Chương 45

The Valiant Orc village smelled like sandalwood and fresh rain. Rudra walked down the perfectly swept dirt path, keeping Kratos tucked safely inside his cloak. Everywhere he looked, massive, glowing green Orcs were doing lunges, lifting heavy logs, or admiring their reflections in pristine water troughs. Elysia walked right beside him, staring blankly ahead. Her knightly worldview was actively short-circuiting.

"The Imperial Academy taught us that Orcs are bloodthirsty, mindless savages," she whispered, watching a female Orc gently adjust a flower in a male Orc's hair.

"They said they eat babies."

"Maybe they just eat high-protein babies?" Rudra joked softly.

"That isn't funny, Rudra." Korag led them to a large, beautifully woven hut near the center of the village. He ducked his massive frame through the doorway and gestured for them to enter. The inside was spotless. Korag let out a heavy, incredibly sad sigh and sat down on a woven mat.

"Here is my tragedy, dignified human," Korag said, looking at the dirt floor.

"Today is the grand courtship festival. I intend to woo Valera, the most radiant and fiercely muscular warrior in our tribe. But look at me!" Korag stood up and hit a front lat-spread pose. He looked absolutely massive, ripped, and completely flawless. Rudra blinked.

"You look fine?"

"Fine is not enough for Valera!" Korag groaned, dropping the pose in despair.

"I am retaining water! My vascularity is ruined, and my deltoids look completely flat. I lack the radiant glow of true beauty. If I approach her looking this washed-out, she will reject me instantly." A blue window popped up. [Quest Generated: The Perfect Pump] [Difficulty: C] [Help the lovesick Valiant Orc achieve maximum aesthetic beauty to win his crush.] [Reward: Glacial Swamp Lotus.] Rudra stared at the giant, depressed supermodel.

"I can fix your vascularity," Rudra said carefully.

"But I need to brew something strong." Rudra set his iron skillet down on a flat stone and pulled out a thick, fatty chunk of the Mutated Swamp Croc, along with a bundle of sweet river-kelp. He turned to Elysia.

"Hey, teacher," Rudra whispered.

"If I just fry this, it'll taste great, but it'll only give him a basic vitality buff. How do I use alchemy to target his skin and muscles specifically?" Elysia knelt next to him, her professional alchemist side taking over. She inspected the crocodile meat.

"The croc's fat holds immense raw collagen," Elysia explained, pointing to the white layers.

"But heat destroys it. Don't fry it. Render the fat slowly over a very low flame. Then, use the flat end of your staff to grind the river-kelp directly into the warm oil. The kelp's mana will bind to the collagen instead of burning off."

"Low heat. Grind, don't chop," Rudra nodded.

"Got it." He followed her instructions perfectly. Using his high dexterity, he slowly melted the meat down until it was a rich, warm oil. Then, he crushed the green kelp directly into the skillet with the blunt end of his staff, stirring the mixture until it thickened into a glowing, emerald-green paste. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. [You have successfully collaborated to create 'Aesthetic Croc-Collagen Elixir'!] [Rating: Rare] [Effect: Temporarily grants a flawless, glowing complexion and a massive 40% boost to Muscle Definition and Charm for 2 hours.] [Beginner Alchemy proficiency has increased.] [A rare-rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +2 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +30.]"Drink this," Rudra said, shoving the wooden bowl into Korag's massive hands. The Orc sniffed it. He hesitated at the green, gooey texture, but chugged the entire bowl.

Instantly, a bright pink aura washed over his massive green body. The minor blemishes on his skin vanished, leaving him looking like he was carved out of polished jade. His veins popped against his skin, and his muscles looked impossibly pumped and perfectly defined. Korag stared at his own biceps in absolute awe.

"By Mellory's grace!" he wept happily, flexing his chest.

"I am absolutely shredded! Thank you, human!" Korag grabbed a freezing, bright blue flower from a woven pouch on his wall and gently placed it into Rudra's hands.

"Take the Glacial Lotus!" Korag beamed.

"I must go to Valera!" The giant Orc sprinted out of the hut to go flex at his crush. [Quest 'The Perfect Pump' has been completed!] Rudra ignored the notification. He immediately ripped a soft, frosty petal off the Glacial Swamp Lotus. He pulled Kratos out of his cloak. The tiny cub was still burning hot, whining miserably. Rudra gently pried the cub's jaws open and dropped the freezing petal inside.

"Swallow it, buddy," Rudra coaxed. The cub choked the petal down. A few tense seconds passed. Then, the violent sparking between the gold and black fur completely stopped. The intense, burning heat faded from Kratos's tiny body. The cub let out a long, satisfied burp that released a tiny puff of snow, then happily fell asleep in Rudra's palm.

"He's stable," Elysia sighed, dropping her shoulders in relief.

"Yeah. That was way too close," Rudra agreed. He carefully tucked the sleeping cub back into the warm pocket of his cloak.

"Hey! Aesthetic human!" Korag came rushing back into the hut, looking ecstatic. He was holding hands with a massive, equally shredded female Orc warrior.

"You have saved my courtship," Korag boomed.

"For this, I have another request. A matter of tribal security." Rudra tilted his head.

"I'm listening."

"Deep within the eastern mud flats, a foul creature has taken residence," Korag explained.

"A massive, foul-smelling toad. It is polluting our sacred mud baths with toxic slime. It is ruining our skincare routines. If you slay the beast and clean our mud baths, I will reward you with an ancient text my scouts found." Rudra smiled.

"A giant toxic toad. You've got a deal, Korag. Point the way." The eastern mud flats smelled absolutely terrible. Sitting right in the middle of a large, bubbling swamp crater was a toad the size of a delivery truck. It was covered in purple warts, oozing a foul-smelling slime that was actively turning the pristine mud into a toxic soup. [Corrupted Swamp Toad - Lv. 102]"Gross," Rudra muttered, pulling his leather mask up higher.

"I'm definitely not cooking that." The toad let out a wet croak and opened its massive mouth, shooting a thick, acidic tongue straight at Rudra. Rudra didn't even flinch. His speed was way too high for such a straightforward attack. He just sidestepped, letting the sticky tongue smack into a nearby tree. Before the toad could pull its tongue back, Rudra pointed his left hand at its slimy side.

"[Minor Tidal Push]!" A blast of pressurized water slammed into the toad, flipping its massive, unbalanced body completely onto its back. The monster thrashed wildly, exposing its soft, pale underbelly. Rudra dashed forward, jumped into the air, and brought his heavy ironwood staff down.

"[Crushing Strike]!" CRACK. The blunt force smashed right through the toad's chest. It let out a final, bubbly croak before completely turning into grey ash, leaving behind a few foul-smelling glands. Rudra wiped his boots on the grass.

"Too easy." Korag and a few other Valiant Orcs emerged from the treeline to inspect the battlefield. But instead of cheering, Korag fell to his knees in pure despair.

"The beast is dead, but look at the mud!" Korag wept, pointing at the crater. The entire mud bath was stained a sickly, bubbling purple. The toxic slime had completely seeped into the soil.

"It will take years for the natural springs to wash this out," a female Orc cried, clutching her perfectly sculpted cheeks.

"The acidity will ruin our pores! We will lose our natural glow!" Rudra scratched the back of his head.

"Can't you guys just build a new mud bath?"

"The mineral balance here is irreplaceable!" Korag groaned. A blue window chimed.