Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 199 (Patreon)

Chapter 199: Limitations

Biscuit beat up the black cat like a child, making it very obedient and pitiful.

Antomu, who was lying down as if struck by a stray bullet, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the black cat being stopped by Biscuit.

When the black cat charged at him, he felt enveloped by a murderous intent. If not for Biscuit, he would probably be a corpse by now.

"This kid's Nen beast..." Antomu was still in shock, not knowing why the black cat went crazy. Luckily, it attacked those three unlucky ones first.

He felt temporarily safe, but still like meat on someone's chopping block, so he quietly moved away, trying to minimize his presence.

Luo saw the black cat shivering in front of Biscuit and felt schadenfreude, but also found it troubling. This guy could kill without hesitation, and he couldn't control it. What if...

Suddenly, Luo thought of Sanbica and the others. What if this guy suddenly attacked the people around him...

Thinking this, Luo's gaze turned cold. The possibility existed, and he couldn't help but think about eliminating the black cat.

The thought was very serious; even if nothing had happened, he wouldn't allow any possibility to exist.

When Luo thought about eliminating the black cat, it shuddered as if electrocuted and immediately looked at Luo, whose gaze was turning icy. It quickly explained, "You don't want others to enter the tomb, so I helped you by killing those three because they knew where the entrance was. As for this guy..."

It glanced at Antomu and said solemnly, "He's one of your threats. Strike him while he's down. Now that he's dead, it's all taken care of. There's... that's all."

The following words were: There's no need to listen to that muscle woman.

Having just witnessed Biscuit's fearsome side, the black cat dared not speak its mind.

Luo saw the black cat suddenly explaining a lot and his gaze deepened, saying, "I didn't ask you to kill."

The black cat's eyes flickered earnestly, "Killing them was best. That way, the news about the tomb's entrance won't leak. Isn't that the result you wanted?"

Hearing this, Luo just quietly observed the black cat, thinking about its reaction. He had some clues.

The black cat then calmed down, but the big bump on its head made it look rather comical.

It could only target a limited number of creatures.

Condition 1: Creatures that pose a threat to Luo.

Condition 2: Creatures that Luo wants to kill.

Condition 3: Creatures that want to kill Luo.

Condition 4: Creatures that can be killed if it achieves the result Luo wants, regardless of Luo's intent to kill.

These four broad conditions are the limitations on the black cat's targets. The more creatures it kills, the better it is for the black cat, but it won't act rashly, only picking on the weak.

Like those three unlucky ones just now, they exactly met condition 4, while Antomu more so met condition 1, both being completely powerless targets.

The reason it picks on the weak is that the black cat's Qi is a consumable, non-regenerative unless conditions are met. A bit used is a bit lost.

Atop the tomb's platform, the black cat must act if Luo is in danger, as they are symbiotic. If Luo dies, so does it.

Unfortunately, the vines are a collective; killing many still counts as one target, and the only other targets are crab monsters.

This information, the black cat had no need to reveal, but to ease Luo's wariness, it chose to share some of it.

After all, a Nen beast is still a Nen beast. Despite not having to obey commands, born in a special way, and being able to become an individual, it must still rely on a Nen user. However intelligent, it can never become a completely independent life form.

But precisely because of its intelligence, knowing this makes it discontent, and from that discontent, it wants to try and challenge the heavens.

In a way, the Qi-rich black cat is like an invisible bodyguard for Luo, and its existence is directly linked to Luo the person.

Biscuit, watching Luo and the black cat, still thought their relationship was very peculiar, because she also had a Nen beast, and the comparison highlighted the black cat's uniqueness.

Luo, reflecting on the black cat's sudden act of murder, thought of some things and summoned a book without any warning, holding it in his hand.

The book automatically turned pages to the recently blackened pages, adding four pages—one for the crab monster and three for the recently deceased.

After confirming, Luo silently put away the book, then coldly looked at the black cat.

Whether it

's the new pages or the pages turning black, he would know immediately without summoning the book, but the black cat killing the crab monster and those three people didn't prompt the book.

Facing Luo's increasingly somber gaze, the black cat raised its paws in a gesture of surrender, seriously saying, "I'll tell you what you want to know when we get back. It's not appropriate now."

Because there's still an outsider here not allowed to be killed.

Luo nodded slightly. He didn't ignore Antomu's presence, but he already knew the initiative was in his hands, and the black cat's previous air of importance was mostly a pretense, including the talk about the Dark Continent, perhaps trying to gain the upper hand.

In fact, from the moment the black cat saved him and from its reaction after Luo's thought of eliminating it, it was clear.

Biscuit suddenly reached out and grabbed the black cat's head, then lifted it, curiously saying, "Luo, your Nen beast is really special."

The black cat, obediently lifted by Biscuit, looked utterly dejected.

If described in game levels, it had consumed some of Luo's Qi, leveling from Lv1 to Lv2, but to Biscuit, it was like a Lv60 or higher big boss, utterly powerless.

"Mm, if the master's in a bad mood, you can use it to vent. Women, after all, have that... cough." Luo caught himself just in time, confirming his initiative, and accepting the black cat's presence.

As a Nen beast... the black cat indeed stood out as unique.

Biscuit only noticed the first half of what Luo said, her eyes lighting up as she smiled slightly, "Not bad."

Seeing Biscuit's meaningful smile, the black cat's heart pounded, feeling despair.

"Can you transform? Can you become a harp?" Luo looked at the black cat, suddenly asking.

"No." The black cat immediately denied.

"He's lying." Biscuit, who loved to lie and was also a master at detecting lies, saw through the black cat from its fleeting facial expression as it answered.

"Can you or can you not?" Luo looked at Biscuit first, then stared at the black cat, asking again.

Under pressure, the black cat nodded honestly.

"Then transform." Luo said.

"I won't." The black cat's only advantage was its autonomy; it didn't have to obey Luo's commands.

Unmoved, Luo pointed at a piece of crab claw meat, saying, "Garlic steamed crab with vermicelli."

The black cat hesitated.

Luo continued, "I only want one-fifth, the rest is all yours."

The black cat bit its lip, deciding that eating was more important than its momentary pride, and nodded in agreement.

Seeing the black cat agree, Luo had Biscuit release it. The black cat's form turned into a black mist, and in an instant, it transformed into a small black harp.

In a sense, this transformation ability was really convenient, though it seemed limited by the size of the harp.

Thinking this, Luo picked up the harp, which had transformed from the black cat, ready to play the first movement of the Dark Sonata on the harp.

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