Chapter 260

The fifth apostle, Augusto, was around thirty-seven years old and had no partner. Based on his accent and lifestyle, he was initially identified as Italian.

Most of the apostles' first impression of him was that he was kind and gentle.

It's one thing to enjoy helping others quietly.

The Fifth Apostle is tall and strong, and his imposing physique can silence thugs and earn him countless respectful glances. Yet, he speaks softly and adopts a humble demeanor.

He would carefully help someone who had fallen, and when handing someone something, he would thoughtfully remind them, "Be careful, it's heavy," or "Be careful, it's hot."

They love cute things, especially fluffy little animals. The younger members often receive special care from the Fifth Apostle, and the weak receive extra pity, including Xie Xubai, who was ostracized in the early days.

Like a silent, dull stone giant in anime, wearing an orange-yellow vest, diligently carrying bricks and building houses, his eyes crinkle when he's happy, and pink bubbles silently appear on his head, creating a striking contrast.

However, when they later saw the Fifth Apostle crushing the mutant's head with his enhanced grip strength, which reached tens of tons, without batting an eye, leaving the mutant covered in blood and brain matter, almost no one would have such thoughts anymore.

What was even more shocking was that after the test results were announced, the Fifth Apostle's performance was simply astounding.

[Physical fitness] [Cultural exploration] [Tactical planning] [Mind manipulation and resistance]...

In nearly twenty comprehensive test items, more than half of them were rated as excellent!

The purpose of testing these items in the early stages was to provide targeted training to address the weaknesses of the apostle members. No one expected that the fifth apostle would be able to get almost a perfect score from the very beginning.

Items such as killing skills, drug resistance, and mastery of war machines are rated as excellent!

Even secret agents specially trained by the National Security Bureau would find it difficult to get high scores on these things.

Combining the traditional crafts of the Fifth Apostle's birthplace with his past experiences inevitably evokes chilling thoughts and numerous suspicions.

Ogutov explained, "...it's a family tradition. I was groomed as his successor by my grandfather and his family for a period of time. But in the last century, the family was taken over by the government, and now we do legitimate business. We've never touched anything like that."

That's what they say.

But when the Fifth Apostle [Chemical Pharmaceuticals] achieved excellent test results once again, the members who heard that he was going to cook afternoon desserts for everyone jumped up in fright, watching in horror as the Fifth Apostle hummed a little tune and prepared the ingredients.

Chemical pharmaceuticals correspond to the [Poisoner] and [Alchemist] professions in the Infinite Game. Even if poison is added to food silently, it may not be detected for a while.

Some high-level poison masters can even let the poison lie dormant in a player's body for most of their life, only to erupt and manifest at the moment of death.

The food from the Apostles' Guild undergoes at least three safety inspections throughout the entire process of planting, transportation, storage, and processing, so it can be trusted.

However, players' class skills are unrestricted, allowing them to create potions out of thin air and bypass security checks.

Not long after, the Fifth Apostle brought out the refreshments. In addition to the usual drinks, he had also specially prepared the currently popular milk tea.

Looking at the fragrant cookies and cakes on the plate, the members present felt sweating profusely and wanted to ask the Fifth Apostle if he had done any skill backup.

It wasn't that they didn't trust each other; it was that they had suffered losses in previous dungeon trials and were still wary.

It's like suddenly finding a cobra in your house. No matter how docile it is, and even if experts repeatedly emphasize that the venom is contained in the venom glands and not a drop will leak out, who could accept the food it brings without any suspicion?

The group exchanged glances.

Someone clutched their stomach, groaning in discomfort, and ran away quickly.

Someone made an excuse about having urgent business to attend to and quickly disappeared.

In the blink of an eye, the once bustling lounge was deserted, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, leaving only the bewildered figure of the Fifth Apostle: "..."

He looked down at the pastries on the plate.

The base doesn't mistreat its members in daily life. The central kitchen is staffed with award-winning star chefs. If you want to eat something, just leave a note in advance, and they can even get you bizarre things like monster meat.

But emotions are priceless.

In this infinite game where cognition and mental strength can be materialized into combat power, the bonds of belief and tacit understanding between players will be maintained and amplified by emotions.

However, due to the game's ruthless cruelty, high pressure, and low tolerance for error, the Apostle Guild has evolved a strict and cruel elimination mechanism.

This reality inevitably leads to tense relationships among members due to intense competition.

Some early grudges and misunderstandings are difficult to resolve even after passing the test.

The upper echelons have been struggling with how to ease their tensions, so they strongly support members taking the initiative to engage in social activities to relieve their physical and mental stress.

Upon hearing that the Fifth Apostle wanted to take charge of part of the afternoon tea, they immediately gave it their full approval and even arranged for the chef to rest so that someone else could fill in.

I never expected it to turn out like this.

This wasn't the first time the Fifth Apostle had made afternoon tea. Long ago, he would work as a helper in the central canteen during his spare time, not for any other reason than that the dessert section was the children's favorite place.

Sometimes he would lean on the food counter and watch the little ones smile broadly after eating sweets, his eyes squinting as if he were being melted by their cuteness, and he wouldn't get tired of it for several tens of minutes.

Although his skills are not comparable to those of star chefs, many people are still not satisfied with his cooking.

But this was the first time the Fifth Apostle had been rejected by everyone.

Feeling disappointed? Definitely.

The Fifth Apostle wasn't just feeling down. He calmly reviewed the events of the recent period and, through methodical analysis, quickly connected his newly released test results with everyone's subtle attitudes.

So all that's left is helplessness.

With an assistant helping him, the cake was made for dozens of people; he definitely couldn't finish it all by himself.

The Fifth Apostle silently ate until he was full. Looking at the remaining food, he felt it would be wasteful to throw it away. With a hesitant heart, he took out a board and a pen.

[Today's Afternoon Tea] Orange cake, brownies, tiramisu, and hazelnut cookies.

[Drinks] Bubble tea, chocolate milk, cappuccino, orange juice, lemonade.

[Signature] This is a carefully prepared dish by Ogutov. I've personally tested it and confirmed it's non-toxic. Enjoy! ^-^

After finishing writing, he placed the board in a prominent position, adjusted the appropriate storage temperature for the drinks and snacks one by one, and then the Fifth Apostle went to the training room for seclusion.

When he returned to the lounge that evening, he was surprised to find that the plate was completely empty.

Turning to ask the staff, I learned that all the snacks I made had been taken by the other members.

And it wasn't just one person, it was many people. Those who didn't get to eat were still reluctant to leave and asked the staff if they could have some more made the next day.

Despite being ignored and highly controversial, its reputation suddenly changed, which comforted the Fifth Apostle and aroused his strong curiosity.

Subsequent investigation revealed that it was Hill and Lilith.

Hill was among the first batch of promising candidates to form a contract with a deity, and was closely watched by the guild. He also recruited many followers.

Seeing that their boss was quite fond of Ogutov's pastries, the younger brothers had to try them no matter what, so they came in groups and took away some.

Lilith passed the test early due to her outstanding talent and always had a private lounge. The reason why she suddenly came to the public lounge to eat dessert is unknown.

However, she astutely noticed that the buff provided by Ogutov's afternoon tea was different from the buff provided by the food prepared by the star chefs. On a whim, she took it to the research lab for testing and found that it was a permanent buff that could improve physical stats!

So Hula led a bunch of his men across the training area to fleece them. They were fairly generous, not taking everything, only taking 80%.

Such a lively scene naturally attracted the attention of many people, and the news of the permanent buff caused an even greater uproar.

With all this hype, the news spread like wildfire, and in just two days, Ogutov's afternoon tea became the talk of the town, a hot topic at the base and sought after by everyone!

At that time, Ogutov had already passed the test and become one of the promising talents who were closely watched, just like Hill.

While permanent buffs are rare and precious, compared to Augutov's impressive combat talent, his culinary skills are still lacking. The buff values ​​he can provide are not high; it's just a difference in defense from 30 to 40, which can be replaced by equipment and items.

Not to mention that it only works the first time you take it; taking it more after that is useless.

Therefore, the base did not give up the idea of ​​training Augutov to be a pastry chef. Under the arrangement of the higher-ups, the Fifth Apostle also began more intensive and rigorous training, and no longer had as much free time to make afternoon tea.

Ogutov's afternoon tea became a limited-edition delicacy. Those who initially refused him missed out and couldn't help but grumble, "Why didn't you say so sooner that it would provide a permanent buff? If you had told us earlier, we wouldn't be here..."

You don't know anything?

Upon meeting Ogutov's emotionless gaze, the person who had spoken out of turn quickly shut up. The thought of being retaliated against for angering the other party caused everyone, including him, to break out in a cold sweat.

But then Ogutov suddenly smiled, took out a plate of small cakes from the storage cabinet, and said like a kind and gentle old man, "Don't worry, I saved a lot for everyone."

Those people couldn't believe it, and felt a pang of guilt.

Just as I picked up the cake, I heard Ogutov say, "It's a pity that I can no longer provide the added flavor to my desserts. I consulted a doctor before, and she said that it might be because the training pressure was too great and I lost my touch in cooking."

"..." In an instant, he didn't know whether to put the cake down or not.

Ogutov: "But don't worry, everyone, I tasted it beforehand, and it tastes quite good."

Under his expectant gaze, everyone had no choice but to bite down on the food, praising it profusely: "It's good, it's good."

From then on, Ogutov still served afternoon tea in fixed quantities. The number of people who came gradually decreased from a constant stream to just a few at a time.

He found himself much more indifferent than before. Even if there were leftover desserts, he wouldn't be too disappointed. He would quietly take them back to eat himself or feed them to the pigeon—the Sixth Apostle's greedy carrier pigeon.

Then one day, a rare guy came to the common room: White, who had just returned from a mission.

It is said that he was designated as the first apostle by the upper echelons of the base, and various elites and big shots tailored special training for him. He himself is also the kind of person who works like crazy, so after the public courses are over, except for important tests and competitions, he is basically never seen.

But soon they will train together and work together for a long time, and at that time, White will become their commander.

Unlike the others who scorned and condemned White for getting in through connections, Ogutov initially felt a slight sense of empathy and sorrow when he first glimpsed this solitary figure.

He could tell that White had been forced into the spotlight and was being given responsibilities he wasn't good at.

Just like him, who disliked fighting and intrigue, yet was groomed to be the family heir.

At this point, their interactions were neither deep nor shallow.

The young man wanted a glass of sweet milk, any flavor would do. Ogutov didn't ask any further questions. Seeing that the waiter was busy, he poured him a glass of chocolate milk that he had just made himself.

The young man stirred it with a straw, took a sip, noticed the change, and casually remarked, "Did you add crushed nuts this time? It tastes good. The one with oats last time was also very delicious."

It's just that simple sentence.

Ogutov suddenly stopped.