Chapter 43: (Gag Chapter) Extra: Battlefield

"Wow! It smells so good!" The moment she stepped into the hotel, March 7th cried out in amazement. An intoxicating aroma drifted from the dining table, captivating everyone and causing them to stop in their tracks, dazed. "What are you standing there for? Go on," Wende said with a smile to the stunned group. He watched as everyone snapped out of it and swarmed the table, sitting down like a class of kindergarteners... Stelle looked at Wende with expectant eyes, just waiting for his signal to start! "Aren't you guys a little too fast?" Wende quipped, looking at the group that had practically teleported to their seats. He grabbed a stool and sat down at the table himself. "I just made some simple home-style dishes. The ingredients were limited, but it's a pretty hearty meal, wouldn't you say?" As he spoke, Wende picked up a fork. The Underworld didn't have chopsticks, and he couldn't be bothered to make any, so he decided to just stick with forks. "..." The group continued to stare at Wende with pleading eyes. "Uh, what are you all looking at me for? Eat," Wende said, looking confused. "Uh... Oh!" Hearing Wende's command, everyone grabbed their utensils and began a frantic scramble to "plunder" the dining table. "Is... is this really a Gem Lizard? This flavor..." Seele's pupils contracted as she chewed on the piece of Gem Lizard tail in her mouth, her face a mask of disbelief. The foul, fishy taste of the Gem Lizard had been perfectly eliminated, leaving only its fundamental meaty flavor. The texture was firm and springy, not tough at all... "Truly... incredible," Natasha sighed, savoring the aftertaste. So... even the things from the Underworld can be made this delicious? "CLANG!" "Ah! Dan Heng! You stole my fried chicken!" "My apologies, but only my apologies..." Dan Heng said with a straight face as he placed the "fried chicken" onto his plate. Although it looked like fried chicken, it was actually made from a creature of the Underworld called a Cave Salamander. After being treated with Wende's secret-recipe marinade, the salamander meat remained juicy without losing its texture. "Stelle! Quick! Get that Cave Salamander leg!" "Impossible! Disappear among the sea of butterflies!" "Ah! So bright! Seele, you're cheating!" "Then let's all rely on our own strength! Rules are made to be broken!" "CLANG!" Stelle's dinner knife and Seele's fork clashed, sparks seeming to flash between their gazes. "Huh!? We can do that??" "CRACK!" "March... you actually put a shield on your fork..." "Hehe! I'm no pushover!" "Cloudlancer Art: Torrent..." "Wait! Dan Heng! I'll let you have it! You don't have to go that far!" Only after seeing Dan Heng lower his razor-sharp fork did March pat her chest and let out a sigh of relief. "Looks like I made it just in time." Natasha nonchalantly forked the last piece of "fried chicken." "Uh... this..." Bronya watched the divine chaos unfolding on the table, where everyone was showing off their unique skills. She was at a loss, unsure if she should join in. It was a breach of etiquette... but the food! It was almost gone! "Here, try this. It's a specialty of our Underworld. I never expected that guy Wende could make it taste so good!" Seele said with a smile, placing a piece of Cave Salamander meat on Bronya's plate. "Seele..." Bronya looked gratefully at Seele, her eyes gradually filling with determination. "For protection and defense!" Bronya joined the dining table war. "Clara, go sit next to Wende." "..." Wende watched the dining table, which had now become a battlefield, unsure what expression to make. "Break!" A fork, wreathed in wind, shattered March 7th's frozen "roasted meat." "Hah!" Seele's knife swept away a piece of "honey-glazed potato." "BANG!" "Hey! Bronya, don't use your rifle!" "CLATTER!" "Nata! Put the grenade launcher down! We're having a meal!!!" "Um, actually, there's still more in the kitchen," Wende said weakly. "Absolutely delicious. As I recall, even in the Overworld over a decade ago, I never had an experience like this," Natasha said, daintily wiping the corner of her mouth, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "Yes, even in the Overworld, you can't find such a delicacy," Bronya said with a sigh. "Here, try this. It tastes great too." "Mm, thank you, Seele." "Dan Heng! Get me a bowl of soup." "Oh, okay." Watching the cheerful and harmonious group, Wende rubbed his eyes... Was that... a hallucination just now? "Wende?" Stelle saw Wende staring into space and waved a hand in front of his eyes, puzzled. "Ah, it's nothing... I think I was hallucinating for a moment," Wende said, shaking his head with a smile before starting to eat as well. "A hallucination? You must be tired from everything recently. You should get a good rest tonight," Natasha said gently, while discreetly pushing the grenade launcher under the table further aside with her foot. "Mm... so good..." Bronya savored the delicious food, a look of pure enjoyment on her face, while casually squeezing the rifle between her legs a little tighter. "Is that so... I guess I have been a bit tired these past two days," Wende said, uncertain. Could it be that the nightmares caused by the Light Cone a few days ago, combined with the overload of running between the clinic and the battlefield, had left him a little delirious? "Uh... yeah, yeah! Hurry up and eat, the food's getting cold," March 7th quickly urged Wende, while sneakily grabbing a piece of meat that was already encased in ice and putting it in her bowl. Seele and Dan Heng continued to eat with practiced ease. Perhaps this was the effortless grace that came with being of the Hunt? After the "gourmet feast," Wende saw Natasha and Seele off. For certain reasons, Bronya chose to leave with Seele, so she wouldn't be staying at the hotel. As for Clara, Seele and Bronya would take her home. The hotel owner stared at the plates on the table, which were two degrees cleaner than freshly washed ones, and was momentarily unsure whether he should wash them or not. In the end, with Wende's help, he washed the "clean" plates until they were sparkling. "I never would have thought. The ever-so-elegant Miss Natasha eats with such incredible speed," March 7th sighed, sitting at the entrance to digest her meal. "Indeed. And her movements are fast and precise," Dan Heng agreed with a nod. "Is that the hand of a surgeon? So precise and powerful. It was just like that when she pinched my ear earlier..." Stelle said, touching her still-red ear with a hint of lingering fear. She had to resist the urge to pick things up next time! "So, why do you even pick up all that junk anyway?" March 7th pouted at Stelle, who was deep in thought. "Perhaps... it's the legendary Scavenger Syndrome?" Dan Heng suggested uncertainly. He had never seen a similar illness in the Archives. The closest thing was a disease from some scavenger planet... but it wasn't this extreme, was it? "I don't know... But they're glowing..."