Chương 216

"Literally useless," Rudra muttered, closing the blue windows.

"But I still got some stats for these" He grabbed a wooden spoon and stirred the cauldron. The [Abyssal Broth] worked like magic. It took the standard beef and completely elevated it. The stew turned a rich, dark brown, bubbling perfectly over the fire. A golden system message flashed over the pot. [You have successfully created [Abyssal Beef Stew]!] [Rating: Epic] [A hearty, rich stew made with premium beef and the unique Abyssal Broth. The broth has multiplied the nutritional value of the meat.] [Effect: Maximum Health +2, 000 and Strength +30 for 12 hours. Fills the hunger gauge completely.] [Your understanding of ingredients has deepened.] [Class Quest: The Path of the Cooking Saint (Phase 1)] [Progress: 90 / 100 Epic dishes created.] Rudra smiled. He was only ten dishes away from finishing the first major phase of his cooking saint class quest. He scooped a massive portion of the hot stew into a large wooden bowl and set it on the sand for Kratos.

The giant lion didn't even wait for it to cool down. He just dug in, his tail wagging happily behind him.

"It is very good," Kratos mumbled between huge bites. Rudra served two smaller bowls for Chief Thalassa and High Priestess Neria. The scarred warrior took a sip, and his single eye widened in surprise. Even Neria looked highly impressed by the rich flavor. Rudra leaned back against a rock, eating his own bowl of stew. The warm food completely erased the lingering annoyance of the bug trial.

"Alright," Rudra said, scraping the bottom of his bowl.

"Two more trial today, then we rest for real." The boat ride to the ninth island was quick.

"The Alchemist's Gauntlet," Chief Thalassa warned, his expression grim as the boat scraped against the jagged rocks.

"The cavern has no roof. A highly corrosive acid rain falls constantly inside. It will rapidly eat through your weapons and your armor. Do not linger, Challenger. If your gear shatters, your flesh is next."

"Don't let my gear melt. Got it," Rudra said. He left Kratos on the boat, hopped onto the rocky shore, and pushed the heavy stone doors open. [You have entered the Ninth Trial of the Orca Archipelago!] Thalassa wasn't joking. A thick, emerald-green rain poured down from the open sky above the cavern. The stone paths were already bubbling from the toxic puddles. Rudra didn't even let a single drop touch his black trench coat. [Mumud's Mana Shield]. A translucent blue bubble wrapped tightly around his body.

The acid rain hissed violently as it splashed against the magical barrier. With his mana pool nearing a million, the corrosive damage barely registered as a tiny tick on his resources. His clothes and armor were perfectly safe. Dozens of acidic slimes and corroded stone gargoyles blocked the winding paths of the maze ahead. They hissed, rearing back to spit streams of highly concentrated acid.

"Yeah, I don't have time for this," Rudra muttered. He activated his skill and dashed forward. [Freely Move]. He turned into a complete blur. His absurd speed allowed him to effortlessly weave through the first barrage of acid. When the gargoyles tried to physically block the narrow corridor, Rudra didn't slow down. He gripped his heavy lightning staff, Extortion, with both hands. [Atlas's Rebound]. He spun the dark metal staff in a rapid, blurring circle.

The spinning metal caught the concentrated acid streams and the heavy lunges of the gargoyles. The corrosive energy and force didn't damage the staff; they sank directly into the weapon, supercharging it with volatile energy. When a massive stone wall blocked the final stretch, Rudra didn't bother finding the maze's intended path. He triggered [Abyssal Step], creating invisible platforms in the air to vault right over the hazard without breaking his stride.

He landed squarely in front of the final stone pedestal in the center of the cavern. He slammed the supercharged staff into the wet ground, safely discharging the banked acidic energy in a shockwave that blew the remaining slimes entirely out of the room. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He snatched the glowing parchments off the pedestal. [You have cleared the Ninth Trial.] [You have exceeded the limits of the trial by reaching the final pedestal in record time (00: 48)!] [You cleared an absolute corrosion zone without suffering a single drop in equipment durability!] [As a reward, All Stats +15!] [Reward: Forgotten Skill Fragment x3] [The Champion's Rite] [Progress: 9 / 15 Temples Cleared] Rudra turned on his heel and sprinted right back out the way he came, letting his mana shield absorb the last few drops of rain.

He pushed the heavy stone doors open and stepped back out onto the breezy, sunlit beach. He canceled the shield and rested Extortion on his shoulder. Chief Thalassa and High Priestess Neria stared at him in utter, absolute shock.

"You..." Thalassa stammered, his single eye wide as he looked at Rudra's perfectly pristine, dry clothes.

"You were inside for less than a minute! The acid rain... your coat isn't even singed!"

"I was fast, that's it," Rudra smiled casually, climbing back into the wooden boat.

"Next island, please." Thalassa just slowly shook his head, entirely speechless, and grabbed the oars. The tenth island was completely silent.. There were no crashing waves here. The temple was a massive, enclosed dome built into a shallow coral reef. Before Rudra could push the heavy doors open, High Priestess Neria stepped in front of him. She looked down at the sand. Her hands were shaking slightly.

"The guardian of this temple is different," Neria said, her voice full of quiet sadness.

"He is not an illusion or a wild beast. He is... he was my mount." Rudra stopped. Kratos tilted his massive head, listening.

"He was the previous generation's Divine Orca," Neria explained, her eyes watering.

"A few years ago, he grew incredibly sick. He was dying. I could not bear to let him go, so I gave him a forbidden medicine from the deep trenches. It saved his life, but the medicine was tainted. It completely corrupted his mind." She looked up at the heavy doors.

"He became a monster. I had no choice but to seal him inside this temple as a guardian. Please, Challenger. End his suffering." Rudra looked at the crying Priestess, then at the heavy doors.

"I'll see what I can do," Rudra said. He pushed the doors open. [You have entered the Tenth Trial of the Orca Archipelago!] The inside of the temple was a massive indoor lake. The water wasn't clear. It was stained a sickly, dark purple. Floating in the center of the lake was a massive orca. Thick, black sludge oozed from its blowhole, and its eyes glowed a furious, violent red. [Mutated Divine Orca Lv. 450] The moment Rudra stepped onto the stone platform, the Orca screeched.

It thrashed its massive tail, sending a wave of toxic purple water crashing toward the entrance. His [Super Sensitivity] stat instantly flared [Super Sensitivity detects that the Divine Orca's weakness is the eyes!] Rudra activated his [Legendary Sage's Eyes] skill and he saw the trajectory of the incoming toxic wave and felt the chaotic, corrupted mana flowing through the beast's body. Rudra pulled out his dark metal staff, Extortion, and instantly activated [Mumud's Weapon Enchant].

The metal hummed with blue magical energy.

"I'm not killing your pet," Rudra muttered.

"But I do need you to sit still." He used [Abyssal Step] to walk right through the air, bypassing the toxic water entirely, and landed squarely on the corrupted Orca's slippery back. The beast thrashed wildly, trying to buck him off. It snapped its jaws, but Rudra's [Super Sensitivity] warned him a second before the bite came. He simply leaned out of the way and went to work. He made sure not to use any overpowered magic or skills so as to not mistakenly kill the Orca. He just continuously used basic attacks.

He triggered [Avalanche] and swung Extortion. The heavy staff smashed into the Orca's thick hide. [Echo Strike] triggered instantly, sending phantom shockwaves rippling through the beast's body. He bounced the staff, keeping his combo moving in a tight, fast rhythm. He perfectly managed his damage output, beating the massive whale down while completely avoiding its frantic sludge attacks. He hit it over and over until the Orca let out a weak, tired groan.

Its massive health bar dipped deep into the critical red zone, stopping at a tiny sliver. It was completely exhausted, right on the verge of death.

"Okay, time out," Rudra grunted. He pointed his hand at the battered beast. [Spatial Anchor]. A heavy, geometric box of blue light slammed down around the Orca. But Rudra didn't stop there. He immediately activated the [Pressure Zone] so as to make sure the Orca doesn't move. The massive beast was hence instantly pinned to the shallow floor of the indoor lake, completely incapacitated. It couldn't move a single fin.

With the boss locked down in the water, Rudra used [Abyssal Step] to walk back through the air to the dry stone platform by the entrance. He reached into his inventory, pulled out his heavy iron cauldron, and dropped it onto the dry stone floor with a loud clang. He quickly tossed a bundle of dry driftwood under the pot and sparked a fire with his fingers. He poured clean, purified water into the cauldron.

He reached into his bag and pulled out the basic ingredients he had: plain green island kelp and a handful of coarse white sea salt. He tossed them into the boiling water and grabbed his wooden spoon. As he stirred, he closed his eyes. He thought back to the sixth trial. He remembered Asterion's memory. He remembered the suffocating, soul-crushing despair the Ocean God felt when he watched the Titan Princess get sealed away.

He remembered the absolute helplessness of wanting to save someone you cared about, but being totally unable to do it. Rudra opened his eyes. He stared at the boiling pot. He refused to let Neria feel that same despair. He didn't rely on any one of his recipes this time. He just poured that intense empathy and absolute, stubborn determination directly into the cauldron. He focused entirely on the idea of purifying the sick animal.

He infused his will to fix things right into the simple soup, treating the cheap kelp with the same respect as premium dragon meat. The water in the cauldron began to glow. A brilliant, pure white light completely overpowered the dark purple glow of the room.