Lately, Reika's life could be summed up in one word: Boom! From morning till night, she was endlessly practicing making paper-crafted spirit food, and it seemed like her entire existence revolved around one word—explosions. Her fingers refused to cooperate, as if cursed with some kind of reverse magic—the harder she pressed the paper, the more it crumbled into mush before the spirit energy could even settle in.
"What is wrong with these hands?!" Reika stared at her fingers in frustration, feeling like the ultimate "loser" of the magical world. Was it possible that before losing her memory, she really had been some kind of culinary black hole in the spirit food universe?
But the word "give up" wasn't in Reika's dictionary. So, she embarked on a series of "innovative" experiments.
Reika gazed at the pile of shredded paper on the table, dust particles refusing to even settle on the mess. She sighed in defeat. If there were a competition for the worst spirit food in existence, she'd surely take first place with ease.
Still, with the Voidclaw Brotherhood's Spirit Food Tournament looming, even if her dumplings turned into fireworks, Reika refused to give up. Thus, she dove headfirst into an intense phase of wild experimentation, inventing one bizarre spirit food technique after another.
She started with spirit rice.
Rice seemed like a good place to begin—after all, spirit rice was one of the most basic ingredients for spirit food. But cooking it required precise control over the fire, and Faron, afraid of yet another kitchen explosion, borrowed a "legendary spirit stove" from Old Wang next door. The stove was rumored to automatically adjust its firepower to prevent… well, explosions.
"Spirit rice… how hard can it be? It's just rice, right?" Reika was bursting with confidence, while Faron handed her the spirit stove with a look of deep concern.
"This is Old Wang's prized possession, the Spirit Fire Stove. Don't mess it up!" Faron's voice was filled with dread as he silently prayed—please, not another explosion.
"Relax, Faron! It's simple! I won't mess this up!" Reika puffed out her chest and confidently infused the stove with spirit energy. The blue flame sprang to life, crackling beneath the pot of spirit rice.
One second later—BOOM!—the flame erupted like popcorn, and rice grains shot out in every direction, turning the kitchen into a war zone filled with flying spirit rice.
"What the heck? Am I cooking rice or setting off bombs?!" Reika stumbled back, trying to dodge the barrage of rice.
Faron entered just in time to catch a rice grain square on his forehead, nearly knocking him out. "I told you! Be careful, and you still blew it up!" Faron clutched his head in agony as he surveyed the chaos. "Are you making spirit rice or staging an explosion?!"
"Uh… I just… overheated it," Reika laughed awkwardly, scratching her head. She resolved to be more careful next time.
Next up—spirit serpent meat.
According to Faron, spirit serpent meat was a premium ingredient for high-level spirit food. "This stuff can boost your cultivation instantly!" he'd boasted. Reika thought, If that's true, this is my big chance to turn things around.
However, as soon as she tried to slice the spirit serpent meat, she realized it had more "life" than expected. Every time she cut a piece, the meat would spring back at her like a rubber band, slapping her square in the face. Not only was the meat slippery, but it also seemed to have a mind of its own, fighting back at every turn.
"Is this a spirit serpent or a bouncy ball?" she muttered, rubbing her reddened cheek, thoroughly exasperated. No matter how many times she tried, the meat kept rebounding, leaving her face covered in marks from the relentless "battle."
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she managed to craft a spirit serpent dumpling. But just as she was about to celebrate her success, BAM!—the dumpling exploded, filling the room with smoke, and leaving her hair standing on end.
"Did I just make… a bomb dumpling?" she muttered, half-laughing, half-crying, as she stared at the wrecked room.
Faron couldn't help but facepalm, his expression filled with resignation. "Maybe you should start with something easier… spirit serpent meat is way too advanced for a beginner."
"I think I'm on the fast track to becoming an explosion master," Reika groaned, glancing around at the scattered chunks of meat. Her hair, now standing straight up from the blast, made her look like she'd just survived a lightning strike.
But despite all this, Reika wasn't discouraged. In fact, her determination only grew. She practiced day and night, refusing to rest, turning the shop into a smoke-filled, explosion-laden spirit food "war zone."
Watching her relentless efforts, Faron could hardly bear it anymore. "Reika, you're going to burn out at this rate! Paper-crafted spirit food is tough, but you don't have to kill yourself over it!"
"No worries, Faron! I'll succeed, no matter how many times I blow things up!" Reika's eyes gleamed with an intense fire. Her crazy determination blinded her to all the failures and explosions. What she wanted wasn't just to make dumplings—it was to create spirit food that truly belonged to her.
After countless explosions and setbacks, Reika gradually began to master the flow of spirit energy. She also learned more about the ingredients, though she still hadn't made anything edible. Her confidence, however, was steadily growing.
But the difficulty of crafting spirit food made her realize that she couldn't do it alone. So, she decided to be a bit more sneaky. It was time to go undercover and "borrow" some techniques from other shops.
***
Since Reika started her apprenticeship under Faron, learning the art of paper crafting, her days had become… let's just say, complicated. Faron's skills were top-notch, but as for Reika, she seemed to have a talent for attracting "little accidents." Recently, the mysterious blank book suddenly decided to spring back to life, dropping a new mission on her lap—find someone named Zephyr Nightbane.
"Zephyr Nightbane? Who the heck is that?" Reika rolled her eyes, clutching the book while muttering to herself, "If this thing wasn't so mystical, I would've tossed it by now. It doesn't even give me a description! What am I supposed to do, guess if he's tall or short? Fat or skinny? Where do I even start looking?!"
The blank book, glowing faintly with spirit energy, floated lazily in the air, completely ignoring Reika's grumbling. It had no interest in her complaints, just calmly hovering as if everything was under control.
"Fine, fine, you win," Reika sighed in defeat, tucking the book back into her infinite pocket. "The world's a big place. If it's meant to be, fate will bring us together."
Later, Reika heard that the "Five Flavors Restaurant" was hiring. This restaurant sold spirit-infused pills that had similar effects to spirit food. Since the book wasn't giving her any clearer instructions, she figured she might as well check it out and maybe pick up a few recipes. Who knew? It could even help her improve Faron's spirit dumplings with some new twists.
Standing at the entrance of Five Flavors Restaurant, Reika nervously rubbed her hands together. She knew she was supposed to be looking for someone named Nightbane Zephyr, but she had no idea what he looked like. With the recent chaos from the spirit food tournament still lingering, and the pressing need to earn more spirit stones, Reika decided this was her chance to kill two birds with one stone—get a job and maybe learn some new tricks for upgrading those dumplings.
"Who knows, maybe I'll learn some special pill-making techniques here," Reika whispered to herself, psyching herself up as she stepped inside the shop.
The moment she walked in, the mixed scents of herbs and spirit energy hit her, and the shop's grand but rustic decor left an impression. The walls were lined with displays of various pills, and the staff bustled around with purpose. Reika stood by the counter, glancing down at her clothes, hoping not to give off too weird a first impression.
Just then, someone else entered the shop. Reika looked up and saw a young man, clean-cut and dressed sharply. He was tall, with strikingly handsome features and a relaxed, easygoing demeanor. Yet, there was a subtle intensity in his eyes that hinted at something deeper beneath the surface.
"Is someone else here for the job too?" Reika muttered to herself, realizing she wasn't the only one seeking employment today.
The young man's eyes swept across the room as if he knew the place inside out. He didn't say a word at first, just calmly walked up to the counter and had a brief exchange with the manager in charge of hiring.
"I'm here for a job," he said simply, his tone straightforward but confident.
Reika raised an eyebrow. Wow, that's direct. She wanted to keep watching but noticed the manager's face suddenly shifted, looking oddly tense, as if he was about to say something but stopped.
"What's going on here?" the young man asked casually, as if he already knew the answer.At that moment, a group of burly men barged in from the back room, all wearing black and looking like they were ready to throw down. They stormed toward the counter, their faces full of malice.
"Hey! Five Flavors! Quit pretending! Time to pay up on that protection fee! You think the Voidclaw Brotherhood's doing charity work here?"Reika froze, her mind racing. Voidclaw Brotherhood? She'd heard rumors that this shop had connections with the Brotherhood, but she hadn't expected to walk right into a confrontation on her first day.
The handsome young man, however, remained unfazed. His gaze darkened slightly, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at his lips. He didn't say much, just calmly dusted off his sleeves and stepped forward, like dealing with thugs was no big deal.
"The Voidclaw Brotherhood, huh?" he asked softly, his voice steady.
The lead thug paused, then burst into laughter. "Who the hell are you? Doesn't matter if you're here for pills or a job, this is none of your business. Get lost!"
But the young man didn't flinch. He simply took one more step forward, extending his hand. A slight pulse of spirit energy rippled from his fingertips. Before the thug could react, he was frozen in place, unable to move.
"What the—?!" The thug's eyes widened in terror.
The young man, still calm as ever, looked like he'd just done something as trivial as swatting a fly. "You're not welcome here."
With a casual flick of his hand, spirit energy lashed out like a whip, sending the remaining thugs flying backward. They crashed into the counter, knocked over displays, and ended up sprawled across the floor, utterly defeated.
"Next time you come around, bring some real respect," the young man said coolly, dusting off his hands as if nothing had happened.
The entire shop fell silent, and Reika stared in stunned amazement. Did… did that just happen? Was this guy here for a job interview or to pick a fight? And—wait—how was he so ridiculously strong?!
"Uh… excuse me, sir, may I ask your name?" The manager rushed over, his attitude having completely shifted from cautious to reverent.
"Zephyr Nightbane" he replied nonchalantly.
Reika's jaw dropped. Zephyr Nightbane?! That was the name from the book!
Her heart raced as the realization hit her. This is too much of a coincidence. Am I really supposed to meet this guy? Is this fate?
As she mulled it over, Zephyr Nightbane turned to look at her. Their eyes met, and for a brief moment, the air was thick with awkward tension.
"You here for the job too?" Zephyr asked, breaking the silence.
"Uh… yeah," Reika nodded vigorously, still reeling from the scene that had just unfolded."Nice. Let's go," he said with a slight smile, motioning for her to follow.
Reika, still feeling a bit disoriented, quickly nodded again and followed Zephyr to the manager for the interview.