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"H-huh? W-where am I?"

Doug looked around in confusion. Similar to Justin, he too didn't expect to be transported to another location the moment he sat down.

The difference is that, instead of sitting down in front of the Guild Master, he found himself sitting on a stool in front of a countertop.

He seems to be inside some sort of a...kitchen? He could see cooking utensils here and there which made this his first guess.

The Guild Master was there, his back was facing him and he seems to be cooking something as he could hear the hissing sound of a wok plus and could see the occasional flashes of fire lighting up.

About a minute later, Doug saw the Guild Master facing him. In his hands, was a plate with a pasta dish.

Doug caught a whiff of the phenomenal scent, which automatically made his mouth water. Now he just remembered that he hasn't eaten lunch or dinner either. Both he and Justin took some time going to the frontlines that they'd forgotten to eat at all.

"Help yourself, tell me how it tastes." The Guild Master told him as he served up the dish.

On normal days, Doug would've been more restrained. He'd probably ask him questions first before digging in, but today he was exceptionally tired and hungry that he didn't have that kind of mentality.

As he took a bite out of the meal, his eyes practically shone.

Flavor bursts into his mouth, giving him a heavenly feel. He could taste a faint sweetness and bitterness which worked in harmony, creating a unique taste. The pasta was firm to the bite, every strand was coated in that delectable sauce that he had no idea existed before.

Doug was unable to help himself as he practically devoured the meal in mere seconds. Even staring at the plate in emptiness since he couldn't believe that he was all out of food.

It's clear that he'd like some more.

"How was it?"

It was only now that he was reminded that he wasn't alone here. He felt embarrassed for a bit but he did answer the man's question.

"It was a phenomenal dish, Guild Master. I don't know how exactly it was made but it tasted wonderful."

"Hmm, of course. The taste always comes first." The man nodded with his answer.

Then, as if on cue. A strange feeling rose to Doug's body.

​ He could feel a certain heat pooling from his gut. It's as if something was threatening to burst out and he had no idea what it was.

The sensation became increasingly uncomfortable until he couldn't endure it anymore. Whatever it was, it went completely out of his control.

A burst of energy quite literally flooded his body. The feeling was so overwhelming that it caused him to gasp for breath. The weird part was, Doug felt exhaustion leaving his body when this happened. This time, it was no longer a concept, it was actually happening for real.

Doug could sense a wondrous change happening in his body. It wasn't a breakthrough, he's sure of it, but whatever it was, it was making him stronger.

"W-what...?"

He's confused, of course, he had no idea what just happened. Then he remembered the dish he just ate and somehow, he connected this to that.

"Oh, as expected, it is very effective for those who ate it for the first time." The Guild Master said while drinking some brandy in a glass.

"...so it was the meal! How? That's..."

Doug couldn't believe it. Food that not only tastes amazing but could also make someone stronger? That's unheard of! Yet he also couldn't deny what just happened either.

The Guild Master wouldn't lie to him. Well, he shouldn't be since there's literally no reason to.

But still, the fact that something like this was possible...Doug was starting to have some weird thoughts.

"Spirit Cuisine..." The Guild Master suddenly said, causing Doug to look at him in alarm. "It was an idea back then. Making use of high-quality food to make dishes that not only taste good but could also make someone stronger."

"Sadly, this idea was met with a lot of roadblocks during the time of its foundation. Not only were ingredients expensive, but those who adopted the idea could also only be counted on one hand."

"Back then, the situation of Humanity was dire, and because of a certain crisis, it became even harder to raise ingredients needed to establish the idea of Spirit Cuisine, resulting in it being shelved and forgotten by many."

Doug was not a stranger to this tale.

How can he be? This was something that was repeatedly told to him back then when he was still a kid!

He had lost count of how many times his parents reminded him of their failed legacy, he also couldn't remember how many times he had seen his father trying his best to re-create the dishes their ancestors invented a long time ago only to be met with failure.

In fact, that was his father's last unfulfilled wish. Something that he passed on to Doug before the disaster that killed them, happened.

"...it wasn't a sham? Spirit Cuisine was real? What?" Doug sounded incredulous as he said this to himself.

"Well, I won't blame you if you think of it that way. You must've tried it yourself and were convinced that it wasn't real since you never succeeded, right?"

It's exactly as the Guild Master said. Doug, ever since the death of his parents, tried Spirit Cuisine many times. Thinking that if he somehow succeeds then he would certainly make his parents and his ancestors proud in the afterlife.

This was how he coped with the loss. Yet unfortunately, never even once did he succeed in it. The food tasted amazing, yes. But they lack the punch. They lacked Spirit.

He had tried and failed so many times that he had already given up on it. That's why he couldn't believe that, right now, someone whom he had never seen nor even heard of before, not only knows the history of Spirit Cuisine but also knows how to do it properly.

"Can you teach me Spirit Cuisine, Guild Master? Please I-...I'd do anything, so long as it doesn't cross my moral bottom line, I'm willing to do anything in exchange."

Doug felt nervous when the Guild Master looked at him with a dull look on his face as if he was scrutinizing him. Each second that he didn't say anything made him even more nervous.

"Well, there's nothing much to teach you really." The Guild Master sighed, downing the rest of the brandy. "As I told you, Spirit Cuisine never went too far before it got shelved."

"I was already planning to teach you everything I know of anyway." He added, causing Doug's expression to shine. "Not just because you are the last heir of Spirit Cuisine's founder, but also because you have the proper tools already to succeed."

"The tools to succeed are with me?" Doug frowned in confusion. "What is it?"

The Guild Master shot him a bland look on his face, which somehow made it seem like he was severely judging him for his stupidity. He shook his head and said:

"How you never even thought about trying to use your Magical Artifact to cook actual food, is completely beyond me."

And that's when Doug felt the world crashing down on him.

He looked completely floored. Losing his damn mind for something so simple and benign.

Yes, how the hell did he never even try that out before? Heavens above! He was often teased about his Magical Artifact! Most of it went something like:

'How are you going to fight me? By stuffing me full of food? Oh, how scary?'

The idea was literally there! Yet for some cruel and quite possibly stupid reasons, the idea just completely went beyond his head! the Guild Master was right! how come he never even thought of this before?

He felt so stupid right now that he could actually cry. The sad part is, he could never back in time to smack himself for not even entertaining this kind of idea.

"As I said, I don't have much to teach you since there's not a lot there is to teach anyways. Again, I'll teach you what I know and I'll make sure that you'd actually succeed this time around. Beyond that though, it'll be up to you."

"You'd be as much of a pioneer as your ancestors were in this path." Ashton stated, "Since you've signed the contract, then you have access to all kinds of materials you'll need for this purpose."

"Whether you take this up or not, that completely depends on you."

Doug shook himself out of his self-mortification and looked at the Guild Master.

This has got to be the first time that someone has given him a chance and some measure of trust. The feeling was completely foreign, and he doesn't hate it.

"I'll do it. Please teach me."

"Alright. We'll start tomorrow in the afternoon." Ashton readily agreed.

"By the way, Guild Master. Where's Justin?"

"Ah, him?" Ashton pondered for a bit before saying: "He's doing some introspection. Don't worry about him."

But is he though?