Chapter 69: Magical Beast Meat
Warm water washed over Kellar’s body as he showered in private. He was deeply impressed by the new passive skill he had acquired; merely thinking of certain symptoms or anatomical structures instantly summoned precise medical knowledge into his mind. He even took the opportunity to mentally examine his own system for any internal injuries or lingering ailments, but everything seemed to be in perfect working order, allowing him to relax a bit.
He now possessed the tools to safeguard the health of Maya, Mila, Meli, and anyone under his wing. However, he couldn’t ignore reality: today he had permanently severed ties with half the clan. Perhaps now, more than ever, he needed to maintain his front as a mysterious, omnipotent leader. If he lost followers or if the clan’s trust in him wavered, anyone could turn on him and hand him over to the Clan Leader’s faction as a peace offering to curry favor. He found himself in a remarkably advantageous position due to his newfound prestige, yet it was the most dangerous situation he could possibly be in.
Stepping out of the bathroom, dry and dressed in clean clothes, Kellar found everyone gathered in the main room eating. Krag and the other hunters had simply washed up outside; they lacked any sense of modesty. While he had retired to a private space out of delicacy, the warriors had merely stripped down in any corner of the yard, dousing themselves with handfuls of icy water right in front of everyone to clean off the blood.
Comparing his own prudence to the raw nature of the hunters, Kellar couldn’t help but shake his head with a faint, bitter smile: in their eyes, he truly seemed overly delicate.
The moment Kellar stepped into the room, Krag stood up and offered him a massive slab of freshly roasted meat, still steaming.
"Here, this is meat from the Great Crocodile’s chest," said Krag, holding out the improvised plate. "The highest concentration of a magical beast’s energy gathers around its heart; however, I don’t think your body can handle that part directly. That beast’s energy could make you burst from the inside, but we saved you a piece anyway."
Krag then pointed to a raw, dark slice of meat still dripping fresh blood onto a stone platter.
"I know it’s a small piece, but it’s not because we don’t want to share," said Krag, showing off his own portion, which was easily four times larger than Kellar’s. "Look, I only have this much for myself."
Every member of the group held portions of varying sizes according to their power assimilation limits. Krag pointed toward the center of the table, where the crocodile’s massive heart rested; despite the feast, the hunters had only managed to consume about half of the lizard’s colossal heart due to the density of its power.
"If your body can handle this slice and you want more, you can devour the whole thing if you want," said Krag with a challenging grin.
Kellar looked at the piece of raw heart still dripping blood onto the stone platter. Far from being intimidated by their warnings of scorching energy, he reached out, grabbed the slice without hesitation, and took a generous bite.
The instant the meat touched his tongue, Kellar felt a violent thermal explosion. The piece of heart was not only packed with concentrated mana, but it carried a wild flavor that set his mouth, throat, and stomach ablaze as if he had swallowed hot coals. The heat was searing, strikingly similar to biting straight into a fresh, ripe habanero pepper; it was pure fire in his mouth.
"Holy hell, man!" said Kellar, letting out a stifled cough as a tear rolled down his cheek. "This is damn good!"
Kellar had always loved spicy food in his past life. He had tried ultra-spicy hotpot in China, Mexican dishes loaded with dried chiles, and even Indian curries rated as lethal for the stomach, but absolutely nothing in his prior experience compared to the raw potency of a magical beast’s flesh.
The heat made his eyes water and his nose run within seconds, yet the texture was so tender and the flavor so rich that he couldn’t help taking a second bite with genuine delight. As the fiery energy circulated through his chest, the hunters around him stared with open mouths, completely unable to believe that a boy of his build could swallow a monster’s raw heart without dropping to his knees or throwing up from the shock.
The moment he took the second bite of the meat, a screen flashed before his eyes.
[Consumable Detected: Heart of the Great Lake Crocodile]
[Warning: Massive amount of mana detected. The user does not possess an active Mana Vessel; energy is leaking from the body uncontrollably.]
[Emergency Measure Activated: Core Stabilization]
[Requirement:]
[Consume 3 more portions of heart.]
[Consume 10 kg of crocodile meat.]
He barely finished reading the prompt when a sudden, unbearable emptiness hollowed out the center of his chest, as if an invisible leak were draining his life from the inside out.
Without a second’s hesitation, he bolted toward the center table, snatched three more pieces of the raw heart, and shoved them into his mouth all at once, chewing as tears from the searing heat streamed down his face. Immediately after, he grabbed the platter containing the slice Krag had initially handed him and devoured it in three swift bites.
[Meat Consumption Progress: 3.75 kg / 10 kg]
Feeling the internal drain continue unabated, Kellar spun around and charged at full speed toward the front door. He burst into the yard where the hunters kept the massive going, roasting a entire leg of the crocodile.
Krag, Marty, and the others sprinted out right behind him, utterly stunned as they watched the boy throw himself at the roasting spit and begin tearing into and devouring massive chunks of roasted meat like a starving beast out of control.
"Kellar! What the hell is wrong with you?!" shouted Krag, trying to grab him by the shoulder. "You’re going to make your body explode if you keep eating like that!"
"Let go of me, I need to eat more!" shouted Kellar, tearing himself free from the grip as he swallowed another huge chunk of meat.