Chaotic Craftsman Worships The Cube

Sweating and panting, Ben alone looked fine as he watched from the side while the other four moved their bodies for whatever workout they could get, suffering through it for the vague hope it might help ensure that they’d get through that floor of the tower but finally getting it to end once Ben called out.

“Alright guys, I’m going to take the dishes out in ten minutes so you call all stop for now-”

“Oh thank god,” Jake sighed as he collapsed to the ground. “That sucked so much.”

“Jake, I know your attributes. That should have been a light workout.”

“I’m a mage, I don’t do light workouts.”

“Well anyway, you’re not exactly done either-”

“Boo!”

“Will, did you just boo me?”

“When I saw you outside the tower you told me I could sleep through this.”

“Yeah, and don’t think I didn’t notice you having a couple naps on the first and second floors. Now, what I was going to suggest was that Thera, could you use some life spells on everyone to enhance their digestion rates? We’ll get you all just a bit hungrier and then we’ll get to eat, promise.”

“...Well, this is still far from the worst trial we’ve done,” She told herself as she did what he’d asked, feeling her body grow hungrier on top of the effort she’d just finished putting it through while the others groaned and their stomachs rumbled.

“Perfect.”

They were officially in peak eating condition which meant he just needed to add the finishing touches, pulling his frozen syrup from the freezer and turning it into a fine powder before placing it back and putting the dumplings in a pan to cook with a bit of water and oil, sending the rest of them to take their seats while he started plating everything, carrying the appetizers out for everyone and being rewarded with hungry eyes as a result, placing a dish in front of each person before taking a seat himself.

“Alright everyone, dig in.”

They needed no prompting as the first morsels were shovelled into each mouth with one change coming to that floor as they did. As the four of them bit down, a mark appeared above each of their heads, forcing Ben to look above his own in surprise but finding nothing there.

“...What does that mean though?”

He could only guess that they were either a positive or negative mark, at the very least they didn’t seem to be doing anything other than existing, but he had to assume that the absence of one for himself meant he wasn’t getting a perfect score. Either he alone had satisfied the floor’s conditions or everyone else had.

But that doesn’t make sense because I think this is delicious and it’s obvious they all do too and… another fucking tower’s broken for me, hasn’t it? If this stupid thing is supposed to be gauging my mind then it might not be reading it right and oh my god Nare, fix these fucking things for people who think like me! Seriously, why am I constantly being discriminated against for my mental structure?

…But this is a genuine problem. I don’t know if I need a perfect score or not but if I do then I’ve already lost and even if I don’t, three courses probably means three marks each. Failing every single one is not going to be a good look so is there any way I can turn this around?

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

He still had food left so he did his best to control his mind. Mediation was one of the skills that unnatural mind had grown from so in an attempt to try and trick the trial and make his thought structure seem more normal he quieted all but one of them and ate another gyoza, with no change coming for it.

With only one other option he could think of, he then went the opposite route by placing his very first mind skill in charge, the focus that had grown so far beyond its initial limits being directed at all of his minds to hone in on experiencing the dish he’d made, tasting it with all he was and finally getting marked for it as a result.

Oh thank god.

It wasn’t how he liked to think but he could make the trial work for him, that was all that mattered so he let the others finish eating before he got up, their hunger having their eyes glued to their plates in a way that none of them had even noticed the small problem he’d just gone through.

“Alright, stew next so in the meantime, Thera, enhance their digestion as much as you can while I’m gone.”

“You’re a monster,” Jake whimpered, with Thera seeming to fall into agreement.

“Did you get a level of your evil affinity for that?”

“No.”

“You should’ve.”

“Ha, maybe I will when I get you to do the same thing before dessert,” He teased. “Now sit tight, I’ll be right back.”

He dished out the stew into separate bowls and heated up the flatbreads he’d made in a warmed pan before carrying them all back, seeing hungry enough faces on the rest of them for him to know that Thera had given in to his request no matter how she may have felt about it and was rewarded with the sight of them devouring what he’d made once more, each of them being marked and getting his own as well now that he knew the trick of it, leaving only dessert last to give.

Thera was increasing their digestion again while he left to get it, cutting thick slices of cake for everyone and scooping a healthy amount of sorbet on the side and carrying it back, not even getting to take his own seat before they were digging in, the four of the marked and left only waiting for his own to join them as he took his first bite, sinking into the delicate flavours and texture of his cake against the sharper, fruitier ones of his sorbet and not needing to see his own mark to know he’d passed.

When his food touched his lips he saw the door he’d come in through change, a sure enough sign they’d gotten their exit but not something they needed to immediately take. Their time limit was far from over and with food still in front of him it would have been a shame to waste it so he and the rest first finished up, all of them looking content by the end.

“Ben, I gotta say, even if you’re an evil bastard you’re still one hell of a cook,” Jake sighed. “Sure I can’t hire you?”

“Not when your way of asking starts with calling me an evil bastard. I’m literally the sweetest little guy.”

“I’m still having chemistry nightmares.”

“Just learn how to shove your mind somewhere else, it’s a handy talent to have and gives you a lot more time to get things done.”

“You still need a therapist,” Amy told him, shaking her head at the thought that anyone should develop a coping mechanism quite like that.

“Plenty of people do, it’s fine. Now, if everyone is done saying rude things to the guy carrying you all through the tower and who just cooked you one of the best meals of your lives, let’s go see what’s next for us already.”

He was already excited for whatever it would be, curious if the next floor would build on the last two again or if there’d be some new, fun challenge comparable to the first one but pushing his way through he got none of that, leaving his face to fall even as the others rejoiced.

“So we’re getting one rest area at least,” Thera said, obviously happy to have it since it meant a place to sleep without being on a time limit and even if Ben wanted to skip it, he had to admit it was probably for the best.

While his current tower was supposed to be harder than any of the magic ones, by that point any other team who challenged it was sure to be sore from how much work and running around needed to be done. If he assumed that the rest areas in the magic towers were to mainly let people regenerate their mana for whatever would come next, craftsmans’ tower had to be to give an ordinary team’s bodies a break.

Not that I really need one but… I guess I don’t know what’s coming in the next two, a nap might do me some good, just in case.

It looked like that was what everyone else was going for too, with the others starting to lie down, taking out what bedding they had in their rings as he did the same, grabbing his spot beside Thera and retreating into his mind for what rest it would bring, letting a few hours go by before they’d have to move on.