Chapter 82
Senshi ladled the boiled Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom stew into bowls before passing them around.
"Thank you."
Haruto accepted his bowl and looked down at the appetizing meal.
It contained chunks of Walking Mushroom, tender white scorpion meat, and several unfamiliar vegetables.
Steam curled from the surface, carrying an increasingly rich aroma.
"The meat contracts as it cooks, so it should come away from the shell with a gentle pull," Senshi explained.
Laios immediately picked up a piece of Huge Scorpion meat and put it into his mouth. His expression brightened at once.
"It’s delicious! I never realized a different cooking method could change the flavor this much!"
Senshi nodded eagerly, clearly pleased by his reaction.
"Exactly, exactly!"
Chilchuck tried some as well, and surprise spread across his face.
"This is actually really good. How?"
He had only agreed to eat monsters because he had little choice, never expecting them to taste this delicious.
Haruto picked up a piece of scorpion meat and took a bite.
The firm, springy flesh burst with sweet juices between his teeth.
Its texture strongly resembled lobster—dense yet delicate, fresh and savory without the slightest trace of fishiness.
He then sampled a piece of Walking Mushroom. The thick flesh was tender and juicy, soft without falling apart, and full of a naturally fresh fragrance.
Even the strips of dried Slime innards scattered throughout the dish were a pleasant surprise.
They were smooth and delicate, with a clean taste and none of the unpleasant odor he might have expected, adding a unique flavor of their own.
The unidentified plant stems used as vegetables were soft and well seasoned, while the algae carried a faint natural sweetness.
Though the broth was clear, its flavor was deep, layered, and remarkably satisfying.
As the meal entered his stomach, Haruto’s Gourmet Cells stirred to life. Both Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom were ingredients he had never tasted before.
He breathed out a puff of warm air and looked at Senshi with genuine admiration.
"This is incredible! You barely used any seasoning, yet you brought out every bit of the ingredients’ natural flavor."
"It’s an excellent dish."
...
Watching the other four enjoy their meal, Marcille swallowed despite herself.
Her stomach was empty, and the aroma was becoming impossible to resist. In the end, she reluctantly gave in.
"Give me a bowl too."
Marcille accepted the food from Senshi and, after a long internal struggle, picked up a strip of dried Slime innards.
The smooth, tender texture and clean flavor spread across her tongue, completely overturning everything she had believed about monster cuisine.
Her disgust vanished, replaced by delighted surprise.
"Wow! It’s delicious!"
The five of them sat together, chatting as they emptied the entire pot of boiled Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom.
Haruto set down his bowl and chopsticks, then looked sincerely at Laios and the others.
"Thank you for sharing your lunch with me. I’d like to repay you with an ingredient I caught earlier."
Since he had eaten their food, naturally he intended to offer something in return.
Haruto had never planned to freeload.
Marcille’s eyes instantly lit up with anticipation.
Perhaps he had some normal ingredients, which would mean she would no longer have to force herself to eat monsters.
Not that the monster dish they had just eaten was bad.
Then she watched Haruto produce a bizarre creature over a meter long from thin air.
Its body resembled a fish, with rows of sharp teeth filling its mouth.
A layer of smooth, hard red armor covered its body, while more than a dozen pairs of small jointed legs lined either side of its belly.
"This is a Swamp Fish Beast. I suppose it counts as a monster," Haruto explained. "I caught it somewhere else. The meat is quite good."
It was an ingredient he had captured in the Hunter × Hunter world. He had collected plenty at the time, so giving one away meant little to him.
Marcille stared at the strange creature with open revulsion.
She had thought Haruto was going to give them ordinary food.
Instead, it was yet another monster—and an especially bizarre one she had never seen before.
Laios and Senshi, however, were delighted by the gift.
Senshi stepped forward and examined the creature’s flesh, nodding repeatedly.
"The meat is firm. It would be delicious either boiled or roasted over a fire."
Laios’s eyes burned even brighter at those words.
"This monster is called a Swamp Fish Beast? So it’s an entirely undocumented species!"
"It looks like a fish, but it has armor and legs too. What a greedy creature."
"I wonder what it tastes like!"
Marcille stared at Laios in exasperation.
How had she never noticed before just how obsessed he was with monsters?
Despite her reluctance, Laios quickly packed the Swamp Fish Beast away.
"I should be going now. Thank you again for the wonderful lunch."
Haruto waved goodbye to the four of them and turned away.
It was time to begin collecting ingredients from the dungeon’s first floor.
Once he moved beyond the underground market, silence returned to the labyrinth. Only faint noises echoed through the stone passages.
After rounding a corner, Haruto spotted a Walking Mushroom slowly wandering down the corridor.
Though it had no eyes, the creature could still sense nearby humans.
The instant Haruto appeared, it detected him and charged.
Haruto simply stood still and waited for it to approach.
As soon as the Walking Mushroom entered his reach, he tapped the top of its cap with his knuckles.
The creature immediately collapsed and stopped moving.
Haruto stored it inside Gourmet Restaurant and continued onward.
A short while later, he heard a faint rustling sound.
Following the noise, he discovered a hole beneath a weathered stone wall. The sound was coming from inside.
Haruto immediately guessed that a Huge Scorpion was hiding there.
He looked around, tore a thick plant stalk from the nearby wall, tested its weight, and slowly pushed it into the hole.
A pair of pincers clamped onto the stalk at once, while a stinger repeatedly stabbed at it from within.
Amusement flashed through Haruto’s eyes.
Gripping the stalk, he gave it a sharp pull.
A dark-red scorpion over a meter long was dragged out of the hole.
"These things are surprisingly easy to fish for."
The Huge Scorpion still had not realized it was in danger and continued attacking the plant stalk.
Haruto drew his dagger and drove it precisely through a gap in the armor behind its head, severing its spine.
The scorpion collapsed immediately.
...
Haruto had barely stored it away when he sensed movement above him.
From the corner of his eye, he saw a mass of translucent slime dropping toward his head.
A Slime was trying to ambush him.
Haruto quickly stepped aside.
The Slime struck the ground with a wet splat, spreading into a puddle before rapidly gathering itself back together.
Before it could make another move, Haruto pierced its brain with his dagger.
He then stored the Slime inside Gourmet Restaurant.
Slimes needed to be properly processed before they could be eaten, but Haruto had no intention of wasting time on that now. He could deal with them when he had more time.
After capturing the first one, he began deliberately checking the ceiling as he moved through the dungeon.
Sure enough, he found many more translucent Slimes clinging overhead.
Haruto collected every one of them.
Along the way, he also captured several more Huge Scorpions and Walking Mushrooms.
Of course, he encountered monsters with no value as ingredients as well, including Skeletons and Ghouls.
After destroying them, he simply tossed their remains aside.
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