At Orario's most famous bar, where adventurers of all sizes often gathered to drink and chat about recent encounters.
"Hey, have you heard? The 'Ghost of the Labyrinth' that's appeared recently."
"Ghost? Could it be someone playing tricks?"
Such things were rare in the Dungeon but not unheard of. Adventurers had their own rules, and those who violated them would be ganged up on, but there were also loopholes to exploit.
"No, no, it's a legend circulating in the 16th Floor. They say it's the ghost of a dead adventurer, lingering there."
"Really? If that's true, I won't go to the 16th Floor. I'll just skip it."
"Hahaha, got scared, didn't you? But don't worry, that ghost not only doesn't harm adventurers but even actively helps them."
"A ghost? Helping adventurers?"
"Yes, when adventurers encounter him while fighting monsters, he'll step in, kill the monsters, and take their magic stones."
"Hey, hey, isn't that just plain kill-stealing?"
"Of course, it's not that simple! Because that guy will even take action during a monster feast."
"Then isn't that just a natural monster delivery service? Are there really such guys?"
"Who's to say?"
Such rumors spread throughout the various taverns in Orario.
Like the bored gods, this era meant people didn't have much entertainment, so even a small change could arouse great interest.
And such rumors naturally reached the Hestia Familia, though they had little to do with them.
Since defeating Amphisbaena last time, Takatsuki used [Close at Hand Yet Worlds Apart] to bring the group directly back to Hearth Manor.
It also gave Hestia quite a fright.
However, after Takatsuki explained the situation, she also breathed a sigh of relief, and she and Fu Hua skipped along, taking the three of them to the large public bathhouse inside the Hearth Manor to take a bath together.
Meanwhile, after a simple wash, Takatsuki began preparing dinner for everyone.
After all, Mei was so tired; he couldn't possibly let her continue preparing dinner.
"It tastes pretty good."
Takatsuki nodded, tasting the prepared dinner from a small plate.
He was originally a good cook, and while he couldn't say it was delicious, it was at least edible.
After using the decomposed cooking skill, his culinary skills improved even further.
When cooking, he had an intuitive sense of how much seasoning to add and how much heat was needed, able to judge without thinking.
His cuisine was different from Mei's; he was more skilled in Chinese dishes, which in the Honkai world should be called Shenzhou cuisine.
"To have this level of skill without even breaking through to LV6 in cooking, what would LV6 be like?"
If Takatsuki were to evaluate it himself, the dishes he made now could already compare to those from the grand restaurants he had visited in the past.
And after experiencing the feeling of upgrading with the system, he understood that advancing from LV5 to LV6 wasn't just about needing more crystals; it was a qualitative leap.
With the existence of fantastical worlds and powers now, Takatsuki suspected that LV6 might achieve the miraculous effects seen in some gourmet anime, like adding medicine, adding medicine, and adding medicine.
Cough, cough...
However, it was unlikely he would spend crystals on cooking; he was too short on crystals right now.
Upgrading skills required crystals, converting Stigmata required crystals, and gacha pulls required crystals.
The improvement of Stand abilities could also be achieved by converting Stigmata into crystals to be consumed for enhancement.
"Takatsuki-kun~ Is dinner ready?"
Just as Takatsuki was pondering whether to save or spend his crystals, Hestia's head peeked out from the doorway, then she walked out from the side and into the kitchen.
"Lady Hestia, it's almost ready, but I prepared Chinese dishes. I don't know if you'll be used to them."
"Of course, there's no problem! Don't underestimate us gods!"
Takatsuki smiled, looking at Hestia's proud expression.
"Oh, right, where are the others?"
No sooner had Takatsuki asked than he saw Hestia put her hands on her hips, looking as if to say, 'Come and praise me!'
"Hmph hmph."
Takatsuki immediately thought, "Lady Hestia, did you update their Falna?"
"You guessed it! Everyone is a High-Class Adventurer now!"
Seeing Hestia's joyful expression, Takatsuki also rejoiced, "Then we should celebrate today! These dishes won't be enough."
Although he had expected it, the collective level-up was still worth celebrating.
When Takatsuki carried the dishes to the dining room, the girls (at least, they looked like girls on the outside) were already seated.
"Takatsuki-kun, I'm sorry to trouble you."
Mei still spoke somewhat weakly, her flushed cheeks emitting faint wisps of steam and her hair still bearing some water droplets, clearly indicating that the previous battle combined with her recent bath had left her feeling a bit powerless.
"No trouble at all. You usually prepare the food, Mei, so today, please enjoy my cooking. I also have some dishes that can help you recover your stamina."
Takatsuki didn't have the habit of serving dishes separately, but he had prepared over a dozen dishes, enough that even if one person ate two plates, they wouldn't finish it all.
Along with that, he also brought out all his hidden treasures.
"Kiana, this is your favorite fried chicken."
What Takatsuki brought out was naturally the consumable food previously provided by the system.
"Wow! Takatsuki, I love you so much!"
Kiana hadn't had fried chicken since coming to Orario, and poultry was scarce in Orario. Upon seeing the fried chicken, she immediately hugged Takatsuki.
But she was quickly pulled away by Mei.
These gourmet dishes had basically stopped appearing after Takatsuki entered the first dungeon, replaced by miscellaneous items, so they were consumed little by little. However, they weren't particularly precious; Takatsuki suspected that with higher cooking levels, he could completely produce similar delicacies.
Bell also returned to eat midway, as he had honestly traveled back and forth from the Dungeon on foot, making him slower than the others. Moreover, he often didn't come back to eat, instead going on "dates," so no one waited for him, especially since there were no cell phones in this era.
"Bell, didn't you go find Haruhime?"
Everyone knew about Bell going to the Entertainment District to see his girlfriend, so Takatsuki asked directly and openly.
"Um, Aisha, big sister, and Haruhime told me not to go for a while."
"Did something happen?"
"I heard their main god and captain will be going there recently."
Oh, that toad and Ishtar.
Takatsuki immediately recalled that the captain of the Ishtar Familia was an incredibly ugly woman, like a toad, and she was also extremely narcissistic and had a heavy taste. Basically, every man she fancied ended up becoming a cripple.
It was understandable for Aisha and Haruhime to tell Bell to avoid her.
"Ah, right, I heard there's a ghost haunting the 16th floor of the Dungeon recently. Did you encounter it, Takatsuki?"
"A ghost? I don't know, I didn't encounter one."
Bell nodded. He wasn't very concerned about it; he had just heard other adventurers mention it and thought to ask.
"I heard it only lingers on the 16th floor and is a ghost that helps adventurers."
Hearing Bell's words, Takatsuki paused slightly but still said nothing.