Chương 31

Rudra slipped through the quiet, dark alleyways of Seabreak Town. The sun hadn't quite risen yet. The massive crowds of players were still clustered around the main gates, loudly swapping stories about the Gathering Tide event. He kept his heavy brown hood pulled low and his dark mask securely over his nose to avoid any unwanted attention. He reached the back door of the tavern, picked the simple lock, and let himself into the kitchen. Broc was already awake, kneading a massive mound of bread dough.

The burly cook looked completely exhausted, his apron covered in flour. Rudra pulled his hood back and dropped a heavy, glowing purple scale onto the wooden cutting board. Clack. Broc stopped kneading. He stared at the dark, pulsing scale, then slowly looked up at Rudra.

"The Gathering Tide stopped," Broc said, his voice quiet.

"The beasts scattered right before dawn. Was this the cause?"

"Corrupted Trench Horror," Rudra nodded, leaning his heavy oak staff against the wall." It set up a nest in the sunken ruins and drove everything else out. It's dead now." Broc wiped his flour-covered hands on his apron. He just stared at Rudra for a long moment, shaking his head with a tired laugh.

"You Immortals are completely insane." A golden system window popped up. [Quest 'The Gathering Tide' has been completed!] [Affinity with Broc will reach Maximum!] [Affinity with Broc is already Maximum!]"I owe you my life, kid," Broc said firmly. He walked over to a heavy iron safe tucked in the corner of the kitchen. He unlocked it and pulled out a small, airtight glass jar. He walked back and placed the jar in front of Rudra.

"I don't have a vault full of treasure to give you," Broc explained.

"But I bought this from a traveling merchant years ago. I've never been skilled enough to cook it properly without burning it. You have the hands for it." Rudra looked inside the glass. Resting at the bottom was a cluster of bright red, crystalized sea salt that smelled intensely of fire and roasted garlic. [Item Acquired: Deep-Sea Fire Crystal (Epic Ingredient)] Rudra's eyes widened. An Epic-rated ingredient just for a simple fetch-and-kill quest.

"Broc," Rudra smiled behind his mask.

"You are the best NPC in this game."

"Cook something good, kid," Broc laughed, waving a hand.

"Kitchen is yours for the next hour." Rudra didn't waste a second. He commandeered the iron stove. He pulled out the prime, uncorrupted chunk of meat he had carefully carved out of the Trench Horror before it turned to ash. It was a thick, high-quality piece of calamari. He fired up the skillet. He didn't rush. He used his freakish control to slice the meat perfectly, keeping the cuts totally uniform. He crushed the Fire Crystal with the flat of his knife and tossed it into the sizzling butter.

A rich, spicy aroma instantly filled the entire tavern. When he tossed the meat into the pan, he focused entirely on the rhythm of the heat. He pulled the skillet off the fire the exact second the calamari turned a perfect, crispy golden-red. He slid the meal onto a plate. Suddenly, a bright purple light flashed from the dish. [You have successfully created 'Fire-Crystal Abyssal Calamari'!] [Rating: Epic] [A masterpiece born from perfect timing and rare ingredients.] [Effect: Maximum Health +30%, Strength +15% for 3 hours. Satiety remains fully locked for 12 hours.] [An epic-rated dish was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +4 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +80] [Your understanding of culinary arts deepens.] [Intermediate Cooking has reached Lv. 2!] Before he could grab a fork, another system prompt chimed. [You have acquired the Title: First Epic Maker.] This text was taken from Royal Road.

Help the author by reading the original version there. [First Epic Maker] [Dexterity +100.] Rudra stared at the prompt. He felt a sudden, weird rush of heat run down his arms and into his fingertips. He flexed his hands. They felt completely weightless. He grabbed his wooden spatula and spun it through his fingers. It wasn't just fast. It was perfectly fluid. The spatula glided over his knuckles like water, entirely under his control without him even needing to think about it.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Rudra laughed, his red eyes lighting up. He dropped the spatula, grabbed his wooden fork, and shoved a massive piece of the glowing calamari directly into his mouth. The plate was completely clean in less than two minutes.

"Broc, if I could marry a cooking pot, I would," Rudra said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. The burly cook just laughed, collecting the empty plate.

"Get out of here, kid. Go save the world or whatever it is you Immortals do. I have bread to bake."

"Stay safe," Rudra smiled, pulling his dark leather mask back over his nose. He threw his heavy hood up, slipped out the tavern's back door, and left Seabreak Town before the morning sun could fully expose him to the player mobs. He hit the main dirt highway heading north toward the massive trade city of Port Nereus. As he walked, he couldn't stop playing with his hands. The permanent boost to his dexterity felt absolutely bizarre, but in a great way. His fingers felt incredibly light and hyper-responsive.

To test it out, he pulled a basic iron dagger from his pocket and snapped a small branch off a passing pine tree. He wanted to carve something cool to see how his new coordination handled fine details. I'll make a fierce, majestic wolf, Rudra thought happily. His hands blurred. The dagger shaved off perfect, paper-thin curls of wood. His movements were incredibly smooth, without a single bit of wasted energy. Within thirty seconds, he stopped and proudly held up his creation. He blinked.

It looked exactly like a sad, squashed turnip with toothpicks sticking out of it.

"Right. I'm still completely blind when it comes to art," Rudra muttered, throwing the deformed piece of wood into the bushes.

"Good thing the system doesn't require me to paint the food." A mile down the road, the quiet atmosphere of the forest was broken by the sharp clashing of steel. Rudra slowed his pace, instinctively ducking into the thick brush along the roadside. He peeked through the leaves. A solo player was currently fighting a pack of five snarling Forest Gnolls. The man looked to be in his early forties, with short grey hair, a neat beard, and a mature, dignified face. He looked more like a British noble than a typical gamer.

What really caught Rudra's attention was how the man fought. He wasn't using any flashy skills. There were no glowing lights, no magical effects, and no special ability callouts. He was just using standard basic attacks. But his timing was flawless. He took a short step back to let a club miss his nose, then immediately brought his broadsword down in a clean, heavy cut. It was pure, hyper-optimized basic swordplay. The name hovering above his head read: Hurent. Wait, Hurent? The top-tier ranker from the beta?

Rudra thought, his eyes widening slightly. While Hurent was busy dropping two of the gnolls with precise basic slashes, a third monster broke away from the pack. It scurried right toward the bushes, catching Rudra's human scent. It bared its fangs and lunged straight into the leaves at Rudra's face.

"Great. I just wanted to watch," Rudra grumbled. He didn't even drop his casual, slouched stance. As the monster flew through the air, Rudra's right hand flicked out. Thanks to his massive new dexterity, his heavy oak staff moved like a fluid shadow. He didn't even have to look. The blunt end of the wood caught the gnoll squarely under the jaw. Crack. The impact swatted the monster completely out of the air, sending it crashing hard into a nearby boulder where it promptly turned into grey ash.

Hurent cleanly cut down his final target and smoothly sheathed his broadsword. His posture was perfectly composed, completely hiding any exhaustion. He turned his head and looked directly at the bushes, having caught the exact tail end of Rudra's movement. Hurent adjusted his collar, his expression calm but deeply analytical. He walked over to the path, speaking in a mature, gentlemanly tone.

"An exceptionally clean strike," Hurent said, his voice smooth and polite.

"No drag, no wasted motion. It seems I am not the only one who appreciates the efficiency of a perfect basic attack." Rudra froze. His introvert alarms violently started ringing. A famous, top-ranked solo player was talking to him. This was a high-alert situation. He pulled his hood down lower, trying to look as uninteresting as possible.

"Just a lucky hit," Rudra lied smoothly, his voice muffled by the leather mask. Hurent smiled faintly, maintaining his dignified, aristocratic exterior. As a top player who usually avoided parties because other people just slowed him down, he had no intention of begging to team up. He just genuinely respected the technique.

"Luck doesn't produce a counter that fluid," Hurent said, crossing his arms elegantly.

"I am Hurent. It is rare to meet someone in this game who relies on true mechanical control rather than just spamming flashy skill cooldowns." Rudra's internal panic spiked. Yep, it's definitely the real Hurent. If I stay here, he's going to keep analyzing me.

"Nice to meet you," Rudra blurted out automatically, gripping his staff tightly.

"I have an appointment. To buy... groceries." Before Hurent could even process that incredibly awkward excuse, Rudra tapped into his high agility. He turned on his heel and bolted down the highway like a track star, his heavy brown cloak billowing wildly behind him as he turned into a literal blur. Hurent didn't chase him or yell. He just stood on the dirt road, watching the cloaked figure vanish over the horizon in a matter of seconds. He touched his chin, slightly impressed by the raw speed.

"Groceries. What an interesting fellow," Hurent murmured to himself, before turning back to his lonely, self-imposed training path. A mile away, Rudra finally stopped sprinting when he reached the crest of a massive hill. He leaned heavily against a stone signpost, catching his breath and looking down at the view below. Spread out along a sparkling blue coastline was a colossal, sprawling city made of white stone walls, crowded markets, and massive wooden docks. Port Nereus.

Rudra reached into his coat and patted the heavy, dark purple scales and the chunk of black coral he'd looted from the Level 85 boss.

"Alright," Rudra grinned under his mask, his fingers eagerly twitching.

"Let's go find a blacksmith and get some real gear."