Countless times, in culinary battles he participated in, the overall team failed because he lost a crucial match.

Many NPCs who were close to him lost their lives as a result.

Even the legendary pinnacle of culinary skill, the first-class culinary god realm that he considered his dream, was completely out of reach for him due to his lack of hand-eye coordination.

Looking at his intact hands, Nanxu realized that this was a second chance given to him by fate.

In an instant, a burning determination ignited in Nan Xu's eyes.

This time, he will win all the culinary battles, become the strongest chef, and make up for all the regrets of his past life!

This time, he wants to climb to the pinnacle of culinary skills, reach the realm of a first-class culinary master, and realize his long-held dream!

Just then, Luo Qinzhu's clear and melodious voice interrupted his thoughts:

"Don't get excited. You've just recovered from a serious illness, you should rest well."

Nan Xu finally came to her senses, her voice still trembling slightly: "I'm sorry, I just..."

Luo Qinzhu smiled and shook her head: "It's alright, I understand. You must be wondering what happened, right?"

"Last night, I saw you lying in front of our Baiweilou restaurant, with a high fever and unable to wake up, so I brought you back."

"After drinking my wild mushroom and chicken soup, you should be almost fully recovered by now. How are you feeling? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

Listening to Luo Qinzhu's words, Nan Xu combined the fragmented memories remaining in his mind and roughly figured out his identity in this world.

In short—young man, his family was destroyed; he was lazy and ignorant of basic necessities; he was displaced and plagued by illness; he died a fitting death, alas!

Aside from having the exact same name and appearance as him, it was just a completely blank account... Well, if it weren't for Luo Qinzhu, it might also have a whole host of disease debuffs.

Savoring the fresh, warm taste in his mouth, Nan Xu slowly sat up from the bed and looked at the girl in front of him.

Luo Qinzhu is also an important character in the game, with extremely high potential for growth.

As a wandering NPC who roams the entire map, she has gained immense popularity among players for her beautiful appearance and gentle, kind personality, and is affectionately known as "Mother Luo".

However, that happened after the game was launched.

At this point in time, Luo Qinzhu is still running the large restaurant called Baiweilou.

This restaurant is located in Shexian County, Huizhou. It was founded by Luo Qingfeng, Luo Qinzhu's father, and later handed over to Luo Qinzhu to manage.

But soon after, Luo Qinzhu will lose ownership of Baiweilou to the Jiang family, a local salt merchant family, in a culinary competition.

Recalling the information from the game, a plan gradually took shape in Nan Xu's mind.

He had transmigrated to Baiweilou during the time when Luo Qinzhu was in charge, and he couldn't miss this opportunity.

To surpass those overpowered NPCs and reach the pinnacle of culinary skills, Nanxu must devise a perfect growth path, making sure not a single second is wasted.

Thinking of this, Nan Xu first bowed to Luo Qinzhu and said gratefully, "Thank you, Chef Luo, for saving my life!"

Luo Qinzhu first showed a surprised expression, then smiled slightly: "No need to be polite, I just didn't expect that you would know me."

"Unfortunately, you've got the wrong name. I'm just the acting head chef of Baiweilou right now; the real head chef is my father."

Nan Xu looked at Luo Qinzhu and said seriously, "I heard that Chef Luo has been in charge of Baiwei Restaurant during this period. It's not wrong to call her Chef Luo."

Luo Qinzhu shook her head, but her smile brightened slightly: "Compared to Father, I'm still far behind..."

"However, I'm quite happy to be called that by you, thank you."

Upon hearing this, Nan Xu was overjoyed and immediately continued:

"My name is Nan Xu. I am all alone. I once learned some basic cooking skills. I came to Baiweilou to learn from a master and earn a living."

"Unexpectedly, after failing to become an apprentice, I fainted at the door due to hunger. If it weren't for Chef Luo's rescue, I might have lost my life."

"I hope Chef Luo can give me a chance to repay your kindness and allow me to work as an apprentice at Baiwei Restaurant, helping out. I don't need any money, just meals. I hope Chef Luo will grant my request!"

After saying this, Nan Xu waited confidently for Luo Qinzhu to agree.

That's right, the first step in his perfect growth path was to become an apprentice at Baiweilou.

In the early stages, the two most important resources are leveling areas and quests.

A restaurant of Baiweilou's size produces a huge amount of food every day. If he could work here, he would definitely have endless hardships... no, endless experience points to gain.

As an important NPC with promising future prospects, Luo Qinzhu's quests are sure to be of high quality.

In order not to miss this perfect leveling spot for newbies, he tried to win over Laloqinzhu and used the sob story approach.

Based on his understanding of Luo Qinzhu, it was almost a certainty that he would become an apprentice at Baiweilou.

However, things took an unexpected turn for the better.

Luo Qinzhu thought for a moment, then shook her head in apparent difficulty:

"Apprentice... I'm sorry, we are indeed short of a water platform apprentice, but this position requires great strength and stamina, as well as certain knife skills."

"If you're willing, you can start by doing odd jobs at the restaurant. I'll make sure you get a bit more pay, and meals will still be provided. What do you think?"

Nan Xu was stunned for a moment.

Then, he looked at his thin arms and legs and fell silent.

The transmigration happened so suddenly that he had completely forgotten that this body was neither his original max-level character nor a newbie character created by a player with freely assignable initial attributes.

If your attributes aren't sufficient, your attempt to trigger a task will be rejected!