Chapter 59: Max Level Cooking Skill

Thadius already knew. He could feel its jaws behind him just as clearly as if it was in front of him. He pivoted on his good leg and spun around. Then as the hydra’s head breezed by him, Thadius raised his sword in both hands and slashed with all his might.

Serenity burned with holy flames as Thadius’ Holy Fighting Aura rushed through it, and with twice the power, it sliced through scale, skin, muscle, and bone. All the way through. In one clean stroke, the right head of the hydra was lopped clean off with the every ounce of flesh scorched by sacred fire.

’Now what about the other one!’ Thadius, on his knees, turned in time to see Desha rush past him. The elf had a sword in his hand as he rushed for the remaining head.

The hydra was disoriented from having lost a head, and it could barely move thanks to the axe lodged in its spine. But the monster wouldn’t go down without a fight. As Desha ran up its torso the last head turned to swallow the elf whole.

“Close your eyes!” Leon shouted.

Desha obeyed just as a brilliant flash of light engulfed the area. When the light disappeared, the last head lay on the ground with a sword shoved through the roof of its mouth, and Desha lay on the ground breathing heavily.

[You’ve defeated the ‘Mists Hydra’ despite not having a full party and despite your average party level being below LV.100.

+500 Fame

x1.2 EXP ]

This work is hosted on mananovel.com

[You’ve leveled up

You’ve leveled up

You’ve leveled up

… ]

[As the leader of the party that deafed the ‘Mists Hydra’ despite the increased difficulty, the following stats points have been awarded.

+30 Leadership

+15 Charisma ] Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

“What are you looking at!?”

Thadius looked up to find Elroy looking at him with a look that could kill.

“What?” The question had caught Thadius completely off guard after the ordeal.

“Don’t play coy with me!” he scream wildly as he lunged for Thadius’ hands, bursting the blisters that had formed from his scalding.

Thadius writhed on the ground in agony as Elroy leaned over him screaming. “I know what I saw Traveler! Don’t play me for a fool! Did you think you could hide it from me!? Did you think I wouldn’t no-”

A fist, nearly the size of his head, smashed into the side of Elroy’s face. There Banon stood glowering at him.

“Calm yourself, boy. And show some respect after having your life saved.” he said as he knelt beside Thadius. Banon’s tone was low, but the sound of his voice carried.

“He’s a Traveler! Don’t you see it!? We shou-”

“What? Kill him? You should already know it’s pointless to kill a Traveler! Besides, when have you ever known a Traveler to risk his life for one of us?” Banon interrupted with a glare.

Elroy fell silent, took one more look at Thadius, then walk off in huff. Banon watched him walk away before turning back to Thadius. “Let me see your hands.” he commanded.

Thadius obeyed, hissing as the sticky edges of his ruptured blisters split apart. Upon seeing the mess, Banon grunted then reached into his pack and began applying his Field Healing.

“He really thinks I’m a Traveler, huh?” Thadius said quietly. The relief in his hands was almost immediate, hinting at Banon’s high level in the skill.

“Can you blame him? Your strength isn’t something common, and you always seem lost in thought. But I know a Traveler when I see one, and if I thought you were one...” Banon gave Thadius a hard look, “I’d kill you myself.”

“Good to know…” Thadius said as he looked around.

Once Banon was finished his healing he moved on to Thomas while Thadius walked over to where Leon sat praying over Marcus.

“He was a good man, from what I gathered.” Thadius said quietly as he walked up.

“He was man of faith. He deserves his place in the Heaven’s at Thena’s side.”

“Do you really think she cares?” Thadius whispered.

Leon’s jaw clenched, and his gaze hardened as he looked down at the corpse of the priest. Then after a few moments of silence, he took a deep breath and replied, “I sincerely hope so...”

Thadius left Leon to his prayer and walked over to where Mavas and Desha were. Desha was still laying on the ground, looking at the sky, while Mavas sat down beside him.

“Quite the ruckus over there…” Mavas said when Thadius walked over.

“It’ll blow over soon...You two alright? Any injuries?” Thadius asked, changing the subject.

“I’m fine. Bruised rib maybe, but I’m fine. Don’t know about this guy though.” Mavas murmured as he look down at his companion. Thadius moved to take a look and caught his breath a what he saw.

Desha’s helmet lay to the side, and the mud that was on his face had been washed off. The beauty that had been hidden underneath had stunned Thadius into silence.

The elf met Thadius eyes and his lips curled into a snarl. But without the mud, his blushing cheeks were as clear as day.

Thadius gave Mavas a questioning look, to which Mavas replied, “I had a hard time believing it myself.”

After checking up on everyone, Thadius searched for his shield. He found nearly folded in half beside the body of the hydra with teeth and scales embedded in the metal.

’More food for you, huh? Well there’s plenty more where that came from’ Thadius thought as he set to work pulling out the hydra’s teeth. Banon joined him after patching up Thomas.

Before long, the hydra had been picked clean of useable material. The sky was beginning to darken, everyone gathered around Marcus’ body.

“I won’t leave him here. His grave should be able to get some sunlight at least.” Thadius said as he carefully picked up the priest. No one protested, and then they all followed behind Thadius as he lead the way back to camp. Even as he limped with every step.

They didn’t encounter anymore croaka as they backtracked, and everyone was silent. After a few hours, they emerged from the mist to find the sun sinking on the horizon and the plains stretching out as far as the eye could see. The only problem was... the wasn’t a single soul in sight.

“Where in the hells is the camp!?” Mavas shouted.

“It’s gone, Mavas…” Thadius replied calmly. After looking death in the face one too many times, all other problems were merely inconveniences.

“But the captain told us to be back before sundown. We made it, didn’t we?” Thomas said.

"If they had just left, then we’d be able to see them on the horizon, Thomas.” Thadius shook his head and chuckled. “No. I'm sure Dain raced back to Todos as soon as possible saying something along the lines of 'They weren't ready' or 'I lost too many men'.”

“So he sends us off on a damned map quest just to forget all about us!?” Mavas protested.

“He sure did.” Thadius said. Then he cast a glance at Elroy, who clenched his jaw, refusing to make eye contact.

“You want to make camp now and set out in the morning?” Banon suggested.

Thadius was silent as he looked out at the empty field. He knew he and his men needed rest and proper healing, but it wasn’t in him to see a task go undone.

"No.” he said as he turned toward his squad. “First we’re going to bury Marcus. Then we’ll make camp. After that we will finish the mission we were given. Captain Dain told us to map the west of the mists, as much as we could, and that's what we're going to do for the next six days.” He laid Marcus on the ground and look to Banon. “When we do go back to Todos, we’ll walk in with our heads held high, dragging the heads of the hydra behind us.

“Then when we see Captain Dain, Elroy’s going to walk right up to him, shove the map in his face and say “Mission Complete”. Thadius said with a small smile, then went to stand directly in front of Elroy. "Don't you think he'll be happy that we're alive?" he asked.

"I'm sure he will." Elroy replied stoically. He was still harbored suspicions about Thadius, but he couldn't ignore what Banon had said earlier.

"What about camp? We don't have the supplies for a proper fire." Mavas said.

Thadius looked back out to the plains. "If you're concerned about warmth, then I can take care of that. And if it's the dark that worries you, then I suggest you get to sleep before sundown. Other than that, we won’t need a fire."

"Actually, I was hoping we could cook something, you know? I don't know about you guys, but those rations are terrible..." Mavas made a face as he remembered the taste. There were murmurs of agreement all around, even Desha nodded.

Thadius looked down at his bandaged hands and sighed. He wouldn't mind a warm meal, especially after the day he had, but he wouldn't be the one cooking it.

"If you can scavenge something to burn from last night's camp, then it could work. The question is, who's going to cook?" he asked.

"Well, I can cook." Thomas offered.

"What level is your cooking skill?" Mavas questioned.

"I may be a beginner but-"

"Denied." Thadius cut in. "Can anybody else cook? I'd do it, but I'd rather not chance it with my hands in this condition."

"What level is your cooking skill?" Mavas asked again.

"Max level, Advanced rank." Thadius replied confidently.

"Then you have to cook! Right guys!?" Mavas looked around hopefully, only to be admonished by Banon.

"Would you cook with bleeding hands? Or do you actually enjoy the taste of blood?" he asked as he glared at Mavas.

"I guess the warm meal is out then." Mavas said solemnly. Thomas pat him on the shoulder to comfort him.

"It was a fine suggestion, Mavas," Thadius smiled at the man,"and hopefully, once my hands heal, I'll be able-" Thadius’ voice trailed off as Desha raised his hand.

Mavas was besides himself. "I knew it! All elves can cook something. It's like a right of passage or something, right?"

"Calm down Mavas," Thadius said, then looked at Desha with a curious look. "Is your skill higher than beginner?" he asked. Desha nodded.

"Is it higher than mine?" He flashed his devilish grin.

Although his blushing cheeks made his expression have the opposite effect, Desha scowled at the squad as they all looked at him hopefully.

When he nodded again, Thadius rocked back on his heels and Mavas nearly jumped for joy.

The evening sun shined down on the small squad, marking the end of a long day. Their shadows were growing larger by the second, so any meal preparations would have to be started right away while the rest took care of the burial.

"So," Thadius said as he looked down at the elf, "Can you cook hydra?"