episode_0101

Kkamang turned all the subdued enemies into skill crystals.

“Sophia.”

“Yes?”

“Take this.”

“What is it?”

“Using this will grant you the Swordsmanship (C-Rank) skill.”

A Swordsmanship (C-Rank) skill crystal.

Sophia didn’t use a sword often,

but there were times when she fought with a beam saber after equipping her battle suit.

Having the skill would still be useful.

So I gave it to her.

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to use this, my lord?”

“It’s a spare.”

If it were B-Rank, I would’ve taken it for myself,

but since I already had one C-Rank from earlier,

this crystal was unnecessary.

“Does using the same skill crystal have no effect at all?”

“Might as well be none.”

It does accumulate a bit of skill experience,

but it’s roughly equivalent to training for three or four hours.

Not a significant amount.

So,

if you have spare skill crystals, the most efficient use is to pass them on to others.

Having a skill at all versus not having one is a world of difference.

With that in mind, I handed out other skill crystals as well.

“You’re giving me another one?”

“Am I getting one too?”

“Master? What’s this?”

“A Cooking skill crystal.”

Only one A-Rank dropped,

but there were ten B-Ranks, so I gave one to each of them.

‘At this point, I’m starting to suspect I didn’t raid an assassin organization but a chefs’ guild instead…’

Thinking about it, there was a plausible reason.

The Goddess of Light, Serena, had told them to conserve food, but it spread like a ‘cooking ban.’

If not researching cooking was an act of faith,

then researching cooking must’ve been seen as defying the gods.

That’s why their Cooking skills were so high.

…Or so I thought.

“I issued a cooking ban?”

“Yeah.”

“My words were recorded in the scriptures, so they didn’t research cooking at all?”

“Yeah.”

“And that’s why they only had primitive, basic dishes?!”

“Yeah.”

Serena spoke in the voice of a goddess.

“Sophia.”

“Yes.”

“The moment we arrive at any village, town, or city, spread the word as the decree of the Goddess of Light, Serena.”

“What message should I deliver?”

“Tell them to erase the words about conserving food from the scriptures! To research cooking! To develop tastier dishes and offer them to me!”

Serena fumed as she spoke.

Well…

That’s understandable.

She’s a goddess who genuinely loves good food,

yet her own words led to no one researching better recipes.

‘A few did, but…’

Since cooking research was taboo in this world,

it was naturally done in secret,

and the results were never shared.

As a result,

there was no progress in culinary culture.

They researched alone, ate alone, and enjoyed it alone—that was it.

None of it ever reached Serena’s lips.

On the other hand,

alcohol was researched extensively.

‘In this world, alcohol is considered a preserved food.’

Fruits spoil quickly,

but turning them into alcohol extends their shelf life.

The more they researched, the longer the preservation period became, the better the taste, and it still aligned with Serena’s words.

Thanks to that, alcohol saw tremendous advancements,

resulting in a world overflowing with fine liquor.

…That was the truth.

But there was a problem.

“I hate alcohol!!!”

Serena was a goddess who disliked alcohol.

Not that she absolutely hated it—

if friends invited her to drink, she’d have a glass or two.

But her preference leaned more toward cola than alcohol.

That’s the vibe.

‘She also dislikes getting drunk.’

Serena was a goddess.

When alone, she was the type to laze around in her room,

but in front of others, she strived to maintain a graceful image.

That’s why she avoided alcohol—

she feared losing her composure.

So,

she couldn’t help but despise a world where only alcohol was delicious while food remained terrible.

But.

This was a world where humanity could face extinction at any moment due to demons.

Rather than telling them to improve cooking,

she had no choice but to urge them to increase the population, strengthen the military, and drive out the demons.

Though a gluttonous goddess,

she prioritized humanity’s survival and held back.

Yet.

It wasn’t that humans disliked cooking.

They simply obeyed the goddess’s words too well and avoided it.

…That’s what she realized.

It was so absurd that she could only clutch the back of her neck in frustration.

“You okay?”

“Ughhh… What did I endure for all this time? What have I been doing?”

“Let’s think positively. At least we know now, right?”

“Waaah…”

“Here, eat this and cheer up.”

I gave her a snack.

Then,

Serena nestled in my arms, munching happily.

“One more.”

“Sure.”

After another bite, her expression softened slightly.

“Want more?”

“Yeah.”

Serena kept eating snacks as she spoke.

“Yeah… This is happiness…”

“You like it that much?”

“Mhm… A life without you is unthinkable…”

“A life without me…”

What kind of life would Serena have had if I hadn’t existed?

She would’ve lost her human body,

left only to watch her daughter cry from the heavens.

Unaware of the cooking ban,

she would’ve kept eating bland, one-dimensional dishes.

With no friends,

she would’ve lived a lonely, hollow life.

…The moment I thought that,

I smirked playfully at her.

“Now that you know, treat me well.”

“Huh… I was planning to, but hearing it like that kinda pisses me off?”

“Cooling soda cola incoming to douse those fiery emotions~”

“Hey! Do I look like some easy woman who’d calm down just because you gave me cola?!”

Gulp gulp.

“Uh… Cain?…”

“What?”

“This cola tastes different?”

“It’s a new product.”

I got it from the gacha.

White Cola.

A drink with a milky + cider-like flavor.

Basically, Milkis.

‘Honestly, most would say regular cola tastes better…’

But drinking the same thing every day gets boring, right?

So,

it’s good to switch it up sometimes.

…That’s why I gave it to her.

Well?

Tasty?

“It’s good…”

“Feeling better?”

“That one comment makes me wanna punch you?”

“For that very you, another cooling beverage incoming~”

This time, chocolate milk.

A smooth, sweet flavor that coats the tongue—a masterpiece.

“Wow… This is good too… Sweet and delicious… It’s tasty, but…”

“Hm?”

“It’s a little hard to drink.”

“For that very you, I’ve prepared this!”

I poured the chocolate milk into a baby bottle and handed it to her.

“Oh!…”

“How is it? Easier to drink?”

“So much easier!”

Serena happily sucked on the bottle.

Hmm…

This feels like taking care of a baby…

‘Better not say that.’

Teasing her is fine,

but crossing the line might make her sulk.

I held back from going too far.

‘Even so, I can’t treat a goddess like a baby.’

In Korea, baby bottles are for feeding infants,

but this world doesn’t have them.

Only the five possessors would know it’s a tool for babies.

So,

as long as I don’t say it, she won’t realize it’s for infants.

…With that thought, I gave her the chocolate milk.

“Wow…”

“You want some too?”

“Yes!”

I cradled Kkamang and gave her another bottle.

“It’s delicious.”

“Milk tastes good, right?”

“This is milk?! Really?!”

“It’s milk, but mixed with cocoa powder—chocolate milk.”

“Wow… I never knew milk could taste this good… Amazing…”

Kkamang marveled as she sipped from the bottle.

Watching this, I felt like a dad raising two kids.

‘Well, they’re cute, so it’s fine.’

A butler’s day, cradling a puppy and a kitten while feeding them from bottles.

Not a bad way to spend the day.

…I thought as I took care of them, but—

“Cain?”

“Yeah?”

“We should get ready to leave soon.”

“Ah… Right.”

We’d already looted the hideout of the Shadow Clan descendants,

and killed them all to prevent future descendants from appearing.

So,

it was about time to go.

“Elise.”

“What?”

“You don’t have any connection to Test Subject No. 30, right?”

“30?”

“Valosque. Since you’re both former test subjects, I wondered if you knew anything.”

“Nothing.”

“Absolutely nothing?”

“Test subjects rarely interacted.”

“Good.”

If Valosque and Elise had known each other, sparing him might’ve been worth it.

But since they had no ties, killing him was the better choice.

So I did.

“Rest in peace.”

“Guh… At least spare my—”

“Cut!”

I absorbed Valosque with the Holy Grail of Sacrifice, turning him into a crystal.

“No way?!”

[Unique Ability Crystal (Path of Gourmet)]

Rank: S

Effect: Grants the unique ability ‘Path of Gourmet’ upon use.

[Path of Gourmet]

Every step taken in pursuit of gourmet cuisine shall be recorded as legend.

The path you walk shall be praised by all gourmets,

and the path you complete shall become the direction all gourmets aspire toward.

Your life shall leave a mark on culinary history,

becoming legend.

In praise of such a life, the epithet ‘Path of Gourmet’ is bestowed upon you.

“……”

I was too stunned to speak.

What the hell?

A muscle-bound axe-swinging brute had the Path of Gourmet?

He was a legendary chef?!

What kind of nonsense is this?!

…I thought, but then—

“I told you earlier. Researching cooking was seen as defying the gods.”

“Huh… What?…”

“Maybe he defied the gods so much that he became legend, hence this ability?”

“Ha… Hahaha…”

So.

He hated the gods so much that he gained this power?

You madman!

If you hate gods, research the power to kill them!

Godslayer!

There are so many epic paths like that!

So many insane powers!

Why defy them with cooking?!

“Hehehe… My chef just got stronger… I can eat even tastier food now…”

Meanwhile, the goddess was cheering.

Valosque.

Let me tell you this clearly.

The path you took to defy the gods ended up making them happy!

“Damn it!…”

And so, I became the S-Rank chef of the hero’s party.

—

Author’s Note:

Hayang (Serena), drooling and wagging her tail at the news of an S-Rank chef.

I had some time after finishing the chapter, so I tried drawing…

Hmm…

No eraser, so I just sketched and called it a day.

Next time, I’ll bring an eraser, clean up the lines, and maybe… if I have time… color it.