Too Stubborn to Die

Aaron directed the airship to land just outside his own home. Even before they had landed, dozens had gathered to greet them, and squads of soldiers from around Dober saluted the incoming vessel, no doubt able to sense his aura.

Treg and Sooty stood ahead of the other goblins, and immediately greeted the two smiths as they departed.

“Friends of yers?” Sooty asked.

“Yeah, and treat them with respect. They’re the best armorsmiths and weaponsmiths around,” Aaron said.

Mork and Gork were up on their toes, craning over the goblins to see through the crowd.

“Crafters?” Treg said. “Good to meet—”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Mork said, pushing Treg aside and making his way toward one particular goblin girl amongst the crowd.

“Looks like you two have good tastes,” Sooty said. “Let me introduce you to a few people,” he added, wrapping an arm around Gork’s shoulder and leading him into the crowd.

“Whatever.” Aaron shook his head and took his leave. He had been grinding his Profession for so long, and really wanted to take a look at his Skill unlocks. If the goblins wanted to go goon together, then so be it.

“Finally, some peace and quiet,” he said, stepping into his cabin.

He had two Skill selections banked up, and the moment he took a look at his first one, he knew what he wanted. The best option was obvious, as he had Spirit Nostrils amongst the options.

There were a few other decent options, but nothing better than finishing up his Set and freeing up a bunch of Skill slots. Also, there was no guarantee that a Skill would be offered more than once, and while it was possible, from what he had seen, it didn’t happen often.

And the last thing he wanted was to be left unable to finish off the set when he had just one remaining.

Spirit Appendages Set [ 4 of 4 ] Completed!

Skills: Spirit Toes, Spirit Tongue, Spirit Hands, and Spirit Nostrils have been combined into Spirit Appendages!

Spirit Appendages: [ Completed Skill Set ] [ Mythical ]

Your appendages transcend the mortal realm, literally. Any food they touch also takes on a portion of the supernatural. When activated, the user’s cooking enters a midway state between the mortal and spirit plane. But unlike the individual Skills this set is made up of, the completed Set adds additional synergy, empowering the appendages further and increasing their spiritual potency. Dishes cooked with this Skill Set can be empowered with aether to ever greater heights.

Reading over Spiritual Appendages, Aaron was even more pleased than he had expected to be. He would have been happy just to reclaim his occupied Skill slots, combining the Skills into one, but what he got was an even better version of all of them.

He whistled with satisfaction. He couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Finished with his first choice, he moved on to his next selection, but the moment he opened the selection in his System, he felt an immense influx of power bearing down on him.

For a moment, he even fell to his knees as he clutched his head, but gritted his teeth and forced himself up. The force was extreme, and he wondered who might be attacking him now, but no matter how strong it was, he wasn’t about to just give in to it.

“Is that you, Death God?” He muttered as rage boiled up within. This was his home, and the last place he expected such an intrusion.

“BAHAH! Puny human, you didn’t just mistake me for that freak, did you? Look at this perfection!” Oozagh said, gesturing across his rotund frame. His projection here was more transparent than in the trials, but still easily recognizable.

“Oozagh?” Aaron rubbed at his eyes as the divine image flickered before him. “How did you get here? And what’s this pressure I feel?”

“BAHA! Pressure? Ogre up, puny mortal! If you had a little more meat on your bones, I’m sure it wouldn’t feel so exhausting! And you’re correct! It is I, Oozagh! But I cannot dawdle long. Just talking to you through the barrier as I am is draining an inordinate amount of divine energy. The things I could do with such power! But, alas, I have a good reason for coming here today! When I sensed your next Profession options through my divine patronage, I knew I needed to interject!”

“Profession options? What are you talking about? You used your powers to help me with a Skill selection? Why now? Why not early? Like during the trials when I had no idea what to do?”

This book’s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Ah! That! Well, simply because every denizen of the multiverse should strive to walk their own path! However, there are some exceptions to the rule. Like this one! It turns out that you are far more gifted than I originally realized, mortal! The System has seen fit to offer you a truly brilliant Profession Skill. Far more powerful than even the rarity it has been given suggests. I speak of none other than the incredibly rare and valuable Skill option: orgasmic flavors.

“What?” Aaron said, reading down the Skill list. “What kind of Skill is called Orgasmic Flavors?”

Orgasmic Flavors [ Legendary ] Don’t just wow your guests with flavor; make them feel body-shattering orgasmic sensations when they taste your divine cooking. Passively turns foods cooked by the chef into a full-body experience, one that, when mastered, can lead to deep, blissful, body-shaking experiences.

“The fuck, Oozagh? Why would I want to do this to people who eat my food? My friends eat my food all the time. The goblins eat my damn food! For fucks sake. Like I want to see that side of them at lunch,” Aaron said, a shiver tracing his spine as unwanted thoughts of goblins intruded. “The fact that I had the displeasure of even imagining that has already gone too far!”

“You don’t understand, puny human. It’s hilarious! Can you even imagine it?”

“Yes, I can. That’s the problem!”

“BAHAHAH! Calm down! You should see it firsthand. There’s even a program where the top chefs compete to give judges from across the multiverse the greatest foodgasms. It’s brilliant. You could be a star chef in the making. It is a rare Skill indeed that few are offered. Seriously, do not turn this opportunity down!”

“Mate, are you telling me that you burned through an invaluable amount of divine energy just to tell me this?”

“JUST?! Human, your puny brain does not comprehend what it is saying! Of course I would! You are my chosen disciple, and the System has granted you a rare opportunity! I would be a failure of a patron god if I didn’t tell you! This is a small investment for the potential you could unlock.”

Aaron groaned, but in truth, he wasn’t too surprised by the god of gluttony and cooking. In fact, he was more surprised he hadn’t done something like this sooner.

“Well, it’s not happening, Oozagh. I’m not wasting a Skill on that. You know, I still have to survive out here. I’m not some god like you. Not to mention that freak is fucking with my world.”

“Bah, don’t worry about that manlet of a god. And more importantly, it’s not a waste! Think about the possibilities.”

“Easy for you to say. I’m still a mortal. That said, it’s good to see you, mate. Glad you haven’t changed, even if you did expend untold wealth to try and convince me to buy a Skill that gives people who eat my food orgasms.”

“Fine, fine, I shouldn’t have expected too much from a human. You might have followed my path in some ways, but I see you don’t intend to follow the ogre path. Nonetheless, I have to admit, your progress has been good. I quite enjoyed you on Goliath’s show, too. You are building up quite a following. Even the ogre girls on my world seem interested in you, despite your meagre size. But I’m just making myself sad now thinking about your potential with that Skill.”

“Thanks, I think?”

“I’m serious about your size! Even if you do fail as an ogre, eat up a little more! You can’t possibly reach godhood looking so stickly thin.”

Aaron thought back to Yendal’s fit and compact size, and rolled his eyes.

“Sure. But also, thanks, Oozagh. By the way, can you tell me anything about—”

“Transmission breaking up—I can’t expend so much—bye—” Oozagh said as his image faded away.

“Wait, come back—ahh, great,” Aaron signed. “Seriously, Oozagh? First time we catch up since the trials, and that’s it?”

There was no reply, just empty air. Getting some useful information on the Death God, or other problems, would have been useful, but in truth, he’d have been more than happy to settle for a little more pointless banter.

“Oh well, I suppose there’s plenty to do.”

Returning to his Skill selection, Aaron eyed the other options, scrolling down from good orgasms. Two were throwaways, but there were also two other options that immediately stood out. And better yet, he had the spare spots to take them.

Soul Feast [ Legendary ] To feed the body, one must first ensure the soul is quenched. Passively converts recovery and healing benefits provided by food to the user’s soul, healing their soul as they eat.

Unbridled Gut [ Legendary ] Your gut truly is something of legend; its vastness knows no bounds. Passively cultivate within one’s own gut, as within it is a boundless expanse of opportunity. The user can harness the power of their gut to grow and cultivate things that they swallow.

Soul Feast was an obvious boon, and it didn’t take much thought to know how he could use it and how it would make him stronger. But also, he could already heal his soul easily. Sure, being able to do it with any food was an additional bonus, and it might stack with his other soul-mending skills, but was it needed?

Unbridled Gut, on the other hand, sounded interesting, if not a little unusual, and vague.

Aaron waved a fist angrily at the air. Why couldn’t Oozagh have spent the short time he had talking to him to explain this Skill?

He checked in with Sooty before deciding, but the pesky soot goblin was too distracted with his new goblin friends, and while he replied and rambled about Skills for a while, it was clear to Aaron that his thoughts were elsewhere.

In the end, he sighed and decided to take the risk. Cultivating things he swallowed sounded powerful, and perhaps he could create new and rare ingredients to cook with, and create even more powerful recipes. If so, that was likely a bigger boon in the long run than doubling down on soul healing when he didn’t really need to push that any further.

He selected Unbridled Gut and confirmed his purchase.

When he left his home, he spotted Mork and Gork, who were already settling in with the other goblins and being ushered around by Sooty. He was about to go see how things were going when a few of Julius’ people spotted him.

“Hello?”

“There you are! Good to see you, Aaron. Um, if it’s not too much to ask…”

“Yeah, mate. Spit it out.”

The man nodded and bowed his head. “Julius asks that you come see him. There have been a few things going on while you were gone.”

“Has there? Alright, I suppose we had better go see him then.”

Aaron followed them, leaping into the air and flying toward the casino. He was hardly surprised that new problems had arisen; they always were. But the wavering concern in the man’s voice had him a little worried.