25 Chapter 24

"This one tastes impeccable as well." The Guild Master commented as he put his fork down. He looked at Nex with a mix of veneration and wonderment.

"You actually managed to hunt 10 Elite Bosses in less than a day. Not only that, but you also made a perfect dish out of each and every one of them. Tell me the truth; are you really just an Explorer?"

To this, Nex only smiled with a shrug of his shoulders. "Of course I am. The fact that I am an Explorer doesn't mean I can't fight and cook well, is it?"

Facing such an answer, the Guild Master understood that he should no longer think of this guy, in front of him, as a normal person or else his world view will be in danger.

"Never mind, forget that I asked. Anyway, since we both know the result of this mission, let's just finish this quickly. Bring me your last dish."

"I was waiting for you to say that." He brought out a large pot from his inventory while explaining, "Since the main ingredient of this dish is a little big, I made a large amount of it so that everybody could get a taste."

He placed the pot on the table and opened it.

"Enjoy."

Immediately, a mesmerizing scent of cooked meat rose from the open pot and attracted all people around.

"What is this smell? How can it be so… appetizing?"

"It smells so good that my mouth is drooling already."

"I wonder what kind of meat was used to make this dish."

Contrary to the other Cooks who were oblivious to the origins of the meat, the Guild Master knew very well what kind of meat can emit this particular scent.

"Y-you hunted a Dragon-Kin."

"Yes. Although it was just an Earth Drake, its meat should be enough for the quest, right?"

Thus, the Guild Master exploded.

"Just an Earth Drake?!" He almost choked Nex at the latter's nonchalance.

"Do you know how hard it is for someone in his First Awakening to defeat "just an earth drake" that you can say it so casually?"

"Hmm…" To this question, Nex pondered deeply and with confidence he answered…

"…Like sleeping with a virgin Elf."

"You little…!"

"Ahhh! Not the face!"

♦♦♦

Leaving the Cooks Guild, Nex looked at his status screen with a bruised face yet, a bright smile.

[Congratulations! You have acquired the Mystic Gourmet Profession!]

[You received the skill [Magical Cooking]!]

[You received the skill [Magical Ingredients Processing]!]

[Magical Cooking : Any food that you make will have a better taste. If the ingredients' rank is high enough, there is a chance for the food to have special effects. In addition, by using mana while cooking, the cooking time will be greatly reduced and the dish will be made according to the Cook's preference, provided, the user's proficiency is high enough.]

[Magical Ingredients Processing : By using mana, you can process the ingredients speedily and more accurately. If the user is proficient enough, the ingredients' quality will be slightly raised.]

"Yes! Finally! This is what I had expected from a Profession in this game."

After all the crap he had to go through, he finally got his Profession. If before, he had some doubts as to why would he even need a Profession if he could cook without it. It just seemed like an unnecessary chore. Now, they had all completely vanished.

Although he hadn't tested it yet, just looking at his new skills, it could be seen that the difference in ability and versatility of having and not having a Profession is immense.

"It seems that this crappy Profession Quest wasn't so crappy after all." He said to himself in glee.

Not only did he get an amazing Profession, he also gathered a lot of equipment for Jane and Eddie. He even found for himself a few things that attracted his eyes.

[Earth Drake Adept Earring(Unique - Higher) LV : 20]

*All Stats +28

*Mana +40

*Vitality +20

*+5% to all stats when fighting against Dragon-Kin

*Earth Manipulation : By consuming mana, the user can control the ground in his surroundings. The power and stability of the skill will be determined by the amount of mana and the user's mana control (Mana Affinity skill for players of non-Master mode).

[Draconic Earth Battle Robe(Unique - Higher) LV : 20]

*PHY Def : 220

*MAG Def : 220

*+5% to all stats when fighting against Dragon-Kin

*Dragon Fear : By using mana, Dragon Fear aura will be emanated from the wearer and will cause intimidation and lower opponent's stats by 10% if they are normal monsters and 5% if they are bosses. Applicable only to non-Dragon-Kin creatures that are Lord Rank and below with no more than 5 levels above the user and isn't above Second Awakening.

*Durability : 600/600

The earring is perfect for him as it mainly added just the stats that he needed right now which were strength and mana. As for the robe, it's also quite good. Aside from the skill it had, it also has high amount of defence stats and durability.

Furthermore, it is made from black-red material that was elastic yet durable and more importantly, it doesn't stand out at all. It looked like a simple battle robe that trainees and beginners usually use. This fact made Nex very relieved as his trainee clothes were on the verge of becoming rags.

'Well, now that I have a Profession, it's time for the next stage… Going on an adventure!' He decided when he suddenly remembered something.

'Oh wait. Now that I think about it, I can go register with the recommendation letter that dude from the hunting shop gave me at the Adventures Guild. I should find there a suitable mission to do while I'm on adventure.'

And with that idea, Nex set his way towards the Adventures Guild.

After a few minutes, he found himself in front of a not-so-big yet, very imposing building with an equally imposing sign right above its entrance : Adventures Guild.

Nex stared at the sign before moving his gaze towards the City Hall that was on the other side of the street. 'To be located so close to where the mayor is. It seems that what the girl in the hunting shop said is not so ridiculous at all.'

And with those thoughts, Nex entered the building. He went straight to where a cute receptionist was. The latter welcomed him with a sugary smile.

"Welcome! Are you here to make a request for a mission?" The young girl asked while her eyes roamed all over him slowly.

It started from his bruised face down to his simple-looking clothes and further down to the [BloodTooth BattleBoots] on his feet which were low-key as well. Her eyes travelled slowly back to his eyes while she thought of something.

"Do note that we don't accept request to harm other civilians unless they are criminals."

Hearing her words, Nex touched his face with a wry smile before handing her the recommendation letter.

"Actually, I am here to register."

"Oh? Is that right? I am very sorry." The young girl bowed slightly, her cheeks flushing a little. Then she took the letter and opened it. After a moment, her cry of surprise echoed.

"What?! From Mister Armstrong!"

She then looked at him in a gaze completely filled with shock and admiration. She just needs to confirm. "You received a recommendation from Mister Armstrong?!"

"Is that his name?" Nex nodded, "Yeah. He gave me a quick test and then gave me this letter."

"You passed the test that he gave you?!" The shock in the girl's eyes deepened and then she pulled on his hand without asking permission. "Come with me! The Guild Master said that anyone that is recommended by Mister Armstrong has to meet him before registering!"

'Is there a Guild Master I won't have to meet every time I enter a guild?' He thought mockingly as he was semi-forcefully pulled by the hand.

Soon enough, his thoughts had gone in another direction as he tried to move his hand. 'This girl… She is strong. It seems she's at level 33-42 which is at least mid-Second Awakening. To have someone as young with this kind of strength, serve as their receptionist, this guild is indeed a little interesting.'

In a short amount of time, Nex found himself barging into an office with the young girl. There, sat in front of a large desk is a middle-aged man in his fifties. He began his litany of sermons at once, without giving the girl a chance to open her mouth.

"Stacey! How many times do I have to tell you not to enter my office like this!"

But the girl was too excited and ignored his yelling. She handed the letter and spoke to him without being perturbed.

"Guild Master! This man has Mister Armstrong's recommendation!"

"What?!" The Guild Master's eyes widened as he took the letter from the girl's hand. After reading it thoroughly, he looked at Nex with a penetrating gaze.

"Tell me, boy. How did you get this?"

Nex who has just managed to extricate himself from the girl's grip just shrugged. "I don't know? Guess I am just talented."

The Guild Master, who had experienced enough throughout his life, narrowed his eyes, "Oh? Is that right? Just because of talent?"

In the next moment, the Guild Master suddenly vanished from where he was and appeared immediately in front of Nex, slashing a sword at the younger man.

'x2[Advanced Enchantment]'

For this abrupt offense, Nex seems to have already been prepared. He pulled both his wooden sword and [Fallen Hero Sword] out, one for each hand. He then slashed them in a certain direction separately. When the Master arrived in front of him, the wooden one parried the Guild Master's sword and the other one is right at the Master's neck.

*Clang!*

*Bang!*

"Kyaa!"

The next scene happened because Nex moved his [Fallen Hero Sword] first, that it was about to touch the Guild Master's neck. But because of the difference in power, the older one became aware of it. With a snort, he added power to his sword. So when the moment it met with the wooden one, the force blasted Nex to the wall with a loud noise, scaring the receptionist out of her wits.

The Guild Master stared at Nex, who was standing back up while giving a stare back at him with a smirk. The young man was sheathing his swords already when he suddenly felt an itchy sensation on his neck. Touching there, he felt a small scratch where Nex almost hit.

"Oh yeah, I also did that."

He gave Nex a probing stare, especially that tattoo on the other's hand. The Guild Master sighed in resignation. "Stacey, go register Nex as a First Awakening Master and introduce him to the place."

The shocked girl, who has just finished recovering from what she had just witnessed, entered a shocked state once again.

"What? Guild Master, are you sure? He isn't even a mid---"

"Enough! That is my decision. Now go away." The middle-aged man stopped her complaints with a stern voice.

Understanding that she shouldn't ask questions now, Stacey reluctantly went back while taking Nex with her.

She then showed him the various facilities and areas of the Guild. From the mission board to the training area that is located underground. It didn't take long for them to cover the entire place.

At the end of the tour, Stacey gave him a blue badge with a single silver star inscribed on it. Once he dropped his blood on it, it showed him a message.

[Adventurer Guild Badge]

[Rank : First Awakening Master]

"The badge will serve as your identification for the Adventures Guild." Stacey explained. "The number of stars signifies your awakening while their color signifies your rank. Each Awakening has different ranks except the two at the top --- Master and Paragon has silver and gold respectively. These ranks are only given to those who went beyond limits of normal people and are considered the strongest in their level."

She then looked at Nex with admiration, "And now, you are one of those people. You should be proud of yourself."

"Thank you." Nex smiled and put the badge on. He then asked Stacey the most important question.

"This means that I can now take a mission, right?"