Chapter 20: The Faction of Gluttony
The headquarters of the Golden Lion Faction was exactly what I expected: tacky, overpriced, and covered in enough gold leaf to blind a dragon.
Located on the southern slope of the Student District, it was a sprawling complex of three mansions connected by marble walkways. Statues of roaring lions stood at every corner. The fountains sprayed scented water. Even the doorknobs were made of low-grade Spirit Jade.
"It's hideous," I judged, standing at the main gate.
Behind me stood Ria, Anya, and a terrified group of about two hundred students—the remnants of the Golden Lion Faction. They were shivering, expecting a purge. In the cultivation world, when a faction leader falls, the members are usually crippled, robbed, or forced into servitude.
A tall, lanky student stepped forward. He was trembling so hard his glasses were rattling on his nose. This was Simmons, the faction's treasurer.
"G-Greeting, Boss... I mean, Sect Leader... I mean, Lord Rudra!" Simmons stammered, bowing until his head almost hit the pavement. "We... we have packed our bags. We are ready to leave. Please, just let us keep our textbooks!"
I looked at him. "Leave? Why would you leave?"
Simmons blinked. "Because... you conquered us? Usually, the victor kicks out the losers and takes the building."
"And who is going to peel the potatoes if you leave?" I asked.
Simmons froze. "P-Potatoes?"
I pushed past him and kicked the golden gates open.
"Listen up!" I shouted to the two hundred terrified students. "Nobody is getting kicked out. Nobody is getting crippled. In fact, you are all getting a promotion."
I walked into the opulent main hall. It was filled with velvet couches and crystal chandeliers.
"Ria," I pointed at the golden lion statue in the center of the room. "That thing offends my eyes. Get rid of it."
"Understood."
Ria walked up to the two-ton statue. She didn't use a hammer. She simply slapped it.
CRACK.
The gold plating shattered, revealing the cheap stone underneath. She swept the debris into a pile with frightening speed.
"From today onward," I announced, climbing onto a velvet table. "The Golden Lion Faction is dead. We are now The Dining Hall."
I pulled a scroll from my sleeve.
"Here are the new rules.
Rule 1: No bullying. If you want to fight, go fight a beast.
Rule 2: No extorting freshmen. We are a business, not a gang.
Rule 3: If you find a rare ingredient, you bring it to me immediately."
Simmons raised a shaking hand. "B-But Lord Rudra... what is our purpose? The Golden Lions controlled the Black Market and the protection rackets. If we stop that, how do we make money?"
I smiled. "We cook."
The Great Renovation.
The transformation was swift and brutal.
Under Ria's supervision, the opulent "Throne Room" was gutted. The velvet couches were sold. The crystal chandeliers were replaced with high-grade ventilation arrays. The golden statues were melted down to forge massive woks and cauldrons.
Within three days, the villainous headquarters had been transformed into the most high-tech Spirit Kitchen the Academy had ever seen.
I stood in the center of the new kitchen, wearing a white apron over my black robes.
"Fire up the arrays!" I commanded.
Ten students from the Fire Sect—who used to break legs for Prince Valerian—were now channeling their Qi into the massive stoves.
"Heat is steady!" one shouted, wiping sweat from his brow. "This feels... oddly satisfying!"
"Bring in the meat!"
Another group hauled in the carcass of a Rank-2 Armored Boar. Usually, these students would simply sell the core and discard the meat, as beast meat contained chaotic toxins that were hard to digest.
"Watch closely," I told the gathered crowd of former thugs. "Cooking is Alchemy. Alchemy is Cooking. The only difference is the flavor."
I picked up a cleaver.
'Seal 2: Divine Blacksmith (Knife Arts Variant).'
Slash-Slash-Slash.
My hand blurred. In three seconds, the massive boar was deconstructed. Bones for broth. Skin for crisping. Meat for stir-fry. The chaotic toxins were excised with surgical precision.
"Into the wok!"
I tossed the meat into the sizzling pan. I added Star Anise, Spirit Ginger, and a dash of Void Qi to draw out the essence.
WHOOSH.
A pillar of golden flame shot up from the wok. The aroma hit the students like a physical blow. It smelled of savory richness, of power, of hunger.
Anya, who was sitting on the counter wearing a tiny chef's hat, drooled. "Is it ready? Is it ready?"
"Plating," I announced.
I scooped the Golden Boar Stir-fry onto twenty plates.
"Eat," I commanded the former Golden Lion executives.
Simmons looked at the food. "But... beast meat causes indigestion..."
He took a bite.
His eyes widened. He chewed. He swallowed.
BOOM.
His aura flared.
"My... my stagnation!" Simmons shouted. "I've been stuck at Mid-Core Formation for a year! The blockage... it's melting! This meat... it's pure energy!"
The other students dove in like starving wolves.
"It's delicious!"
"I feel stronger!"
"This beats cultivation pills!"
I leaned against the counter, cleaning my cleaver.
"This is our product," I told them. "We don't sell protection. We sell Buffs. We sell Growth. We sell the best damn food on this planet."
I looked at Simmons. "Set the price. 50 Spirit Stones a plate. 100 for the premium cut. And tell the Academy... The Dining Hall is open for business."
The Discovery.
While the students were busy celebrating their new culinary careers, I took a detour to the "Private Quarters" on the top floor—formerly Prince Valerian's office.
It was gaudy. Paintings of Valerian hung on every wall.
"Narcissist," I muttered. "Ria, burn the paintings."
"With pleasure," Ria replied, igniting a small flame on her finger.
I walked over to the massive safe in the corner. It was locked with a Bloodline Seal. Only a member of the Royal Family could open it.
"Cute," I said.
I placed my hand on the safe.
'Technique: Heaven-Devouring Sutra. Mode: Mana Drain.'
The red magical seal flickered. It tried to resist, but my Void Qi simply ate the mana powering the lock.
Click.
The heavy steel door swung open.
Inside, I found the usual: stacks of high-grade Spirit Stones (about 50,000—a nice bonus), illegal combat pills, and blackmail letters on other nobles.
But at the bottom of the safe, wrapped in silk, was an old, tattered book.
It wasn't a cultivation manual. It looked like a diary. The cover was stamped with the Royal Seal of the Western Empire, but it was ancient—dating back at least five hundred years.
I opened it.
"Year 402 of the Azure Era. The voices from the core are getting louder."
My eyes narrowed. I flipped the pages.
"The Guardian sleeps beneath the academy. My ancestor, the First Emperor, made a pact. We feed it mana, and it maintains the barrier that hides this world from the Void Eyes."
"The Throne... it calls to me. But I am too weak. Only a Demigod can sit on the Throne without being incinerated."
"I found a map. The entrance to the World Core lies within the deepest level of the Academy Dungeon—Level 99. But the Headmaster has sealed it."
I closed the book.
"Level 99," I whispered.
"Master?" Ria approached, having finished incinerating the bad art. "Did you find something?"
"I found the backdoor," I said, tapping the book. "Valerian didn't even know what he had. This is the diary of an ancestor who tried to find the Throne of the World."
I walked to the window and looked out at the Academy grounds. Somewhere beneath my feet, miles under the earth, was the Dungeon. The students only had access to Levels 1 through 10. The Professors went down to Level 50.
But Level 99... that was where the Guardian slept.
"Ria," I said. "Update our objectives."
"Objective 1: Upgrade Antakala (In Progress)," Ria recited. "Objective 2: Raise Young Miss Anya to Core Formation (In Progress). Objective 3?"
"Objective 3: Win the Inter-Academy Tournament," I said. "The tournament is the only time the Headmaster unseals the deeper dungeons for the 'Final Round.' That is our chance to sneak into Level 99."
"Why do we want to go to Level 99?"
"Because," I smiled, my eyes glowing with a dangerous ambition. "Before we leave this Low-Level World, I intend to steal its heart. If I devour the World Core, I can unlock Seal 4: The Beast Monarch instantly."
Ria paused. "Master, stealing a World Core usually causes the planet to collapse."
"I won't take the whole thing," I waved my hand dismissively. "Just a bite. Maybe two. The Guardian can sleep through it."
I pocketed the diary.
"But first, we have a faction to run. Simmons!" I shouted down the stairs.
Simmons ran up, covered in sauce. "Yes, Lord Rudra?"
"Change the sign on the front gate," I ordered. "And put up a recruitment notice. We need hunters. The Inter-Academy Tournament is in three months. I want The Dining Hall to be the strongest team in the bracket."
"Yes, Chef!" Simmons saluted, fully embracing his new identity.
I looked at the bustling kitchen below. Anya was currently wrestling a giant lobster. The students were laughing, cooking, and cultivating.
It was chaotic. It was ridiculous.
But it was mine.
The Shadows Deepen.
While The Dining Hall celebrated, darkness gathered in the office of the Vice-Principal.
Vex stood by the window, watching the smoke rise from my new faction headquarters. His face was twisted in a rictus of hate.
"He took the Black Market," Vex hissed. "He took the Golden Lion territory. And now he is turning the students into... cooks?"
The black talisman on his desk vibrated. A hologram flickered to life.
It showed a figure cloaked in shadows, wearing a mask made of white bone.
"The contract is accepted," the figure rasped. The voice sounded like grinding stones. "The target is Rudra Ye?"
"Yes," Vex said. "He is an Anomaly. He possesses physical strength that defies logic and a strange devouring art. Do not underestimate him. Karn failed. Valerian failed."
"Karn was a child playing with blood," the Assassin scoffed. "I am Viper. I have killed three Core Formation geniuses in the last month. I do not duel. I do not bet. I terminate."
"He rarely leaves the Academy," Vex warned. "He hides in the Forbidden Villa or his new kitchen."
"He will leave soon," Viper said. "The Grand Beast Hunt is in two weeks. All freshmen must participate to gather resources for the Tournament. Once he steps into the Wildlands... he belongs to me."
"Good," Vex smiled, his snake eyes gleaming. "Bring me his head. And the girl. The Order has plans for the Phoenix."
The hologram faded.
Vex picked up a dossier on his desk. It was Rudra's file. He took a quill and drew a red 'X' over my face.
"Eat well, Sleeping Dragon," Vex whispered. "It will be your last meal."