Manaless Mage

He spent a few seconds staring at the beautiful interior of the building through the sleek transparent windows at the sides of the restaurant before walking in.

The walls of the restaurant were painted with bright red colours, the counters were tiled with black tiles that had white designs drawn around them.

The floors were also tiles with bright white tiles that shone and glistened in the light, even the ceiling was white, there were also different designs around it and bright lights that shone and illuminated the restaurant even more.

The first time Harry had visited the restaurant, he didn't focus on the beauty of the restaurant and was more interested in food.

However, as he spent more time working in the restaurant, he appreciated its beauty even more.

Both the interior and exterior of the building were very attractive with bright and charming colours, coupled with the neatness and orderliness of the workers, the whole restaurant gave off a regal vibe and aura.

When Harry first came here to eat, he thought it was just a small restaurant that was owned by one of the residents of this suburban, however, he later knew how wrong he was after he worked there for some time.

The name "Jade restaurant" was actually quite popular and this was only a branch. The headquarters itself was located in sterling city which was the current biggest city in the world.

Though the real owner was actually a normal human that set up this place in a bid to live a normal life, it was actually a successful restaurant known for its delicious delicacies--In fact, it was safe to say, it was one of the most successful restaurants in the world.

The only reason Harry hadn't heard of it before was because he wasn't current with the happenings of the world due to his issues with his parents and lifestyle.

A low chuckle left Harry's lips as he used a second to wander around the restaurant with his gaze.

He noticed the people in the building were quite fewer than usual, however he didn't put much thought to it.

The eyes of some of them--especially the female, lingered on him for a few seconds before finally turning away.

Most of them giggled with their friends for some reason while some simply became more timid.

Harry ignored all of the unnecessary things as eyes caught the sight of a girl with long auburn hair and deep black eyes waving shyly at him from one of counters.

He waved back, except his wave seemed quite awkward.

The said girl was quite beautiful with an oval face, thin pink lips and curves in the right places.

Harry's attention only lingered on her for a few seconds before he started walking towards a small blue door at one end of the restaurant.

The door wasn't exactly visible as one would have to stare for some time before noticing it, however, Harry could easily find his way there since he had been working here for a few weeks and was now quite familiar with it.

As he got closer, the aroma of different delicacies got stronger as they wafted into his nose, making him salivate a little.

However, he wasn't hungry as he had already eaten before coming.

Within a few seconds, he finally got to the door and then opened it.

Immediately a long hallway appeared in his sight, Harry walked down the hallway until he finally reached another door at the side of the hall.

That wasn't the only door there though as there were a few more doors on each side, each meant for different purpose.

Without wasting anytime, he walked into the door.

A wide kitchen appeared in his line of sight with a long 'table' at the middle and cookers at the sides.

"Look who's here!" A cheerful voice suddenly rang out the moment Harry walked in.

The person who spoke was a man that stood at 179cm, his figure was quite buff and he even looked more intimidating due to his height. He was dressed in a white apron with red lines at the edges and on his head was a long red toque.

At the middle of the apron and toque was the logo of a fork and knife with five stars around it and at the sides were written "Jade restaurant".

Harry simply smiled in response before greeting the others in the room.

There were two other people in the room and they were all putting on the same apron and toque. One of them was a man while the other was a woman.

They all smiled warmly to Harry and even though they didn't say a word, it wasn't hard to guess that they were all happy to see him.

The second man approached Harry and then said: "You're quite late today."

"Yeah..." Harry mumbled with a wry smile. "I had a lot of things to do at the academy."

"Ohh, that's understandable..." The man said with a slight smile on his face. Unlike the first chef, this one had a rather small small face with brown eyes and a slightly pointed nose.

His name was Earl and he was also one of the workers in the restaurant.

Suddenly a weird expression appeared on his face as he stared at Harry, even Harry was quite surprised by the sudden change in expression as he wondered whether he had some something wrong.

Just then, the man raised his right hand and then said: "You've gotten taller."

Harry mind was put at rest when he heard the man's words, a wry smile appeared on his face.

Though Earl regularly made jokes like this, Harry doubted he would ever get used to it.

True to the man's words, Harry did get taller by a few inches, however even Harry hadn't noticed it as he didn't watch his height everyday.

"Earl, leave the kid alone. We have work to do." The woman who stood at the other end of the room said. Although the expression on her face betrayed her words as she was smiling instead.

"So I guess you won't be joining us today?" The tall man who called out to him earlier asked. Contrary to his harsh appearance and demeanor, Noel was more of a gentle giant and was actually friendly.

The moment he asked that question, an odd silence descended upon the room as they all waited for Harry's answer.

They already knew what his answer would be but yet, they still waited to hear it from Harry himself.

"No, I won't. I don't have enough time..." Harry said. His main job at the restaurant was that of a waiter, however, he always arrived earlier at times and assisted the chefs in the kitchen.

At first, Harry simply assisted out of curiosity. However, as he did this, no noticed that he found joy in not only watching them cook but also assisting them.

He found a new hobby--cooking.

The manager of this branch gave him the freedom to join them in the kitchen whenever he wished, the manager also noticed Harry's love for cooking and he didn't stop it since it benefited him either way.

As long as Harry didn't let it disrupt his main job at the restaurant, things were fine with him.

And also on the clause that his salary wouldn't be increased, unless he wanted to change his part-time job to that of a chef; a step which Harry planned on taking.

Harry and the three chefs had developed quite the bond over the few weeks they've worked together despite the age differences between them.

Even Harry had to admit that they were the ones that actually made his work at the restaurant more enjoyable.

Wry smiles appeared on the faces of the three chefs but they didn't comment or react to Harry's reply.

They all understood that the brown haired boy's situation was quite complicated so they weren't mad or anything.

"I only came here to see and greet you all." Harry said.

Though Harry would love to assist them, he couldn't today. Usually he finished his academic activities 4pm, and he would have a few minutes to stay in the kitchen with them until 5pm where he started his original part-time work.

However, things were different today as he had left the academy at 4:37pm, he spent some time and home and he had only five minute to spare before he started his original work.

"I guess you're unlucky then... we are just about to prepare a new delicacy." Noel said with a slight chuckle before walking towards a corner of the kitchen.

He came back with a bowl of red minded raw meat and dumped it on the table.

Harry didn't even need to think before he already knew what it was--mana beast's meat.

Though mana beast's body parts were mainly used to create artifacts and weapons, there were still some parts that were edible.

Jade restaurant unsurprisingly sold mana beast meat too since they definitely had the resources for one.

The demand for it was quite high as the meat from mana beasts was known to be juicy and even more delicious than normal beef.

Since the meat was from 'animals' that had been enhanced with mana, it was only natural that it was more delicious than meat from normal animals.

Harry had never tasted it; not because he didn't like it or want to but because it was too expensive! Just one piece cost tens of thousands of credits which was simply way above his budget and expenses.

His eyes shone for a few minutes as he watched Noel pour the meat into a pot. A part of him itched him to stay back and watch him cook the meat, however, he knew he couldn't.

He simply smiled wryly before leaving the kitchen.

*****

I'm really sorry about the wrong chapter I uploaded before. I mistakenly pasted chapter 31 in between the original chapter, for those who had already unlocked the wrong one, I'm really sorry. This is the correct one, and you won't need to pay any more coins.