NOVEL NEXT 64: Drake Steak
Obviously, I couldn't use Stock Reduction yet. These steaks were rare quality, and I could only reduce common.
But soon!
Once I'd cut off a thick steak, I laid it out on the stone table. It looked rather funny—like a ridiculously oversized Buvul steak.
I stared at it for a long while, wondering what I could possibly do with it. I could simply cook it and give it to the Cat, but the thought felt wrong. Just that small handful of scales had sold for more money than I could ever dream of… and we still had literally thousands more sitting on that corpse. The things we could do with that—including drake-scale armour—were staggering.
I didn't know what the future held, but I was determined to try my best with this steak.
I wanted to stuff some ingredients in it. Strange for a steak, sure, but with how large it was—and with Crisplet's help—I'd still be able to cook it evenly. So, I sliced a deep pocket right into the centre.
If I was going to make it special… why not go with everything?
I started with several Blood Tears and Virfolium leaves. Then I pulled out one of the Mana Truffles I'd collected and, under Jen's watchful guidance, carefully shaved a few fine slivers from it—storing the rest. I wasn't about to waste it all!
Next came the Dawnroot, practically glowing with golden light.
"Are you sure you want to use that?" Jen asked, still staring at it in awe.
"I think it's best I use what I can for this," I said, resolved. I wanted to taste it myself later, so I only used half, slicing it into thin medallions and placing them inside with the rest.
Since I was going to purify the whole dish anyway, I added three Death Cap mushrooms, and lastly, a single Marbled Tuber, sliced and tucked in neatly.
It sounded like a lot, but with the size of the steak, it barely filled the pocket. I seasoned the outside with salt and pepper, then pulled out my pan—only to realise almost immediately I had a problem.
The steak was far too large to fit.
Fortunately, Milo had been quietly observing everything—and taking notes, of all things. Without a word, he shaped stone above the fire, forming a cage-like structure with bars running across but open at the sides.
I'd seen these before at the markets. Grilled meat sticks—they called it a grill!
"Thank you!" I said, grinning as I lifted the steak and placed it onto the stone bars. Crisplet wasted no time—an orange glow burst from the little elemental, enveloping the underside of the steak with steady heat.
I watched it for several minutes before running into problem number two.
When Crisplet signalled it was done, I realised I didn't have any way to flip it. Everything else I'd ever cooked directly over the flame had been on a stick or spike—easy to turn. This? Not so much.
"I can help, if you like," Milo offered.
"No—sorry, thank you, but if you help I can't infuse it, remember." It would have been so much easier if I could've just used air magic.
And then—like a lantern sparking to life—I got an idea.
"Hey, Crisplet, could you cool the flames for a moment?" I asked.
He did so instantly, the blaze dimming down to glowing coals.
I tentatively touched the steak. The underside was still hot, and though the ring gave me fire resistance, it wasn't enough to stop the sting completely. With a lot of effort, I managed to grab the cooler side and heave it over.
In the process, though, several ingredients slipped free and fell into the coals, burning away almost instantly. I winced. I really hoped that wasn't the Dawnroot.
While the steak continued cooking, my mind drifted to the Pyrrhosite Crystal I'd been carrying. Pulling it from my inventory, I turned it over in my hands, still baffled.
"Did you work out what it is yet?" Jen asked curiously.
"No… not yet," I admitted, frowning at the strange stone.
"You know, it might actually be salt," Hari suggested. "It was a crystal in a rock, right? You can find salt crystals like that. Have you tried licking it?"
"Lick it?" I repeated, appalled. "Why would I lick a random crystal?"
Hari just smirked. "Look, your skill marked it as edible. You're the only one who can test it safely without risking poison. So go on—try it."
I was certain this was some kind of joke. But, against my better judgement, I did it anyway.
The first thing I noticed was saltiness—sharp and mineral—but almost immediately it was overwhelmed by a tingling that spread from my tongue, racing through my whole body. Within seconds, it felt like my veins were on fire.
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Then darkness.
I opened my eyes to see everyone leaning over me. Liane was lightly tapping my cheeks.
"Trev, Trev, are you okay? Can you hear us?" she said.
I couldn't speak. My whole body tingled, like it had gone numb and now a thousand spikes were stabbing at my skin all at once.
Gritting my teeth, it went dark again.
When I awoke the second time, it was to Crisplet floating above my chest, shooting a spark at my head.
"Uh, wha—" I began, but was cut off immediately.
"Trev, are you okay?" Liane asked, her face tight with concern.
"Um, I don't know. I can't really move my arms and legs much, everything feels numb," I said, trying to close my fist but barely managing to twitch my fingers.
"How's your health? Did you take damage?" she pressed.
I pulled up my status and was met by a series of notifications:
Notifications:
…
You have earned 25 experience for making an enjoyable meal.
…
Warning: Mana Overload Imminent.
You have suffered Mana Overload!
You are paralysed.
You have suffered 2 damage.
…
You have earned 500 experience for making an exceptionally Rare meal.
…
There was a lot to take in, but most importantly—
"The steak!" I blurted, trying to turn my head.
"It's fine," Liane chuckled. "Crisplet put out the fire when he felt it was done enough. Hopefully it hasn't overcooked. Now focus. Your health—how is it?"
Looking at my status again, now that the notifications had cleared, I answered.
Name: Trevor
Class: Arcane Chef
Rarity: Rare
Level: 20
Experience: 1110/16284
Hit points: 288/290
Mana: 591/590
Stamina: 110/290
"I lost a little health, two, but I suffered mana overload, and it says I was paralysed. Also, my mana is full, and not just full, but overfilled as well," I said, surprised. I'd been so low on mana, and now I was overflowing.
"Fuck. Okay, can you cast anything that will use mana right now?" she asked.
I tried pulling something out of my storage, but it wouldn't work. Maybe the act of retrieving required an able body. My eyes still worked fine, so I focused and activated Arcane Foraging.
Relief came almost immediately. My muscles loosened, the burning sensation in my veins cooled, and I let out a heavy sigh as I managed to close my hand again.
Turning off Arcane Foraging, I sat up to find Crisplet perched on my lap. He hadn't stopped sending a constant stream of sparks at my head.
"I'm fine, Crisplet. Thank you," I said to the little elemental, who now seemed to believe the job was done and a great success. He floated over to the steak sitting above the dead fire and burst into sparks.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," I muttered, shifting to reach out for the steak and attempting to store it.
Would you like to store [Rare] Stuffed Ancient Drake Steak x1 for 5 mana? Yes/No
Selecting yes, I was glad to see that ability worked again.
"Trev, don't strain yourself," Jen said.
Only then did I notice everyone sitting around me, and the most concerned of all was Hari.
"I'm fine, I think. The paralysis is gone," I said, shaking my arms a little. There was still a faint tingle, but nothing like before.
"I'm so sorry I encouraged you to do something so reckless," Hari said, bowing so low his head was practically touching the ground.
I was taken aback. "Oh no, it's okay—you were right. It's a salt. The first taste I had was salt… then a tingle, then burning, then darkness," I said, trying to wave at Hari to sit up.
"No, I am truly sorry. As your leader I shouldn't be encouraging reckless behaviour. I let the team down today," he said, not lifting his head.
"He's fine, you big old oaf—now get up," Liane said, slapping his shoulder with the back of her hand.
I was surprised when Hari looked up, glaring at her.
"He may be fine, but we all know what mana overload can do. He could have burnt out all his mana channels! He could have permanently crippled himself! I nearly cost him his life!" Hari snapped angrily.
"Oh, I'm fine, honest," I said quickly, trying to break the tension.
"Actually, better than fine—I discovered something. Although I don't think I needed the overload for it, I got 500 experience for creating an exceptionally rare meal." I tried to change the subject.
Milo perked up immediately. "Oh? Exceptionally rare? But not legendary, right?" His notebook was already back in hand.
"When I stored it, it still called it rare," I explained.
"How curious," Milo murmured, scribbling furiously—far more notes than the words I'd actually spoken. I really would need to ask to read those notes one day.
"Uh, does someone want to tell me what mana overload is?" I asked, looking around.
"It's what happens when—well, as the name suggests—you overload on mana. This can happen in a variety of ways: overdosing on mana potions, eating a high-mana meal your body can't handle—this is why we said most people can't eat drake—and apparently, simply licking a salt crystal," Milo explained.
"Which means this crystal is incredibly dense with mana," Jen said, handing it back to me. "Oh, that's to store, not to lick, by the way," she added with a chuckle.
I knew what I was about to ask wasn't the smartest thing, but it was absolutely the number one thought in my mind.
"So… it restored my mana from nearly empty to full. Wouldn't that be really useful?" I asked.
"Absolutely not. As your party leader, I forbid you from doing that again," Hari said sternly.
"Relax, big man. It's an honest question from someone who doesn't know better," Jen said softly. "No, Trev, you do restore the mana, yes—but you also put incredible strain on your mana channels. If they're already weakened, the chances of permanent damage increase drastically."
That made sense. I knew it was a silly thing to ask, but going from 60 mana to 590 was massive.
"Also… you know if you need to recover mana easily, you could just use a mana potion, right? We're not going to tell you no," Liane said with a chuckle.
"But they're ex—" I started.
"Expensive?" Liane laughed. "Trevor, you have more gold in your storage right now than most lords. We're not worried about expensive."
As I tried to stand, I realised all my muscles ached, like I'd just spent a full day training sword in the yard.
"On second thought, getting mana this way isn't worth it. My body aches," I said with a chuckle, earning an approving nod from Hari.
"I suppose now I can finish the job. Milo, could you make me a stone plate large enough to hold the steak?" I asked. He obliged, and I pulled it back out from my inventory.
I took out the Leaf-Bladed Spider Essence I'd made yesterday. First, I used Infuse on the steak, which glowed brighter than normal. Then I applied the spider essence to it.
Would you like to infuse this essence into [Rare] Stuffed Ancient Drake Steak for 50 mana? Yes/No
I selected yes, and it appeared as though the essence just sank into the steak itself.
Liane was by my side, watching me intently. "All done?" she asked.
"Yeah, I think so?" I said, looking it over. Then I noticed a slice of it seemed to be missing. It was only a tiny bit, but when I turned to Liane, she just looked at me.
"Sorry about this, Trev," she whispered, before taking a small bite of the piece.
"Wait… no!" I said, but it was too late.