Chef in the Apocalypse

The four watched on as nature in its most pure form played out in front of them. There was a kind of majesty to it that made one pause, unable to look away. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

From the long blades of grass that swayed in the wind, to the clouds that showered rain on them, providing the sustenance for all life to grow. The chirping of the insects, mixed with the pitter-patter of the rain made the experience even more heartwarming.

Were it not for the cottage that could be seen in the distance, one would think that this was untouched land, possibly even the origin of nature itself.

Having lived in cities their whole lives, the four spectators felt as if they were witnessing the birth of nature itself.

Jayce instinctively knew that if anyone of them could comprehend a small fraction of what was in front of them, it would certainly increase their power. The most likely candidate was Leah, who already had some rudimentary knowledge of the Law.

However, this was not what they had traveled here for.

Jayce called out to the two girls who were still enamored with the sight in front of them. "Leah, Lianna. We should first look for the Mana stones before coming back here."

Snapping out of their reverie, Leah quickly nodded. She had gotten a little distracted, seeing the beacon of knowledge that was right in front of their face.

"Yeah you’re right. Sorry." With that, she moved forward on the path and headed towards the cottage. "I think I remember seeing something behind the cottage."

Jayce nodded and followed. He was impressed that Leah could maintain her self control, it showed that she had probably learned her lesson after the Dryad experience.

As the cottage came closer into view, Jayce could finally get a decent look at it. It was built with long blocks of timber, looking more like an upscale shack than a cottage. Surprisingly it was very similar to the housing that Leah had built on the surface.

Yet this cottage was littered with vines that seemed to have been dead for a while, giving it an ominous atmosphere. The timber itself seemed to be rotten, as if a strong push could topple the whole structure.

Although this was the case, it did not feel out of harmony with the floor. In fact, it almost seemed like it was also a part of the Law of Nature.

Now that he thought about it, where there is life and growth, there is also death and decay. Could this whole floor be the personification of Nature’s Law?

Leah continued past the cottage, shivering slightly at the sight of it. This did not go unnoticed by Jayce who was on high alert.

Although the Dryad was now dead, that did not mean there weren’t other despicable monsters that could also inhabit this floor.

"It’s over here." Leah shouted, waving everyone to come over.

Jayce walked over, checking out the spot that she had pointed out. He bent down and picked up a stone before inspecting it. "Mmm, this is definitely a Magicite stone."

His gaze turned to the area, noticing that there were a few scattered around on the ground. This area was devoid of grass, with merely dirt and large rocks scattered about.

Jayce walked forward and stomped on the ground lightly, trying to gauge the thickness.

"It’s pretty tough." He murmured, frowning a little.

He had seen a Mana stone deposit before in his previous life, but only after it had been mined for some time. Usually it would take a monstrous amount of manpower to excavate these deposits without damaging some Mana stones, especially without technology.

Unfortunately, he had neither the manpower, nor the time to bother about these things. Which left only one last possibility... Brute force.

"Okay stand back everyone, I’m gonna burst a hole in the ground." Jayce said, gesturing for some distance.

No one objected, merely shuffling backwards at his request. They were each curious about how he was going to open up the ground, each with their own theories.

"Is he gonna punch the ground?" Leah whispered.

Lianna shook her head, "No, he’ll use the exploding fireball."

Tony scoffed in response, "Master Jayce is refined Chef, of course he’ll use his knife to cut the land open."

Ignoring the three spectators, Jayce summoned his Bloodfang Dagger, eliciting a gloating smile on Tony’s face.

Yet in the next moment Jayce’s figure seemed to pulse with power, sending shockwaves outwards in all directions.

"W-What the hell?" Leah exclaimed, feeling the ground shake around her.

Moving the Qi within his meridians, Jayce felt that it was countless times easier to control than mana. With a mere thought he was able to condense and disperse his Qi, effortlessly navigating it throughout his meridians.

His Dantian controlled the speed of the flow, while his will and the contraction of his meridians allowed him to move the Qi with pinpoint accuracy.

After having tried countless times with mana, yet only succeeding a few, he was now going to attempt the critical strike with Qi instead. There was a blind confidence that seemed to be etched into his body, as if he would succeed no matter what.

With measured footsteps, he calmly walked a few feet further, feeling the stones beneath him tremble. It was as if they knew that they would be reduced to dust in the next coming moments.

Jayce raised his right arm, feeling the flow of his Qi circulate through it. Then without any hesitation, he brought the Bloodfang Dagger straight down, stabbing it into the ground without any additional flair.

BOOOM!

[$#x Cri!#cal strike!]

As the busted notification from the system popped up in front of him, Jayce felt an almost euphoric sensation run through his body at the seamless release of power. There was no backlash, the Qi easily passed from his Dantian into his Dagger.

The ground exploded, sending rocks and boulders flying in every direction, leaving a huge pit that was at least 10 meters deep. Jayce had felt the ground beneath him giving way, so he had jumped back to where the other three were standing with their mouths agape.