The Gourmet Innkeeper: Cooking Monsters in a Fantasy World

After a long butchering session, the kids finally took a nap. Finn treated them to essence food as lunch as a reward for a job well done, as well as to help their recovery, which made them even more energetic.

Anyway, while Finn handled the huge amount of meat and created a large smoking rack to make large batches of jerky (though it had to be outside, so the chances of them becoming essence food were lower), the sparring ring was prepared by the goblins.

It was a simple area where the rocks, weeds, and other vegetation were either removed or moved. They placed it somewhere on the Southwest side of the lot, which was on the front left area of the inn.

The first battle was against Finn, who'd be using a halberd, and Aaron, who would be using his spear. The battle of the midranged.

Though Finn had a more versatile weapon and was older, he wasn't the one who had been fighting for years. What Finn had been fighting was kitchen heat and annoying customer requests.

Anyway, he hoped that this spar would let him have a better grasp of his weapon, and also get a feel of its weaknesses and limitations.

They limited it to no-skill use, and they also considered the fact that Finn was only a Tier 1 awakened (for now) while Aaron was already in Tier 3, which was far ahead of his peers.

Still, Finn insisted on using weapons simply because he needed to master them as soon as possible. In the end, they decided that the fight would end the moment one of them bled, even if it was just a scratch.

To be honest, Finn wanted to buy a sword (or two), but the one he was eyeing was 500 gold, so he'd need to do a bit more farming and a bit more cooking and a lot more kidnapping, er, recruiting customers, if he wanted it.

Aaron lunged first, moving forward and appearing in front of Finn. The redhead raised his weapon to block his attack, angling it so the blade would face away from him.

Clank!

Their weapons' shafts clashed, creating a clanking sound. Dust kicked up as they circled each other, swinging their weapons to swipe at the other, while the other either blocked or avoided it.

Aaron bounced lightly on his feet, weapon steady and eyes sharp. He grinned. "That's a nice weapon."

He smiled. "I hope to be worthy of it while I'm using it."

Clank!

Finn gave a sudden thrust, using his weight to add force to it. Aaron blocked it, but Finn deftly rotated the weapon, using the halberd's hook to pull the enemy's shaft.

"Hey!!" Aaron gasped, pulled along for a moment. He was about to stabilize himself—which was fast enough—but Finn's instinct flared, and he kicked the lad in the face before he could do so.

It was here that Finn felt the additional stats he got from cooking and the other rewards he received from the system.

Before, it always felt like his body would always lag behind his brain and his instincts, so he always tried to look ahead, even if it was just a step later.

Now, because he could react faster, he could think about the steps after that with much more ease, at least to some degree.

Seeing him fight like this, Aaron could no longer be careless. It would be embarrassing to be defeated by someone two tiers lower, OKAY!?

Once again, the two pole arms met with a solid crack, and for the next ten or so minutes, the two of them just exchanged blows, with Finn getting pushed around for the most part due to the differences in rank, but he was defending well, all things considered.

Aaron was also a bit hotheaded and impatient, so the longer it lasted, the more openings he showed.

Finn adjusted his grip, shifting smoothly into a defensive stance.

Aaron's spear darted forward, made a real thrust, then stepped aside. Finn reacted, rotating the halberd's shaft to deflect it.

"I'll make you an extra lunchbox if you beat me."

Aaron got a bit excited and rotated his spear, sending a few barrages in his direction.

Finn knew the kid liked to go with force, to follow his momentum, so he used it to his advantage.

They clashed, and Finn was on the defensive for a few moments until he finally got the timing and raised the hook of his weapon. His hand shifted and pushed it down, the spear's tip slamming onto the ground.

Finn then moved forward to hit Aaron using the base of his weapon.

"Ouh!"

Aaron stepped back, his hold of his weapon loosening, but he managed to grip it again before he completely lost his hold. He then yelled and jumped up, using his spear as support, and his thigh was just about to hit Finn on the face.

Finn's body moved on its own and bent back, probably to his [Monster Instinct], except while his brain knew to react, his body was not flexible enough.

He fell down instead of keeping his balance, but he managed to roll away before he got kicked again. He recovered his balance using his weapon.

He immediately swung it at a low angle. He knew Aaron's blind spot by now and took advantage, causing the lad to get imbalanced as well. Normally, such a move wouldn't cause this due to their level differences, but Finn made sure to use the hook of his weapon, grabbing the back of his thigh, and pulling him with more force.

The lad's pants were a defense weapon, too, so even if it was a low-ranked one, a single swipe from Finn's weapon wouldn't usually be enough for blood. However, Finn used all his strength to hook him, so he fell down regardless.

Before Aaron could regain his bearings, Finn quickly rotated his weapon, and the next moment, the spear tip was right above Aaron's neck.

The others gaped, while Zachary clapped his hand. "Whoa, awesome!" The goblins did too, cheering for their new master quite passionately.

Finn was drenched with sweat, but he had a bright smile on his face.

Although a lot of luck (and Aaron's carelessness) was involved, at least within the confines of this fight, Finn actually beat him, a person 2 tiers above him!