Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 52

‘The aura that was spread throughout my body is gathering in my right arm! I didn’t even use Aura Sword, how can this be…’

Ian’s muscles in his right arm twitched and swelled.

The aura was amplifying the muscle’s capabilities several times over.

At the same time, Ian took a step forward and threw a punch.

— Thwack-!

With a tremendous roar, the sandbag bent as if it would break through the wall.

The blow contained enough power to leave a fist-shaped mark on the sandbag.

Ian was a man known as the ‘Devil Instructor,’ a nickname earned from ruthlessly training the trainee knights.

‘…That’s not a devil, that’s a monster.’

Kainchel swallowed hard. No wonder he can fight a bear with his bare hands and knock it down…

Instructor Ian smiled and dusted off his hands.

As the aura concentrated in his right arm disappeared, the muscles returned to their original state.

“Do you understand, Kainchel? An extremely trained body is a weapon in itself.”

“…Can I do something like that too?”

“Of course, you’ll have to go through bone-carving training from now on. But with effort and perseverance, you can do it.”

Kainchel’s heart began to beat rapidly.

He didn’t have intermediate swordsmanship or mana cultivation.

All he could do for three years was basic physical training.

So he did it to the death.

‘To think that such a lucky encounter was waiting for me at the end of that journey…’

But one question still remained.

Ian is an instructor affiliated with the Knight Training Center.

Why hasn’t he taught this amazing training method to other trainee knights?

What Ian did was a kind of muscle enhancement booster using aura.

When you activate Aura Sword, the muscles throughout your body are naturally activated.

However, strengthening only the muscles of a desired area was a way of using aura that had never existed before.

When asked about it, Ian scratched the back of his head and said.

“I’ve been steadily submitting proposals to the director for several years to create a curriculum. But they ignore it, saying this kind of training is heretical.”

Kainchel nodded with an understanding expression.

To strengthen only the desired area as Ian did requires bone-carving training.

‘Originally, the aura that would have been spread throughout the body is concentrated on one point. That requires strong muscles.’

Besides, you need to know which muscles are needed to move where. It takes a lot of time to learn all of that.

Kainchel, who became a muscle expert naturally while listening to Ian’s muscle paean [a fervent expression of praise or joy], is a special case.

“Especially, the fact that there are no immediately noticeable results is a big factor. How many trainee knights who want to become Sword Knights as soon as possible will actually do basic physical training?”

Ian said that and came to Kainchel and patted him on the shoulder.

“This, you see. This is a way of using aura that is only possible for someone like you who has silently received basic physical training. What’s the name of the muscle I just touched?”

“The deltoid and trapezius muscles. Please don’t touch the pectoralis major.”

“Hahaha! Hmm, the intensity is still a bit lacking, but at this level, you can withstand a certain amount even if you increase the booster’s output.”

“…What does output mean?”

“It’s setting a numerical value for how much of the aura in your body to concentrate. Let’s start with about 30% at first.”

Kainchel’s eyes sparkled.

To think there was a way to use aura like this.

He just hadn’t noticed it until now. The lucky encounter was so close.

“Take off your clothes, Kainchel.”

“Huh? W-what suddenly…”

“Don’t misunderstand! I’m just trying to show you the path to each muscle!”

“…Ah.”

Kainchel nodded with an understanding expression. Then he took off his top and sat down, turning his back.

Ian stroked Kainchel’s back with his large hand.

“All muscles are organically connected. You can’t use a power strike like I did just by strengthening one muscle. You need the shoulders to support it…”

Ian, who dedicated his life to muscle training, and Kainchel, the only trainee knight who has done basic physical training for three years.

The two men’s intense training continued until late in the afternoon.

@

“I got caught up in the atmosphere and did muscle training…”

Kainchel stretched his stiff shoulders and headed to the cafeteria. What he learned from Ian was truly amazing.

Booster, a technique that explodes tremendous power by circulating aura to only a part of the muscle.

It is very difficult to achieve the conditions to learn it.

You have to silently do basic physical training for several years to develop the muscles throughout your body. And you also have to be able to handle aura.

It’s like having a spear that pierces all shields and a shield that can never be pierced at the same time.

I think I know why Ian was so happy that someone finally appeared who could learn his technique.

‘If I hadn’t gotten stronger by cooking, I would never have been able to meet the conditions in my life.’

Booster, a technique that generates tremendous power by concentrating the aura of the whole body on some muscles.

If he can use it freely, he will be able to gain a tremendous advantage in the match against Vincent in two weeks.

But the question was whether that would be possible.

Kainchel’s swordsmanship became stronger when he cooked.

In other words, no matter how much he trained in swordsmanship, he couldn’t get any stronger.

‘…Can I really learn Booster with that kind of ability?’

The memory of being tormented by the level that didn’t change no matter how much he swung his sword came to mind.

He thought he had shaken it off, but the scar still remained in Kainchel’s heart.

‘Let’s do it first. Then I’ll be able to find some answers.’

Kainchel steeled his heart and opened the door to the food storage.

From now on, he has to prepare the ingredients for tonight’s dinner.

But something was wrong.

‘The storage door is open. So the ingredients are…’

In the storage, there is a storage box for storing things like fish and eggs.

Because they are ingredients that go bad quickly, they are put in a storage box with cold magic to keep them cool.

But it was wide open.

‘Nothing is missing. So it’s not a thief. Then who on earth…’

Kainchel recalled the trainee knights who had been spying on him for several weeks.

They seemed to think that the secret to Kainchel’s tremendous strength in half a year was hidden here.

‘I thought they would give up because Chef Gordon said he would report to the higher-ups… Are they rummaging around here like rats?’

Of course, they can’t find out Kainchel’s secret by doing this. It’s just unsettling.

‘I think I should report this to the instructor.’

Kainchel sighed and checked the contents of the storage box.

‘Tonight’s menu was fish and chips, right? Fortunately, the potatoes are fine…’

But the problem was the fish.

It smelled sour, probably because the door had been open for a while.

‘Damn it, if I had known this would happen, I should have removed the easily spoiled innards and head in advance and filleted it.’

Of course, it’s not completely spoiled, so it’ll be edible enough if fried well.

But should I really do that?

Gordon’s words to cherish the ingredients always came to mind.

Cooking only has meaning when there is someone to eat it.

Kainchel couldn’t tolerate cooking with these half-spoiled ingredients.

Kainchel bit his lip. First of all, finding the most intact fish was the priority.

“This one is completely gone… This one is still intact…”

He reached out to sort the white fish in the storage box.

Then, before he knew it, a faint light was forming at Kainchel’s fingertips.

“…This is aura?”

The fish, which had been exposed to room temperature for a long time, had lost its eyes and its flesh had become mushy.

When Kainchel’s hand touched it, something amazing happened.

As if turning back time, the fish returned to its fresh state.

Kainchel stared at it with his mouth wide open.

“W-what is this!”

It was then. The Joma Crystal he was wearing around his neck began to vibrate like crazy.

[The ability to concentrate aura on a part has been sublimated into the ‘Freshness Recovery’ skill.]

[‘Fresh Again’ has been created.]

“…Oh, it turned out like this?”

Until now, when he learned a cooking technique, it was sublimated into a skill that could be used in swordsmanship.

But to think that the opposite was also possible.

First, he decided to check exactly what abilities Freshness Recovery had.

[Freshness Recovery: ★]

— Uses aura to restore the freshness of ingredients by one level.

You could tell it was an amazing ability just by reading the description.

No matter how well you cook, you can’t make a proper taste if the ingredients aren’t fresh.

But if you use Freshness Recovery, you can use fresher ingredients.

Kainchel swallowed hard and stroked the spoiled fish. Then the Freshness Recovery skill was activated.

‘The eyes are clear and the flesh is firm. It’s fresh enough to be steamed!’

What’s even more surprising is that this is still the effect of a 1-star skill.

“…Surely, if the proficiency increases, the effect will also increase, right?”

What will happen if the proficiency increases? Maybe he can even restore completely rotten ingredients to their original state.

Besides, the amount of aura used was also small.

Even if he restores the freshness of all the fish in the storage box, it will only end with a slight fatigue.

What’s even more pleasing was the message that appeared when he learned Freshness Recovery.

“…It clearly said that the ability to concentrate aura on a part was sublimated into the Freshness Recovery skill…”

Kainchel clenched his fist.

That meant his body was ready to learn Booster.

@

“As expected, Sir Kainchel! You’ve already finished all the preparations!”

“Yes, Chef. First, I filleted it, then cut it into finger-sized pieces and sprinkled it with salt. Now all I have to do is fry it.”

If you sprinkle salt on the fish 20-30 minutes before frying, the flesh will become firm.

Then the flesh will not crumble when frying in oil.

“Then I’ll do the rest!”

Einchel smiled and took the white fish that Kainchel had finished preparing.

Then Einchel checked the condition of the fish and raised his voice as if surprised.

“Huh? That’s strange. Why is the fish so fresh!”

“Is there a problem with the fish being fresh?”

“No, no! There’s been a lot of rain lately, so the condition in the central region isn’t good. So the company that supplies the fish must be having a hard time getting fresh fish. That’s why I put fish and chips on the menu, which can be made with fish that isn’t in good condition…”

At that moment, Kainchel couldn’t say anything. Was the fish originally in that condition?

Einchel smiled with a pleasant face.

“Well, if we have such good fish, we can make more delicious fish and chips.”

‘If there are only such fish, just take them off the menu! Damn it, now that it’s come to this, I’m going to make it to the end even if I’m upset!’

“Chef Einchel.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve always wanted to make fish and chips. Can I try frying it today?”

“Hmm…. Chef Gordon is away, so shall we try it? I’ll show you how to make very modern fish and chips.”

Kainchel sighed.

As a result, he was able to make fish and chips made with fresh fish for the guests, so he decided to let it go.

“First, in the seasoned flour…”

With the demonstration of a skilled assistant, one more menu that Kainchel could make was added.

Oh, it turned out like this? #3