The giant beast claw was raised high, striking the cute girl in front of it, sending her flying far into the forest outside the valley.
"Lisa!!!"
Eli watched this scene, his eyes filled with pain.
He rushed like a madman towards the forest, thorns scratching new wounds on him along the way, but he seemed not to feel them, only desperately searching for that small figure.
None... none... still... none!
He searched through the entire forest, even the area outside it, but Eli couldn't find his sister.
A terrible thought appeared in his mind.
His beloved sister had died a tragic death, leaving no corpse behind.
The sky was gloomy, and raindrops quickly fell, drenching Eli, who was kneeling on the ground in despair, like a drowned rat.
He felt as if his heart was being torn apart.
"It's all my fault..."
"It's my incompetence that caused Lisa to..."
A massive, dozens-of-meters-tall magical shadow suddenly enveloped Eli, its huge body causing the ground to tremble with every step it took.
Thump ~ Thump ~ Thump ~
The dull thudding footsteps seemed to pound on Eli's heartbeat.
Looking up, it was a terrifying creature with two demonic horns on its head.
Its snow-white long hair trailed from its head down to its calves, ferocious fangs protruded from its lower jaw, its entire body was bulging with muscles, and a few drops of blood gleamed at the tip of its right claw.
Beast King.
Looking at the chilling monster, Eli felt no fear at this moment; all he had left was rage!
Kill it, even if it meant mutual destruction!
Charging recklessly, Eli swung his fists.
However, the next moment, something strange happened.
The giant "Beast King" rapidly shrank in Eli's eyes, until it transformed into a familiar human figure, a terrified human named "Eli."
He is me?!!
Then... who am I?
Eli looked at his own body, white long hair falling from the back of his head to his waist, two huge demonic horns on his forehead, and his arms covered in crimson fur.
The giant figure froze.
How could this be... The monster who personally killed Lisa... is me... I'm the one who should die!
A cold, gleaming claw pressed against his chin; with a little force, it could pierce his head.
Below, "Eli's" terrified expression solidified, and a slight, triumphant curve appeared on his lips.
That's right, go die.
Then let me inherit your body!
Just as the giant figure was about to end his own life, a voice unseasonably rang out.
"Eli, it's time for you to wake up, isn't it? It's time to eat."
It's Big Sister!
The giant figure hesitated. If he died irresponsibly, what would Mira do?
"Brother Eli, hurry and get up!"
Another familiar voice came from somewhere, bringing tears to the giant figure's eyes. It was Lisa's voice.
In a daze, the giant figure saw a scene.
A handsome, white-haired young man, at the critical moment, rescued Lisa from "his" demonic claws.
Then, he easily dealt with "him" as if "he" were a ball.
So that's it, Lisa isn't dead!
"You're deceiving me, aren't you! Beast King!"
As Eli roared, his gigantic monster body disappeared, leaving only a strong human in its place.
Across from him, the disguise of "Eli" could no longer be maintained, and it reverted to its beast form, though not the giant beast it was before.
This was Eli's mental world, and as Eli's will awakened, the Beast King's presence here became incredibly weak.
Leaping and pinning the Beast King to the ground, Eli unleashed a flurry of punches, his sandbag-sized fists pounding the Beast King's head into the dirt like a pile driver.
Unable to even let out a howl, the Beast King glared resentfully at the human straddling him. It wanted to use its last bit of consciousness to seal away the mind of this human who had taken over its power.
"Brother Eli, if you don't wake up soon, Big Sister will get angry! Don't sleep anymore!"
Lisa's voice rang out again, her cute voice making Eli shiver. He only understood one thing from her words: Mira was going to be angry.
Eli's momentary daze made the Beast King think it had found an opportunity, and it gathered all its strength to strike at his brow.
Slap!
He slapped away the Beast King's sneak attack. In his own mental world, a conscious Eli was invincible.
He said nothing, only grabbed the two demonic horns on the Beast King's head and twisted them, forcefully plunging them into its eyes amidst its struggles.
Opening his eyes, Eli suddenly sat up with force, startling Lisa.
"Brother Eli, you're finally awake."
Seeing Lisa's sweet smile, Eli's eyes welled up with tears, and he immediately gave his sister a deep hug.
"Lisa, it's so good that you're okay, so good..."
His words turned into sobs at the end. Lisa could feel her brother's emotions, so she also hugged Eli's muscular body tightly, comforting him.
Mira had gotten up at some point, stroking her younger brother and sister's heads, her tears flowing uncontrollably.
"It's alright, Eli."
It was a truly touching scene, but Noah didn't pay too much attention to the deep affection between the siblings.
**[Interdimensional Quest Completed]**
**[Reward: A pot of Century Soup]**
**[Requester's comment: This is the first time I've seen this kind of meat, but unfortunately, the butcher's handling of it was quite crude]**
Amidst pure white magical light, a steaming clay pot appeared.
Noah carefully caught the clay pot and dispelled the magic.
Feeling the temperature of the pot, it was as if it had just been taken off the stove.
Whether it was Noah submitting the Beast King meat or receiving Toriko's reward, it was all completed in an instant through the Take Over Magic.
The barriers between worlds seemed non-existent.
This magic seemed a bit too overpowered.
The scent of charring meat, accompanied by sizzling sounds, wafted over. Noah glanced at the roasted meat on the campfire, and his stomach rumbled at just the right moment.
The aroma of the roast meat made Mira's siblings stop crying. Mira glanced at Noah, who was beckoning to her.
Since things had come to this, it was time to eat first.
Lisa saw Noah move the roast meat to one side of the bonfire and set up a clay pot. "Huh? Brother Noah, where did you get that pot?"
"Don't worry too much about magic."
Noah casually brushed her off, then said, "Did you bring bowls or spoons?"
Mira's expression was awkward. She had brought her younger brother and sister to do a mission, not to go camping, so why would she bring such household items?
This Mr. Noah seemed a bit too relaxed.
Although they didn't have bowls and spoons, they could make some on the spot.
Mira glanced at Eli, who understood immediately and activated Take Over Magic, transforming his arms into powerful beast claws.
Casually picking a nearby tree, Eli's claws moved swiftly, weaving a dense net in the air as a shower of wood chips fell.
In less than three minutes, four wooden bowls and spoons were made.
Respectfully handing a wooden bowl to Noah, Eli showed him immense respect. If it weren't for this man who suddenly appeared, he would have caused a tragedy he would regret for the rest of his life.
Noah nodded at Eli. Regardless, he respected someone who charged forward for his family.
Turning and lifting the lid, Noah was eager to experience this otherworldly delicacy.
Clear, transparent.
It was like an air soup; if it weren't for the liquid in the pot bubbling due to heating, Noah would have almost thought it was an empty pot.
But the beautiful rainbow-colored aurora rising above the pot, and the intoxicating aroma, all proved the chef's superb culinary skills.
**[Century Soup: A natural delicacy from this extremely cold land, a miracle successfully recreated by a chef using relatively ordinary ingredients after it dried up.]**
**[Effect: Upon first consumption, it will deeply repair and purify the consumer's body.]**
**[Side effect: The satisfaction of the delicious taste will make the consumer uncontrollably smile, lasting for 30 to 60 minutes.]**
Looking at the Take Over Magic's description of "Century Soup," Noah found it a bit strange. A smile lasting an hour? Could that even be considered a side effect? ...Each person took a bowl of Century Soup.
A rich deliciousness spread in their mouths.
If one were to only use the word "delicious" to describe the taste of this soup, it would feel a bit shallow, but beyond that, no other descriptive word seemed more fitting than "delicious."
Lisa and Eli experienced an unparalleled sense of satisfaction, a satisfaction they had never felt in their lives.
Besides the deliciousness, Mira also felt that her body's injuries, the lingering hidden wounds, were rapidly healed under the effect of this bowl of Century Soup.
It was as if her entire being had been reborn.
Even Noah noticed subtle changes in his body; the magic power and blood flow within him became smoother, and the internal energy circulation became more efficient.
It was a clarity from within and without.
Unbeknownst to them, all four of them, due to the deliciousness of the Century Soup, gradually wore smiles full of expressive delight.