Chapter 48: A Good Meal After Battle
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After defeating the horde of monsters and the boss of Floor 1, my father shattered the lingering tension with his usual booming laughter. “Bwahahaha! Well, we almost died, but damn, it was fun.”
“You’re downplaying the whole thing, Dad,” my sister sighed. “That damn thing was tough enough that even Brunhild struggled. I was sure she was going to sweep everything.”
“Well, there were more factors than I had calculated,” I said. “I’ve gained a lot of power, but all that power demands enormous energy, mana, and resources. At my current stage, I still don’t have enough. I have to keep growing. Plus, the icy atmosphere here weakens my primary element, fire. The monsters are far stronger too—they receive a boost when the dungeon turns into a frozen one, and another on top of that because it’s winter. Compared to the usual monsters here, these are easily three times as strong.”
“Wow, that much?!” my brother exclaimed, shocked. “So what rank was the thing we just fought?”
“It was as strong as the Hydra I fought before,” I replied. “I’d say Tier 5+. Even Fenrir and Huginn couldn’t overpower it, and I really thought they could solo a boss. I guess they’re still inexperienced in real combat despite all their power.”
Fenrir and Huginn lowered their heads after hearing my words. I walked over and gently petted them. “But don’t feel bad! You two stood your ground and helped tremendously. Without you, I don’t think we would have won.”
“Yeah, we did well,” my mother said. “Everyone fought hard and played an important role. We didn’t waste a single member.”
Little Krarlak, safely tucked away with protective skills active on his evolved clothes, clapped his tiny hands from Mom’s back carrier behind Sigrid. “Monshter go boom! Hehe!”
“Well, I guess this boy is our only little burden,” my mother sighed, crossing her arms. “Not like we could have left him back in the village, unfortunately.”
“Yeah, we had to bring him along,” I nodded. “I wonder if he’s gaining experience just from watching? Maybe not… I’m not sure how that works.”
As I spoke with my family, my father dragged the massive catfish boss carcass into the center of the group. He set it down, and the steam rising from it warmed the chilly air.
“This thing looks delicious. Can we just eat it like this?” my father asked. “Is it poisonous?”
“Not at all,” I said. “Yeah, let’s eat! I’ll start a bonfire… I’ll bring the whole house.”
I quickly opened my inventory—the space here was just wide enough—and placed the giant house down. We went inside, gathered firewood, and built a roaring bonfire. My mother reheated some bread and steamed potatoes while my brother prepared fresh fruit juice.
Afterward, we gathered around the enormous catfish with salt, seasonings, and plates in hand. We tore into the tender white meat with our bare hands, scooping it out effortlessly.
“Hmmm! So good!” my mother exclaimed. “It’s so damn soft! I can’t believe this thing nearly killed us earlier! Hahaha!”
“This is a magnificent meal!” my dad declared. He grabbed a huge chunk of meat, sandwiched it between two slices of bread with veggies, mayo—which I had taught them how to make—and jerky, then took an enormous bite. His eyes widened in delight. “But this? This is definitely even better!”
“You’ve really become obsessed with sandwiches, Dad,” my brother laughed, devouring a buttered potato alongside the rich meat.
The catfish was truly a delicacy. Its meat was tender, snowy white, and bursting with flavor. A touch of salt elevated it perfectly, and with so much to go around, we ate our fill. We devoured it with our hands, the barbarian way.
“It’s so delicious. I’ve never eaten catfish before,” Sigrid said, licking her lips. “There’s more than enough meat here for everyone.”
“Yeah!” Ulf agreed, biting straight into a massive piece, roasted skin and all. “I’ve never eaten a fish this big before either!”
“It’s amazing what you can find in dungeons, isn’t it?” Kara mused. “Huh? What’s this huge thing?” She pierced the monster’s body, pried open its ribcage, and pulled out a blood-covered object. “Look, Brunhild—is this the monster core? It’s freaking huge!”
“Yep, that’s the core!” I said, nodding as I walked over, took it from her, and stored it away. “Thank you. We should remove the rest of the innards too—they’re disgusting.” I quickly stored them in my inventory for future potion ingredients until only bone and meat remained.
Fenrir and Huginn drooled at the sight of the innards, so I gave them those at the end. I also let them feast on the other monsters we had slain, around forty in total.
The catfish was massive and incredibly tasty, but I wanted to try more. I brought out one of the wolf-sized eels and began roasting it over the fire while continuing to enjoy the boss meat.
Krarlak ate like a wild little beast, driven by pure instinct. He kept digging in without pause, stuffing his belly until it looked ready to burst.
Two hours later, to no one’s surprise, the catfish had been reduced to a pile of bones. Our large family had devoured the five-meter giant in a single lunch.
“Wow, that was the best fish I’ve ever had in my entire life,” my sister said. “Ugh… can’t move…”
“We ate it all…” my brother laughed, sipping juice. “Wow.”
“I guess we were starving and needed to replenish all the stamina we burned,” I said. “Now I feel overflowing with mana and energy again!”
“Me too!” my dad boomed. “I could go for another if I—ugh…” His stomach rumbled. “Gotta hit the bathroom real quick though…”
Yeah, that’s what happens when you eat that much. Though my Physique absorbs everything far more efficiently, so I don’t feel it quite as badly.
Once we had finished our proper meal, I checked the system notifications. There were quite a few.
Ding!
[Congratulations! You and your party have slain the Frozen Swamp Caverns First Floor Boss [Frozen Catfish Tyrant (Tier 5+)]!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[...]
[You have reached Level 109/130. Stat Points have been allocated; you gained 18 Free Stat Points.]
I had gained eighteen levels. It was insane. Even though it came from accumulating dozens of monsters plus the boss, my leveling speed was staggering.
No wonder everyone felt the changes in their bodies immediately. Fighting and defeating such powerful monsters was bound to make us far stronger.
“Now, this…”
The lingering souls of all the monsters I had slain appeared before my eyes. I began drawing them into my Soul Orb until the entire floor was clear.
After that, I noticed several of my skills had grown considerably after the intense battle—I had used most of them, after all.
Ding!
[The Weapon Technique: [Red Fang Axe Style – Tier 3] has reached 100% growth and has advanced to Tier 4 of Mastery.]
[You have unlocked further power within this Weapon Art. Its strength now flows through your body, reinforcing your bones, strengthening your muscles, and purifying your blood so it flows faster.]
[You have learned the Fourth Form: Eviscerating Rampage.]
[Your Weapon Technique: [Burning Dragon Soul Style – Tier 3] has reached 100% growth and has advanced to Tier 4 of Mastery.]
[Your Bloodline stirs with power. Your Soul has been drastically enhanced and can now expand as a powerful Dragon Soul Aura to empower your attacks. Your Spirituality has improved.]
“Oh…”
A fresh surge of power coursed through me the moment both techniques reached Tier 4. The second one I had mostly used instinctively, almost automatically. But it was what gave my attacks that extra edge. Ever since I received it as a “gift” from my ancestor Sylph, I had never truly wielded it properly.
Beyond being labeled a “Weapon Technique,” it felt more like a Martial Art—or rather, a Cultivation Method, maybe even a Spiritual Art. It was simply that barbarians called everything Weapon Techniques because that was how they perceived it.
Yet it was clearly more than basic techniques if mastering them evolved the physical body… That was cultivation. I had heard a little about it from the Elders. There were methods they wanted to teach me, but they required time, so they had yet to find the right moment.
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