ARIFURETA: Cooking to be the Strongest?

********

Shin pounced on the massive scorpion monster, his wooden sword brandished, a black blur rapidly approaching the beast.

The scorpion monster, surprisingly agile for its colossal size, met his charge with a barrage of attacks.

Large, sweeping claws lashed out, each movement capable of crushing bone, while smaller, venomous stinger projectiles shot from its tail with alarming speed.

Shin weaved, ducked, and twisted, a dance of evasion, effortlessly maneuvering through the deadly onslaught.

He closed the distance, his target the monster's armored head.

With a powerful, arcing swing, Shin brought his wooden sword down with all his might, aiming to end the fight swiftly.

A deafening BANG echoed through the chamber as the blow landed.

The scorpion monster staggered, its massive form rocking back on its multiple legs.

Yet, to Shin's disbelief, there was no visible damage, not even a crack on its formidable exoskeleton.

Shin's own body, however, shook and trembled from the sheer vibration of the impact, momentarily leaving him vulnerable.

The monster, though briefly stunned, recovered quickly.

With terrifying speed, it swung one of its large, razor-sharp claws horizontally, catching Shin off guard.

He was caught in the monstrous limb's grasp and shot straight backward. Instinctively, he tried to mitigate the force, twisting his body in a counter-rotational swing.

Still, the impact was brutal. Shin met the solid wall with a sickening thud, creating a crater in the stone.

"Shin!" Yue cried out, her voice laced with worry, as she instinctively moved towards the impact site.

Shin emerged from the debris, not unscathed.

A trickle of blood flowed from a small cut on his forehead, a testament to the immense force of the blow.

"Blood, huh? It's been a while since I've seen this flowing from me." Still, he stood firm, his stance unwavering despite the tremor that still ran through his body.

The monster, on the other hand, was still reeling slightly from Shin's initial attack, its colossal head swaying.

"Tch, that monster's head sure is hard," Shin murmured, his hand still trembling from the reverberation of the unyielding impact.

He glanced at his wooden sword. It was perfectly fine, not a single scratch.

It seemed the durability of the sword wasn't the issue; his own lack of raw, brute strength was the problem.

Shin checked his current state.

He still had plenty of stamina, and the injury seemed bearable.

But to be sure, he took out the pouch of ambrosia and took a sip, just enough to revert his injured body to a perfect state.

"This ambrosia really never disappoints. It's borderline cheating. Too bad I only have a few pouches left," Shin again murmured.

After drinking and recovering, he clenched and unclenched his hands to calm them from the vibrations. "I guess it's time to fillet this monster into pieces."

With a decisive motion, Shin dematerialized his wooden sword, letting it vanish from his grasp.

Shin began planning to use the obsidian knife, but before he executed this he saw Yue's figure running to him.

Before Yue could get any closer to him, the scorpion monster had fully recovered.

Seeing the main target—the person it was supposed to prevent from leaving this place—it began to chase Yue with renewed aggression.

Shin, looking at Yue and the massive monster chasing her, reacted instantly, a blur of motion.

He pounced towards Yue, scooping her up in his arms, pulling her away from the monster's lunging attack.

The monster's massive claw slammed, creating a large gust of dust and crater on Yue's previous position. 

Yue was surprised by Shin suddenly carrying her, but as they moved, she didn't sense that the monster had been that close to pulverizing her.

Shin, taking advantage of the dust as cover, quickly moved away carrying yue on his arms to a much safer and hidden location. behind a pillar far from the monster.

The dust settled and the monster looked at the crater missing the body of its target. Knowing that it escaped it started again looking for Yue checking and crushing the nearby pillar.

************

Shin and Yue were hidden behind a pillar, far away from the scorpion monster's current rampage.

Shin gently put Yue down.

Yue immediately noticed the blood still flowing from Shin's forehead.

"Shin you're wounded!" she cried, her voice filled with worry.

Shin reassured her with a wave of his hand. "I'm fine. The wound has already healed."

Yue, still worried, reached out to check.

But suddenly, a sharp, stinging pain made her yelp.

"Ouch!" She clutched her forehead, the source of the pain apparently from Shin, who had just flicked her.

Shin sternly reprimanded her. "Your earlier action was reckless. You shouldn't have moved away from the hiding spot."

Yue pouted, her eyes welling up a little. "But I was worried for you!"

Shin just sighed, his focus already returning to the monster.

"Yue stay here and do not move away."

"But Shin I can hel---"

He told Yue to stay hidden behind the pillar, but before she could argue or insist she could help, Shin had already moved.

He silently weaved between pillars, using them for cover as he approached the monster, careful to mask his original location to prevent the beast from finding Yue.

When Shin got close enough, he planned a different approach this time.

Unlike his previous attempt to target its head, he now moved towards the monster's legs, aiming to cripple its mobility.

He burst out from behind a pillar, now directly behind the scorpion monster, his obsidian blade materialized in his hand.

He swung the knife at one of the monster's colossal legs.

The blade simply cut through the monster's leg like butter, detaching it with a sickening SCHLICK that was barely audible over the monster's grunts.

"Gruh! What the—" Shin staggered after completing the action. Unlike the usual stamina consumption, that single cut had drained a significant portion of his stamina, indicating the immense hardness of the monster's armor. Due to this sudden, unexpected drain, Shin quickly moved away.

"Shhhhrkkk!!!!"

The monster, on the other hand, let out a pained shriek as one of its massive legs suddenly dropped from its body, crashing onto the cavern floor.

It saw Shin's retreating figure and began shooting a volley of stinger projectiles after him.

With one of its legs gone, the scorpion monster's earlier, surprising agility was severely hampered. It moved slower now, limping as it approached Shin.

Shin, now in constant motion, running and evading, decided to aim for another leg.

But the monster, more cautious this time, seemed to sense the danger the obsidian knife emitted.

It stopped chasing and began flailing wildly, sending stinger projectiles in all directions to prevent Shin from getting close to it.

"Tch," Shin clicked his tongue, annoyed by this desperate display.

He again dematerialized the knife to conserve his stamina.

He then silently retreated, making his way back to Yue's side to plan again on how to take down the monstrous scorpion.

*************

"Shin"

Yue worriedly watched Shin's confrontation with the scorpion monster.

She was at first surprised and wanted to ask Shin about those wooden swords and knives he kept manifesting.

She sensed that Shin had no magical power dwelling inside him, yet he could display inhuman feats without any sign of magic enhancements. But in the current situation, she couldn't ask, since Shin was busy keeping her safe.

As she watched in amazement, Shin effortlessly cut one of the monster's legs, then expertly evaded its attacks.

The monster also started flailing indiscriminately, attacking in all directions just to prevent Shin from getting close.

Yue then saw Shin's figure retreating to her direction. She noticed Shin's slightly tired demeanor.

Yue approached him, asking, "Shin, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just tired a bit."

Shin affirmed that he was fine, just a little tired and annoyed by the monster.

Shin rested, observing the monster's continued flailing. Yue, on the other hand, began to grip Shin's clothes.

"Shin," she said softly, her voice urgent. "I can help."

Shin looked at her, remembering Yue's abilities, and listened carefully.

Yue explained that she could use large-scale magic that might hold down the monster a bit. Shin listened, planning what to do.

Yue then mentioned that although the ambrosia had recovered her strength, it hadn't recovered much of her magic power reserves.

Shin, hearing this, reached for the pouch of ambrosia. But Yue stopped him.

"No, Shin. There's another way, a much more efficient method to recover my magic power reserves."

"What is it?" Shin asked, his brow furrowed with curiosity.

Yue replied, "It's blood."

Shin thought for a bit, and after a moment of planning, he agreed. Yue beamed with a relieved smile.

Shin, with no hesitation, offered his arm to Yue to bite.

"Here," he stated.

"Ummm~" Yue murmured and felt a bit disappointed and stared at him blankly.

"What?" Shin tilted his head, confused as to why Yue wasn't draining his blood from his arm.

"Drinking the blood from the neck should be more efficient," Yue explained, a slight blush creeping onto her pale cheeks.

Shin again remembered this classic neck-drinking method of vampires.

The monster had already stopped flailing and started looking for them aggressively, smashing all the pillars.

Shin, looking at the monster's desperate and frantic state, no longer hesitated.

"Here, have a drink, but be sure to not drink too much." He offered his neck and just let Yue prepare to bite it.

The scorpion monster found their location and rammed its large body towards them. Shin, on the other hand, carried Yue in his arms and quickly evaded the monster's charge. Shin prompted Yue, "Yue drink my blood now."

Yue smelled Shin's bare neck, a scent that had a combination of sweet floral notes.

She murmured, "Mnn, thanks for the meal," then her tiny fangs extended slightly and pierced Shin's neck.

**************

While evading the monster's relentless pursuit and attacks, Yue clung to Shin like a koala, her grip surprisingly firm.

Shin braced himself for the bite, expecting a sharp sting, but to his surprise, it was only a ticklish sensation.

Yue, however, was silent.

Only the sounds of large, rapid gulps could be heard coming from her.

So good! So sweet!

This was all that ran through Yue's mind as she drank generously from Shin's neck.

Aside from the incredible flavor, Shin's blood had a staggering effect.

Though seemingly devoid of typical magic power, it began restoring her magic power reserves with great vigor.

It was as if Shin's blood possessed some foreign energy that was being directly converted into her magical energy at an incredibly efficient ratio.

While Yue was busily drinking, Shin continued to outmaneuver the scorpion monster.

But as the seconds stretched on, Shin also started to feel groggily, a faint dizziness washing over him—a clear sign of the blood he was losing.

She is drinking too much!! thoughts ran in his mind.

Just as he managed to distance himself from the monster once more, intending to reprimand this vampire princess, he felt Yue's tiny fangs separate from his neck.

"Shin, it's time," she announced, her voice now brimming with renewed strength and a vibrant energy that hadn't been there moments before.

"I thought you were going to kill me from blood loss," Shin said with his deadpan voice, a hint of dry humor.

Then Shin immediately put more distance between him and the monster, ducking and hiding behind the debris of the destroyed pillars.

He gently put Yue down.

"Then, can you cast the magic immediately?" he asked, his voice steady despite the lingering grogginess.

Yue shook her head slightly. "It will take a bit of time to prepare."

Shin nodded, understanding. "Take your time then. I'll distract the monster."

Yue looked at him, still worried, but nodded.

Shin took out his pouch containing ambrosia. sensing there is only few left, he drank it in one go replenishing some of his stamina and lost blood.

Then without another word, Shin moved away from Yue, once again heading straight for the scorpion monster.

*******************

Shin, walking near the scorpion monster, taunted it.

"Hey, big oaf, looking for me!"

Shin shouted as he jumped in front of the monster, brandishing his wooden sword.

Before Shin could add another taunt, the scorpion monster started thrashing at him, sending violent smashes of its claws, sweeping its tail, and launching various spikes and stinger attacks.

Shin, on the other hand, deftly evaded the attacks and swatted the projectile attacks with his wooden sword.

He tried to sneak a strike with his obsidian knife, but once it manifested, the monster sensed it and started aggressively thrashing in all directions, making it impossible for Shin to get close.

"Tch, it's senses and intelligence sure sharp for an oversized insect,"

Shin murmured in annoyance.

When he tried to go under it, planning to take another leg, it started crushing him with its body.

Other normal plans using the pre-manifested obsidian knife also became impossible, as if the monster could sense the knife's aura or its imminent end.

While Shin kept the monster busy, in the distance, Yue could be seen standing, eyes closed.

It seemed she wasn't preparing a chant, since she could control magic directly.

Yue was trying to grasp the feeling again of casting magic, refamiliarizing herself as she let the magic power flow through her body once more.

With her eyes open, she stretched her arm, directing it at the top of the scorpion monster, which was currently engaging with Shin in a brutal battle.

Her eyes gleamed, and magic power gathered. She slowly formed a large, bluish fireball above the monster.

*********************

Shin, on the other hand, felt the sudden increase in temperature.

He looked up and saw a large, bluish fireball continuously growing. Shin let out a dry laugh at this absurd display of power.

Really a super cheat character, he again murmured.

Without further ado, Shin planned not to let the effort of the vampire princess be wasted.

Shin brandished his wooden sword and also started aggressively hitting the scorpion monster's legs.

Unlike the first encounter, Shin now developed another tactic.

Instead of going directly under the monster to hit its legs, Shin swung his wooden sword, smashing the floor to create dust clouds to cover himself.

He then threw his wooden sword in a direction opposite to the monster, tricking it.

When the monster attacked that direction, Shin was already on the other side.

Before the monster senses keep up, Shin swung his manifested obsidian knife while the monster was tricked, cutting deep enough before quickly dematerializing the knife.

The monster again started rampaging in pain and anger at Shin. Shin, on the other hand, planned to immobilize it by cutting its legs bit by bit.

The course of action continued, distracting and attacking in different directions as Shin remanifested his wooden sword as a decoy and cut the legs bit by bit with his obsidian knife.

Though this tactic did not last long due to the stamina cost it took.

Shin only managed to take three legs before he started to get sluggish and was almost caught in his fourth attempt.

Though that time was enough.

As a loud voice started to call him.

"Shin!" Yue shouted. Shin checked the fireball, and it was already huge, capable of engulfing the whole monster.

Shin, without further ado, swung his wooden sword, creating a dust cloud to hide himself while moving away.

The monster, confused by the dust cloud, started rampaging in all directions.

Yue, seeing Shin emerging from the dust cloud, moving towards her and out of the spell's radius, called out,

"Azure Flare!" Her small voice echoed in the room.

Yue then called the name of the spell and let the large fireball descend, engulfing the scorpion monster.

***********

"She said a spell to keep the monster in place, but looks like she became the finisher,"

Shin murmured, maintaining his distance as he watched the scorpion monster writhe in agony.

Its formidable armor sizzled and warped, melting away under the intense heat of the bluish fireball.

The spell subsided, leaving the monster's back armorless and severely weakened.

"Tch, still alive huh," Shin murmured, surprised by the monster's tenacity.

Seizing the opportunity, Shin agilely leaped onto the back of the weakened beast.

He then manifested his obsidian knife.

The monster, sensing the familiar, deadly aura of the blade, squirmed desperately.

But the damage from Yue's powerful attack had left it too weakened to move effectively.

Shin plunged the knife deep into the monster's exposed body.

Without the hard armor shell, the blade glided easily, its usual stamina consumption significantly lessened.

The monster's red eyes flickered, their light dimming rapidly as Shin relentlessly cut through its vital points.

Finally, with a loud THUD, the colossal creature slumped and crashed onto the cavern floor, utterly defeated.