Bondred’s Knife slid.

  Ripping away blood in a gruesome yet beautiful red color through the human’s throat.

  The woman tumbled, an archer who was too slow for her own good. Thank the gods, Bondred killed her. What if goblin found her? They would butcher her… That was fine… But, the tragedy is, they will just boil her in a pot and eat! No, No! Such a waste of ingredients! That is too cruel a fate! The woman is so lucky that Bondred was there to killed her.

  A whisk of yellow hair danced forward. The man, Rafael, struck with that strange double-edged glaive of his.

  Bondred had to jump back and get his knife on defense. He parried a strike, even knocking the glaive off slightly. But, the moment he lunged to attack… the glaive crackled with electricity and Rafel brought the other end down in incredible speed–forcing Bondred to parry yet again.

  The man was merely level 35. But his mastery of his class was impressive. And this class is clearly built for pure combat, unlike Bondred’s Maniac Kniver. His profession as a Head Chef was the important one for him. His Class is merely a way to boost his profession.

  Well, luckily, the other humans were not as strong. The Glaive swung down, and Bondred ducked, pushing off the tile at great speed. He burst through, passing the human. To other humans. One woman who is quite young. Beautiful, a shame that beauty doesn’t translate to better ingredients.

  “Fools! Run away!” Rafel shouted behind him.

  Arrow whistled at Bondred. He ducked again, letting it fly by him. He jumped on the Prep table, now having to dirty it again… Beyond him were five humans. Two holding a huge shield, two archers, and one mage.

  Electricity zapped from the mage's staff. Before it could launch, Bondred kicked the tip of the Prep table, it went up, and he grabbed the whole table. Hauling it toward the group.

  Lightning zipped, electrifying the metallic table, and Bondred grinned. The humans screamed as bristles of electricity fried them. But it was not powerful enough to cost their lives. Thankfully, their guard is down. The warriors foolishly hefted their shields to block the table.

  Bondred ran forward, jumping and landing, on one leg–atop one of the shields.

  A sword was aimed at him, but it was too slow.

  His knife flourish, instantaneous jabs to five of them, each across their throat. And each of them fell like a flip of meat. How beautiful and artful…

  Bondred might not have combat class, and his skill was tied to cooking for almost all of them. But, moment like this was a reminder to any customer whose demand for food to be served fast! Let them know that Bondred will not stand for it.

  He stood, as a swell of giddiness bloomed inside of him. Oh, What is this? A battle drunkenness? He is not Aegis. Why did this happen to him? This should only be happening when he was cooking only!. But indulging in it a bit surely won't hurt.

  Rafael, the human, is emotionless. He pushed up his glasses again, and a flash of light flickered on them, shielding his eye for a brief moment.

  “Mmm, their death is your error… Does this count as your incompetence?” Bondred smiled, head tilting, mocking him.

  “Perhaps it is.”

  “But, why? They barge into our fight. Surely you had no control over that? Did you command them to do so?”

  “No, I especially told them to stay out.”

  “Why! What a failure, then!” Bondred flapped his hand wide open. He gestures to his dead chef, all five of them. “We have the exact same failure!”

  “Fool. Mine is bigger,” Rafael spoke somberly, hefting his double-edged glaive up at Bondred.

  “Oh?”

  “The life you took is real.”

  “Real? Tell me… Have you ever had a meat so tender that you can drink it? Because they do exist, they’re real. Have you eaten a meal so good that you're eyeing your wife's plate because she hasn’t finished it? Then you reach for a knife and kill her to eat her food… That is real hunger driving. A gluttony! And the most horrid of all,” Bondred left hand clenched into a fist. It hurt, it's hurt. His left palm hurt! But the memory… oh! But the memory hurt more! “Have you ever cooked, and you tried your best… because you know the nature of hunger! The body is begging for food! The essence of all living beings! It's the way we’re created. To Consume! Consume! Consume! And Consume away until we cannot no more! That is why Chef tried to cook their best meal… but, but sometimes.. The server asked them to hurry! How dare they! But, hold on… oh, I know, it's not the server's fault. That is why I think I did not kill Laurel, probably. Such a rude and inconsiderate request is from the customer! The people who should just wait! Just wait! How hard can it be? Why must it be so difficult? Why so?”

  “I think you answered your question.”

  “What? What are you talking about?” What is this human saying?

  Rafael sighed.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “No, you tell me now!” Bondred screamed. He toppled a chair as he charged at Rafael.

  They exchange slashes. Bondred lunged, only to have his hand singed by this damn electricity. Yet, he pushed forward, not letting him get the distance to capitalize on his weapon range. Rafael, recognizing this, fights backward. He expertly uses a wall to limit Bondred movement.

  How infuriating.

  A metal pot flew from one of the tables, straight at Bondred’s face.

  He dodged it. But, Rafael, with a pointed finger, sent a burst of electricity straight at him. The beautiful arc of lightning manifested, and they're a thing of wonder. So beautiful, to the point he thinks.. He can catch it.

  Bondred struck with his knife, electricity burst, and was contained within his steel. It crackles, and Bondred lets them out into the wooden cupboard.

  “Annoying,” Rafel muttered.

  “Ah, that was a thing of wonder!’ Bondred lunged. In a swift flash of light. He parried three instant swings of the glaive. He pushed Rafael back, and the man went out a door into the narrow hallway. Bondred kept going, his legs bounded against the wall, and his knife flashed, slicing through Rafael's shoulder down in an opening.

  The man hissed. With an electricity-enhanced coating, he jumped back. But damage is done. The man's right arm fell, and electricity tried to contain the blood from going down.

  “It must be hard to be paired against me. Especially for someone who just got the system. I do pity you; you could be such a good chef. How about I let you live? Just shout out. ‘Yes, Chef!’ Admitted, I’m your head Chef and I will teach you everything!”

  The man–Rafael smirked. “I would rather die from overeating.”

  “You bastard,” Bondred's hand tightened on his knife. Yes, this human shall be made into food and offered to his brother. He raised his lovely knife, only stopped by the clack of a boot.

  Bondred looked to the source, atop the spiraling stair, and his brother was there.

  What? How could this be? That Mask is his brother…

  His brother just stood, with some humans, one is a knight, but not Aegis.

  “Brother?”

  “Brother, is that you?” His brother asked.

  —---

  Rue's mind moved before his body did. Brother, right… This is Bondred the Plague Doctor’s brother.

  “Brother, is that you?” Rue asked. Repeating the monster question.

  “You're alive…” The man cried.

  (Head Chef. Lvl 51)

  He wore an executive chef uniform, pristine white, bloodied with blood. On top of his head was also a chef's hat, but this one was normal.

  Beside the monster was a man. Rafael, this wall leader. One of Rafael's arms lay on the floor, and electricity tried to reknit his wound, that ability reminding him of Salar.

  Seeing such a high-level fall in front of the chef, it's enough to raise doubt deep within Rue. At the very least, not everyone will survive. Which is why he had to do this.

  Rue signaled with his left for others to back up. They noticed, thankfully. He climbed down, just noticing he still had his FrostBite Sword.

  “Brother, what is that sword?” Bondred ambled up the stairs with tears welling from his eyes.

  “This?” Rue flexed his sword. Then he pointed to Romero. “A gift from my patient”

  “I see a gift, how kind. What an honor for you.”

  “Yes, the bond between Patient and Doctor is the most sacred bond of all. It's only right for such a majestic gift to be exchanged.” Rue took another step down. This Bondred only wields one knife.

  He has the reach advantage, a lunge it is then, he's not going to bother with a swing.

  “Such honor from a measly patient. They're unworthy of you still!” Bondred scurried up, fast, and Rue was worried he would close the distance. He needed a proper distance to do this.

  “Measly!” Rue growled.

  Bondred stumbled back, his eyes widening. “B-brother?”

  “How dare you? Who is it again, the one who offers you all those poison brothers?”

  “You?”

  “Yes! And where do I get them? Of course, from their beautiful body. Poison seeped in their flesh, testing, probing, and I learn from them! And then I impart what I knew to the poisons, which I hand to you. My masterpiece! And you call the source of my masterpiece measly?”

  His eyeball gaped open, like they about to fall from his socket. “That, that. I did not think of that! Oh, such a mistake.. your wife, Flora will be angry for such a mistake!”

  “Ye–” Wife? Rue eyed Bondred. And his face twitched, a slight emotion that betrayed his intent. It's a trick question. “Do you forget, brother? I no longer have a wife. You are testing me…”

  Bondred's mouth gaped open. “It's really you.. Brother! Yes, yes, yes. I killed your wife, so you have none. Of course you remember! Now, who was her name again?”

  “Evelyn”

  “Yes, Evelyn! It's really you,” Bondred stepped up, hand trying to hug him. And Rue stepped down.

  Thanks god, he guessed right… Like hell he did.

  Bondred hand snapped, and he flourished the knife at Rue.

  With five steps between them, Rue jabbed his sword in a thrust. The creature ducked down further, narrowly avoiding his jab. But, Rue managed to track his movement. He thrust deep into Bondred’s shoulder, missing his neck.

  Ice bursted into being, like a block of stone suddenly weighing Bondred's hand, the creature crashed down, sprawling and full of opening. The knife dropped from his hand, and Rue kicked it down. He whirled, spinning FrostBite Sword into a cut down.

  Edge of winter glint in his sword. But out of the corner of his eyes, Bondred's knife spun went flying to him.

  “Watch out,” Romero screamed, trying to run down.

  Rue clicked his tongue, and he pivoted to parry the knife. When the knife connected, it shattered Rue’s sword into pieces. It's kept going, breaking through pieces of ice, straight at Rue's undefended neck.

  Five knives glide in front of him. Each is smaller than Bondred's. One lashed in only to be blocked down. Another two met the same fate before the last two lives managed to block the monster knife; they each clanked to the stairs, and all six went flying up again.

  Bondred recalled his knife, gripping it with pure anger. “Who–Who are you!” He demanded as he stood, body bent in anger.

  “I guess it's not Evelyn?” Rue smiled, summoning his Golden Longbone. He struck down at Bondred, who blocked his strike somehow with that knife.

  Bondred slunk down, launching himself up, before Romero smashed his shield-sword, throwing the creature down the stairs.

  Bondred body rolled straight into a lightning-enhanced glaive. Yet somehow, the man was able to deflect the strike. He scurried back, putting the long hallway behind him. “No, no, it was Laurel… Ah, I also killed her. I wonder why”