17 – Making It Together – 3

Where did Gi-jun’s Light Mana and Spiritual Power originate from?

Needless to say, it was his contracted spirit, Lucy.

If he could not find the answer in battles utilizing Spirit Arts, it was a natural choice to focus on the spirit herself for the growth of his skills and stats.

—Hehe, it’s a bit embarrassing.

“It’s for all of us, so let’s do our best together.”

—Hup, I understand, Contractor! Let’s do our best together!

“…….”

The Demon King watched sullenly as Gi-jun and Lucy stood facing each other like that.

The Demon King was plagued by a reasonable suspicion—specifically, that Lucy was refusing to tell him how to reach the next grade because she wanted to keep being lovey-dovey with Gi-jun.

After all, Lucy was clearly a high-ranking spirit who had lived for a long time; no matter how long she had been sealed, could she really have forgotten the method for her contractor’s growth?

‘Although it is indeed better to realize it on one’s own rather than being taught directly.’

But if that dragged on for too long, it would be troublesome for the Demon King as well.

It was absolutely, definitely not because she was jealous of the Hero focusing only on the spirit.

It was simply because there would be no one left to play with her.

And it was also troublesome if mealtime was delayed.

Because the meals made by the Hero were delicious…

Therefore, she would find the right time to separate the two and force the spirit to spit out the growth method even if she had to threaten her—just as she was thinking this and turning her gaze,

she saw Gi-jun and Lucy suddenly stand up.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“It’s time for our morning run. Let’s go, Lucy!”

—Understood! I will run diligently today too!

Even if a spirit ran, she would only flail around in midair anyway, so what did she mean by that?

The Demon King watched the two of them with an endlessly twisted gaze.

Of course, since she had no Spiritual Power and was not the contractor, the Demon King could not clearly perceive Lucy’s appearance, but perhaps it was just her imagination, it felt as though she was grinning widely.

“What Spirit of Light? More like a devious spirit…”

An impulse to intervene and disrupt their run welled up, but she suppressed it for the sake of the dignity she had maintained in front of the Hero so far.

In reality, that dignity had long since vanished, but the Demon King was unaware of it.

“Phew. Good work, Lucy. Next is breakfast time.”

—Understood! I’ll be watching closely!

That was something she did all the time anyway.

Even though she had been staring like a glutton.

The Demon King felt dumbfounded inside as she recalled Lucy’s usual behavior, completely ignoring the fact that she was exactly the same.

“Since Lucy is watching over me, it feels like the cooking is going better.”

—Oh my, Contractor, really…!

“See, see, I can’t see! (I’ve let it slide, but I can’t watch this any longer!)”

The Demon King jumped up from her seat.

She was determined to settle things with that spirit today.

She would crush that ridiculous pseudo-romance with the iron fist of justice and make the spirit confess the growth method right away!

However, the phenomenon that occurred in the next moment made the Demon King sit back down in her seat.

When Lucy reached out her hand and focused on the dish nearing completion, light was seen dwelling within it.

“No, why is this…”

It couldn’t be real, could it…?

It was probably just a lighting effect; surely nothing had actually changed.

Believing so, the Demon King waited for the dish to be completed, but the finished golden fried rice definitely tasted far more ecstatic than before.

It even came with an addictive taste that made her heart tingle and tug.

“What is this? It’s delicious…”

Gi-jun and Lucy, who tilted their heads at the Demon King’s reaction and tasted the fried rice, burst into exclamations of admiration one after another.

“It really is way more delicious? It seems Lucy’s spell had an effect.”

—Really! As expected, our contract must have been destiny!

“Cut the nonsense… Hero.”

The Demon King said as she got her golden fried rice refilled without missing a beat.

When Gi-jun, who served her a high-heaped bowl and handed it over, asked for the reason with his eyes, she stated simply.

“You, keep cooking only today.”

“Huh?”

“Since that spirit used her power, the food became more delicious. Don’t you know this is a precursor to skill growth?”

“Of the Cooking skill?”

“Of the Spirit Arts skill too.”

She nodded firmly once more at Gi-jun, who silently asked if it was true with his eyes.

“If possible, do it just like when you fight with Spirit Arts. While also drawing up your Light Mana.”

“Is this that so-called combat cooking or whatever…”

Of course, since his Boomerang Throw had once evolved into Flash Throw under the influence of the Spirit Arts skill and Light Mana, it was not entirely unbelievable.

Still, to think it was cooking.

Gi-jun was skeptical, but since nothing had ever gone wrong by listening to the Demon King, he nodded for now.

“Then Lucy, here I go!”

—Understood, Contractor! Now that it has come to this, I won’t spare my strength either!

He lit the fire and placed the pan on.

Since he could take out and eat the completed dishes anytime as long as he placed them on clean plates and stored them in his inventory, there was no need to distinguish between different types of food.

If so, the very first dish he had to make was, indeed, High Orc pork belly—!

—Become delicious!

“Become delicious!”

The two grilled the pork belly while crying out in a truly combat-like manner.

Anyone watching from the side might have wondered what on earth they were doing, but even the only being who could stop them, the Demon King, was merely watching them with a serious expression.

The crowning touch was the pork belly, which was grilled deliciously while constantly emitting a bright light!

“What on earth is going on here…”

Thus, only the fairy, who had dropped by after a long time to report on the progress of the tutorial’s second round and to check the bug’s survival, felt alienated from them and could only stare at the scene in dazed astonishment.

“Oh, you’re here?”

The Demon King, who was watching seriously with an expression like a judge at a cooking contest, raised her hand to welcome the fairy.

She then gestured toward the plate containing the pork belly that had just been grilled and sliced, offering it.

“Do you want to try some? It’s incredibly delicious.”

“Eh? You want me to eat the food made by that bug… the Earth Hero?”

“Hey, Demon King. I didn’t grill this meat for that fellow to eat.”

He had grilled it with all his heart, naturally expecting the Demon King to taste it, so she was feeding it to that moth bastard?

To Gi-jun, who was extremely angry, the Demon King spoke coldly.

“Hero, you have only made food with too narrow a scope until now. Food that is delicious no matter who eats it, not just a specific someone. Shouldn’t a true chef aim for that?”

“But I’m not a chef!”

“At least right now, when you’re trying to grow your skill, shouldn’t you approach it with the mindset of a true chef!”

“Ugh, it sounds like nonsense, but it makes sense…!”

The Hero, logically defeated by the Demon King’s scolding, spoke to the fairy with a humiliated expression.

“Eat, moth… Dip it in the soy sauce and eat it…”

“Hmph, even if you don’t say that, I’ll eat it myself. Even so, for a Hero who hasn’t even escaped the tutorial to grill meat with limited ingredients… Ah…”

And the rest of the words did not follow.

This was because the fairy, deeply moved by the texture of the perfectly grilled pork belly and the deep flavor of the soy sauce that prevented it from being greasy, began to savor it, finding it a waste even to speak.

The Demon King, who had intended to let the fairy taste just one piece and eat the rest herself, glared as she watched the moth bastard devour the pork belly in an instant, but the moth was already paying her no attention.

“This is not at the level of a tutorial? At least Rare grade! It’s a Rare-grade Cooking skill!”

“So a Rare-grade Cooking skill does exist.”

“Though it’s incredibly rare! Does this even make sense?”

As the moth bastard, who usually snorted and claimed that the Heroes only suffered because they were weak instead of panic-stricken no matter what crisis they faced, widened his eyes in admiration over a single dish, Gi-jun also felt a bit strange as he witnessed it.

The fact that it was not such a bad feeling was the strangest part.

“I, I must try more. I can’t know for sure with just one taste!”

“…Wait. I’ll make you another dish. Ready, Lucy?”

—Of course, Contractor!

Since it was for the growth of his Cooking skill, just this once.

Yes, just this once.

While Gi-jun focused on cooking again, the moth spoke to the Demon King with a slightly serious expression.

“Hero, this is indeed really delicious. It’s so amazing that he wouldn’t have to worry about starving to death even in Leta, but this…”

“I know, shut up.”

“Even so, Hero. The Hero…”

“It’s a relief, isn’t it?”

The Demon King smiled gently as she watched Gi-jun carefully boiling the noodles.

“That his possibilities have increased even a little bit.”

Two hours later.

Gi-jun, who had sacrificed the stomach health of the Demon King and the fairy after making various dishes, finally realized how to unite his Light Mana and Lucy’s spirit power to create a more perfect dish.

It would probably have been the same even if he did something else instead of cooking.

“Lucy.”

—Contractor…!

He felt warm intentions passing back and forth without even having to exchange words.

It was not just that they could use telepathy, but they would also be able to draw out power and fight much faster during battle.

How nice would it have been if he had realized this during battle… but perhaps, to increase the communion between a contractor and a spirit who had reached their limits, what they needed was not a destructive act like combat, but something they could devote themselves to with mutual sincerity and dedication.

He suddenly had such a thought after his realization.

Immediately afterward, a torrent of system messages flooded in.

—The Uncommon-grade [Cooking] skill, influenced by Light Spirit Arts, grows into the Rare-grade skill [Cooking of Light]! An energy that boosts life, an energy that decorates more beautifully! Dishes containing light will boost the eater’s vitality, make them not tire easily, and give them the courage to face evil!

—The Rare-grade [Light Spirit Arts] skill, through the realization of uniting mana and spirit power, grows into the Unique grade! You will be able to draw out the spirit’s power more efficiently, and your recovery and attack abilities using the Spirit of Light will grow!

—A positive correction is given to the Rare-grade title [Skill Creator] for creating a new skill.

—You have acquired the qualification for the new class ‘Spirit Chef’. This class is of Rare grade. Would you like to change classes?

—The Uncommon-grade [Cooking] skill, influenced by Light Spirit Arts, grows into the Rare-grade skill [Cooking of Light]! An energy that boosts life, an energy that decorates more beautifully! Dishes containing light will boost the eater’s vitality, make them not tire easily, and give them the courage to face evil!

—The Rare-grade [Light Spirit Arts] skill, through the realization of uniting mana and spirit power, grows into the Unique grade! You will be able to draw out the spirit’s power more efficiently, and your recovery and attack abilities using the Spirit of Light will grow!

—A positive correction is given to the Rare-grade title [Skill Creator] for creating a new skill.

—You have acquired the qualification for the new class ‘Spirit Chef’. This class is of Rare grade. Would you like to change classes?

Along with the hollow realization that this actually worked, as he rejected the class change to Spirit Chef at the speed of light, he felt a more fundamental change occurring within his body.

It was something he had felt once before.

The rank of his stats was growing.

—Having succeeded in approaching closer to the light, you draw out the potential inherent within you. The Light Mana (Uc) stat transcends its limit and grows to Rare grade! Light Mana (R) has become 1.

—Due to the union with the spirit, the massive spiritual power within you finally begins to stir. The Spiritual Power (R) stat transcends its limit and grows to Unique grade! Spiritual Power (U) has become 1.

—Sometimes your fatal charm becomes poison, but those who are intoxicated by you will willingly swallow even that poison. The Charm (Uc) stat transcends its limit and grows to Rare grade! Charm (R) has become 1.

—Having succeeded in approaching closer to the light, you draw out the potential inherent within you. The Light Mana (Uc) stat transcends its limit and grows to Rare grade! Light Mana (R) has become 1.

—Due to the union with the spirit, the massive spiritual power within you finally begins to stir. The Spiritual Power (R) stat transcends its limit and grows to Unique grade! Spiritual Power (U) has become 1.

—Sometimes your fatal charm becomes poison, but those who are intoxicated by you will willingly swallow even that poison. The Charm (Uc) stat transcends its limit and grows to Rare grade! Charm (R) has become 1.

No, wait a minute.

It seemed like a strange one had sneaked into the end.

“What poison all of a sudden…?”

In any case, he could not understand the reason this Charm stat kept growing, from its initial Common grade to its current Rare grade.

Besides, a fatal charm on Gi-jun himself; if he said such a thing to those who knew him on Earth, he might end up receiving a fatal blow.

“Good work, Hero.”

However, even those questions vanished completely as he looked at the Demon King, who was staring at him with a grin.

The moth had already returned, but perhaps as payment for the food, a pile of ingredients was seen stacked on one side.

“I heard some news about the second round. I heard everyone is running hard?”

“What made that moth provide such a service?”

“They say your party members are especially amazing. They are growing at the speed of light, taking only what they need, so if things go well, not only stat grade-ups but even race grade-ups might be possible.”

“…Right, that’s a relief.”

For a moment, the thought ‘Aren’t they startled because I’m not there?’ crossed his mind, but he calmed his worries at the news that they were doing well.

If they were to forget him… of course, he would feel a bit sad, but it would be better for him to be a little sad than for them to worry about him in vain.

“They say they are searching for you desperately.”

Even those thoughts faded away at the words the Demon King threw out in the next moment.

For a moment, he felt happy, but then—

immediately afterward, a surge of self-loathing welled up for having such thoughts.

As he frowned with a complicated heart, the Demon King smiled as if she understood.

“Human hearts aren’t easy. Still, they say they are replacing their feelings for you with fighting spirit and working hard, so everyone should be able to finish the tutorial well.”

“Yeah, I suppose so.”

“Ah, it’s not that the fairy is intentionally keeping quiet about you. Talking about the outside during the tutorial is strictly forbidden.”

“I didn’t expect anything from that fairy anyway.”

“Instead.”

Having approached him before he knew it, the Demon King reached out and smoothed the wrinkles on Gi-jun’s forehead as she spoke.

“Today’s cooking must have been so delicious. He said he would at least convey that you are alive and well, within the limits of not violating the rules.”

“…Is that so?”

Seeing Gi-jun’s complicated face, the Demon King smiled mischievously.

Lucy rushed to separate the Demon King from Gi-jun, but because Gi-jun’s Spiritual Power and Spirit Arts grades had grown to Unique, making her clearly visible to others, she ended up caught in the Demon King’s hand in a single blow.

—Gyaaa! What do you think you are doing, you demon!

“How is it? Cooking for others isn’t so bad either, is it?”

“Well… yeah, maybe it isn’t.”

Gi-jun still had a complicated face, but he nodded obediently.

And he added,

“Then, let’s sleep for just one night and head straight back to the ruins. Since I’ve grown everything that needs to be grown.”

“Ah.”

—Ah.

Only then did the Demon King and Lucy wear expressions of realization, but there was no way to turn back.

Who could have known that he would complete the grade-up in just one day!

And that night.

—Roses possess a charm that makes even those pricked by their thorns return to them. You, too, have now become a single rose. Charm (R) increased by 1.

—Roses possess a charm that makes even those pricked by their thorns return to them. You, too, have now become a single rose. Charm (R) increased by 1.

No, so what on earth was this supposed to mean.