Gueehh! Splat!!
The gruesome sound of flesh being pulped by two rapidly converging walls reverberated through the dungeon's stone corridors.
"Hmm... what a waste," Shin muttered, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face.
"To think we can't eat magical creature meat." He watched impassively as the dog-like beast met its grisly end under Hajime's precise Wall of Death attack.
"Shin! Stop spacing out and help me!" Hajime yelled, already grappling with five other magical creatures simultaneously. His hands glowed, transmuting the very ground around him.
"Alright, alright," Shin replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.
He launched two daggers with swift, practiced movements. They flew true, each burying itself in the head of a creature about to pounce on Hajime, instantly felling them.
Hajime, meanwhile, conjured a spiked pit beneath the three remaining monsters.
They tumbled into the abyss, their panicked yelps abruptly silenced as Hajime rapidly transmuted the ground, closing the pit and crushing everything within.
On the other side of the cavern, the Hero Party appeared to be managing well.
The other summoned classmates, however, struggled, still hesitating in the face of real-life combat and imminent death. Shin couldn't entirely blame them; it was their first direct encounter with such brutal reality.
He made no move to assist them, as that was the designated role of Commander Meld and the elite knights who had escorted them. The day's primary objective was to acclimate the Apostles to battling magical creatures, preparing them for the impending war against the demon kind.
Shin remained relaxed and aloof, mostly bored and disappointed by the inedibility of the magical creatures. He had been told their meat was incompatible with humans due to its innate magical energy.
He considered trying to sneak a piece to cook later, driven by curiosity. But Shizuku caught him, delivering another sharp hand chop to his head. She sternly warned him against it, effectively stopping his strange notion.
"Tch," Shin mumbled, annoyed. The sound reached Shizuku, earning him a barrage of additional head chops. Hajime just chuckled dryly at his friend's increasingly peculiar antics. Shin seemed to get weirder by the day. Meanwhile, Kaori diligently focused on healing their injured classmates, her gentle light dispelling fear.
Kouki and Ryuutarou, on the other hand, reveled in their roles at the vanguard. They eagerly sought out new testing targets for their recently honed abilities.
Shin simply allowed them to engage as they wished, choosing instead to observe the intricate surroundings of the Orcus Labyrinth's upper floors.
The day concluded with Shin, the Hero Party, and Hajime feeling barely tired, while the other classmates were clearly still adjusting to the grim realities of dungeon exploration. With the day still relatively early, Shin decided to let the others rest. He declared there would be no scheduled training for them today.
However, he promptly dragged Hajime along to visit the Kingdom's best synergists. He had obtained this information from Commander Meld previously.
A referral from the Imperial Kitchen's Head Cook, who was acquainted with one of the Imperial Synergists, smoothed their way. Shin sealed the deal with a generous bribe of his specialty Ration Cookies and a promise for taste testing at least the Head Chef's dishes and giving him pointers.
____________________
"Uhh, Shin, what are we doing here?" Hajime asked, finally being let go by Shin. He stared at the grand entrance before them. It seemed to be the Heiligh Kingdom's main Workshop.
Stepping inside, they observed multiple synergists, all employed by the kingdom, busy working on their own diverse projects. The vast interior was truly grand, filled with all sorts of raw materials, intricate blueprints, and unfinished weapon prototypes.
Indeed, it housed the finest synergists the kingdom employed. Though this was said to be a human kingdom, the long, braided beards adorning most of the senior synergists made them uncannily resemble the master craftsmen of fantasy—the dwarves. It appeared they didn't use traditional furnaces here, which was understandable since they primarily refined and shaped materials using transmutation magic.
Ignoring Hajime's question, Shin headed straight to a young synergist at the nearest workbench.
"Hello, may I know where I can find the man called Regus Orefiner?" Shin asked politely.
The young synergist, deeply focused on his intricate work, was suddenly interrupted by Shin. He seemed annoyed at being disturbed, a typical reaction from a craftsman immersed in their task.
"Tch, the hell do you wa—, Oh! Apostle-sama! What can I do for you today?"
The young synergist was about to curse but immediately halted, his tone abruptly changing when he clearly saw Shin's face and the crest on his armor.
"I asked where I can find a man named Regus Orefiner," Shin reiterated his question calmly.
"Ahh, Vice-Chief Regus?" the young synergist clarified, already much more compliant.
"He's currently at the main office, having a meeting with the Head Chief and the other crafting department chiefs." Shin nodded in thanks and, with Hajime in tow, headed further inside the sprawling workshop. The young synergist, on the other hand, was visibly relieved they were gone and immediately ceased pleasantries to return to his project.
Thanks to Shin's smooth talking and their undeniable status as Summoned Apostles, the two easily strode toward the door that seemed to lead to the main office. Hajime, growing accustomed to Shin's confident antics and his casual treatment of even a revered place like this workshop, just let out a weary sigh.
At the door, they could already hear a loud, heated debate. Booming voices clashed over budget allocations, precious material distribution, and personnel assignments.
Inside were six old men: the Head Synergist, Volpen Stark; the Vice-Chief, Regus Orefiner; and the other four crafting branch chiefs.
"I told you, the weapons development branch absolutely needs those funds and ores!" shouted the Weapons Development Chief, his voice strained with exasperation.
"Then what about us in the magic items branch? Our work is the most relevant!" retorted another chief vehemently.
"What work?! You just wasted good materials while producing meager results!" Indeed, it was a very heated debate, a lanky, long-bearded chief clashing fiercely with a robust, shorter-bearded chief.
The Head Synergist, Volpen Stark, sighed deeply at this ridiculous argument. He desperately wanted to end it so he could return to his own precious artifact research. Regus Orefiner was clearly in the same boat, wishing he could escape back to his own vital material research for weapons.
Then, a knock came from the door.
"I'll get it," said Regus, wanting to at least escape for a moment from this noisy debate between the two branch chiefs.
He headed toward the door. He opened the door and saw two teen males.
Upon seeing the crest on their light armor, he immediately concluded that these two must be among the Summoned Apostles.
"Oh, Apostles-sama! What can we do for you today?" Regus asked, quickly adopting a respectful tone.
"My name is Shin, and this is Hajime," Shin replied casually and Hajime nodded.
"We are looking for someone named Regus Orefiner."
"Shin you said!!," Regus exclaimed, his eyes widening.
"That Shin-sama who made those miraculous Ration Cookies!!" He hurriedly calmed himself, nervously checking if those old chiefs inside had heard him. It seemed they had not, which brought him immense relief. Then he started reminiscing about the Ration Cookies.
_______________
The Ration Cookies were a guarded secret in the Imperial Kitchen, not even known by the King himself, only by the Imperial cooks and Head Chief George Remsay.
It seemed the cookies had an unusual effect of calming the mind and accelerating the replenishment of stamina and a little bit of magic power. He was fortunate that Head Cook George Remsay had let him in on the secret.
Due to the limited amount Shin made, there was always a fierce competition or a "cook showdown" in the Imperial Kitchen whenever Shin left a batch.
Though he hadn't believed it at first, Head Cook George had given him a pouch that contained at least ten of them. When he first tasted them, he was profoundly impressed by the flavor and texture; they were just the right sweetness, not too dry and not too wet.
And when he snacked on them during work or research, he seemed calmer than usual, and with that, his workflow became noticeably smoother.
Then he asked, no, demanded for more from his friend, George. But it seemed his friend no longer wanted to share his hard-won portion. George just grinned at him, telling him if he wanted more, he should try to win it through a cooking competition.
"This demon!!" said Regus, groveling internally, knowing that it was impossible for him to win it since he could barely cook a decent dish.
But a certain day came when his friend appeared at the workshop looking for him.
Regus, still angry from their last encounter, initially gave him a cold shoulder. However, when he heard the possibility of acquiring a sustainable amount of those Ration Cookies, he folded quickly.
He immediately dragged his friend aside to talk, not letting anyone else know, so he could monopolize it.
His friend explained that the creator of those cookies was looking for a synergist who could help his own friend.
If Regus could negotiate well, he might be able to get a decent amount of those Ration Cookies daily.
Regus, being stubborn in handling requests, was one of his known traits. But he quickly folded on this unique deal. With this, Head Cook George Remsay had referred him to Shin.
That's why they were here now.
______________________
"Oi~ Old man~" Shin said, waving his hand at the bearded man he'd labeled 'old man,' who had suddenly seemed dazed. "Is he okay?" Hajime also worriedly asked, noticing Regus's distant stare.
Then the old man snapped out of his reminiscing and quickly responded.
"Ah yes~ yes~ I am the one you're looking for, I am Regus Orefiner, or you can call me just Oldman Regus."
"What's with him getting jolly all of a sudden?" Hajime suspiciously looked at Regus, a hint of unease in his voice.
Shin, on the other hand, didn't care and went straight to business.
"The head cook told me that you are his friend and knowledgeable about crafting using transmutation magic. So I'd like to request for you to teach my friend Hajime here."
"Hmmm....." Regus gave a discerning stare at Hajime, appraising if he was capable.
Shin continued.
"As for compensation, the head cook said you want a daily supply of these instead of money."
Shin then brought out a full pouch of Ration Cookies, containing at least 20 pieces.
He looked at the pouch, questioning if these were really enough; it was just his usual daily batch.
The old man's gaze suddenly shifted from Hajime to that pouch, his eyes bloodshot with fervent desire.
"Yeah, yeah, money is not really my problem right now, and I am doing this as a favor for my Head Cook friend so no need to worry," said Regus, pretending to be formal while clearly wanting to snatch that bag.
The Head Synergist, Volpen Stark, was growing irritated by the heated debate of the branch chiefs and wondered where that damned vice-chief had gone.
That vice-Chief, on the other hand, was still talking with Shin in front of the door. Shin didn't mind, but Hajime silently thought:
'Why are these two having a conversation at the door?That old man should at least let us inside or talk somewhere else; this is awkward!!'
The discussion ended with Regus accepting the request of teaching Hajime how to craft using transmutation magic.