Chương 217

The water in the cauldron began to glow. A brilliant, pure white light completely overpowered the dark purple glow of the room. [You have poured your absolute soul into the cooking process!] [You have successfully created [Miracle Kelp Soup]!] [Rating: Unique] [A soup made from the most basic ingredients, elevated to a miracle by the chef's will. It possesses absolute purifying and healing properties.] [An unique-rated dish was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +12 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +300.] [The skill [Advanced Cooking (Lv. 7)] has leveled up!] [You currently have 30, 245 reputation throughout the continent. You can use the Reputation Store when your reputation reaches over 30, 000.] [Reputation Store] [A special store for all users. It is possible to purchase goods with reputation. There are many rare items, so please be sure to use it. The store's location will periodically change.] Rudra, ignored the messages he got and grabbed the heavy iron cauldron by the handles. He walked over the water and dropped down next to the pinned Orca.

"Drink your medicine," Rudra said. He released the [Pressure Zone] and the [Spatial Anchor] that he constantly spammed as soon as its cooldown got over, just enough to pry the Orca's jaws open, then poured the glowing white soup straight down its throat. The beast swallowed out of pure reflex. For a second, nothing happened. Then, the Orca reacted. The violent red glow in its eyes flickered and died, returning to a calm, deep blue.

The thick black sludge oozing from its skin rapidly dissolved, turning into harmless steam. The terrible blunt-force bruises Rudra had just given it instantly faded away, healing the beast right back to its absolute prime. The sickly purple water of the indoor lake instantly cleared up, returning to a sparkling, pristine blue. Rudra then completely released the fish. The Divine Orca wasn't corrupted anymore. It let out a soft, happy click and nudged Rudra's boots with its nose, completely full of life.

Rudra sighed, dropping the empty cauldron into his inventory. He patted the giant whale on the head. A massive wall of system text flooded his vision. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. [You have cleared the Tenth Trial.] [You have exceeded the limits of the trial by curing the guardian instead of killing it!] [As a reward, All Stats +30!] [Affinity with High Priestess Neria has reached the maximum.] [The Champion's Rite] [Progress: 10 / 15 Temples Cleared] Then, the golden text of his cooking saint class quest flashed over the trial rewards. This single dish, fueled by his absolute determination, had finally pushed him over the edge. [Class Quest: The Path of the Cooking Saint (Phase 1) is Complete!] [You have created 100 Epic or higher-rated dishes.] [The system recognizes that true culinary art comes from the soul.] [You have acquired the Skill [Breath of the Hearth]!] [Breath of the Hearth] [Passive] [You have realized that you must love the food to make the food better. - The final rating of any dish you cook will now actively scale based on your emotional determination and willpower. - The more passion and intent you pour into the cooking process, the higher the baseline rating will be. - You can now consistently forge high-tier meals out of the most basic, mundane ingredients.] [Class Quest: The Path of the Cooking Saint has been updated!] [Path to the Cooking Saint] [Difficulty: Class Quest. You have touched the true essence of cooking. You understand that a masterpiece does not rely on the rarity of its ingredients, but the harmony of the craft. A Legend cooks to conquer ingredients. A Saint cooks to bring out their soul. Walk the path of pure cooking. If you can fully master the natural harmony of the world's most basic ingredients, you will reach a realm no chef has ever seen. At that moment, a new Saint will be born. - There is no time limit for this class quest. - Reaching a Saint class in a production field will permanently alter the culinary world of Satisfy.] [Phase - 2] [Quest Clear Condition: Create 10 Unique-rated dishes using only Normal-grade ingredients.] [Progress: 0 / 10] Rudra read the prompt and smiled. He was. He gave the Orca one last pat and walked back to the heavy doors. He pushed them open. High Priestess Neria was standing on the beach, looking incredibly nervous.

Behind Rudra, the cured Divine Orca let out a loud, echoing whistle from inside the temple. Neria froze. Her eyes went wide. She rushed past Rudra and looked into the temple. When she saw her old friend swimming happily in the clear blue water, fully healed and back in his prime, she dropped to her knees on the stone floor and started crying.

"You didn't kill him," she sobbed, burying her face in her hands.

"We don't put down pets if we can fix them," Rudra said simply, walking past her to the boat. Kratos was waiting on the sand, wagging his tail. Chief Thalassa gave Rudra a deep, respectful bow.

"Ten down," Rudra said, looking out at the remaining islands ….. The boat rocked gently against the waves as they left the tenth island behind. Behind them, the cured Divine Orca breached the surface of the water, blowing a massive spout of clear mist into the air before diving back down. High Priestess Neria sat at the back of the wooden boat, watching the water with a warm, quiet smile. She looked completely relaxed for the first time since they had met.

"Chief," Rudra called out, resting his heavy dark metal staff across his knees.

"How far to the next trial?" Chief Thalassa pulled the oars smoothly through the water. The scarred warrior looked over his shoulder.

"Not far. The eleventh island is just past this reef. But I must warn you, Challenger. The nature of the trial is dangerous."

"Dangerous how?" Rudra asked.