Chapter 276

276 – Stone-Fried Grafant Steak

“[Gale]!”

The magic fired from her hands stirs the wind, forming a tornado . The abyss that was about to jump into the undergrowth to hide is repelled and exposed by the tornado . Aro quickly refills her magic power, then fires off a second attack .

“[Gale]!”

Before it’s able to return to its feet, a new tornado swoops down on it . Aro confirms its status while hugging my tail to resupply with magic power .

She’s starting to grasp the most efficient timing of when to replenish her magic power and when to attack . Thanks to being able to fire off magic in quick succession, her skill levels of [Gale] and [Clay] are rising rapidly . She spreads her focus equally in both directions, keeping the two abysses in check, attacking when there’s a gap before moving on to replenishing her MP supply .

“VeEh!”

One of two collapses to the ground, spurting body fluids from the fragments of its body . It shivers, but after a few seconds pass, becomes a corpse .

【36 experience points have been acquired . 】

【Due to the Title Skill [Walking Egg: Lv -], an additional 36 experience points have been acquired . 】

That’s one down… Aro quickly moves on to replenishing her MP . The moment the other abyss becomes visible, she raises her arms towards it without waiting for her MP to be fully restored .

“[Gale]! [Clay]!”

Trapping it between a tornado and a wall of earth, she snatches away its means of escape . The abyss is repelled by the tornado, slamming it into the wall, which it rebounds off to be once again be repelled by the tornado . I think she only intended to seal its escape route, but she ended up producing a beautiful combo .

【43 experience points have been acquired . 】

【Due to the Title Skill [Walking Egg: Lv -], an additional 43 experience points have been acquired . 】

…I’ve been getting a fair amount . Though I suppose by herself, Aro wouldn’t be able to defend against the abysses’ attacks, it would be hard for her to stick through real damage, and she wouldn’t have nearly enough MP… Maybe it’s not being too strict, like this .

Now then, how much has her level gone up by…

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

Name: Aro

Species: Revaana Mage

Condition: Cursed

Lv: 20/30

HP: 84/90

MP: 31/102

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

…Great, she went from 17 to 20 . She’s reached the two-thirds mark… Though saying that, it’s going to get harder and harder to raise her level from here on . But her magic power is quickly increasing in proportion, too . In exchange for it being harder for her level to rise, it’s becoming easier for her to inflict damage on abysses .

Should I start looking for their nest right away, then? From the precedent Hero Gagaza set, if I just capture one of them alive, it shouldn’t be too hard to find their nest .

“Gaa…”

My partner lets out a feeble cry… As expected, she’d rather not?

『For now, let’s eat the meat?』

She stretches out her neck towards the grafant… . Ah, that’s right .

If we go, it feels like next time we come back, there’ll be abyss eggs laid in it… There’s none now, right?

『Don’t say something so horrible…』

S-sorry . It’s my fault for putting off eating it from the start .

While I’m in conversation with my partner, the spiderlings swarm over the abyss corpses . When they finish eating, they quickly sweep over them, leaving their carapaces and legs covered in thread . Just as I’m wondering if they can’t eat the legs, I notice a spiderling with a leg sticking out of its mouth… Are they snacks for later?

I check there’s no eggs or anything in the grafant’s wound . Once that’s done, I start work on disassembling it .

First off, I drag it to a large boulder and cut off its head with my claw . I make small incisions all over its body, using them as starting points to remove its skin . I then make a long cut down its abdomen, taking out its organs and gathering them in one place . Finally, I tear it open from the back, splitting it into two parts . I pick it up by its tail and swing it around before slamming it repeatedly into the stone to drain the blood .

I grew experienced in this sort of work when I was a plague kid dragon . I don’t mind the stench of blood at all . When I’m done, I close my eyes and offer thanks to nature and the grafant in my heart .

If I’m going to spend time on it, it might not be a bad idea to borrow some thread from the spiderlings and hang it somewhere… Though that might attract abysses, and judging by how much my partner is drooling, there might not be much left, anyway .

I cut up the meat into smaller pieces before blowing on the stone with [Scorching Breath] to heat it up, turning it into a baking stone . It’s stone-fried grafant steak .

The meat fizzles and fat drips, and a nice smell hangs in the air . It’s the first time I’m having beef since coming to this world . The scent that I haven’t smelt in a long time fills me with nostalgia and hunger .

My only disappointment is that I can’t find any spices in this area . The Lithovars might be getting salt from somewhere . If I get the chance, I’d like to ask them .

Since it’s such a big size, I can also eat without reservation . Lately I’ve been letting my partner do most of the eating, so it’s particularly delicious . It feels like my stomach is soaked in fats and juices . I get the feeling that strength is welling up from the base of my stomach .

Also finding it exceptionally delicious, my partner is biting through with even more fervour than usual .

『Let’s hunt for this again, okay, okay?!』

You really do place your appetite first . No, I understand where you’re coming from this time .

I prepare some for the spiderlings too, but as soon as they finish eating, they move on to the next meat they find . Whether it’s a lump of uncooked meat or internal organs, they dig in without hesitation… I can’t tell from their expressions, but I get the feeling they’re just happy to be able to eat anything .

I also try giving Aro a small block of meat . She seems a bit bewildered, but suddenly puts it in her mouth… I wonder if she’s able to take it in . I thought she fundamentally couldn’t eat, though . A sad expression floats on her face, so it probably doesn’t have a flavour for her .

…It’s clear from how it looks that the treant’s mouth isn’t for taking in food . I’ve found something tasty, so it feels lonely to not be able to share it . No, I have my partner . I hope Aro’s sense of taste returns soon .

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