The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving

Aisha focused, pushing a thinner thread of light into the meat instead of trying to flood it all at once. If the miasma reacted like something alive, then maybe brute force wasn’t the answer.

She needed to coax it out, the same way she’d coaxed the corruption out of Nykos’s mental sea.

Little by little, they gathered toward her instead. They were like moths drawn toward a flame as they slowly twirl in mid-air, looking like a twisted ladder. She guided it without the intention of purifying it, helping it along, until it saturated in front of her, turning almost solid.

Kylin fell on top of the meat with a ’plop’, unceremoniously landing on its butt as it stared in shock. It opened its mouth as if wanting to ask how she did it...

Aisha couldn’t entertain the inquiries of the spiritual beast. She held her breath, careful not to let her power spike, and watched as the last traces of that jellied mass lifted away from the meat. Holding it in place, she glanced around and finally settled on an empty jar.

The jellied mass of miasma moved erratically as she steered it into the empty jar, dumping it helplessly inside until not one drop was left behind. Finally, she closed it tightly with her own power.

As expected, it tried to struggle free, surging upward. But the moment it met against her power, it fizzled and a chunk immediately disintegrated. The rest were alarmed and stayed put below the jar, no longer trying to come up.

Exhaling slowly, Aisha looked at the meat on top of the countertop.

It was no longer a murky gray color that looked rotten. The meat now pink and glistening with no signs of miasma corrupting it. Not even 0.001 percent was left.

If someone were to see this, the entire planet would be shaken by this!

After all, no one has ever achieved a complete purification. Even the S-rank Guides who boasted a purification rate of 90 percent could never dream of doing what she just did.

Kylin stared at her then at the meat before finally settling over the contained miasma with astonishment.

”Finally,” she exhaled.

Now came the part she’d been looking forward to since the first time she laid eyes on it back at the black market stall.

She went looking through the kitchen cabinets next, opening one after another until she found a stash of cooking oil, salt, and a few jars of spices she didn’t recognize by smell alone. Obviously, they were all something she had to test to know what they are.

And whoever stocked this place hadn’t expected anyone to actually cook here, but these were just enough to work with. At least, they weren’t expired.

She found a pan, washed it and set it on the stove.

The stove itself was made of ores that naturally emitted heat, by just adjusted the amount of ores and placing them in the ring, they’d become just like normal stoves in her past life.

She cut a thin slice off the meat first, testing her theory before actually using the whole piece. The knife went through easily without resistance or strange texture. Just like slicing regular meat.

Oil went into the pan and she waited until it started to shimmer and heated up before placing the slice of meat down.

The moment it hit the pan, a sharp sizzle filled the kitchen.

Aisha stood there watching it with arms crossed, feeling strangely nervous for something this simple and small. She wasn’t even this nervous when she fought against a horde of mutated people.

Turning the slice over after a minute, the edges curled and browned beautifully. The color deepened from pale pink to warm golden brown, and a thin layer of fat along the edge started to pop softly in the oil.

The smell hit her a few seconds later.

It was a strong scent she expected from a monster meat in this world. If anything, it was the faint undeniable smell of meat, rich, savory and sweet.

Her stomach growled.

She hadn’t realized how hungry she actually was until that smell filled the room.

Aisha turned the heat down slightly, letting it cook through. She sprinkled a bit of salt over it and let it sit for another minute before finally lifting it out of the pan with a fork she’d found in a draw.

She set the piece of meat on a plate and stared at it.

Saliva already flooding her mouth. It looked exactly like a piece of pan-seared pork with golden brown crust, faint pink center, and some fat clinging to the surface.

”Gulp.”

She swallowed down and reached for it, unable to resist it anymore.

”Guru!”

Niblles floated in front of the plate, blocking her from getting into the piece of meat. The other spiritual best had moved closer too, shaking its head as if telling her not to recklessly put anything in her mouth.

”It no longer has any miasma in it,” she told them. ”You’ve seen me remove it.”

Neither of them looked convinced. If anything, Kylin strongly shook its head.

But Aisha could no longer take it.

Ignoring their suspicious nature, she picked up a fork and cut a small piece. Hesitating for exactly one second, she finally put it in her mouth.

”!!!”

She chewed slowly at first, but the tenderness almost melted her tongue.

The taste of the meat was exquisite, exploding inside her mouth.

”So good!” Aisha almost cried real tears.

After years in her ruined old world, this was the first time she had actually tasted real meat! It was nothing like the canned food and whatever scraps she could find just to fill her stomach. This was... this was heaven!

Now, she couldn’t wait to taste the other meat she bought today!

Finally tasting it and finding nothing was wrong with it, Aisha didn’t hesitate any longer. She cut the meat into thin slices and started to sear them. If there were other ingredients, she would have cooked another recipe she hadn’t tried in so many years.

But this would suffice for now. She could try searching for ingredients to cook her meat with in the future.

One piece after another disappeared in her mouth. And each time, she’d end up swooning and moaning by just how delicious they were. Her eyes were closed as she savored the taste longer, nodding and humming with satisfaction.

Kylin and Nibbles looked at each other, both mirroring the expression of looking at something that was nothing short of insanity.

But Aisha didn’t care and kept eating.

By the time she noticed them again, both spiritual beasts had crept closer, hovering at the edge of the plate and watching her chew with much more interest than before.

”Guru?” Nibble chirped.

Aisha nodded. ”It tastes so good Nibbles.”

Nibbles, who could devour even stones from a bracelet, showed some trace of hesitation. Then, it bumped its head lightly against the edge of the plate.

”You want some?”

The tiny spiritual beast bobbed rapidly, antennae waving.

Aisha glanced at Kylin, who was still clearly frightened by the horrifying sight of her devouring monster meat.

”I’ll give you each a piece. Try it first and see if you like it?”

Since Nibbles was interested, it’d be wrong of her to overlook the adorable furry beast.

Picking up two pieces, she set one down in front of them each.

Nibbles looked at her and when Aisha nodded, it finally started to eat. Kylin took a little longer, sniffling at its portion twice before looking at Nibbles who had already finished its meat, before finally nipping at the edge and chewing carefully like it expected to regret it later.

”!!!”

This time, it reacted more differently. Its ears perked straight up and tail started to spin like a fan, already eying the meat on her place.

”No,” Aisha said, already sensing where this was going. ”That’s it. I’ll cook for you both later when I get more meat—”

Too late.

Both of them lunged for the rest of the meat still sitting on the plate before she could finish the sentence. Aisha tried to stab a piece, but they cleared what was left in seconds before she could even touch it, leaving nothing behind but a faint smear of oil.

Aisha stared at the empty plate.

”You two are unbelievable!” she glared at them both.

And it was the first time she finally got to eat good food, but before she could even finish them, it disappeared into their stomachs!

Kylin let out a pleased little huff and curled contented on the countertop, licking its paws and not the least bit sorry. Nibbles swayed back and forth, looking at her as if asking for more.

”I need to buy more.”

At this rate, with these two here, the meat she bought from the Association’s market wouldn’t even last her a day.

Aisha leaned her arms on the countertop, gently patting Nibbles and Kylin’s head. They purred and leaned against her touch.

That was when her terminal buzzed.

She ignored it. There was nothing urgent for her to deal with right now. With the match still days away and the arranged basic guiding with Admiral Zeke happening right after it, she thought nothing should disturb her.

But the sound repeated twice.

Aisha lazily reached over and tapped the screen awake.

An official notice immediately sprang up wide, stamped with the seal of the Imperial Court.

Official Annulment Ceremony.

Parties: Prince Soren Valerius & Aisha Novalis.

Location: Grand Hall, Imperial Palace, Sector 1.

Attendance is mandatory for both named parties.

Attendees: Members of the Royal Family and the Novalis Family. Selected guests invited personally by both the parties’ families.

Aisha stared at the screen for a long time.

”Ha!” she laughed coldly.

A signed papers weren’t enough for him. He needed to publicly announce it by turning this into a ceremony?

She sat up slightly, a smile already playing on her lips.

Since he wanted to do it in public and humiliate her... Then, he should be prepared when she does it to him in return!