Walking straight out of the woods and calmly facing Morrow's gun muzzle without hesitation: this was the attitude Benjamin displayed, devoid of any hostility.
Morrow didn't lower his pistol, the aura in his left hand still poised for action, but he didn't ignore Benjamin's gesture of goodwill either.
"Morrow, Treasure Hunter."
Given the completeness of the other party's self-introduction, Morrow temporarily assigned himself the title of Treasure Hunter.
Benjamin nodded slightly, then raised a hand to point at the three corpses on the ground and said:
"I'm not here to assign blame, it might even sound like a rhetorical question, but I still need to confirm this, Morrow. Did you… kill these men?"
"…"
Morrow paused briefly, subtly glancing at Benjamin's shadow before answering bluntly, "Yes, I killed them."
Given the scene before them, denying it would be pointless.
Hearing this, Benjamin nodded again and remarked coolly, "A few poachers. Good riddance."
With that simple judgment on the identities of the corpses, he then turned his gaze to the white deer nearby. "Flower-Horned Giant Deer, a Class B protected creature. They've been circulating frequently in the black market lately, which is why I'm here."
"Oh?"
Morrow caught the implication in Benjamin's words and asked nonchalantly, "Shouldn't that be the job of anti-poaching Hunters?"
"That's true."
A faint smile appeared on Benjamin's face as he explained, "But for Gourmet Hunters like us, who often deal with ingredients, there's always a responsibility to protect the environment. If we encounter poachers in the wild, we naturally won't turn a blind eye."
"So… you were specifically after them?"
Morrow's eyes flickered toward the corpses on the ground.
For Gourmet Hunters, all ingredients were sourced from nature, which meant they had a duty to preserve it.
So it made some sense that a team of poachers would catch the attention of a Gourmet Hunter who frequented remote forests.
Benjamin, however, shook his head. "Not entirely."
"Hm?"
Morrow looked at him.
Unfazed by Morrow's still-raised pistol, Benjamin walked straight toward the white antlers the poachers had cut off.
"Look, this is the real treasure."
Holding the coral-like antlers in his hands, Benjamin's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Morrow raised an eyebrow at the sight.
Benjamin weighed the antlers briefly before turning back to Morrow.
"If it weren't for you, I would've killed these poachers when I caught up to them anyway. Of course… as for these already-harvested spoils on the ground, I'd report them truthfully to the local forestry bureau. But these Flower-Horned Giant Deers…"
Here, Benjamin paused, his expression turning deadly serious. "Must not go to waste."
"…"
Morrow's eyes flashed with surprise, wondering if Benjamin had been observing from the shadows all along.
After all, Gourmet Hunters often ventured into deep forests to hunt rare ingredients; if nothing else, their mastery of Zetsu had to be exceptional.
And Benjamin's motive for doing so was likely to give himself an excuse to taste the Flower-Horned Giant Deer.
Noticing Morrow's reaction, Benjamin drew a boning knife carved from blood-colored ore from his waist sheath. As he began trimming the antlers, he asked: "Morrow, you're not thinking... that I deliberately hid and waited until the poachers finished hunting the Flower-Horned Giant Deer just for these antlers, are you?"
"I never said that."
Morrow immediately denied it, but his gaze lingered on the blood-stained boning knife in Benjamin's hand.
Under the silvery moonlight, he could clearly see the smoky aura clinging to the knife.
That aura didn't originate from Benjamin; it was attached to the boning knife itself.
Without a doubt, this strangely designed boning knife was a Nen-imbued object, and the aura attached to it was remarkably refined.
Hearing Morrow's words, Benjamin only worked faster at cleaning the antlers, openly admitting, "But I was indeed waiting on purpose."
Morrow looked up, surprised, at Benjamin.
All that talk about environmental responsibility... Just as he'd suspected, it was all about tasting a Class B protected creature...
Thinking this, Morrow silently stepped back, putting distance between himself and Benjamin.
Noticing Morrow's movement, Benjamin paused his work and said leisurely:
"No need to be so shocked. I am a Pro Hunter, after all... Whether it means being ruthless or justifying my actions, I won't hesitate to do whatever it takes to get what I want."
As he spoke, he raised the antlers toward Morrow. One of them had been stripped of its hard outer layer, revealing a jelly-like substance inside.
"Even if this appeared on the black market, it wouldn't be easy to obtain. Trust me, this is a top-tier ingredient that would drive any Gourmet Hunter wild. If you miss out, I guarantee you'll regret it for life. So... care to share?"
"No."
Morrow refused without hesitation, ignoring Benjamin's reaction as he finally holstered his pistol and picked up his backpack of supplies and tools.
He wasn't sure if Benjamin was truly a licensed Gourmet Hunter, but he'd already labeled the man as abnormal.
All he wanted now was to put as much distance as possible between himself and such a freak.
There was no way he'd stay to share the Flower-Horned Giant Deer's antlers.
"Really not going to try it?"
Benjamin's tone was indifferent as he pressed the question.
Morrow shook his head, then gestured at the scattered poaching spoils on the ground:
"You can take credit for all this, including these three poachers. Their corpses can cover for your consumption of a Class B protected creature. Whatever you plan to do, it's none of my business."
"Then I won't hold back."
Benjamin smiled and resumed cleaning the antlers.
Morrow nodded, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and began backing slowly toward the forest, keeping his eyes on Benjamin the whole time.
Benjamin noted Morrow's unwavering vigilance but simply watched calmly as he retreated.
Soon after, Morrow reached a small clearing bordered by several large trees. He gave Benjamin one last deep look.
A Pro Hunter who would stop at nothing...
Slowly withdrawing his gaze, Morrow turned and disappeared into the woods.
Benjamin stared at the gap in the trees where Morrow had vanished. His original intention had been to make Morrow an accomplice in consuming the forbidden Class B ingredient.
Unfortunately, persuasion had failed.
For just a moment, Benjamin had seriously considered keeping Morrow there permanently. But the thought came and went just as quickly. He could tell Morrow was the type who severely lacked trust in outsiders, likely due to frequent dealings with two-faced people.
That's why, without sufficient understanding, he could still maintain just the right boundaries.
"What poor taste."
Benjamin narrowed his eyes, feeling an inexplicable premonition.
Perhaps they would meet again...