Chương 151

The sleek Siren boat cut through the dark waves of the Red Sea. The water was rough and choppy. Rudra sat at the front of the boat, totally relaxed. His ocean titles meant he didn't feel seasick at all. Kratos, on the other hand, was miserable.

"My fur is sticky," Kratos complained. The half-gold, half-black lion shook himself like a wet dog. Saltwater flew everywhere.

"I hate boats. When are we getting off this thing?"

"Stop whining," Rudra laughed, wiping a splash of water off his face. He leaned his heavy black staff against his shoulder. Extortion hummed quietly in the sea breeze. Tiny sparks of blue lightning crackled up and down the dark metal shaft. Grid really built a monster of a weapon. It weighed an absurd 1, 500 units. But because of Rudra's class, which allowed him to wield any staff easily and unlock its potential, it felt perfect in his hands. Rudra tossed a simple wooden fishing line over the edge of the boat.

He watched the red water, thinking about his Auntie Kavita. She had completely kicked him off the stove back home. And she was right to do it. He had been cheating recently. Whenever he cooked in Satisfy, he was only using high-level ingredients. He used alchemy to force flavors together even when it wasn't needed. He wasn't really improving his actual cooking anymore. If he wanted to speed up the grind and level up his production skills, he had to stop relying on high-level drops to carry his food.

A sharp tug hit the line. Rudra yanked it up. A basic, Level 12 Silver Fin Fish flopped onto the wooden deck. It had no magic aura. It wasn't a boss monster. It was just a normal fish.

"Lunch," Kratos noted, licking his chops. Rudra dropped his heavy cauldron onto the deck. He tapped it, shifting the metal into a small, simple grill. He didn't pull out his Epic-rated spices. He didn't use any fancy buffs. He just grabbed cheap sea salt, a plain lemon, and a basic knife. He carefully scored the fish. He watched the heat of the fire closely, flipping the meat right before the skin burned. He tried to focus entirely on the natural flavor instead of relying on the system.

He slid the fish onto a wooden plate. [You have successfully created 'Grilled Silver Fin'!] [Rating: Normal] Rudra sighed.

"Just Normal. Not even a Rare." Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. He tossed the fish to Kratos. The giant lion caught it in the air and swallowed it whole. Kratos smacked his lips.

"It's a little dry. Needs more butter."

"Everyone is a food critic," Rudra grumbled. He grabbed his fishing pole again.

"Round two." For the next three days, Rudra completely ignored his high-level ingredients. He sat on the boat and fished. He cooked dozens of plain meals. He did the exact same thing with his alchemy and medicine skills. He gathered normal seaweed and tried mashing it into healing pastes. Without a magic monster core to act as a binder, the seaweed just turned into useless, soggy green mush. It was frustrating. Without using the high-level ingredients, getting a 'Rare' rating on anything was tough.

But slowly, by focusing just on heat control, grinding pressure, and simple harmony, the ratings started to tick up.

'Rare' rated items finally started to pop up more often.

"Island ahead, Duke Rudra," the elite Siren scout called out from the helm. Rudra looked up. A tiny, rocky island sat on the horizon.

"Finally," Kratos barked, jumping up and wagging his tail.

"Solid ground! Can we hunt something with red meat now?"

"We'll see," Rudra said. The boat pulled into a shallow cove. Rudra hopped out into the knee-deep water. His radar pinged immediately. There was a sunken Asterion Temple right under the rocky shore. They walked into the flooded ruins. A group of low-level water elementals spawned from the puddles, rushing forward with watery fists. Rudra didn't bother using active skills. He just gripped Extortion with both hands and stepped forward. He swung the heavy black staff in a simple, continuous loop. CRACK.

The staff smashed into the first elemental. Blue lightning exploded on impact, lighting up the damp cave. The paralyze effect triggered instantly, freezing the water monster in place. A second later, a phantom Echo Strike hit, shattering the paralyzed monster into harmless bubbles. Rudra kept walking. He didn't stop to reset his stance. He just let the heavy weight of the staff pull him into the next swing.

He bounced the lightning staff from one monster to the next, letting his endless momentum do all the heavy lifting. The high-tier weapon made the basic fights incredibly easy. Within ten minutes, the temple was completely clear. Rudra scooped up a dusty piece of parchment from the altar. [You have Obtained "Forgotten Skill Fragments" x 3] [The Hidden Quest 'The Legacy of the Submerged God' has been updated!] [Progress: 66 / 113 Temples Cleared]"Nice," Rudra smiled, tossing the fragments into his inventory.

Over the next week, they hit two more small, uninhabited islands. Rudra fished, practiced his basic cooking, and smashed his way through the easy temples. His milestone counter ticked up to 68.

"Next stop is a bigger island, Duke Rudra," the Siren scout said, steering the boat back out into the open sea.

"We need to dock and refill our fresh water barrels."

"Sounds good," Rudra said, reeling in another plain fish.

"I could use some normal vegetables to practice with, anyway." The Siren scout frowned, looking at the map.

"Be careful, My Lord. The next island isn't abandoned. It's a trading post, but it has a terrible reputation. Outlaws and pirates run the docks." Rudra just grinned, resting the crackling lightning staff on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'm great at handling complaints."