Chương 36

The waterfall was perfect. It was tucked away deep in a lush inland forest, surrounded by tall pine trees and smooth rocks. There were no players, no loud merchants, and definitely no giant mutated bugs trying to eat him.

"Finally. A little peace," Rudra sighed happily. He dropped his travel pack onto a flat rock. He pulled out his iron skillet, a block of butter, some wild onions, and the massive slab of Premium Mantis Shrimp meat. His stomach growled loudly.

"Don't worry," Rudra patted his belly.

"We are eating well today." He sparked a quick fire. As the butter started to sizzle in the pan, filling the clearing with a rich smell, the bushes behind him rustled. Snap. A heavy branch broke. Rudra rolled his eyes.

"Are you kidding me? If you're a goblin, I'm throwing you in the river." He picked up his Abyssal Ironwood Staff. With his agility sitting comfortably over 250, he wasn't worried about random forest mobs. He turned around, fully expecting to swat a wild wolf. A woman stumbled out of the brush. She wore a silver breastplate and a torn crimson cape. Both were completely covered in dirt and dried blood. A thick, dark purple aura radiated off her skin, smelling faintly like rotten metal and poison.

She took a shaky step forward, leaning heavily on a longsword. The name floating above her head was simple. [Elysia] She looked up. Her exhausted eyes locked onto Rudra's dark mask and heavy cloak. Her expression hardened instantly.

"Empire dog," she hissed. She vanished. Rudra's reflexes flared. He tried to tilt his body to the left, using his high speed to dodge. It wasn't enough. He was way too slow. CLANG! She was already inside his guard. With a quick flick of her sword, she smacked his staff right out of his hands. The heavy ironwood clattered into the dirt.

"Wait—" Rudra choked out. She grabbed the collar of his leather vest and slammed him onto his back. The impact knocked the wind right out of him. The cold edge of her sword pressed flat against his throat. Rudra froze. He didn't even breathe. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Did Asmophel send you?" Elysia demanded. Her voice was a raspy whisper.

"Speak."

"Who is Asmophel?!" Rudra panicked, his voice muffled by his mask.

"I don't know him! I'm literally just making lunch!" Elysia narrowed her eyes. She pressed the blade a little tighter. But then she paused. She looked at his weak aura, then glanced at the sizzling frying pan behind him. Her combat instincts caught up. This guy wasn't an assassin. He was just a low-level beginner cooking seafood.

"You're... not with them," she muttered. She pulled the sword away. She tried to step back, but her legs completely gave out. She dropped to her knees, coughed up a mouthful of black blood, and collapsed face-first into the dirt. Rudra lay on the ground for a few seconds, just staring at the sky.

"Holy crap," he whispered. He sat up and rubbed his neck. He looked at his staff on the ground, then at the unconscious woman. She was ridiculously strong. The power gap was a joke. His gut told him to grab his things and run. But as he looked at the dark purple veins crawling up her neck, he let out a long sigh.

"She didn't kill me when she easily could have," Rudra grumbled.

"Dammit. I can't just leave her here." A blue window chimed in his vision. [Quest Generated: A Stranger's Mercy] [Difficulty:???] [A powerful individual is dying from an untreatable poison. Stabilize her before her health reaches zero.]"Basic potions aren't going to cut it," Rudra muttered, accepting the quest. He looked at her shallow breathing. The poison was draining her vitality fast. If he wanted to save her, he needed to force-feed her enough raw health to out-heal the venom. He ran back to his skillet.

He reached into his inventory and pulled out his best ingredients: the Premium Mantis Shrimp, a bundle of Sweet River-Kelp, and his jar of Epic Fire-Crystal Salt.

"You owe me for this," Rudra told the unconscious woman. He grabbed a pinch of the red salt. Tapping into his high dexterity, his hands moved smoothly. He sliced the thick shrimp meat into thin, easy-to-swallow strips. He crushed the kelp to extract its fresh juice, hoping it would help flush her system. He tossed it all into the pan. He watched the heat carefully. The second the shrimp turned a vibrant golden-orange, he pulled the skillet off the fire. A bright purple light erupted from the pan.

[You have successfully created 'Fire-Crystal Mantis Broth'!] [Rating: Epic] [Effect: Instantly restores 50% Health. Grants extreme Health Regeneration for 2 hours. Purges low-to-mid tier status ailments.] [An Epic-rated dish was produced. All your stats have permanently risen by +4. Reputation throughout the continent has risen by +80.] Rudra ignored his own stat boosts for now. He grabbed a wooden spoon, knelt next to Elysia, and carefully lifted her head.

He pried her lips apart and poured the hot broth into her mouth. He gently rubbed her throat to make her swallow. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, her eyes flew open. The strong food buffs hit her system. A bright golden aura flared across her chest, clashing violently with the dark purple poison. The purple veins bulged under her skin, fighting back, but the pure vitality of the epic shrimp soup slowly pushed the toxins down. Elysia let out a ragged gasp.

She coughed up another puddle of black liquid, then slumped back into Rudra's arms. The dark veins on her neck faded. The toxic aura vanished, replaced by a soft, healthy glow. Her breathing steadied. [Quest 'A Stranger's Mercy' has been partially completed. The target has been stabilized.] Rudra let out a huge breath and gently rested her head back on the grass.

"It actually worked," he laughed quietly. He looked at the empty skillet, then at the dangerous NPC sleeping next to his campfire.

"Well," Rudra sighed, pulling his mask down to wipe his sweaty face.

"I guess I have to go catch another shrimp for my own lunch."