Chapter 20
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Hungry Slayer
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The Pohen Hunting Party was desperately facing off against the Krekator.
Fortunately, even amid the sudden bolt from the blue, there were no fatalities. They couldn't easily bring down their prey, but they didn't fall easily either.
The Pohen Hunting Party's tactics of protecting one another and pressing forward relentlessly were brilliant, but above all, what truly vexed the Krekator was Pohen himself, standing at the forefront and confronting the monster head-on.
“Keep your distance!!!”
Pohen's fierce momentum kept the monster from launching any bold attacks.
The real threat wasn't the size of Pohen's head, but the sword he swung.
His blade, glowing with a pale blue sheen, carried an eerie chill. Even the scales it merely grazed bloomed with white frost.
“Raaargh!!”
But only the first head was troubled. The second head savagely hounded the party members nearby.
The Pohen Hunting Party, which had barely been holding on, was now nearing its breaking point. Injuries were piling up visibly, leaving fewer than half the members able to move.
‘Is this it…….’
Pohen knew it too. Deep in his heart, resignation and despair began to stir.
Then, like something out of a fairy tale, a savior appeared.
The man they'd thought dead burst onto the scene and threw himself into the fray for their sake.
His silver hair, drenched in blood, burned as red as his eyes while he clambered onto the monster's back and swung his butcher knife.
“……No way!”
The Pohen Hunting Party was overcome with indescribable emotions.
Was this the same Dane who'd been bitten by the monster and flailing through the air? And yet here he was, utterly unharmed.
If it was the same man, did that mean he'd felled a mid-to-large monster all by himself?
There was no room to doubt his prowess.
He was proving it right before their eyes.
Hero. Miracle. Salvation.
A flood of holy words filled their minds.
“Rrrgh…….”
“Raaargh…….”
The Krekator was helpless against Dane perched on its back. This was the very definition of "you have to see it to believe it."
Once the monster collapsed, a profound silence settled in. Watching Dane gasp for breath amid it all, Pohen finally came back to his senses.
He needed to rush his wounded members back to the village.
“Thanks to you…… we kept our lives.”
Pohen offered the unexpected words of gratitude, then gathered his battered comrades with a forlorn look and headed back to the village, his own wounds heavy on him.
Dane accepted the thanks impassively.
He'd caught sight of the strange sword Pohen had been wielding as he rushed over, igniting a massive curiosity—but he shelved it for the moment.
Instead, he focused on the task at hand.
Dane turned to River and Bankers, who had wandered over and now stood there blankly.
“For now, both tail sections are fresh, so let's just take this meat. We'll have tons left even after eating and selling.”
He buzzed with excitement at the thought of devouring the glowing parts from a mid-to-large specimen soon.
He set to work separating the tail from the nearby beast's massive body. His companions watched, more dumbfounded than ever.
They'd just witnessed his body regenerating right in front of them. Their shock outstripped even Pohen's.
“……What the hell happened back there?”
“Yeah. Spill it. How are you even doing that?”
“Sorry I couldn't warn you ahead of time. I've got regeneration like Bankers here.”
“What…… A human?!”
“I'll explain it all slowly. But this comes first…… Bankers, take this tail over there and drain the blood.”
“Huh?”
“Just swing it around over there.”
He spoke with urgent insistence. Bankers, taken aback, hoisted the nearly five-meter tail and dashed off to the fields, whirling it about. Today, his job was tail-swinging duty.
“What parts of this thing fetch a good price?”
While Bankers handled the bleeding, Dane inspected the Krekator's corpse and asked River.
“……Uh, the scales and hide. The back scales are super tough—perfect for armor. The belly hide goes for top dollar too.”
Dane dove right into harvesting the valuables. By then, Bankers returned lugging the fully drained tail.
“All set.”
“One more.”
Bankers bolted off again.
“River, what should we do with the tail?”
“Huh? Uh…….”
River peered at the cross-section of the unshelled, unscaled tail at Dane's question. The meat looked fine-grained, with a pale, tender hue.
One dish sprang to mind.
* * *
When the Lucas Hunting Party returned to Horhe Village, villagers swarmed like clouds.
Bankers shouldering two enormous Krekator tails and Dane hauling hide and scales made for a sight to behold.
Never since Horhe Village's founding had such a massive haul entered the gates overnight. The villagers let out endless gasps of awe.
“Wow! It's real—they actually bagged two!”
“So the Pohen Hunting Party wasn't exaggerating?”
“And he took them down solo?!!”
It seemed the Pohen Hunting Party, limping back with their injured, had spread the word. Village Chief Yansen stepped up as representative and bowed low.
“We had no idea it'd be two. And you brought them all hunted and ready. Without you…… our village might not have survived. Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
Word of two Krekators would have scared off other parties from taking the job easily.
It would've taken at least three united to handle it—no small feat.
Yet three lone hunters had pulled it off. A miracle, plain and simple.
“Then help us out here, Village Chief.”
River spoke up after the thanks.
She requested the village's two largest cauldrons, plus use of the square.
Yansen could hardly refuse the baffling ask.
Moments later, massive cauldrons and a heap of firewood stood in the square's center. A big prep table went up beside them, spiking everyone's curiosity.
“What're they up to?”
“Dunno…… something with that tail?”
“Prepping the hide?”
At River's direction, Bankers filled one cauldron with water to boil and heated oil in the other.
Dane got to work on the tail atop the table.
“As thin as you can get 'em?”
“Yeah. Best you can do.”
He skinned it, portioned it into bite-friendly chunks, then sliced razor-thin slices per her request.
The meat was so translucent you could see through it. Murmurs of amazement erupted at the uncanny skill.
Uniform, lightning-fast knife strokes stripped one tail of its form in seconds, shoving all doubts to the back burner.
‘They planning to eat monster meat?’
Nah—eyes locked on ‘How's he slicing that thin, that fast, with a butcher knife?’
It was mesmerizing.
Meanwhile, spices and veggies poured into the boiling cauldron.
With the clear broth ready, River had Dane prep the other tail—focusing on the tender tip, chunked at intervals, scales and skin intact.
As Dane knifed away, River whipped up sauces.
A lineup of sauces for every purpose took shape.
Standout was the thick, sweet glaze simmered from the village's prized eight-color paprika and honey onions.
Tempting scents from broth and sauces began perfuming the square. Prep complete.
“Ready to roll?”
River stretched with theatrical flair.
First up: pour scalding oil evenly over the scaled chunks.
-SPLASHHHHH!
Scales fried crisp and popped, unleashing a rich, nutty aroma.
Steam billowed as River eyed the meat's progress, flipping and basting over and over.
Her face and hands radiated stubborn-craft artisan vibes.
The scent grew even nuttier. At just-the-moment, she drenched it in thick, simmering veggie sauce.
Only then did villagers cotton on.
“They're…… cooking.”
“They're seriously gonna eat monster meat?”
Most faces soured with unease. Plenty frowned, waved it off, and bailed.
Without Dane and River's dazzling show, the crowd would've thinned fast.
The Lucas Hunting Party paid no mind. They ate first. And they knew taste would do the rest.
River hollered.
“All right! First one's done!”
First dish.
[Krekator Tail Sweet-and-Sour, Oil-Basted Fry]
Dane and Bankers prodded a chunk with forks.
Crunch—the scales shattered off the tines. The fork wedged in, emerging with snowy-white meat.
Oil-fried, sauce-glazed bites shot straight to their mouths.
-Crunch!
-Crissssh!
“Whoa!”
“Kieek!”
Gourmet bliss!
Sweet sauce coats the palate, crisp scales tingle, chewy skin meshes with silky flesh.
Chew city's a riot of fun, flavors dancing wild in the slick sauce.
“This is way too good!”
“Hot damn, best meal of my life just got dethroned. So good it's peeling my scales off.”
Dane and Bankers went feral with the forks. River beamed with pride.
Poke-crunch symphony played on. Smoke wafted, scents unbelieveable—walls crumbled fast.
“Now skewer some meat, quick-dip in the broth, pull it out. Sauces to taste.”
Second dish.
[Thin-Sliced Krekator Tail Shabu-Shabu].
Dane and Bankers, who'd inhaled a sweet-and-sour hunk in a flash, followed suit.
Translucent slice vanished in broth, resurfaced fluffy-white like snow petals.
Dip in salty, then nutty, sweet, spicy—round robin.
Hands flew; broth shifted from crystal-clear to creamy pearl.
River ladled them each a scoop.
“Broth too.”
They slurped.
“Grrraaahhh!”
“Kiiiieek!”
Clean, profound depth. They fought the urge to faceplant in.
The trio tuned out the ring of villagers, stuffing face and gut with glee. It was the perfect tease.
Brave souls closed in soon enough.
* * *
They sold the eats for coin. Curiosity-biters ponied up more for seconds, dragging in most of the village.
Stunned fans fetched families for repeats. Food flew; money stacked.
River held back a sweet-and-sour hunk and a bubbling shabu-shabu hot pot loaded with meat.
Dinner stash? Dane shot her a quizzical glance.
“For Pohen's crew.”
River clocked his curiosity, spilling. She had motives.
“I'm coming. Got questions too.”
Pohen's frost-laced sword.
Dane tagged along to scratch the itch.