Chapter 3

Cooking Magic–that's what I decided to call my second power–was simply amazing. There was no other way to describe it. It was a true blessing and a sure sign that God had forgiven me for making a deal with the Devil. For why else would he bless me with something as incredible as Cooking Magic?

I was exaggerating a bit here. It wasn't that good yet. Or at least, it wasn't as amazing as it could potentially be. For you see, to create magical foods, ones that give permanent buffs, you need magical ingredients. Now that was an issue since I had no idea where I was supposed to even go and find those.

For the time being, I was limited to making meals that provided me with temporary buffs. Although not as impressive, this was still pretty good. Not to mention that this provided me with a very convenient training method.

You see, creating any kind of magical meal with only mundane equipment and ingredients was simply impossible. Sure, the food would taste supernaturally good, but it wouldn't provide me with any tangible benefits. No, to make true magical meals, you needed something special in the mix.

That's where my Ki came into play. Cooking Magic even guided me on how to subtly infuse my meals with my lifeforce while I was preparing them. This slowly but surely improved my control of my Ki and gave me ideas on how I else could use it, other than just flaring it to massively boost my physical abilities.

All in all, I had progressed quite a lot over the past week, to the point that I was already far stronger than any regular human. All thanks to how nicely Ki and Cooking Magic synergized with one another.

Today, I woke up before the sun, something that was becoming a habit at this point as I needed less sleep than before. A benefit of some of my magical meals that boosted recovery. My increased Ki reserves probably helped as well, though I still knew very little about it, so I couldn't say for sure.

The first thing I did after washing up was to make one of my greatest creations, a magical protein shake. One thing I learned was that the effectiveness of my buffs varied depending on the meal itself. For example, food that was naturally rich in protein, provided me with a much stronger boost in muscle growth than something like a sweet dessert when they were enhanced in the same way.

My protein shake was something that I could only describe as a potion because the buff it provided me was far greater than anything else I could make. Unfortunately, it didn't stack with itself, so I couldn't just down them over and over again. However, I discovered that similar buffs gained from different types of food stacked with each other. They didn't stack additively, but it was still better than nothing.

So after I downed my shake, I started working on my breakfast. I turned on the stove and threw two pans there before I grabbed my homemade taco shells. You see, they counted as finished products, and they were enhanced to boost my vigor, granting more energy, so I could train even longer and harder.

In the pans, I prepared some scrambled eggs and some minced meat while subtly infusing them with my Ki with the intent of enhancing them in a similar fashion to the protein shake. Both of them counted as finished products since they were meals of their own.

Once finished, I filled my taco shells with the eggs and meat before covering them with some homemade salsa, one that also enhanced my stamina. Then I sprinkled some vegetables on top while infusing my tacos with my Ki, turning them into yet another finished product, one that had all the benefits of the various ingredients and then some.

It was no infinite Alchemy glitch, but it was better than nothing! The only infuriating part was that this was still weaker than the stupid protein shake, which made no sense to me! I put in so much work, but the stupid shake just went "Brrr!" for a minute and ended up giving me a much stronger buff.

At least the tacos tasted divine, and I took my time with them, savoring each bite while flaring my Ki, doing my best to exhaust my reserves. Training my body naturally increased my lifeforce, but that clearly wasn't the only method I had at my disposal, and I figured out that constantly emptying my Ki pool and letting it recover also helped in that regard.

I started doing some light stretches to warm my body after I finished with my breakfast. I followed that with some Ki exercises, mostly just pushing it out of my hands as I performed some amateur jabs, pretending I was fighting some unseen enemy. I stopped once I had only a sliver of lifeforce remaining, just enough to avoid the listless feeling I got when my reserves were completely empty.

And then I was off, running out of my house in an ugly and cheap blue tracksuit. After all, I was following in Saitama's footsteps, so I figured I should look the part. Though I really hoped I wouldn't end up bald like him. Now that would be a true tragedy.

I nervously chuckled just by thinking about that before I shook my head and focused on my run. You know, I used to hate running. It was just way too boring and monotonous, but it was starting to grow on me. Especially because I was not only visibly getting faster each day, but I could also run for far longer.

Working out used to be something that I did because I simply wished to look good. I didn't derive any particular satisfaction from it, though I had to admit that seeing myself in the mirror after each workout greatly stroked my ego.

It was different now. I was getting stronger, faster, and overall better with each day that passed, and the experience was euphoric. It was just so satisfying to know that you were better than the you from yesterday.

That was my current goal in life. Just striving to be better today than I was yesterday. Ah, and to also increase my chances of survival in case some overpowered asshole decided to throw a hissy fit. That was also important.

Because this world seemed to be as dangerous as DC and Marvel! Every single Pantheon existed here, all filled with vain overpowered beings. I was honestly surprised how the world was still intact considering just how many Gods were running around. I figured they were all restraining each other, though I couldn't help but feel that one wrong action from one party could lead to an apocalyptic scenario.

Thankfully, the US didn't have that many overpowered supernatural beings running around. From what I'd gathered, it was mostly filled with the weakest among the supernatural, the ones that had no future in their own organization. They came here to try and start their own, but they rarely achieved anything of importance.

There was a government backed organization called the Agency here, and it apparently tried to keep things in order, but it was looked down upon by the rest of the world. Too young–it was created just a bit over two hundred years ago–and too weak–it had just a few dozen Mid-Class individuals and a whole bunch of Low-Class ones–so most didn't even view them as an actual supernatural organization.

The US might be a superpower in the mortal world, but it was nothing more than a baby when it came to the supernatural one. Other organizations just had way too many beings that were far more dangerous than nukes, and wasn't that a scary thought?

I continued on my run while thinking over the things I learned in the past few days from both the information package and my new DevilPhone. I had to adjust my route a bit, to ensure that I would finish my run once I neared the local supermarket since I wanted to grab some fresh ingredients.

My body stiffened when I passed through a park. There was a man with long black hair napping on a bench, his head resting on a very comfortable-looking pillow. His presence… put me on edge. The feeling wasn't as bad as the one I got from Kuisha, but he was undoubtedly dangerous.

The problem was that I had no idea what he even was because everyone and their goddamn mother looked like a human. Gods, Devils, Angels, it didn't matter. They all looked like humans. All incredibly beautiful or handsome, but humans nonetheless.

Thankfully, he didn't react when I passed him and simply continued napping. I let out a sigh of relief as I exited the park and made my way towards the supermarket, just as the sun was starting to peek through the horizon.

I allowed myself to relax for a moment, relishing in the pleasant burn in my legs, only to stiffen as I heard a cry of pain from the alley beside me. Pretending to be deaf was the correct course of action, but my stupid curiosity got the better of me, and I ended up looking down the alley.

Two middle-aged men with dead eyes and pale, wrinkly skin were holding down another man while a woman with long black hair had her face buried in his neck. That sure looked like a vampire if I had ever seen one.

Her head snapped towards me, red eyes stared into my own as blood dripped from her mouth. She growled, baring her teeth at me, revealing two large fangs. Yep! Definitely a vampire!

"I saw nothing."

Without hesitation, I immediately booked it, knowing that I was by no means ready for something like this. I pumped my Ki into my legs, running faster than I have ever before.

There was a whooshing sound, followed by a spike of darkness that flew right where I had been standing just a second ago, proving she wasn't friendly without a shadow of a doubt. Her next words even ensured that this hadn't been a misunderstanding.

"Get him!"

I briefly glanced back, noticing two men, no, thralls, chasing after me. They were far slower than me, but that didn't make me feel any better as I noticed the vampire doing something with the last one. I couldn't quite catch exactly what she was planning since she was staying in the corner of the valley, refusing to step out in the open.

Vampire. The sun. Two things that just didn't mix with each other. She couldn't get me, I realized, so I turned around and continued running away, feeling more confident in myself.

Some may call me a coward, but I would call myself weak. I was still very much new to all of this supernatural business, and I had never been in a fight.

I mean, what was I supposed to do other than run? Just flail around and hope the vampire doesn't fly in the air and bombard me with her Magic? Running was definitely the optimal choice! Or so I thought until I saw the last man soar above me as a mass of darkness carried him through the air.

He fell in front of me with a thump, recovering his posture in seconds before he lunged towards me. I flared my Ki in panic, white aura covering my body as I threw a fist, just hoping to push him out of my way, so I could freely run away. My hand connected with his head, and I pushed out my lifeforce, just like how I would normally do it when I used my Cooking Magic.

"What the fuck!"

His head popped like a balloon. Flesh, bones, brain matter, all burst out in a shower of gore. For a moment, I just stood there in a daze, failing to comprehend what had just happened.

I knew I had grown stronger over the past week, but wasn't this a bit too much? Or maybe the guy… thrall, undead, I reminded myself. He had died the moment the vampire had drained his blood. I didn't kill him, I just put him out of his misery.

Animalistic growling snapped me out of my thoughts, and I looked back, only to see that two undead were almost upon me. My arms flew out, just swinging wildly left and right.

I had absolutely no idea how to throw a proper punch. Sure, I had watched some video instructions and practiced a bit over the past week, but that didn't mean I actually knew what I was doing.

That, however, didn't matter. I just had to connect with one of my swings and inject them with my lifeforce. Then they burst in a shower of gore just like the first one.

"You will pay for this!" The vampire hissed at me before she rushed deeper into the alley.

I didn't chase after her. Three bodies were lying around me, and all the gore was starting to get to me, so I started running in the opposite direction as I rushed back towards my house.

Plus, I really didn't wish to be caught with three dead men around me! I wasn't even sure how I was supposed to explain this to the police if I was arrested. I would probably have to ask for the Agency, hoping they'd have a way to contact them. Though I'd rather not meet with any supernatural organizations at the moment, even ones supposedly as weak as the Agency.

Either due to luck, or maybe some other force, I experienced no other interruptions on my way home. Something must've definitely intervened because someone should've seen me on the scene and called the cops on me. Yet nothing happened.

Once home, I immediately rushed towards the bathroom as I was this close to throwing up. Unfortunately, I didn't make it there since the Celestial Grimoire came alive, pages rapidly flipping before it settled on a particular one.

Tsukihime: The Beast - 600 CP

A monster. That's what you are. Your strength alone is enough to put most human beings to shame - you can crush trees with your bare hand, remove a human head with a lazy swipe, and move faster than the human eye can follow. Your Endurance is similar, letting you withstand similar blows with ease, even surviving vicious attacks from a Dead Apostle or a skilled assassin that would normally tear a human being apart. In addition, your fighting style is both feral and graceful, letting you channel a monstrous berserker rage through yourself yet remain completely lucid no matter how overwhelming your bloodlust becomes, changing it into pure strength that adds to your already considerable might. Finally, you possess a muscled and athletic frame to match your newfound strength, which likely adds a considerable intimidation factor...or just a show that you're not to be angered needlessly.​

My mouth opened in a soundless scream as my body morphed and shifted. Muscles, bones, skin, everything was broken down and rebuilt, filling me with unimaginable pain. I dropped to the ground, mouth still opened as I was forced to endure this agony on my own.

–Amriel–

"Stupid humans. Stupid vampires," he murmured as he finished cleaning up the scene in front of him before yawning.

Amriel was having one of the most pleasant dreams any being could possibly have. Gabriel of all people was giving him a lap pillow! It might've been just a dream, but, oh, how enjoyable it was.

He could've easily slept for a decade or two, just enjoying her soft thighs, but nooo! Some troublesome idiots had to go and cause a ruckus. Worst of all, they didn't even clean up the mess they made!

Amriel had to evaporate the bodies with his light and manipulate the memories of the stupid and panicking mortals. They left him so much work! So what if he was one of the people overseeing this city? They could've at least cleaned up a bit after themselves.

Sighing, Amriel hugged his favorite pillow close to his chest. There was… something he was supposed to do. Or so he thought. He wasn't quite sure in all honesty. So since he didn't remember for sure, that meant that it wasn't important, and he could always do it later when he remembered.

Some might call him slothful, but he thought that was too demeaning. Others called him lazy, though he didn't quite like the sound of that as well. No, he preferred being called long lived. Amriel had all the time in the world. So then why should he rush things? It was better to take his time. Not like anything important would happen while he napped.

Either way, he had to find a new place to sleep. Flapping his four wings, Amriel took to the skies, quickly finding something that caught his eyes.

"That will do." Amriel softly landed on the roof and walked around until he found the perfect spot before laying down to rest his head on his favorite pillow. He dearly hoped that Gabriel was still waiting for him in his dreams. Otherwise… he'd be having some words with those that ruined his sleep!

A/N

100 CP left. Still not sure if I even want to bother counting. Also this Perk? It sounds cool until you realize it pushes his abilities to Mid-Class at best. Pretty good for a beginner, but still cannon fodder in the grand scheme of things.