Chapter 117
Toriko set down his bottle and rose to his feet, his muscular frame towering over Zonge at more than two meters tall and radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Zonge’s two henchmen immediately lost half their nerve and instinctively shrank behind their boss.
Toriko, however, merely smiled and gave Zonge a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"You can take as much booze as you like. Sorry about that, Zombie!"
The moment Toriko offered to share, Zonge’s stiff expression relaxed slightly.
"Hmph. At least you know your place. I’ll let you off this time."
After a brief pause, he corrected him.
"And it’s not Zombie! It’s Zonge!"
With that, Zonge and his two followers picked up an entire case of alcohol and prepared to leave.
"Zonge-san, hold on a moment."
Haruto suddenly called out to him and retrieved a package of Red Dragon jerky.
"Take this as an apology."
Leaving aside the mystery surrounding Zonge’s true strength, his astonishing Food Luck alone made him worth befriending.
Perhaps some of that absurd luck might even rub off on Haruto.
"I told you, it’s not Zonge! It’s Zombie!" Zonge immediately corrected him.
Then he scratched his head, vaguely sensing that something about what he had just said was wrong.
He quickly stopped caring and accepted the Red Dragon jerky, looking at Haruto with newfound approval.
"You’re a pretty decent guy! If there’s ever an ingredient you want, just come and ask the great Lord Zonge!"
Haruto smiled and nodded seriously.
"I’ll definitely ask for your help when the need arises."
He did not currently require anything from Zonge, but who knew what might happen in the future?
Zonge looked even more pleased by his agreeable attitude. He casually pulled out a strip of jerky and tossed it into his mouth.
After chewing twice, his eyes lit up.
"This stuff tastes pretty good!"
Zonge nodded in satisfaction before leaving with his two henchmen.
Haruto watched their retreating backs with a thoughtful expression.
Not long after the trio departed, a hunched, white-haired old man shuffled slowly toward them.
He looked ancient and frail enough to be blown over by a strong gust of wind.
Haruto, however, knew his true identity.
He was one of Acacia’s three disciples and one of the three strongest people in the world—Jiro, once feared as the Rampaging Beast.
Of course, most people now knew him simply as the legendary Knocking Master Jiro.
Jiro peered at them through drunken, half-closed eyes.
"Would you youngsters mind sharing a little of that alcohol with this old man?"
"Of course!" Toriko agreed without a moment’s hesitation.
"Please, help yourself," Komatsu added politely.
Haruto retrieved another package of Red Dragon jerky and offered it to Jiro with a respectful expression.
"Sir, this is Red Dragon jerky. It should make a good snack with the alcohol."
No matter what, leaving a favorable first impression on someone like Jiro could only be beneficial.
Jiro gazed blearily at the three of them.
"Thank you very much."
"I’ll repay you for the drink someday, should the opportunity arise."
He picked up a bottle, accepted the jerky from Haruto, and eagerly twisted off the cap before taking a long drink.
The strong liquor burned down his throat, bringing a satisfied flush to his weathered face.
Then he bit into the Red Dragon jerky.
For the briefest instant, his expression changed.
Jiro raised his head and glanced at Haruto, took another drink, then slowly shuffled away without saying anything else.
Haruto, Toriko, and Komatsu continued eating, drinking, and chatting as the scenery sped past the windows.
Before long, an announcement rang through the carriage, informing them that the train had arrived at a town called Gourmet Fortune.
Toriko stood and looked toward Haruto.
"Haruto, we’re getting off here. Want to come with us?"
Haruto knew Toriko and Komatsu planned to find Coco, who lived in Gourmet Fortune, before heading to the underground cavern together.
Haruto, however, intended to enter the cavern ahead of time, so naturally he would not be disembarking here.
"I’ll pass. We’ll meet again inside the cavern."
"All right. We’ll meet up down there and capture some Puffer Whales together!"
Toriko nodded, then left the train with Komatsu.
Haruto watched until the two disappeared from sight, then turned back and resumed eating.
The coming expedition would not be easy. He needed to make sure his energy reserves were full.
...
After another three hours of rattling along the tracks, the train slowly stopped at a small station so crude and neglected that it looked almost abandoned.
There were no staff members anywhere on the platform, only cold concrete and a rust-covered station sign.
This was the closest railway stop to the underground cavern where the Puffer Whales would appear.
The moment the doors opened, a cold wind carrying the scent of damp earth and vegetation rushed inside.
The Gourmet Hunters who had been waiting impatiently poured out at once, with Haruto following among them.
Nearly everyone leaving the train was a heavily equipped Gourmet Hunter with a fierce presence. Some traveled alone, while others moved in small groups, but all of them were heading toward the cavern entrance.
Haruto blended into the crowd and quickly scanned the area.
He soon spotted Zonge and Jiro.
Zonge was saying something to his two henchmen, while Jiro remained as drunk as ever, occasionally raising his bottle for another mouthful.
Before long, the crowd emerged into a wide clearing.
At its far end stood the entrance to the underground cavern where the Puffer Whales would appear.
The deep black opening resembled the jaws of a colossal beast. Cold, damp air drifted from within, accompanied by the faint cries of unknown creatures far below.
A large number of Gourmet Hunters had already gathered outside.
Every person there was tense, and the atmosphere felt almost suffocating.
Some stared at the cavern with naked greed, others wore grave expressions, while many remained openly wary.
Yet not a single person was willing to enter first.
Haruto calmly swept his gaze across the crowd.
The cavern was said to have a survival rate of only 0.1 percent, with dangerous beasts lurking throughout its depths.
Entering early meant spending far longer inside and greatly increasing the chance of encountering trouble.
For that reason, most Gourmet Hunters planning to capture Puffer Whales would wait until only an hour or two before their arrival.
They would then enter, seize their prey, and retreat immediately to minimize the risk.
Of course, some people had no intention of entering the cavern at all.
They lacked both the courage to descend and the strength to fight the creatures inside, so they had turned their attention toward the hunters who might successfully return with Puffer Whales.
Their plan was simple: let someone else take all the risks, then steal the prize afterward.
Calling them Gourmet Hunters was generous.
They were little more than Gourmet Bandits.
Anyone capable of surviving the cavern and bringing out a Puffer Whale would obviously be strong, but after a long expedition filled with exploration and combat, they would also be exhausted.
That was the opportunity these bandits were waiting for.
Once a weakened hunter emerged, they could swarm them together and seize the reward someone else had nearly died to obtain.
Haruto felt nothing but contempt for such people, though there was no reason for him to deal with them right now.
He turned his attention back toward the cavern.
The most dangerous creature living inside was the Devil Serpent.
If it had been a Devil Serpent from the Gourmet World, Haruto would have turned around without hesitation.
The ones found in the Human World, however, generally had Capture Levels below 30.
Haruto was confident that he could handle a creature of that level, especially when he already knew its abilities and weaknesses.
In fact, part of him hoped he would encounter one.
Capturing a Devil Serpent would mean adding another high-level ingredient to his collection, which could only be considered a good thing.
With that thought, Haruto stopped hesitating.
Under the astonished, mocking, and indifferent gazes of the surrounding Gourmet Hunters, he walked straight into the dark depths of the cavern.
Several people immediately sneered.
No one attempted to stop him, and no one offered a warning.
As far as they were concerned, Haruto was simply marching to his death.
The moment he crossed the threshold, however, Haruto’s entire demeanor sharpened.
He raised his guard and expanded En to examine the surrounding darkness.
The hunt for the Puffer Whale had officially begun!