Chapter 24: Affinity with Darkness

"The White Knight of the Night Watch!"

Silently repeating the name, everyone committed it to memory.

"I'm so hungry, little brother, could you whip up something for us to eat?" After resting for a bit and regaining some strength, the four paladins finally had the energy to move. Rather than leaving, they spoke to Mu Rongxun in a listless manner.

Looking at their bruised and battered faces, it was hard not to feel a sense of amusement.

"That’s true, little brother, you’re a chef—make us something, will you?" Dark Night chimed in at just the right moment.

"I forgot to ask—how should we address you?"

"Just call me Chef," Mu Rongxun replied casually, giving them a nickname and spreading his hands. "I don’t have any ingredients!"

He only carried enough materials for his Healing Ramen—hardly enough to prepare a meal.

"That’s an easy fix." Hearing this, the four paladins eagerly pulled out a large cloth from their personal spaces, spread it on the ground, and started unloading items.

Lamb legs, beef, vegetables—an abundance of provisions piled up like a small hill. The surrounding crowd was stunned; personal space was limited and usually reserved for important items. Who would fill it with such ordinary foodstuffs?

Mu Rongxun, however, felt troubled. He was merely a novice chef, and the only dish he truly mastered was ramen. Facing so many ingredients, if he actually cooked something, wouldn’t he expose himself?

With so many eyes watching, he could only brace himself and step forward.

The four brothers, oblivious to his anxiety, were excitedly discussing food.

"This lamb leg is of the highest quality—we’ve specially preserved it. You could make a roast lamb leg. As for the beef, slice it thin and we could have hot pot. And..."

"As long as we get to eat, you shouldn’t be so picky!" Boya mocked.

"A real man doesn’t argue with a woman!"

The others, ready to retort, saw that the only woman had spoken, so they fell silent, somewhat embarrassed.

"Just cook as you see fit," Wen Feng said, sitting cross-legged, placing his sword case on his thighs, and closing his eyes to rest.

Mu Rongxun took out his portable kitchen and began slicing the beef. In terms of knife skills, he had no issues—his mastery of blade techniques was not for nothing.

His movements drew approving nods from the crowd. Whether a chef was competent depended first and foremost on his knife work.

In their eyes, Mu Rongxun sliced the meat with fluid grace. A piece of beef quickly became delicate slices, thin as cicada wings, dispelling any doubts about his abilities.

"It’s not easy cooking in the wilderness, so why not gather together for a hot pot meal?" After some thought, he decided hot pot was the best choice—no skill required, just chop the vegetables and let everyone cook what they fancy.

No one objected.

[Yes/No: Activate Talent?]

Yet at that moment, something puzzling happened. Mu Rongxun wondered why cooking a meal was connected to his talent.

He still hadn’t figured out this sudden talent. He’d only received the prompt upon leaving the castle.

[You have received Susanna’s Blessing: Dark Affinity Talent Activated.]

But what exactly was this Dark Affinity? He had no idea, and it wasn’t suitable to ask the others.

After considering, he chose to activate it and see what happened.

He continued chopping vegetables and began roasting the lamb leg. That was simple enough, something he could manage.

"Big brother, I’m feeling a bit unwell!" Suddenly, the third paladin frowned.

"Me too."

"I’m feeling it as well."

The second and third chimed in.

"I’m not comfortable either," the eldest added, though none could pinpoint the cause.

Wen Feng, eyes closed, briefly glanced at Mu Rongxun busy at work, then shut his eyes again.

Mu Rongxun paid no heed, just sliced vegetables and rotated the lamb leg on the spit.

Soon, the aroma of meat wafted through the air, and he’d finished preparing all the vegetables.

But as he glanced at the nearly roasted lamb leg, Mu Rongxun’s lips twitched.

[Dark Cuisine: Roast Lamb Leg—Infused with Dark energy, the flavor is exceptional.]

[Star Rating: One and a half stars, Dark Affinity +1 star]

[Effect (Self): After consumption, movement speed increases by 20% for ten minutes.]

[Effect (Others): After consumption, movement speed increases by 20% for ten minutes, but after the effect ends, continuous bleeding and nosebleeds occur, losing one life point per second for three minutes.]

Seeing this, Mu Rongxun didn’t know what to say. He finally understood why he’d become a Dark Chef, able to create such peculiar dishes.

"Is it ready? Can we eat?" The four brothers eagerly crowded around as soon as the roast lamb was done.

"What is this?" Sensing the thick aura of darkness around the lamb leg, they quickly backed away.

As paladins, they wielded the power of light, naturally opposed to dark energy.

"This..." The others couldn’t help but look over; the aura was unmistakable and couldn’t be ignored.

Especially after seeing the attributes, they were lost for words.

Wang Junfeng glanced at the roast, then at his own rice ball, seeming to understand.

"Very impressive!" After a long pause, Wen Feng finally managed a comment.

"Move aside, let me handle it!" Boya pushed Mu Rongxun away, unwilling to let him cook further. Even if it added attributes, she feared he’d leave everyone with nothing edible.

Luckily, the ingredients were already sliced, and all that remained was to prepare the hot pot broth.

"No wonder you could make something like that," Dark Night said admiringly.

"Truly gifted!"

At first, he wondered how ordinary ingredients could suddenly produce a three-star dish, but now he finally had the answer.

Mu Rongxun opened his mouth but said nothing.

"You must have some kind of dark talent. When we return, you can pay to consult the Tower of Sorcery."

Wen Feng advised.

Mu Rongxun nodded, realizing the strength of his Dark Affinity talent.

Ordinary ingredients became attribute-laden dishes, and more importantly, his talent directly boosted the star rating—though with side effects when consumed by others, reducing their value.

Otherwise, with such ability, he’d be making a fortune.

Of course, the roast lamb leg had another limitation: similar foods could only be used three times per person, with consequences for exceeding that limit.