Chương 132

The flickering light of the campfire cast long, dancing shadows against the walls of the cavern, but the air was entirely frozen. Marie Rose stood before them, exuding an aura that defied reality. New system windows violently flashed across Grid's vision. [A vampire's gaze will subdue lower species. You will lose your willpower and control over your body.] [You have resisted.] [Marie Rose's attraction is absolute. Her charm is so high there is even a high probability of both genders being attracted.] [You have resisted.] Even with the absolute resistance of a legend, the sheer, crushing weight of her presence was terrifying. Piaro instantly drew his sword, stepping in front of the campfire. Sweat beaded on the former Great Swordsman's forehead. Beside him, Mumud raised both hands, his fingers trembling as he layered several high-tier defensive barriers over the group. Both of them knew that if this woman decided to attack, their chances of survival were effectively zero.

Marie Rose slowly swept her crimson eyes over the tense men, fully expecting the usual reactions. Throughout her long, immortal life, humans only ever reacted to her in three ways: they groveled in absolute subservience, they lost their minds to her unearthly beauty, or they screamed in pure, primal terror. She turned her gaze to the man in the black coat holding the wooden spoon. Rudra looked back at her. His expression was completely blank. To Rudra, her absolute, mind-bending charm meant nothing.

He had never cared much for romance or women in the real world or in Satisfy. Why waste time pursuing a relationship when that time could be spent grinding his stats and cooking new food? A beautiful woman couldn't satisfy his curiosity, but a completely new, mutated dish definitely could.

"Well?" Rudra asked again, completely ignoring her terrifying, world-ending aura. He casually tapped the wooden spoon against the rim of the boiling iron pot.

"The mutated aroma smells pretty intense. You want a plate before I eat it all?" Marie Rose stopped. For the first time in centuries, the apex of the vampire species was entirely, utterly dumbfounded. She stared at Rudra, trying to find a trace of fear, anger, or reverence in his eyes. There was nothing. He was genuinely just offering her dinner.

"You..." Marie Rose's voice was like dark velvet, soft but echoing with power.

"... are offering me human food?"

"Technically, it's monster meat," Rudra corrected her. He scooped a portion of the shimmering, violet broth into a wooden bowl and held it out.

"But yeah. Take it or leave it. It's getting cold." Still completely baffled by his utter lack of fear, Marie Rose slowly reached out. Her pale fingers wrapped around the wooden bowl. As a vampire of the highest lineage, she consumed nothing but the highest grade of fresh blood. Human food was normally like eating dry dirt to her. But the mutated demonic energy swirling inside the broth was impossible to ignore. Intrigued, she lifted the bowl to her red lips and took a delicate sip.

Her crimson eyes widened perfectly round. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. She froze, completely shocked for a second time. The taste was an absolute explosion of savory, perfectly balanced flavors, woven together with a rich, intoxicating rush of raw demonic mana. It didn't taste like human food she ate before; it tasted like the most perfect blood ever. She elegantly, yet quickly, drank the rest of the bowl.

"Fascinating," Marie Rose murmured, a genuine smile gracing her flawless face. She lowered the bowl and looked at Rudra with a newfound curiosity. As she did, her sharp eyes caught the glint of an accessory sitting on Rudra's finger. It was [Elfin Stone's Ring]. Marie Rose let out a soft, highly amused laugh. The pieces clicked together in her mind. This bizarre, fearless human had actually killed one of her siblings.

"How entertaining," she smiled amused, her crimson eyes locking onto Rudra.

"Once you become the Blood King, do visit the 2nd Vampire City." Rudra blinked.

"Blood King? What does that—" Before Rudra could even finish his question, Marie Rose laughed, her voice echoing like chimes.

"Thank you for the meal." Fwoosh. In a blur of absolute, untraceable speed, a gust of wind whipped through the cavern. The campfire flared wildly for a fraction of a second before settling down. Marie Rose vanished into thin air. Silence descended on the cave. The crushing, terrifying pressure evaporated. The blaring red system warnings disappeared. Grid let out a massive gasp of air, his knees shaking so badly he almost dropped his greatsword.

Piaro and Mumud simultaneously slumped their shoulders, completely drenched in cold sweat. They had survived. By some absolute miracle, the calamity had spared them.

"She... she's gone," Mumud whispered, his voice shaking with profound relief. Grid looked down to steady himself, only to freeze. The wooden bowl he had been holding in his left hand was completely empty. Not a single drop of stew remained. Grid looked up. Piaro and Mumud were holding empty bowls as well. Rudra stood completely still. He slowly lowered his wooden spoon and looked down at the massive Protean Crafting Cauldron sitting over the fire. It was scraped entirely clean.

Every single drop of the shimmering violet stew—the completely new, mutated recipe he had just created—was gone. He had already received the permanent stat points from the system the moment the dish was completed, but that wasn't what mattered to him. Rudra's hands began to shake. His eyes widened, completely bloodshot.

"She took it all," Rudra whispered, his voice trembling.

"Yes, Lord Rudra," Mumud sighed, wiping his brow.

"We are incredibly fortunate she only took the food and not our lives."

"I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO TASTE IT!" Rudra suddenly roared, his voice echoing violently off the cave walls. Grid jumped back in shock. Rudra completely lost his mind. He didn't care that Marie Rose was an apocalyptic boss. He didn't care that she could wipe out kingdoms. He cared that she had stolen a brand-new, never-before-seen culinary masterpiece before he could even take a single sip of the broth.

He yanked his heavy bone staff off his back and actually took a furious, sprinting step toward the dark depths of the cavern to chase her down.

"I'll kill her! Get back here! I don't even know what that recipe tastes like!"

"Lord Rudra, no!" Mumud screamed in pure panic. Piaro dropped his sword and lunged forward. The former Great Swordsman physically tackled Rudra to the dirt.

"Let me go!" Rudra thrashed wildly, trying to crawl toward the darkness.

"She took the entire pot! I didn't even get to try the meat!"

"You cannot fight her!" Piaro yelled frantically, wrapping both arms around Rudra's waist and dragging him backward.

"Lord Rudra, please!" Mumud rushed over, desperately helping Piaro hold the raging Staff Saint down to the ground.

"She will slaughter us all! You can cook another dish!"

"THAT WAS A MUTATED ENVIRONMENTAL DISH! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO REPLICATE IT! GET OFF ME!" Grid stood awkwardly on the edge of the campsite. His massive black greatsword was still clutched defensively in his hands. He watched in total, utter silence as the two incredibly dignified, legendary NPCs wrestled their party leader in the dirt while he hyperventilated and threw a toddler-level tantrum over not getting to taste his soup. Grid blinked slowly, entirely unsure of how to process the reality of his current party.