6
Chapter 6
I didn't even lift a finger.
I used no fire, nor did I add any extra ingredients required for cooking.
I merely let a small amount of Mana flow into it.
Yet, the dish cooked itself automatically.
Is this the power of a skill? Amazing!
Steam billowed.
Heat wafted up from the completed dish.
A perfectly cooked chunk of meat coated in bright red seasoning.
It certainly looked appetizing.
It even stimulated the appetite of a Doll.
To think it could even conjure up seasoning, this substance called Mana is truly omnipotent.
For the record, this was no ordinary dish.
It was a food that triggered a special effect when eaten.
[Flame Bear Seasoned Meat]
┗ Consuming the entirety of the dish temporarily increases power by 3.
┗ The effects of the same dish do not stack.
┗ Taste cannot be guaranteed.
Wow! A dish that grants a Buff!
A whopping increase of 3 power!
Limited to the Normal rank, it was essentially the same as raising my level by 3.
To think my first dish was of this caliber.
I looked forward to seeing how much more incredible future dishes would be. Though the random aspect made me slightly anxious.
Anyway,
now that the cooking was done, it was about time to begin the tasting.
I immediately activated my sense of smell.
Food is enjoyed once with the eyes, once with the nose, and once with the mouth!
I had thoroughly enjoyed it visually.
Now it was time to take in the aroma.
Sniff sniff!
The spicy scent of chili powder.
The sweet smell of sugar and savory soy sauce.
The fragrance of roasted garlic.
The nutty aroma of sesame oil.
Other unidentifiable scents were mixed in as well.
Not bad.
Alright, it passes the smell test too.
Only the final, most crucial step remained.
The tasting phase!
I activated my sense of taste.
Then, I took a massive bite of the finished dish.
Munch munch.
Chew chew....
Nom nom.......
Blegh- Pfft pfft pfft!!!
Fail! Fail! Absolute fail!
I deactivated my sense of taste once more.
Seriously, what on earth is this flavor?
Even crap would taste better than this.
***
With my sense of taste blocked.
I picked up the meat I had spat out and ate it piece by piece.
Since I had to eat every last crumb to receive the full Buff.
I would have to get meat to gift to Jjokkomi later.
I needed to verify if the Buff worked properly anyway, I'd feel bad giving her something this gross, and I couldn't exactly force her into cannibalism.
[Chef Teddy Bear lv.4]
┗ Pw.4 (+1)(+3)
┗ Rnk.Normal
There was no issue with the Buff.
My power went up by 3, exactly as stated in the description.
It tasted absolutely foul, but the dish's effects were undeniable.
I've become pretty incredible right now.
Shouldn't I take Action?
It feels like a bit of a waste to do nothing.
Since the Buff effect is temporary, not permanent.
Shall I search the vicinity once more?
If I look carefully, I might be able to find a monster or two weaker than me.
Yeah, there's no way every single creature is stronger than me, right?
I immediately sprang into Action.
I'm done crawling on my belly!
Because I'm no longer a weakling!
The courage that had vanished welled up once more.
I couldn't contain this overflowing strength.
As I pushed through the bushes with a majestic bear strut.
I spotted a weak-looking rabbit!
[Blood Rabbit lv.15]
└ Pw.30
└ Rnk.Uncommon
Uh......
I immediately darted back into the bushes to hide.
You're pretty strong despite your looks, huh?
I guess this wasn't the right direction.
Let's try searching somewhere else.
Turning my head as if I hadn't seen anything, I walked in a different direction.
Some time passed, and when I emerged from the bushes again.
[Mist Snake lv.13]
└ Pw.26
└ Rnk.Uncommon
Oh my.
Is this not the right direction either?
I hastily hid back in the bushes.
Then I changed directions and moved forward, but upon exiting the bushes,
[Mist Snake lv.14]
└ Pw.28
└ Rnk.Uncommon
I ran into the exact same guy I just saw.
Ah, seeing the higher level, is it a different one?
They look exactly alike like twins, so I got confused.
Anyway, I hid myself in the bushes once more.
Good thing I wasn't spotted.
...More importantly, why is everyone I meet an Uncommon rank?
Are there no Normal ranks like me?
At least their levels should be lower.
How is a fragile Teddy Bear like me supposed to survive?
My welling courage quickly evaporated.
I was mistaken. I really was still a weakling.
Then again, even with the Buff, my power only went up by a measly 3.
My judgment was clouded by the excitement of getting a Buff.
Did I become stupid after turning into a Teddy Bear?
Or was my intelligence just naturally low in my previous life too?
Whatever.
I'll just contain my strength.
Goodbye, everyone.
I resumed my low belly-crawl, fitting for my station.
With my motivation crushed, I gave up on hunting and wiggled my way back to my shelter lifelessly.
On my way back.
I encountered a creature crawling from the opposite direction within the bushes.
It was a rat about the same size as me.
I could feel Mana.
It seemed to be a monster too.
Maybe regular creatures also possess Mana, but for now, I decided to call everything with Mana a monster. The criteria are mine to decide, after all.
[Venomfang Rat lv.3]
└ Pw.6
└ Rnk.Uncommon
"Squeak?"
The creature spotted me and stopped in its tracks.
Bristling its fur in alert.
I also stopped and slowly stood up.
...And cheered internally.
Absolute weakling spotted!
Level 3?
And its power is only 6?
So it's just got a high rank but a low level!
Pfft.
A laugh slipped out naturally.
I can definitely beat something of that level.
Right now, while the Buff effect is active, my power is a whopping 8.
Is it finally time to show off my skills?
Don't resent me, you poor little rat.
The law of the jungle is just how nature works.
Consider your weakness a sin, and let yourself be hunted obediently.
"Squeeeeak!"
The Venomfang Rat lunged at me first.
It seemed to have recognized me as an enemy and judged that it could beat me.
Pitiful rat.
You have no eye for assessing your opponent.
The one being hunted is you, not me!
I too charged at it valiantly.
The bushes shook violently.
We clashed, rolling around on the ground while grappling each other.
While tangled up like that, the Venomfang Rat chomped down on my body with its teeth.
"Squeak, squeak!"
The creature made a cheeky expression.
It was a face that seemed certain of victory.
Even though it had merely pierced my body slightly with its teeth.
Ah. I thought I knew the reason.
A green liquid oozing from its teeth was rapidly seeping into my body.
So this was why it was so confident in its victory.
The identity of the green liquid was likely poison.
Since Venomfang literally means poisonous fangs.
However, poison won't work!
Sorry, but I'm a Doll!
Any kind of poison is harmless to me.
Because I don't possess nerves, muscles, cells, or anything of the sort.
I moved perfectly fine without any issues.
Nonchalantly, I struck its body several times with my cotton fists.
"Sq-squeak?"
The Venomfang Rat's expression shifted.
Just look at that ridiculous face.
What, are you flustered because your poison didn't work?
The creature soon smacked my face hard with its tail.
From the impact, the button attached to my face wiggled slightly.
Oh no!
I hurriedly distanced myself from the guy.
Then I grabbed the button and secured it back onto my face.
That was close.
I almost went blind.
This button serves as my eye, so it absolutely cannot fall off.
After preventing a major disaster.
Hiyah! I flew at the guy again and tangled with it.
We got tangled up and rolled around again.
Just as we were tumbling about, engaged in a desperate life-or-death struggle using all our might.
Rustle.
The sound of someone stepping on dry leaves could be heard.
What? It would be quite troublesome if someone barged in right now.
Startled, the Venomfang Rat and I simultaneously looked in the direction of the sound.
[Blood Rabbit lv.15]
└ Pw.30
└ Rnk.Uncommon
Why is that thing here?
Did it perhaps notice my presence earlier and tail me?
This was bad.
I cannot beat a level 15.
If it intervenes, both the Venomfang Rat and I are dead meat in an instant.
Rat, I don't think this is the time for us to be fighting each other.
Shall we form a temporary alliance?
Though there's no way we'd win even if we fought together.
Just as I thought the moment of crisis had arrived.
"Ooh...?"
The Blood Rabbit took a step back.
It stared blankly at us hugging each other, and then,
Oh my!
It disappeared into the bushes, looking embarrassed and flustered.
Just what kind of misunderstanding did that thing have?
It was an absurd situation, but I was still glad to have averted the crisis.
"Squeeeak!"
Ah! The moment the rabbit disappeared, the rat bit my arm.
Coward.
To attack when my guard was down.
Cotton burst from my arm, but it wasn't a problem.
I pulled the Venomfang Rat's ear.
Grrr! With enough force to completely rip it off.
Riiip-!
"Squeeeeeak!"
I actually ripped it off.
The Venomfang Rat thrashed in pain.
Does it hurt a lot? I don't feel a thing even with a torn arm.
The creature breathed heavily with an angry expression.
Soon, its sharp claws scratched my belly.
The fabric acting as my skin tore, and cotton poured out.
Along with it, a blue-glowing object slipped out slightly.
A Mana Stone?
I had one in my body too.
I hastily grabbed the Mana Stone and pushed it deep back inside my body. It felt like it would be dangerous if it fell out.
"Squeeeak!"
The Venomfang Rat's fierce charge.
I barely managed to dodge the attack.
It was by a hair's breadth. If my Action level wasn't 2, I would have been hit directly.
This time, I lunged at the creature.
When the Venomfang Rat turned around.
I grabbed and tackled it, using my body weight to pin it down with all my might.
Was it because the poison soaked into my cotton earlier?
Thanks to the liquid-soaked cotton, I felt much heavier than usual.
"Squeak! Squeeeak!"
The Venomfang Rat struggled desperately.
Mounting its body, I swung my fists wildly.
Whack! Whack! Smack!
This was the hitting sound I wished for,
Thump! Thump! Thump!
But this was the sound it actually made.
Even though it sounded like this,
My fists were dealing plenty of damage.
As proof that the damage was definitely accumulating, the creature merely twitched, unable to struggle and counterattack like before.
Thump!
Thump! Thump!
Thump thump thump!
Phew. But when is it going to die?
It really clings to life stubbornly.
I continued throwing punches without rest.
It felt like I'd been beating it for dozens of minutes.
Even so, it was still breathing.
"Squeak, squeeeak...!"
I tightly gripped the Venomfang Rat's neck.
Just die already!
"Sq, squeeeak......."
At the end of a fierce and desperate struggle.
The Venomfang Rat's body went limp.
At the same time, the aura of its Mana changed.
It shifted from the vibrant feel of Mana exuding from a living creature to the calm aura of Mana felt from a corpse or a Mana Stone.
The rat, completely motionless.
It had certainly breathed its last.
......I won.
I was victorious.
I claimed a glorious victory!
I stood up.
I brushed the dirt off my body.
I brushed away the clinging blades of grass as well.
Then I picked up the Toque Blanche that had fallen to the ground.
It was torn and dirty, so it seemed I couldn't wear it anymore.
[You have achieved the 'Struggle' achievement.]
[You have achieved the 'First Kill' achievement.]
[You have achieved the 'He Who Annihilated a Higher Species' achievement.]
Standing atop the corpse of the Venomfang Rat.
I raised my arm high into the sky and struck a victory pose.
I am the strongest.