NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38: Cooked
"What is that?" The nobleman muttered as he looked at the sky.
'And it's right above this house.'
A few minutes passed by, but it was still there.
Ron and Syl were also watching it.
Inside the house, Ainen was still in the kitchen, lost in a wonder only he could perceive.
And soon, he was done.
[ Congratulations. You have cooked. ]
[ By perceiving Arcane in a deeper layer, you have awakened a mystic attribute to your flame. The fire you produce now is called Palatebloom Fire, something borne out of your own perceived magical essence. ]
[ Palatebloom Fire is a fire that behaves like a tongue of the arcane, savoring the essence of elements. When it encounters water, it steams into a crystalline azure fire. When it licks the wind, it sharpens into a whispering white blaze. When it consumes earth, it grows dense and molten, like volcanic glass. When it takes lightning, it crackles into a golden-silver flame.]
[ Mystic Attribute: This flame not only destroys, but if desired by the wielder, it absorbs and ferments elements, turning them into layers of "flavor" it can call upon later. Each absorbed element refines its heat, changing both its color and properties. ]
[ For this achievement of cooking, you are granted a chance at Trial of Fire Ascendency, which could help you break through to SS-rank in Fire Manipulation. ]
'Wonderful.' Ainen grinned.
Lord Black. '…'
'Sigh, I can't believe I am witnessing this. To think you gained insight into the enchantment of an element. Do you know how hard this is? This is a major requirement for those at King-rank if they want to break through to Emperor-rank, and here you are…'
Lord Black sighed again, in amazement, of course.
"Well, now I have better flames, with which I can surely cook better." Ainen laughed. "And damn, the cocktail is hitting my head nicely."
"Now then, it's time to take Ron and Syl out for a quest. And also test my new powers."
Ainen exited the kitchen.
And just then, he sensed something.
Outside, the phenomenon in the sky suddenly shifted.
In the blink of an eye, it turned into a silent shooting star and descended, phasing through the house and shooting straight into Ainen.
Lord Black immediatly recognized it.
'Arcane Blessing!'
He wryly chuckled. 'Yeah. After you did that, there's no way Arcane wouldn't bless you.'
Ainen was dumbfounded.
The power that entered him soon arrived in his inner space and transformed into a rune, connecting to his soul.
It turned into a strange board with exotic carvings and symbols, and had a maw design as it opened its mouth and closed it every second.
'This is…an innate talent?!' Ainen was shocked.
He just awakened an innate talent!
[ Congratulations. You have awakened an Innate Talent—Arsenal of Arcane, thanks to Arcane Blessing. ]
[Innate Talent: Arsenal of Arcane]
Rank: Tier-2 / Awakened (growth)
Effect:
—> Arsenal of Arcane can absorb resources and nurture them into a weapon of your design, something that can be accumulated to have increased potency from even higher-tier resources. You have two slots, allowing you to nurture two weapons. 0/2.
—> The maximum potency of your weapons cannot be higher than 5 times the amount of your Arcane and Mana. Once you take out the weapon after it is nurtured, it cannot grow anymore, and its durability lowers faster than normal items. And its durability cannot be recovered.
'Nice. It sounds powerful, but again, it's up to me on how I cook my weapons,' Ainen grinned. 'I like that.
'This is absurd. This is just making you very powerful. Usually, people cannot use weapons of higher tiers because their mana is not potent enough due to having a lower Arcane stat than required to operate the higher-tier weapon's magic effects.'
'But you can nurture weapons using higher-tier resources with this innate talent…Well, I guess it's fair since they lose their durability faster and cannot be recovered.'
'If they lose durability fast, I should label these special weapons as trump cards.'
While talking with Lord Black, Ainen exited the house.
And immediatly paused as he felt the gazes landing on him.
Tons of people were gathered and were looking straight at him.
Previously, they were looking at the house, and when Ainen emerged, they finally saw the person who called that mysterious phenomenon down.
"Brother!"
Ron and Syl rushed to him.
"That person came into the house previously. He wanted to talk to you," Syl said while pointing at the curly-brown haired nobleman.
Ainen looked at them and blinked. "What's up?"
'His aura is extraordinary.'
"Hello. I am Raol, the right-hand man of the Duke, and the official minister of this dukedom," Raol said with a smile.
"Hi, I am Ainen. Chef Ainen." Ainen smiled. "So, what brings you here?"
"How about we discuss at the duke's palace? Of course, you will be received as a VIP guest."
Ainen looked at Ron and Syl before turning to Raol. "How long will this discussion take?"
"Humph, you are being summoned by the duke. Just come with us."
"What?" Ainen pulled a long face. "So I don't have freedom of choice here?"
Before the Knight could speak, Raol stopped him by stretching his arm in front of him.
"Of course, you have. The discussion will not take long. We just wanted to know a few things and try your food."
"Oh. Then we'll discuss it later." Ainen chuckled. "I am done cooking for today. I won't make any more food to sell."
Turning to Ron and Syl, he smiled. "So, we are going on a quest, right?"
"Yes!" Ron's face lit up.
"Adventure!" Syl cheered.
"Then let's go," Ainen said and turned to Raol. "We will visit the duke's palace after we return. How about that?"
"…Ah, yes. That's fine."
Ainen left with Ron and Syl holding his hands in front of the gawking expressions of people, both Adventurers of the Inn and the people of the Duke's mansion.
They couldn't believe this person was outright rejecting the duke, and the minister even agreed.
"Milord, he is just an Awakened-rank Adventurer. Do we need to show that face?" the Knight frowned.
"If you lose face by not giving other people face, you will lose yourself," Roal indifferently said. "He is not just an Awakened-rank Adventurer. He is an Adventurer who can make otherworldly food with powerful effects, and now, he has just caused some kind of magical phenomenon."
"Who knows what his background is?" Raol started walking. "Let's go. I have to report back to the Duke. An important party is also about to arrive here before departing for the small Yurul Town. A labyrinth has been discovered in the border area there, so things are going to be hectic."
"A Labyrinth?!"
"If it is on the border area, then Torion Kingdom will want a part of that as well. The big forces will have to step in to mediate this."
"It's going to be chaotic."