Chapter 51: A Hero Saving a Damsel?
"Itadakimasu!"
This was Kenji's first time tasting an ingredient from the Gourmet World. He was curious to see how it would differ from the ingredients of the Human World.
"Not bad. The light, fatty aroma is rich but not greasy, and it's sweeter than lobster meat. The texture is as smooth and tender as jelly," Kenji's eyes lit up.
The body meat was tender and melted in his mouth, sliding down his throat into his stomach. The meat in the pincers was chewy and springy, without any tough, stringy fibers that would get stuck in his teeth.
The ingredients of the Gourmet World indeed had a different flavor from those of the Human World. It was probably a regional characteristic. The Capture Level of the red scorpion wasn't too high; its main weapon was the deadly poison in its stinger.
"How was it, Lotta?"
Kenji had only tasted a bit. Most of it had gone into Lotta's stomach. He still had a lot of energy stored in his body; he didn't need this extra bit.
"Awoo~" Lotta nodded, letting out a happy and satisfied howl. As a species from the Gourmet World, she naturally preferred ingredients from there. Not only did they taste better, but they also contained more energy. The physical toll from being cloned and giving birth was now rapidly recovering, though it would still take some time. At her peak, Lotta could reach a Capture Level of several hundred. Eating some good food would quickly replenish her body's losses.
Perhaps because of the bloodline aura emanating from Lotta, no other beasts had approached them. The campsite was quiet, but Kenji could feel many eyes on him.
As a species at the top of the Gourmet World's food chain, the Battle Wolves were all brave and skilled fighters. Since she was his adopted pet, Kenji planned to raise Lotta to surpass even the Wolf King Guinness. Besides the delicacies of Earth, the vast universe held an endless supply of ingredients waiting to be discovered.
The next day, as noon approached, Kenji still hadn't seen anyone arrive. They must have run into some trouble. Although the members of Biotope 0 could enter the Gourmet World, it didn't mean they were completely safe. The Capture Levels of beasts in the Human World were generally below one hundred. In the Gourmet World, beasts with Capture Levels in the hundreds were everywhere, and those in the dozens were less than common dogs. Even encountering a creature in the thousands was not out of the ordinary.
The members of Biotope 0 could enter the Gourmet World, but they didn't have Ichiryu's overwhelming strength. Besides Ichiryu, Kenji estimated that the strongest members of Biotope 0 could probably handle beasts with Capture Levels of two to three thousand. The weaker ones could likely handle beasts in the hundreds, which would still make them powerhouses in the Human World. After all, not everyone was like Ichiryu, who had trained to that level without the help of Gourmet Cells. Very few people had eaten Acacia's Full Course Menu, nor had they lived for several hundred years. It would be strange if they could fight creatures with Capture Levels of four to five thousand.
During the Gourmet Pyramid arc, although Mansam had said that Zebra was no match for a Salamander Sphinx, even if the Sphinx could only handle beasts in the hundreds from the Gourmet World, it could still have defeated the Zebra of that time.
(Author's Note: There isn't much screen time for the members of Biotope 0, and their power levels are unknown. The above is just my personal opinion. If you have other thoughts, feel free to correct me. O_o)
The members of Biotope 0 were mainly able to adapt to most of the harsh environments of the Gourmet World. If they encountered a truly powerful beast, they would still die.
"Hah, I guess I have to take the initiative," Kenji muttered to himself. The Angra Forest was huge, and it was home to many beasts. This was the person Ichiryu had asked him to pick up, his first commission from the IGO. If something went wrong, it would be a huge embarrassment.
"Lotta, let's go!"
Kenji sat on Lotta's back and delved deeper into the Angra Forest. He couldn't just wait there for the person to arrive. If they were in trouble, he could lend a hand. He was Jiro's disciple, after all. If he couldn't even handle picking someone up, he would be truly useless. Of course, it was also possible that they just hadn't arrived yet. After all, even if they arrived in the evening, it was still within the same day.
Elsewhere.
"These Bird-Beak Toads are so troublesome," a woman in a light pink nurse's uniform muttered to herself.
She wore a mask that covered the lower half of her face, revealing only a pair of clear eyes. She wore pink and white medical gloves and held a purple umbrella as a weapon.
She was surrounded by a swarm of strange creatures with bird beaks and green, toad-like bodies. When their beaks opened, they revealed rows of dense, sharp teeth.
The massive, countless swarm was closing in on her. These were Bird-Beak Toads, and they usually appeared in groups. Individually, they weren't strong, but they were incredibly frenzied. They would charge at any enemy, no matter how powerful, like a honey badger that just didn't care. When they found prey, they would let out a strange cry to attract more of their kind.
A single individual had a Capture Level of only around 100, but when hundreds or thousands of them attacked together, even a beast with a Capture Level of several hundred could be taken down.
The moment the nurse-clad woman encountered the first Bird-Beak Toad, she knew things had gotten complicated. Sure enough, the toad let out a loud, strange cry, and soon, a massive swarm was upon her.
Her strength was considered top-tier in the Human World. She had already taken out a good number of them, but instead of scaring the others away, it had only attracted more. She was completely surrounded, with no room to even set her foot down.
Even for someone of her level, this sheer number was a tricky situation. It wasn't that she couldn't handle them, but it would take a while to deal with them all. She probably wouldn't make it to the rendezvous on time.
She was the person Kenji was supposed to pick up. Ichiryu had told her to take the established IGO route. Who would have thought that as soon as she arrived in the Angra Forest, she would run into such a disgusting beast?
"Caw... caw..."
The Bird-Beak Toads let out their strange cries and swarmed toward her. Anyone with trypophobia would probably have a physical reaction on the spot.
The woman sighed in frustration. She had no choice but to deal with the toads in front of her. As for being late, she would just have to explain it to the person she was meeting.
"AWOO!"
A deafening wolf's howl echoed through the air. A white shadow, as fast as lightning, shot into the swarm of Bird-Beak Toads, instantly taking out a large number of them and clearing a path in front of the woman.
"Is that... a B-Battle Wolf?!"
The woman was stunned. She recognized the giant white wolf at a glance, which was why she was so surprised. The Battle Wolf was a top-tier hunter from the Second Continent of the Gourmet World. How could it be here, in the Angra Forest, so close to the Human World? This place was a long way from the Second Continent.
She might not recognize other beasts from the Gourmet World, but the species of the Eight Kings were famous, and their features were easy to identify. Even IGO staff would avoid provoking them if they weren't attacked first.
"It's pretty lively here. Are you the one President Ichiryu told me to wait for?" Kenji's voice rang out. He turned to look at the woman behind him.
No wonder she was late; she had been surrounded by a swarm of Bird-Beak Toads. Even for a member of Biotope 0, dealing with such a large number of beasts in a short time was no easy task. The Bird-Beak Toads were disgusting creatures. Individually, they were at the bottom of the food chain in the Gourmet World. If it weren't for their swarming behavior, they would have been wiped out by other beasts long ago. A swarm of this size could take down a beast with a Capture Level of several hundred with a high probability of success. One or two Bird-Beak Toads were manageable, but that was impossible. Encountering one meant encountering countless more. No one wanted to run into these disgusting creatures.
Is this my chance to be a hero and save a damsel in distress?
The Bird-Beak Toads are surprisingly considerate.
Although, with this woman's strength, she probably didn't need him to save her.
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