Hollow Ascension - Chapter 141: The First Clash

'A Culinary Adventure in the Game World!!'Kai never asked for this. One minute, he’s stuck in a dead-end life, barely scraping by. Next, he’s reincarnated into a game world, trapped in the body of the Darklord. But there's a twist—he doesn’t just inherit the Darklord’s power. No, Kai is cursed with something far worse: a Culinary System that can turn food into magic, potions, and weaponry.In a world where culinary prowess is power, Kai has to master his cooking skills to survive. Can he turn scraps into a full course of victories, or will he fall victim to the game's deadly rules? As he navigates treacherous quests, forms unlikely alliances, and battles powerful foes, Kai learns that his new identity as the Darklord isn't just about power—it's about survival.But he's not the only one after the game’s ultimate secrets. A mysterious Crimson Guild, bent on using Kai’s Culinary System to take control of the world, is hot on his heels. To escape this game, Kai will need to unlock the true potential of his cooking, master ancient recipes, and discover how to break free from the game... but can he do all that before the Guild catches up with him?A world of dangerous quests, supernatural enemies, and magic-infused meals await!The Culinary System. The Darklord’s power. And a feast of deadly secrets.The game has just begun.

In the near future, a space channel connecting the other world suddenly appeared on Blue Star, and a large number of other world monsters poured into the homeland where human beings depended for survival.

Human civilization has shrunk sharply and had to hide in the base city to survive.

Only warriors can lead human beings to open up living space and regain lost land.

However, martial arts requires talent, and not everyone can become a martial artist.

People with outstanding martial arts talent can not only advance quickly and break through limits, but also optimize their exercises and benefit future generations, and are admired by all mankind.

By chance, Lu Heng discovered that his martial arts talent could continue to evolve…

- Description from novelbuddy

Cairn is a prince who is already tired of ruling. Faced with an imminent coronation and an overbearing father, he wants nothing more than to drown his responsibilities in cheap liquor and poor decisions. With the help of his sister, he hatches a plan to escape the clutches of the throne once and for all. It all goes terribly wrong, and Cairn finds his priorities shifting in the face of unimaginable tragedy. The change of heart comes too late, however, and Cairn dies. He reawakens to find himself transported ten years in the past. He immediately begins to plan for the future, only to discover his killer has somehow followed him. To succeed, Cairn must unite the kingdom and discover the motivation of his killer, using as many tries as it takes. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++I exhausted pretty much every time loop story ever written and decided to write my own. You'll see a few similarities here between this story and some existing stories, at least initially. There's a lot of inspiration drawn from both MoL and Re:Zero, though in terms of pathos and darkness, this story leans more towards the latter. Be warned, it is something of a slow burn. The main character will grow and become powerful, but a theme of this story is that power comes slowly and often at great cost.