Chapter 263: Soup
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 263: Soup
"Ah, I’m dying, I’m dying!"
Amidst the swirling mists of steam, Muen tilted his head back and let out a blissful groan.
"I’m going to die of pure bliss."
The time: the following day.
The location: the Flower Sea.
After returning to the Academy, Muen had treated himself to a long, restorative sleep that didn't drain a single drop of his energy. Immediately afterward, he had been briskly summoned by Teacher Mela.
The Flower Sea had undergone a complete transformation.
In the middle of the undulating waves of flowers, a luxurious open-air pool made of marble slabs had been constructed. Pink gossamer veils fluttered around it, lending the scene a hazy, ethereal beauty.
It was, surprisingly, a hot spring.
And the first thing Teacher Mela did after calling Muen over was tell him to take a soak?
Though something felt off, Muen didn't refuse. He knew that refusing would be utterly pointless anyway.
He stripped down and hopped right in.
"Does it feel good?"
Teacher Mela crouched by the edge of the spring. Her amber-red eyes were fixed intently on Muen, and her youthful face wore a brilliant, beaming smile.
"It does," Muen replied, though he instinctively pulled his neck back. The sense of unease in his heart was growing stronger, but he spoke the truth. "It feels even better than the bath at Celicia’s place."
"That’s good then."
Teacher Mela narrowed her eyes. "No need to be so tense. Just relax and enjoy the soak."
"I—I’m not tense at all."
Muen stretched his limbs. "See? I’m perfectly relaxed."
Since resistance was futile, he might as well enjoy himself while he could. It wasn't like Teacher Mela was actually going to eat him.
"That’s good then," Teacher Mela repeated, her smile widening.
For the moment, she did nothing, simply watching Muen soak in silence.
Muen shifted uncomfortably.
Even though he had stripped in front of Teacher Mela more than once, being stared at so directly made him feel a bit flustered.
"Um... Teacher Mela."
"Speak."
"Could you maybe not stare at me like that? It’s making me uneasy."
"What’s there to be uneasy about?"
Teacher Mela curled her lip in disdain. "Is there something on your body I haven't seen before?"
"No... it’s just that your gaze right now... it’s a bit creepy."
"Oh, stop nagging. If I don’t keep a close eye on the heat, how will I know if the timing is right?"
"Wait, 'heat'? You just said 'heat,' didn't you?!"
"Oh, you misheard. I said 'temperature.' It’s the temperature! As a teacher, isn't it my duty to ensure my dear disciple can enjoy a soak in a... properly heated bath after the exhaustion of several battles?"
"You definitely said 'heat'! I heard it!"
Muen bolted upright, his eyes wide with alarm.
"I knew there was something wrong with this hot spring! What kind of hot spring has a hemispherical bottom? This isn't a pool, it’s a giant pot!"
"Nonsense! Who would make a pot this big?"
Teacher Mela began tossing various strangely shaped ingredients into the water. From somewhere, she produced a ladle taller than herself and began to stir. Her voice remained tender as she spoke:
"Now, be a good boy and lie back down. It won't be that painful. In the blink of an eye, it’ll all be over!"
The sight reminded Muen of a Big Bad Wolf boiling water to stew a lamb.
"In the blink of an eye, I’ll be cooked, you mean! You really are trying to eat me!"
Muen struggled to climb out, but a massive, invisible force suddenly slammed into him, pinning him back down into the pot... no, the hot spring.
"Oh, honestly, I didn't want to be this aggressive. But seeing my dear disciple’s physical body suddenly get so much stronger after just a few days away... as your teacher, how could I possibly restrain my excitement?"
"Glub... glub... didn't you say... glub... you’d wait until I fully adapted... glub glub... to the sixty-fold Time Dilation... glub glub... before starting the next step?"
"Yes, and while your progress has indeed exceeded my expectations, you’d need to be at least at the Third-Tier to reach that stage. You’re still a bit short."
"Then... glub glub... why now?"
"Strictly speaking, this is just an optimization of the previous foundation. Or rather, it’s to ensure a later step goes more smoothly. There’s a crucial process that has to start early."
"Glub glub... what is it?"
"Goodness, you’re already in the pot, why so many questions? Just be a good boy so the flavor can really get in there!"
Teacher Mela raised her ladle and rapped the struggling Muen on the head. Muen felt his entire body go limp, and he sank completely beneath the hot water.
Glub, glub...
The water temperature began to rise.
The materials Muen didn't recognize dissolved into the water, turning it a faint gold.
The water in the pool truly began to resemble a pot of simmering soup, growing thicker and more concentrated.
Gradually, Muen’s figure became obscured beneath the surface.
Standing by the edge, Teacher Mela tossed the ladle aside, her expression turning solemn.
"Grit your teeth, kid. It’s starting."
She reached out a slender finger and tapped the air. Instantly, the water in the entire pool reached a violent boil.
Beneath the surface, Muen’s eyes snapped open.
Hot!
It was searing!
In that moment, it felt as though he wasn't surrounded by thick soup, but by molten iron!
The extreme heat lashed his body, turning his skin a vivid crimson, like a boiled shrimp.
His face contorted in agony, his pores flung wide. It felt as if his very being was melting into the broth!
He clamped his jaw shut. This was a sensation unlike anything he had ever experienced—a "pleasure" so intense he wanted to jump out and beat that wretched old loli to a pulp!
Just as Muen’s consciousness began to blur from the extreme pain, he suddenly felt something else that was equally scalding.
The Alchemy Core.
And... the Artificial Magic Patterns Teacher Mela had personally inscribed upon him.
Those components, carved from special materials and embedded within his body, became incredibly hot even without being actively triggered!
A burning body, a burning core, and burning patterns.
One was a living body of flesh and blood; the others were inanimate objects constructed from specialized materials. Two things that should have been fundamentally incompatible began to merge within the churning liquid...
"It’s beginning."
By the side of the pool, Teacher Mela’s face was no longer just serious; it was grave.
With a wave of her hand, countless profound lines of light fell into the water, attaching themselves to Muen’s skin. She began a series of incredibly minute, delicate manipulations.
She had to ensure the entire magic matrix and the Alchemy Core remained stable, preventing them from collapsing during the coming transformation.
However, amidst this violent integration, Mela began to feel a clear barrier.
It was like trying to mix boiling water and hot oil; until one side completely vanished, there would be no peace.
Mela seemed to have anticipated this. She raised her hand, and in her pale palm, a sliver of cold, desolate moonlight appeared.
"I wonder if the power of Dead Silence from the moon can erase the insurmountable boundary between these two contradictory things."
She sighed softly. With an anticipation for a result even she couldn't predict, she cast the moonlight into the great cauldron where life and death were being brewed.