Chapter 112
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Grotesque Glutton
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[Grotesque Glutton]
[A crude being utterly devoid of even a speck of dining etiquette]
"Grotesque Glutton...?"
The letters that had read "Gourmet" just moments ago changed in an instant. Gourmet or grotesque glutton, either way, it wasn't going to be remotely friendly toward us.
"It's on the table."
Cha Do-yun Hunter tapped the glass pillar with his finger and added his observation. Looking closer, it wasn't a glass pillar at all—it was the stem of a wine glass. The red carpet underfoot was a tablecloth, and the silver glint in the distance came from dining knives, forks, and spoons.
It hadn't been served on a plate, but it was still on the table all the same.
Current Status
Selecting soup as the appe...tizer.
Remaining HP: 1,00...,...
That's when identical status windows popped up in front of everyone. The garbled text made it hard to read, but the final line was clear enough.
"HP at a million...?"
"A million?!"
Han Jin-woo Hunter clapped a hand over his mouth in shock. A million—a number that defied comprehension.
"Guess we'll have to clash and see."
With that, Se-bin drew Yeong, and the others readied for battle in their own ways.
"Nokdu, you help the others and lay into it too."
'You got it!'
Nokdu leaped into the air, glaring fiercely at the grotesque glutton. I gripped Ego and slowly advanced toward the wine glass. Every time the thing exhaled from its massive maw, a dizzyingly sweet aroma filled the air, and petals fluttered down onto the table.
Clatter.
The moment one petal touched the table, it swelled in size, transforming into a plate filled with steaming yellow squash soup.
The head chef brings squash soup to the Grotesque Glutton.
Adds that salad will arrive in 15 minutes.
The Grotesque Glutton grumbles, displeased with something.
The grotesque glutton lowered its head to stare at the squash soup, repeatedly picking up and setting down a spoon with one hand.
[A crude being utterly devoid of even a speck of dining etiquette]
Maybe it was the text floating over its head, but it looked ready to bury its face in the plate and devour it like a beast.
As no one dared strike first, the thing suddenly jerked its head up high.
Bam!!
Then it slammed its head into the soup bowl.
Splatter.
Viscous liquid sprayed everywhere. I threw up a shield just as the soup poured over me, its edges slowly melting away the pristine white barrier.
"Ugh, everyone, watch out!"
I dropped the shield and leaped upward. The soup-soaked tablecloth blackened and burned, but the grotesque glutton kept bashing its head relentlessly.
Boom, boom, boom!!
Crimson flames engulfed the bouquet. A towering inferno spiraled skyward, turning the thing's head into a massive torch.
'Soup fi...st, as it shou...ld tast...e.'
The Grotes...que Glu...tton seeks... fire.
The grotesque glutton dunked its blazing head back into the soup.
Thud-boom!!
The soup bubbled like lava, then erupted from the bowl like a volcano.
'Damn it, no openings...!'
Dodging attacks was all we could manage. Even evading the soup pillars left my skin stinging as if burned by misty droplets.
"Cha Do-yun Hunter!"
"Got it!"
Boom!!
I'd only called his name, but he read my intent perfectly. Cha Do-yun Hunter unleashed Heaven's Disaster, sweeping away the soup remnants with a gale before slamming lightning into the thing's head to clear the chaos.
Crack!
I drove Ego, shifted to harpoon gun mode, into its shoulder and fired to close the distance.
'Savior's Weapon Arsenal.'
Whoosh.
A warehouse-like inventory materialized before me, stocked with all the weapons I'd wielded so far.
'Time to hit it with this.'
Less destructive than a howitzer but far more portable, I reached for the bazooka. Its hefty weight settled into my arm.
The harpoon in its shoulder vanished, but momentum kept me hurtling forward. Amid the blurring scenery, I zeroed in on the red ribbon tied to the back of its head.
Boom!!
A thick shell punched straight through its head.
"Ngh...!"
The attack shook the entire space. Unaffected by friendly fire, but the air's vibrations slowed everyone's movements slightly.
Shatter.
The red ribbon crumbled limply, crimson blood trickling from beneath the white wrapping. Yet the thing just kept face-planting into the soup bowl, devouring madly.
Current Status
Eati...ng the sou...p deliciou...sly.
Remaining HP: 7...,...36
"We shaved off 300k!"
Han Jin-woo Hunter shouted. With zero defensive intent, steady heavy hits might end it quick.
Bam, bam, bam!
That's when it happened. The grotesque glutton lifted its head, gripped the spoon, and wildly scooped up the spilled soup from the table.
'Crude being, living up to its name.'
Se-bin ducked behind a pepper shaker on the table and summoned dozens of hands from its shadow.
"I'll lock down its movements. Get ready to attack!"
Groan.
Se-bin clenched the air, and black hands erupted from the shadow, yanking its head toward the table. Pinned flat without real resistance.
Whoosh―
A pale green arrow rocketed toward its head, vanishing mid-flight before splintering into dozens that rained down.
Thud-thud-thud.
Splintered arrows pierced jacket cuffs, glove tips, and bouquet wrapping edges, pinning it to the table like a corkboard memo.
I squeezed Ego's trigger at the bouquet nape. A massive shell devoured the flowers with a roar matching its head's size.
Boom!
Multicolored petals swirled incongruously through the bizarre space, mingling a strange aroma of roasted pumpkin and flowers.
Stab.
Amid falling petals, a beige trench coat flap fluttered, followed by a pitch-black blade piercing its spine.
"Hoo."
Se-bin twisted her wrist to withdraw Yeong, unleashing a fountain of clear fluid. The thing shuddered. It tried rising to yank free the pinning arrows, but a massive sandcastle swallowed it whole.
Boom-boom-boom!!
As its movements slowed, explosions ripped from the spinal gash. Not enough—floating petals ignited too. Blazing heat enveloped its head, the only sound now the crackle of burning flowers.
"Wonder how much HP that took off. Can't wait to see."
Cha Do-yun Hunter voiced his subtle anticipation.
'Getting honest with his feelings, huh.'
I caught my breath, watching it burn.
The tablecloth was a soup-ruined mess, but the grotesque glutton looked far worse. Water gushed endlessly from Se-bin's split back, and the bouquet head was now black ash. Combat ineffective, practically.
Sizzle―
Current Sta...tus
Fi...nished eat...ing the sou...p.
Remaining HP: 1,...0,000
"It... recovered?"
My mind went blank. A barrage that should've ended it, yet it flaunted full restoration.
I fed my voice into Ego through its mouth, scanning its body.
Groan.
Green vines sprouted from the split spine, zigzagging like threaded needles to reconnect it. The gushing back smoothed over flawlessly.
Empty soup bowl. Full HP. Obvious conclusion.
"Looks like it heals by eating."
"Must be that soup."
Choi Min Hunter and I spoke in unison. He glanced at me and nodded.
"It said next dish in 15 minutes, right?"
We all turned toward Se-bin. Now that she mentioned it, yeah. She tapped Yeong's flat with a finger and continued.
"This time, attack while keeping it from eating."
"Understood!"
Crack.
Han Jin-woo Hunter's firm reply echoed with bones snapping into place. The table-pinned grotesque glutton straightened its back. Ashen head bloomed fresh bouquet anew, red ribbon neatly retied.
The head chef brings out caprese salad.
Next course arrived.
Soup stains on the table swelled into a large plate, topped with round-sliced tomatoes and cheese.
The head chef says main course in 20 minutes.
The head chef hands over balsamic dressing.
The Grotesque Glutton shakes its head and requests strawberry jam.
'True grotesque glutton.'
An unimaginable flavor combo wrinkled my nose instinctively.
Clink.
Meal prep done, it gripped forks in both hands.
Thud, thud, thud.
It banged the table with fork hands, causing a racket.
'Flip the plate now?'
But it'd lick up spills, so fragments wouldn't stop it from eating.
The grotesque glutton gaped wide and raised a fork high.
Kaboom!!
"Ugh...!"
Then came the ear-splitting explosion, crimson flames erupting across the table.
'Where's my salad?'
The Grotesque Glutton panics.
Hearing it, I looked to the table—the salad plate encased in the world's safest blaze.
Choi Min Hunter, who'd trapped the salad itself, floated leisurely and spoke.
"Let's finish it in 20 minutes."