"You're..." Nick stupidly stared at the goddess, unsure what reaction she expected from him. In addition, he had a vague impression of this goddess but couldn't remember where and when they spoke before this.

It felt like a piece of memory inside him was extracted and lost in the void.

(We've spoken before you descended into this world. What do you think about this world so far?)

The goddess smiled in her reply.

"I can't be sure... But I feel that there's plenty of suffering in the eyes of the people here... It felt like... They're starving?" Nick answered the question vaguely, in his own way. After all, as a chef, he could at least differentiate how starving people look.

Furthermore, he was here for less than a day. It was too short for him to give his fair comment about this world.

(That answer was enough to determine what kind of Innate Spirit you will receive. Return now. I'll be looking forward to our next meeting in the future. I hope by then, we can talk for much longer...)

The goddess left after speaking her mind. As the divinity vanishes with her, the colors gradually paint the surroundings as time flow resumes.

Currently, everyone's palms were glowing with a marking. And being the person at the far end, nobody noticed that Nick had two distinct markings, one on each hand.

On his right palm was the symbol of a knife, embedded into the character of "Spirit" as its background. And on his left was the same, but it came with the pattern of a mountain cavern with the same character.

"Allow me to congratulate everyone. I want everyone to follow me to the next room to make way for the others. We will have your awakened Innate Spirit recorded along with your name and verify your status as this Nanyao City's official inhabitant." said the apprentice.

With the ceremony done for this group, they no longer had a reason to stay behind. After all, over a hundred people are still waiting for their turn.

The same apprentice led them through a different corridor, which took them back to the building entrance. But this part of the building was inaccessible to the rest unless they made a long trip like Nick's group.

They quickly came into a spacious office with several groups of people.

"Alright. Before we start, I'll need each of you to grab a fruit from the table, eat it, then come back to me. I will be waiting for everyone in room number five." the apprentice told Nick and the rest what to do next while his finger pointed at a table.

Several people gathered around the table, and on the furniture's surface were a few baskets filled with grape-like fruits. These fruits had a tinge of turquoise on their skin.

Apparently, the fruit tastes sour, but some lucky people would pick a sweet one once in a while.

(Hmm... I wonder what they are called. It had a sour aftertaste like unripe mango but a texture similar to a grape...)

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Nick commented in his mind while returning to the fifth room, where the apprentice was waiting. The rest of the group followed after him and came back minutes later.

As he rested his buttock on the provided seats, Nick began to feel a burning sensation around his abdomen. Even a fool could make a correct guess on how this happened.

It should be an after-effect of eating the turquoise, grape-like fruit.

"Everyone should be feeling a burning sensation in your abdominal part right now. If there's anyone who don't feel the burn, quickly go out and grab another fruit to eat." the apprentice said.

Ne could read their mind easily as this was not the first time he was leading a group. And apparently, nobody here suffered from the problem the apprentice mentioned.

"Great. For your information, the heat you're feeling now is caused by Origin Qi. This magical power naturally comes from the fruit everyone ate earlier, known as Yuan Qi Turquoise Fruit." the apprentice continued.

"Now, focus all your attention on the hand where your Innate Spirit Marking glowed earlier. As long your focus wasn't placed on the wrong hand, you should be able to direct these Origin Qi from your abdomen to your hand to materialize the Innate Spirit," he added.

After the sentence, the apprentice took the lead and showed them an example.

The apprentice's right hand was put forth in everyone's sight before he sharpened his gaze on the palm. And very quickly, the hand with nothing on it gradually revealed a dim glow as his Innate Spirit Marking started to absorb the Origin Qi.

This Origin Qi can be considered the magical energy in this world, just like all the fiction and fantasy dramas Nick watched before.

The apprentice's Innate Spirit Marking gradually shone brighter the more Origin Qi it collected.

As soon as the requirement was fulfilled, a small pup with four stone-scaled paws hopped out of the apprentice's palm. Apparently, this was the apprentice's Beast Spirit, Stone-Scale Roaring Hound.

"This is the Beast Spirit I awakened half a year ago. The priest called it Stone-Scale Roaring Hound." said the apprentice while scratching the pup's nose gently. Because the two were bonded since birth, they naturally had a close relationship with one another.

"What are you waiting for? Quickly try yourself!" the apprentice reminded them.

Everyone quickly copied what the apprentice did, and that included Nick himself. Being involved in employment and cooking for over a third of his life gave Nick much better concentration than the rest.

(Author's Note: Assuming a human can live up to a hundred years old, Nick's death was around 36, so that's like a third of his lifetime... Hope this clarifies your curiosity)

But even with that level of concentration, he was the fourth out of ten people. After the Innate Spirit Marking absorbed enough Origin Qi, a chef knife comfortable in his grip instantly materialized.

Nick was surprised that he could control the knife however he liked. Even if he let go of the tool on purpose, it would still stick in his hand or hover closely in his close proximity.

If Nick wished, the chef knife could also turn into a flying sword. Of course, calling it a flying dagger is more suitable due to its short length.

"Oh! You awakened a Tool Spirit too! Look at mine, look!" the guy seated opposite Nick initiates a conversation with him. As he said, he had awakened a Tool Spirit too, but instead of a knife like Nick, it was an iron ladle.

But appearance-wise... It was a little pitiful because the ladle looked more like a rice scoop.

(Author's Note again: Imagine a ping pong bat, now with a hotpot ladle at the other end...)

"Everyone, great job. Looks like you had no problem materializing your Innate Spirit." the apprentice said. "Now, can everyone come here one by one for me to write down your name and the Innate Spirit you've awakened?" he continued.

Everyone was naturally cooperative with his request and came one by one to complete their paperwork. And apparently, seven out of the group had awakened a Tool Spirit. There are also two people with Plant Spirits and one with Beast Spirit among them.

After the registration, Nick and the rest were taken back to a gathering spot to wait until the same representative came to pick them up. And without saying, they were taken back to the same building as yesterday.

After a quick dinner and freshening themselves, almost all of them went to bed. This was how Nick's second day passed in this world.