Chương 130

The road to the Vatican was long and dusty, but Grid didn't mind the trek. As someone who possessed the inhuman patience to swing a blacksmith's hammer for 20 hours straight without sleeping, a little walking was nothing but light cardio. In fact, Grid was actively scanning the tree line, his hand resting on the hilt of his greatsword. To him, the wilderness wasn't a travel hazard—it was a free hunting ground.

"If I kill a few dozen mobs along the way, I can squeeze out some extra experience," Grid calculated in his head, his eyes shining with greed.

"Maybe I'll even get some decent leather drops to sell." However, Grid wasn't the one leading the hunt. Every few minutes, Rudra would tap the blunt end of his heavy bone staff against the dirt. Whenever he did, a faint, invisible pulse of energy rippled outward. It was [Abyssal Sonar]. The skill painted a massive, detailed map inside Rudra's head, showing him the exact location of water sources, hidden caves, and most importantly, monsters. Suddenly, Rudra stopped walking.

He looked to the left, staring into a thick patch of dark woods.

"Oh, nice," Rudra smiled, rolling his shoulders.

"There's a nest of Armored Razor-Bears about a mile that way. The boss is with them. They have a high chance to drop top-tier rib meat." Grid's eyes lit up immediately.

"A field boss?! Perfect! I need the experience! Stand back, guys, I'll take the vanguard. Just make sure to leave the killing blow to me!" Grid eagerly ran into the trees, completely ready to grind. A few minutes later, they reached a large clearing. A massive, ten-foot-tall bear covered in thick stone armor was roaring, surrounded by a dozen smaller bears. It was a vicious field boss that would normally take a full party of high-level players hours to defeat.

Grid pulled out Dainsleif, his massive black greatsword.

"Alright, watch and learn! Pagma's Descend—" Before Grid could even finish his sentence or activate his sword dance, the legendary squad moved. Piaro stepped forward calmly. He didn't draw the sword at his waist. Instead, he swung his iron hand plow in a wide, smooth arc. Swish! A crescent-shaped blade of pure energy ripped through the air, exactly like a farmer effortlessly cutting down tall wheat. The attack instantly sliced through the thick stone armor of five bears.

They didn't even have time to scream before their bodies burst into gray ashes, dropping a few scattered coins and pelts. At the exact same time, Mumud raised a single finger. He didn't chant a long spell. He just casually flicked his wrist. A condensed spear of blue ice shot forward, striking the remaining smaller bears and instantly freezing their health pools to zero. They shattered into gray light. The boss bear roared in anger and charged. Rudra didn't even use a skill.

He just stepped directly into the giant bear's path, gripped his bone staff with both hands, and swung it like a baseball bat. CRACK! The impact sounded like a bomb going off. The overwhelming, crushing physical force of the heavy staff smashed straight through the boss's defenses. The giant bear was blasted backward. Before its massive body even hit the ground, it dissolved into a massive flash of gray light, leaving behind a glowing pile of loot. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road.

If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Silence fell over the clearing. The entire fight had lasted exactly three seconds. Grid stood frozen, his heavy greatsword still raised in the air. His jaw was hanging open. He stared at the fading gray ash, then at the three men who hadn't even broken a sweat. He hadn't even managed to swing his sword once.

'What... what did I just watch?!' Grid screamed in his head.

'They didn't even use their ultimate skills! They just swatted a field boss like a fly! They completely stole my experience!'

"Perfect," Rudra cheered, walking over to the pile of dropped items. He picked up several large, glowing chunks of raw meat from the ashes.

"The boss dropped the intact ribs. Grid, help me carry this loot!" When the sun finally set, they set up camp in a quiet clearing. Grid sat on a log, cleaning his greatsword and still feeling slightly robbed of his combat time. He watched as Rudra completely ignored the concept of resting. Instead, the Staff Saint pulled a massive, heavy iron pot—the Protean Crafting Cauldron—out of his inventory and dropped it over the campfire.

Rudra started furiously chopping up the dropped Armored Razor-Bear meat, tossing in wild onions and rare glowing mushrooms he had gathered using his sonar along the way.

"Hey," Grid called out, genuinely curious.

"You're the Staff Saint now. Why are you working so hard cooking instead of training your combat skills or leveling up?" Rudra stirred the thick, bubbling stew with a wooden spoon.

"Because cooking is how I get my power, Grid. Whenever I cook a dish that gets a Unique or Epic rating, the system gives me permanent raw stat points. Strength, stamina, agility. It's the core of my foundation." Grid blinked. He knew exactly what Rudra was talking about. As Pagma's Successor, Grid also received permanent stat points whenever he successfully forged a high-rated item. It was a perk of being a production-based class.

But as Grid watched Rudra lazily stir a pot of soup, a massive wave of envy hit him all over again.

'We have the exact same stat-gain system, but the conditions are completely unbalanced!' Grid thought, gritting his teeth.

'I have to stand in front of a scorching hot furnace and swing a heavy iron hammer for 20 hours straight just to finish a single sword! He just throws dropped meat into a pot, stirs it for thirty minutes, and gets the exact same stats?! This game is totally rigged!'

"Dinner is ready," Rudra announced, pulling Grid out of his jealous thoughts. Rudra handed out wooden bowls. Piaro and Mumud took theirs eagerly.

"Ah, Lord Rudra's cooking," Mumud smiled, taking a delicate sip.

"It was the only joy we had in those dark underground cities."

"Indeed," Piaro agreed, shoveling a massive spoonful into his mouth.

"It gives a man the energy to plow a hundred fields." Grid looked down at his bowl. The stew smelled incredible, but he was still a bit grumpy about the unfairness of the production systems. With a sigh, he scooped up a piece of bear meat and shoved it into his mouth. Instantly, Grid froze. His taste buds exploded. The meat was impossibly tender, melting in his mouth with a rich, savory, spicy flavor that he had never experienced in his entire life. It was better than the premium Hanwoo beef he dreamed of buying.

It was perfect. [You have consumed a highly nutritious, Epic-rated meal!] [Your health and mana recovery rates are increased by 50% for 3 hours!] [Your strength is temporarily increased by 10%!] Grid didn't even care about the buff messages. He aggressively shoveled another spoonful into his mouth, then another. He ate so fast he almost choked, greedily scraping the bottom of the wooden bowl until it was completely clean.

"More!" Grid demanded, holding out his empty bowl with glowing eyes.

"Give me more!"

"Pace yourself, Grid," Rudra laughed, pouring him another serving. Grid ate his second bowl just as fast. The warm, heavy food completely energized him. His jealous attitude vanished, instantly replaced by a sharp, calculating greed. If Rudra's food gave buffs like this, Grid's hunting efficiency would skyrocket.

"Hey, Rudra," Grid said, licking the spoon clean.

"How far does your sonar reach?"

"A few miles. Why?"

"Let's make a slight detour tomorrow," Grid said, his eyes filled with absolute hunger.

"If you use your sonar to find more field bosses, I can get the experience, and you can harvest more meat to cook! We need to maximize our profits before we hit the Vatican!"