Next morning, Rayen woke up, the mystery of the vampire girl still lingering in his mind. He stretched his body and let out a tired sigh. His eyes were heavy—it was earlier than usual, but he had promised to make food from now on.
He stepped out of his room. The old man wasn't outside. Turning to his right, he walked into the small stone kitchen, the air cool and quiet.
He gathered what he remembered the old man using—some dried herbs, a few wild vegetables, two eggs, and a sack of grain. He added some firewood under the stove and lit the fire with a spark stone. As the flames grew steady, he placed a clay pan over it.
He poured a bit of oil into the pan and waited. Once it was warm enough, he tossed in the chopped vegetables. The soft sizzle made him smile a little. He stirred them carefully with a wooden spoon, trying not to let anything burn.
He cracked the eggs into the pan and added a pinch of salt and herbs. The smell slowly filled the kitchen—warm, earthy, and fresh. Next, he boiled some grain in a small pot beside it, stirring it now and then until it softened into a light porridge.
Once everything was done, he placed the food onto two wooden plates and brought them to the table. He exhaled, satisfied. "Not perfect, but it's something."
The old man stepped out of his room, coughing softly. He looked at Rayen with a warm smile, then glanced at the food on the table. "You really made the food."
Rayen pouted. "Do you think I can't?"
The old man chuckled as he slowly walked toward the table, supported by his cane. "It's not like that, but I th—"
Before he could finish, his body gave out and he collapsed.
Rayen's eyes widened. "Old man!" He rushed forward and caught him just before he hit the ground.
"Are you okay?" he asked, panicked, holding him up.
The old man coughed hard, struggling to speak. "I'm... fine. It's... just my old age…"
Rayen gritted his teeth, holding him steady. No... something's wrong. This isn't just age.
Rayen carefully helped him to the chair and eased him down slowly, making sure he didn't fall again. He quickly grabbed a wooden cup, filled it with water from the clay jar nearby, and brought it to his lips. "Here, drink this," he said softly.
The old man took a few slow sips, his hands trembling slightly as he held the cup. His breathing was uneven, but it started to calm after a moment. Rayen watched him closely, worry clear in his eyes. The old man looked weaker than ever—his skin pale, his body frail, and his cough dry and sharp.
"You shouldn't be pushing yourself," Rayen said, trying to keep his voice steady. "From now on, just rest. I'll train myself and handle everything else."
The old man gave a faint smile, his eyes filled with a tired kindness. "You've grown... stronger than I expected. But don't worry, boy. I'm not dying just yet."
Rayen didn't smile back. He looked down at the cup, gripping it tightly. No… not now. Not when I've just started to change things.
They began eating the food. At first, the old man's hands trembled slightly as he picked up his spoon, but slowly, the shaking stopped. His life force steadied, flowing calmly through his body. Rayen watched him closely, then sighed in relief and finally sat down on his chair to eat.
The old man nodded as he tasted the food. "It's good. Better than I expected from a pure amateur."
Rayen flinched a little, giving a nervous smile. What else do you expect from an ex-bachelor? He took a bite himself and chewed slowly. Hmm… it's really good. There's something different about eating your own food, especially in a peaceful place like this. Not like my past life, where I ate alone… in a noisy, over-polluted city.
After finishing the meal, Rayen picked up the dishes and walked outside toward the old handpump—the same place where the old man often bathed. He paused for a moment, thinking. He couldn't remember ever taking a proper bath in this world. Maybe the old man had used magic to clean him, but still, the experience of bathing normally… he had yet to feel it here.
He placed the dishes down and picked up the iron bucket nearby. With a sigh, he started pumping the handle, the sound of water splashing into the iron bucket echoing softly in the quiet morning air.
You bastard, he thought, staring at the iron bucket. I've got bad memories with you… but here I am, still using you.
---
After finishing the chores, Rayen lay flat on his bed, completely exhausted. It's harder than I thought… I guess it's because this world's technology isn't much better than what you'd expect in a typical fantasy world. At least something feels familiar. Still, I'm glad it's a Cultivation game's world—because I never liked those adventurer guild systems.
His body felt hot from the rising temperature. Why isn't there anything like a cooler or AC? Even a simple fan would do… but there's nothing.
Just as he was thinking that, a sudden chill spread through the room. The air turned cool, like a wave of comfort washing over his tired body. Whoa… this is nice, he thought, relaxing a little.
But then, the temperature kept dropping. The cold seeped deep into his skin, and soon he began to shiver. His teeth clicked together, and he pulled the thin sheet over himself. Too cold! Way too cold!
He opened his eyes—and there it was, right in front of him. A stone? A blue stone? The old man stood silently near his bed, holding a glowing blue stone in his hand.
"It's time for your training," the old man said with a smile. The blue stone in his hand slowly dimmed, and with that, the cold air faded. The room's temperature returned to normal.
Rayen's eyes narrowed as he looked at the stone. That's an Ice Stone… an elemental stone from WuXhun Online. Does it work the same way here too?
He pointed at the stone and asked, "What's this?"
The old man glanced at it, then casually tossed it toward him. Rayen caught it easily.
"It's an Ice Stone," the old man said. "One of the elemental stones."
Rayen smirked inwardly. So it is the same.
"It's what cooled the room just now," the old man continued. "The more life force you pour into it, the colder it gets. The temperature keeps dropping—within a certain range. If you keep feeding it, the temperature will keep dropping until it becomes dangerous. But once you stop and your life force pulls back, the temperature slowly returns to normal."
Rayen kept his smirk hidden. Just as I thought. Feed it life force, and it lowers the temperature endlessly—until you either stop or collapse. I already knew that much.
The old man's explanation matched exactly what Rayen remembered.
"To check whether it's drawing your life force or not, every time it takes some, it glows," the old man explained. "But when we take all our life force back, it stops glowing. And this isn't the only elemental stone in this world—there are many more. You'll learn about them later."
Yeah, yeah, Rayen thought, but I don't need to learn later—I already know every single one. Ice, fire, earth, wind, water… and that artifact stone called the Control Stone, the one that can stop and even reverse time. I'm glad it can't take us to the future. I remember that stone was hidden in the treasure vault of… the vampire empire.
Wait, vampire empire? In the game, their real empire's name was different. It was something like… red… no, crimson… yeah, the Crimson Empire.
Rayen was lost in his thoughts when suddenly a hand grabbed his arm and started pulling him up—it was the old man.
"Wait, what are you—" Rayen began.
"Be quiet and let's go," the old man said firmly. Even in his weakened state, he was strong enough to drag Rayen along, leaning heavily on his cane for support.
"Stop dragging me like I'm some damn dog!" Rayen yelled, struggling to break free.
As they stepped outside, the old man dragged Rayen a short distance before suddenly tossing him onto the ground.
"Here, we'll start your training," he declared.
Rayen rubbed his arm, wincing. "What did you do to your arm? Tch, tch, kids these days..." The old man pointed at his arm with mock offense.
"It's all your fault, you damn hulk! Now look at my soft, delicate arm!"
The old man rubbed his head and chuckled, "Ohh, is that so?"
Rayen yelled in frustration, "What are you laughing at, you old bald man?!"
Without missing a beat, the old man tossed his cane right at Rayen's face, making him stumble backward.
"Don't drag my poor, pitiful head into this!" he shot back with a grin.
Rayen rubbed his face, grumbling under his breath. The old man stretched his body with a small groan, cracking his joints one by one.
"That's enough talking," he said, a hint of seriousness returning to his voice. "Now let's start the training."
Rayen nodded, trying to keep a straight face, though his eyes couldn't hide the flicker of excitement.
Finally… now I'll learn martial arts!