Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 362 (Patreon)

Chapter 362: Hira

The snowstorm was unprecedented in a century, lasting four or five days without any sign of stopping.

In this environment, even the black cat, despite its strong hunting abilities, couldn’t find suitable prey in a short time and only dug up a pile of poisonous berries buried in the snow.

In the harsh winter, only poisonous berries could survive; the edible ones had long been scavenged by animals.

With Luo's Nen abilities, detoxification was a small matter, and he could also remove the moisture from dry wood.

The black cat dropped the dry wood and berries before curling up in the flame crest, uninterested in the berries.

Luo used "God's Hand" to remove the moisture from the dry wood, placed it on a simple stone stove, and easily started a fire.

The gentle firelight filled the small cave, allowing Luo to see the woman on the haystack. She was younger than he imagined, probably not yet eighteen, a teenage girl.

The girl wore a yellow autumn dress with golden shoulder-length hair, a black headband with pink heart patterns on the ears.

Her bangs touched her eyebrows, her eyes were closed, hiding their color, and her nose and mouth were small, giving a sense of fragility.

Luo picked up a deep purple berry the size of a plum, removed the toxins, slightly crushed it, and dabbed it on the girl's lips.

The girl, in a semi-conscious state, felt the moisture on her lips and instinctively opened her mouth slightly.

Seeing this, Luo quickly crushed the berry into juice, bypassing the need for chewing, and fed it into the girl's mouth.

With the first successful feeding, Luo continued with the second and third berries...

The girl, both hungry and thirsty, greedily sucked in the precious life-giving liquid like a traveler in the desert.

Out of the sixty berries the black cat brought back, Luo fed her half before stopping. The girl seemed satisfied, a happy smile appearing on her closed eyes.

After feeding the girl, Luo sat by the fire, popping a berry into his mouth.

"Not bad."

The taste of the poisonous berries was surprisingly good, though they had little juice.

Luo quickly ate a dozen berries, then stopped when only a few were left, picking up a stick to idly poke at the fire.

The fire crackled, occasionally sending sparks flying, reflecting a glint in Luo's dark eyes.

The cave gradually warmed, the storm still raging outside, time slipping by.

Luo glanced at the woman on the haystack, murmuring in her sleep, wondering if she was dreaming now that she was full.

This area was rarely visited by people. Luo had only seen a small mountain village with few inhabitants. He wondered what courage this woman had to come alone to this remote wilderness with just a light outfit.

If she were a Nen user, Luo wouldn’t think much of it, but she was clearly an ordinary person, physically weaker than even Sasha in the Amarlo Jungle.

Should he admire her courage or call her foolish...

Two hours passed quietly. The girl woke up, suddenly sitting up, her gaze drifting forward like a high school girl woken by an alarm.

She blinked, tilting her head, frowning slightly as if trying to connect the fragments of sleep.

"Awake?"

Luo looked at the girl sitting on the haystack.

"Ah!"

Startled by Luo’s voice, the girl looked at him in shock, wanting to speak but unable to.

Her sluggish reaction made Luo sigh inwardly. He explained, "I came to this cave three hours ago and saw you faint from hunger. The snowstorm outside was severe, so I decided to stay."

Hearing Luo’s words, the girl blushed, holding her stomach, murmuring, "I thought it was a dream."

"What?" Luo asked.

"Nothing!" The girl waved her hands, asking, "Did you feed me?"

She dreamt of someone feeding her delicious food; it wasn't a dream.

"Yes." Luo nodded, "My name is Luo. What's yours?"

The girl whispered, "My name is Hira. Thank you for your help."

"Why did you come alone to this deep mountain forest?" Luo asked curiously.

"Training!" Hira replied.

"Training?" Luo looked at her in confusion.

"Yes, I want to become a professional hunter. I’m training for it!" Hira said.

Luo fell silent. He didn’t think Hira was training but rather risking her life. To train, at least one should be physically fit.

Since they were strangers, Luo wanted to offer some advice but feared upsetting Hira, so he kept silent.

"What about you? Why are you here?" Hira hugged her knees, looking at Luo in the firelight.

"I came for this year’s Hunter Test but got eliminated. I’m heading home." Luo replied.

Hira paused, then quickly comforted him, "You’ll definitely pass next year."

Luo smiled, "Thanks for your words."

Even if he took the test next year, he wouldn’t pass.

This thought stayed in his mind, unspoken.

"The snowstorm has been raging for days; it likely won’t stop soon." Luo looked at the snowstorm outside.

"Yes."

Hira nodded, still fearful, "The snowstorm came suddenly without warning. If I hadn't found this cave, I can't imagine the consequences."

As Hira said, the snowstorm came without warning, even catching the experienced village elder off guard. The storm's extent was unknown, and without proper preparation, it could easily take lives.

Hira was lucky to find a cave to shelter from the storm and meet Luo.

"I'll stay tonight and leave tomorrow." Luo suddenly said. He had planned to stay only one night, especially now with an additional person, causing inconvenience.

"What if the storm doesn’t stop tomorrow?" Hira asked.

Luo smiled, "The storm won't stop me."

Hira blinked, feeling the unquestionable confidence in Luo’s smile.

The two then chatted lightly.

Luo mentioned the Hunter Test, thinking Hira might find it interesting since she wanted to be a professional hunter.

Hira listened intently, sharing her mishaps during training, like getting lost and falling ten times in a day...

Hearing her stories, Luo doubted Hira's luck wasn’t maxed out. Anyone else would have died ten times over!

He shook his head slightly, tossing a poisonous berry to Hira on the haystack.

"Thanks." Hira caught the berry, biting into it without hesitation. Her eyes lit up, "Delicious!"

"Do you know this berry?" Luo asked.

Hira shook her head honestly, "No." She happily took another bite, unaware she was eating a poisonous berry.

Luo smiled wryly, feeling the need to explain the berry to Hira.

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