6:45 AM.
Vash woke up earlier than usual.
The first thought that entered his mind was the recipe book.
More specifically—
Golden Noodles.
He had only seen the name yesterday.
He still didn't know why Grandma had become so quiet when he reached that page.
Vash sat up and opened the system.
---
[ORDINARY SYSTEM]
Host: Vash
Age: 14
Level: 1
Physical Attributes
Strength: 6.0 / 10
Agility: 5.0 / 10
Endurance: 4.0 / 10
Reaction: 5.0 / 10
Recovery Data
Rehabilitation Progress: 1.2 / 10
Walking Stability: 1.0 / 10
Balance: 1.1 / 10
Skills
Cooking — Basic
Cooking Proficiency: 25.6
Mathematics — Basic
English — Basic
Observation — Basic
Physical Rehabilitation — Beginner
Business Sense — Beginner
System Points: 46 / 100
---
Vash looked at his recovery numbers.
He could walk now without constantly holding onto the wall.
But he still had a long way to go.
"Slowly."
He closed the interface.
"One step at a time."
---
After breakfast, Vash entered the kitchen.
Grandma was preparing the morning ingredients.
Vash looked toward the cupboard.
"Grandma."
She already knew what he wanted.
"The recipe book?"
Vash nodded.
She sighed.
"You really won't forget about it."
"No."
Grandma smiled and took the old book from the cupboard.
She placed it on the table.
Vash carefully opened it.
He turned past the basic cooking pages.
Then he reached page eight.
There it was.
Golden Noodles
Vash stared at the title.
"This is the first family recipe?"
Grandma nodded.
"One of the oldest."
"How old?"
"Very old."
"Who created it?"
Grandma smiled faintly.
"We don't know exactly."
Vash frowned.
"You don't know?"
"The recipe has been passed from one generation to another. Some things were changed over time."
Vash looked at the page.
"Then how do you know it's still the original?"
Grandma pointed to the handwriting.
"Because every generation wrote down what they changed."
Vash became more interested.
He looked closer.
There were tiny notes around the main instructions.
Some were written in darker ink.
Others were faded.
Different handwriting appeared throughout the recipe.
It wasn't just a recipe.
It was almost like a record of everyone who had cooked it before him.
Vash slowly turned the page.
---
[Unique Recipe Detected]
Recipe Name: Golden Noodles
Classification: Family Recipe
Difficulty: Basic — High Precision
Current Understanding: 0%
Mastery: 0%
Reward for Basic Mastery: Available
---
Vash blinked.
"System."
[Yes.]
"Can I learn this?"
[Yes.]
"Can I get System Points from it?"
[Only after meeting the required practical standard.]
Vash smiled.
"So reading isn't enough."
[Correct.]
He looked at Grandma.
"I want to try making it."
Grandma stared at him.
"Today?"
"Yes."
She laughed softly.
"You're impatient."
"I just want to see if I can do it."
Grandma closed the book halfway.
"Then first, you need to understand the recipe."
Vash nodded.
---
She began explaining.
The noodles were different from the ones used for their normal dishes.
The sauce required a particular order.
The flame couldn't remain at the same temperature throughout the cooking process.
Even the timing mattered.
Vash wrote everything in his notebook.
Ingredient.
Amount.
Preparation.
Heat.
Timing.
He asked questions whenever something wasn't clear.
Grandma answered each one.
But she didn't reveal everything.
Some parts of the recipe were written in old shorthand.
"What does this mean?"
Vash pointed at one line.
Grandma looked at it.
"That was how your great-grandfather used to write."
"So what does it say?"
She smiled.
"You'll have to figure it out."
Vash stared at her.
"Grandma."
She laughed.
"Learning is more fun when you think."
---
Vash spent nearly an hour studying the recipe.
The system appeared.
---
[Cooking Knowledge Acquired]
Recipe: Golden Noodles
Recipe Understanding: 0% → 12%
Cooking Proficiency: 25.6 → 25.8
System Points: +0
Reason: Practical mastery not yet achieved.
---
Vash nodded.
"Twelve percent."
He looked at the ingredients.
"That's enough to start."
Grandma shook her head.
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"You haven't learned the most important part."
"What?"
Grandma pointed toward the stove.
"Knowing when to cook."
Vash looked confused.
She smiled.
"Tomorrow."
---
The next morning, Grandma finally allowed him to begin.
Vash prepared the ingredients.
He followed the recipe carefully.
He heated the pan.
Added the oil.
Prepared the noodles.
Then came the sauce.
He hesitated.
The recipe said to lower the flame at a specific moment.
Vash lowered it.
But he did it too late.
The sauce thickened too quickly.
Grandma immediately noticed.
"Stop."
Vash turned off the flame.
He looked at the pan.
"I messed up."
"Yes."
Vash sighed.
"Can I fix it?"
"Not this time."
The system appeared.
---
[Practice Attempt Complete]
Golden Noodles
Result: Failed
Recipe Understanding: 12% → 18%
Cooking Proficiency: 25.8 → 25.9
System Points: +0
---
Vash stared at the screen.
"No points."
[Correct.]
He looked at the noodles.
Then at Grandma.
"Again tomorrow?"
Grandma smiled.
"Again."
Vash nodded.
He didn't feel disappointed.
Instead, he felt strangely excited.
He had failed.
But he knew exactly why.
And next time, he wouldn't make the same mistake.
---
That evening, Vash sat outside Grandpa's Noodles.
He opened his notebook.
At the top of a fresh page, he wrote:
GOLDEN NOODLES
Underneath it, he wrote:
Mistake 1 — Flame lowered too late.
Then he added:
Don't repeat it.
He looked at the old recipe book sitting beside him.
There were still many things he didn't understand.
The old handwriting.
The strange notes.
The reason the recipe had been passed down for so many generations.
And most importantly—
why Grandma seemed so careful whenever he asked about it.
Vash closed the notebook.
He wasn't going to ask her again tonight.
He would learn the recipe first.
Then ask questions.
Before going to sleep, Vash opened his system.
---
[DAILY TASKS]
1. Walk 20 steps. ✓
2. Rehabilitation exercises. ✓
3. Drink 500 ml of water. ✓
4. Study for 30 minutes. ✓
5. Help at Grandpa's Noodles. ✓
Tasks Completed: 5 / 5
Reward: +3 System Points
System Points: 49 / 100
---
Vash smiled.
"Forty-nine."
Then he looked toward the recipe book.
"Tomorrow, I'll do better."
The system appeared one final time.
[Statement noted.]
Vash laughed.
"Yeah, yeah."
He closed his eyes.
Tomorrow would be another attempt.
And this time, the Golden Noodles would be one step closer to becoming his.