Chapter 23: Dinosaur Steak For a Romantic Dinner
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Cults.
They were organizations forged by the congregations of several people under a single Authority, usually under Authorities that held malicious intentions against humanity. Oftentimes their goals revolved around plotting humanity’s complete demise or subjecting them to relentless torture.
But not all of them desired purely evil things. Others wanted humans to return to their most primal forms, to become wild beasts once more, embrace the wilderness, and devour the weak without hesitation. Although human society as of now was still a stark reflection of the past in more ways than one could imagine, what the Cult of Fenrir ultimately desired was the complete end of Civilization itself.
Or at least that was what Riven had thoroughly investigated in the future he came from, before everything went to shit once the Cosmic Monarch arrived and pruned the entire planet from existence.
Luckily for him, the cult members he had faced earlier were likely just weaklings, the lowest ranked ones sent out on a simple mission to gather funds. Because even with such a demented desire as destroying human civilization, they still required money to make it happen.
Riven had met members of this cult a couple of times before and had also investigated them carefully, mostly because they were among the few cults that had cooperated in his wife’s tragedy. Among the party that betrayed her and stabbed her in the spine with that poisonous dagger, there had been some of its strongest members.
That C-Rank bastard he had fought earlier was likely not involved, however, as he recalled no such person from that particular group. Back then, Riven had foolishly attempted to expose these vile people to justice. He had even gathered solid evidence and successfully identified several of the culprits.
However, when he brought everything to court, his case was quickly rejected, and all his carefully collected evidence was destroyed without a second thought.
He could still clearly recall how they all pretended nothing had ever happened. What was worse, he later received a personal visit from Elisa’s elder sister, Melisa.
She had threatened him directly and told him:
"Tread carefully, Riven. I am being merciful right now, maybe because I find it more hilarious to see my sister suffer like this. But if you attempt to do this revolting act of defiance again, I will kill you both in the most painful way imaginable."
"..."
Before the overwhelming aura of a L+ Rank Hunter, what could he do other than nod silently and say nothing else? In front of someone like her, Riven had been completely powerless.
She was a true monster among monsters... How could Riven, as a mere Unawakened at the time, ever hope to go against such a massive threat?
People of her level were so strong that the laws of the world bent to their will. They could commit as many crimes as they desired and would always go unpunished.
The world itself had become twisted. The government was thoroughly corrupt, and Awakened of her caliber were the true world leaders, not those the people had voted for.
The Cult of Fenrir was just one of many organizations like this, and Riven, now with the opportunity to grow stronger, was determined to dismantle every single one of them, piece by piece.
"Phew! Well, that was a nice bath I suppose~"
Elisa’s cheerful voice quickly pulled him out of his deep and heavy thoughts. Riven smiled warmly at her as he brought over a large plate holding a massive dinosaur steak.
"What’s this?!" she asked in surprise, already drooling at the rich smell of freshly grilled meat that had been carefully seasoned.
"It’s Dinosaur Meat," he said with a playful sneer, showing off the cooking skills he had polished across his four lives. "Or well, a steak made using the meat of the Tyrant Boss from the Dark Cave Dungeon."
"B-Boss?!" she gasped. "There’s no way you killed that, right? Did you buy this from someone? How expensive was this?!"
"Hah, this is really sad. Does my wife not think her husband can take care of himself?" Riven sighed, pretending to look hurt. "Well, it’s true that I didn’t take her down alone. It was a huge mess. Lots of... other monsters got involved. Then a giant mutated werewolf appeared and the two of them fought. The boss died in the end, and I simply took the opportunity in that moment."
"No way! You’re so lucky..." Elisa said, still staring at the plate. "I-Is this properly disinfected though?"
"Yes. Let me cut it into little pieces for you," Riven said gently. He carefully sliced the large steak into smaller bites and began feeding her mouthfuls while also taking pieces for himself. Both of them thoroughly enjoyed the massive steak that covered the entire plate.
"Hey, you’re eating from my plate?!" she said with mock anger. "Also give me more potatoes..."
"It’s a shared meal," he replied calmly. "It’s easier like this. I eat and you eat. What’s wrong with that?"
"B-But we’re using the same silverware?" she wondered, growing a little embarrassed as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"We’re husband and wife. Are you seriously going to complain about such a little thing?" he sighed with a soft smile.
"Nngh... okay, just keep feeding me!" Elisa demanded, though her tone was clearly pleased. "I-It’s good... it’s way too good! This meat is so damn tender! I have never eaten anything like this before..."
"I’m glad you enjoyed it," Riven said, genuine warmth in his voice.
After they finished their dinner together, Elisa grew sleepy. Riven carefully carried her to the bed and gently placed a few soft bed sheets over her.
While both of them lay on the bed, Elisa kept asking Riven about everything he had gone through, her curiosity clearly growing with every answer.
"An Assassin Panther showed up?! No way you took that down, right?"
"I did. I crushed it with my arms."
"Pfff... Stop lying, Riven! Hahaha!"
"I have its corpse stored in my inventory right now... along with several more."
"Huh?"
Riven opened a holographic window that displayed the contents of his storage ring through small, pixelated icons. The list of items left her completely speechless.
"Gah?! What are those SS Rank Items?! How...! Don’t they only appear in S Rank Gates?! How did you...?"
Elisa was left utterly speechless at what her husband was actually capable of.
It turned out he had not been joking at all.
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