The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 133

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 133
Chapter 133
The next day.
“Impressive. You’ve made an entire fortress look brand new all by yourself.”
Completely repaired.
No—the barriers of the Red Beast Fortress had become even thicker and more resilient than before.
All the equipment the soldiers had used, including defensive weapons, had been repaired, and consumables like arrows and ammunition had been further enhanced through enchantment magic.
On top of that, I’d even crafted potions by selecting materials suitable for alchemy.
The Red Beast Fortress now existed in a state where everything except the people themselves was brand new.
“Without proper preparation, it will be difficult to hold the line.”
“The soldiers now seem to believe that as long as you’re here, Mir, they could hold off even a dragon.”
“Perhaps a monster as powerful as a dragon might actually appear.”
“You joke heavily.”
It was no joke.
If the Red Beast God itself were to appear directly, not just the beasts.
Though I wouldn’t have enough time to unleash its full power, I might face an enemy so formidable it would evoke thoughts of a dragon.
Well, the optimal scenario would be to eliminate all the beasts here and then seek out the Red Beast God separately to conquer it myself.
But for now, I focused on the task at hand.
– Using skill ‘Cooking’.
An enormously large cauldron existed within the Red Beast Fortress.
I tossed various ingredients into that cauldron.
Honestly, I’d never been particularly fond of cooking, and even back in First, I’d neglected the Cooking skill.
‘Isn’t it similar to alchemy?’
As the saying goes—when one reaches the pinnacle in a single field, insight into other fields naturally increases, does it not?
Indeed, I’d become accustomed to the production system itself through using various production skills.
First.
‘Start by cutting the ingredients.’
– Using skill ‘Power Strike’.
Slice!
I severed a large piece of meat in a single strike.
Tap-tap-tap!
Then I used swordplay to cut it into uniform pieces.
– Using 1st Circle water magic ‘Aqua’.
After filling it with water using Aqua magic.
– Using 1st Circle fire magic ‘Fire’.
I ignited it with Fire magic.
Then, just as I would with alchemy, I carefully adjusted the seasonings to the gram, adding them in the proper order and timing according to the recipe.
After that, it became truly similar to alchemy.
I simply had to stir the ingredients so they wouldn’t burn and simmer them at the recipe’s specified temperature for the recipe’s specified duration.
“Are you cooking right now, or are you doing alchemy?”
“From what I can tell, alchemy seems like the better fit.”
“But why suddenly offer to cook for us?”
“Even when we tried to stop you, you insisted on doing it yourself and grabbed the cooking pot.”
That’s right.
I didn’t strictly need to cook, but I pushed myself on them, half-forcing the matter.
Why?
Simply because I wanted to.
I wanted to test out a cooking skill at level 36, which was synchronized with my Oil Mastery skill level.
Bubble, bubble—
Today’s dish simmering deliciously.
Following the recipe perfectly, it was nearly complete.
‘It really is similar to alchemy. Could I actually apply alchemy to this?’
That thought occurred to me.
When you eat a well-made dish, you gain buff effects for a certain duration—your stats and attack power increase.
With a cooking skill at level 36, the buff effects would be quite substantial.
But what if I added alchemy effects on top of that?
Surely something extraordinary would be created?
Thinking that way,
‘Alright, let’s do it.’
I began earnestly infusing alchemy into the dish.
For the prolonged battle ahead, I added reagents and materials focused on stamina.
Carefully, so they wouldn’t clash with the food’s nutritional properties.
“Is that really cooking?”
“I’m not joking—it actually looks like alchemy now…”
This will work.
I’m already filled with anticipation.
A collaboration between cooking and alchemy!
Wasn’t this the moment a masterpiece was being born?
Food buffs can stack with potion effects, so this would allow me to raise my stats by an enormous amount.
Since all the materials I’m using are stamina-related, if I drink potions alongside this and fight, couldn’t I battle all day long?
Thinking that way, I stirred the ladle excitedly.
[ Your first cooking has succeeded. ]
[ Verdict: Critical Success ]
[ Twisted Stew of the Yellow Springs ]
Form: Food
Grade: Unique
Restrictions: —
Description: An ultra-high-efficiency nutritional supply created by chef Mir through meticulous refinement by applying alchemy to cooking.
The dish was complete.
‘As expected!’
Look at this.
I didn’t even use particularly exceptional ingredients, yet I’ve created a Unique-grade dish.
The item name was a bit odd, but what does a name matter?
A dish only needs good buff effects.
“Come now, everyone gather around and take your portions.”
It was rather sudden, admittedly.
Thus my first cooking tasting event commenced.
* * *
“Meal time!”
Meal time.
The most anticipated moment for the soldiers of the Red Beast Fortress.
In the relentless cycle of battling beasts, maintaining weapons, and repairing facilities, meal time was the most joyful and peaceful respite.
Particularly, the Red Beast Fortress’s cook was quite skilled.
With only the meat from beasts hunted in the surrounding area, he always prepared delicious meals, so anticipation was natural.
“Is it true that the Sage prepared the meal himself today?”
“Why would the Sage cook personally?”
“He must be quite confident in his skills!”
“Indeed, there’d be no reason for him to cook otherwise.”
“To taste a dish made by the great Sage himself. What fortune!”
The soldiers eagerly approached the enormous pot with their trays.
Yet something was amiss.
The expressions of those who had received their portions first were decidedly grim.
These were men who normally rushed to their seats with excitement the moment they received food, utensils clattering.
How could they wear such faces before the Sage after receiving their meal?
Thinking it irreverent, the moment I received my portion.
[ Twisted Underworld Meat Stew ]
Plop.
“….”
Now they understood the expressions of those who had gone before them.
“W-what is this?”
The color alone was not that of a golden-brown meat stew.
A deep, dark hue as though it contained the very darkness of the underworld itself.
The surface bore a rough, irregular texture, with meat that had dissolved into a mushy consistency floating about.
Far from stimulating appetite, its appearance inspired doubt as to whether it was even edible.
“Something seems wrong with this….”
“It has been properly distributed.”
“….”
At the Supply Officer’s resolute tone, they reluctantly took their trays and sat down.
Glancing around, the other soldiers bore similar expressions.
All of them hesitated, wondering if they should eat this, not yet having taken a single spoonful.
I observed the soldiers’ reactions.
“Everyone, listen up! This meal was prepared by Mir, our Sub-marquis! Not a single drop is to be wasted—swallow every last bit!”
“B-but….”
“Eating is part of combat! Anyone who leaves even a morsel will face severe punishment!”
“Ugh….”
There was no way around it now.
The soldiers squeezed their eyes shut and picked up their spoons.
The ‘Twisted Underworld Meat Stew’ looked rather thick and murky.
Despite its appearance, I’d convinced myself the taste would be acceptable, and brought a spoonful to my lips.
“Slurp.”
The strange and complex flavor that bloomed across my tongue was—
Thud.
The soldiers began losing consciousness and collapsing one after another.
Of course.
“I’ll say it once more! Anyone who leaves even a drop will face severe punishment!”
They had no choice but to empty their bowls completely within moments.
* * *
After finishing the distribution.
I sampled a spoonful of the meat stew myself.
The taste was—
“Better than I expected?”
Not bad at all.
It wasn’t the typical flavor or texture one would associate with meat stew, but it was perfectly edible.
Most importantly, this stew’s true strength was—
[ You have consumed ‘Twisted Underworld Meat Stew’. ]
[ Satiety has increased significantly. ]
[ Total stamina has increased substantially. ]
[ Stamina recovery speed has increased substantially. ]
….
“This is it.”
The buff effects.
The alchemy had been applied correctly, and the stamina-related buffs had manifested exactly as I’d anticipated.
With this, the soldiers would fight far more effectively.
“Luke, you eat some too.”
– No, sir. How could I consume food you’ve prepared for the fortress’s increased combat strength?
“It’s fine. I made plenty.”
– No, sir. Since I cannot receive the ‘buff effects’ you speak of, I cannot waste such precious food meaninglessly.
“I’m telling you it’s really fine?”
– It really is not….
Luke, unusually reserved, was not displaying his typical appetite.
Looking around, I noticed that the Supply Officer and other senior Sub-officers seemed equally hesitant about eating.
“What are you doing?”
“W-well, Marquis. You see, haha. We simply don’t have much appetite today….”
“As you yourselves said, eating is also part of combat. Since Mir prepared this meal with his own hands, finish every last drop and leave your bowls spotless.”
“Yes….”
The Marquis personally stepped forward to encourage them to eat.
“Marquis, aren’t you eating?”
“…I’ve already eaten.”
With that, I had completed all the preparations I could make.
Now only one task remained.
Waiting.
“Do you really think they’ll come?”
“Of course.”
“Then….”
The Marquis paused for a moment before continuing.
“Do you truly believe the Red Beast Fortress exists?”
The Marquis believed my words, yet he harbored doubts about the Red Beast Fortress’s actual existence.
The legend of the Red Beast Fortress had been passed down through generations of the Lionheart Family, but it remained merely a legend.
At least the Orc Lord’s existence appeared in historical records.
The Red Beast Fortress legend was something far beyond that—practically mythology itself.
However, to his question, I
“Yes. I’m even more certain of it than the large-scale assault happening today.”
nodded calmly.
Beasts dyed crimson.
Stronger than before, more numerous, and ceasing their mutual conflicts as though receiving commands from someone—these beasts bore unmistakable signs.
This alone confirmed the emergence of the Red Beast God.
Whether that Red Beast God would reveal itself during this attack remained uncertain.
Just as the Marquis, his expression grave, was about to speak,
Clang, clang, clang!
The sound of bells rang out from atop the walls.
The meaning of that sound was unmistakable.
“Battle stations!”
The beasts were attacking.
The soldiers of the Red Beast Fortress moved with perfect coordination, rushing to their positions.
The Lionheart Marquis and I urgently rose from our seats and climbed the wall’s stairs.
Upon reaching the top of the wall, not only the soldiers but also the Sub-officers from the War Room who had doubted my words stood transfixed, staring beyond the barrier.
And with good reason.
“What in the….”
Beyond the walls came a staggering horde of beasts—a number the Red Beast Fortress had never witnessed in all its years of defense.
The sheer multitude was such that the Ruined Plains seemed to ripple in real-time with crimson as the beast procession advanced.
“Luke, are you ready?”
– Of course, sir.
The true battle for the Red Beast Fortress had begun.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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