Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 35

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12. Surpass the Genius

While the other training knights were filled with anticipation for the rescue training scheduled for the next day,

Keinchel was dealing with a mountain of onions.

“Of all things, the morning menu on the training start day is onion soup…”

The lower swordsmanship he could raise by trimming onions had surpassed 10 stars and reached 11 stars.

The mastery of basic swordsmanship was not increasing at all.

“…I wish intermediate swordsmanship would increase a bit.”

He had made various dishes since acquiring intermediate swordsmanship a while ago, but the experience points remained the same.

He had no idea how to raise it.

Soup was a very familiar food to Keinchel.

After the family’s downfall, nothing remained except for the dilapidated mansion and his body.

In the end, all he had to eat were vegetables grown in the garden and a few wild animals caught in the forest.

‘We hung a large pot on the fireplace, put all sorts of ingredients in it, and simmered it all day, stirring it. That was our staple food.’

Various vegetables picked from the fields or mountains.

Carrots, onions, potatoes, radishes, cabbage, beans, corn, chestnuts, etc., were put in and boiled thoroughly.

Sometimes, pork fat was added to make it thicker, or rice or pasta was added.

If meat or vegetables were lacking, fruits were boiled with water.

‘I need to finish trimming the onions as quickly as possible and practice more advanced techniques.’

Keinchel put down the kitchen knife and approached Ainkel, who was doing other work.

“Chef Ainkel, is there a way to trim ingredients a little faster?”

Then Ainkel laughed heartily and replied.

“I used to think a lot about that when I was in charge of ingredients. So I tried various methods. I even tried slicing onions with two kitchen knives at the same time, hoping the speed would double. But it only slowed me down. Hahaha!”

Ainkel patted Keinchel on the shoulder.

“Sir Keinchel’s knife skills are very good. He is faithful to the basics and fast. Why don’t you just do what you’ve been doing without being too impatient?”

‘That’s not enough! …But he trims ingredients with two kitchen knives at the same time?’

Keinchel knew a rising sword technique similar to that.

The nine blades passed down in the Carters family, ‘Enatos Xiphos’ [Ninefold Sword].

‘I could definitely defeat multiple enemies with one swing of the sword. Maybe…’

“Since it’s late, I’ll finish trimming the onions and stir-fry them.”

“Then I’d be grateful!”

Keinchel raised one corner of his mouth and returned to his workbench.

And he grabbed the kitchen knife and concentrated.

‘To work faster, I need multiple blades. I need to remember Abel spewing out three blades! That was definitely the ability of intermediate swordsmanship, Illusion, to materialize illusions!’

Thinking that, he moved the kitchen knife.

Basic swordsmanship that has surpassed 10 stars and is already perfect.

If he could increase the number of blades…

It was then.

Sreuk-

The kitchen knife trimming the onion seemed to tremble, and then the blade split into two.

“Oh, it works!”

Keinchel’s eyes widened in astonishment.

An expression of disbelief even though he did it himself.

He just tried it because he wanted to trim the ingredients quickly.

But it really worked!

The two blades began to slice the onion at an incredible speed.

Tudada dada dak!

He was using the secret swordsmanship of the famous Muga Carters family to trim onions.

Keinchel couldn’t hold back and collapsed to the floor.

“Puh, puhoop! Puhahaha! What is this!”

After rolling around on the floor for a while, Keinchel could barely stop laughing after taking a few deep breaths.

[The desire to slice onions faster has been sublimated into ‘Intermediate Swordsmanship: Enatos Xiphos’.]

It seemed like he should keep it a secret that he obtained Enatos Xiphos while slicing onions.

“…I guess I should change the name to Onion Swordsmanship or something.”

It was a name that would leave him speechless even if Abel kicked him for revealing his identity.

‘But there’s no separate proficiency for Enatos Xiphos? I guess it follows the intermediate swordsmanship level?’

Keinchel licked his lips. He decided to test the power of the onion swordsmanship he had acquired.

He placed two onions on the cutting board and grabbed the kitchen knife.

“Onion Swordsmanship!”

Then the kitchen knife split into two and the onions were sliced at an incredible speed.

“Wow! It’s so fast!”

When he replenished the onions with one hand, the two blades sliced them.

The work speed doubled.

The mountain of onions disappeared in an instant.

[Intermediate Swordsmanship level has increased.]

“Keuheuk!”

Was it because he trimmed the onions using onion swordsmanship? The intermediate swordsmanship, which was at 1 star, became 2 stars.

There was only one blade yet, but soon there would be more. Then he would be able to trim more ingredients.

‘What is this! If I can slice onions at this speed, the double experience points needed for leveling up are no penalty at all!’

As expected, choosing basic swordsmanship mastery and intermediate swordsmanship at the same time was the right answer!

Excited, Keinchel quickly finished trimming the onions and reached for other ingredients.

The blade doubles.

That was an unbelievably tremendous ability.

He had to trim all the onions to make soup for hundreds of people.

A huge amount that would have originally taken two hours.

He was able to finish it all in an hour.

‘As expected, intermediate swordsmanship… It’s really good…’

Until now, he had no rising sword techniques to use.

In the end, no matter how much he swung his sword, only the proficiency of basic swordsmanship increased.

But now it’s different.

Onion Swordsmanship was the strongest illusion sword among the rising sword techniques.

‘Besides, I can raise intermediate swordsmanship just by trimming ingredients, so it’s a total honey pot [jackpot]?’

The faster he can finish trimming the ingredients, the more time he has to cook.

‘Now all I have to do is put these onions in a pot and stir-fry them.’

To make onion soup, the onions had to be finely chopped and stir-fried for a long time.

That’s how the deep flavor comes out.

Keinchel cut a large piece of butter into a large pot.

Then, he filled it with vertically sliced onions and turned the heat to the lowest setting.

Stirring this every 30 minutes and simmering it overnight would complete the preparation for making onion soup.

But it was almost bedtime.

Instead of stirring the contents, he covered it with a lid made of smoked bacon.

Then, while the onions are cooking, the flavor of the smoked bacon permeates, making a more delicious soup.

The leftover lid is baked crispy in the oven and used in other dishes.

‘If I sprinkle salt and pepper before covering the lid so it’s not too salty… Now all I have to do is simmer it until tomorrow morning.’

6 hours later.

Keinchel returned to the kitchen and opened the pot to check if the onions were stir-fried well.

The browned onions were simmering very slowly.

Now, add the pre-made beef stock and chicken stock and boil it again.

‘Only to the extent that the bubbles don’t damage the onion texture when the soup boils…’

When the soup started to boil, he briefly added cloves and bay leaves and then removed them.

And he added cognac to add flavor.

The salt should be very weak, taking into account that the soup will thicken.

After boiling for about an hour, the amount of soup was reduced by half, making it in an ideal state to eat.

“Okay! Onion soup is all ready!”

That’s how the breakfast time on the day the rescue training started.

@

“Wow! The onion soup looks especially delicious today?”

A training knight holding a tray widened his eyes. The smell was different from the soup he usually ate.

A smile appeared on Keinchel’s face as he held a ladle and served the soup.

‘It’s a 4-star soup, so it’ll be quite edible.’

First, put the onion soup on a tray and put a baguette bread baked in a pan on top.

Then, top it with thickly melted Gruyère cheese [a type of Swiss cheese] and it’s done.

The training knight hurried to his seat for fear that the onion soup would cool.

And he drooled and tasted a spoonful while holding the tray first.

“Wow, it’s amazing…”

It’s more delicious than any soup he’s ever had in the training center.

The onions, carefully stir-fried with butter and simmered, had a subtle bacon flavor.

The unique sweet and rich taste of onions.

When you scoop up the Gruyère cheese, which is filled to the brim on the tray, it stretches out and follows you into your mouth.

He put it into his mouth, turning it around.

The baguette bread soaked with plenty of onion soup seemed to be enough to fill him up.

“Is this really food made in the kitchen? It feels like I’m eating at a fancy restaurant…”

The training knight, who had eaten all the onion soup in an instant, approached Keinchel with an empty tray.

“Can I have one more bowl?”

“I’m sorry, but other people have to eat too.”

“Ah…”

The training knight smacked his lips and returned to his seat.

[Guests are enthusiastic about the food you made.]

······.

···.

[Completed a dish using fire!]

[Fire resistance slightly increases (+0.1%)]

······.

···.

[Completed a dish using incense!]

[Poison resistance slightly increases (+0.1%)]

Keinchel took out the Joma Mirror and checked his resistance.

– Fire Resistance (38%), Poison Resistance (32.2%), Cutting Resistance (26.3%)

He hadn’t paid attention to it for a while, but it had already risen quite a bit.

‘At this rate, I can raise the temperature of the Fire Fist even more.’

Besides, his cutting resistance was over 25%.

Now, even a lightly swung dagger won’t leave a scratch.

Ainkel, who had finished his kitchen work, approached.

“Sir Keinchel. I’ll do what’s left. You have to eat too.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“It seems like your friends are waiting for you.”

When he turned his head and looked at the table, all the members of the Yellow Knights were gathered and waving their hands.

“…It’s okay to eat first.”

After several training sessions, Keinchel had become their Meister [master].

When Keinchel sat down at the table with a tray, Abel said.

“The soup is no joke today? The smell seems different.”

Wagon, who was sitting next to him, gulped down the soup as if he couldn’t wait.

“The cheese is alive! Wow, it’s amazing!”

The Yellow Knights began to devour the soup at an incredible speed.

‘It feels rewarding to see them enjoy the food I made so much.’

Keinchel has been enjoying cooking more and more these days.

But he couldn’t be satisfied with just this.

To make a 6-star or higher dish, he had to improve his skills even more than now.

A group of training knights approached the Yellow Knights who were eating.

“Captain Abel. I’m Kundam, who is scheduled to train with you today.”

Abel, who was dipping baguette bread in soup, raised his head.

There stood a man with a friendly smile.

A hair that was neither short nor long.

Innocent eyes that didn’t match his large build.

But a genius of the sword with talent that Tristan, the Swordmaster of Loyalty, was watching.

It was Kundam, the captain of the Black Knights.

“Sir Kundam…”

“I’m really looking forward to seeing the swordsmanship of the Carters family in person. I hope we can compete fairly in the training today.”

Abel narrowed his eyes.

Kundam is too nice, making him difficult to deal with.

“I’m also looking forward to it. But I heard rumors that Sir Kundam is aiming to be a Free Knight [an independent knight unaffiliated with a specific lord or faction], is that true?”

“Haha! That’s right. My teacher… Ah, my teacher is Tristan, the Swordmaster of Loyalty. He told me to quickly become a Free Knight and come under him to learn the sword.”

Abel let out a low groan.

He knew that Kundam was favored by Tristan, one of the seven virtues.

But was he already destined to become a disciple?

Perhaps Kundam was a man closer to a Swordmaster than Vincent, who had already become a Sword Knight.

Kundam scratched his head.

“You can only become a Free Knight from the Chevalier [Knight] class, right? So I’m aiming for a double class up so I don’t get scolded by my teacher.”

That meant he would receive a platinum or higher rating in all future training.

And Kundam had already achieved the feat of defeating the Goblin Chieftain alone in the Goblin Extermination.

The result was a Savior rating.

Until now, no two people had ever received a Savior rating in the same training.

The nobles who heard that fact rushed to the training center to hear the results of the Rookie Class training.

Kundam held out his hand to Abel.

Although it was a knight order created for training.

He shook hands with the intention of doing his best as captains.

A genius of the sword with humility that doesn’t boast at all. In addition, Kundam, a good-natured person with a personality that is kind to everyone.

Abel said, holding Kundam’s hand.

“I look forward to working with you too.”

But just because the captain was a good person didn’t mean that the personalities of the members of the group were good.

They were pouring out all sorts of ridicule on Keinchel in a voice that Kundam couldn’t hear.

“How did that idiot become the Meister of the Knights? Isn’t he having an affair with the captain?”

“Kikik. It seems like they’ve been hanging out a lot lately. There’s definitely a rumor that Abel gave him all the credit for receiving a great evaluation in the extermination.”

“As expected, you have to stand in line well [ingratiate yourself with someone in power].”

“But what if even the great Abel can’t beat our captain? He’ll get a free win.”

Keinchel narrowed his eyes and looked at the spoon he was holding.

The opponent is holding a tray with hot soup.

There’s no need to draw a sword, this alone can show the Black Knights a hot taste.

Someone caressed Keinchel’s hand as he was thinking that.

It was Abel, who had finished talking with Kundam.

“Keinchel. There’s no need to show your skills in a place like this. Even if you don’t like it, you’ll be fighting the Black Knights in a few hours. Let’s show it then. The fact that our Meister is the strongest.”

Keinchel smiled.

For a moment, he got excited and almost used the Disarm skill without realizing it.

It was as Abel said. It’s enough to show your skills during training.

But a very small preparation was needed for that.

The hostage rescue training is conducted by two knight orders taking turns as the rescue team and the hostage taker team.

The rescue team earns points by rescuing the hostage without being detected by the hostage taker team or defeating all opponents.

The hostage taker team earns points by identifying and defeating the rescue team’s movements to rescue the hostage.

Ultimately, the victory or defeat is determined by the scores of the two teams.

If the rescue team’s intrusion is detected, the hostage dies. Training in which it is most important to understand the opponent’s movements.

Keinchel quietly got up from his seat and approached the Black Knights who had started eating.

And he said.

“I heard that the captain caught all the goblins alone in the Goblin Extermination? Doesn’t that mean the other members couldn’t catch a single one? With that kind of skill, you won’t be able to earn a single point in this training.”

Then the Black Knights, who were furious, shouted.

The Black Knights are Kundam’s one-man team.

Keinchel had touched their reverse scale [angered them].

“What! That half-wit! Just because his level has risen a little, he can’t see anything? Damn it, I’m going to beat that guy in this training!”

Keinchel raised one corner of his mouth. With this, animosity was added to the Black Knights’ gaze towards him.

‘Fallen Star…’

Then he felt nine animosities excluding Kundam.

Okay, this is it.

‘Now all of your movements cannot escape my Fallen Star.’

Keinchel quietly looked at Kundam, who was eating onion soup.

The skill to sense the opponent’s animosity, ‘Fallen Star’.

The hostage rescue training was like a stage prepared for that.

Surpass the Genius #2