Chapter Sixteen: Dark Cuisine

"Hey, do you have any poison or something like that?" Murong Xun asked without looking up, his hands busy at work. As he watched the noodles simmer in the pot, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was about to create something extraordinary this time.

"Here you go!" Darknight tossed him a vial with a resigned air.

[Deadly Poison Elixir: A masterpiece crafted by an alchemy grandmaster.]
[Star Rating: Two Stars!]
[Effect: Lethal poison! An entire city once perished from this toxin, and for ten years afterward, not a blade of grass grew nearby!]

Seeing the item, Murong Xun raised his eyebrows—he hadn’t expected Darknight to be so generous, throwing out something like this as if it were nothing. Even as poison, a two-star item would fetch a fine price on the market. However, since they were trapped here with no hope of escape and survival hinged on defeating the giant, Darknight had no choice but to part with such treasures. Besides, for someone with inside knowledge like Darknight, he knew that if this succeeded, the investment would be more than worthwhile.

Murong Xun poured the deadly elixir straight into the pot. Instantly, the broth—previously a kaleidoscopic swirl from the toxic mushrooms—became clear and pure, looking just like an ordinary bowl of mushroom noodles. At that moment, an unusual and alluring aroma began to waft in all directions.

"What’s that smell?" The wolf-headed man above sniffed the air, searching for the source of the fragrance. The woman beside him merely gazed down at the iron pot and the busy young man below.

"Master, shall I have him bring it up at once?" he asked eagerly.

"If you wish to die, go ahead," the woman's smile faded, her tone indifferent.

"At our level, what could possibly affect us? Besides, that kid isn’t even a first-tier," the wolf-headed man protested in confusion.

"Feel it carefully for yourself," the woman replied, offering no further explanation. Yet her gaze toward the boy grew more intriguing. Perhaps he wasn’t entirely useless after all; to have earned the favor of darkness itself—if she were to grant him the first embrace…

Oblivious to the attention from the two formidable figures above, Murong Xun focused solely on crafting his ramen. Unbeknownst to him, the surrounding battle had come to a standstill. Everyone now stood motionless, eyes closed, savoring the aroma that stirred a forgotten tenderness deep within, their faces softening with gentle smiles. Even the ferocious giant slumped to the ground, propping his massive chin on one hand, tears streaming down his face.

"What in the world is that?" The wolf-headed man almost lost himself in the sensation and was startled by how close he came to succumbing.

"Something very interesting," the young woman—Grand Duchess Aphysoya—replied with a soft laugh, her lips as red as blood curving into a smile.

"Add him to the list," she instructed.

"Yes, my lady," the wolf-headed man bowed slightly.

"This is truly something remarkable," Aphysoya chuckled, her form fading into the air.

With her permission, the wolf-headed man glanced at the future attributes of the ramen still being made below.

[Dark Cuisine – Primordial Delight: Crafted from a blend of multiple deadly toxins, it exudes a strange fragrance that unconsciously intoxicates, awakening one’s earliest memories of happiness!]
[Star Rating: Three Stars!]
[Effect: The aroma reduces divinity by 0.1 per minute; duration unknown.]
[Consumption Consequence: Permanently reduces all attributes by three points; additionally, causes 50% weakness for the next three days!]
[Evaluation: As tempting as it smells, don’t be greedy—no fool would actually eat such a thing, right?]

Upon reading this, the wolf-headed man's expression froze in shock. What kind of item was this, to forcefully reduce three attribute points? Even for those of higher ranks, losing three attribute points was no small matter—the higher the rank, the harder each point was to gain. For someone of his level, it could take years to recover even a single point, and a 50% weakness for three days was a terrifying penalty.

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the giant’s projection, and the trees vanished along with it. The arena returned to its original state; if not for the bloodstains and corpses on the ground, one might think all of it had been an illusion.

A prompt finally jolted everyone from their fragrant stupor:

[Someone has pleased Grand Duchess Aphysoya. Mission complete.]

The group exchanged glances, each wondering who had succeeded. Meanwhile, Murong Xun stared speechlessly at the bowl of ramen before him.

Apparently, some shroud of darkness still hung over him, making it easier for him to create dark cuisine. With the completion of his first dark dish, his chef profession had transformed directly into Dark Chef.

But that wasn’t even the most exasperating part.

[You have pleased Grand Duchess Aphysoya. You have gained her attention.]

And then…?

Where was the quest reward?
Nothing!

How stingy could they be!

"Did you complete the mission?" Darknight sidled over and asked in a hushed tone.

He tried to be discreet, but with players’ heightened senses and everyone standing so close, there was no way the others didn’t hear. Instantly, several gazes turned their way.

"No," Murong Xun shot him a blank look and denied it outright.

"Yeah, that makes sense," Darknight replied without suspicion. After all, Murong Xun had been busy making ramen the whole time and hadn’t had a chance to do anything else; how could he have completed the mission? Darknight was a little disappointed—whoever had done it had now caught the attention of a vampire grand duchess, a figure so powerful that even the tiniest favor from her would be a great boon.

"By the way, what did you make?" Darknight asked, since the giant was gone and the fight over—he’d contributed as well and was curious.

"Want a taste?" Murong Xun held the bowl out toward him.

"Uh, better not!" Even without checking the attributes, the colorful mushrooms in the bowl were enough to make Darknight swallow nervously. He’d seen the properties of those mushrooms, and not only that, but his own deadly elixir had been added as well. What kind of madman would try a dark cuisine made entirely of lethal toxins?

He quickly backed away. Seeing this, Murong Xun took the bowl back.

"If you don’t want it, I’ll keep it for research," he said, though he’d only offered out of courtesy—he’d be loath to give it away for real. He’d made three bowls, after all, and if no one else wanted them, he certainly wasn’t losing out by keeping them.

"You keep it," Darknight replied, unable to hide a hint of curiosity about just how "earth-shattering" this dish could be, but still unwilling to take a bite for himself.