Rin was having a meltdown when the oven exploded.
As if her day couldn't get any worse.
One second, tears were spilling into her apron while she was scraping burnt rice from the bottom of a pot. The next thing she knew, there was a blinding white light, scalding wind, and the sudden scent of freshly cut grass.
Her knees ached. Her head throbbed.
Somewhere nearby, something sizzled in a pan.
It wasn't in a "the only place you'll ever work again is your home kitchen" kind of way. It was more of a "your entire reality just changed" kind of way.
Rin sat up slowly, trying to make sense of her surroundings. The sky looked like a creamsicle—three suns drifting lazily through clouds streaked with coral and cream.
Nearby trees shimmered with what looked suspiciously like edible glitter blossoms. And the entire meadow smelled like someone had been baking cinnamon rolls and pan-searing buttered toast at the same time.
Most importantly: something very large was sniffing her dark-brown hair.
Snort.
"Please don't be a dragon," Rin whispered.
Snort-snuffle.
A low, gravelly voice replied, "You're late."
She turned and saw a bear.
A very real, very large brown bear stood beside her. A soot-streaked apron was tied clumsily around its middle, and a tiny pair of glasses were perched on the bridge of its wide nose. In one paw, it held a ladle shaped like a long-necked dinosaur. In the other, a piece of parchment.
Rin blinked. "Nope."
"You were due to arrive yesterday," the bear said, tapping a claw against the parchment. "Customers were already complaining."
He walked toward her slowly, paper outstretched. Rin scrambled back, half-crawling through the grass.
I didn't even get any magic powers?! What kind of second life is this?
She didn't care where she was—she was not sticking around to get mauled by a giant cooking bear.
Her hand hit something warm.
Rin glanced up, and there it was, in the middle of the field—a food cart.
No… not a cart. A miracle.
It was made from rich mahogany and trimmed with gold. The cart had wheels that looked smooth and durable, like it could withstand any weather.
The cart's tablecloth shimmered with elegant celestial stitches, and above it was a sign that read: "Comfort and Crunch."
As she gazed at the food cart in wonder, she saw some stairs inviting her inside. A silk flap lifted with a whisper of enchantment, and it was like she stepped into the back stage of a brilliant play.
There were softly glowing spice jars, an honest-to-goodness obsidian hotplate, and a cast-iron skillet. Next to it was a compact deep fryer. Rin's pulse jumped and her fingers twitched.
She hadn't felt excitement like this in a very long time.
Ding!
A translucent screen blinked into existence in front of her with glowing lines scrolling across it.
[Welcome, dear Host! You have activated the Legendary SSS-Grade Food Stall, Comfort & Crunch.
Your current Daily Quest: Serve 1 Customer
Bonus Objective: Create Your First Signature Dish
Good luck, Rin Park!]
She couldn't believe what she was reading. "I died," Rin whispered. "And woke up in some kind of fantasy food truck sim."
The bear huffed and adjusted its glasses. "You're not dead, you've been isekai'd. Happens all the time."
"What do you mean all the time?!"
"Focus." He tapped the screen with his ladle. "One customer. Easy. Do your job."
"Do my job? What are you even?"
There was a glint in his beady little eyes as he brandished his ladle proudly. "Name's Mokko. I pull the cart, and critique your seasoning. If anyone tries to steal our pepper grinder, I break their kneecaps."
Rin decided she wasn't ready for any of this. Instead, she just focused on her breathing.
Yesterday, she'd been elbow-deep in grease, sobbing over a failed restaurant and a mountain of debt. Today, she had a talking bear, a glowing food cart, and a quest.
Rustle, rustle.
Branches snapped as footsteps crashed through the underbrush. A man stumbled into the meadow, clutching his stomach. His cloak was torn, armor badly dented, and his black hair was caked with dirt and blood.
"Food," he gasped, struggling to keep standing. "Please...anything..."
Rin blinked. "Um...do you have any allergies?"
The man dropped to his knees and shook his head. "A-anything. Please. I haven't tasted real food in days."
Mokko folded his parchment. "Customer. Go."
+
Panic flooded her entire body--but once she saw the tiny kitchen behind the food cart, her hands moved without thinking.
Okay, Rin. No allergies, extremely hungry, and you're in another world. Focus on the order.
Underneath the wooden counter was a cold box--and it had temperature control. What a lucky find! Inside were some rainbow-colored fruits, bitter-looking roots, and a magical potato.
"Well, beggars can't be choosers. Let's see what we can make with you."
In the fast food joint Rin worked at, they just sliced up the potatoes using a mandolin and fried them. This time, since it was her food cart, she was going to do things her way.
"Hey Mokko, do you have any duck fat around here?"
The bear didn't look surprised. "Bottom drawer. We get cooking oil from birds or crush sunflower seeds."
+
Rin peeled the potato and cut it neatly thick rectangles. Then she grabbed a bowl and soaked them in cold water from the nearby river. Mokko nodded in approval. "Now that potato won't have so much starch."
She turned to the deep fryer and added some of the rich rendered duck fat. When the smoke point was just right, she dipped the potatoes in.
Sssshhhh—
The duck fat hissed and a deliciously savory--almost meaty--aroma filled the air.
She grinned.
Next, she crushed some translucent berries in a mortar until they released a blush-colored syrup. After some rummaging through the cold box, she found a bottle that had some bubbles in it.
"Perfect!"
She poured the syrup in a plastic cup filled with sparkling water and mixed it well.
A few minutes later, she handed the adventurer a tray.
Aromatic golden-brown duck fat fries. Sparkling fruit soda.
He stared. "This is…"
"Eat before you fall over."
He took one bite—and burst into tears.
Ding!
You have created: Mana-Refreshing Duck Fries & Memory Sparkle Soda
Stat Boost: +10 Energy, +5 Clarity
Skill Unlocked: Flavor Resonance I
Another screen flickered to life:
Quest Unlocked: Feed 100 Hungry Souls to Access Your First Legendary Recipe
WARNING:Culinary Signal Broadcasted! Entities with Detection Rank B or higher have now marked your presence.
Rin read it twice.
"Visible to what now?"
Mokko grunted. "You're on the Culinary Radar. Word spreads fast."
"Wait—so people will know I'm here? Like, what kind of people?"
"Hungry ones. Powerful ones."
"Can I opt out? Maybe hide behind a bakery?"
"Nope. SSS-grade stall. You're stuck."
Rin groaned. "I just wanted to make fries, not become some magical English chef! I can't handle the pressure of cooking competitions..."
But even as she grumbled, her fingers twitched again. The fryer responded like it had known her for years. The ingredients had sung in her hands. And the soda—it sparkled like starlight.
She peeked at the adventurer, now curled in the grass, cradling the soda like it was sacred.
Behind her, the flap of the cart rustled.
The air turned heavy.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Something was approaching.
A figure emerged from the woods—tall, wrapped in tattered robes, hood drawn low. Their presence buzzed like static, wrong in all the subtle ways.
Rin stepped back. "Mokko?"
The bear's body tensed. His glasses glinted. "Careful. That one's… not normal."
The figure stopped just shy of the cart.
A long, forked tongue flicked out from under the hood.
They leaned closer, voice a purr of hunger.
"Tell me…"
A glint of too-sharp teeth flashed beneath the robe.
"Do you serve meat?"