Chapter 16

Not wanting to miss out on an opportunity to meet a god, Aaron accepted Oozagh’s offer.

Gradually, the ogre shadow appeared before him in the obsidian hallway, and then color gradually filled it. Within seconds, the silhouette transformed from a shadow to a rather large ogre dressed in a skimpy loincloth. Tattoos marked most of its rough skin, and piercings dotted its lips, nose, and ears.

Aaron’s eyes widened. Was he really standing before a real god? A real god that looked like an oversized caveman who didn’t know when to put the fries down.

“Greetings, human!”

Aaron blinked.

“Don’t look so surprised, puny ape. This is just my avatar. If I were really standing before you, I would likely crush your weak bones and fragile flesh with my aura alone.”

“Thanks for not doing that, then.”

“To the point. You entertained me. You've got guts to eat that rotweed, and better yet, you did it multiple times, bahaha!” The ogre’s impossibly deep voice boomed. “It must have been torturous.”

“Ahh… yeah, it was.”

“And on stage one, bahaha. I have waited eons for such entertainment. Stage one should be pretty easy, shouldn’t it? And yet you ate rotweed. Hilarious. To think you risked spoiling your guts by munching down rotweed on stage one, bahah!”

“Glad you found it so entertaining,” Aaron groaned.

Oozagh’s delight at his misery was one thing, but Aaron was more focused on the insightful words coming from the ogre’s mouth. Most would find stage one easy, which was troublesome to learn. Douglas had made such a big deal about it that he thought it was more of an achievement; then again, the top rankers who were meant to be here were much higher level than he was. Not only that, but they were supposed to be E grade, and from what little Aaron understood, the upgrade to E was significant. That alone with all the other levels would give even the squishiest of tutorial takers far more Vitality than he had. So it shouldn’t have been too surprising that they could easily pass stage one.

“Oh, I found it marvelously entertaining. That much rotweed should have been enough to kill a puny F-grade human, or at least make them wish they were dead. There must be something special about your gut; if there is, you belong with us ogres.”

“Well, I’ve had my fair share of pain. It takes a bit to get a rise out of me these days.”

“That’s for sure, bahah! Still, that’s not normal, no matter how much you downplay it. And I can see through you, human. Your Vitality is, quite frankly, humiliating. But I like you, human. So, here’s the deal. I shall offer you my Blessing and access to my unique Profession. Do you accept?”

“Ahh, can I get some details on what exactly that means?”

“Details?! You realize you’re standing before Oozagh the Rotund, the ogre god and master of gluttony and cooking? And you dare to ask me for details?!”

“I thought you were the god of gluttony and cooking?”

“Same thing, mortal! I’m not the only ogre god, but I’m damn well the strongest! If I choose to call myself the ogre god, I damn well will!”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend. I was just curious, that’s all.”

“You’re forgiven, human. I don’t expect much in the way of manners from your kind. Besides, you’ve entertained me too much today for me to hold a grudge.”

Are ogres meant to be well-mannered in the multiverse?

Aaron wasn’t sure about that thought; he could see several food bits nestled in the ogre’s teeth, and he had a feeling that if it were real, and not just an avatar, that it wouldn’t smell great.

“Sooo… am I able to get any details on this blessing, or?”

“Baha, still at it? You’re a persistent little ape, aren’t you? Fine, you amuse me, so I shall be a little more accommodating than I usually would be. Here, I’ll show you.”

Minor Blessing of Oozagh the Rotund.

Provides: Ogre Gut. The ogre’s gut is formidable and capable of consuming just about anything. Most notable for the ogre’s ability to consume power-enhancing herbs, tonics, and even body-harming drugs without aftereffects.

Unique Profession: Ogre Taste Tester

The Ogre Taste Tester is the first step to becoming an ogre chef. These crude home cooks specialize in meat, combining it with all kinds of foul herbs that most would find revolting, if not straight up harmful. +4 Vitality, +2 Fortitude, +1 Willpower, +2 Free Stats. Starter Skill: Concoct Toxic Gloop. When activated, Concoct Toxic Gloop combines any manner of twisted ingredients and provides insights into their uses. Potentially identifies uses for ingredients used in dishes.

“Tha-they… er… would this essentially mean I’d eat disgusting food for the rest of my life?”

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“Bahah! No, dumb puny human. My blessing will turn the likes of that rotweed into a delicacy to your tongue. Food will make your taste buds dance like you’ve never felt before. You will taste food as if you yourself were an ogre.”

Aaron had kept his thoughts aimed at passing trials and hadn’t thought too deeply about his Profession. However, not only did it indicate that he could level it up, but from the looks of the notification, it also gave Stat points like his Class. There was also a Profession Skills section of his status page, indicating that he could gain additional Skills, not to mention the notification itself mentioned a new Skill. In fact, it sounded like he could essentially double his strength by taking a Profession. He’d be mad not to, he thought.

The ogre looked bemused as Aaron raced through his thoughts. He had been given no other options to gain a Profession, and if the stages were going to get considerably harder after this, then it might be a wise idea to just take whatever he was offered. Besides, despite not being completely sold on the ogre, it was a god, and according to it, the most powerful ogre god. That had to mean something, didn’t it? Not only that, but the notification said it was a unique Profession, which sounded pretty good, Aaron thought. Would he be a fool to turn down some unique, powerful Profession when he had no other obvious alternatives? And the ogre had been a useful ally in passing his last trial. What if he had to consume something gross again? Maybe next time it would be more harmful to his body, and he wouldn’t just be able to bite down on the sickening sensation and soldier through it. Maybe next time, he would just fall over and die.

“I accept,” Aaron nodded after his careful deliberation.

“You’ve got guts, human. Few of your kind take to fraternizing with ogres. Welcome aboard, and feel my blessing flood through you. Your gut will make a fine addition.”

Minor Blessing Received: Blessing of Oozagh the Rotund.

Profession Class Unlocked: Ogre Taste Tester!

Aaron felt the familiar rush of energy he got from gaining a level, and quickly opened his status screen.

[ Name: Aaron Dober ]

[ Age: 23 ]

[ Race: Human ]

[ Grade: F ]

[ HP: 900 ]

[ MP: 600 ]

[ SP: 2000 ]

[ Class: Brawler, lvl 13 ]

[ Profession: Ogre Taste Tester, lvl 1 ]

[ Stats ]

[ Strength: 33 (+7) ]

[ Vitality: 9 (+5) ]

[ Fortitude: 20 (+6) ]

[ Dexterity: 40 (+8) ]

[ Agility: 54 (+9) ]

[ Intelligence: 5 (+5) ]

[ Willpower: 6 (+5) ]

[ Charisma: 5 (+5) ]

[ Perception: 5 (+5) ]

[ Titles: Shadow Trials Trailblazer ]

[ Traits: Minor Blessing of Oozagh the Rotund ]

[ Racial Skills: Inspect ]

[ Profession Passive Skills (0/3): - ]

[ Profession Active Skills (0/6): - ]

[ Class Passive Skills (1/3): Faux Core ]

[ Class Active Skills (2/6): Thick Skinned, Relentless Scourge ]

As he had expected, he had gained the Stats from a level of Ogre Taste Tester. This changed a lot. He certainly wouldn’t need to focus on Vitality if he could keep gaining levels in his Profession, and even Fortitude wouldn’t be that dire.

“Good luck, human. Prove yourself, and I might even improve your blessing. Or who knows, maybe I’ll give you another if you prove your gut! But don’t get too excited. You’re still a puny human, after all. It’ll take quite a bit to impress me. Far more than just making me laugh again! Now go, eat. Devour whatever you come across. For an ogre’s gut is not to be trifled with!”

And with that, the color drained from the shadow, and a moment later, the shadow itself dissipated.

“Ookay. That was odd… I’ve got a freaking blessing, though, right? This thing isn’t looking so impossible now.”

Aaron also realized he had four free Stats now. Two unspent from when he leveled after beating the trial stage, and now another two from getting a Profession. His focus had been on Fortitude, but he hesitated to spend any more on it now that he had earned it from his Profession. He might still end up dumping them into Fortitude, but if he could level his Profession regularly, it was much less urgent, and he could afford to consider other options. What he needed to do first was figure out if he could even level his Profession in here, and remembering back to his quest reward, he had just the idea of where to start.

He returned to Douglas and began explaining what had happened and his situation with his free points, when Douglas interrupted him.

“You did what?” Douglas gasped. “That bulbous monster blessed you because you made him laugh in a stage one trial? That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Why would he do that? Even if he is an ogre, a god should have some self-respect.”

“I dunno,” Aaron shrugged. “But I guess I’m a chef now. Well, I’m on my way to being one. And an ogre one at that.”

“That you are. It’s usually recommended that you try a few Professions before committing to one. But then again, I don’t suppose someone in your situation has the liberty to turn their nose up at a god’s blessing.”

“Well, it’s not like I know how to unlock Professions anyway,” Aaron said. “Besides, I don’t know what I’d do anyway.”

“You just unlocked the Crafting Station, or had you forgotten?”

“Oh, right. Actually, that’s where I’m headed right now. Care to tag along?”

“Not that it matters, but you could have just played around with the different equipment available until you were offered a Profession. That’s how most do it.”

“I could have?”

Aaron felt pretty dumb at that moment. Still, it wasn’t like he totally regretted his decision. He still had a blessing, after all. And Douglas had mentioned briefly in a previous conversation that blessings were pretty valuable, in and of themselves. Most denizens of the multiverse would never get a chance to have one bestowed upon themselves. And those who did were usually seen as elites.

“You could have. It’s not all bad, though. You have a god watching over you now. That alone is probably worth it, even with just one minor blessing. Not only that, but it’ll be easier to gain additional blessings and stronger ones, now that you have the god’s ear. And the Class itself isn’t terrible. It is unique, and I doubt there are many non-ogres throughout the multiverse that possess it.”

“Dammit, Douglas. Why do you have to try to get me all worried over nothing all the time? It sounds like I made a perfectly good decision.”

“Reluctantly, I agree,” Douglas exhaled. “Still, I prefer sticking to the process. Anyway, shall I provide you with a tour of your newly unlocked room?”

“That sounds grand, Douglas. Lead the way.”

“Come on, then.”