Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 15 (Patreon)

Chapter 15: The Ominous Hand

The information displayed by the smoky text that emerged in Luo's consciousness took him by surprise.

Ominous Hand (Damaged)

Quality: Treasure

Year: 920

Believed by the Li-Li tribe to use fingers as a medium, crushing and smearing them on this item would plunge one's detested enemies into disaster. This item contains 'Nen' left by the deceased, and it's recommended to absorb it.

Reading the details provided by the smoky text, Luo couldn't hide his astonishment. Among the items deemed garbage and piled up, he couldn't clearly see what his fingertips had touched before the text preemptively listed the information.

After regaining his composure and re-reading the smoky text, Luo momentarily forgot to dig out the ominous hand itself.

"This thing has 'Nen' attached to it? I can absorb it?"

Pondering, but unable to deduce anything, Luo decided not to overthink. He began to clear the surrounding debris, and after some effort, he unearthed the ominous hand.

True to its name, it was a palm, but a wooden carving without a base.

The wooden hand was larger than that of an average human, entirely a deep shade of red, eerily engraved with numerous eyeball-sized marks across its surface. Moreover, three fingers were missing, leaving only the pinky and index finger.

Even without the smoky text's hint, Luo was intensely curious as he discovered the wooden hand, examining it as if he were about to use a magnifying glass.

"The surface texture is too rough, without any signs of manual carving, feeling more like it was naturally formed. However, the shape of the eyeballs is quite clear, something only manual carving could achieve. The color is too unified and deep, making the presence of the eyeballs ambiguous."

Holding the wooden hand up for closer inspection, Luo detected a faint scent of blood, causing him a moment of pause.

"Blood scent?"

It was then he truly connected the content of the smoky text with the damaged wooden hand before him.

"If the color of this wooden hand is so deep, could it be because..."

Contemplating the possibility, Luo's expression stiffened. He let go of the hand, allowing it to drop to the ground with a heavy thud.

If the smoky text was accurate, then many owners must have crushed their fingers and smeared it over the ominous hand, continuing up until today, to result in such a deep red color. But to think the scent of blood could linger so persistently was appalling.

"This is too disgusting."

Luo glanced disdainfully at the ominous hand on the ground, repulsed by the thought of how many times it had been smeared with flesh and bone.

"Wait, I shouldn't be able to smell anything."

Luo had concentrated part of his 'Nen' in his nose to block out the landfill's stench, yet he had detected a blood scent from the ominous hand.

"Is it because of the 'Nen' lingering on the wooden hand?"

Shifting his focus, Luo's eyes emitted a faint glow as he observed a ring of red light swirling around the hand's surface.

This was the 'Nen' left by the deceased.

The 'Nen' of the deceased, borne from emotions like attachment, obsession, or resentment, could linger on objects or people. If strong enough, it could affect the living.

The red light Luo saw on the ominous hand was a strong 'Nen'. Ordinary people, if in contact for long periods, could be severely harmed or even lose their lives.

And there's another theory: the 'Nen' left after death could become even stronger!

The smoky text indicated Luo could absorb the 'Nen' from the ominous hand, aligning with his theory from absorbing energy from the jade stone, that absorbing various treasures could strengthen him.

Before trying, all these were just theories.

Luo decided to attempt absorption. As he did, the ominous hand suddenly emitted intense heat, but Luo felt no pain.

This contradictory sensation, similar to absorbing the jade stone's energy that night, confirmed his ability.

"Indeed, it's possible."

Luo, excited, looked at the ominous hand he held. This was a shortcut to strength but not the only path to power. Even with this method available, Luo's cultivation would not slacken. Such absorbable treasures were rare; cultivation was the true path.

As the heat dissipated, the ominous hand's red glow vanished.

Luo felt his 'Nen' strengthen slightly, noticing a change in his data.

The awakening level of his Specialization Nen remained at 3%, unchanged. Only his Emission and Conjuration Nen levels rose from 0.1% to 2%.

"Only the Emission and Conjuration categories strengthened, by about 2%."

Puzzled, Luo rubbed his chin. The smoky text offered no explanations,

 so he shelved his questions for later understanding. 

"Life with cheat codes…"

His half-month of intense cultivation at Machi's had yielded no progress in awakening or Nen quantity. Now, merely touching the ominous hand had increased his Emission and Conjuration Nen by 2%, and his Nen quantity had grown.

Sighing, Luo initially found the damaged wooden hand repulsive but now saw its cuteness. Despite its potential value as a nine-hundred-year-old antique, he had no intention of keeping it but considered its monetary worth.

He casually tied the ominous hand to a wire, hanging it from his hand as he continued exploring the landfill. The discovery sparked a treasure hunt mindset, shifting from merely finding recyclable materials.

Time passed quickly. Two hours later, without further findings, the peculiar sensation that led him to the ominous hand never returned. Despite the world's trash accumulation here, the landfill's nature remained unchanged - far from being a site of ruins or ancient tombs where antiques might be found.

"I was being too optimistic, hoping to find treasures in a landfill."

Rubbing his forehead, Luo realized it was time to regroup, his only find being the ominous hand.

"Hope you're worth something."

Luo sighed lightly, looking at the ominous hand hanging before him. Forsaking the notion of finding antiques here, he considered exploring real ruins or royal tombs for treasures in the future. For now, the landfill was not the place for such dreams.

Shaking his head, Luo headed towards the meeting point.

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