Investing in My Crippled Wife: Every Return Makes Me Stronger

[Curse: Eclipse’s Corrosion - Grade: Eighth Circle]

Fortunately, now that the advancement was complete, he could finally see the one thing he had long wanted to see: the curse’s name.

However, the remaining details below it were entirely locked, replaced by stark rows of question marks.

[Details: ???]

[Effect: ???]

[Origin: ???]

Soren stared at the glitchy text, realizing that knowing the name was only the first step; the true nature of what was eating away at her still remained hidden.

Still, the usual warning about insufficient authority had vanished completely, which probably meant he now had enough authority, but his appraisal ability wasn’t strong enough to pierce the remaining fog yet.

’I’ll have to push myself even harder and upgrade it as soon as possible.’

He then quickly scanned the rest of Ethea’s information, but nothing else had changed. Dismissing her screen, he pulled up the windows belonging to Darius and Clara. There was nothing new in Clara’s window as well, and while Darius’s status showed his current mental state as ’determined, guilty, and relieved,’ Soren chose to ignore it. Knowing the hypocrisy behind the man’s actions made the data completely irrelevant.

He closed the interfaces, clearing his vision just as he reached the kitchen entrance.

The space was massive, bustling with dozens of staff members moving between large prep stations to handle the hospital’s morning rush. As Soren stepped inside, one of the cooks who had allowed him to use the space yesterday caught sight of him.

”Whoa! He’s here! The Magic Chef is here!”

Heads instantly snapped in Soren’s direction, several assistants pausing mid-chop to look at him.

”Whoa, a Magic Chef?” one whispered, nudging his coworker. ”He looks so young, though. Are you sure?”

”A Magic Chef? No way that’s true.”

”You bet it is! I saw-”

”Hey! Stop daydreaming and get back to work!” a booming voice roared from the back, cutting off the chatter.

”Eek! It’s the head chef!” The staff scrambled, instantly throwing themselves back into their tasks as footsteps thudded heavily across the tiled floor.

The head chef stormed forward, glaring at his crew before turning his sharp gaze onto Soren. He sized the young man up from head to toe, wiping his hands on his apron. ”So. Are you really a Magic Chef?”

”Yes, though I’m just a beginner,” Soren replied modestly. ”Nothing that impressive.”

Before the head chef could press further, the cook from yesterday chimed in quickly from behind his station, hoping to defuse the brewing tension. ”Is your wife okay?”

”She is, thank you for worrying,” Soren said, nodding to him with a polite smile. He then turned back to the head chef, keeping his tone respectful. ”I was hoping I could cook here again. I can offer you a share of what I make, or help out if you need extra hands.”

The head chef crossed his arms.

”Unfortunately, I don’t allow outsiders in my kitchen. But...” His eyes narrowed with a spark of challenge. ”If you can actually prove you are a Magic Chef right now, I will give you permission.”

Soren pondered for a moment, then quickly used [Advanced Appraisal] on the man.

To his surprise, the head chef was actually an awakened at the third rank, possessing a hidden, cooking-related talent called [Gourmet’s Intuition]. His mental state showed he was merely curious and looking to test him. Since there was no malice behind the challenge, just professional skepticism, Soren decided to accept the challenge.

”What should I do?”

The head chef smiled. ”You have thirty minutes to prepare a [Crimson Marrow Broth]. It is a second-tier magic meal, perfect for patients in the trauma ward who have suffered severe blood loss. If you are a true Magic Chef, you should know the recipe.”

Soren nodded calmly. He knew the recipe perfectly thanks to all those cooking-related returns, though he had not actually cooked this specific dish himself yet. Still, he felt entirely confident that he could pull it off.

He moved straight to an open workstation, tying a clean apron around his waist and pulling on a pair of gloves. Fortunately, the massive kitchen was fully stocked, and the core ingredients were already laid out. The essential blood-replenishing marrow bones had already been cleaned and prepped for the morning shift, saving him precious time.

Soren began his work immediately. His movements were fluid as he ignited the burner, adjusting the flame with precise control while channeling a faint current of mana into the pot to stabilize the temperature.

Nearby, a few of the ordinary cooks stopped what they were doing to watch him in open admiration.

”Eyes on your own stations!” the head chef barked. He was working right at the adjacent counter, moving with the fluid precision of a seasoned magic chef. Even as he effortlessly handled his own complex dish, his eyes darted toward Soren every few seconds, sharply monitoring the young man’s knife work and temperature control. ”If I catch anyone else slacking off, you’re on dish duty for a week!”

The distracted assistants instantly looked down, terrified of drawing his ire, and hurried back to their tasks.

Gradually, the rich aroma of the broth deepened, filling the immediate area and drawing subtle glances from the nearby staff despite the threat of extra chores. Soren focused entirely on managing the heat, slowly coaxing the marrow’s essence until the liquid turned a vibrant crimson. He gave the pot one final stir, ensuring the infused mana was perfectly distributed before turning off the burner.

The head chef, who had just finished his own moments earlier, immediately stepped over to Soren’s station. He grabbed a small tasting spoon from his apron pocket, dipping it into the simmering liquid.

After taking a careful sip, his eyes lit up.

The skepticism that had lined the head chef’s face completely vanished, replaced by a genuine, appreciative grin. He smacked his lips, savoring the depth of the flavor, and gave Soren a firm nod accompanied by a solid thumbs-up.

”Incredible,” the head chef admitted openly. ”The mana integration is seamless. You have absolutely proven yourself, kid. The kitchen is yours for whatever you need.”

”Thank you, Sir,” Soren said with a polite smile, bowing his head slightly in appreciation.

With the official permission secured, Soren did not waste a single second. He cleared his station and immediately pivoted to the dish he had planned to make all along: [Glacial Marrow Consommé].

This specific recipe required a delicate, reverse-temperature brewing technique designed to soothe internal burning and fractured mana pathways. It was a challenging preparation, but Soren knew it was exactly what was needed to help Ethea a great deal against the brutal effects of her curse.

To further amplify the dish’s curative properties, he also planned to introduce the [Myriad Pathway Nutrient Fluid] into the brewing process, combining the two to maximize the healing effect.

However, as he began gathering the necessary items on the counter, a sudden thought struck him. He paused, wiped his hands quickly, and pulled out his device. He sent a quick message to Aunt Clara, letting her know he would be a bit late and asking her to call him if anything happened.

Once the message was sent, he put the device away and continued setting up his workstation, his focus narrowing down to the task at hand. As the first gentle wisps of steam rose from the pot, he soon became entirely engrossed in the delicate process.

The bustling noise of the busy hospital kitchen seemed to fade into a distant hum, leaving only the rhythmic bubbling of the broth and the steady hum of his own mana as he meticulously guided the temperature down to the exact degree required for the consommé.

Every movement was precise, every second calculated, as he poured all his effort into crafting the perfect remedy for Ethea.

And finally...

”...Done.”