Too Stubborn to Die

Book 3: Chapter 43

Brightly animated in the mirror, her gaze deadly and fixed on him, was Yendal, arms crossed and looking rather unimpressed.

“Hey Yendie! Been a bloody while, hasn’t it? Or at least it has compared to our regular meet ups in the trials. How’ve you been? Divinity treating you well?”

“Call me ‘Yendie’ again and I will change my mind about helping you heal your soul.”

“Ah, sorry,” said Aaron sheepishly. “But how’s it going?”

“You should be dead.”

“I’ve heard that before.”

“No, I mean you should be dead. You, Aaron Dober, with your peculiar soul and stubborn resilience, should be dead. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

“...Formed a core?”

“Don't you play cute with me! I can feel your leaky soul from here! You have no idea how incredibly lucky you are! If you tried that 100 times, you would have died 99. And I mean total death. Soul shattered into fragments too small to contain even a sliver of your self and dispersed into atmospheric aether. There’s no reviving from that.

“If you’re that determined to get yourself killed, you could at least do it fighting something powerful! You’re the first person in eons to become my herald, and I’ll be dammned if you kill yourself doing something stupid like that.”

“Ahh, sorry?” Aaron flashed a toothy smile, but his senses were ringing with danger. “Does that mean you’re not happy to see me?”

Yendal glared back. “I’m sending you over some special schematics. They’ll explain to an appropriately skilled crafter how to take that Shard of Divinity you have, and turn it into an avatar I can use. The avatar won’t be able to leave the temple. Not with schematics usable by anyone on your infant world. But it won’t need to. I just need something I can use to take my frustration out on you.”

“Hey, hey, wait a minute!” Aaron said with undeniable panic as he raised his hands in surrender. “Come on, no need for threats. Trust me, I don’t want to do anything like that again either. I’ve learned my lesson. And look, I’m alive, aren’t I? And I’ve got a true core to boot!”

Yendal glared back with pointed brows.

“Okay, fine. I get it. I’ll see about this avatar stuff. Hopefully someone will know what to do with it. But I do have some important things that need doing. Before you can beat me up. You see, I have a bit of an ant problem. Not to mention a deadline. I got this dungeon token, and I really don’t want to–”

“I know. You’ve quite the task ahead of you. And you're still so unrefined. Have you been using the ring? You need to spend more time on the basics, and less on worrying about things like cores at your level!”

Aaron grimaced again, like he was being scolded by an angry teacher or parent.

“Yeah, for the most part. Sometimes I have to take it off, for more difficult fights. But I try not to.”

“Not good enough. Your world is weak, and so are the beasts inhabiting it. You’re getting drunk on your own power. You could have defeated most of those enemies without removing the ring. You just need to focus more.”

“Sure, just focus more.”

“I’m serious. When I was at your level–

“I–”

“Don’t you dare cut me off.”

Aaron swallowed the words of protest he was about to say.

“When I was at your level, even peak D grades could not defeat me. I don’t expect you to follow my footsteps exactly, but you are rushing. D grade will give you a power boost, but that is all. Level and stats aren’t everything. Look at your current self. Even at half the level of the others in the Shadow Trials, you stood out as the best. But now, your level is comparable with what theirs was, and your skill has not risen to match.

“How much more powerful are you than when you left? You have more levels, and a few new tricks, but are you really much more powerful? Could those stats and Skills allow you to defeat my avatar? Would you be able to defeat Mo’han as you are now?”

Aaron was silent. He didn’t like being scolded like this, but she had a point. He had definitely gotten stronger in raw power, but he could say with certainty that he would not be able to defeat Yendal’s avatar. Of course, Yendal was a unique existence, but that didn’t mean her point was invalid. He had gotten as far as he did by focusing on all the little things, and doing the best that someone of his level could do, but ever since coming to Earth, he had fallen into more ogre-like habits of overwhelming his opponents with energy and force.

“That said, I don’t fault you for it,” said Yendal, making Aaron look up in surprise. “This was your first taste of the true multiverse and how it all works, and you are dealing with the collapse of civilization as well. Expecting you to fall immediately into a rigorous routine would be extreme, even for me. I just want you to understand yourself.

“There are infinitely many paths to power, but you have chosen me as your guide, and I have chosen to raise you as my disciple. Don’t make either of us regret it.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good,” she said, her gaze softening. “You have a very good opportunity before you. The ants will be an excellent wall for you to overcome. Remember what I have taught you, focus, and you can grow a great deal from this experience.”

“Will do. Focus,” Aaron nodded.

“Also, you should also not wait on the ants. They will take over your entire planet if you let them. Best to deal with them as quickly as you can… Even if you have to take the ring off to do it.”

Aaron brightened. Yendal had sounded oddly helpful, and even a little concerned.

“Is that so? Is there anything you can tell me about them that might help?”

“No! Of course not! I can tell you that your path is long, and it is fraught with many dangers. Anything else might ruin you, and you’re already off to a bad enough start as it is. If you want advice, here it is. Don’t go doing stupid things like what you did with your core. I don’t fault you for your other actions, but even in your ignorance, you should have known that putting divine energy directly into your soul was foolish. And…”

“And?”

“This pains me. I really didn’t want to reward you for your stupidity, but I will help you recover and heal your soul. Meditate here, in the temple. I can’t heal you directly, but I can help you focus your own energy into your soul. Which should help speed up the healing process.”

“Thanks! I owe you one, Yendie!”

“And stop calling me Yendie!”

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Aaron nodded and took a meditative pose before the mirror. The energy he felt flowing through the temple wasn’t anywhere near as insightful as Yendal’s Divine Realm, but even before he started he could tell it would easily be the second best place he had meditated, even if the furnishings were still lacking.

The sensation filling the air was strong, and the combination of the Well of Truths and the temple helped Aaron dive into the depths of his understanding, and to bring the power of his insights directly upon his wounded soul.

Yendal said she was helping too, although he couldn’t sense it. That wasn’t to say that he didn’t trust what she said. She was so far above him, it wasn’t too surprising that he couldn’t grasp what she was or wasn’t doing.

When he reached his soul, he could feel that it still didn’t want to be commanded directly by him, and if he tried to persist he felt immense pain. But it wasn’t a complete loss. His focus had greatly improved, and he could feel his spirit before him, and with that, he could cycle aether through his newly upgraded core, and into his spirit.

It was immediately clear that his energy generation was on an entirely new level now. Aether was pouring out in droves, and not only that, but he felt that this upgrade had allowed him to make proper use of his racial evolution.

Still, it wasn’t all good news. He felt like his body couldn’t properly handle all the power he had now, and so he had to be cautious. He had a feeling too much energy output might destroy his own spirit as he healed it, and so he restrained himself.

It took several hours of supreme concentration, but when he found a balance, cycling aether through his spirit, the healing effects were undeniable. And far, far stronger than the weak E-grade remedies produced by his people in Dober.

That said, with such terrible wounds all across his soul, it still took a couple of days to heal it through, and when he finally finished, his eyes flung open with a gasp.

“You did it. You actually healed your soul. And rather quickly at that. Impressive.”

Aaron looked up at the mirror. Her face was a mixture of irritation and… and pride? It seemed that even Yendal was struggling to maintain her anger after seeing what Aaron accomplished.

“Yeah, feels good as new,” he said, jumping up and stretching. “Though I get the feeling I still need to keep tight control of my energy. My core feels like it could explode at any moment if I’m not careful.”

“Yes, it would. You have no business having that core. Not at your level. Even prodgies wait until they are at the very least mid D-grade Class or Profession, alongside D-grade race. And you’re not even close to that.”

“Aha,” Aaron scratched at his neck. “Well, I’m special, huh?”

“It’s not funny,” her expression returned to a glare. “You survived and healed yourself incredibly well. But if you’re not careful, that thing can still kill you. I’m serious, Aaron. Not even you will be able to recover from blowing your soul up.”

“Yeah, yeah. Being careful,” Aaron smiled, but as he did, he checked his dungeon token. It was down to the last month, and he still had a cooking spree to finish off.

Not good. We better get going! No way I’m missing out on this dungeon, and we can’t just leave the ants roaming about.

“Thanks again, Yendal. I’ll have someone look into the avatar thingy. I better get going, though. I’m running out of time for this dungeon, and I’ve got too many things to get done first…”

“Yes, you wouldn’t want to miss out on that. Go. Do what you need to, but don’t forget your basics!”

Aaron bowed, thanked his patron god, and then waved and made his exit. Then, in a flash, he crossed his small camp and entered his kitchen. Hands moving too fast for most to see, he prepared his ingredients for a trance-induced cooking session.

He knew he had to be careful of time. The ants were an army, and he had no idea how many hundreds or thousands he’d have to fight through to reach the queen. But he knew that it was smart to save as much time for it as possible. The last thing he wanted was for the battle to drag on and to miss his opportunity to join the dungeon. After all, if push came to shove, defeating the ants and keeping Dober and the United Front safe came first.

And with that thought, he got to work, throwing together his most valuable remaining ingredients in the hope of creating some powerful buffing dishes for the fight before him.

Taking the bat parts of Lorella, he took a nasty pile of wild chillies the goblins had found, spices, and reagents he had lying around from the trials, and began combining them, cooking them down into a gravy.

The goblins had warned him about the chillies. A couple of their kin had tried them, cooking them into some dishes, and had been gravely wounded in the process. They even feared that some might even die. Luckily, they were brought back to camp and nursed to health with the help of healing potions.

Wild Death Scorcher [ Elite ]

These incredibly spicy chillies are not to be taken lightly. At around 100 million Scovilles, these little nightmares can burn through the mouth of even the most seasoned chilli lover.

But Aaron was particularly hardy, and not so worried about a little heat, even if he was adding concerning qualities of the chillies to the dish he was crafting.

After all, he had bigger problems than a little spice. The human-like appearance of Lorella was… disconcerting. Even if she was a beast, it was a little too much. However, there were a few parts that were undeniably beast-like, which he felt more comfortable using, like the large cupped bat ears that folded back on the beast lord.

These, along with some cuts of steak from the bear, were added to the gravy and cooked until deliciously tender for several hours at low heat.

Meanwhile, several other dishes were busy being cooked away. Anything that was too human-like was gifted to Zero and his pack, but Aaron made use of everything else.

And before long, several dishes were piling up, and hastily being shrunken down, and then stored in his scabbard.

But most weren't quite what he was after. Even if some of the dishes he made were decent enough. He was apprehensive about both the fight and the dungeon timer, and he wanted something that stood out. Something that would give him an undeniable edge, his gaze settled on the bubbling gravy and tender meat as dish after dish fell short of expectations.

Even if he had some great, high-quality ingredients in the form of meat, this world wasn’t like the trials. He had to make use of what was available, and he was forced to combine a lot of Common and Uncommon ingredients with his rarer ones, and it was having an effect, diluting the power of his dishes.

Hopefully, this would all change once his farm was fully up and running, and he had some valuable and rare plants growing. But until then, he’d have to make do with what he had.

But he did save some of the chillies to plant on the farm. Unlike most of the vegetables and fruits they had found, he had a good feeling about them and their future usefulness.

And when the dish neared completion, Aaron’s eyes lit up. It was exactly what he had hoped it would be.

A masterpiece.

Experience rewarded for discovering a recipe!

Experience rewarded for discovering a recipe!

Experience rewarded for discovering a recipe!

Experience rewarded for discovering a recipe!

Apocalyptically Spicy Bat Curry [ Legendary ]

This curry is not to be taken lightly, and user caution is advised! Though the smell of its spices is heavenly, causing the tongue to water, be careful! For this dish is supremely deceptive! The spice level is enough to burn the mouth of an asura, and can easily kill many mortal races. The meat is tender and falls apart in one’s mouth, but you’re unlikely to notice that as insane levels of heat assault every one of your senses.

Provides: Heat Hardened Body and Erratic Sonar.

Aftereffects: The Ring of Fire.

Conditional: Requires surviving the dish for ten minutes without throwing up.

Ding!

[ Ogre Gastronomist ] has LEVELED UP!

69 → 75

Purchasable Skill Available!

“Huh. That… sounds like just what I need. But what’s the ring of fire?”

Aaron tilted his head. He had always been decent with spice, but this certainly sounded like something a step above anything he’d had before. But that was a small worry compared to the two conditions it provided, both of which sounded rather useful, and he immediately inspected them.

Heat Hardened Body

This temporary effect is gained by exposing oneself to extreme agony and provides both a considerable bonus to Fortitude and generally makes the user’s body more resilient to other effects for a couple of hours.

“Okay, now that sounded very good.”

This was more than he could have hoped for, and with any luck, it would help him use his core at a higher level without damaging his body or soul.

Erratic Sonar

This temporary effect is gained by combining a powerful Trait that was incompatible with the recipe it was added to. The end result is an erratic sonar ability that is completely uncontrollable by the user.

“Huh, okay. That doesn’t sound too helpful. Still, I got what I came for. Time to spend my free points, and deal with a bug infestation.”

Aaron took the token from his scabbard and glanced down at it once more. He’d spent a couple of days cooking, and he couldn’t afford to waste any more time.