Chapter 382: Cooking Together [1]

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Today was the written exam day, and Ryan had already entered the examination hall. As for Ethea, Zura had taken her away for ’sightseeing’. And so, Soren was sitting alone near the exam building, waiting for them to come back. However, it was good for him too: he could finally sort through his thoughts and plan what to do next.

’Hmm... Let’s start with the gains in the past few days...’

First, the gates. Over the past four days, they’d cleared seven in total: six 3rd Circle Gates and one 4th Circle Gate. As a result, he’d gained about 105,000 mana. He also absorbed about 10,000 mana from the Threads’ daily returns.

Furthermore, he had received three more investment returns from Ethea, Ryan, and Zura. Ryan and Zura’s investment grade had been high and gave him 75,000 mana/mana capacity, +2 Cooking Mastery, a Fire Resistance ability upgrade, and basic teaching knowledge.

As for Ethea’s returns, his Frost Armor had strengthened and evolved, gaining the ability to gradually absorb ambient mana from its surroundings to repair itself. It also granted him 50,000 mana, along with 20,000 mental power and mental capacity. He also cultivated and absorbed about 20,000 mana and 6,000 mental power in his free time.

In total, he had gained about 250,000 mana and an extra 125,000 mana capacity, 26,000 mental power and an extra 20,000 mental power capacity.

So right now, his status was like this:

[Mana Capacity: 800,860 / 880,000]

[Mental Power Capacity: 187,740 / 200,000]

’...If I go into four more third circle Gates, I will be able to reach the peak of 4th circle easily.’ He narrowed his eyes. ’As for a location to break through, I should discuss it with the Vice Principal Ramona. If she is willing to let me stay and break through in the academy, it will be much safer than doing it in a hotel room.’

Furthermore, he might be able to invest in her using valuable mental power-related elixirs in his possession. Although they probably wouldn’t affect her much considering how high her cultivation was, they would still serve as a gesture of goodwill. And if it helped her even a little, that would be worth it.

He nodded to himself and shifted his thoughts to the plan to rescue Nura and cure her illness.

’...I should still break through first and then put my focus on it.’

Once he was 5th Circle and learned how to fly after mastering Frost Wings to some extent, only then would he be able to fight against his former family. He would also unlock Winter’s Rebirth effect of his constitution, which would serve as a valuable trump card.

However, that didn’t mean he planned to sit back and do nothing while waiting. In fact, over the past three nights, he had spent his free time practicing new recipes, steadily improving his proficiency in Exquisite Magic Meals with each attempt. And today, he planned to practice the recipe he prepared for Nura. Zura would help him with the process since it was a fire-element-oriented dish. She had also agreed to serve as his test subject.

’I should invite Ryan too. He will learn flame manipulation by watching and become the second test subject.’ Soren smiled, already imagining the scene in his mind. ’The more feedback I get, the faster I can refine the dish before giving it to Nura.’

However, even if the dish turned out perfect, there was still one major hurdle standing in his way: getting it to Nura without any interference and ensuring its effects took root properly.

’...I’ll have to discuss it with Lady Zura later.’

As for her missing memories, they could only deal with it after improving her physical condition. And part of the delay stemmed from their inability to locate Grandma Kanie, despite Maalkor scouring the entire city over the past few days. Her absence suggested she was far more powerful, and far more skilled at hiding and erasing her tracks, than they had initially assumed.

’...In the worst case, we might have to ask help from the princess.’

With a sigh, he stood up from the bench and made his way toward the administration building.

───────

Later that afternoon, they all gathered in the kitchen. Soren, Zura, and Ryan had each put on special cooking gloves and matching aprons, standing around the counter like a team of chefs. Meanwhile, Ethea watched them from nearby, a soft plushie resembling Soren sitting on her lap with a cute expression.

"Whoa," Zura exclaimed, looking down at her apron before glancing over at the rest of them. She let out a short laugh and shook her head. "We look like we’re preparing to set a record-breaking meal or something, right?"

The others laughed softly, and the tension in the room eased a little.

Soren smiled at the sight, exhaled softly, and rubbed his hands together. "Well, should we start then?"

"Ready when you are!" Zura declared, raising a gloved hand. "Though I reserve the right to sue you if your experimental cuisine sets my hair on fire."

"I’m ready too!" Ryan added from the side. "I’ll pay close attention to your flame control and do my best to learn, Lady Zura."

"Good, that’s the spirit!" Zura encouraged him with a grin.

"Then let’s start by preparing the ingredients," Soren explained. "First, we’ll cut the Ember Carrots, Ashgold Onions, and Scarlet Sunfruit. We’ll prepare the Inferno Cabbage afterward, then deal with the meat and rice."

He gently took out the magic vegetables one by one and placed them on the counter. The temperature in the kitchen rose almost immediately, the solar mana radiating from the ingredients warming the air around them.

"Chef Zura, can you help me control their flame mana? And tell me if I make a mistake."

"Got it, Chef Soren!" Zura giggled while raising her hands, her palms glowing faintly as she began to regulate the heat.

Soren nodded and picked up his knife. His hands moved with practiced precision, slicing through the ember carrots first. Each cut was clean and even, the pieces falling onto the cutting board in perfect uniformity. Next came the ashgold onions, their golden layers parting easily beneath his blade. Then the scarlet sunfruits, their red flesh gleaming as he diced them into neat cubes.

Zura watched closely, occasionally calling out his mistakes and offering suggestions.

"I think you are putting too much power on the carrots. You might wanna tone it down a little, or you’ll bruise the veins and leak the mana before they hit the pan..."

"Urgh, if you don’t slow down while cutting onions, we’re all going to cry ourselves to death! Urgh, my eyes!"

"A little slower on the sunfruit too. The skin’s tougher than it looks, and if you rush it, the juices might spill out and burn."

"..."

From the other side of the counter, Ryan watched every movement without blinking, taking in how Soren guided the blade and how Zura subtly controlled the volatile fire mana.

Swing... Swing... Swing...

Soren adjusted his pace each time, and the vegetables piled up neatly on the cutting board, their colors vibrant and their aromas filling the kitchen.

"Good! This is how it’s done!"

"Yeah! You’re doing great, Chef Soren!"

"..."

And the chatterbox Zura didn’t forget to throw in a constant stream of playful praise. Soren didn’t mind it at first and even found it strangely funny.

"..."

Noticeable as it was, Ryan and Ethea caught sight of the smile tugging at his lips. They exchanged a brief glance, a spark of mischief passing between them, before joining in the cheering. Soon enough, their voices overlapped with Zura’s, filling the kitchen with a noisy chorus of encouragement.

"Nice cut, Brother Soren!"

"That’s perfect, dear."

"..."

Fortunately, despite the distraction, Soren managed to finish without any major mistakes.

Zura wiped an imaginary sweat from her forehead and leaned against the counter, flashing a bright grin. "Alright, chef! What’s next on the menu?"

"Let me see if the water is ready," Soren said, stepping toward the large copper pot resting on the stove.

He lifted the lid slightly, feeling a pleasant burst of warm steam hit his face. The liquid inside was bubbling steadily at a full boil. Satisfied, he picked up a wooden bowl filled with shimmering grains of Aureole Rice and carefully tipped them into the pot.

Zura tilted her head, sniffing the crisp scent rising with the steam. "Wait, is this water special too? It smells different from regular water."

Soren nodded as he stirred the grains once with a long spoon before putting the heavy lid back on. "It’s called Dawnwater. It holds a faint trace of morning light, which helps soften the tough outer shell of Aureole Rice without stripping away its natural energy."

Stepping away from the boiling pot, he shifted his focus to the empty cooking pot nearby.

"Now," he said, glancing at Zura and Ryan, "we can start the stove."