Vampire's Slice of Life

Ingredients flew overhead in an arc, falling straight into a giant cauldron.

A vortex, appearing due to forceful stirring, absorbed all the ingredients like an abyss, not letting anything spill out.

Ralph effortlessly chopped veggies with one hand, and stirred the stew with the other.

Two centuries worth of cooking experience showcased themselves in the skillful moves Ralph portrayed, his bearing elegant, and his style etched with grace.

Hyunsuk, and Shi stared at him with an awe-struck gaze, their jaws threatening to drop from the amazing maneuverability Ralph displayed.

After ten minutes of chopping and stirring, the cauldron was covered by a lid and everyone waited for the stew to be cooked.

No one said a single thing and stared at the cauldron, which contained enough stew to feed a whole village.

An hour later, a savoury aroma hit the nostrils of everyone nearby, making them unconsciously drool.

The aroma smelt like a blend of spices, neither too overpowering nor too bland. Each individual spice could be felt even by laymen like Hyunsuk and Shi, who did not know a single thing about cooking.

There were no instructions on how the stew should be made, but the four experienced chefs could feel that it was ready.

Walking over to the cauldron, Ralph uncovered the lid and steam erupted out from within, disappearing in thin air after a few breaths of time.

The stew appeared cream-like yellow, containing many colorful ingredients within it.

Every chef tasted their food to check for flavours, but the four did not have such leeway.

They were strictly told to not taste it before sacrificing a bowl.

This sacrifice would be the ultimate proof of their completion of this quest—a badge that would honour the four as Master Chefs, making their two centuries worth of efforts come to fruition.

It was a cumulative work of the four and hence, they all took a ladle of stew within their respective bowls and went to sacrifice it.

Lith let Hyunsuk hold his bowl and went to inscribe a hexagram on the ground, enclosed within a circle.

Many treasures were added to it for activation and once everything was in place, on the circumference of the circle, Lith wrote something in a language he had no idea of.

Those words fit perfectly on the circle, appearing in a loop. It was not an inch more or a centimetre less.

Lith went to take the bowl back from Hyunsuk and called Miwa, Ralph, and Dennis.

The four stood on four equidistant points on the magic circle, and Lith said calmly, "I'm activating the magic circle. Just follow what I'm doing."

The three nodded their heads and Lith began chanting something in a foreign language.

A few moments later, the magic circle glowed with a greenish tinge and the words written on the circumference glowed with a golden sheen.

The circle started levitating and soon reached Miwa's waist level and stopped.

Lith indicated to the three that it was time.

He gently placed the bowl down and the three did the same.

When Lith took his hands off it, the bowl surprisingly did not fall, but hovered on the magic circle.

Once the last person, who was Miwa, put their bowl down on the magic circle, thunder rumbled in the sky.

The sky darkened and a heavy downpour followed.

Lith cast a barrier around the giant cauldron to keep it warm and fresh while he took notice of the bowls placed on the magic circles.

Nothing happened to the stew in these bowls. They were protected from the rain.

Lith, Miwa, Ralph, Dennis, Hyunsuk, and Shi turned their gazes up to look at the sky, wondering why it just started raining.

The thunder flashing within the dark clouds reflected within their calm eyes.

At this point, the vitality of the whole planet could be felt soaring.

The beasts in the jungles made frantic noises, their echoes audible even miles away.

All around the world, every being got out of their house and stared at the sky, not caring for the rain or thunder.

Humans, devils, ducks, snakes, elephants… There was no exception, everyone was outside.

Something strange was going on high up in the skies.

The thunder continued to rumble, but nobody showed any signs of fear. Everyone's gaze was expectant as if they instinctively knew something awaited them beyond the dark skies.

Moments later, the thunder died down and the rain stopped.

The dark clouds began disappearing, however, instead of a warm sunny day, what awaited the individuals of this world was a vast starry sky.

For the first time in their life, the residents of Two Path Blind Mountain World had seen such a sight.

The stars in the skies twinkled brightly, as if trying to communicate with the residents.

None knew what was happening with them and could only stare with awe at it.

However, unlike the rest, four figures were hearing a series of words in their minds, and saw lines upon lines of words in front of their eyes.

[Serpent King of the Cobblestone World is greeting you.]

[Wanderer of the Spirit Serenade Realm is greeting you.]

[The Vermilion Clan has taken notice of you.]

[The Black Tortoise Clan has taken notice of you.]

[The Gourmet Association has taken notice of you.]

[The White Tiger Clan has taken notice of you.]

[The Azure Dragon Clan has taken notice of you.]

[The Ouroboros Clan has taken notice of you.]

[The Cerberus Clan is gazing at you with confusion.]

[The Frost Devil's lips are curved up.]

[The Blazing Devil is staring at you in confusion.]

[The Scarlet Devil is staring at you in confusion.]

[The Undead Devil is staring at you in confusion.]

[The Lich King is staring at you in confusion.]

[The Samsara Devil has spent a great deal of providence and is wondering why you possess his mark.]

[The Sin of Gluttony is staring at you.]

[The Gourmet Gatherer Gerald is staring at you.]

[The Night Goddess licks her lips as she stares at you.]

[The Martial Master is scratching his chest intensely while staring at you.]

[Tens of thousands of deities are currently staring at you.]

The series of words made Lith's head spin and his vision darken.

However, the tantalizing aroma from the stew kept him awake.

Turning the side, Lith could see something similar happening with Miwa, Ralph, and Dennis.

Wondering if it was just him or were they hearing system notifications too, Lith asked in his mind, 'Are they looking at the same things as me?'

[Answering Host: Yes.]

[The Sacrificial Circle Host has inscribed lets one connect to the higher deities.]

'What!?'