The Nihility Chef

As the sun began to rise, its light seeped through the windows of Samael's bedroom, gently illuminating the room. However, the peaceful morning was abruptly interrupted by a booming voice.

"SAMIII! I thought you wanted to learn cooking!" William's voice echoed through the house, effectively acting as an alarm clock for the young boy.

Startled, Samael scrambled out of bed, groggy from staying up too late the night before. His excitement had kept him awake, but now he was paying the price with fatigue.

A few minutes later, Samael, now dressed and ready, made his way to the practice kitchen. Surprisingly, the kitchen had a modern feel, though all the technology had a steampunk vibe. This world was unexpectedly advanced, using aura to power its technology. While it wasn't as sleek as Earth's tech, it was functional and impressive in its own right.

The most technologically advanced race in the world were the goblins. Being the weakest race from birth, they had turned to technology to compensate, even creating mechas powered by magic.

"You're here," William said as Samael entered. "Today, I'll show you my peak cooking skills and teach you the basics of our family's technique, which has been honed and improved over thousands of years."

"Yes, Dad," Samael replied, his tone brimming with enthusiasm. He was clearly impatient to start learning.

"Watch closely."

William pointed his hands at the ingredients on the counter, and the aura in the surroundings began to move, enveloping the food. His hands moved elegantly, as if he were performing a piano piece rather than cooking.

"Is this cooking?" Samael whispered in awe.

He watched, transfixed, as the aura around the food began to spin and shine like a star in the night sky. It was a mesmerizing sight, almost otherworldly.

After a while, the aura calmed down, and in place of the raw ingredients was a beautifully plated dish. It looked like a painting—perfect and alluring.

Samael's mouth watered uncontrollably. The scent wafting from the food was intoxicating, more enticing than anything he had ever cooked or tasted before.

"Taste it. This is my peak," William said proudly.

Just as Samael stepped forward to take a bite, a figure blurred past him, snatched the dish, and devoured it in seconds.

It was Victoria.

Samael's heart sank. His purple eyes filled with disbelief as he watched his own mother gorge on the food meant for him. He was devastated. Tasting that dish could have propelled him to a new realm of cooking, but now the opportunity was gone.

"MOTHER! How could you?" he cried.

"Hahaha! My dear son, you wouldn't blame your mother, would you? After all, she was hungry," Victoria said, rubbing her belly with a satisfied grin.

"Mother, you're at the peak of the Dao Realm! You're one of the strongest people in the empire. How could you be hungry? You can sustain yourself with aura!" Samael whined.

"Glutton," he thought.

As if reading his mind, Victoria glared at him, her eyes narrowing. Samael sheepishly looked away, his cheeks flushing red.

"Unlucky, son. Your mother has always loved my food," William said, laughing at Samael's misfortune. "Anyway, let me explain our family's cooking technique."

William began, "Our technique is split into seven realms. At Realm 1, you reach the peak of mortal cooking. At Realm 2, you can use aura to enhance the taste of food. At Realm 3, you can incorporate heaven and earth treasures—herbs, medicines, and elixirs—into your dishes, creating medicinal meals that can increase strength, speed, and more."

"However," William continued, his tone turning serious, "at Realm 3, you can also mix poison into your food, making it undetectable. Samael, I implore you not to use this technique often. We cook to see the satisfied expressions of our customers, not to harm them. If you rely on poison, your cooking loses its meaning, and you'll never advance past Realm 3."

"At Realm 4, you can use aura to amplify the effects of medicinal or poisonous meals. Realm 5 is where I am. At this stage, you can use aura to cook food, reducing preparation time and eliminating mistakes. The aura also nourishes the final dish."

"Realm 6 is where our founding ancestor reached. At this level, you can use inedible objects as ingredients—lava, rocks, earth, even space and time themselves. Once you reach the peak of Realm 6, anything and everything becomes your ingredient."

"And finally, Realm 7. This realm has never been reached by anyone. Many in our family don't even believe it exists. It's said that at Realm 7, you can create food from anything. Aura itself becomes your ingredient, and you truly become the Cooking God."

"This technique is called Andhrimnir's Art," William concluded, referencing the Norse god of chefs.

Silence filled the room as Samael sat there, dazed and seemingly overwhelmed by the depth of his family's culinary legacy.

"I knew we should have waited longer to teach him. This must be a lot to take in," William muttered, regret creeping into his voice.

But before he could say more, Samael burst into laughter. "HA HA HA HA HA! I WILL REACH REALM 7! I want to become the Cooking God! I want to reach the peak of cooking!" His voice was filled with maniacal excitement, his eyes gleaming with determination.

"That's my son!" William shouted, patting Samael on the back.

Samael quickly regained his composure and firmly replied, "Yes, Father. I won't let you down."

"You must cook for me when you reach Realm 7," Victoria said, her voice soft and melodic as she ruffled Samael's hair.

All she got in return was a pout. Clearly, Samael was still upset about her stealing his food.

"My son, you're too cute," Victoria teased, squeezing his cheeks. "Will you really kick your mother to the curb? How unfilial. I thought you loved me." Her pitiful tone was clearly an attempt to guilt-trip him.

It worked. Samael quickly promised to cook for her when he reached Realm 7.

"Mom, Dad, I need to tell you about my physique…" Samael began, his tone turning serious.

A solemn atmosphere filled the room as William and Victoria, both powerhouses in their own right, felt the immense energy radiating from Samael's physique. They were proud that their son was a genius but also terrified of the implications.

Samael went on to explain the Swallowing Nihility Body, though he withheld some details. He didn't mention the ability to form a neutron star or black hole within his body, nor did he reveal his affinity for the Aether element—a prehistoric, volatile energy with no recorded users. He also kept quiet about his ability to swallow nothingness, knowing it might alarm his parents. After all, how could one consume nothing?

Thirty minutes later, William broke the silence. "My son, you're a genius. Even if your physique seems basic at first glance, using fusion, you can exponentially increase your power and surpass all Tianjiao." (Tianjiao means "pride of the heavens" in Chinese, referring to prodigies.)

"I don't care about that," Samael said dismissively. "I just want to be a chef. Now, transfer Andhrimnir's Art to me."

For a moment, his parents stood there, speechless. Then, Samael shook them out of their stupor, and William quickly passed on the technique. Without wasting a second, Samael rushed to the counter and began practicing.

"I guess we underestimated how much he loves cooking," William said, watching his son with a mix of pride and amusement.

"I guess we did," Victoria agreed, her eyes soft with affection.