Chapter 2 – The System's Choice
Axel's hand, still slick with the silver water from the fountain, dropped to his side. The fire in his eyes, the renewed sense of purpose, was suddenly replaced by a profound, disorienting stillness. In the center of the clearing, shimmering in the purple twilight, a new thing had appeared.
It was a window of light, a translucent interface that hung in the air before him. It was not a physical thing, but a creation of pure energy, its edges a faint blue that pulsed with the same hum he felt in his bones. He blinked, but it remained, a perfect rectangle of light with lines of text written in a language he somehow, inexplicably, understood.
[CHOOSE A SYSTEM]
Below the title were a series of options, each a glowing block of text.
[SOVEREIGN COOKING SYSTEM]
[IRON-CLAD FORGING SYSTEM]
[WHISPER-WIND ARCANE SYSTEM]
[STONE-HEART GUARDIAN SYSTEM]
[RECOMMEND]
Axel stared at the interface, his heart hammering in his chest. His mind was a whirlwind of confusion and awe. What was this? A system? A choice? Was it some kind of test, some cosmic challenge? He had never been one for mysticism, never believed in fate or divine interventions. Yet, the hum in the air, the weight of the stillness, told him this wasn't a coincidence. This was real. And if it was real, then these choices—these systems—meant something. Something huge.
He reached out, hesitantly, his fingers brushing the light. The interface pulsed under his touch, and he pulled back instinctively, startled. He wasn't sure if it was the surreal glow or the strange energy that felt like it was pulling at him, but a shiver of unease crawled up his spine.
He blinked, refocusing on the glowing blocks. Sovereign Cooking System. The words flashed before his eyes, almost mocking in their simplicity. Cooking? He had never even boiled an egg properly, and now a cosmic force was asking him to choose it? His hands, steady from years of swordplay, trembled for the briefest moment. Could he trust it? Could he choose it?
[IRON-CLAD FORGING SYSTEM] was intriguing. The blacksmithing system felt more fitting, something that might align with his skills—a weapon, perhaps, that would replace his sword. But it didn't feel right. It felt cold, detached. A craftsman's dream, but not his. Not anymore.
Then, there was [WHISPER-WIND ARCANE SYSTEM]. The thought of wielding magic made his stomach twist. Magic had always seemed like a fairy tale, something beyond his reach, something dangerous. But this system felt… darker, more visceral. Power, control, and the potential for destruction. He could feel the weight of it as if it were something that could rip him apart and leave nothing behind.
Lastly, [STONE-HEART GUARDIAN SYSTEM]. Protector. A defender of something. Maybe the path of a warrior. Maybe the path of a soldier who'd seen too many batIt's not to count. But even as he thought it, he felt an odd sense of resignation, of having already moved past that life. It wasn't what he needed, what he wanted.
But there was one option left. The unknown. [RECOMMEND]. It was tempting—perhaps not to make a choice, but to be swept away, to let the system decide his fate. It felt like surrender, like a way to release himself from the burden of choice. He'd already lost so much. What was one more gamble?
Axel glanced around the clearing, the vibrant trees stretching up to the violet sky. His thoughts were a storm. He had nothing left to hold on to. Trust the system, trust the unknown. He didn't have to fight anymore.
Not yet, anyway. He reached out, his finger hesitating just above the glowing block. A deep breath. And then, he pressed it.
The interface flickered. The other options began to fade, dissolving like mist caught in a gust of wind. The [RECOMMEND] block flared with a blinding, radiant light. Axel threw an arm across his face to shield his eyes. The light burned like fire, bright enough to scorch the sky itself. When he lowered his arm, the world seemed to settle.
And then, the new words appeared before him, crystal clear.
[SYSTEM CHOSEN: SOVEREIGN COOKING SYSTEM]
Axel stood motionless, stunned, as if the very ground had been ripped out from beneath him. A laugh bubbled up, wild and disbelieving. Cooking? He had chosen cooking. Out of everything, he had trusted this strange system to pick his path, and it had chosen… cooking? A man of steel, a swordsman, a warrior who'd lived his life in battle. And now? Now he was a cook.
His laughter echoed in the silence, harsh and bitter. But it faded as quickly as it had come. The laughter wasn't rejection—it was something else. The absurdity of it all, of this strange turn of fate, shook him. His entire life had been leading him to this moment, and it had led him to cooking. The irony was a blade to the gut.
But before he could voice the anger, the disbelief, something else washed over him. Something deep, something primal. It was the feeling of knowledge, of insight flooding into his mind, bypassing his senses entirely. It wasn't like hearing or seeing—it was more like an instinctual understanding, as if the knowledge had always been there, just waiting to emerge.
He suddenly knew things. He knew about stats, about how to survive in this world, how to thrive. He could feel the new awareness unfolding within him, like layers of a forgotten memory that had been waiting for the right moment to surface. His consciousness absorbed the information, and he understood.
[STATS]
[STRENGTH]: Raw physical power. The ability to lift, Heo hit, to break. The measure of a man's might.
[DEXTERITY]: The speed and grace of a body. The ability to move, to dodge, to strike with precision. The measure of a man's agility.
[VITALITY]: The resilience of a body. The ability to endure, to heal, to survive. The measure of a man's fortitude.
[INTELLIGENCE]: The power of the mind. The ability to learn, to reason, to create. The measure of a man's wit.
[SPIRIT]: The strength of the soul. The ability to influence, to inspire, to command. The measure of a man's will.
He saw his own stats flicker to life.
[AXEL: STATS]
STRENGTH: 12
DEXTERITY: 15
VITALITY: 18
INTELLIGENCE: 8
SPIRIT: 10
His heart sank. The numbers were low—low for someone who had spent his life fighting, who had bled and broken bones in the name of survival. His strength was decent, his dexterity high. His vitality stood out—he'd survived things that would've killed others. But his intelligence? It was laughably low. Not surprising, considering his life had never required much thinking, only action. But now, this system—whatever it was—was forcing him to face it. To become something more.
And then came the final revelation—the skill, the one that was as strange and unsettling as the rest of this bizarre world.
[SKILL: COOKING]
[DESCRIPTION]: The art of transforming raw ingredients into nourishing, magical meals. Each meal can grant buffs, heal wounds, and even influence the very world around you.
Axel's breath hitched. Cooking was one thing—but magical meals? Buffs? Healing? The words were foreign and absurd, and yet… the knowledge flowed. Recipes. Techniques. The very core of creating sustenance in a world that seemed to revolve around magic, beasts, and forces beyond comprehension.
It was all there, in his mind now. He knew how to prepare a fire, how to carve vegetables and meats, how to combine ingredients to create something powerful, something beyond mere sustenance.
But it didn't stop there.
[EMBERHEART AFFINITY]
[DESCRIPTION]: Axel possesses the unique ability to tame beasts of strong passion, drive, or emotion. The taming process is a delicate dance of empathy and understanding, the final bond sealed with a shared meal. The more passionate the beast, the stronger the bond.
A flash of gold, a sharp, almost electric pulse of recognition. The fox. He felt it again—the warmth, the drive, the intensity of its gaze. That creature was no ordinary animal. It had felt his despair, his drive, his hunger. And it had connected with him.
A shiver ran down his spine. The bond between them, it seemed, was not forged in battle, but in the act of sharing a meal. A simple, unassuming meal.
Axel looked down at the black blade in his hand, its crimson hilt a striking contrast to the green of the forest. His sword, the tool of his past. He had always thought of it as his legacy, his burden, his sole purpose in life.
But now
He saw it differently.
The sword felt heavy, not with the weight of metal, but with the weight of a life lived only for war. In that moment, the choice he'd made seemed almost absurd. Cooking. It wasn't just a path—it was a bridge. A bridge to something far greater than he could have ever imagined. The system had chosen for him, and though he had feared it, there was no denying that it had a certain kind of wisdom. A wisdom that perhaps only the universe could truly understand.
Axel stood there in the twilight, staring down at his sword, feeling the hum of the world around him settle. His breath slowed, and the realization hit him with a force that left him momentarily breathless: He had been living in battle, in conflict, for so long that he had forgotten what it meant to live for something else. To build, to create, to nurture. Maybe this strange system wasn't just leading him to a path of cooking—it was leading him to something deeper, something personal.
The fox's gaze came back to him, piercing and intense. He knew, deep in his chest, that it was connected to him in a way he didn't yet fully understand. It was more than just a beast—it was a part of this new world, a guide, a companion. And he? He was the one who would learn to feed it, to tame it, to unlock its true potential.
Axel glanced back at the interface, which still floated before him, gleaming with faint blue light. The words had faded into a soft glow, like embers dying down after a long, hard burn. The interface pulsed gently, waiting.
[SKILL: COOKING]
[LEVEL: 1]
[COOKING RECIPES: 5]
[EMBERHEART AFFINITY: LEVEL 1]
He let out a breath, his thoughts swirling with more questions than answers. What was this really? What was this world?
He knew, deep down, that the answers weren't going to come from standing still. He needed to act, to step forward into the unknown. But first, there was the task at hand. A quick glance at his stats told him he had a long way to go before he could confidently call himself a chef—or anything close to it. And yet, there was something there, in that spark of understanding, that made him believe.
He wasn't just a warrior anymore. No, the universe had thrust upon him something far more complex. Axel wasn't sure whether to laugh or scream, but one thing was certain: he would face this challenge head-on, with every tool at his disposal. And right now, that tool was cooking.
The very thought was absurd, and yet, the more he focused on it, the more it felt... right. Something in him stirred—perhaps it was that deep, primal instinct that had kept him alive all these years—but it was there, a burning need to create. It wasn't a new sword he needed, or a stronger armor. It wasn't the blood of his enemies that would fuel him anymore. No. It was this. This knowledge.
This art. The power to transform something as simple as a raw ingredient into something that could heal, that could change the course of fate.
Axel's mind raced as he began to sift through his new abilities, testing them in his thoughts. He already knew about fire and heat, about chopping and cutting. But there was more—ways to infuse the food with energy, ways to create something that could amplify a person's strength or vitality. He had already felt it, deep in his bones.
The system had chosen him for something… unexpected. But it was a challenge he would rise to meet.
He turned away from the interface, looking toward the horizon where the last vestiges of the purple twilight faded into the encroaching night. His path was no longer one of violence. It was a path of creation.
And yet, as he began to walk forward, a small part of him still clung to the past. The sword. The battles. The warrior's life. But now, that part of him was quieter, softer. Not gone—no, it would never be truly gone—but tempered by the knowledge that there was a new path to follow.
He wasn't sure what would come of it all, but the choice was made. He could already feel the ember of his new purpose beginning to spark inside him.
Cooking, huh?
The thought made him chuckle, the sound lighter than before. The world felt different now, and for the first time in a long while, Axel wasn't sure whether that was a good thing—or a terrifying one.
But the more he thought about it, the more it settled in his mind like a slow-burning fire.
There was more to this world than battle. More to life than war.
And Axel was about to learn that, maybe, the most powerful weapon wasn't a blade. It was a meal.