Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 318 (Patreon)

Chapter 318: Two Days

Being a hunter is inherently a high-risk profession, where life and death are commonplace, and losing limbs is nothing unusual.

Linne didn’t specifically mention the injuries of others; perhaps, in her view, this is a constant risk hunters must bear.

Night falls quickly on Devil Island. As dusk descends, the group boldly lights a bonfire at the edge of the dense forest.

Luo raises his right hand, summoning a black cat.

A silver flame tattoo on the back of his hand glows faintly, and the black cat emerges from it.

Luo looks at the black cat and commands, “Stand guard nearby and don’t let any creature approach us.”

The black cat glances at the large group, feeling that with so many people, its guard duty is unnecessary and intends to slack off. However, Luo’s next words, delivered in an unmistakably authoritative tone, leave no room for disobedience.

“I mean any creature. Go.”

After speaking, Luo turns sideways, looking into the darkness beyond the firelight.

The black cat looks at Luo’s profile, hesitates for a moment, then obediently runs off to patrol the vicinity.

Watching the black cat’s silhouette vanish into the darkness, Luo turns and walks towards Linne.

Machi and the others sit around the bonfire, with Sanbica attending to their injuries in order of severity.

Linne is seated cross-legged on a large boulder not far away, eyes closed in meditation. The aura emanating from her is extraordinarily calm, flowing very slowly, giving the impression of a lifeless object.

Sanbica has just finished treating Buhara’s injuries and glances at Luo walking towards Linne, while Buhara’s gaze also falls on Luo.

Not only Sanbica and Buhara, but Machi and the others also watch Luo. Even the most oblivious person could sense that something is off with Luo’s emotions.

Buhara gently presses his empty left shoulder with his right hand and says in a low voice, “Is the boss feeling guilty?”

“It’s me who should feel guilty,” Sanbica says, lowering her head and looking away from Luo’s back.

It was for her rescue that Buhara lost an arm, and Machi and the others also sustained injuries.

Buhara, hearing this, shows a puzzled expression and says, “It was my decision to come. Even if I lost my life, it has nothing to do with you.”

He naively believes that losing an arm is solely due to his own weakness.

Since it was his lack of strength that led to the injury, how could he blame others?

Sanbica, not adept at understanding others’ thoughts, can easily see through Buhara’s, and immediately shakes her head slightly before walking towards Uvogin.

Guilt and self-blame can only be suppressed temporarily; the urgent task at hand is to treat Machi and the others’ injuries.

Among the four, Buhara’s injury is the most severe, followed by Uvogin, then Nobunaga, and finally Machi.

Sanbica begins treating Uvogin. Nearby, Nobunaga pokes the fire with his broken sword, while Machi fiddles with a thin needle, staring dazedly at the flames.

Luo had once mentioned to her about using needles and nen threads for various purposes, including reattaching severed limbs.

If it were just sewing limbs back together, it wouldn’t be too difficult, but to also reattach nerves, blood vessels, and bones requires delicate control and precision, which she currently lacks.

Even if she could do it now, she couldn’t reattach Buhara’s severed limb because it had been eaten by an artificial beast.

Snap.

Sparks fly from the fire, the bright flames reflected in Machi’s eyes.

The battle two days ago highlighted many of their weaknesses. It was hard to imagine how Luo had protected Sanbica and dealt with the enemies during his time on the island.

At the boulder, Luo approaches, leaps up, and sits beside Linne.

Linne slowly opens her eyes. Her spirit remains weak, her gaze still dull, yet one can still feel her looking.

“Do you want to know the process?” Linne asks, looking at Luo.

“Yes,” Luo nods.

Linne pauses briefly before narrating the events, and Luo listens silently.

After hearing Linne’s account, Luo understands why, despite Linne’s presence, Buhara and the others were still injured. They had encountered the enemy’s main force in the plains area.

At that time, the green smoke had just begun to spread.

The enemies, unable to catch the elusive Luo, resorted to using large-scale biochemical weapons and withdrew their forces from the forest, coincidentally clashing with Linne’s group emerging from the plains.

Had Linne not displayed sufficient deterrence, the injuries would have been far worse. Judging by her complexion and spirit, both her body and mind had taken a toll.

Although similar in age to Chairman Netero, Netero’s vitality and physical condition far exceeded Linne’s.

“Those hybrids are indeed strong and troublesome. It’s impressive you managed to maneuver and fight them in a forest filled with toxins,” Linne remarks, staring at Luo’s impassive face.

“The forest has many useful things. For example, scattering sap from life-giving grass in certain areas to attract bees to harass the enemies, then seizing the opportunity to weaken their forces,” Luo explains.

“You’ve fought the artificial beasts and know how tough their defenses are. When they gather, even killing one becomes very difficult.”

Luo gazes at the moon in the night sky. He refers to them as artificial beasts, while Linne calls them hybrids.

“What about food sources?”

Linne’s eyes flash with curiosity. She wonders how a young Luo possesses such extensive knowledge to utilize the poisonous forest’s resources, but she is more curious about the food sources.

The forest on Devil Island is one of the hardest places to survive. Both plants and animals, even the smallest insects, are highly poisonous.

Even disregarding the fact that a universal antidote doesn’t exist, avoiding ubiquitous toxins is a significant challenge.

Given that even the Hunter Association’s information on Devil Island is scarce, survival there requires exceptional skills.

But the biggest challenge is food, with the ratio of edible to inedible items being terrifyingly low, especially when surrounded by formidable enemies who aren’t affected by the toxins and can consume the poisonous items as regular food.

“My ability can solve that,” Luo says. With God’s Hand, food is the easiest problem to solve.

Linne’s eyelids lift slightly. After a moment of silence, she asks, “I’m curious how you did it, and about the green smoke enveloping the forest. Can you explain?”

Luo continues to stare at the moon and nods. He briefly recounts his experiences after rescuing Sanbica, including the underground space and the void, referring to it as a humanoid bandage.

Listening to Luo, Linne remains silent for a long time, her raised eyelids pressing against the edge of her eye sockets, unwilling to lower.

The Dark Continent... the greatest regret of her life.

Neither Linne nor Luo speaks. On top of the boulder, silence prevails.

After a long while, Linne dials Netero’s number and asks, “How long until you arrive?”

“Approximately two days.”

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