Chapter 9
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Meeting Bankers
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The moment he laid eyes on the lizardman brimming with tremendous vitality, saliva pooled in Dane's mouth even as he chewed his meat.
‘That’s not a monster. It’s a beastkin. No glowing parts or anything.’ Dane chided himself like that, thinking he needed to set proper standards for meat.
“Ah…… I’m Bankers, one of the exam participants too.”
“Dane.”
He was another examinee from the test. Now that he looked, a white token was embedded right in the lizardman’s chest meat.
Once greetings were exchanged, Bankers’ attention seemed fixed solely on the meat Dane was eating.
“So that meat is……”
“Epup loin.”
“Epup……? You’re eating monster meat? Ha, haha…… Your tastes are truly unique and bold. I was drawn by the smell, but I didn’t expect monster meat……” Even as he said that, drool trickled from the corner of his mouth. No helping it. Even without tasting it, his eyes and nose reacted on their own.
Dane paused his hand while watching Bankers, who couldn’t tear his gaze from the sliced meat and cleaver, then resumed what he was doing.
With the meat and fire right there, what good was explaining with words?
-Sizzle!
As the sound, aroma, steam, and smoke blended once more, his mouth watered automatically.
Dane hurriedly shoved more meat into his mouth.
“Mmm……”
Delicious. It didn’t stick to his teeth. His glossy lips kept moving without pause.
“You’re really eating it?!!!” Bankers blurted out, unable to hide his inner thoughts. It wasn’t easy to accept something that defied common sense. Even Bankers, who enjoyed beast meat, felt the same.
The smell was undeniably incredible. And right before his eyes, someone was devouring it with relish. Dane’s expression was one of pure bliss, but Bankers was at a loss.
Preconceptions formed a sturdy wall.
Dane knew that wall wouldn’t hold for long. He’d already seen the hunger for meat etched on Bankers’ face.
“Could I…… maybe try a piece?” The reaction came. Looking over, Dane saw saliva pooling in Bankers’ closed mouth slide down his throat. The muscles in his neck twitched desperately.
He couldn’t pretend not to notice that eagerness. Dane casually extended the cleaver, where the loin strips lay neatly grilled. One piece lifted off the little pan in an instant.
His callused hand withstood the heat of the meat, but his tongue couldn’t.
“Hoo…… Hoo…… Hoo……” But even his hasty tongue was enough to savor the meat’s flavor.
He chewed slowly, as if determined to extract every bit of taste from that single piece.
“Huh……!”
An exclamation escaped him unwittingly. Epup meat was like this? The more he chewed, the more rich juices filled his mouth.
Drool leaked from his gaping mouth. The oil-slick scales on his jaw gleamed in the firelight.
His moist, elongated tongue darted out reflexively to lap it up. He couldn’t let those juices escape.
Having swallowed the piece without waste, Bankers’ eyes held both awe and regret.
“Ha…… Haha…… Damn!” He realized he’d wasted half his life. Anger flared again at the meat that had slipped down his throat before he knew it.
“Why does monster meat taste like this!!!!” he roared. Dane was satisfied with Bankers’ reaction.
When someone savored the meat he’d grilled, that sense of accomplishment doubled the flavor.
It was the joy of sharing meat.
To keep up with the pace, Dane skewered meat onto a sharp Epup rib rack and began grilling in earnest.
Bankers sat across from him, ready for handouts. No, impatience got the better of him, and his hand reached forward.
“Mind if I grill some?”
“Hold still.”
“Mm……”
The pride of the griller ran deeper than expected. Bankers chided his own haste and politely waited for the meat.
* * *
With his belly full, Dane’s mood softened. The two sat across the fire, gazing into the flames together.
“Thanks to you, it feels like I’ve discovered a new world. My gratitude.” “It was just sharing a bit of meat I had.”
He glanced at Bankers’ hip. There should’ve been a tail there, but only a severed stump remained. It made his proportions look off.
“Uh…… That tail—cut off?” Dane asked casually.
“Ah…… Hunting Epups alone wasn’t easy. Haha!” Bankers laughed awkwardly in response. He said he’d been deeply inspired by Dane descending the hill alone and tried solo hunting himself.
“Any success?”
“Of course! Eleven of them, haha! That’s stable enough, right?” His tone brimmed with pride.
‘That’s plenty, huh. Well…… Without the god’s power, that might’ve been my limit too.’ At any rate, his skill matched his evident physical prowess. Even if he’d stolen from other hunters, it didn’t matter.
“And you?”
At Bankers’ question, Dane nodded toward the bundle.
“What, that’s…… all…… front paws?”
“Yeah.”
“How many……?”
“64.”
“Kieek?!!”
Dane’s 46 kills plus 18 from Svino’s gang. The count had swelled. Bankers verified the number himself and gaped even wider.
“I’m so shocked I might shed my skin. What kind of magic did you use……? You didn’t know the exam in advance and prepare, did you? Hah, unbelievable……” “You’re talking fine.”
“No, I’m serious……. That’s enough for a decent hunting party over days! What do you mean shed my skin?” “You really like that phrase.”
“Ah, it’s like the ultimate exclamation for us Krukushu. For humans, maybe…… ‘I’m losing my mind, jumping out of my skin, gobsmacked’ or something?”
“……”
“No, that’s not the point. What are you, really? I can’t fathom how you caught that many alone, and…… ah, right. Monster meat. What’s the deal? Why’s your grilled meat edible? No, more than edible—why’s it so damn delicious? Huh? Why?! Why! Why!!” He shook his head wildly, flaring his nostrils as he vented his passion.
“Monster meat is delicious by nature.” Dane answered nonchalantly.
“No. That’s not it. You think I haven’t tried? But this was totally different!” “Lack of skill.”
“Kiee?!”
“Skill after the hunt.” Bankers tilted his massive head side to side dramatically.
“Beasts need blood drained fast right after butchering. Otherwise, it soaks into the flesh and muscles, turning gamey.”
“Yeah……”
“For monster meat, it’s several times worse. Botch it, and not only does it reek horribly, it spoils quick too. That’s why everyone thought monster meat was inedible.” “So you can drain monster blood fast?”
“Yeah.”
Hard to explain in words.
Precisely slicing key blood vessels for simultaneous bleeding and boning was impossible for anyone but Dane.
“……Something only you can do, then.” “The world’s big—maybe someone as quick as me exists.” “True…… With meat-eating taboo and folks hush-hushing it, yeah, possible. Ah…… Wait. So besides Epup, other monsters too?”
As if remembering something crucial, Bankers pressed.
Dane rattled off monsters he’d eaten, in no particular order. Bankers’ eyes bulged wider with each one.
“Ha, haha! Ballurator, Delmetor…… You’ve eaten mid-sized monsters too, huh.” “One looks like a boar, one like a bison. What’s not to eat.” “Fair point. Bigger ones tastier?” “All meat’s delicious. Just different.”
“……Ah.”
Lost in tasty imaginings and anticipation, Bankers gaped vacantly, nodding before bursting into a hearty laugh.
“64 Epups still baffles me, but you’re probably top-tier material.” Exactly 46, but Dane didn’t correct him.
Bankers pondered briefly.
“Once saw a Rank 4 hunter on the road. Impressive. Led his party masterfully, swordwork slicing monster vitals clean. You remind me of him.” “Rank 4? So up to Rank 1 above that?” “You took the exam not knowing that?” Bankers eyed Dane incredulously before continuing.
“Normally, up to Rank 2—‘King’s Hunters.’ Highest Rank 1 are ‘God’s Hunters,’ beyond mere effort. Rumors exaggerate, but one swing severs a mid-sized monster’s neck clean…… Uh……?” He trailed off, frowning. Dane tilted his head questioningly.
“Yeah?”
“You…… That mid-sized monster from earlier—how many took it down?”
“Solo.”
“Eeek?!”
Bankers recoiled.
“Liar!”
Bankers shook his head in disbelief.
“Solo, yeah. Wasn’t easy, and not like I severed the neck in one clean swing……” Partly because the cleaver was small. On that note, he thought he should forge a big one sometime.
“Still, soloing a mid-sized monster is hard to believe.” “Doesn’t matter. I don’t hunt to show off or convince anyone.”
“Ah……”
His attitude deflated instantly. Easy to read.
“You just lacked the rank—your skill’s well beyond Rank 5 already.”
“That so?”
“With hauls like this, passing is a given, top score too…… You can pick a hunting party then, right? Given it thought?”
“Ah, hunting parties.”
Walter had said joining one wasn’t bad.
He’d vaguely considered it. But he hadn’t calculated the pros and cons yet.
“With your skill…… You could join Kemora Hunting Party straight away.”
“Kemora Hunting Party?”
“Foldtown’s biggest. Rank 4 Kemora’s captain, her vice officers high-ranked too. Over 40 members.”
“Big.”
“Not just them—others’ll eye you after results.” Bankers spoke enviously, but Dane wasn’t interested.
“Perks in a party like that?” “Biggest is fast info access.” That perked his ears.
“Management Bureau monopolizes monster sightings and hidden nest reports.” “Parties get it early, huh.” “Strictly, high-rank hunters, but parties share, same thing.” Dane stared into the dying fire, deep in thought.
‘Hunting party, huh.’
Now he had reason to join.