Chapter 53: The Meaning of the System’s Existence

Liu Heming’s life was very hard. He really wanted to tell the whole world, “This baby feels miserable inside.” Mastering this knife skill was truly not something that could be done easily.

In the first week, he still trained himself while controlling his practice time. Even so, his arms became somewhat red and swollen from exhaustion.

The movements were too monotonous. Before, when he went to restaurants, he saw chefs chopping ingredients swiftly and smoothly with a “click, click, click” sound. Now that it was his turn, although he also made a “click, click, click” sound, the results of his chopping were truly awful. With skills like this, Liu Heming felt that even if the System wanted to help him, it probably wouldn’t be able to do much.

Knife skills were one thing, but growing sweet potatoes was another challenge. He had to grow these sweet potatoes himself. Right now, he didn’t dare to ask George for help, because the planting requirements were too strict. Unless he had enough money in the future to hire real workers, then he could give orders however he wanted.

The second week passed with him practicing and growing sweet potatoes at the same time. Although the swelling in his arms had gone down a bit, there was still a sore and bloated feeling. Practicing the techniques for too long was still unbearable for him.

On May 23rd, while he was practicing the carving knife skill, the incredibly wonderful voice of the System rang out:

“Congratulations, host, for completing the task ‘Chef’s Basic Skill—Knife Skill.’ You have received the following rewards: Strength Points +5, Spirit Points +5, Agility +5, Stamina +5. Cooking classification title: Cooking Apprentice. We hope the host will continue to work hard and complete more tasks.”

Liu Heming was stunned for a moment, and then he was filled with joy. He directly threw the knife onto the cutting board, grabbed the chopped potatoes—some sliced, some shredded—and threw them all over the place.

His happiness was not fake. Those who haven’t truly tried it wouldn’t know how difficult the suffering inside was. It was fine that he went crazy by himself for a while; he even held Xiong Da and Xiong Er and went crazy with them for a while.

“Hey, buddy, tell me, what are Agility and Stamina for?” After causing a commotion, Liu Heming asked the System.

“I don’t know. If you can figure it out yourself, why ask me? How lousy do you think you are? There are still four days left. If you still can’t complete this task, you will miss the chance to greatly improve your abilities, and missed tasks cannot be claimed again.” The System said with great disdain.

“Hey, I thought this task was simple. Who knew there were so many twists and turns? You’re blaming me, but if you gave me some tips, I could pay more attention,” Liu Heming said.

“If I could decide for myself, I would give you all the rewards and boost all your stats to 100. How about that?” The System’s voice sounded clearly angry.

“That definitely won’t do. The main thing is that our coordination isn’t very smooth yet. Don’t worry, I definitely won’t be like this in the future,” Liu Heming quickly said, trying to be careful.

Everyone knew this System was like a stubborn donkey. Just now, in his excitement, he had disregarded it again. This mistake must not be made. If he made it again, he might regret it for the rest of his life.

Seeing that the System didn’t continue to criticize him, Liu Heming felt a bit more steady inside. This time, he asked, “What are my current stats? How many points are they still below the normal level?”

“Strength 61, Spirit 50, Agility 53, Stamina 44, Animal Affinity 30. So far, only Strength has reached the normal human level. The rest are still below.” The System said in a flat tone.

“Eh? That’s not right, is it? Did you miscalculate? I don’t know about Agility and Stamina. But shouldn’t Strength and Spirit be 60 and 49, respectively? If you gave me extra points, would it have a bad effect on you?” Liu Heming thought for a moment and asked.

He remembered those two numbers clearly. Initially, one was 55 and the other was 44. The current results were clearly 1 point higher than before. If the System didn’t miscalculate, then something he didn’t know about had happened again.

“Why are you so stupid? Wasn’t the knife skill practice during this time also a form of training for yourself? So all the stats increased by 1 point.” The System said somewhat impatiently.

“So that’s how it is. It seems I’ll have to keep training in the future and not just rely on the rewards you give me,” Liu Heming said, stroking his chin.

“Task Name: Chef’s Basic Skill—Wok Tossing Skill.”

“Task Duration: Twenty days.”

“Task Content: Attempt to master the wok tossing skill, reaching the primary standard.”

“Task Rewards: Strength +5, Spirit +3, Agility +5.”

“Task Penalty: None.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a new task displayed at the bottom of his vision.

“Hey, buddy, let me ask you, are you sure you’re the Magical Ranch System and not a Chef System?” Liu Heming looked at it for a while and then smacked his lips.

“It’s all for you. We have to improve your stats first. The tasks related to the Ranch System all take a relatively long time.” The System said in a muffled voice.

“Besides, if you master these skills well, you can also make food for Alex. Isn’t that one of your life goals? My existence is actually to help you achieve reasonable life goals.”

“Eh? So this is the real meaning of your existence?” Liu Heming asked, his eyes shining.

“Yes, what else did you think I was for?” The System said impatiently.

It didn’t know what kind of people other companions had encountered, but the one it had met truly gave it a headache. Not only was it very unlucky to have messed up the Database, but it also had to help him plan carefully. With such lousy skills, how could it not start with the stats first?

But why was this person so stupid? It really felt like a pearl cast into the mud—wasting its talents. I set my heart on the bright moon, but the bright moon shines on the ditch.

“Hehe, don’t lie to me. I know part of the reason is for my sake, but isn’t there another part for my daughter?” Liu Heming said with a smile, like a little fox that had just stolen a chicken.

This was a small realization he had during this time. When listening to the System, he must maintain a bit of skepticism. Before, the System often mentioned his daughter, always saying that his daughter had much better conditions than he did.

The System was silent for a while before speaking: “There is also a tiny reason. I should have my own ideals and goals too.”

“You need to hurry with this task. Otherwise, I really can’t help you improve. Originally, the rewards for these tasks should all be 3 points. Think about it: after such a long time of practice, you only gained 1 point on your own. You should know how difficult it is to improve your stats.”

“Don’t worry, I will really practice well,” Liu Heming said with a smile.

This was for his own good—a shortcut to success. He had to take it seriously.