Chapter 34: Nen Ability 'Gourmet Restaurant'
Ray followed in the middle-to-back section of the group, his eyes constantly scanning the surrounding environment.
His gaze swept past low-hanging vines, murky puddles, and unknown small beasts darting through the grass.
His nose twitched continuously, distinguishing the various scents mixed in the air: the fresh fragrance of vegetation, the dampness of the soil, the faint stench of humus, and... a faint, almost imperceptible trace of a sweet, fruity aroma.
'Hmm?'
Ray's footsteps paused slightly, his eyes suddenly lighting up.
Following that sweet scent, he saw several strawberries, vibrantly red and succulent, slowly floating in the air amidst the thick fog.
The strawberries were enormous, about the size of a large ball, making them particularly eye-catching in the dense fog.
"To think I'd find this!"
A pleasantly surprised smile appeared on Ray's face. Pushing off the ground, he quickly dashed toward the strawberries.
As the distance closed, the sweet fruity aroma grew even richer.
At the same time, a massive giant turtle came into view.
The giant turtle was fully three stories high, looking like a small rocky mountain.
Those enticing strawberries floating in the air were growing directly on the giant turtle's carapace!
Because of the thick fog obscuring it, from a distance, they looked as if they were suspended in mid-air out of nowhere, highly deceptive.
Ray naturally recognized the origin of this giant turtle, a creature unique to the Numere Wetlands—the Strawberry Turtle!
It usually loved to lurk deep in the swamps, only exposing the strawberries on its back, relying on that enticing fruity aroma to attract gluttonous creatures.
Once prey took the bait, this giant turtle would suddenly lunge, using its giant mouth full of sharp teeth and its powerful neck to drag the prey into the water and devour it completely.
However, the Strawberry Turtle only waited this patiently when facing other creatures of the Numere Wetlands.
Towards humans, the Strawberry Turtle would often initiate attacks, possessing an extremely ferocious temperament.
Clearly, this Strawberry Turtle had been attracted by the commotion of the candidates marching.
Upon discovering Ray actively approaching, the Strawberry Turtle let out a muffled, low roar.
Then, it opened its mouth to the limit, revealing a mouthful of fangs as sharp as daggers, gleaming with a cold, sinister light. Carrying a gust of foul wind, it viciously bit down toward Ray!
This strike was fast, accurate, and ruthless. If it were an ordinary candidate, they probably wouldn't even have time to react before being caught in this giant maw.
But Ray was well prepared.
Facing the Strawberry Turtle's attack, his face showed no trace of panic. Twisting his waist, his figure dodged to the side like a phantom.
The giant mouth full of sharp teeth brushed past the hem of Ray's clothes and bit empty air, heavily smashing into the muddy ground beside him with a loud *bang*, splashing up a large swath of mud.
"Pretty fast, but unfortunately, you ran into me."
Ray's voice carried a hint of amusement.
As he spoke, his right foot pushed off the ground forcefully, and his body shot straight toward the giant turtle's head instead.
His right hand clenched tightly into a fist, veins bulging on his arm, while simultaneously concentrating a portion of Nen into his fist.
Before the Strawberry Turtle could retract its neck, Ray's fist, wrapped in a howling gale, smashed viciously into its head!
*Thud!*
A muffled, loud crash rang out, causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly.
Ray's punch seemed simple, but under the enhancement of his immense strength and Nen, its power was nothing short of terrifying.
After being hit, the Strawberry Turtle's head jerked violently to the side. The muscles on its neck twitched violently a few times, and immediately after, its eyes rapidly lost their light.
Its neck drooped limply and smashed heavily onto the ground, devoid of any movement.
"Strawberry Turtle, successfully captured!"
Ray retracted his fist and shook his slightly numb arm, his face full of a satisfied smile.
He walked over to the Strawberry Turtle's head and bent down to inspect it.
The meat was firm, and he could smell a unique, refreshing sweetness. He figured that whether stewed in soup or braised, it would be a rare delicacy.
Not to mention the strawberries on the Strawberry Turtle's back; their fragrance was far richer than ordinary strawberries, making them an absolutely rare, top-tier fruit.
After finishing his inspection, Ray confidently reached out and gently pressed his hand against the Strawberry Turtle's head.
The next moment, a soft, pale golden light emanated from the palm of Ray's hand. The light spread out like flowing water, covering the Strawberry Turtle's entire body.
Immediately after, amidst a faint shimmering halo, the three-story-tall Strawberry Turtle silently vanished from its spot!
Ray slowly withdrew his hand, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
This was his exclusively developed Nen ability—'Gourmet Restaurant'.
It was an independent dimensional space similar to Knov's 'Hide and Seek'.
However, the internal space of Ray's Nen ability, 'Gourmet Restaurant', was a full tens of thousands of cubic meters, far larger than Knov's 'Hide and Seek'.
Even better, Ray's 'Gourmet Restaurant' was not static.
Instead, it could continuously evolve, grow, and expand in capacity as Ray's strength increased and ingredients were stored inside.
Feeling the 'Gourmet Restaurant' quietly expand a bit after storing the Strawberry Turtle, the curve of Ray's mouth rose even higher.
Although the expanded space was small, as he stored more ingredients, the 'Gourmet Restaurant' would become larger and larger in the future.
Of course, for this Nen ability, 'Gourmet Restaurant', Ray had established exactly five Conditions and Vows.
First, anything taken into the 'Gourmet Restaurant' must be an animal or plant that he deemed an 'ingredient'; otherwise, it could not be stored.
Second, any living ingredient must be completely unconscious and devoid of any power to resist; otherwise, it could not be stored.
Third, stored ingredients could drive the expansion of the 'Gourmet Restaurant', but this was only effective the first time a specific type of ingredient was stored; repeated storage of the same type would have no effect.
Fourth, storing ingredients consumed his own Nen. The larger the volume and the higher the freshness of the ingredient, the more Nen was required. However, taking them out required only a minimal expenditure.
Fifth, he must have a basic understanding of the target ingredient; completely unknown items could not be taken into the space.
It was precisely because of these five Conditions and Vows that the 'Gourmet Restaurant' met Ray's requirements.
Aside from possessing tens of thousands of cubic meters of space right from the start and practically limitless growth potential...
...more importantly, any ingredient stored in the 'Gourmet Restaurant', even if kept for decades, would still maintain the exact state it was in when first stored.
This was incredibly important to Ray.
Just like right now, he simply had no time to process the Strawberry Turtle.
If left out for too long, it would definitely affect the meat quality and texture of the Strawberry Turtle.
But the 'Gourmet Restaurant' perfectly solved his worries.
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