NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 164: Gastronova
Alex, Menchi, and Tereza immediately enter the Realm, having wrapped up all their tasks in the real world.
[Alex: Rishi, we are inside the Realm. Ready to meet up? We're glad you're back!]
[Rishi: Sorry, give me a few hours to sleep and recover, please. We have a lot to talk about, but I need some rest.]
"Well, that was stupid. He's not even coming? Why did we enter the Realm then?" Tereza complains as the group sits in their usual hangout spot, a secluded space in one of the abandoned ruins, far from the more popular areas of the Realm.
"It's not stupid! We wasted the entire day going shopping, and I still have a lot of stuff to do!" Alex retorts. "First of all, before even thinking about selling or buying stuff, I need to figure out how the follower system works. It seems like nobody else has one; it's clearly uncommon in the tutorial area. 1337, can you explain it to us? You already mentioned that Menchi is level 11, but her combat abilities are equivalent to a level 16 follower, right? What else can you tell us?"
[When entering a world as a combat supporter, which, as already mentioned, requires a specific item that can be purchased in the main Realm, your followers will scale down to match the world level of the mission you're entering. Their overall stats will decrease accordingly. Each follower operates within their unique combat system, which they must adhere to. In Menchi's case, her system is Nen, along with her general combat skills. Entering as non-combat supporters requires nothing.]
"What's your Nen ability, anyway, Menchi? You've never told us, and it wasn't even mentioned in the manga," Tereza asks, leaning forward curiously.
"She refused to tell me too. It's so silly; why hide it at this point? It's obviously something food-related," Alex adds, still annoyed by Menchi's reluctance.
Menchi sighs. "I guess it's time to tell you. No, my ability is, sadly, nothing like that. I'm an enhancer with an affinity toward transmutation. My Hatsu is called Dismantling Edge. It's incredibly useful for dismantling monsters, ingredients, and pretty much anything else… including humans. It's perfect for striking at weak points and delivering fatal blows in combat. It can easily break bones, sever nerves, or cut organs in half. I use it in combination with my knives. Of course, I chose it primarily for hunting and dismantling edible monsters, beasts, animals, and various ingredients."
"Can you learn another Hatsu? Wouldn't it make sense to focus on one more related to cooking?" Alex asks, tilting his head.
"I've been holding myself back because, according to Linne, it's better to completely master my first Hatsu. Otherwise, both abilities could end up mediocre. Learning a second Hatsu that's unrelated to your first is a risky thing—or so I've been told."
[This is no longer a concern.] 1337 interjects.
[The system has already revealed your potential. Based on your current Basic Nen level, which is at level 11, a second skill is easily feasible. Your abilities aren't quantified like a player's, but I can sense your potential. You're more than ready for a second Hatsu.]
"This is weird," Alex says, frowning. "Shouldn't the system tell me something related to Menchi's ability? Can't she learn new skills from other worlds? I'm getting a bit disappointed here."
[Followers only gain levels. If they join a mission as a non-combat supporter, they gain 1/4th of a level. If they join as a combat supporter, they gain half a level. Menchi is currently level 11. Of course, there are also very rare items that increase the level of supporters. Additionally, there exist some rare and unique items that bestow new skills to followers. Each follower gains 1 extra skill slot, apart from their innate skills, for every 5 levels. Menchi currently has 2 skill slots she could use for various skills. These can be support or combat-related skills.]
[In addition to that, most supporters also have unique support skills that work outside of battle. In Menchi's case, because of her Light Purple classification, she has 3 support skills. These support skills are all non-combat related. They are mostly about crafting, information gathering, analyzing, or even certain rituals. Menchi's support skills are: Advanced Cooking (-), Advanced Dismantling, and Basic Synthesizing (+). A Purple follower only has access to 3 support skills. Blue followers only have access to 2, and Green followers to just a single one. White and Gray level followers do not have access to any support skills.]
"Wait a minute. Only Advanced Cooking? Is this true? Also, what's with the minus and plus signs? Is that another sub-tier? That would mean Menchi is a better dismantler than a cook… seriously?" Alex questions 1337, clearly puzzled.
[The system classifies cooking differently than the standard in your world or the world of Hunter x Hunter. The system evaluates cooking based on the ability to create unique dishes that enhance combat effectiveness, cure ailments, or restore resources. In that regard, Menchi has next to no experience. Only her prodigious talent pushes her skill to Advanced (-) in the first place. Advanced is the third of six ranks. The only ranks above Advanced are Expert, Master, and Grandmaster, which are exceedingly rare. Before Advanced are Intermediate and Basic, with Basic being the lowest rank. Of course, it is possible to increase these skills with rare items or through special circumstances. However, the chance of these circumstances occurring is extremely low. Obtaining items to raise these skills is more feasible but also extremely difficult. Through gaining levels, these skills can also improve. The rarity of a follower also influences how fast and how far these skills can improve. For example, a Green-quality follower will never go past Advanced, a Blue-quality follower is capped at Expert, while Purple-quality followers can achieve the incredibly rare Master rank.]
Menchi trembles, her entire body shaking uncontrollably.
"Menchi… calm down," Alex says, stepping closer while Tereza hugs her tightly, trying to comfort her. "Don't listen to the stupid system. You can still improve," Tereza reassures her.
"It's fine!" Menchi blurts out, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and determination. "In fact, this is what I wanted! I've been waiting for this… a true challenge! I've already reached the top in my world, and now I find out that I'm barely considered Advanced in cooking in this realm?"
Menchi clenches her fists, her trembling subsiding as a fierce determination lights up her eyes. She looks directly at Alex and 1337.
"1337, I have one last question. What is Synthesizing? If it's related to cooking, of course, I already know. It's the process of combining different flavors, ingredients, and even techniques. You need to understand how the different components interact with each other to enhance their unique attributes and achieve exactly what you want in your dish. That's just basic! Why isn't this included in cooking?" Menchi asks, her tone sharp but laced with excitement.
[Your explanation regarding its use in cooking is correct. Nearly everything requires some amount of synthesizing. The reason it's listed separately is because you possess an exceptional talent for this, strong enough to qualify as a skill. It's an innate understanding, a natural feeling that lets you instantly realize what you need to do to enhance specific effects. Synthesizing is a support skill valuable for many different crafting disciplines. It will significantly enhance your cooking skills, particularly when combining multiple ingredients.]
"I… always thought about using this to create my Hatsu! I… I… I have an idea."
Suddenly, Menchi's Nen surges, and a massive, blue flame erupts above her palms.
"Woah, what the fuck is going on? Did she just have an epiphany or what?" Alex exclaims, visibly stunned.
"Menchi, you're beautiful," Tereza whispers, her eyes glued to Menchi and the imposing yet mesmerizing blue flames dancing in her hands.
"Gastronova! That's what I'll call it!" Menchi announces, her voice filled with excitement and determination. "It combines Enhancement and Transmutation. I transmute my Aura into a flame that lets me synthesize different ingredients, boosting their synergy to normally impossible levels! As long as I can sense some synergy between two ingredients, I can amplify the desired effects."
"The only downside is that I need to sacrifice equal parts of other effects to power this ability. For example, if I want to enhance the sweetness of two different berries while making a jam, I have to sacrifice something else, like the sourness, to achieve that result. But this is also a huge advantage, it allows me to remove undesirable properties at the same time! The possibilities are endless!
"This is what I've always wanted to do. This is my path to the peak!" Menchi exclaims, her eyes blazing with passion. "Oh, and… I can even use it to intentionally destroy something. This would be super useful for both fighting and dismantling."
Alex and Tereza stare in stunned silence as Menchi, right before their eyes, casually develops a new Nen ability that perfectly aligns with her ambitions.
[Menchi's level increased from 11 to 12]
[Menchi's rarity increased from Light Purple to Purple]
[Menchi's Cooking skill increased from Advanced (-) to Advanced (+)]
[Menchi's Dismantling skill increased from Advanced to Advanced (+)]
[Menchi's Synthesizing skill increased from Basic (+) to Advanced (-)]
"What the fuck? What sort of deus ex machina crap is this? This is blatant cheating, isn't it?!" Alex protests, flailing his arms in disbelief. "How can you just create a Nen ability like that, huh?!"
Tereza bursts out laughing. "Says the guy who literally gets new abilities handed to him just by defeating enemies!"
Alex ignores her, still feeling as though the system is rigged in favor of supporters.
"Congratulations, Menchi!" Tereza cheers, pulling her into a tight hug.
Menchi, still smiling like she just won the lottery, hugs her back, the blue flames in her hands fading away as her confidence burns brighter than ever.
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