This Is the Taste
I guess there was no need for me to evaluate it myself. Or maybe it was because Patricia had laughed so loudly? Every single gaze in the area had swung toward her.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen Patricia-nim laugh…”
“Same. She’s always got jerky hanging from her mouth, looking half-dead.”
“But right now…”
Patricia’s eyes sparkled as she waved us on, practically begging us to hurry. The sight was so unusual that the people staring at her soon turned their attention to me instead.
Eyes full of curiosity.
“Is she connected to that hunter named Haerang…?”
“Could be. I mean, Dante-nim personally acknowledged him.”
“I never thought I’d live to see someone actually earn Dante-nim’s recognition.”
The curiosity aimed at me had already shifted into pure admiration.
“But that face… wow.”
“So people like that actually exist…”
“Looks and skill, both maxed out. Straight-up cheating.”
Some were even working up the courage to make a move.
“Think I should talk to her after this?”
“Are you insane? Why would she waste a single word on you?”
“Wanna die?”
It wasn’t just the men—women were in on it too.
“I’m a woman, so maybe I’ve got a shot?”
“She looks busy… I doubt she’d have time…”
They were whispering, but the voices carried all the way to me. Which meant the stream chat was picking up every word too.
I looked at the flood of messages and tossed out a single line.
“Actually, looks are a skill.”
While I was busy teasing the chat, I felt a gaze that stood apart from the rest. It was thick with competitive spirit. When I turned toward the source, Manguls was boring holes into me with his eyes.
He’s got more fighting spirit than I expected…
Seeing his mouth clamped shut as he stared at me, I muttered under my breath.
“Now I get why Patricia said that.”
“Huh? What did she say?”
“Nothing.”
Reina turned away, interest lost. I continued my internal monologue.
I really do want to see it. That face of hers all scrunched up.
Guess I really was a hopeless dopamine addict after all.
“Right then. Let’s start by examining the monster Manguls-nim captured.”
Crodel walked slowly toward Manguls. The big man, who had been glaring at me, finally looked away and stepped aside as Crodel approached.
When Crodel stopped in front of the cloth-covered object, Manguls gave a slight nod to the Recovery Team 1 members behind him. The Felynes scampered over and yanked the thick fabric away.
A massive creature was revealed.
“Ooh…”
Crodel let out a soft sound of admiration.
“This is a Volcanus.”
The creature had a hulking body like a neighborhood bully. Its rough, rock-solid hide looked like it had been carved from boulders.
“Grrrrr…”
Deep hammer marks were visible all over the faintly growling monster. Monsters with hides like this were definitely more vulnerable to blunt weapons than bladed ones. It had been a calculated capture, perfectly matched to his weapon preference.
No wonder they call him the outpost’s top capturer.
Every single one of those meticulous decisions was what separated the skilled from the rest.
Crodel placed a hand on the Volcanus.
“Volcanus… A ferocious monster that lives in rocky regions. It uses its incredibly hard carapace to crush prey alive. That’s its hunting method.”
His hand, which had been stroking the rough surface, moved to the hammer-impact zones.
“Against a monster with a carapace this tough, blunt attacks are far more effective than slashing. As expected.”
Reaching the same conclusion I had, it was clear he hadn’t become vice-commander by luck.
“And with damage of this level…”
Crodel scribbled something in his notebook and looked up.
“This is upper grade. Capturing a monster of this quality is no easy feat… Truly worthy of Manguls-nim.”
The moment Crodel finished speaking, murmurs broke out everywhere.
“As expected of Manguls-nim…”
“Upper grade…? Doesn’t that only show up once every few years?”
“Yeah, last time was two years ago.”
“If that picky Crodel-nim approved it, there’s nothing left to say.”
“He rates almost everything as low grade.”
The chat was going wild too.
“Picky squid?”
Picky squid, huh…
He looked too neat and tidy for the nickname to fit at first glance, but watching him meticulously inspect every inch of the Volcanus and jot notes down, I could see exactly why the viewers called him that.
“It’s actually a pretty good nickname.”
Having finished his necessary examination, Crodel nodded and closed his notebook.
“Good. I believe that covers the basic assessment.”
Crodel turned and looked in my direction.
“May I now examine the monster Haerang-nim captured?”
“Of course.”
Just as Manguls had done earlier, I quietly stepped aside. Behind the approaching Crodel, Manguls stood with a smug, triumphant expression. His face practically screamed, Well? Regretting that bet yet?
It was the kind of look that could piss someone off, but with Patricia’s guarantee and the outcome already decided, I knew exactly how that expression would change soon. My lips curled up slightly on their own.
Apparently he didn’t like that. Manguls’ face twisted a little.
Hmm. It shouldn’t break this early.
At that moment, Reina tugged gently on my sleeve.
“Are you sure this is okay? I’ve never once seen Crodel-nim call anything upper grade before. That’s how strict he is.”
Reina looked genuinely anxious.
“It means the monster Manguls-nim brought back is absurdly high quality.”
I flicked her forehead.
Flick!
“Ow!”
Reina clutched her forehead, eyes watering as she glared at me.
“Why did you hit me!!”
“Because you’re worrying about useless things.”
“Useless?!”
“Just trust me and watch. I told you—you’ll get to see something fun soon.”
Leaving the fuming Reina beside me, I fell into brief thought.
That aside, I really need to install that beauty mod soon.
Sorry to Reina, but with her eyes glistening like that, she somehow looked even worse than her original version.
Crodel gave us a strange look, but I pretended not to notice.
When Crodel stopped in front of my captured monster, Patricia came sprinting from the distance.
“Nyahahaha!! I’ll pull the cloth off myself nyang!!”
Crodel’s expression turned subtle at the sight of her.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Patricia-nim this excited.”
“Nyahahaha!! It’s been ages since I met such a fun friend nyang!!”
“A fun friend?”
“You already know nyang! Obviously it’s Haerang nyang!!”
At her words, interest flared in Crodel’s eyes.
“For Patricia-nim to speak so highly… I’m suddenly very curious about what kind of monster Haerang-nim has brought.”
“Nyahahaha!! You won’t be disappointed nyang!!”
Patricia grinned and waved her hand. The Recovery Team 8 members moved in perfect sync, gathering before the cloth.
“Reveal it nyang!!”
They yanked the thick fabric away.
The moment the silhouette of the Azureus was revealed, Crodel froze.
“Gasp…!”
He couldn’t speak. His mouth hung half-open as he stood there, completely rigid.
“……Haerang-nim. This is… surely not.”
Unable to finish his sentence, Crodel approached the Azureus as if drawn by a magnet. He carefully ran his fingertips across its hide. His fingers were trembling.
“Azureus… the predator of the skies.”
“Krrraaa…”
When the awakened Azureus let out a low growl, Crodel paused. But his eyes refused to leave the creature.
“Its personality is incredibly vicious, so their numbers are tiny. They’re so rare they’re almost never seen. To think you captured one… And these eyes…”
Gulp.
Crodel swallowed hard and pointed at the glowing red eyes.
“Normal Azureus have black eyes. But these…”
He paused for dramatic effect, then laughed helplessly.
“It’s a berserk specimen. I never imagined I would see a captured berserk individual in my lifetime…”
Crodel pulled out his notebook. But as he continued staring intently at the Azureus, his hand suddenly stopped.
“………”
He let out a small sigh and quietly closed the notebook.
“I guess there’s no need for me to evaluate this myself.”
The strict, meticulous demeanor had completely vanished. His eyes sparkled like a child’s.
“It’s supreme grade.”
At that exact moment, I saw Manguls’ face slowly twisting in the distance.
Yeah. This is the taste.