Rivalry: Infinite Buff

Chapter 57: Old Friends

Ivan was surprised to see how smart the system was and he was convinced because of Rose’s story.

After several ideas rolled around in Ivan’s mind, he finally talked to Rose again, "I didn’t expect that you came from such a powerful family. I hope you are not exaggerating."

Rose could tell the change in Ivan’s tone. She knew he was interested in her story, “I will prove it to you, if you give me the chance.”

Ivan laughed, "Yes, now that we are here, I can’t find a reason not to give you a chance. If you can prove yourself, I promise I will always have your back. As the youngest Baron in Loda, I can tell you for sure I won’t be limited in this small town. Let's work together, and you know this will be best for both of us."

Rose couldn’t be happier to hear Ivan’s thoughts, "Oh, my Lord, thank you for giving me this chance. How about we go inside? Your friends have been waiting for you for a long time.”

"Sure," Ivan nodded.

Ivan followed Rose into the restaurant. It was a large traditional-looking place, with landscape paintings hanging on the wall. After they walked through the lobby, they reached a small courtyard, that had a pond filled with lotus flowers.

“What wonderful design!” Ivan praised after seeing the waterfall flowing over rocks.

There were four rooms in the small courtyard; Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning. Rose led Ivan to the room called, Wind and he could hear shouting and laughing from inside.

As Ivan pushed open the door, the room became quiet and everyone turned to look at him. There were about forty people and Ivan almost started crying when he saw all the familiar faces and IDs; StrongCurrent, GrassySand, FarawayWind, and so many more.

"Yo, isn't that Bishop?" A man with long hair shouted when he saw Ivan enter the room.

“FarawayWind! I miss you so much!” Ivan rushed to him and gave him a huge hug.

"Then why didn’t you call me?” FarawayWind slapped Ivan on the a*s.

FarawayWind was the first friend Ivan made gaming. Most would say he was Ivan’s tutor when he joined the Pursuer Guild.

"Hey, hey! You two find another room," all players pretended to cover their eyes.

Ivan waved his fist as if he was provoked. The room was full of laughter and joy.

Leo complained, "Finally! You know what? Rose insisted on waiting for you before serving us. Come on! We all starve to death."

Ivan rolled his eyes, "Save it. You know I can see your SP volume bar, don’t you?"

Rose smiled and let the waitresses into the room.

Although Leaf Town was a remote town, it’s always famous for its abundant resources.

“Here’s our specialties today; Special Steak, Ice Bamboo, and Huge Prawn.”

None of those players expected to see so many delicious dishes in the game. After seeing all of the food on the table, everyone’s stomach began to rumble.

Ivan wanted to eat the Ice Bamboo first. As he put it in his mouth, he felt extremely refreshed, as if he just ate ice-cold watermelon on a hot summer day. After taking a second bite, Ivan felt as if he had left the room and was standing on the top of a snow-covered mountain.

"Cool!" Ivan wiped off the frost on the corner of his mouth and then turned to Rose, "How can you find such fresh ingredient?”

Rose was satisfied with seeing everyone’s happy expressions, “I found this on the Dragon Icepeak. Normally, it would take half a month to get it all back but with an excellent chef who has a Proficient-level cooking skill… here you go! Ice Bamboo!”

Proficient cooking skills? Ivan confirmed again he should never look down any class in the Rivalry. For sure chefs didn’t have any advantage in the ATK skill, as long as they worked hard on their cooking skills, they still could make some extraordinary achievements.

Although players wouldn’t gain additional effects apart from SP, Ivan still saw the value of the delicious food. People would always pay for high-end food.

"I have to take pictures of Claire. Seriously! She should have joined us today!” Leo's mouth was full of prawns.

On the other side, Ivan opened a bottle of wine and then poured it into his glass. Smelling the wine, Ivan turned to Rose again, "Anything special can you tell us about this wine?”

Rose didn’t hurry to talk until she filled up everyone’s glasses, "My Lord, there’s nothing special about this wine. We do have a special recipe, but it is not ready yet due to a material shortage. When it is ready I will save the first bottle for you, my Lord.”

"I see, then I’ll wait to try it,” Ivan nodded, then raised his glass at Leo.

Leo received the message from Ivan, so he picked up the glass and toasted to all players, "Come on! Let’s celebrate our first day in Rivalry! Bottoms up!”

Ivan stared at Leo with a surprised expression. Bottoms up? Even though it was just a game, players were still able to get drunk and even vomit.

"Cheers!" All players in the room raised their glasses.

Ivan almost cried out holding this bowl-sized glass, “Cheers!”