V3 Chapter 89

The day was grey and bitter cold, and the blue sky was now starting to be covered with thick, white clouds. The wind blew even colder as time passed. It’s getting colder.

Rain couldn’t help but shiver as he felt the biting through his layers of black wool and boiled leather. It was too bloody cold for man or beast, but here they were, standing in the middle of the forest, with the winter already at the corner.

For a normal human, the temperature would have been cold enough to thicken their clothing, wear layer upon layer of thick wool, or perhaps even lose the motivation to even move a muscle. However, for a Superhuman like them, the cold is yet to turn into bother. Still, it's enough for them to consume much more physical strength and energy compared to normal.

Just to move within this coldness, one would need to spend double the energy. Much less, fighting in this time and weather would be even harder than normal. Jonathan and the other warriors have their peculiar way to fight the cold, however. Rain resisted it mainly through his innate resistances, but Jonathan and his group covered their bodies with an aura that seemed to make their bodies glow dimly.

It was incredibly amazing- visually and by their effectiveness. It was a magical aura that not only enhance their physical bodies but also regulate their temperature. It was a method that Rain has never seen, much less learned before.

The Lamians didn’t seem to know how to do something like this. Or at least, he had never seen them cover their bodies with aura before. And by the looks of it, not all can do it. Jin doesn’t seem capable of using this kind of method. Though his method to fight against the cold was more direct, conjuring flames to fight against the cold.

It seems like the manipulation of aura/fighting spirit is only applicable to fighters. Though they were capable mages, Zia and Jonathan can both use fighting spirits due to their combat classes as half-swordsmen. It seems to be common that pure fighter classes that were unable to use mana, instead cultivate their fighting spirit/aura to, not only augment their bodies and physical attributes but also strengthen their attacks and skills. Although he had heard of it before, this is the first time he had personally seen it and even experience it.

And of course, with Rain’s strange physique and Class, he was also capable of using it. In the end, he managed to learn the manipulation of fighting spirit/aura easily. Unlike mana that can be taken from the surrounding, fighting spirit/aura came from inside one’s body. It’s more like a Qi or Chakra in many anime.

Though not as magical and flexible as mana, fighting spirit/aura also has many uses, which are mostly centered around augmenting physical abilities. And from the looks of it, it’s much better, stronger, and even more efficient to enhance the physical body using fighting spirit/aura than using mana to do it (something he was used to doing up until now). It’s even more compatible with [Body Enhancement] skill, rather than using mana to fuel it.

Though mana is much more abundant, fighting spirit/aura has a much more potent effect on the physical body. If mana can strengthen one’s physical attribute by 15% using [Body Enhancement] the using fighting spirit can reach at least 20%. And that’s only at Lv1.

Along the journey, Jonathan and the other taught Rain how to use his aura well. Because of that, his strength has increased again. He can not only augment his body using aura, he can even coat his weapons to increase their power. And more importantly, he even learned several skills he had not learned before.

[Lightning Step], [Cannon Fist], [Demolition Strike], [Decapitating kick], [Cross Slash], [Aura Slash], and so on… though most of them are not really that powerful according to his standards- (Jonathan even calls them basic skills) not to mention, Rain has too many skills which are much stronger than them. But learning them doesn’t have any disadvantages. Rather, he might even be able to make use of them in the future, especially if he needed to hide his real ability. Most of his skills, powerful they may be, are uncommon in human society.

Because of that, new skills appeared under his [Swordsman] and [Fighter] Classes. Jin even taught him a few spells such [Exploding Bomb], [Fire Arrow], [Burning Hands], and more, which he absorbed and learned them like a sponge. Because of this, Jonathan and his group once again felt the irrationality of the world. They thought nothing could surprise them anymore, but as Rain absorbed all their teaching without a problem (not to mention the speed he was able to learn them all), they just couldn’t understand how it was possible.

The realm of geniuses has already long been broken, breaking through the realm of impossibility!

But since it happens in front of them, they just could not deny reality.

…

Rain looked at the sky through the thick canopy of leaves and branches and felt the chilling wind. He then turned towards his companions- a strange, and unexpected group with a weird fate of camaraderie.

He has never seen them before, much less, heard of them. And yet, here he is, with them, traveling through this strange, and cold forest with only trust and belief that ties them together.

Well, truthfully, he is the only odd one.

The only outsider, save for a giant serpent and a humanoid adorable slime if they are counted. Still, for some bizarre reason he cannot understand, this group he had known only for a while, seemed to be quite softhearted for them to worry about a mysterious boy they only met in an eerie, and of course, not to mention, very dangerous place.

If it was him, he would have doubted that boy and even suspected of him being a pretentious monster, and would surely ignore the hell out of him. And yet here they are, showing their backs completely bare in front of him. Either they are just that soft-hearted, or naively foolish. Nevertheless, Rain didn't dislike honest and naive people like them.

He watched as the group quietly prepared themselves for a battle, the moment one of the infamous inhabitants of the Desolate Cave appeared before them. Though feeling the cold of the surrounding, the sheer fighting spirit they were emitting seemed to be enough to melt a block of ice into vapor. But fighting in this cold is like doubling the difficulty more than normal.

The energy expended moving and fighting in this cold temperature depletes faster, more so, doubles the physical strain.

“...I guess we don’t have a choice," said Rain, attracting the attention of the group that seemed to be prepared, and was about to rush out from the bushes, and attack. He look at them and continued, "Fighting in this cold will be more difficult, so better have this first, it will surely help in the battle,”

While speaking, he then withdrew a couple of plastic boxes containing roasted meat from his inventory and offered them to the group.

“I made this beforehand. My Inventory stops time, so it’s still hot. It'll warm you up,”

Though he has a few useful potions to enhance their strength, he wanted to save them for later (and well more emergency situations). This roasted meat can increase one’s attributes when consumed. Though because the ingredients are not that great, the effects are not that good compared to real potions and tunics, they’re better than nothing.

“What is this?”

Jonathan tilted his head, looking at the plastic container, still warm in his hands, not completely understanding for a moment as to what he had meant by Rain's strange offer, especially the moment before a battle begins. What is he saying? Why would they need to eat this before a battle? They are not that hungry yet…

If it’s potions, then he could understand, but meat…?

Hm? Wait…

Suddenly, his eyes widened as a realization came unto him. He stared at Rain with a surprised expression.

“Wait, are you telling me…th, this is…!”

“Sir?”

Noticing Rain and Jonathan's conversation, Zia came over and called out in confusion.

“This is Power Food?!”

Jonathan exclaimed.

He knows about this… about the cook profession’s hidden skills, as he had even experienced it a couple of times in the Royal Palace. Although, Cooking Profession has a little reputation for being just a simple lifestyle class. However, aside from making everything they cook delicious, only a few people know that they can also create incredible consumable items commonly called [Power Food].

These are consumable items or meals that can increase status and attributes by an incredible amount for a fixed period, almost similar to that of potions.

Using high-level ingredients with a level of 4 and above in Cooking, they can create a food-like elixir. However, since even those in Cooking Profession were barely able to break through the 4th level, not many people know about it, and were only passed on as a rumor in the public. Though for Great Nobles, power foods are common for they tend to always have high ranking Chefs employed.

Because of this ability, high-level Chefs are treated similarly to Alchemists and are respected no matter where they go.

Alchemists can make life-saving potions, but they tend to have limits and side effects, while these Chefs can create food that possesses almost similar effects to said potions, but most of all, with no apparent side effects. The only disadvantage of the Class, however, is that raising a Chef’s level is truly hard.

“Your Cooking level is 4?” asked Jonathan when he realized that Rain was capable of making [Power Foods].

“Did I not say that?” Rain answered with a grin. His expression turned playful. Most of the ingredients he had used in that roasted meat, especially the spices, are bought from the System Shop and cost quite a bit of gold. Because of that, the result gave them great effects than expected. At the very least, they are capable of increasing one’s physical attributes on the level of a 2nd Level Enhancement Potion.

“I can’t believe it. Among the Lifestyle Classes and Lifestyle Skills, Cooking is one of the hardest to level up." Jonathan said with an amazed look on his face. He stared at Rain and shook his head, seemly having a hard time believing it. But well, when he thought that this was Rain he was talking about…somehow, it doesn’t seem that hard to believe anymore.

Just how many surprises has he given them up until now?

Anything and everything seems possible with Rain…

"…The profession is known to require the use of very rare and high-level monsters and cooking ingredients if you want to raise your level. The higher the level, the more powerful monsters, or rarer the herbs and spices required to be used as ingredients for increasing mastery proficiency. Due to that, most of the Cooking Professions only reached up to Lv3 at most. And even if they were able to acquire it, it also needed a long time of practicing and mastery to raise its level. Thus, it’s dubbed a money-eating profession. But to think you were able to raise its level this high,”

“I got lucky,” Rain replied, not really knowing how to explain it. But thinking about it, Luck did play the most in this, so it was not really that much of a lie, is it?

“Luck aside, just how did your family nurture a genius like you? I’m pretty sure your Main Class is not a Cook, and so, raising the level this high in your age… even a Great Noble Family would have a difficulty of doing so,”

“I like cooking.”

Rain simply shrugged his shoulder, not caring about whether it was amazing or not. After all, compared to other people, he was much more fortunate, for he has the Lamians behind him, always giving him whatever he needs, be it powerful or rare monsters to consume or eat. And even the Desolate Cave offered a great abundance of rare and precious herbs and ingredients, so he doesn’t have a problem increasing his Cooking level.

Rather, the only problem he has is that he doesn’t have much time spending in cooking to raise its level faster, since he has a lot of things he wants to do other than that. Blacksmithing, Alchemy, or even training.

So what is there to be proud of?

Not to mention, he has the knowledge from the other world, giving him a variety of cooking techniques and skills that can hasten his mastery of cooking even more. That knowledge had already given him a great advantage compared to the people of this world. Be it grilling, roasting, or boiling- however, he wanted it, he can prepare it with great skills.

The time he spent practicing in his part-time jobs and even watching cooking shows has not gone in vain.

“It’s not about whether you like it or not, Rain. Many people love their professions, but only a few are lucky enough to advance,” Jonathan let out a sigh.

But of course, how could Jonathan and the others even think of that. For them, Rain reaching this level is beyond their imagination. If it’s not a heaven-defying talent, then just how could it be possible to reach it when he is still too young?

“Damn it. I was hailed as a Genius back then, but compared to you… I don’t think I’m even considered above average at all. I feel like I’m just an ordinary man, with average talent,”

“Hehehe,”

Zia and the others chuckled in amusement upon hearing their Master's words. But still, they can’t help but shoot Rain a strange look as well. The more he does something, the harder it is to know what his class truly is. Is he one of those, Jack-of-all-trades but Master-of-none Classes?

Though, completely rare, it’s not like it’s impossible. There are a few of them that existed in the history of the world. They always stand out but are still not comparable to extremely powerful people who specialized in a single field. They are often seen as strong but not the strongest. Fast, but not the fastest. Tough but not the toughest. They are good at everything, but sadly, the best at nothing.

Though they often look powerful to normal people or elites, for the true powerhouse, they were completely lacking. Their versatility made them lose an edge, like the most deciding power or factor similar to those who specialize in one thing. Such as having peak power, strength, and speed. This is also why the phrase, ‘absolute power can defeat all tricks’ became known.

Because of that, Zia and the others are worried about Rain's skill build. Still, they didn't voice out their worries for they know that Rain should have his plan. Not to mention, he has people behind him grooming him. They would have stopped him before he could make a mistake.

They then look at the transparent plastic boxes in curiosity.

“What kind of material is used to make this box? I thought it was made of glass, but I don’t think it is glass at all. It’s quite light and malleable,”

“It’s not glass, but plastic,”

“Plastic? I’ve never heard of that material before,”

They sat on the ground and opened the plastic lid.

They accepted the metal forks that Rain gave out, and stared at the piece of steak inside their plastic containers.

“What kind of effect does it have?” Jonathan asked curiously as he stabs the meat with his fork and slowly raised it. The smell alone is already enticing.

“I made it using the meat of a horned bull-boar. It’s just a simple dish, it can only raise your strength by 30%, while speed by 15%. It’s temporary of course… it will last about 10 minutes at most,”

[Bull-boar power steak: While eating, increase strength and toughness by 30% and speed by 15% for 10 minutes.]

“This is already a high-tier power food!” they all sigh in awe.

They immediately started eating the monster steak, followed by Rain. Not only it was extremely delicious, but they also immediately felt the power surging through their body. It was a euphoric sensation.

Incredible… though, incomparable to the Royal Chef, the Chef in our family is also a high level one. But the taste of this steak seemed to be somewhat better… what is different? The spices? Or the meat?

Jonathan couldn’t help but compare as he savored the meat dish.

In addition, Rain also took out a fruit juice drink so that everyone could get a resistance buff. Mainly against the cold. After the others heard of its additional effects, they were once again surprised. Drinking the sweet juice was equivalent to wearing magical equipment + a passive skill. It increased cold resistance and restored mana faster than normal. To Mages, it’s very important, and Jin was so overwhelmed that he even asked Rain for a few bottles of it.

Jonathan and the others also wanted it, but their shame stops them from asking. Still, seeing Jin’s shamelessness, they could only facepalm in jealousy.

After eating, they are finally prepared. Rain stood in the rear, just behind the group. He swept his eyes over each Fishman that could be seen outside the river. They seemed to be patrolling around the area.

Depending on their appearance, they should be those that they called River Murlocs…

Rain wondered as he observed the Fishmen, who seemed to be more of a bipedal fish rather than those handsome people in legend.

They are strong… but for me, they are just a bit harder than Hobgoblins and completely weaker than a Minotaur. Much less, against Jonathan, Zia, Roel and Jin. They can handle this without breaking a sweat.

However, it’s still better to be cautious. Relying on the group would only increase their burdens, and it might have an impact on later battles.

With his power, Rain could already determine how strong each monster roughly was. In his eyes, aside from the two 2nd evolved which were clearly above C rank, everyone else was a D rank Fishmen monster.

Those two 2nd evolved, however, were still higher than him in terms of power level. They are at least, lv3 or above in terms of human level. But, with his inflated stats and numerous skills, he’s not worried at all. Nevertheless, it’ll bite him in the back if he gets careless.

Rain knows that unlike him, Humans don’t have near limitless energy, and that, they have a slower magic and health regeneration compared to him whose physical body almost resembles that of a Magic being. Because of that, he knows that he can't stay still without doing anything as well.

He turned at the lurking giant serpent beside him and said while stroking its flat head: “Noir, if things went south later, go and defeat as many as you could, and try to help Cyan as well, okay?”

The Winged-Evil Serpent nodded her head. She really is very intelligent. Looking at her, Rain nodded in satisfaction. He then glanced at Cyan. The translucent humanoid that seemed to be made out of water has this cute, and adorable serious face. Though her appearance seemed like out of the mold, the sharpness of her aura seemed to already be there.

Whether it was an innate thing, one that originally belongs to the body she had consumed and used, or was it her, growing rapidly, Cyan now can be said to be completely different from the time he first met her.

She might now even be capable of defeating those two Minotaurs from before with her current ability. This battle should be no problem for her at all.

Rain then turned towards Jonathan and the others, and said, “I’ll be in the back, and provide support as much as I can.”

“Ok. You all ready?” Jonathan asks the group.

“… You bet we are”

“Since ages ago!”

“Let’s go!”

Once Rain was done speaking, Roel, the armored knight took the lead and charged. Jonathan dragged his two-handed sword and rushed as well. Zia followed closely behind. Jin, on the other hand, started casting magic missiles.