Chapter 21

A Cook or a Cultivator?

By the time Leo returned to his humble abode, he was feeling somewhat melancholic. Even if he had no greater attachments to the old man, he'd still accompanied someone in death. Furthermore, it stirred old memories, as well as old regrets and guilt, of when he failed to do precisely that with Layla. He, once again, wished there was some alcohol, but was still unwilling to bend over and suck at the rotten fruit in hopes of getting drunk instead of getting diarrhea.

The animals--especially Blackie and Milky--seemed to have noticed something was amiss, curling up against him as soon as he sat down and purring silently. He smiled, petting them gently and soothing his heart. It was too late for regrets--it was too late on Earth, even, let alone in a completely different world. While he should never forget, he knew it would do him no good to dwell on the old memories and drown himself in them.

"Alright, time to start a new day," he slapped his cheeks gently. "Let's go back to re-mapping this place."

Because he found Lya and Song, he'd stopped his mission of creating a rough map of the five mile radius around the huts. While most of the south and some of the southeast had been 'mapped out', as well as some of the southwest thanks to the fox taking him to that hole, the north was entirely blank, as was most of the east.

He departed soon after gathering the supplies, accompanied, as always, by the trusty entourage of the furry friends. There was a newcomer, again, in the form of a small, fist-sized hawk. Its colors reminded him of the hawk he'd healed recently, though it was entirely possible he was simply projecting. Nonetheless, the hawk made its nest at the top of his head, while the owl occupied his right shoulder, the monkey his left, the python his left arm, and the bat continued to hang loose from his robes.

Blackie and Milky, as they always did, ventured out and returned at their whims, getting a few pets in-between.

It wasn't long before the naked trees gave way to the ones decorated with the familiar red-capped mushrooms. The animals had never brought him these mushrooms, which was why he steered clear of them. They were a bit like the polka dot shirts, and varied greatly in size. The smallest was no larger than a grape, while the largest reminded him of parasols.

As he ventured further north, colors began to dim; the barks of the trees grew a shade darker, and the leaves hanging from the branches turned brownish in color. It was as though there was a changing of the seasons between two parts of the forest.

Leo paused, frowning; though he had no discernible instincts as a cultivator to speak of, he still had a gut feeling: and that gut feeling was telling him that this was as far as he should go. By now, the red-capped mushrooms had disappeared, and in their places were only dark, old trees that shaded the world beneath from the sun. Only a few rays managed to find their way to the bottom, barely illuminating enough of the forest to make out the edges.

Seeing as there was nothing of importance to the north--at least as far as he was comfortable visiting--he turned around and walked back. However, he paused suddenly, as a window appeared in front of him from seemingly nowhere.

[You have woken the slumbering '???????']

[Growing curious with the newcomer, they have given you a quest]

[Quest: Bring them a meal that will surprise them]

[Reward: A random Sky-Tier Item, x1 Root-Washing Pill]

[Failure: You will never be allowed to step foot in the northern parts of the Forest]

[Time Left: 3 days]

[Hint: '???????' has experienced all of the dishes that the world had to offer. There hasn't been a meal that has surprised them in over a 1,000 years]

[Note: for the duration of the quest, you may spend System XP to purchase ingredients. There are limits, still]

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Leo turned back around and bowed toward the dark nothing, walking toward the hut right after. Luckily, whatever that thing was didn't seem too keen on punishing him even if he failed. Simply not being allowed to go north was less of a punishment and more of a basic rule that he'd have to obey.

As far as the meals went... Leo was stumped. Though he might be a decent 'cook', and though the animals seemed to enjoy his concoctions, his creations were still at very much a basic level.

"No, wait, if I can buy the ingredients...?"

This likely meant he'd be able to create a relatively simple dish from the Earth--but there was a problem... he didn't have any System XP. Ever since he leveled it up, he hadn't gotten a single point of XP, not after helping the hawk, or accompanying the old man. The system was quite stingy with the points, and he was unwilling to test the limits of debt and loans.

"I'll just do my best with what I have," even if that thing experienced all the meals that the world had to offer, it didn't mean that Leo was unable to prepare something unique.

Rather, it didn't necessarily even have to be tasty--just... surprising. And one thing had already popped into his head, and he quickly began to laugh at the inadvertent pun he'd come across. It was something that he'd only 'eaten' in his childhood, and though it wasn't particularly tasty or nourishing or anything of the sort, it was surprising.

A relatively ordinary lollipop dipped into flavored, sugary powder... that would then explode in one's mouth like fireworks.

"Alright, alright," feeling smug for a moment that he thought of something unique, he immediately fell into depression right after. "How the hell do I even make something like that?!"

He wouldn't know how to make it even if he had access to all of Earth's ingredients and factories, but he didn't want to give up on the idea. He latched onto the 'surprising' of the quest description, and was unwilling to let go of the dream. Clenching his fist for a moment, he decided to experiment for two days and see if he could make it, or at least a fulcrum of it. If he failed, he'd quickly veer off into something more tangible--perhaps something like French fries.

"Wasn't this supposed to my cultivation story?" he sighed, lamenting toward the sky in quite a striking pose. "Why does it feel like the title would be 'I reincarnated in a forest and became a cook for the animals who live there'?! Haaah..."

**

Two figures danced atop a bulky, stone platform.

Both wielded swords seemingly dipped in scarlet blood, weaving around like phantoms. One of them thrust the sword forward so quickly it caused a sonic boom, but the other responded in kind, ducking to the side and slashing out. The metallic clash was loud and echoing, yet the sound traveled no further than the bounds of the raised platform, as though there was some cage keeping it inside.

One of the two figures--a boy around eighteen, nineteen years old--retreated and spun in place, coalescing one array of blood after another and firing them off. The other figure--a man seemingly in his forties--ducked back and began slashing out like crazy, deflecting the arriving arrays of blood.

Yet, hidden between them was the boy, speeding until he was a blur; the two clashed yet again, with the middle-aged man being pushed back over and over again until they were at the edge of the platform. Right then, the man shouted and wove a grand spectacle of blood around him with a singular slash that sent the teenage boy barreling backward. He landed unevenly on the ground, cracking the platform and kneeling right after, vomiting blood.

"Not bad," the middle-aged man said as he dusted off his robes. "You've forced me to use Qi. There shouldn't be more than four other kids your age who can do that."

"T-thank you, Master!" the boy forced down the blood in his throat and stood up, bowing respectfully toward the man.

"The Heavenspan Tournament is in just a week," the man said. "Until then, break into the Mid Core Formation Realm. Ask Old Man Ming for the pellets."

"Yes, Master. Uhm, about Yun'er--"

"I'll consider it," the man interrupted. "If you do well at the tournament. Hmm, right. Holy Blade's sole representative will probably be that Mei child. If you meet her, cripple her. I'll consider it even more deeply, then."

"Yes, Master!" the boy said rather excitedly. "Humph. I was able to beat her easily the last time; I'd be shocked if she will be able to last more than ten rounds this time around."

"Yes. After this Heavenspan Tournament," the man said with a strange grin. "We'll show them, once and for all, that they do not belong in the same realm as us."

**

Six shadows sprung up at the same time around a dimly-lit table inside a rather damp basement. All windows were boarded up, and there seemed to be a special array preventing all sounds from leaking out.

"Is everything ready?" the voices were distorted, indiscernible one from another.

"Everything is ready on our end."

"Same."

"Here, too."

"I'm just about done."

"..."

"Six, what about you?"

"Master has recalled me," one of the shadows said. "I won't be able to participate."

"You still have to leave us the Banner."

"You know where to find it, One."

"There has been a slight alteration to the plan: instead of striking before the start of the final round, we will do so after. Remember--the goal is to capture Ling'er. Once we have her, we scatter and reconvene at the Blood Border City. If you are followed, you know what to do. That is all. May the Seven bless us."

"And may the Eighth reign Supreme."