Chương 168

[The Quest 'Trial of the White Storm Serpent' has been completed!] [The White Storm Serpent, Vritra, wishes to form a Contract with you.] [Will you accept? (Y/N)] Rudra grinned. Having a giant flying snake that shoots ice and lightning sounded like a massive upgrade from taking a boat everywhere. He tapped 'Yes'. [You have formed a Contract with Vritra!] [Vritra has become your Partner!] Two new notifications popped up immediately.

[Contractor of the White Storm Serpent] [You are bonded to a rare mutant of the sky. - Lightning and Ice resistance increased by 50%. - Damage of all Lightning and Ice-related skills increased by 20%. - Terrain adaptability increased by 50%.] [Summon: Vritra] [Active] [Summons or dismisses your contracted partner, Vritra. - Can only be used once every 24 hours. - Resource Consumption: 1, 000 Mana.]"That's a nice bonus," Rudra said, feeling the lingering chill in his bones completely vanish.

Though the resistance didn't help that much since he already got 100% status resistance due to his Legend status. Command me, Partner, Vritra stated proudly. We will tear the sky apart.

"I don't need the sky torn apart right now," Rudra sighed, dropping his heavy staff onto the ice. He rubbed his stomach.

"I need lunch. Surviving your breath attack burned way too many calories. I am starving." Vritra blinked. Lunch?

"Yeah. Food. Eating," Rudra said. He opened his inventory. He pulled out his heavy metal block and dropped it onto the ice. He tapped the side, and the [Protean Crafting Cauldron] unfolded into a wide flat-iron grill and a bubbling pot. Rudra sparked a fire under the iron. He reached into his inventory and pulled out a massive, thick cut of premium monster meat..

"You eat meat, right?" Rudra asked the snake. I consume the raw mana of the storm, Vritra answered proudly. I do not require mortal sustenance. The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Sure, sure," Rudra muttered.

"Just wait a second." He tossed a block of butter onto the hot grill. It sizzled loudly. He slapped the thick cuts of demon meat down. The freezing meat instantly reacted with the heat, sending a thick, spicy cloud of smoke into the cold mountain air. Rudra didn't use any fancy alchemical tricks. He just aggressively seasoned the meat with his Epic Fire-Crystal salt and crushed wild peppers. He seared it perfectly, locking in the rich, heavy juices. [You have successfully created 'Seared Demonic Steak'!] [Rating: Epic] [An epic-rated dish was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +4 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +80.] Rudra plated the massive, sizzling steak onto a large wooden board. He walked over and set it down on the ice right in front of Vritra's snout.

"Try it," Rudra offered. Vritra looked at the meat. The serpent sniffed it. The rich, spicy aroma of roasted garlic, fire salt, and incredibly dense demonic mana hit the snake's senses. Vritra's eyes widened. The serpent didn't hesitate. It opened its jaws and swallowed the entire steak, wooden board and all, in a single bite. Vritra chewed once. The serpent completely froze. The sheer, absurd quality of the Epic-rated dish hit the monster's taste buds like a sledgehammer.

Vritra had spent its entire life eating raw clouds and cold wind. The taste of perfectly seared, butter-basted demon meat was a complete revelation. This... Vritra's voice echoed, sounding totally stunned. What is this magic?

"It's called a good sear," Rudra laughed, picking up a piece of steak for himself.

"Welcome to the team. We eat pretty well around here." I require more of this magic immediately, Vritra demanded, slithering closer to the grill.

"Get in line," Rudra grinned.

"But first, we have to go pick up Kratos at the bottom of the mountain. He gets really cranky if I eat without him." Rudra quickly finished his meal and packed up his cooking gear. He felt completely refreshed. His health and mana were full, and his new title made the cold environment feel completely natural.

"Alright, Vritra," Rudra said, looking up at the massive white serpent.

"Can you fly us down?" Easily, Partner, Vritra replied. The serpent lowered its body. Rudra stepped up and climbed onto the snake's broad, white back. The scales were smooth but provided a perfect grip for his boots. Vritra pushed off the ice. They shot into the sky. It was incredibly smooth. There was no bumpy turbulence or loud engine noise. They just glided through the air, the wind breaking perfectly around Vritra's sleek body. Rudra looked down at the dark ocean below them.

He could see the small Siren boat bobbing in the water near the beach.

"This is way better than a boat," Rudra smiled, enjoying the view. They landed softly on the dark sand. Kratos jumped up, his fur standing on end as he looked at the giant white snake.

"Whoa!" Kratos barked, backing up.

"That is a very big snake. Are we fighting it?"

"No, he's with us," Rudra said, hopping off Vritra's back.

"His name is Vritra. He's our ride." Finn, the Siren scout, stared at the legendary beast with his jaw hanging open. He had never seen a Storm Serpent up close, let alone a mutated white one acting like a tame horse.

"My Lord..." Finn stammered.

"You tamed a Calamity of the Sky?"

"We came to an understanding," Rudra shrugged. He looked back at the ocean. He pulled up his system map. There were still 17 more temples clustered around the nearby islands. Taking the boat would take a month of slow sailing. But with Vritra, travel time wasn't a problem anymore.

"Finn, you take the boat back to the Siren Kingdom," Rudra ordered.

"Tell the King I'll see him later. Kratos, get on the snake." Kratos looked at Vritra suspiciously. He slowly trotted over and carefully climbed onto the serpent's back, sitting right behind Rudra. The furball smells like a demon, Vritra noted telepathically.

"He's a growing boy," Rudra laughed. He pointed toward the horizon.

"Alright, Vritra. We have 17 temples left in this cluster. Let's go smash them before dinner." Hold tight, Partner, Vritra replied. The White Serpent shot into the sky, leaving the beach and the stunned Siren behind. They tore through the clouds, speeding toward the next temple.