Vyn got out of his room and suddenly had a momentary pause. Just as he got out, he couldn't help sniffing as he instantly caught a whiff of a beautiful and redolent smell that wafted his nose, tickling his digestive senses. Just then, his stomach grumbled in response, urging him towards the source of the scent.
He had just woken up from a long sleep and hadn't eaten anything prior; it was only natural that he would be very hungry at this point. It had to be known that resources were very rare in this battlefield city, including food, coupled with the fact that their guild was like an infunctional shell.
Which sweet soul was responsible for going out of their way to cook such a sweet-smelling meal at times like this for the benefit of their teammates and just in time to welcome him when he needed it the most? There was only one name that came to mind, and Vyn was very sure who it was.
Just as he thought, a radiant smile blossomed on his cheeks as he quickly marched through the hall and headed for the kitchen. The smile became more blossoming as the scent got sharper while he neared the kitchen door.
Most of the time, the guild members refrained from having anything to do with the kitchen because cooking a meal for yourself meant cooking for everyone. Vyn wouldn't mind if there was a collective sharing of resources and efforts for cooking, as it would have been the best option considering the situation, but there were just too many unreasonable people in the guild who would make such plans a bad idea.
Yet, even in such delima, there was a light in the darkness in their guild that made it possible that he could endure all the suffering he had passed through on this damned battlefield without giving up a long time ago.
'Melissa!', Vyn screamed in his mind.
She was the only person in the guild whom Vyn considered reasonable enough. Her sumptuous meals, which she cooked mostly with her own efforts and resources and, strangely, at the right time when needed the most, were like a lifeline for Vyn. In this dark world, she was like an angel, holding a candle to the darkness in his heart!
Vyn had no doubts; she was the one responsible for this sweet aroma at this hour because he couldn't think of anybody else.
Emotions overwhelmed him just as he drew closer to the kitchen, and he couldn't wait to rush her up with a hug while planting warm kisses on her cheeks as soon as he arrived. But his happy moment was short-lived as his smile disappeared instantly as he arrived at the kitchen.
For some reason, he found two unwanted spectators perched closely to the side of Mellisa with similarly rosy smiles on their faces as they watched intently at her cooking. Just then, their eyes darted to the entrance of the kitchen, spotting his figure, causing their smiles to also change swiftly into frowns like the flipping of a book.
"You... what are you doing here?"Have you now decided to come out of your room?"
Caius, the abnormally thin boy with a sunken jaw, was the first to speak. For some reason, he appeared to be the most offended by Vyn's presence.
"Oh really? What am I doing here? "I thought I was the one to ask such a question, because the last time your stingy ass was seen on the kitchen premises was ages ago."
Vyn spoke quite sharply, like he didn't need time to come up with a response, making one wonder if he had secretly trained on his responses to counter every word from this particular opponent of his.
"Y-you…"
Caius was stung by Vyn's response. He had to admit that this brat was quite sharp-tongued. It was true that he was never really bothered around the kitchen premises most of the time because he usually ate his meal in resturants and food stores outside because he couldn't afford other people's meal as he could barely afford his, but did Vyn have the right to judge him while he was literarily the same?
He couldn't help scrambling through his head, trying to come up with a good counter.
Melissa, seeing Vyn, blossomed with a smile.
"Vyn, you must be hungry, right? Don't worry, I'll finish cooking and bring your portion very soon. Please go take your bath; you must have been really tired when you came back this morning. She spoke as her eyes instinctively darted to Vyn's bare chest.
Vyn's clothes were thorny after coming from the skill library, and he had taken them off as soon as he woke up before heading to the kitchen.
Just as Melissa stared at his chest, she couldn't help but notice a subtle change in his physique. Vyn had a quite below-average physique, making him look quite frail, but from what she could see, although it appeared subtly, he seemed to have added quite some flesh, and his muscles seemed more tensed than usual, making it seem like he had secretly engaged in some physical training.
Vyn noticed that her gaze was lingering a bit too long on his chest. With a playful squint and the ghost of a smirk tugging at his lips, he looked down at himself, then back at her.
"Is there something fascinating written there, or is my chest just that interesting?"
His tone was light and teasing, and his eyes twinkled.
Caught off guard by Vyn's teasing, Melissa's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red. She met his amused gaze with a flustered and slightly indignant look.
"I wasn't staring at you, jerk," she retorted, her voice tinged with embarrassment and a feigned annoyance.
Ceasing the opportunity, Caius jumped in. "Why would you be walking around the guild house without a shirt on? Oh, don't tell me you are trying to seduce the girls with your petty little figure. Has your shamelessness reached such an extent?"
Although he had tried to downgrade Vyn's physique, he couldn't help but secretly acknowledge that there seemed to have been some significant change in his body structure, especially his tensed muscles, making him wonder if Vyn had been training secretly.
'This Brat!'
Vyn already had an unfairly handsome appearance, and now that he had decided to start training his physique, it seemed he had taken his game to the next level. Caius couldn't help feeling intimidated.
Dorian, who stood idly by the corner, chuckled and said, "I know Vyn can be quite shameless at times, but he's not the type to openly provoke the anger of the males in this guild by seducing the few females we have." His tone was tinged with humor.
"Don't tell me you are actually siding with this brat; how are you so sure what he can do?" Caius retorted angrily to Dorians words.
"Who said I was siding with him?" I just gave my honest opinion," Dorian replied defiantly.
Vyn, growing bored with Caius nagging, said, "Why does it seem like you are jealous of my looks? It's not like it's my fault you barely have any flesh holding your bones together, you know? Are you waiting for me to tell you to stop whatever is causing you this bodily harm?" Vyn said.
Those words struck Caius like lightning hitting iron.
It was pretty well known that Caius had a sudden change in appearance that began several months ago, ever since he opted to train in a certain secret technique called Shadow Hex. It was said to be a technique that made a person one with their shadow, enabling them to have pristine stealth and movement speed.
It was a trademark technique that was notoriously very difficult to learn, and Caius had managed to get his hands on it with great effort and sacrifice, selling most of his family's possessions. As an assassin-type warrior, this technique was indeed a good match for him, provided he was able to learn it.
What started off as a joyful moment for him had turned out to be a gloomy situation, as Caius, who was once robustly well built with refined flesh and muscles, was now reduced to a mare twig, similar to a withering corpse, just a few months after he started learning the technique.
Even with that, there has not been any significant improvement in his strength, as it became obvious that not only had he failed in learning the technique, he had suffered a backlash instead. Still, he remained determined and still kept on practicing it, hoping to unlock the mysteries behind it someday.
Caius's mood darkened instantly at Vyn's words. He stared at Vyn intently with trembling eyes and said, "Did you just say that?" There was a boiling rage within him that seemed ready to explode at any time.
"Yes, I meant what I said; just give up for the sake of your health; you have no talent for it," Vyn replied defiantly with a straight face.