The Ness frog meat was so tender that it practically melted with softness in my mouth. Even the taste of the Shell Grasshopper's was unexpectedly delicious, and their crunchiness was enjoyable.
Although human beings like Blacksmith-san claimed that it is pretty difficult to eat certain creatures, especially insects, Looking at me eating pretty much anything no matter the hardness was simply not something they could do. Thinking that, I had a little grin slip out, but that was all.
Delicious things are delicious. Mixing some of these items with rice would have been amazing. The vitality of these creatures simply oozed from the meat, making it all the more enjoyable.
The Kelpie meat was quite similar to horse meat, but there were subtle differences in taste. Though somewhat different, the subtle changes in taste weren't bad, simply delicious.
During the meal, several topics had risen and fallen.
In the middle of our discussions, suddenly a Crystal Crocodile shot out from the river behind me.
It is no foolish animal and understands the danger of the prey, thus it was waiting for the moment where it believed we were most vulnerable. It is certainly the king of the water within this forest.
The mouth boasts such enormity that not even an Ogre could compete with it. A Crystal Crocodile is ranked higher in strength than a normal Ogre, and there are several instances where a Crystal Crocodile has managed to kill several Ogres at once.
However, this surprise attack failed since I was aware of its presence the entire time.
Without even the slightest bit of panic, with [Presence Sensor], I did not even have to look behind me to gauge my opponent. I grabbed my halberd. In an instant, it was thrust in to the mouth of the beast, and the ability [Triple Strike] was activated. Faster than lightning, as if I had used an invisible blade, the monster was drilled with holes and instantly killed. At that point, I set out to collect its materials and began to slowly smoke its meat; the smell of the meat was enough to water the mouth. With the meat already semi cooked from the lighting from my halberd, it was quick to finish cooking.
Since the Crystal Crocodile's materials can sell for a fairly expensive price, I decided I would keep a large amount of it for sales later. Though, recently, I have let Dhammi-chan and Redhead to manage it so that they could improve their dissembling skills. After I gathered some materials for myself, I left the rest to them. The meat I took was from the tail, as many reptile's most valuable meat is in the tail.
Yeah, it was amazing. Gravy from the juicy meat filled my mouth, with that, my appetite grew several times greater, my body also feels amazing from the energy gained from such meat.
Ability unlocked [Crystal Crocodile's Armored Hide]
Ability unlocked [Crystal Crocodile's Sharp Fangs]
Ability unlocked [Predator of the Water]
Body and abilities enhanced at once, this is something that I was most pleased about.
I was satisfied and gave off a smile.
In this state, the Princess stared at me with a perplexed face.
It was something due to why I was so interested in hunting down so many different species, and why most of them target me specifically.
My answer was simply because I wanted to kill them, they wanted to kill me. Or something like that.
To kill and be killed, the stronger surviving and growing stronger. If there is a strong enemy, fight and kill that enemy to grow stronger. I eat them because I grow hungry, and that by eating them, I grow stronger. This is the law of nature, to which I comply with fully.
I avoid mentioning the fact that I eat everything to gain new abilities. In a sense, it is my responsibility having killed them to take their abilities. It almost seems like a ritual of mine at this point, no one of the group pays it any mind by now. Though thinking about it, my eating of the shells of my prey does appear weird to a normal eye.
After my explanations, the Princess became silent as if she was thinking about something; she even doned an amazed facial expression. I had mentioned that we all change as we grow stronger. It seemed that she was lost in thought around that point.
Well, it's probably not something along the lines of her growing suspicious of me, because she still happily rides on my shoulder.
For now, we kill any monsters that approach us and proceed through the forest.
Today's synthesis results:
[Dissonance] + [Panic Voice] = [Voice of Death]
[Shell Defense] + [Shell Retreat] + [Adamantine Spider's Carapace] = [Fuwa Castle Shell]
[Presence Interception] + [Recognized Interference] + [Sneaking] = [Recognition Difficulty]
[Surging Combat Instinct] + [Survival Instinct] = [Berserker Mode]