Breakfast

“Father, what is a friend?” the young Ogre asked his unique father.

“A friend... well...”

Seeing his father fall silent, Ogre's wide-open eyes visibly dimmed—he hadn't expected his knowledgeable father to have things he didn't know.

“Ogre...” Ogre's father stroked his forehead with his blue palm. After thinking for a long while, he slowly opened his mouth to voice his understanding. “Friends are guys who can trust each other.”

“Then, are Ogre and Father friends?” the young Ogre asked, stretching out his small hand.

“Of course we are. Little Ogre, it's not just me. You'll have other friends in the future—more and more of them...”

“Yay! Ogre loves friends the most!”

...

“Phew...”

As the first ray of morning sunlight filtered through the window, Ogre opened his eyes.

“Friends...” Recalling the past he had just dreamed of, Ogre smiled and shook his head.

He patted his forehead and muttered to himself, “Why did I fall asleep again? Is there something wrong with this meditation method? Or is something wrong with me...”

Although practicing a meditation method couldn't completely replace sleep, reducing sleep to once every four or five days was perfectly fine. The mental recovery from meditation wasn't bad.

But ever since he had switched to the Withered Wood Rejuvenation Meditation Method, things had been a little off.

With this meditation method, Ogre fell asleep every single time he practiced it.

He had never had such good quality sleep in his entire life, easily sinking into three or four days of deep, consecutive sleep.

“Forget it... I can put the meditation aside for now.”

As he spoke, Ogre stretched his body.

Following a series of pops and cracks from his bones, he finally exhaled a breath of stale, hot air.

All the sound sleep lately had indeed relaxed Ogre's mind and body quite a bit.

After stretching, Ogre washed up and adjusted his disguise.

Once he was fully dressed, Ogre picked up the spear wrapped in cloth. To be honest, this thing was a bit too conspicuous in the city.

Usually, Ogre didn't really like such eye-catching equipment.

But since Folke had given it to him, he would just make do with it. It didn't matter if it stood out, as long as it was a reliable weapon.

Besides, there were plenty of people walking around carrying weapons anyway.

Only when he reached for his mask did Ogre finally pause, staring at the striped mask from which he had wiped the green blood.

A rare moment of hesitation seized him.

After a brief hesitation, he bypassed the mask that represented his usual identity and reached into a drawer to pick out a different, multi-holed mask.

“It's about time to make an initial separation from my identity as Gourmet...”

Originally, Ogre had chosen to use a mask for a dual identity precisely to make it easier to separate them later.

As it turned out, it was the perfect timing.

In the black market and the arena, the identity of Gourmet had indeed saved Ogre a lot of trouble.

However, Ogre would be teaming up with Folke and the others for the foreseeable future.

Therefore, he needed to switch to a new identity as a new disguise.

In any case, Ogre wouldn't be returning to the arena or the black market anytime soon.

“Friends...”

Holding the new mask, Ogre suddenly smiled again for some reason.

Then, he stowed the mask away and walked out of the room.

...

It was still early before his scheduled departure with Folke and the others.

So Ogre chose to head out and get some breakfast first.

Strength did not come from nothing. As energy was depleted, it had to be replenished—especially for heavy physical spenders like Martial Artists and Knights.

Only by eating a lot could one sustain their stamina.

Those who worked hard but ate little were basically at death's door. Generally speaking, only those who could eat well could fight well.

“Ogre!”

“Oh, Folke.”

Ogre never expected to run into Folke just around the corner when going out to grab a bite.

“Good morning, Ogre! I didn't expect to run into you here. Star-grass coffee, want to try some?” Folke offered another cup of the drink in his hand with casual familiarity.

Seeing Folke reaching out, Ogre hesitated for a moment before taking the paper-cupped beverage with a smile.

Ever since the Church of Truth had introduced a cheaper paper-making process hundreds of years ago, paper cups had begun appearing in various taverns and drink shops.

“Good morning. Hmm... It tastes pretty good. I haven't tried this drink before.” Ogre pried open the lid, took a sip, and gave an honest review.

It tasted like coffee mixed with milk, but with a strange, refreshing note to it.

“I bought it from a newly opened shop,” Folke explained.

“By the way, where is Lange?” Ogre looked around but didn't spot him anywhere.

Come to think of it, was this drink originally meant for Lange...?

Oh well, same difference.

“He went to confirm the quest. He'll be here soon. You haven't eaten breakfast yet, have you, Ogre?” Folke asked.

“Yeah, not yet.” Ogre usually only had breakfast after warming up with a fight in the arena.

He preferred to replenish his energy after physical exertion.

But since they were going on a quest today, Ogre had no choice but to follow the noble custom of waking up and having breakfast first.

“Want to get some together?” Folke pointed a thumb behind him.

“Sure.” Since his boss was paying, Ogre naturally wouldn't decline.

When it came to food, Ogre wasn't picky. Since he had practically leased his services to Folke for this period, he felt perfectly justified eating some of his food.

“Let's wait for Lange inside.” Folke took occasional sips of his drink. During his few days on the border, his noble manners had rapidly deteriorated, making him much more casual.

“This way, gentlemen...” The greeter at the door was surprisingly polite.

However, once Ogre saw the lavish interior decoration, he found it less surprising—he just wondered how long this restaurant could survive before going bankrupt.

“So, what do you usually eat, Ogre?” Folke asked after they passed the greeter.

“Hmm... Bread and some meat.”

When Ogre was a child, the quality of his food was mostly up to luck. Most of the time, his staple diet consisted of various wild fruits, along with milk, dry bread, and low-level beasts that his father brought back.

Only after he gained some hunting ability did his dining options diversify.

Once he met Yade, became an apprentice, and grew stronger, the quality of his food naturally improved.

Generally, Ogre preferred high-energy foods, like sugar and jerky.

The border cities lacked many things, but they didn't lack meat. After all, one didn't have to travel far before reaching natural hunting grounds and pastures. On ordinary days, there was also relief algae powder distributed by the empire.

However, the resources of a region were ultimately limited. The appetite of transcendent Professionals was far greater than that of ordinary people. According to statistics from the Church of Truth, if a region wanted to maintain resource stability, the number of Professionals (including apprentices) could not exceed one-fiftieth of the ordinary population.

“Oh, right. Since you are a Martial Apprentice.”

Folke pondered for a moment. Remembering the fruits Ogre used to eat, his lips twitched slightly. In the end, he decided to order according to his own tastes.

“Any dietary restrictions?” Folke picked up the menu and asked casually.

“No, I'm not a picky eater,” Ogre said, rubbing his nose.

As long as there was food to eat, the taste was secondary.

Anyway, Ogre had eaten raw food plenty of times before.

“This, this, and this...” Folke pointed out several items to the waiter before confirming their order for today.

Next, as the two of them waited for the food to arrive, Lange also arrived at the restaurant.