Demon hunter's Cooking Manual

A lake lay before my eyes.

Dead branches and decaying leaves floated on its surface, water moss, and tower moss filled the space, turning the entire lake green and aquamarine.

And Jason?

He wandered freely within it.

This did not cause any panic for Jason, who had experience with the Griffin Body Refinement Technique.

He knew it was a necessary process.

A process that conditioned the muscles, bones, and heart to adapt to the Body Forging Technique.

Or more accurately: transformation!

A powerful transformation that strengthened the body.

Just...

Crocodiles?

Jason looked at that 'body' that floated on the lake surface like deadwood and raised an eyebrow.

He finally understood why the Prus Body Refinement Technique required crawling.

Isn't that what crocodiles do?

The Prus Bounce Technique naturally was a crocodile jumping technique.

The Prus Underwater Breathing Technique was of course a crocodile breathing method.

But can crocodiles really jump?

Jason thought to himself as a bird flew over the lake. And 'he', floating in the water, leaped out and swallowed the bird in one gulp.

Then, he plunged back into the water once more.

The special unidirectional lung circulation allowed 'him' to stay underwater longer. Although real breathing was not possible, movement became ever more silent and stealthy.

Descending to the bottom of the lake.

In the pitch darkness, lights flickered.

Em mm!

The Dufol Language appeared before his eyes, imprinting upon the heart, a set of symbols three Si Wl Vc away from the Griffin Body Refinement Technique, seemingly innate in its avoidance.

[Prus Body Refinement Technique Evaluation in Progress...]

[Special Mastery Evaluation in Progress...]

[Evaluation Passed!]

[Acquiring the Basics of 'Prus Body Refinement Technique']

[Prus Body Refinement Technique (Basic): Once the core secret technique of Chen Xi's Prus Family, it circulated in a different form 300 years ago. As time passed, it became incomplete and flawed. Despite the Prus Family's attempts to mend it, it still had significant shortcomings, preventing it from achieving high-level mastery and making it extremely difficult to train. It required not only exceptional talent but also a lot of potions. However, with your outstanding talent, you don't need these; Effect: Obtain defense against damage below a blade level; when jumping, strength, and agility evaluations +0.1; underwater, breathing time increases by 10 minutes, stealth and concealment levels +1.]

(Note: Due to defects and incompleteness, the Prus Body Refinement Technique can't advance to Proficiency Level.)

...

There wasn't a direct increase in attributes, but the effects were still quite good.

Jason could feel his skin and muscles becoming firmer.

Ordinary blades could still hurt him, but they would now require more effort to do so.

And this wasn't the end goal of the Prus Body Refinement Technique.

With his previous experience of training with the Griffin Body Refinement Technique, Jason immediately commenced the advanced training of the Prus Body Refinement Technique.

During breathing, the sound of bones breaking continually rang out, mixed with the tearing of muscles and the shattering of his heart.

But Jason didn't care.

If it didn't kill him, he would train to death.

With his exceptional talent, he feared nothing.

After going through the cycle three times, he mastered the basics of the Prus Body Refinement Technique.

After another three cycles, he became proficient in the Prus Body Refinement Technique.

[Prus Body Refinement Technique (Proficient): Relying on your unique talent, you have quickly pushed this secret technique to the peak of its current stage, giving you a glimpse into its true nature; Effect: Strength, Physical Strength +0.1, acquire defense above blade level; when jumping, strength and agility evaluations +0.2; underwater, breathing time increases by 30 minutes, stealth and concealment levels +1.]

(Note: Due to defects and incompleteness, the Prus Body Refinement Technique can't advance to Proficiency Level.)

...

An increase of 0.1 in strength and physical condition was an unexpected joy for Jason.

What really mattered to him was that he was now almost impervious to ordinary blades.

However, that was just ordinary blades.

To face gunfire?

The Prus Family ancestor who had reached the same level was the best example.

Once surrounded, you'd either be shot to death by random gunfire or blown to bits by cannons.

But the slightest hint of its true nature.

Could it be further improved?

As Jason pondered, the 'he' lying at the bottom of the lake suddenly started to dig with hands and feet.

As he dug, a passage appeared at the lake's bottom.

A passage large enough for 'him' to crawl through swiftly.

Following this tunnel, 'he' soon arrived in a grand hall.

A hall resplendent with gold.

Piles of indescribable gold and jewels stacked around.

'He' seemed to return to his lair, moving through the gold, weaving through it as the coins brushed past 'his' body and jewels seemed to embed themselves on 'his' back.

In just a moment, 'he' became 'colorfully spotted'.

However, 'he' did not stop there, he continued deeper inside.

Until a potion bottle appeared before 'him'.

Prus!

Prus!

Prus!

The low roar rose from 'his' mouth; half of the potion from the bottle spilled onto 'his' body, and the remaining half 'he' swallowed down.

The moment the potion touched 'his' skin, Jason's entire skin, muscles, and bones exploded, turning into a mess of flesh.

But in the next moment, they returned to normal.

As the potion was ingested, Jason's internal organs burst apart, and he exploded like an overinflated balloon.

Then instantly, they returned to normal once again.

The two sudden brushes with death transformed 'him.'

'His' figure grew even larger.

'His' scales became tougher.

'His' limbs grew more muscular and powerful.

And at that moment—

Screech!

A cry of an eagle!

A dark golden griffin swooped down from the sky.

Its sharp claws grabbed onto the back of the giant crocodile, sparking a shower of sparks as several hard scales shattered and flew off, leaving the crocodile's back instantly mangled and bloody..

The suddenly attacked crocodile bore the pain, swung its tail, and smashed it straight into the griffin that was about to take flight, immediately sending feathers flying and a heavy thud reverberated.

Cry!

The griffin rolled and soared again, circling back and forth with an eagle's sharp gaze.

Roar!

In a low growl, the giant crocodile raised its head to stare at the griffin, opened its mouth wide, and revealed teeth comparable to daggers.

The next moment!

The two monsters collided.

Without backing down!

Fighting to the death without retreat!

And at this moment, Jason finally discovered that in the corner of the heart where it should have been, the Dufol Language representing the "Prus Body Refinement Technique" changed from Em mm to Em mm mm!

Moreover, this group of Dufol Language symbols floated from the corner of the heart directly to the core of the heart.

There, were the three Dufol Language symbols representing the "Griffin Body Refinement Technique" Si Wl Vc and the three symbols for "Protection Against Evil" sI oT Yn.

The two groups of symbols had already integrated, and naturally they joined forces against the intruder at this time.

But the Dufol Language representing the "Prus Body Refinement Technique" was so forceful that it was difficult for Jason to believe.

The three symbols Em mm mm were like the giant crocodile on the ground, relentlessly biting at the other two groups of symbols, refusing to back down even when beaten to pieces.

And in this confrontation—

Thump thump thump!

Jason's heart began to burst time and time again.

After nine bursts.

The Dufol Language representing the "Prus Body Refinement Technique" changed.

The gaps between them disappeared.

They turned into: Emmmm!

Then, a suffix appeared: EX!

When this suffix appeared, the two monsters inside Jason suddenly stopped their struggle.

The dark golden griffin, like the eternal night.

The giant crocodile, however, was clad in dawn, like the early morning light.

Two entities that should have no connection, at this moment, became integrally linked.

They approached each other.

They circled each other.

They fused with each other.

[Integration of Griffin Body Refinement Technique and Prus Body Refinement Technique in progress...]

[Integration failed!]

[Jason is dead!]

[Jason resurrected, integration re-evaluation in progress...]

[Integration failed!]

[Jason is dead!]

[Jason resurrected, integration re-evaluation in progress...]

[Integration failed!]

[Jason is dead!]

...

A series of death notifications appeared before Jason's eyes.

The satiation level was dropping at a visible rate.

Having experienced death 23 times, Jason was not in the slightest bit panicked.

Why did he always ensure he had 30 lives?

Wasn't it precisely because he feared encountering the situation he currently faced?

Now he still had 7+ lives.

That was enough!

Jason had considerable confidence.

With the increasing number of deaths,

He became experienced with death.

He could feel that everything was changing for the better.

Indeed, that was the case.

After two more consecutive deaths, everything became peaceful.

[Integration of Griffin Body Refinement Technique and Prus Body Refinement Technique in progress...]

[Integration successful!]

[You have obtained the Prus-Griffon Body Forging Technique!]

[Prus-Griffon Body Forging Technique (Proficiency): You have combined the core secret techniques of the griffin school with those of the Prus Family to make them uniquely yours; they become one of a kind, as the connection between night and dawn is unique. As the wielder, you are just as unique; Effect: Strength +0.5, Agility +0.4, Constitution +0.5 (Base, Beginner, Proficient, and Proficiency Level as well as Strength and Constitution 'Prus' extra +0.1), Physical Strength recovery speed +15%, Energy recovery speed +10%, Injury recovery speed +10%, Bullet-level defense, when jumping, Strength and Agility evaluation +0.3; underwater, an additional 45 minutes of breath extended, Stealth and Concealment level +1]

(Note: The special method of cultivation makes it extraordinary, and increasingly specialized. The level of the Griffin Body Refinement Technique cannot exceed that of the "Protection Against Evil".)

[Evaluation of fundamental changes to Griffin Body Refinement Technique and innate talent in progress...]

[Evaluation passed!]

[You have obtained the inherent talents 'Embrace of the Night' and 'Sword of the Dawn']

[Embrace of the Night: A special talent combined with the Night Watcher and the Griffin Body Refinement Technique, its emergence is an accident; When you are also within the night, darkness, or shadows, you will receive an added bonus of +2 levels to Stealth and Concealment, and the recovery speed of Physical Strength, Energy, and Injuries at +3%, with additional defenses +1 level against shadow and negative energy erosion]

[Sword of the Dawn: A treasure of the dawn hidden within the giant crocodile, it was meant to be buried in the shadows of history, but you have unearthed it once again; at the break of dawn, by charging for 3 seconds, you can create a 10-meter long Sword of the Dawn to execute an explosive-level slash, consuming a great deal of your Physical Strength]

...

In the night sky, a faint light began to emerge.

That was the radiance of dawn.

A dark golden griffin that had grown even larger spread its wings and soared, its dark gold no longer derived from feathers but from scales, tough scales; with each flap of its broad flesh wings, it whipped up a gust of wind.

It started its journey from the night sky, in pursuit of the brilliance of the dawn.

Then, it directly merged into Jason's heart.

Thump!

Thump thump!

Suddenly, that heart burst forth with unprecedented vitality.

In that moment, Jason opened his eyes.