Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 216 (Patreon)

Chapter 216: Stirring Up Trouble

The frequency of the thunder grew more intense, with flashes of lightning streaking across the sky every few seconds, momentarily illuminating the earth.

The rolling black clouds seemed increasingly menacing, yet it stubbornly refused to rain, and the misfortune toads would only emerge from the rocky mountains when it rained.

Individuals in raincoats were scattered throughout the Talmah Mountains, each like a lottery player waiting for the draw.

No one could predict where the misfortune toads would appear; they simply found a spot and waited for the rain. If luck was on their side, they might just encounter one.

At the bottom of the valley.

Biscuit was not surprised to see more and more people gathering on the mountain.

She knew these people were here for the misfortune toads that appeared during thunderstorms, and she had no interest in them.

Suddenly, an unguarded gaze fell on her. Instinctively, she followed the gaze back to its source.

Boom...!

The sound of thunder mingled with the flash of lightning.

In the brief flash of light, Biscuit's eyes met with Geru's. She was initially surprised, then quickly realized that Geru, given her profession, was probably here for the toxins of the happiness mushrooms and the misfortune toads.

"Hmm?"

Biscuit eyed Geru, who stood at the peak of the mountain. Her gaze flickered a few times, and an idea suddenly formed in her mind.

Misfortune toads were extremely rare; if spotted, they would become a hot commodity fought over by everyone.

If someone could quietly acquire a misfortune toad in this weather and leave unnoticed, it would be ideal. But if discovered by others, it would likely lead to chaos.

After seeing Geru, Biscuit’s mind became more active.

"Opportunity knocks at the door, why not take it?"

Biscuit then turned her gaze to Luo, who was deeply asleep on the ground, revealing her trademark sinister smile.

During this period, Biscuit’s demands on Luo had been extremely harsh. Even trivial issues were pointed out, not to cause harm, but to ensure that Luo would face less meaningless injuries and shed less meaningless blood in the future.

Biscuit knew she was accelerating his growth excessively, but she wouldn't always be by his side. Thus, she wanted to fully tap into Luo’s potential within the agreed time before she could leave with peace of mind.

Originally, Biscuit’s plan was to have Luo fight against various opponents in Heavens Arena before that. Up until now, she was the only one who had sparred with him, limiting his exposure to other opponents.

But now, an opportunity had literally walked up to their doorstep...

Biscuit had little regard for most of the people currently in the Talmah Mountains, but Geru was different.

Geru recognized Biscuit, and though puzzled why Biscuit was here, she didn’t think much of it and withdrew her gaze after a while.

If she knew Biscuit saw her as a sparring partner for Luo, who knows what she would think?

On the mountainside, a middle-aged man clad in animal skins hesitated for a long time but eventually decided not to go down the mountain to look for Luo. After all, it could start raining at any moment, and he didn’t want to miss the appearance of the misfortune toads.

That time in the Amarlo Jungle, Luo had effortlessly neutralized the deadly venom of the rot spider using a combination of two plants, impressing the middle-aged man with Luo's prowess, irrespective of his age.

Since then, the antidote for the rot spider venom was made public, causing quite a stir. Many people had inquired about Luo’s identity, but the man kept his lips sealed, knowing only Luo’s name.

"Is Luo here for the happiness mushrooms and misfortune toads too?" the middle-aged man wondered. He had only recently arrived at the Talmah Mountains, unaware that Luo had already been here for several months.

It was mid-December, and he had registered for this year’s Hunter Examination. He had stopped by the Talmah Mountains on the way at the invitation of a friend.

As time ticked by, the restless black clouds in the sky continued to rumble with thunder and flashes of lightning, yet the rain was delayed, casting an eerie atmosphere.

Lying on the ground, Luo suddenly opened his eyes. Ms. Cookie had already dissolved back into Biscuit's body.

After waking, Luo sat up and asked, “How long did I sleep?”

“Fifty minutes,” Biscuit replied.

Hearing this, Luo looked up at the sky. It had been almost an hour, and still, it hadn’t rained.

The fifty minutes of rest had restored about eighty percent of Luo’s energy, enough for him to spar with Biscuit in a downpour for an hour.

Luo stood

 up, stretching his neck and arms.

He noticed many people on the mountain, somewhat curious, but he didn’t care. Right now, he only valued his sparring session with Biscuit.

“How about we don’t wait for the rain? Shall we start now?”

After waiting a few more minutes without rain, Luo grew impatient.

Biscuit looked at Luo and suddenly said, “No training tonight. I have a task for you.”

“A task?” Luo was puzzled.

With a slight smile, Biscuit explained, “There’s a poisonous creature called the misfortune toad on Talmah Mountain, which only appears during thunderstorms. I want you to get one.”

Not capture, but acquire.

“What’s the use?” Luo frowned, not understanding why Biscuit wanted him to catch toads when he could be training instead.

“The toad itself isn’t useful, but the process of getting it is,” Biscuit said, looking towards where Geru was.

Luo followed Biscuit’s gaze and saw Geru in the flickering lightning. He immediately recognized her as a Nen user, though he couldn’t gauge her strength.

“That woman is formidable. If you want the toad, you’ll likely have to get past her,” Biscuit said as Luo noticed Geru.

Hearing this, Luo somewhat understood. Biscuit wanted to use the toad as an excuse to stir up trouble.

“Do you know that person?” Luo asked.

“She’s called Geru, a professional Hunter, quite capable,” Biscuit briefly explained.

Luo nodded, hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Really stir things up?”

“You’ve been holding back, right? Just go with the flow,” Biscuit replied with a sinister smile.

“But I feel like you… have ulterior motives,” Luo said uneasily.

Biscuit feigned an incredulous look, sadly saying, “Do you really not trust your own master?”

“No trust,” Luo firmly answered.

Biscuit’s face changed rapidly, her eyes glaring, “Anyway, I’ll be here waiting for you to come back.”

With those words dropped, Luo had no choice but to go, even if he didn’t want to.

“Yes, yes, yes.”

With a light sigh, Luo headed towards the mountain path.

Just then, after brewing for nearly an hour, the sky finally unleashed a torrential downpour, with countless large raindrops cascading down, heavily weighing on people’s shoulders.

The moment it started raining, everyone who had been waiting sprang into action.

Amidst the thunder and lightning, Biscuit watched Luo leave and then quietly followed.

How could she possibly wait here for Luo to return? If she didn’t stir up some trouble, how could the stormy night be lively?

Somewhere on the mountain, a shadow burst through the rock layer, revealing itself as a misfortune toad with claws as large as a millstone, its body covered with patterns resembling ancient coins. When it croaked, it stuck out a tongue like a snake's, deep blue in color.

At the same time, several other unassuming spots also saw the emergence of several toads.

Soon, two toads locked eyes and, without hesitation, began mating in the pouring rain.

In the sky, thunder roared; on the ground, passion flared.

Truly, a case of thunder sparks firing earth.

Focused on mating and thus perpetuating their lineage, the two toads were ecstatic, oblivious to someone spying nearby.

“What a spectacle!”

Halfway up the mountain, Luo watched the two toads, his face full of emotion.

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