Manifold Mirror Mage: Legendary Magic on a Common Budget

"Gio, how is that remake for table three coming along? And the bald guy at the counter wants another order of gyoza," said the hostess as she unloaded empty dishes into the rolling tray.

Without waiting for a response, she glided over to the beverage stand, summoning a small mote of ice mana to chill the glasses before filling them with the finest chilled barley tea found in Ring City for less than one bit of a gallon. The silvered carafe that the woman poured the drink out of glimmered slightly, the barest signs of an extremely economical space enchantment were visible in an easy-to-miss cartouche emblazoned in the base as she struggled to lift the vessel over the set of frosty pint glasses.

"Out in a sec, Hatra!" Behind the counter stood Giorgio deGloria, a part-time assistant chef, with silvery blonde hair soaked with sweat and bound beneath a slightly dehumanizing hair net. He wiped his brow adroitly with the crook of his sauce-covered shirt, ensuring he didn’t cross-contaminate his hands.

DO NOT touch your face. I need to hold on until Sam gets back from his break. I don’t have time to wash my hands. I would sell my worldly possessions for a single cast of cleanse right now.

Aside from the beads of sweat that were running down his back, Gio tried to focus on three warming basins full of noodles, two saucepans, four full deep fryers, and a steamer holding what he was nearly certain might contain the last order of gyoza currently in the building.

Taking a measured breath, the young man waved his non-dominant hand in slow, concentric circles. Simultaneously, the broth, the sauces, and even the water in the steamer's base all rippled as the liquids within them swirled. As his hand circled, the force of mana he shaped smoothly synchronized across all vessels. With his dominant hand, he portioned out equally sized portions onto seven plates of spicy chicken udon, the weekend special.

The sizzling heat of the chili oil wafted towards Gio's eyes, threatening to make him tear up, but he dispelled it with a quick breath. Bursting through the swinging kitchen doors, an older man carrying several large bags of frozen gyoza heaved forth, kicking open the standing freezer as he wrestled the bags into the cramped space.

"Sam! You were supposed to be on break! but good looking out, I'm sending out the last order right now." Before Gio could ring the bell to summon the hostess, the young woman whisked away the three plates that had just gone up on the order stand.

"I grabbed a few bites before I ran to the storehouse, but I had a feeling tonight was gonna get busy, and I didn't want to leave you stranded here. It is the Friday before the system ceremony, which is always a big day for deliveries." The older man swiftly tied a blue fish-patterned bandana atop his buzz-cut head, his bushy eyebrows matting with sweat upon entering the busy kitchen. Sam eyed the swirling broth and chuckled to himself.

The head chef incorporated himself into the flow of the kitchen, and the night progressed.

Just before peak hours, the rest of the staff working that night had clocked in and manned their stations, preparing for a busy evening. Hatra was an invincible fortress of politeness and cleanliness manning the hostess station. Gio and Sam became cyclones in lock-step, a single unit churning out order after order in the kitchen, joined by their preparation assistant Quinn, who could make even a dull knife cut like a razor.

Wait staff bustled in and out of the back area, and several times a cleaning cart was sent out to the front of the house. The entire building seemed to hum with a sense of motion and intensity. Sam looked over at Gio and Quinn with a twinkle in his eye. "It's coming, I can feel it!" he whispered, a manic grin trying to peek out of his tired features.

Rewards:

-Minor boon for all workers

-Upgrade to the shrine near the register-uncommon store feature

Failure penalty: none, time limit: 3 hours. Current Rating: 87% satisfaction.>

Sprinting into the kitchen, Hatra ran to Sam, clasping his hands into hers. "Sam! Can we please break out the complimentary desserts?! You guys got the message too, right? I could REALLY use the minor boon. My has been on the cusp of the next grade for weeks now, and I know this will push me over the edge!"

Sam looked around and then into the eyes of his part-timers. he nodded, "Do it, but don't mention the challenge. Just say that it's a treat celebrating System Day for you kids. Make sure you save some for the after-party, though."

By the time Sam had finished speaking, the only thing that could be seen of the hostess was the waving of her long black ponytail hitting the door as she ran out into the back street to go into the storehouse. With renewed enthusiasm, the staff charged forward, moving as a cohesive unit.

_____

Wiping down the grill, Gio summoned the notification from earlier, unable to help himself. With the doors locked and the delivery drivers all waiting to be cashed out at the front register, there was officially no way for the rating to suddenly plummet like it did just before closing. If Hatra had not swooped in to offer the bald gyoza man a coupon, the night might have ended differently.

<98% Satisfaction rating. Time until close: 2 minutes, 37 seconds.. >.

What class does that guy have to pack away twenty-six orders of gyoza in a single night? And why would you get upset at the restaurant for not stocking twice the gyoza we typically go through in a week? But it's no big deal. We did it. My first challenge. I imagined it would be a bit more glamorous, but a boon is a boon. Status.

Name: Giorgio deGloria

Race: Human

Class- [LOCKED] - seal pending

Occupation: Part-time assistant chef, Full-time student

General Skills:

-Inferior Multitask

-Mana Shaper

-Quick Study

Would it be too much to hope this could count towards ? A title change to that skill would be massive for the start of the semester.

Knocking at the front door summoned Gio out of his system-induced daze, the letters fading into the background of his mind. Walking into the dining room, a bundle of balloons and small holograms had completely engulfed Gio's mother and his aunt. Trailing behind the balloons and illusion magic cloud were a few people engaged in an animated discussion, some holding bags full of tissue paper and others carrying boxes.

Gio came out from the kitchen and walked up to the group. "Hey Mom, anything I can do to help?"

"NO," resounded the entire group.

"Go sit with your cousins sweetie, you kids are done working for the day." Emerging from the pile of decor, Gio's mother and aunt quickly hugged him and began rapid fire setting up decorations. Gio recognized his mother's signature lavender sparks as the banners affixed themselves to the walls. Aunt Dola swept up her daughter Hatra in a tight hug, then began fluttering around the space on a small pair of conjured fabric wings, effortlessly hi-jacking and completing any cleaning-related tasks from the shop workers. Quinn's dads seemed to be engaged with Gio's dad about work while they moved tables.

Multitask>

Gio couldn't bring himself to be disappointed in the result. had been pulling its weight recently, and he was sure he could use the upgraded form for similar results. Pulling up a chair to Hatra and Quinn, he poured himself a glass of Barley tea from the now much less heavy carafe.

"One day, Sam might actually get a spatial item that reduces the item's weight instead of just making it bigger on the inside," Gio said.

"Unlikely. The store might have to get a challenge specifically for buying nicer appliances for that to happen," Quinn replied. The three teenagers giggled and slumped into their chairs.

"," Gio said. "I can't believe Sam was right about the challenge. I figured he was practicing positive thinking."

Hatra had both of her hands in her hair, rescuing her long shiny black hair from the ponytail. "Well, it makes sense. commerce spirits are supposed to be very in tune with high sales periods, and we've been getting a lot of business in the neighborhood recently. I've been sending out fliers with deliveries for the past month, and I think it's been working well. Oh, I got the upgrade I was looking for! . Wait, did you say that you got multitask? like... did you jump from inferior straight to no prefix? That's huge!" She said.

A large man with dark skin and golden tattoos approached the three. He put one of his hands onto Quinn's shoulder and interjected: " [Multitask] is a lower grade of general skill than your telekinetic insight, Hat. Smaller boosts to something like a multitasking skill won't parcel themselves out into multiple subdivisions like inferior and lesser. Still, if something provides a large enough spectrum of bonuses, I've seen skills that will have four or five different prefixes before getting to no prefix." Gio looked up at Paulo, his uncle's partner of decades. As one of the few true mages that Gio knew in person, Gio filed the information he had just given away in a special place.

Oh great, now I can feel quick study working for me... Multitask, I hope you're worth it. This upcoming school year is going to be... something else.

"Oh, Quinn, what did you get?" Hatra asked.

"I didn't get a skill upgrade from the boon. I think the system picked up on the fact that I am kind of happy with my pre-class skills for now, so I got an upgrade token for my first-class skill!"

Gio perked up at that. "That's awesome Quinn!"

It had been a long and tiring summer, but the three cousins had made quite the impression upon the staff of King's Garden. The noodle shop stuck out like a sore thumb, being the only brightly lit neon sign on a relatively bleak street in the mercantile district of the copper ring. Green chelated walls wedged the rest of the street away from the busier parts of the mercantile district, but realistically, the close distance from the main thoroughfare to the shop made for some pretty decent business. If not for Sam being old trade school buddies with Gio's dad, he probably wouldn't have given three inexperienced kids a shot at being part-timers in an up-and-coming noodle shop in a busy part of town. Still, he took a chance, and the three kids became absolute powerhouses. in the last month, Sam could be heard frequently muttering, or "reminding himself" not to get too used to having such reliable help around.

By the time those who wouldn't be staying for the after-party left, the front of King's Garden was transformed into an imposing banquet hall. What was once a dull wooden veneer and tacky mass-produced decor was now bursting forth with streamers, holographic glitter, and balloons, some of which appeared to contain motes of sparkling silver and blue fire. Draped across the center of the room was a banner that said "Celebration" in a generic font. A big smile came over Gio's features.

"Alright everyone, it's getting late, let's eat so we can get these kids their presents!" Sam declared.