Chapter 21: The Hunter's Menu
Two weeks had passed since the Arena duel.
In that short time, the Stellaris Academy had undergone a strange and delicious transformation. The ominous, gang-controlled atmosphere of the Student District had vanished, replaced by the savory scent of roasting meat and the clattering of woks.
The Dining Hall was no longer just a faction; it was a phenomenon.
It was 6:00 AM. I stood on the balcony of the renovated headquarters, watching the sunrise. Below me, the line of students waiting for breakfast already stretched around the block.
"Order up!" Simmons, the former treasurer turned Head Waiter, shouted from the courtyard. "Two bowls of Spicy Salamander Noodles for the Sword Sect disciples! One Glazed Spirit-Bear Steak for the Alchemy senior!"
The students weren't fighting. They weren't bullying freshmen. They were waiting politely, holding numbered tickets, drooling as the smell of high-grade spirit food wafted through the air.
"We made a net profit of 50,000 Spirit Stones this week, Master," Ria reported, stepping up beside me. She wore a modified version of her maid uniform, now equipped with a utility belt holding spice jars and defensive daggers. "The faction membership has tripled. We now have spies—I mean, customers—from every major department."
"Excellent," I nodded, sipping my morning tea. "Food is the ultimate neutral ground. Nobody wants to kill the cook who makes the only meal that can cure cultivation deviation."
"However," Ria flipped a page in her ledger. "Our inventory is critical. We have consumed 80% of the meat stocks. The demand is outpacing our supply. We need high-grade ingredients, or we will be forced to serve tofu by Friday."
I smiled. "Perfect timing."
Below us, a massive bell began to toll from the central Administrative Tower. It was a deep, resonant sound that signaled a mandatory assembly.
GONG. GONG. GONG.
"The Grand Beast Hunt," I said, setting my cup down. "The Academy's way of culling the local beast population and restocking its own vaults. Or, in our case... a grocery run."
The Training Grounds.
"Focus, Anya. You are a scalpel, not a nuke."
In the private garden behind the kitchen, Anya was sweating. She stood in front of a single, fragile Blue Spirit Flower.
"It's hard!" she complained, her hands trembling.
"You have the Primordial Phoenix Fire," I lectured, pacing around her. "It wants to consume everything. But a true Sovereign controls their power. Burn the aphids on the leaves, but do not singe the petals."
Anya took a deep breath. She squeezed her eyes shut.
A tiny, needle-thin beam of red fire shot from her fingertip.
Zzzzt.
It hit the tiny black bugs crawling on the flower stem. The bugs vaporized instantly. The flower didn't even sway.
"I did it!" Anya cheered, jumping up and down. "I didn't explode it!"
"Good," I patted her head. "Control is the difference between a monster and a warrior. Now, go get changed. We are going hunting."
The Assembly of Hunters.
An hour later, the massive South Plaza was packed with five thousand freshmen. The atmosphere was tense. This wasn't a test; this was the Wildlands. There were no safety barriers, no Proctors to save you if you messed up.
Real beasts. Real death.
Standing on the podium was Vice-Principal Vex. He looked recovering well from his previous humiliations, though his eyes still twitched whenever he looked in my direction.
"Students!" Vex announced, his voice amplified by magic. "The Inter-Academy Tournament approaches. To qualify, you must reach Peak Foundation Establishment or Core Formation. The fastest way to grow is through combat."
He pointed to a massive holographic map floating behind him. It showed a rugged, dangerous terrain known as the Shattered Plains.
"For the next seven days, you will be deployed into the Shattered Plains. Your objective is to hunt Spirit Beasts, collect cores, and survive. The Academy will buy your loot for Merit Points."
He smiled, a thin, cruel expression.
"However, the Plains are vast. We have divided them into Zones. Zone A is low risk. Zone B is moderate. And Zone Z..."
The map turned red in the northernmost sector.
"...Zone Z is the Deadlands. High-level beast activity. Restricted."
Students whispered fearfully.
"Zone Z? That's where the Rank-3 Beast Kings live!"
"I heard a senior team vanished there last year."
Vex pulled out a scroll. "I will now assign sectors."
He began listing names. Prince Valerian and his new lackeys were assigned to Zone A—the safest, most resource-rich area. Of course.
"And finally," Vex's eyes locked onto me. "The Dining Hall Faction. Team Leader: Rudra Ye."
The plaza went silent.
"Due to your... exemplary performance in the Entrance Exam," Vex said smoothly, "and your demonstrated ability to dismantle golems, the administration feels that Zone A would be too boring for you."
He pointed to the red sector on the map.
"You are assigned to Zone Z."
The crowd gasped.
"Zone Z? That's a death sentence!"
"He's sending a freshman team to the Deadlands?"
"It's a setup! He wants to kill them!"
Anya tugged my sleeve. "Big Brother, why is the map red? Does it mean there are strawberries?"
"It means there are big monsters, munchkin," I whispered back.
I looked up at Vex. He was smirking, waiting for me to object. Waiting for me to beg.
I stepped forward.
"Vice-Principal," I called out.
"Do you wish to forfeit, Student Rudra?" Vex asked, feigning concern. "If you are afraid, you can withdraw. Of course, you will lose your qualification for the Tournament."
"No," I shook my head. "I just have a question."
"Ask."
"Does Zone Z have Thunder-Horn Drakes?"
Vex blinked. He was confused. "What? Yes, it is the nesting ground for Drakes. They are Rank-3 monsters. Extremely dangerous."
"Excellent," I grinned. "Drake tail is a delicacy. Very chewy. Thank you for the reservation."
I turned to my team—Ria, Anya, and ten of my strongest "Dining Hall" combat chefs (including Simmons, who was shaking in his boots).
"Pack the heavy woks," I ordered. "We're going to the buffet."
Vex's smile faltered. He gripped the podium. 'Laugh while you can, boy. Viper is already waiting for you.'
The Airship Departure.
We boarded the massive Spirit Airships that would ferry us to the drop zones. The Dining Hall team had an entire ship to ourselves because no other student wanted to be anywhere near Zone Z.
As the ship lifted off, soaring over the academy walls, I stood on the deck, feeling the wind in my hair.
"Ria," I said quietly.
"Master."
"Scan the ship. And scan the route."
Ria's eyes flashed silver. "Scanning... No sabotage detected on the vessel. However, I detect a faint magical tracking marker placed on the hull. It is emitting a signal on a frequency used by the Shadow Guild."
"An assassin," I nodded. "Vex hired help."
"Should I remove it?"
"No," I leaned over the railing, watching the landscape turn from green forests to jagged, grey rocks. "Let them track us. If we destroy the marker, they might get scared and run away."
I pulled a sharpening stone from my pocket and began to hone the edge of a butcher's knife I had forged the night before.
"I need to test my new strength," I murmured. "Since entering the Foundation Establishment, I haven't had a real fight. Karn was a joke. Valerian is a child."
I looked at the red clouds gathering over the horizon of the Shattered Plains.
"I need an opponent who actually tries to kill me. It's good for digestion."
Simmons walked up, looking green. "Boss... are we really going to hunt Drakes? Those things breathe lightning. I'm just a cook!"
"You are a Cultivator Chef, Simmons," I corrected him. "A Drake is just a spicy chicken with scales. Do not fear the ingredients. Respect them, then kill them."
I pointed to a crate of spices. "Did you bring the Void Pepper?"
"Yes, Boss."
"Good. Because dragon meat is bland without it."
The airship began to descend. Below us, the earth was cracked and scarred. Massive roars echoed from the canyons. Lightning struck the ground, not from the sky, but from the mouths of beasts lurking in the caves.
Zone Z. The Deadlands.
To the Academy, it was a graveyard.
To me, it was a Michelin-star grocery store.
"Landing in two minutes!" the captain shouted, his voice trembling. "I'm dropping you and leaving immediately! I'm not staying in this hellhole!"
"Ready up!" I shouted to my team.
Anya pulled a giant red lollipop out of her bag. It wasn't candy; it was a solidified Fire Essence Hammer I had forged for her. She smashed it into her palm. "I'm ready!"
Ria drew two sleek, silver daggers from her maid skirt. "Combat protocols engaged. Safety limits removed."
The ramp lowered. The smell of sulfur and blood hit us.
I stepped off the ship onto the cracked earth of the Shattered Plains.
Crunch.
I crushed a scorpion under my boot.
"Welcome to the kitchen," I said. "Let's cook."
Meanwhile, two kilometers away.
Perched on a high jagged peak, a figure clad in bone armor watched the airship depart through a telescopic artifact.
Viper, the assassin.
He lowered the scope. His tongue, which was split like a snake's, flicked out to taste the air.
"He brought children and cooks," Viper rasped, his voice filled with contempt. "Vex paid me a fortune to kill a babysitter."
He stood up. His body blended perfectly into the grey rocks. He held a pair of daggers that dripped with a green, necrotic venom.
"I will wait until nightfall," Viper whispered to the wind. "When they are sleeping... I will slit their throats and take the little Phoenix girl."
He vanished into the shadows, moving toward the Dining Hall's campsite.
He didn't know it yet, but he was making a fatal mistake.
He thought he was the hunter.
He didn't realize he was walking into a campsite where the main rule was: "If it has a heartbeat, it can be grilled."