The recipe the Manual wanted was a dumpling recipe. It includes a mix of mutton, pork, and beef meat in the dumplings. Elliot was trying to figure out what this recipe would do since the new page in his Recipe tab didn't tell him anything about it.

[[ Kkeuner Dumplings ]]

Recipe:

Mutton (any beast)

Pork (any beast)

Beef (any beast)

Rice Wine

White Lotus Flour

Mt. Dodon Spring Water

"This recipe?" Ilwoo asked Elliot, waking the boy from his thoughts. The man was looking at Elliot who had a serious look in his face. "I don't think we can make this here."

"Yeah, were is this Mt. Dodon?" Elliot asked Ilwoo, to which the man frowned.

"It's the tallest mountain of Kkeun Kingdom," Ilwoo replied. "And perhaps the most dangerous. The mountain is steep, like close to ninety degrees steep. It would often look like a tower than a mountain. And the beasts there uses the spring water to replenish themselves."

"I don't think I'm going to make this for now," Elliot said. "Have you made this recipe before?"

Ilwoo shook his head, "Only my great great grandfather did. He was an explorer and an Eastern Adventurer. He climbed Mt. Dodon and took the spring water, feeding it to his sick wife. The rumors said that the wife, who was on the verge of death, lived longer after eating the dumplings. He was also the one who wrote this book."

"Interesting," Elliot nodded a couple of times. He returned his gaze to the book, rather than his Console. The book had a specific way of doing it, the instructions on how to meticulously make the food. He figured that his Console would only let him input the ingredients and do its own thing.

And to think that the meat used in this was generic was weird. The recipe looked like it focused on the dumpling's wrap rather than the content.

"You can take the book if you want," Ilwoo said. "We honestly memorized everything in here."

Elliot shook his head, "I only needed a glance from this recipe. Thank you for offering though. I will head out now."

Elliot walked over to the kitchen's back door, where Ilwoo and him passed through to get inside. He opened the door but paused when Ilwoo asked him, "You don't want to see your friends out before you go?"

"I'll see them soon," Elliot smirked and got out of the store. The square was still pretty busy. People were still littering the streets.

He didn't want anyone else to notice that he got out from the back because it would make him suspicious. Elliot leaped to a nearby building's roof and walked back to their inn.

He has another Twilight Brew and he will use it instantly. The Manual is playing with him, tightening up the time for him to completely let the Twilight Cocoon absorb all the liquids.

"Why are you giving me a hard time now?" Elliot groaned. When he arrived in the inn, the whole establishment was silent. The lights were off and the halls were empty.

"Hello?" Elliot called out. He waited for a few moments in front of the front door for any response, but got nothing. Even the owner who was usually at the counter was missing. "Everyone?"

He took one step forward and the room distorted. Elliot brandished his sword when the floor he was stepping on formed twirls, as well as the space itself in front of him.

"What's happening?" Elliot yelled and raised his sword. He was slowly letting his senses sharpen, feeling everything around him. The space was distorted and this was dangerous. There could be an attack from any direction if he's not careful.

"Hello, Mr. Elliot," a male voice spoke in front of him. The voice slowly took a form and it turned into a black well that was glowing inside.

"Malice?" Elliot gasped. "Or a Vassal? What do you want from me?"

"I know what you're after by winning the Championship of the Greats," the male voice said. "I'm here to tell you you're not going to win it."

Elliot scoffed, "And why not?"

The well turned pitch black and shifted into a humanoid form. The form took shape of a man and not long after, the fog disappeared and he showed his bare face.

'Non-human detected.'

[[ Gaston ]]

Race: Angel

"Why is an Angel part of Malice's Vassals?" Elliot asked. His face grimaced after seeing the race on his Console. It was unnatural for Angels to join hands with the Demons. They're born enemies.

"Oh, I'm not the only other race in the Vassals," Gaston grinned. "Do you know where Lilith went? Why she retired and went missing along with her siblings not long after?"

Elliot paused and analyzed what the man said. If Marrietta was telling the truth, then Adam and Eve were kidnapped by the Fallen Angels. They weren't with Lilith. Gaston's words were contradicting her words.

But what if Marrietta was just lying? Maybe she was tricking Elliot into believing that the Angels created a group with themselves so Elliot wouldn't be too concerned with the Demons.

Yet this Angel doesn't match everything. He was going against her reason, yet they're on the same side. They're both under Malice's reign.

The thoughts flooded Elliot's mind. He was confused in which side to believe in. Both suddenly appeared in front of him, they didn't come with a warning.

Gaston was about to talk more when Elliot felt a familiar aura coming to him. It travelled through the shadows with a fast speed coming to him with a whisper in his head, "He's part of the Fallen Angels!"

A small pitch black pond appeared in front of Elliot. Marrietta leaped from it and raised her arms defensively agaisnt Gaston.

"Are you okay?" Marrietta asked. "This guy is dangerous, just like any other Fallen Angel."

"So that's why," Elliot smirked. He placed his hand on Marrietta's shoulder and walked in front of her. He raised his sword in front of him and grinned at the man.

"So, you tried to lie right in front of my face, huh?" Elliot scoffed. "You'll pay for that tenfold."

With a burst of speed, using his Hasty Aspire skill, Elliot rushed in front of Gaston and slashed his sword right in the Angel's face. Elliot knew he didn't injure him considering his HP remained constant.

"I have these abilities called Materialization and Alteration," Gaston said. "I can materialize things in my head and I can also alter things as I wish."

"Isn't that overpowered?" Elliot groaned. "Two abilities in the same person, now that's just unfair."

"That's because I killed my twin to get his own," the Angel grinned menacingly and ran towards Elliot. His hand turned into a sword, clashing it with Elliot's blade that created sparks. They grinded their swords together, fighting for dominance.

"Since you already know this b*tch, you probably know why I'm a Fallen, right?" Gaston asked.

"You murdered someone," Elliot whispered. "You killed your twin just so you could take his power."

"She was a her," Gaston chuckled. "And she was already dying. I only altered our bodies so she could pass her ability to me. Although I didn't got her permission, and it did caused her death, at least I had the power."

"You're a monster!" Elliot yelled and pushed his sword out, blowing Gaston away.

"As if you haven't killed before," the man smirked. "I know your secrets, Elliot Max. You massacred a guild before, haven't you?"