Passing through the Road to the Yellow Springs, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

  An antique pavilion stood by the roadside, next to which was a large black cauldron three meters in diameter. Underneath, green ghost fire burned, and inside, a turbid yellow soup boiled.

  Meng Po's Pavilion.

  This was the Underworld's most famous "Mandatory Execution Point." Whether one was a king or a pauper in life, upon arriving here, one had to drink this soup, empty their brain, and go reincarnate like a fool.

  Right now, Meng Po was shivering, huddled behind a pillar of the pavilion.

  She was originally a kind-looking old woman, but now, the ladle in her hand was shaking. Her "customers"—those ghosts queuing up for soup—had all been scared off.

  Replacing them was a green-armored freak, bathed in blood and radiating a malevolent aura more terrifying than any demon.

  Slayer stood in front of the large black cauldron.

  He had just engaged in intense aerobic exercise (hand-tearing hundreds of demons) on the Road to the Yellow Springs. His body functions were currently in a state of dehydration following extreme excitement.

  Simply put: He was thirsty.

  On his helmet display, the vital signs monitoring system lit up with a yellow warning:

  [Hydration Level: Low]

  Slayer looked at the boiling cauldron in front of him. Although the color of the soup looked like mud mixed with foot-washing water, to a man who had just slaughtered his way through hell, this was basically a pot of steaming, all-you-can-drink beverage.

  "Wait! Don't!"

  Singularity's breathless shout came from behind. He was carrying two large gunny sacks stuffed to the brim (full of the drops he just picked up), running like a weighted snail.

  "That's Meng Po Soup! You'll lose your memory if you drink it!" Singularity screamed in horror. "The main ingredients are 'Daylily' and 'Soul-Bewildering Powder,' plus neurotoxins that cause intelligence regression! That's for ghosts, not a sports drink!"

  Slayer ignored him.

  What hadn't he drunk in hell? Demon blood, acidic lava, unknown radioactive wastewater. In comparison, this pot of soup at least looked cooked.

  He reached out with a large hand, grabbed the big wooden bucket used for serving soup (originally meant to serve dozens of ghosts at once), and scooped up a full bucket.

  Gulp.

  Slayer lifted a corner of his faceplate (revealing his chin), threw his head back, and chugged.

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  Singularity covered his face in despair. "It's over. The Underworld's strongest combat force is going to become a demented fool. If he finishes and asks me 'Who am I', how should I answer? Tell him you're the Director of the Underworld Demolition Office?"

  Gulp, gulp, gulp.

  A bucket of Meng Po Soup, enough to make a thousand grown men forget who their mothers were, was bull-dozed by Slayer in three seconds.

  Slayer put down the bucket.

  No memory loss. No collapsing.

  He even smacked his lips, seeming to savor the taste.

  Then, he made a gesture that both Singularity and Meng Po (hiding behind the pillar) would never forget.

  He shook his head and let out a dull nasal sound: "Hmph."

  It sounded like... disdain.

  "Not... not strong enough?" Meng Po was dumbfounded. This was her old soup stock boiled for eight hundred years! This was a formula that could make even a Great Luo Golden Immortal black out!

  Slayer clearly felt this drink was too bland. Like a Russian used to 96% vodka suddenly being fed a sip of plain water.

  Not strong enough. Not fiery enough. It couldn't even replenish the Rage value he consumed in slaughter.

  Slayer's gaze began to search the surroundings.

  Soon, he locked onto something.

  Not far from Meng Po's Pavilion, the corpse of a massive "Fireborne Baron" lay there (Slayer had casually tossed it there five minutes ago). The demon's heart was still beating faintly, pumping scalding, magma-hot Demon Blood.

  Slayer walked over and, like pulling a turnip, yanked out that still-burning heart.

  Then, he walked back to the big cauldron.

  Splash!

  He threw the burning heart, along with the high-energy Demon Blood inside, directly into the Meng Po Soup.

  BOOM—!

  The originally turbid yellow soup instantly turned a violent crimson. The ghost fire at the bottom of the pot seemed to have been doused with gasoline, shooting up thirty feet high. The entire pot of soup began to boil violently, emitting a growling sound like a roaring engine.

  A pungent, choking scent filled with sulfur and violent particles permeated the air.

  Singularity detected that the "Adrenaline Concentration" in the air was going off the charts.

  Slayer nodded in satisfaction.

  This was what a manly man should drink.

  He scooped another bucket of this enhanced "Hell Special Blend Red Bull" and downed it in one go.

  This time, he didn't shake his head.

  As this bucket of red liquid went down, the muscles all over Slayer's body seemed to inflate slightly, and the brightness of the runes on his armor instantly jumped a level.

  [System Prompt: Rage Value Refilled.]

  [Buff Acquired: Berserk. Duration: Infinite.]

  Slayer threw away the wooden bucket and let out a low roar of refreshment.

  He turned to look at Singularity.

  "Uh..." Singularity swallowed, looking at the pot of bubbling red magma soup. "What is... the effect of this soup now?"

  Slayer didn't answer, just clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking like firecrackers.

  Singularity understood.

  This was no longer Meng Po Soup that made people "forget the past."

  This was a pot of Berserker Potion that made you "forget pain, forget fear, and only want to tear enemies to shreds."

  "Subverting tradition..." Singularity took out his tablet and silently recorded this moment.

  [New Recipe Logged: Meng Po Soup · DOOM Edition.]

  [Effect: Cures Amnesia (Physically). Not only makes you remember every grudge, but also gives you the power of revenge.]

  [Side Effect: May cause desire to dismantle Gundams with bare hands after consumption.]

  At this moment, Meng Po finally mustered the courage to poke her head out from behind the pillar and asked weakly, "Um... excuse me... customer, would you like cilantro with that?"

  Slayer looked back at the shivering old lady.

  He paused for a moment, then grabbed a handful of demon teeth from the loot pile (in Singularity's sack) and gently placed them on Meng Po's stove.

  This was the tip.

  Then, he hoisted his shotgun, carrying the scent of sulfur and a refilled Rage meter, and strode towards the next stop—the Three-Life Stone on the other side of the Bridge of Helplessness.

  Singularity looked at the ruined (or upgraded) pot of soup, then at the demon teeth on the table, and smiled bitterly at Meng Po:

  "Grandma, from now on... let's rename this soup 'Functional Sports Drink'. I think it'll be a hit."