Demon hunter's Cooking Manual

The night sky took the place of the roof.

When Jason came to his senses, he was standing in the midst of a graveyard.

Bright moonlight shone overhead.

The soil beneath his feet was dark.

The wind blew gently.

Branches swayed.

They startled several crows into cawing raucously.

Jason frowned.

He was not the least bit frightened by the scene before him; he strode towards the depths of the graveyard, his gaze fixed on a tall stone structure there.

As he drew closer, Jason was startled to find that the tall stone building had a staircase on one side, while the other three sides were smooth and even, moss filling the crevices between the stones.

The stairs, however, were very clean.

At the base of the first step, there were sculptures on either side.

The sculptures were both of birds and over a meter tall.

However, one was shaped like a cylinder.

The other was square-shaped.

"Is this…"

"An altar?!"

Jason looked around, guessing uncertainly.

Because he had never seen an altar in a graveyard, let alone one that resembled a towering spire.

So, in the time that followed, Jason became even more cautious.

After inspecting the sculptures and stairs, Jason finally stepped up.

Nothing happened as he made his way to the top of the altar.

Then...

Jason's attention was captured by a verdant fruit.

The verdant fruit was placed on a stone plate.

The stone plate rested on a stone table.

This table was so large it almost took up the entire top level of the altar.

But the fruit itself was not large, only the size of a date.

After looking around and ensuring there were no dangers, Jason bent over, picked up the fruit, and then tossed it into his mouth.

Crunch!

Crisp!

Sweet!

Juices were abundant.

Jason unconsciously squinted his eyes.

The next moment, he vanished.

In the instant Jason disappeared, the sculptures on either side of the altar's stairs both exhaled deeply.

"That was terrifying!"

"We almost got eaten!"

The two sculptures said at the same time.

Looking as if they had narrowly escaped a disaster.

But as they were only a bit of true spirit, they were no longer truly existing entities.

Ultimately, they could not escape Jason's stomach.

The next moment—

A massive mouth appeared in the dark night sky.

The mouth was like a black hole.

The entire graveyard was sucked up into it.

After chewing a few times, it was completely swallowed.

[A miniscule amount of 'Dark Crow Blood' essence has been consumed!]

[Physical strength and energy (injuries) are fully restored to the greatest extent!]

[Satiety +9]

[Satiety: 25]

...

[Consuming potion, undergoing special learning ritual, judgment in progress...]

[Judgment passed!]

[Acquired 'Blair Exorcism Technique' (Basic)!]

[Detected possession of a higher-grade similar secret technique 'Protection Against Evil'!]

[Merging 'Blair Exorcism Technique'...]

The text before his eyes paused for a second.

Then, more words began to emerge.

[Protection Against Evil (Proficiency): Not only have you mastered this secret technique of Seal Imprint, but you have also used a special power to enhance it, and similar forces to strengthen it! In the city's night, it is enough to fend off the majority of malice, but you still need to expend a great deal of Physical Strength to activate this secret technique! Among the legacies of the Night Watcher you possess, a certain Night Watcher made some changes to it, thus, you also mastered such long-range attack skills; likewise, the modifications you made can also become part of this legacy; Effect: 1, A special force field attaches to the surface of the body, which can defend against attacks from negative energy beings (above Explosive-level), and can also drive them out along with their forces (above Explosive-level); 2, You can direct the power of expelling evil to target creatures or objects within an 8-meter radius centered on you, and launch a long-range attack.]

...

[Protection Against Evil upgraded to Proficiency Level, gaining inherent mastery option: Glyph Replication]

[Glyph Replication: You can store a use of Protection Against Evil in advance, which has the same consumption as the normal Protection Against Evil, but because of your improvement, it can last for 4 days, during which the power of Protection Against Evil will gradually weaken, and by the end of the 4th day, the power of the Seal Imprint of Protection Against Evil will completely disappear; you can refill Protection Against Evil at any time during those 4 days; when released it only requires the brief Dufol Language syllable (Yi)]

...

"The power of [Protection Against Evil] has increased a small level, from Explosive-level to above Explosive-level!"

"The range of long-distance attacks has also increased from 6 meters to 8 meters!"

"The duration of [Glyph Replication] has gained an extra day!"

Jason looked on with delight at this scene.

Although it was far from his initial goal.

But Jason was pleased to see the enhancement of [Protection Against Evil].

However, with enhancements naturally come greater costs.

Originally, for the next level, Expert Level, [Protection Against Evil] required 25 points of satiety and 4 points of Excitement of Feast.

Now it had become 30 points of satiety and 5 points of Excitement of Feast.

Such a large number of satiety and Excitement of Feast made Jason frown.

But the next moment, Jason adjusted his mindset.

"Save up slowly."

"One day, I will amass enough."

Jason thought, turning his head to look at Reed.

The personal attendant stood there while Jason consumed the Potion, silently protecting him throughout.

Seeing Jason turn his head, the personal attendant immediately said:

"Congratulations, my lord."

The words were confident, and the tone left no room for doubt.

Reed, who had been an observer all along, clearly felt the changes in Jason.

He, who also learned the 'Blair Exorcism Technique,' knew exactly what such changes meant.

Success!

And not just any success, but an exceptional one!

Lord Gerard had once said that Jason's aura and the 'Blair Exorcism Technique' were a particularly good match.

But...

He had never thought that this match would be to the extent that upon learning it, one would instantly reach the pinnacle.

"Worthy of being Lord Gerard's cousin."

"Talent..."

"Really is terrifying."

Reed, clearly misunderstanding something, thought to himself silently.

However, the personal attendant did not forget the matter at hand.

"General Anno has arrived."

"He is taking over the defenses of Fort Swallow."

"You need to go and meet this old general."

"Remember to be friendly."

Reed quietly reminded Jason.

Jason nodded in understanding.

After all, old General Anno was not only a senior member of the harbor, but had also been 'his' mentor in swordsmanship.

Brave in character, yet impulsive.

Jason recalled the information in his mind.

Then, he followed Reed outside.

"Gerard!"

In the loud voice, a tall figure with white hair and beard approached directly.

The old man's eyes were bright, his mouth corners upturned, filled with thick joy.

After Reed stepped aside, he came up to Jason and gave him a bear hug.

"Well done."

The old general said loudly.

Then,

his voice lowered to a level audible only to the two of them—

"Gerard would be proud of you!"