[Dining Hall]  

[Lv. Max]  

Following the directions that popped into my mind, I arrived at a gigantic dining hall.  

Bang!  

Kicking open the door to the dining hall, I stepped inside.  

Messages filled my view:  

[Dining Hall Lv. Max is now active]  

[Chef’s skill level will be enhanced]  

[Bonuses will be added to the results of your cooking]  

Could it be…?  

‘…A buff?’  

A building that gives buffs just by entering?   

It’s not a bad deal for me.  

‘The inside… Looks similar to a kitchen.’  

I was worried it might be an unfamiliar setup, but thankfully, it resembled a typical military kitchen.  

‘I don’t have time to explore.’  

The Vampire Queen must be chasing after me.  

There’s no telling how long the [Autonomous Defense System] will hold out.  

I immediately set down the cooking ingredient:  

[Vampire Baroness’s Forelimb Meat]  

“….”  

I picked it up and pondered briefly.  

‘Is it okay to cook this?’  

Unlike the monsters I had cooked before, this vampire, despite its different species, looked similar to a human.  

‘Among the other ingredients… There’s nothing else to use.’  

Cooking and eating this arm was a disgusting thought.  

But.  

‘If I don’t eat it, then what? Just die here?’  

My goal is always the same.  

Survival.  

For that, I must endure even the most repulsive things.  

“Guess I have to bear with it. Damn it!”  

I swung the chef’s knife at the arm.  

[Intermediate Grade Cooking Secret – Enlightenment of Vampire Preparation]  

Awakening of my unique ability.  

Enhancement of Intermediate Dagger Mastery.  

My cutting speed during cooking was now incredibly faster than before.  

After preparing the ingredients, I placed them on the pan, ignited the stove, and began to stir-fry.  

Finally.  

I added the [Chef’s Special Sauce].  

[Stir Fried Vampire Baroness’s Forelimb with Severe Thirst]  

[A stir-fry made with fresh vampire Baroness’s forelimb meat]  

[Bonus effects from the Lv. Max Dinning Hall]  

[All trait effects of those who consume this dish will be increased by 50%]  

Seeing the messages, I steeled myself and forced myself to chew the meat, suppressing the nausea.  

“Ugh…”  

Soon, my special ability activated.  

[Skill – Would you like to activate Absolute Palate?]  

“Activate it.”  

[Please select the desired trait]  

– [Mist Form]  

– [Dark Affinity]  

– [Charm]  

– [Rapid Regeneration]  

– [Divine Power Weakening]  

.  

.  

.  

.  

Various attributes were listed before my eyes.  

However.  

I didn’t need to read the other traits.  

The one I needed was…  

[Trait selected]  

[You have temporarily acquire a new trait]  

[Due to the penalty of Absolute Palate, all effects of cooking, including ‘Light of Exorcism,’ will be nullified]  

Absolute Palate grants me the attribute of the cooking ingredients.  

And in exchange all other buffs disappear the moment I use this effect.  

The bright light that had given me tremendous vitality faded away.  

[Warning!]  

[Due to power reduction, the Autonomous Defense System will be forced down forcibly]  

[As the crisis situation at the castle has not been resolved]  

[Relevant personnel are urgently recommended to-]  

The mechanical voice echoed, signaling the end of the fortress’s attacks.  

“What did you do… I don’t know, but…”  

I turned to see a vampire standing at the entrance of the dining hall.  

“Have you weakened?”  

The Queen, looking battered from the [Autonomous Defense System]’s attacks, approached with a leisurely smile, perhaps noticing the absence of my anti-magic light.  

“It’s been such a bothersome fight.”  

Without the buffs now.  

I tried to resist as best I could.  

“Now, it’s time to become family.”  

“Ugh…!”  

Crunch!  

Breaking through my resistance, she embraced me like before, her wicked smile growing as she sank her teeth into my neck.  

Slurp-  

I felt the blood from my body being drawn into her mouth.  

“Mmm, ah.”  

If I continue like this, either I’ll be unable to put up a proper fight and have all my blood drained until I die, or I’ll become her servant and live the rest of my life as a slave.  

‘And I don’t want that to happen.’  

That’s why what I did was simple.  

If she has her fangs sunk into my neck, then I’ll do the same.  

Crunch!  

I buried my lips into the Queen’s neck.  

“…What!?”  

Unfortunately, I don’t have fangs.  

So, I bite down on her neck as roughly as I can with my teeth.  

A sticky liquid with a metallic taste touched my tongue.  

[Trait – Bloodsucking has been activated]  

This is the characteristic I acquired through [Absolute Palate].  

[Bloodsucking]  

[For vampires, the act of drinking blood holds various meanings]  

[It is a ritual to increase one’s power and also a way to recover vitality]  

[It is also a way to consume meal essential for sustaining life]  

[Recovering vitality through bloodsucking]  

[Temporarily boost in abilities through bloodsucking]  

The blood flowing from her wounded vein, and I sucked it in as forcefully as I could.  

[This is exceptionally high-quality blood]  

[The efficiency of bloodsucking has greatly increased!]  

[Temporarily, all stats will be slightly increased.]  

A bit of vigor started returning to my weakened body.  

“Wh-what are you doing!?”  

The Queen approached to drain my blood but now she finds herself on the receiving end of the bloodsucking.  

“You, have you really gone mad!?”  

She seemed quite flustered to have the trait she possessed used against her to suck her own blood.  

As she pulled her mouth away from my neck and cried out,  

‘How dumb!’  

While she was shouting, I didn’t miss the opportunity.  

I intensified my efforts, draining the Queen’s blood.  

‘The taste is horribly unpleasant, but…’  

[Massively drained high-quality blood!]  

[All stats will be slightly increased, permanently]  

As I had high abilities, I must have appeared as a high-quality meal, to the vampires.  

But no matter how good my blood is,  

‘It can’t be better than the blood of these vampires, and it’s their Queen at that.’  

If we keep draining each other’s blood, I’ll end up consuming the higher quality blood.  

“Ugh!”  

The Queen tried to push my head away, but  

“No, let me go!”  

“No, I won’t let you go.”