Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 247

The first move belonged to the Dragon Golem Behemoth. Fortunately, unlike the Titan, it clearly telegraphed its hostility.

Kainchel, using Fallen Star [a skill that enhances perception], was able to anticipate the attack a step ahead.

“11 o’clock, Sand Breath……!”

“……Got it!”

The reaction was instantaneous. The moment Kainchel’s voice was heard, Abel fired a wind arrow at the ground.

It was a calculated move to launch herself dozens of meters into the air using the arrow’s recoil.

Seeing Abel safely evade the Sand Breath, Kainchel began preparing for a full-scale attack.

The success of their operation hinged on his coordination with Abel.

Their teamwork was made possible by the Entree [a skill that allows communication through food].

“Unbelievable! How can such a tiny fly avoid the attack of the strongest golem, Behemoth! Why isn’t it getting hit?!”

Kainchel reached into the extra-dimensional pouch he had packed, just in case.

He pulled out a hot dog: a sausage nestled in a long bun, generously topped with chili sauce.

The newly purchased pouch was connected to a sub-dimension, rapidly cooling the items inside.

Naturally, the hot dog was frozen solid. To make it edible, he needed to thaw it using heat.

Kainchel dodged Behemoth’s attacks while clutching the hot dog. Then, he activated his cooking skill.

“Flambé……!”

Sizzle-

Instantly, a savory aroma wafted from the frozen hot dog. Kainchel took a large bite.

First, the unique, fragrant flavor of the grilled bread danced on his tongue.

The outside was perfectly browned and crispy, while the inside remained moist and soft.

A subtle sweetness lingered as he chewed slowly.

Next, the taste of the plump sausage burst forth.

Biting into the resilient, well-grilled skin released an exquisitely seasoned meat flavor.

Finely chopped and lightly sautéed onion added another layer of delight.

Its pungent taste perfectly complemented the savory sausage.

Connecting all the flavors was the generous amount of chili sauce.

The spicy and savory sauce overflowed with every bite, elevating the hot dog to culinary heights.

Kainchel finished the entire hot dog in just two bites and smacked his lips.

The sausage, made with Giant Sand Worm and Mandrake [monster ingredients], significantly replenished his Aura.

Eating too much at once would be wasteful.

‘Now then, shall we begin our counterattack?’

At that moment, a loud notification chimed, and a status window appeared before Kainchel’s eyes.

Ting-

[You have successfully preserved the taste and aroma of the dish perfectly using rapid cooling.]

[The power to maintain the state of ingredients has been absorbed into the ‘Sous Vide’ skill.]

‘Oh!’

He hadn’t expected to fill one of the Sous Vide skill slots this way.

Since ancient times, freezing had been a basic method of long-term preservation.

He had frozen and stored ingredients numerous times before. So why was the skill slot only being filled now?

‘……Is it the difference between freezing ingredients for storage and rapidly freezing a finished dish?’

Moreover, Kainchel had managed to make the frozen hot dog taste freshly baked with near-perfect temperature control.

Perhaps that was the key to unlocking the skill.

To think that the frozen hot dog he had prepared for the fight with Zoid would bring about such a result.

‘As expected, the Sword Master gets stronger through combat, it’s true!’

― Partner……. I don’t think that’s quite right.

Unlike the delighted Kainchel, Behemoth was furious.

“H, how dare you……! Eat food leisurely while fighting me!? Damn it! The moment I catch you, I’ll chew you alive!”

It seemed he interpreted the hot dog consumption as a deliberate provocation.

In fact, anyone unfamiliar with the Gourmet Skill would likely think the same.

Behemoth’s massive body soared into the sky with incredible speed.

The sand composing its body seemed to ripple as it swung its tail in a sweeping attack.

Whooong-!

The tail acted like a whip, dozens of meters long, cutting through the air. However, Kainchel had already vacated that spot.

Only the innocent castle walls were shattered to pieces.

‘Whew, if I had even been grazed, my body would have exploded like a rotten tomato. What brute force.’

“Then from now on, I’ll grill you nice and golden brown! Tataki [a cooking technique where meat is seared briefly]!”

The fireball spewing from Kainchel’s hand struck Behemoth’s left wing.

“Kihaha! I wondered what you were doing, but it’s just playing with fire! This isn’t even a little hot!”

“Is that so?”

This time, he used Signature, which allowed him to use multiple cooking skills simultaneously, to increase the number of Tataki.

In an instant, seven fireballs materialized around Kainchel’s body.

‘This isn’t enough! One more time!’

With the sensation of the Aura that had been filling his entire body being rapidly drained, the number of Tataki doubled.

Only then did a flustered voice escape Behemoth’s mouth.

“Wh, what! No matter how much Aura you have, this much is……!”

“This? I have a decent Aura replenishment method.”

At the same time, dozens of fireballs were launched from Kainchel’s hand.

Behemoth hurriedly contorted its massive body to dodge, but the Tataki proved too fast.

Bang! Rumble!

Kwakwang-!

“Kuaaaaak!”

A strange light flickered in Kainchel’s eyes.

The area where the Tataki had struck was sparkling in the sunlight. The quartz within the sand had melted and vitrified, turning into glass.

If he applied a strong impact now, he could shatter that area.

“Abel……! The core is on the left shoulder!”

The probability was one in five.

However, Kainchel was certain that the core with the letter E was located there.

Behemoth had even ceased flapping its wings and was attempting to shield its shoulder.

A stark contrast to the Titan, which had exhibited somewhat inorganic movements.

Zoid had been able to perfectly control the golem by implanting his soul.

However, he had failed to consider the fundamental fact that emotions influence actions.

Abel released the bowstring of Iparia [her bow], which she had been drawing to its limit.

Then, with a tremendous roar, the wind arrow was unleashed.

The wind, which had been rushing through the empty air, transformed into a blue flash.

It pierced into Behemoth’s left shoulder, which had been turned to glass.

Crack-!

With the sound of shattering glass, the area splintered into pieces.

* * *

To put it bluntly, Abel’s all-out attack ended in failure.

“Keek, keekeek, keeheeheek! You surprised me! If the attack had gone just a little deeper, it would have been dangerous!”

The power of the wind arrow was insufficient to reach the core.

When facing the Titan, he had used Abdullah’s Sultan Garlic to completely expose the weak point.

However, this time the situation was different.

Even though the area had been vitrified, an attack with tremendous power was needed to completely obliterate the region near the core in a single blow.

A groan escaped from between Abel’s tightly closed lips.

“Kuk……. If I had hit the core accurately, I could have shattered it…….”

Then, Kainchel’s calm voice reached her ears.

“Abel, it’s okay. You can hit it next time. I’ll keep creating opportunities to attack.”

“…….”

Even the words ‘I’m sorry’ wouldn’t come out.

She had believed that using Iparia, capable of long-range sniping, would be sufficient to aid Kainchel.

But it wasn’t enough. The wind arrow alone couldn’t even defeat a sand golem.

If Elizabeth were here, she wouldn’t have struggled this much.

She would have melted such a huge sand doll with 광익 [likely a powerful magic spell] in one shot.

I want to get stronger.

Enough not to lose to the many rivals around me.

At that moment, Magnus, who should have been asleep in his lair, intruded on the jelly attached to Abel’s white neck.

He had barged into the communication using Entree on his own. As expected of an Ancient Dragon’s ability.

“I believe it’s Abel, not ‘Half-elf Miss’.”

“Anyway, if you want, this dragon doesn’t mind giving you the promised reward a little early. How about it, does it pique your interest?”

“……The reward, you say?”

It was an offer she couldn’t refuse.

Magnus lowered his voice with his characteristic playful tone.

“Half-elf Abel. Tell this dragon what you want. If you want, I’ll even give you half of the treasures in my lair.”

It was an offer that would make anyone drool. An Ancient Dragon’s hoard accumulated over a lifetime would be enough to buy a small country whole.

However, Abel shook her head.

What would be most helpful to her among the things Magnus possessed was not gold and silver treasures.

“Then please lend me the spirit residing in the Ancient Dragon for a moment.”

“What, lend you a spirit? ……Certainly, elves, who are branches of the World Tree, are specialized in handling spirits. But this dragon is a Red Dragon. I think you know what that means.”

Elves cannot handle the fire spirit. It is an attribute completely opposite to wood.

“I know. But I am a half-elf. The little bit of human blood remaining will prevent it from burning away completely.”

“Even so, it will be incredibly painful.”

“I can endure that much for the goal I want to achieve.”

“A goal you want to achieve……. You’re saying quite admirable things for a young half-elf. Alright. I promised to grant you what you want in the first place, so I have to keep it. But don’t blame me later?”

As Abel nodded, a bird in the shape of fire flew from somewhere and landed on her shoulder.

At the same time, Abel’s body began to burn.

“Ugh, uuuuuugh……!”

The fire spirit was rampaging inside her body.

She felt an immense pain, as if she had swallowed molten lead.

Just borrowing the spirit’s power was this painful.

But she had to endure it in order to gain the power of the new spirit.

At that moment, the Joma Mirror hanging around Abel’s neck sparkled.

It was an item she had cherished even after leaving the Stanis Knight Training Center.

[You are in a state of increased fire resistance due to eating Mandrake Roast.]

[You have resisted the attack of the rampaging high-grade fire spirit, Ignis.]

“……This is?!”

To think that such an effect was attached to the dish Kainchel made.

With a much more relaxed face, Abel raised her hand. Before she knew it, her loose hair had transformed into burning flames.

It meant that she was fully prepared to handle the fire spirit.

But to think he would lend her a high-grade spirit. A bitter smile touched Abel’s lips, who had only expected a mid-grade spirit at best.

The power of a high-grade spirit is incomparably stronger than that of a mid-grade spirit.

If Kainchel hadn’t grilled the remaining mandrake after making the hot dog, she certainly wouldn’t have been able to endure it.

But what mattered now was that she had gained new power.

“I can’t shoot the fire spirit with Iparia, can I? Then…….”

Before she knew it, Abel was wielding a spear made of flames. Long-range sniping was impossible, but it would demonstrate tremendous power in close combat.

Holding the completed fire spear, Abel rushed at Behemoth and declared.

“You’ve waited long enough, Kainchel. It’s time to switch roles.”

* * *

Kwarumble!

A terrifying blaze that couldn’t be compared to Tataki engulfed Behemoth.

In an instant, a vast area from the left shoulder to the waist of the monster melted and turned into glass.

The opportunity that Abel had created while enduring the pain of contracting with the fire flame spirit.

Kainchel did not miss it.

“Half of your body has turned to glass, so this attack will work! Eat Fish and Chips!”

Then, the seven Pragarakhs [his swords] that had multiplied turned into flashes of light.

Striking down from above, slashing from the side, and cutting diagonally.

It was truly a storm of swords!

If he didn’t know where Behemoth’s core was, he could simply destroy everything.

Behemoth’s body was helplessly ravaged by the overwhelming momentum of the attack.

“Kuaaaaak! I, it can’t be! I clearly didn’t sense Magnus’s energy, so how could you have a high-grade fire spirit……!”

Sandification that nullifies all physical attacks.

Sand Breath, weaker than a dragon’s but capable of destroying a castle in one blow.

To be driven into such a disadvantage even with that!

If he continued to allow the assault, even the invincible Behemoth would be destroyed.

In the end, Behemoth attempted to retreat. It tried to escape by flying high into the sky.

Of course, Abel wasn’t going to let it.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Handling the spear made of the fire flame spirit was limited to twice, even with increased resistance.

But that was enough.

The fire spear, summoned once again, distorted the surrounding air. The power contained within was comparable to the 7-circle magic Inferno [a very powerful spell].

Hwareureureuk-!

“Alright, Abel! Then is it my turn now!”

Behemoth, melted and vitrified, was no different from a sandbag that couldn’t move properly.

Dyurendal [Kainchel’s sword], held in both hands, emitted a terrifying chill, and at the same time, Pragarakh raged with the momentum to tear even space apart.

In less than a minute, more than a hundred attacks struck Behemoth’s body.

No matter how much it struggled, it couldn’t escape. How long did the attack continue?

Behemoth’s core, hidden deep inside, finally revealed itself.

Kainchel grinned and muttered.

“I told you, you should have hidden your weakness better.”