novelraw Chapter 175-1: The Undying Flame That Burns All Things! (1)
Chapter 175-1: The Undying Flame That Burns All Things! (1)
The next day at noon.
In the kitchen of the rented apartment.
A girl wearing an apron over her kimono was holding a spatula, her delicate brows furrowing at the gas stove.
“You turn the gas knob like this first, see? The flame comes out…”
“Then this pot of golden liquid is oil, pour the oil into the pan… Wait, you’re pouring too much!”
“Wait a bit, when the oil gets hot, the pan will start smoking, then you can put the ingredients in to stir-fry.”
“Understood?”
The girl nodded.
Before she had been remodeled and enhanced, she was a Support-Type Maid Doll, so her cooking skills were naturally excellent.
However, she had never used this mysterious apparatus called a gas stove, nor did she know how to prepare the ‘Chinese cuisine’ her master spoke of.That was why her master was teaching her step by step.
Compared to fighting the Knowledge-Seeking monsters, she would rather do the proper duties a maid was supposed to do.
The feeling of being in this world… actually wasn’t so bad.
Lin Xun saw the Valkyrie holding the spatula and beginning to cook with a decent semblance of skill. He tossed aside the tablet, letting the Valkyrie follow a cooking show to mimic the process and cook along in real time.
He returned to his computer and started the arduous task of writing…
A single man constantly ordering takeout had gotten rather tired of it.
He originally thought to change things up today and cook for himself, but then remembered that he had this free labor force, the Valkyrie. It would be wasteful not to make good use of her.
And so, the scene just now had unfolded.
After a long while, he finished typing a rare-grade 2,000-word chapter, and over on the Valkyrie’s side, she also declared completion.
On the living room dining table were several dishes arranged neatly. At first glance, they looked quite presentable.
Braised pork ribs, shredded potatoes with green peppers, and a big bowl of tomato egg soup.
One meat, one vegetable, and one soup. All that was missing was a hand grenade.
Lin Xun took the chopsticks the Valkyrie handed him, picked up a rib, and tasted it.
The flavor was surprisingly delicious. The disaster he had imagined did not occur.
Meeting the Valkyrie’s expectant gaze, he nodded.
The girl untied her apron and revealed a faint smile.
—
After Lin Xun was fully sated, he returned to the sofa and pulled out his phone.
After being fed and warmed, naturally, it was time for diligent cultivation.
The Book of Salvation, activate!
[You have entered the apocalyptic chapter]
[Chapter 82740874]
[An ordinary wandering soul awakens within the Multivision Association…]
After getting killed by that hellish game last night, Lin Xun had reshaped his Mage Shell.
Now that his soul strength was back to two-thirds, he was confident. Today, he was determined to finish clearing the underground abyss cave.
First, Lin Xun went to find Bennett and transplanted the Subterranean Shadow Fiend eyeballs he had acquired yesterday into several main combat shells.
This way, all the shells would have night vision and could fight at full capacity even in pitch-dark environments.
Then he hurried straight for the Cave Leading to the Underground Abyss.
[…]
[As you continue forward through the limestone cave, you soon arrive in an underground space…]
[The underground space is vast like a plaza…]
Lin Xun didn’t wait for the text to finish displaying before clicking the skill button.
[You raise your staff and chant incantations under your breath…]
[A Knowledge Barrier glowing with a soft white light rises from the ground, firmly protecting you within!]
He remembered that this was where the Subterranean Shadow Fiend would ambush him.
Casting a magic shield to protect oneself immediately was the basic lesson for any qualified Mage.
[Standing within the Knowledge Barrier, you silently await the assault from the darkness…]
[After a long time, however, no attacker appears.]
[You look toward the three branching tunnels, left, center, and right, and fall into contemplation.]
[Which tunnel will you enter?]
Lin Xun raised an eyebrow.
Yesterday, before entering the left tunnel, he had encountered a Subterranean Shadow Fiend.
During the battle, the monster’s shrill screech had drawn a tide of monsters from deeper in the tunnel.
But now, returning to the same place, that Shadow Fiend was nowhere to be seen. It had not appeared to attack him.
“This isn’t right. Normally, after a shell dies, the small monsters should respawn… The Subterranean Shadow Fiend isn’t an elite or a boss, so how could it vanish?”
If something abnormal happens, there must be a hidden reason.
After pondering a moment, Lin Xun switched shells.
[You possess the Corrupted Earth Giant shell!]
[You stride into the left passage. As you progress deeper, the soft, yielding sensation beneath your feet becomes increasingly frequent…]
After the hellish game mocked him as trash again yesterday, he had reviewed the text right before his death.
His Mage shell had been incapacitated by the fragrance released from the glowing luminescent ore in the nest, causing unconsciousness and a loss of combat strength.
Yet the Subterranean Shadow Fiends in the cave were able to act normally beside those ores, unaffected by the scent.
He had intended to enter the cave, abandon a less important shell, then kill a minor monster to possess it and infiltrate the enemy ranks.
But plans couldn’t keep up with reality.
Now he could only rely on the physically formidable Earth Giant and hope that the luminescent ore would not affect the warrior with sky-high physique attributes.
[Following the passage, you soon arrive in another underground space.]
[The cave is completely empty, there is no Subterranean Shadow Fiend King hanging upside down from the stalactites, no tide of Subterranean Shadow Fiends, not even the glimmering objects within the nest.]
[For a moment, you are utterly bewildered.]
[Will you turn back here, or continue exploring deeper?]
Lin Xun immediately grew vigilant.
If he recklessly advanced again, the hellish game would probably find another way to screw him over.
After a brief consideration, he came up with a countermeasure.
“Alright, I’ve decided, it’s you. Come out, Three-Headed Lion!”
[Accompanied by a crisp whistle, you summon the ferocious and muscular Corrupted Three-Headed Lion.]
[The Corrupted Three-Headed Lion’s six crimson eyes were especially striking in the darkness. It looked toward the hay nest deep within the underground space, then turned its gaze back to you.]
[Seeing you hesitate to issue a command, it took the initiative to start walking, approaching the nest deeper inside…]
“The Three-Headed Lion can regenerate and resurrect. It’s the perfect vanguard scout. I’m absolutely not mistreating my summoned beast…”
Lin Xun easily convinced himself.
[The Corrupted Three-Headed Lion circled the hay nest a few times, then leaped inside, scattering bits of straw as it searched…]
[It stepped back to your side, shook its three massive lion heads, and indicated that there was nothing unusual.]
[Brave and resolute Apostle, will you turn back here or proceed to explore personally?]
Lin Xun refused to believe something was amiss and operated the Earth Giant to move forward for a closer look.
[You stepped up to the nest. The few pieces of luminescent ore hidden in the hay had vanished without a trace, leaving only a faintly sweet aroma lingering in the air.]
[You took a deep breath and quietly focused…]
[Instead of feeling any discomfort, you actually felt clear-headed and invigorated, as if a raging fire was burning within you, filling you with strength and fighting spirit.]
???
Lin Xun’s mouth twitched.
When the Mage shell smelled this scent, it would faint instantly, so why did this tank shell react as though it was on performance enhancers?
He couldn’t make sense of it for the moment. Seeing there was nothing left in the cave to explore, he could only withdraw silently.