Vol. 13 - Ch. 742 - Zephyr lacks common sense? - Food Items are Luxury (and unhealthy)!

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"And that’s the long and short of it! We’ve officially established a direct pipeline for food items from Mirius-senpai’s guild. This is going to make our dungeon runs smoother than ever!"

"…Wait a second, Zephyr. When you say 'food items,' you’re talking about the dishes that provide stat buffs, right?"

"Of course. Why? Is there a problem?"

I’d just finished relaying the details of my verbal agreement with Mirius-senpai—who had gone off shouting, "I’ll make my guild members say yes if it’s the last thing I do!"—but, for some reason, Sierra and the others were giving me strange looks.

What gives?

"Haa... Right. You're always so sharp, so I almost forget about your lack of common sense over common knowledge."

I felt like Sierra had just called me an idiot in a very polite way, but I’m sure I just misheard her. I mean, nobody knows Dungeon Activity better than I do! (Fact.)

Sierra let out a long, weary sigh before starting her explanation.

"Look, Zephyr. Food items are powerful. Some buffs last a full day, and their effects are easily on par with buffs from jobs—in fact, they usually win out when it comes to duration."

I nodded.

Unlike regular food, Food Items grant a buff when consumed. The effect depends on the ingredients, and because they actually consume resources, they’re often stronger than a Buffer’s skills.

However, the catch was that you couldn’t overwrite or stack multiple food buffs; once you’ve eaten, you’re locked into that effect until the timer runs out. This meant you couldn’t layer twenty different foods like the buff's stack from jobs.

The selling point was their duration—lasting anywhere from thirty minutes to a full twenty-four hours. And beyond that, but even more importantly, the food buffs superimpose with player-cast-buff.

For reference, if you eat a meal that boosts Attack by 30%, and someone casts a 20% Attack buff on you, they don’t cancel each other out. Instead, they stack for a massive 50% boost. It’s a total game-changer for high-level tactics.

Apparently, as with all things, there’s a downside. And that’s clearly where Sierra was going.

"The problem, Zephyr, is the price. They are incredibly expensive. A single meal made with intermediate-tier materials can easily clear ten thousand Mir. They are a luxury beyond luxuries."

"True..."

The cost. I knew that one. You couldn't make the food without the materials—that’s just common sense. And if you wanted a stable supply, you had to pay through the nose. But if we were to provide them for everyone, every day...

I paused to run the numbers based on the logistics of living in this world.

In the game, I only had to provide for a single party of five. But here? It would be the whole guild. Let’s see... If we’re diving for the full nine days of Dungeon Week...

1 meal per day × 34 members × 10,000 Mir × 9 days = 3.06 million Mir.

That’s the minimum. And, if we use the high-end stuff that costs 100,000 Mir per plate, we’re looking at over thirty million. Yikes.

For a split second, I saw my life flash before my eyes, specifically the word "BANKRUPTCY" written in big, red letters. No, I was simply overreacting. That was within margin. Eden wasn't so poor that it couldn't afford it, after all. Hahaha!

As I struck a confident pose, Sierra looked at me like she was reading my mind.

"I see you figured that out at last. That's why they're a luxury item."

Sierra ended her explanation with that remark.

Luxury. Everything about food items came back to hinge on it. It's also what deters others, and why Mirius-senpai's guild «In search of Harmony between Taste and Buff» only operates on weekends.

From what I picked up, the only time they're used in this world is when it really mattered the most, aka boss fights.

But, as I said, that was a trivial matter for us. There's no way I would've been announcing it here if I didn't have the means. «Gold Chest» cooking recipes; they're my countermeasure. Once we acquire a cooking recipe from an advanced dungeon, we would've mountain of food items just to buy from us. There was no cinch in the plan! Fuhahaha!

Albeit, just when I was assured of my perfect plan, Sierra threw a curve ball.

"Besides, eating that every morning is a nightmare. It's impossible to eat them regularly. If you want to try ‘how long until someone is fed up with a certain dish,’ that’s definitely the way to do it. There's also the problem of nutrition, which those dishes are the worst at. You can avoid that by using different dishes, but then the problem will be change of buff. It wouldn't be the same buff you would’ve wanted from the previous dish."

"Huh?"

"Plus, overeating is a girl’s worst enemy. Most buff-heavy meals are 'hearty'—greasy, heavy, and filling. Asking the girls to eat a massive steak dinner first thing in the morning every single day? I can tell you their response right now; it would be a flat out rejection."

"Wh-What...? That’s the reason?"

"I knew it. You really didn't know. Everyone knows food items are strong, Zephyr. Money isn't the only reason why people don't use them. There’s a famous story about a noble boy—talented, handsome, and burdened with high expectations. To meet those expectations, he ate high-stat food items for every meal before heading into the dungeons."

I shook my head. Of course I’d never heard of this one.

"What happened to him?"

"By the time his three years at the academy were up, he was as round as a ball. Not a shred of his 'noble aura' remained. You see, food items are delicious. Because he made it his daily diet, he couldn't stop eating. He kept gaining weight until he couldn't even move properly in a dungeon anymore. He eventually went bankrupt."

"He ate himself into poverty?!"

That was a terrifying cautionary tale.

"That’s why it’s common sense that these are 'clutch items,' not daily staples. Making them a habit is a fast track to ruin; physically and financially. We need to find a middle ground, Zephyr. Besides, I am telling you right now: nobody wants a heavy, greasy meal at dawn."

"Yeah... you're right. Let's... let's save them for the big stuff."

I had no choice but to cave. If the girls were dead-set against a daily steak breakfast, I wasn't going to win that fight. And there was no time beside morning, as that's when we begin our challenges.

I forgot that in this world, food items actually make you gain weight. Even if there wasn't any objection from girls; I had to agree that a heavy meal in the morning would be a bit much. I could practically see the "Are you serious?" glares from the girls already.

Getting fed up was a real issue, and weight complaints also made sense. Though, if you ask me, the latter wasn't really a problem when we would be working out in a dungeon either way.

I also wouldn't want our rearguard to slow down by having them heavy meals.

Who would’ve thought I would be weighing pros and cons over a food pyramid in a fantasy world, but here we are.

But all things aside, food items really had quite a glaring weakpoint, didn't they? I really knew nothing about it!

Ultimately, my ingenious plan to worry-free dungeon challenges busted before it could take its first baby step under the Eden's Majority—mainly all the girls—decision. It also didn't help that they're quite right in their claims. We agreed on using food items only when we're against advanced dungeon bosses; one that'd be truly the challenge.

Though, I did add a footnote that anyone who wanted to eat them was free to do so. Somehow, I don't think I'll be getting many takers.