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Section 1
### Chapter 1: Chapter 2 Weaponized Grilled Cheese
My morning was off to a rough start so far. I'd not only woken up in a dungeon and chosen a grilled cheese for my weapon, but I was somehow expected to fight with it too. Against literal monsters. This new world was so not my cup of tea. Dave gave me a sad smile. "I understand that you don't want to fight, but once you're inside the dungeon, that will change. You need to be prepared, and a sandwich won't help you." "I know that." I stared at the perfectly golden-brown bread in my hands, wishing it had all the answers for me. "There has to be another way for me to get home. You can't just kidnap me, tell me to fight monsters, and assume I'll be okay with it. That's ridiculous." The fence keeping the bouncy blue monster locked up suddenly disappeared, as if Dave was trying to force me into action. I'd have backed away, but something deep inside me knew that I shouldn't enter the fog surrounding the clearing. So that only left one thing: defeat that monster. With a grilled cheese. I scratched my head, eying the monster bouncing toward me. It reminded me of colorful pudding or blue jello as it hopped closer, body jiggling. It was honestly kind of cute, if I ignored the whole monster thing. Its eyes were a deeper blue than its body, shimmering like sapphires as it blinked curiously at me. "Hey there." I knelt down slowly, holding my hand out to it. "Are you hungry?" "What?" Dave shook his head as the cute bouncy thing came closer, his expression pained. "No, you can't feed the monsters." "Why not?" Maybe if I treated it like a puppy, I could get through this with some sanity intact. I ripped off the corner of my sandwich, melty cheese pulling away from it in a long string, and tossed it toward the monster. Its mouth opened wide as it gobbled the gooey cheese up, making an adorable glomp noise. Then it chittered gleefully and bounced faster. "You liked that, huh?" I smiled, ripping off another piece for it. "Have some more." Soon the creature was in my arms, crooning as I fed it by hand. Some monster it turned out to be. I wanted to mock Dave about that, but he looked like his head might explode as he paced the clearing, muttering to himself. I dared to pet the creature, its squishy body molding against my hand. Its skin was smooth and elastic, reminding me of bread dough. It leaned into my hand as its eyes changed to adorable greater than less than signs, making a squee noise like it was the happiest little jellybean ever. My heart warmed as the little creature melted some of my worries away. Focusing on things I could do, like feed this hungry little monster, eased my mind far more than focusing on all the things I couldn't do. Like remembering my past or going home apparently. I swallowed hard, determined not to let any feelings of helplessness overtake me. For right now, I just needed to focus on what I could do. Defeat this monster without hurting it, because that was the only hope I'd have of making it through the dungeon. The phrase monster tamer came to mind, so maybe something like that would work. I could feed them, befriend them, and form a bond. Forming that bond might be easier if the monster had a name. "What should I call you?" I asked the little blue creature. "Jellybean?" It wiggled up and down, almost like it was nodding. Apparently, it liked the name. [Quest Completed: Defeat One Monster] [It's not the normal kind of defeat, but the slime has definitely been won over. Reward: Starter gear.] I blinked at the blue messages in front of me. Was there a system monitoring my actions? That was weird, but at least it seemed to be going with the flow for now. Being able to defeat monsters by feeding them would let me go through the dungeon without doing anything I'd regret. "So, you're a slime, huh?" I asked the little blue jello monster in my arms. It wiggled another nod and gazed up at me with those big, shimmering blue eyes, begging me for another bite. "Don't worry, I'll share my food." [New Class: Culinary Mage] Pots, pans, and gold coins rained down from the sky along with bread and cheese, but I ducked before seeing what else was there. Getting hit on the head was the last thing I needed right now. A soft chime replaced the clank of pots and pans and there was no pain. I dared to look up, gazing at the clear blue sky without any cooking equipment falling from it. Where did it all go? "No, she can't get pots and pans." Dave moaned. "She's supposed to get travel gear and potions! What kind of starter gear is that?" If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He waved his hands in the air, frantically swiping through menus I couldn't see. When he paused, his face grew pale. "She's a culinary mage?" He glared at the campfire as if it would have answers. "A culinary mage?" Whatever that was was apparently too much for the poor satyr because he collapsed on the ground beside me, muttering nonsense about how chefs didn't belong in the dungeon and culinary magic didn't even exist. I felt a little bit bad for him, especially since I'd stolen his lunch, so I handed him what was left of it. "Maybe you should eat something." He nodded, gulping the sandwich down. Once it was gone, another one appeared in my hand with the same original bite taken out of it. "What the hell?" I dropped it in shock. The slime gobbled it up heartily before yet another sandwich appeared in my hand. That was so not normal. I guess I really was in another world... "You'll always have access to your basic weapon, but if you lose other weapons, they won't come back." His voice was a bit calmer after the food, going into what felt like a tutorial. "Rely on your weapon and you'll get through the dungeon eventually." He eyed the grilled cheese. "Probably." "Very reassuring, thanks." Since the grilled cheese and I were stuck together, I should see what I was working with. I took a small bite but immediately spit it out. "Ugh, that's awful. It tastes like cardboard." "What's cardboard?" Dave asked. "It's...," I paused, unable to picture it. "How do I know a word but not know what it means?" Dave's eyes softened. "It happens to every newcomer, but your memories would only be a distraction. I promise that most people end up leaving happier than when they came, so try not to worry." A bitter laugh escaped my lips. Trying not to worry was easier said than done, but he had mentioned something about gaining the thing I desired most when I beat the boss. Maybe he meant I'd get my memories back? If that was the case, then I just had to keep pushing forward and focusing on what I could do right now. Like level up, bake good food, and get the hell out of here. The slime leaned into my hand like it was begging for pets, so I smiled and obliged. "Sorry I fed you something so gross. I'll make better food for you soon, I promise." Its eyes lit up and it made a chittering noise, bouncing up and down in my lap. I couldn't help but smile at its excitement. More message boxes appeared in the air. [Title Granted: Slime Friend] [Level Up: Culinary Mage Level 2] [Your friendship with a slime has opened new doors, expanding your skill options and giving you a better understanding of slimes in general. You keep getting more and more interesting, Hazel] Hazel. Seeing my name, so solid and real on that message box, gave me a warm fuzzy feeling in my chest. "Slime friend? Slime friend ??" Dave shook his head, groaning loudly. "That's it. I'm done. You're not normal." "If being normal means fighting sweet little monsters like Jellybean here, then I'm glad I'm not normal." Hmmmm, getting a title just for being nice and feeding Jellybean made it seem like this dungeon wouldn't mind if I did things a bit differently. How far could I push that? Far enough to make the final boss my friend with the help of a delicious cookie maybe? Oh, now that opened up some possibilities. If I could cook my way through the dungeon, then I'd be set. I just needed a few more things... My lips curled into a smile. "Where can I get ingredients?" Dave stared at me for a while, as if waiting for me to say I was kidding, until he begrudgingly gave in. "You can find food as you explore the dungeon, or you can buy ingredients at the town on the fifth floor. It's a safe zone where adventurers stay until they're high enough level to delve deeper. You've also got a few things in your inventory." "My inventory?" As I said the word, a grid appeared in front of me labeled [Inventory]. Tiny loaves of bread and hunks of cheese were inside along with the pots and pans that had fallen from the sky. But there was more. Images of knives, spoons, spatulas, a portable stove, water, and a few other odds and ends appeared in the grid too. Everything I'd need to start cooking, if I could get them out of this menu. Maybe if I touched one of the boxes, they'd appear like in a video game. I hovered over the bread, feeling a bit strange. This wasn't how life was supposed to work, but I had a feeling an inventory menu was only the beginning. This world was full of new and strange things. I'd have to get used to them if I wanted to succeed. I tapped the box and bread appeared in my hands like magic. The crust was firm, but the interior felt like it would be nice and soft based on a quick squeeze. I touched the bread against the grid again and it disappeared inside. "Oh, that is so cool." I grinned as I took the cheese in and out next. "I could get used to this inventory thing." "Great, glad you're having fun." Dave's sarcastic tone did nothing to sway my excitement. "Since you're a culinary mage, whatever that is, I should probably show you how to cook." I shook my head. "I think that's something I already know how to do." And I wanted to hold onto those few solid memories. Rolling pastry, kneading dough, drizzling chocolate, all of that felt natural to me. Easy, like something I'd done so many times it was ground into my mind. If I really couldn't go back home without beating this dungeon, then I'd just have to make it work somehow. Baking for the final boss probably wasn't the smartest route to take, but it was the one I was going with. A faint glow pulled my attention to the mountain as the door opened. Inside that dungeon would be all sorts of ingredients I could use. Maybe I'd even remember more of my life if I kept doing familiar things. I turned back to Dave. "Is there anything else I should know?" "Yes, but you can learn it as you go like everyone else. You need to be careful though." Worry tightened his voice. "Your class and title aren't normal. The dungeon's been creating things on the fly ever since you stubbornly chose my lunch as your weapon. I'm not sure what'll happen to you now or where that will lead you." Maybe I'd have been better off sticking with the magic books, but then I wouldn't have this cute new slime friend bouncing next to me. If I had to be here, then cooking my way through the dungeon felt like the right path. I had a feeling I was never one to follow the rules. So I'd go in there, find whatever ingredients were available, and bake treats worthy of a final boss. Then I'd finally be free of this nightmare. "You coming?" I asked the little blue slime as I moved toward the dungeon's entrance. "You can stay here if you want." Jellybean chittered, bouncing into the dungeon ahead of me without a care in the world. I smiled and followed the brave slime, grateful that I wouldn't be going in alone. Whatever happened next, Jellybean and I would handle it together. Even if the door was slowly creaking closed behind me, sealing us inside...
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