“Your steamed Stalker Aquaclaw is ready! Please enjoy.” The dignified chef stated. In the next moment, he lowered down a tray piled high with strips of stalker meat. Each strip had a reddened exterior, with the interior bursting with soft white stalker meat. The mountain of meat reached up to their heads in height and seemed nearly insurmountable, and at its base were five bowls of golden sauce flaked with herbs.

  This was an item made by a person with a class, so it was safe to assume that there would be some sort of description. Curious, Lukey used [Insight] on the pile of food.

  “I’ve cut it into strips for easier consumption; also, I’ve made some herb butter sauce for you to enjoy with the stalker. I hope you find it to your…”

  “MINE!” Caldoon said, before grabbing two strips and spearing them through the sauce.

  “Hey, what’s the rush!” Adran cried. “It’s not like the meat is going anywhere!”

  However, the meat was, in fact, going somewhere: Caldoon’s stomach. The strips of stalker were vanishing through his mouth as fast as he could grab them, and one look to the side showed that Triton was following suit. Lukey only stared in amazement as he watched the two warriors tackle the mountain with terrifying ferocity. As it turned out, having a high-level body also required consuming high levels of food.

  “Gimme!” Lukey cried, coveting one of the strips of meat. He dipped it in the sauce and then took a bite out of the tip. All at once, a burst of flavor erupted from the stalker and flooded Lukey’s mouth. First came the tanginess of the butter, which mingled with the mellow scent of herbs and the sharp taste of garlic. These flavors only coated the true depth of the stalker, however, as the subtle sweetness of the stalker was followed up with the brininess of the sea.

  The texture was something out of this world. Lukey knew from when he fought the stalker how soft its muscles were, but it was a different experience entirely having it in his mouth. The stalker had a perfect amount of give to it; it was not so soft that it broke apart in his mouth, but it was not so tough that it was difficult to chew. It was like tearing away a piece of thick cloud, and he didn’t want it to stop!

  “It’s so good!” Lukey cried with joy. “You two need to try it. C’mon!”

  Shortly after recovering from their shock, Saphina and Adran managed to follow suit. They shared looks of joy on their faces as they bit down and soon began to tear away at the pile of stalker meat in earnest. The tower of meat gradually disappeared as everyone present took turns stealing strips to shove into their mouths.

  With the all-out assault on the mountain of stalker meat, it didn’t take long for all of it to disappear within a matter of minutes. Thoroughly exhausted from the battle, everyone slumped back into their chairs and stared up at the ceiling in post-consumption bliss. Lukey found himself doing the same, sitting back and enjoying the feeling of a full stomach.

  That was when he realized something strange.

  My body… It’s… fine?

  Today, Lukey passed out after defeating a stalker, got beat up by his mother and Triton, and then was dragged into searching through the Conqueror’s ships for loot. He should’ve felt beaten and exhausted, and up until the stalker was, he did. Yet now he felt like he could do another run through the labyrinth.

  “Hey, does anyone else feel energized right now?” Lukey asked. Everyone at the table gave a look of confusion before their eyes gradually widened.

  “Hey…you’re right. I feel great!” Saphina cheered.

  “You know, now that you mention it, I was pretty tired after fighting off all those ships. Now, after eating, I feel like I could fight a fleet twice their size.” Caldoon observed. “Triton?”

  “The same.” He confirmed.

  “Well, I certainly hope you’re feeling better.” A voice chimed in from the side. “I brought out the properties of regeneration and energy boosting in the stalker meat while I was steaming it, so it should’ve helped you recover nicely.”

  The voice, once again, belonged to the mysterious chef; he bowed deeply as everyone looked in his direction with surprise for the umpteenth time today.

  Dammit. With the way this guy moves, you need to put a bell on him. How does he keep sneaking up without us realizing it?

  Curious, Lukey used [Insight] to identify the man.

  [??? (Master of Heat) Lv. ???]

  “Speaking of which, I’ve heard there are certain achievements associated with eating certain foods.” The chef elaborated. “If you can, please look at your titles and see if there’s anything new.”

  Lukey was confused, but he did as the polite man asked as he began using [Insight] to check his titles. Sure enough, there was an achievement for eating the stalker.

  Lukey pulled his gaze back to the world around him, then described the new title to the chef, still in shock from this discovery. After hearing his response, Lukey noticed the chef’s smile get an inch wider before bending upwards and turning away to serve the other table.

  “Wait!” Caldoon yelled, leaping from his chair. “How is this possible? I’ve never heard of food granting boosts to your health, much less granting titles!”

  The chef gave the outburst a side glance, then walked backwards and turned to face the emperor once more. As he did so, he wore a deadpan stare, which Lukey could make out even with the blindfold.

  “Have you never eaten anything made by a culinarian before?” the chef inquired.

  Caldoon looked at him in confusion, then slowly shook his head.

  “Well then, emperor,” the blindfolded man began. “While you’re here, allow me to explain my services.” Then, in one simple motion, he took one hand and raised it toward himself.

  “My name Kiran, and I possess the culinarian class,” Kiran said, introducing himself. “My arts allow me to cook things more efficiently than normal people, but in addition, I can also use aether to craft items not unlike what a blacksmith or a weaver does.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Use ether?” Lukey asked.

  “Yes!” Kiran confirmed. “Basically, it just means that I can bring out the ingredients’ natural qualities and pass that on to the person eating. For example, stalker meat has the properties of regeneration and energy boosting, which is standard among large beasts. By infusing the fire using my arts, I’m able to grant those traits onto you; keep in mind, though, it is only temporary.”

  Everyone around the table immediately looked down at the retired plate of stalker meat, then back at the culinarian with faces radiating astonishment.

  “But what about the title?” Saphina chimed in. “It certainly felt like a battle, wrestling the strips away from these guys, but I don’t think it was worth an achievement.”

  “That is because of the nature of your bodies and how the meat was prepared,” Kiran explained. “Sometimes with rare ingredients, instead of temporary boosts like the ones I just described, your bodies can absorb the aether and gain permanent traits, manifesting as achievements. Though, unlike the temporary boosts, once your body adapts, you can’t get it a second time.”

  “I’ve eaten food prepared by a culinarian, but I’ve never seen anything like you’re describing.” Caldoon stated, staring down the culinarian. “What makes you so special?”

  “Special? Me? Nonsense,” Kiran waved off. “All it takes is someone who knows what they’re doing. Besides, the stalker was killed in a way that kept the structure of the muscles intact, which helped to enhance the quality of the final product. The quality of the ingredients went a long way, so you should really be thanking the person that caught it.”

  Caldoon and Triton turned to Lukey, with the former slapping Lukey on the shoulder in congratulations.

  “Here that, Lukey! You did something stupid, and it paid off.” Caldoon cheered. “If only the rest of us could be so fortunate.”

  Lukey had nothing to say, so he settled for bashfully keeping his head low to avoid the attention he was receiving. He wasn’t used to all the attention, being someone who preferred to work alone, so he was at a loss for words as he gained looks of admiration from across the table. Lukey was so preoccupied with bearing with the attention, in fact, that he barely took notice of the pouch flying in his direction to catch it in time.

  “What’s this?” Lukey asked before opening the pouch and scanning its contents.

  “Payment for the ingredients,” Kiran stated. “You’ve provided me with enough meat to keep going for a while, assuming I can properly store it. I’ve already deducted the cost of the meal as well, so don’t worry about paying me.”

  So… so much…

  Lukey stared wide-eyed at the pouch in his lap. Within it were ten bronze coins, the equivalent of one thousand tin coins. This was ten times what Lukey had been given when just starting out! With this much, he could do whatever he wanted and not have to worry about money for a long time.

  “I’ll be relying on Ocean’s Bounty in the future to help me get ingredients, so I hope this will turn out to be a fruitful relationship.” Kiran stated. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must attend the other table. Please help yourself with the rum. After all, you already paid for the barrel.” Then he excused himself, striding over to Garrett’s table.

  “Well, you heard the man! Let’s polish off the barrel!” Caldoon shouted.

  …

  “Oooooww, my head,” Lukey groaned.

  He had drunk two glasses so far, and he was already at the limit of what his meager body could handle. Adran and Saphina had a few glasses, and they too were in a similar condition as they tried to stay focused through their drunken haze. By contrast, Caldoon and Triton were taking turns emptying the barrel, drinking straight from the casket.

  There was nothing left to do except wait, but with his hazy mind he didn’t have the same inhibitions as before. Thus, whenever a question from earlier popped up in his mind, he was inclined to ask.

  “Hey, Saphina,” Lukey asked. “Triton mentioned something earlier about sea serpents. Mind sharing with the rest of us?”

  “You really want to hear about it?” Saphina groaned, barely able to speak. “The Ryugu clan evolved from the Ryugu, a type of dragon serpent that lived in the sea hundreds of thousands of years ago. It’s a similar story with all the Zaurian clans, being evolved from monsters that achieved sentience, though not all of them have a draconic ancestor.”

  “Not anything special!” Triton exploded. “Do you have any idea how rare a draconic being is? They're even rarer than tyrants! The fact alone that you are descended from a dragon is impressive.”

  Lukey was starting to feel a bit lost, so he felt inclined to speak up.

  “What’s a dragon?” he asked, causing everyone to stare at him like he was an anomaly.

  Adran and Saphina looked at him, completely mystified as to why he would even ask such a question.

  “Is… Is he joking?” Saphina asked.

  “Afraid not,” Caldoon chimed in. “We’re a bit isolated out here, in case you haven’t noticed.”

  “Can someone please explain?” Lukey demanded, somewhat irritably.

  Triton looked at the others, then took a deep breath as he tried to explain.

  “Lukey, do you know how monsters get stronger?” He asked.

  “Um, if I remember right, it has something to do with evolution, right?” Lukey answered.

  “Oh boy,” Triton sighed. “Well, we have time, so allow me to start from the beginning. In the wild, monsters either eat plants or other monsters imbued with aether, then absorb that into their bodies to become more powerful. Are you following so far?”

  Lukey nodded, letting Triton continue.

  “Alright,” Triton confirmed. “As they get stronger, they acquire various abilities called traits. These traits are often minor things: increases in size, bigger teeth, or adjustments to their muscles. In essence, these traits function a lot like our arts, changing how their bodies are used.”

  Eat things, grow stronger, and get traits. Simple enough.

  “Eventually,” Triton continued, “monsters reach a point where the aether can no longer be contained within their meager bodies. It is at this point that a monster can choose to evolve, changing into a new form based on the traits it has acquired over the course of its life. After evolving, the process begins again, and again… and again, until it can become a dragon.”

  “Alright,” Lukey confirmed in gradual understanding. “So technically, anything can become a dragon, right?”

  “Yeah, in theory at least,” Saphina scoffed. “Dragons are the pinnacle of evolution, requiring hundreds of years and tons of aether to create. All creatures struggle to attain the peak of perfection, but so few ever actually reach it. Nature itself is a war over resources to reach the mountain's peak, and every living thing takes part.”

  “The majority of dragons also happen to be tyrants, though I’ve heard that isn’t always the case.” Adran chimed in.

  “Interesting,” Lukey mused, “but how does that lead to people like the Ryugu Clan?”

  This time Adran spoke.

  “Well, we don’t have any proof of it, but the theory is that some monsters choose traits that make them smarter and more aware of their surroundings, then after evolving into more intelligent forms, they pass these traits along to their children, and the cycle repeats. Eventually it reaches the point where you get a completely sapient species of people.”

  “The problem is, the theory is complete fish crap,” Caldoon rebutted, enraged. “I’ve faced dozens of monsters that were far more intelligent than me, and tyrants especially have a habit of outsmarting people. If intelligence were the only qualification, there would be far more sapient species in the world.”

  The entire table went silent after the outburst, and it took a moment for the conversation to start up again.

  “Sorry about that,” Caldoon said. “Just pisses me off when people try to boil life down to such simple components. The scholars think everything can be dissected and understood, but they never think that there’s more to life beyond what they can understand.”

  Caldoon took the barrel of coconut rum, picked it up, and tipped it to his mouth as he tried to draw the last bit of alcohol from the barrel. After taking a few long gulps of alcohol, he set the bottle down and prepared to speak once more.

  “Y’know,” he began, “since we’re on the topic of dragons, did you know that there’s supposedly one dragon that makes its home near Leviathan’s Rest?”

  All eyes immediately were drawn towards Caldoon. Everyone at the table, including Triton, looked at him with eyes full of wonder at how such a miraculous thing could ever happen. Lukey didn’t share their same enthusiasm, since he had only just recently learned about the subject. However, he did notice that everyone present at Garrett’s table was looking their way as well.

  “Is that true?” said a voice from their table.

  The voice came from the blond woman who was sitting at their table. She stood up as she spoke, giving Lukey and everyone else a good look at her features. There was a scar running across her cheek, along with a braid of gold behind her head, and eyes like the sky. Her skin was extremely fair, with a hint of freckles across her nose, and Lukey could make out an outline of muscle beneath her clothes.

  “Sit down, Emilia.” The brown-haired man said. “The lunatic is just making up stories because he’s drunk. There’s no way a dragon would make it home on a weak little island like this. There wouldn’t be enough food for it to survive, and the lack of aether here makes for terrible conditions for a beast like that to live.”

  “Aw, c’mon Bertram,” the blond-haired boy chimed in. “Where’s your sense of fantasy? Hey, emperor, if there is a dragon here, how do you know about it?”

  “Mostly?” Caldoon said. “Old rumors and legends passed down among the various villages. Every few years, you have someone who says they were saved by something with scales and fur after their boat capsized off the coast. It’s mostly just hearsay, but it’s happened enough that people believe the legends to be true.”

  “Caldoon,” Garrett spoke, adopting a serious tone. “This is the first I’ve heard of such a thing. If you have time, do you mind telling us everything you know?”

  “Sure,” the emperor halfheartedly responded. “Though could it wait a few days? I have some business to take care of tomorrow. Speaking of which…”

  Caldoon looked over his shoulder at the sky, which nobody had taken notice of until now. The entire horizon was pitch black, with Kiran already having to light torches around the restaurant to keep things lit.

  “I think it’s time to call it a night!” Caldoon declared. “Saphina, Adran, it was a pleasure to have you here. Triton, Lukey, report to the guild tomorrow.”

  Goodbyes were exchanged all around, and with that the long evening of crab had finally come to an end.