Chapter 3: You Need Buffs to Defeat the Boss

“No… it’s not like that, Luo Yi.”

Xue La’s voice softened even further, tinged with shame she could hardly bear.

Even though being reincarnated as a little girl wasn’t her intention, she couldn’t stand the thought that the Brave would have his own petty emotions!

She had imagined Luo Yi to be far worse, thinking he might even eat her!

What now?

If something happened to the Brave, how would she fulfill her dream—skip fighting the Demon King (that was the Brave’s job) and just open a restaurant directly?

Almost instinctively, Xue La reached for the seemingly decorative pocket on her dress—it was something she’d discovered after her reincarnation, part of the original body’s belongings.

Inside, a small snack wrapped in a handkerchief was always kept.

And conveniently, it showed up in her panel under Inventory.

Food, rare food!

It was a small bundle wrapped carefully in oil paper: before the gathering, her mother had secretly stuffed it into her hand, homemade cookies loaded with butter and sugar.

She had to thank the lack of appetite she’d had back then—she only ate one or two, leaving the remaining three forgotten.

After sitting for days in the damp, dark cave, they hadn’t gone bad, though the edges were a bit soft.

The rich butter sweetness mixed with a hint of caramel scent wafted faintly through the oil paper—a stark contrast to the earthy, moldy, and fear-laden air of the cave.

Xue La carefully took out one golden cookie, holding it in her slightly dusty palm.

It seemed more precious than gold!

She recalled a speedrun post on the forums from back then, saying you could extort supplies from NPCs through intimidation.

Could it be that they were targeting someone like a fat sheep?

Xue La felt incredibly awkward inside.

She hadn’t been that into shady playstyles before, and the Luo Yi in front of her wasn’t that kind of person either.

“Look, I… I actually have some emergency rations.”

She held the cookie out to Luo Yi, her face slightly flushed.

This time, the blush was three parts acting, seven parts an apology—subtle and surprising even to herself.

“I didn’t finish them myself… it’s not like I’m rejecting your food. This is for you.”

The cookie exuded a sweet aroma that drifted straight into Luo Yi’s nostrils.

The boy’s stomach let out an even louder gurgle, and his eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to the delicate treat.

For a youth used to coarse food and currently starving, it was an immense temptation.

His Adam’s apple bobbed.

But the next second, he shook his head sharply and stepped back, as if resisting the temptation.

“No! Miss Xue La, this… this is your food!”

His tone was unusually firm, even urgent.

“I don’t deserve to eat it!”

“Take it! If you don’t eat your fill, you won’t be able to defeat the Manticore!”

Xue La said, her expression serious.

Even though her Golden Finger was pretty useless, only showing what she held, it was enough.

“Homemade baked cookies, food made with full affection. Restores a small amount of HP, and…”

On the panel, which only Xue La could see, a crucial mark appeared clearly.

“For a short time, increases critical hit probability, critical hit damage, and critical hit effects by double.”

Anyone who didn’t smile after eating this must be diagnosed with depression.

Why did Epic Fantasy Legend, which she played to the end, turn into a game about running a restaurant?

Xue La’s explanation for this was natural: the high-freedom game determined a secondary profession based on the Brave’s life skills—and during the first playthrough’s early meta, the playstyle Xue La favored before reincarnation was the cooking one.

As long as you didn’t eat until you puked, the positive buffs from various dishes could stack continuously!

This was no ordinary food; it was clearly a miracle drug!

Before reincarnation, it was precisely her style that led her to choose the farming side quest line for the second playthrough—opening a restaurant instead of any other trade.

She really was too familiar with cooking.

Cookies were a good thing; they had to be eaten!

With the buff, she could handle the Boss!

Xue La solemnly handed the cookie to Luo Yi.

“You can’t freeload. Promise me you’ll take down the Manticore, okay?”

Seeing the charming blue-haired girl, Luo Yi naturally felt his fighting spirit surge.

He hugged his greatsword and knelt on one knee to swear.

“I will, in the name of the Brave!”

“You’re not the Brave yet! Do you know the trial…”

Xue La laughed.

In the Patagonia Continent, where humans and the Demon Realm had been warring for centuries, the title “Brave” was nothing new.

Only those who passed the trial in the capital were called Braves!

There was no mystical aura—it was simply a state-designated profession.

Perhaps it was a cheap, low-maintenance kind of special forces meant to deal with the Demon Realm’s upper echelons.

Who knew?

But it was one of the fastest ways to end the war.

Though the title wasn’t novel, the legend of heroes was still sung—Luo Yi was a boy who grew up hearing stories of Braves, someone fighting for his ideals.

Xue La was happy to meet the future Brave—wherever he was, there was hope!

“So, I eat your stuff, and you eat mine—that’s settled.”

Xue La said with righteous resolve, forcing the cookie into Luo Yi’s hand.

“You can’t expect me to take down the Manticore with a little dagger, can you?”

“My grandfather said a true warrior stands up to protect the weak. I won’t back down!”

Luo Yi patted his chest confidently.

“My grandpa used to serve under Old General Bali Saihe!”

Hearing that name, Xue La’s heart trembled.

It was him, no doubt!

Though she had reincarnated into the Patagonia world as a speedrunner, she still remembered some key information clearly.

Bali Saihe was the War Marshal of the Northern Kingdom, a man of great military exploits, the embodiment of the Death God that countless demons feared.

Luo Yi’s grandfather and father had both been soldiers under that Marshal, a proud and glorious legacy.

Until…

No need to say more.

Winning glory on the battlefield was one thing; returning in disgrace to farm in the countryside, only to find the land barren and becoming a tenant farmer for a rural noble—that was another.

For Luo Yi to still hold onto the dream of becoming a Brave, even to protect a noble girl… he truly had it hard!

He had a very kind heart, which was why he would become a Brave.

Xue La understood this.

She wouldn’t let Luo Yi fall here easily—she would help, not just to achieve her own dream, but out of respect for the future Brave himself.

And so, for the first time, the boy and girl held hands as they left the dead end of the cave.

Along the way, Luo Yi seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

Xue La caught it.

“Um…”

Luo Yi looked a bit shy.

“I thought you’d be afraid of the mud. My hands are dirty.”

“No, because you’re the Brave.”

“But the trial…”

Luo Yi shook his head.

“You’re actually right—I’m not sure if I can… If you hadn’t run into this place, I wouldn’t have found a weapon to defend myself. Maybe I’d be just like those kids, crying!”

“In my heart, you already are!”

Xue La encouraged him.

“Hurry and eat the cookie I gave you—once we get to the front of the cave and mix with the others, the sweet cookie might cause trouble.”

Luo Yi nodded.

“I know some people have bad intentions…”

The red-haired boy put the cookie into his mouth, letting out a faint, pleasant munching sound.

The sound of someone alive.

“Delicious!”

His black eyes couldn’t hide the joy—after all, he was still a child.

The moment his tongue touched the sweetness, he was overjoyed, shaking his head.

“Did you make this?”

“No, it was made by my family—but if you like it… once we get out alive, I’ll make some for you myself!”

Xue La comforted him, feeling happy inside too.

Buff up to beat the Boss.

And this buff was too strong.

Ding—A small line appeared on the panel only Xue La could see.

[Party successfully enjoyed the meal. Life Skill experience awarded. Xue La has unlocked the auxiliary profession: Cook Maid. 1 Skill Point rewarded.]

So that’s how the Golden Finger worked!

Now, the odds of dealing with the Manticore had increased by another three points.

Xue La immediately invested the skill point into a crucial spot on the panel under Skills.

Backstab: When the enemy does not select you as the primary attack target or is unaware of you, this attack deals 8.5x critical hit damage, with a 55% chance of causing bleeding and partial injury.

Combined with the buff from eating the cookie, the 8.5x critical hit damage would double, and the chance of bleeding and injury would jump from 55% to 110%.

Even if the Manticore had some resistance to bleeding and damage, this would still give it a nasty surprise.

Plus, Luo Yi was in the party.

Might as well check his status.

Luo Yi, Apprentice Brave…

Skills: Full Power Slash, Block

As an experienced player of the game, Xue La favored the greatsword because equipping it immediately granted two skills—one offensive, one defensive—perfect.

Full Power Slash was a solid skill with high AOE and high damage but low burst, while Block was a direct upgrade to a shield’s function.

The greatsword’s combination of offense and defense was way more interesting than turtling with a shield.

Too bad the dagger was far behind—Backstab required perfect timing, making it generally not a recommended weapon—unless you used some shady tactics from the forums, like sneaking an attack while the Manticore was asleep.

But that required the player to have a habit of saving and loading frequently.

Xue La didn’t dare gamble on whether this useless panel would offer that shortcut.

It probably wouldn’t!

“Luo Yi, we have two cookies left. When the Manticore wakes up, we’ll take it down—if we don’t, heh, we at least got to eat sweet cookies before dying. Nothing to hesitate about!”