Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 309 (Patreon)

Chapter 309: Hurry

Luring the swarm of bees with a faint scent to attack the Seiren Squad and then using the stench of the rotting flowers to avoid them, Luo lay in wait on the outskirts. If he spotted an opening under the onslaught of the bees, he wouldn't hesitate to strike.

Each strike was quick, retreating immediately, successful or not. When there was no opportunity, he never struck rashly, minimizing the risk as much as possible.

Not even a minor injury was acceptable!

Even if the carefully prepared peril did not yield results, Luo would not allow himself to get hurt easily. Being outnumbered, he knew each injury pushed him closer to death.

By the time only a dozen bees remained, Luo decisively retreated, disappearing quickly into the forest with a few leaps, leaving behind the frustrated members of the Seiren Squad.

Utilizing the bee swarm to create an opportunity, Luo managed to eliminate two magical beasts and one member of the Seiren Squad. The efficiency was terrifyingly low; after all, the enemy was numerous and unified like a fortress, hard to take a bite out of.

"It will have to be a slow grind."

Luo quickly departed, heading towards the direction of the beehive.

Using the information about the forest’s creatures he had obtained through the White Smoke Font, he had laid this trap. On one hand, it was to strike at the enemy, and on the other, to take the opportunity to retrieve honey from the hive.

Passing robust trees, Luo arrived at a basketball court-sized wasteland, dominated by a three-to-four-meter-tall mound. Scattered bones of unidentifiable creatures lay on the ground around it.

That pitted, enormous mound was the yellow jacket's nest.

Knowing that both the soldier and worker bees were absent, Luo approached directly and slashed at the mound, cutting to the chase.

"Hiss!"

As Luo shaved away much of the mound, a hissing sound emerged from within, filled with anger and fear—the queen bee's cry.

Ignoring the hissing, Luo did not specifically target the queen bee; his goal was the honey.

Soon, the mound was mostly destroyed, revealing much of the queen bee's bloated body, and he located where the yellow jackets stored their honey.

Ignoring the queen's bulky body and her cries, Luo took a large leaf he had casually torn off and covered the honey, which resembled amber, then dug out a large chunk with his hands.

The yellow jacket's honey, both in appearance and traits, was much like maltose but wasn't sticky.

With the honey wrapped in leaves, Luo left the scene content, leaving behind the desolate remains of the hive.

He didn't kill the queen bee, for the yellow jackets were a rare species; to eliminate one colony meant one less existed. Getting the honey was satisfaction enough, akin to fishing—catch the big, leave the small.

Late at night, Luo carefully avoided the Seiren Squad's search and returned to the cave where Sanbica was located.

Once night fell, even if the moon was bright outside, the cave’s unique structure made it pitch dark inside.

"You're back."

Sanbica said instinctively upon seeing Luo return.

There was something particularly melodic about her statement, though Luo seemed not to notice.

Startled for a moment, Luo used the long-lasting light from his mobile phone to see Sanbica's usual expression and responded with a nod.

He sat down on a pile of hay, placing the phone beside him, using it as a light bulb.

The mobile phones of the Hunter World, though lacking solar charging capabilities, had exceptionally long battery life, making them a top choice among professional hunters.

Putting down his phone, Luo then took out the green leaf-wrapped honey and two small twigs.

"What’s this?" asked Sanbica curiously, having smelled the sweet fragrance of nectar from the moment Luo returned to the cave.

"Honey, but it's more like maltose."

Luo smiled as he unfolded the leaves, revealing a solid lump of honey that looked very much like amber.

With the leaf opened, the sweet fragrance became even more pronounced.

"Maltose?" Sanbica looked puzzled; she knew of honey but not maltose.

From her reaction, it seemed that while maltose might exist in the Hunter World, she was unaware of it.

"It's a kind of sweet." Luo explained as he picked up a twig.

Maltose seemed to be a distant memory from his childhood.

When he was young, there would be an old man wearing a straw hat, riding a bicycle with a long rectangular metal box on the rear seat.

Whenever the old man’s call echoed through the streets, a swarm of children would run to him and crowd around.

That rectangular metal box contained maltose.

Black Cat zipped over, staring at the honey without moving, saliva nearly dripping.

Luo glanced at him, then pinched a

 small lump of the honey, resembling maltose, and mimicked the old man's movements, winding it around the twig. He slowly spun it, forming a maltose ball with clear layers, then handed it to Sanbica.

"The taste and texture should be different from regular honey," Luo smiled.

"Eat it directly?" Sanbica asked.

Luo nodded. "Think of it as a lollipop."

Sanbica's eyes widened slightly, like a kitten; she tentatively licked the honey, paused, then licked it several more times.

She really treated it like a lollipop...

Luo thought, but then he heard Sanbica say, "It's delicious."

"Try biting into it," Luo suggested.

Upon hearing this, Sanbica put the honey in her mouth, bit down, and slowly began to chew, her mouth filling with sweetness.

"Is it sticky?" Luo asked, watching Sanbica's cheeks puff out slightly.

"Not at all," Sanbica shook her head, saying, "It doesn’t quite taste like honey."

"Well, think of it as maltarse," Luo smiled, wrapping another twig for himself to taste.

This honey, though graded between C and B, was hard to come by and was a rare natural treat.

Black Cat watched tightly, too timid to ask for some.

"Hum."

After Luo wrapped a maltose stick, his phone vibrated slightly; he picked it up to find a message from Machi.

"Coming? Good."

After reading the message, a hint of pleasure flashed in Luo's eyes.

Despite having the upper hand these past few days, he knew he couldn't completely eradicate his enemies quickly, and without resolving them, he couldn't take Sanbica away from Devil Island.

Now, with Machi and the others’ help, he could increase the efficiency of killing enemies, resolving this major trouble sooner.

Luo pressed the keys on his phone, describing his current location roughly, and compiling the information about the enemies he had.

As he was about to send it, Luo suddenly looked at the honey in his left hand, made a scissors gesture, then took a photo with his phone, added a line of description, and sent it all together.

Somewhere on the grasslands of Devil Island, Machi picked up the phone, letting the others look.

The group surrounded the phone, scrolling to the bottom, only to see a photo with a line of text below.

【Hurry, there’s delicious honey here!】

Seeing the photo and its remark, the group fell silent.

Was their worry unfounded?

• Please take a moment to rate this novel at Novelupdate.

Table of content - Next Chapter >>>