The hunters came silently, and the hunters left just as silently.
Asterion hadn't managed to detect these fellows who were skilled at using all kinds of methods to hide themselves before a hunt began. In fact, he was currently worried about one problem: What if he suddenly grew fish scales?
He now had a relatively clear understanding of his own stomach. Asterion was certain that he could digest and absorb everything he ate completely, leaving no indigestible residue, and at the same time, he could extract the essence of the food as much as possible to improve himself.
Take, for example, the mineral secretions covering his carapace. They originally appeared intermittently on his shell, like small patches of plum blossoms. But with Asterion's daily persistence in finding mineral veins to eat, these mineral secretions... ugh, they still hadn't fully connected and completely covered his carapace.
There was no helping it. Asterion hadn't been able to find enough mineral veins; resource scarcity was the issue.
However, he believed that as long as he continued to search and eat, he would eventually wear a layer of incredibly defensive steel armor.
In previous validation experiments, Asterion had selectively eaten at least dozens of Gargwa, small creatures with little ability to fight back but possessing the required mobility and jumping power of their kind.
Asterion felt that his legs had become more flexible and his jumping power stronger after eating so many Gargwa—alright, it was only a slight feeling. He couldn't even be sure if this sensation was due to the growth of his physical body.
Asterion did have some theories about this peculiar ability: it must be a matter of either winning by quality or winning by quantity. Only then could he ensure his body absorbed enough material or energy for evolution.
So, the problem arose: he had just eaten a Jyuratodus that could be rated as small-gold size, containing life energy that met the standards for a superior large monster. What if he grew fish scales or fins, or his body surface started secreting mucus and he began playing in the mud?
The appearance of the Jyuratodus did not meet Asterion's aesthetic standards, nor did the Jyuratodus's strength. It was a double negation.
When Asterion stood on the corpse of the Jyuratodus, half-full... well, after eating most of the nutritious fat and muscle, rational thought once again took over, and he began to worry about this issue.
The more he thought about it, the itchier he felt all over. More than fear, it was rejection.
Asterion rejected the excellent characteristics that the Jyuratodus had evolved over millions of years. For the Jyuratodus, these were the skills it relied on to survive, but Asterion didn't need them.
Considering that the mineral secretions appearing between the heat-radiating fins on his back were spreading according to his will and were not clogging the heat vents, Asterion was somewhat able to calm down.
"I'll just observe for now."
After rinsing his mouth to wash away the blood, Asterion took a leisurely stroll back toward his lair. After defeating this Jyuratodus, he had, in a sense, become the small overlord of this area. If not for the fact that Rathalos often came here to drink and forage, he would have even wanted to bring his Kulu-Ya-Ku brother over to live.
It would be closer for egg stealing.
Oh, right, he almost forgot about the Barroth that often came to the Flower Field Marsh area to compete with the Jyuratodus for territory. That thick-headed brute was also a factor of instability.
Shaking his head, Asterion gave up the idea of moving. Instead, he charged into the Aptonoth nest, forcefully snatched an egg, and then strode away.
A Glavenus carrying an egg.
He had eaten well, so he had to bring something back for his Kulu-Ya-Ku brother.
If his Kulu-Ya-Ku brother didn't only love eating eggs and never ate meat, Asterion would have even wanted to bring back a piece of the Jyuratodus's swim bladder for him.
"Guga?"
Receiving the Wyvern Egg Asterion had brought back, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother was momentarily confused—shouldn't he be the one stealing eggs to feed it?
Could the fledgling he was feeding also steal eggs now?
Yes, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother was able to realize that Asterion was just a fledgling, and through their long-term cooperation, he also realized that he was stealing eggs to feed a fledgling.
He didn't know where the fledgling's mother had gone, but in the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother's perception, he was like the chick's bird-mom. This was why he used to work extra hours every day, taking risks and enduring exhaustion to steal a few more eggs to bring back.
But now, the fledgling he was raising could steal eggs too?
This was the inheritance of the Kulu-Ya-Ku spirit!
"Guga!!!"
Erm, of course, Asterion couldn't understand profound concepts like spiritual and cultural inheritance, but the act of Asterion bringing back an egg undoubtedly touched the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother deeply. It hopped around Asterion, constantly patting Asterion's abdomen with the feathers near its foreclaws.
"Roar!"
Slightly impatiently, Asterion used the side of his Bladed Tail to push the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother away. He found the guy a bit too noisy. Couldn't it just eat quietly?
The answer was no.
The Kulu-Ya-Ku brother finally quieted down after a good while of fussing, holding the egg Asterion had brought back and eating it.
A moment later, Asterion, who was resting curled up on the ground, opened his eyes at the sound of movement. He saw his Kulu-Ya-Ku brother holding the leftover egg in front of him—still the same as always, only eating the yolk and not the egg white.
"Roar." (Sigh.)
Sighing, Asterion didn't say anything more. He quickly ate the rest of the Wyvern Egg in three mouthfuls, not even leaving the shell.
Give it to me! I need the calcium!
From that day on, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother left the nest less frequently, and the number of eggs it stole returned to three or four. However, Asterion had no complaints about this; instead, he occasionally brought back an egg for his Kulu-Ya-Ku brother when returning from a hunt.
Life, for a time, had become quite pleasant.
Whether willing or not, life constantly urges us forward. Dragons equip themselves, set out, trek, hunt, settle down, and wherever they stop, a flame will ignite... From the migration of individual life to the capture and cutting of ingredients, from the change in cooking methods to the flow of dragon destinies, the hurried footsteps of dragons and food have never ceased.
The feelings a human has for food are often nostalgia, sentimentality, and a longing for the taste of childhood. This is even truer for a young Glavenus.
Sitting crouched in the cave, Asterion curved his long Bladed Tail and placed it horizontally. His Bladed Tail, which usually reflected a greenish-blue and brilliant red sheen in the sun, was now burnt to a deep red color, like a glowing iron block.
Sizzle, sizzle, crackle, crackle.
The temperature was not high; Asterion intentionally controlled the heat of his Bladed Tail, as if he were holding a hot iron pan.
In the "pan," a large piece of meat, cut into squares, was currently sizzling with oil. It was marbled with fat and lean meat, and its bright red color signified its freshness. Muscle fibers occasionally twitched, as if it were still intact on its owner's body.
What he was eating was this burst of fresh vitality. Just looking at it, Asterion's saliva was about to start dripping.
But he couldn't rush it; deliciousness always requires patience to sculpt.
"Roar!" (Hurry, hurry!)
"Gak!"
Upon hearing Asterion's urging, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother cautiously walked to the side of Asterion's weakly-heated Bladed Tail. In its hand, it held several large red mushrooms. These were the best seasonings Asterion could find in the Wildspire Waste: Nitroshrooms.
These mushrooms are rich in Fire-elemental energy and possess unique medicinal value, but what Asterion loved most was the explosive impact they gave upon biting into them—no, he should say they literally exploded in his mouth!
They were a rare delicacy even for a dragon's palate, and they were also beneficial for the body.
Rubbing its two foreclaws together incessantly, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother didn't take long to crush the Nitroshrooms in its hands and sprinkle them evenly on one side of the meat block.
But the Glavenus chef's pursuit of food did not stop there. The Kulu-Ya-Ku brother quickly turned around and brought over two more brown mushrooms. In the game, these mushrooms are called Mandragora.
To humans, the taste might be somewhat bitter, but for the Glavenus, eating it added a unique flavor and contained a massive amount of vitality.
Still the same process: crush them and sprinkle them evenly.
"Roar!" (Flip the meat!)
Although he wasn't a Mammal [a monster name from a different game], Asterion could still flip the pan... flip the tail.
With a light roar, the Glavenus chef made a swift drawing motion with his blade. At the angle deliberately controlled by his Bladed Tail, the meat block, which was sizzling with oil as it fried, flipped over in mid-air and landed back on the Bladed Tail.
This time, Asterion didn't need to remind the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother. It quickly fetched a few more mushrooms, crushed them, and sprinkled them evenly on the other side of the meat block.
Under the effect of high temperature, moisture was rapidly evaporating, but this didn't mean it would be burned to charcoal. On the contrary, fat was quickly seeping out. Meat full of vitality was harder to cook than ordinary meat, and for Asterion, this waiting process was more like an agony.
It didn't take long for the fat on the edge of the meat block to start turning an inviting golden-yellow. The lean meat section slowly tightened under the heat, becoming firmer and more elastic, with increasingly clear textures.
The aroma currently wafting out was so enticing that even the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother, who only ever ate eggs, couldn't help but swallow.
And when the surface of the meat block was thoroughly roasted to a golden crisp, the Glavenus chef ceased the heating action on his Bladed Tail.
"Roar, roar!!" (Glavenus Golden Roasted Meat! Complete!)
The Kulu-Ya-Ku brother naturally didn't understand that this was the time for applause and fanfare, but it didn't matter. Asterion was already impatient to shove this piece of meat into his mouth.
Placing the meat block on a clean stone surface, Asterion deftly cut it into two pieces, a large one and a small one. The small one was for the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother. Whether it ate it or not, Asterion would always reserve a portion for him.
And then, it was one big gulp for himself.
Reluctant to swallow, he kept chewing it in his mouth. Raw meat and cooked meat had completely different aromas, as if a door had opened to a world of deliciousness. The crispy skin was torn apart in the first instant, followed by the fusion of the tender, juicy lean meat and the melt-in-your-mouth fat on the tip of his tongue: rich, and sweet.
Accompanied by the mineral secretions from his Bladed Tail soaking in during the grilling, and the explosive flavors of the Nitroshrooms and Mandragora... it was simply too wonderful.
The long-missed cooked food made Asterion feel an impulse to cry, and not just because of the sweet taste.
Yes, Asterion knew his cooking skills weren't great, yet even so, the cooked food he made was this delicious.
For a moment, Asterion even felt an urge to cross the ocean and request hunters to cook meat for him.
But then, reason told him that if he didn't want to become hunter equipment material, he shouldn't rashly do so.
And why go to the Old World? There would be hunters in the New World eventually, but how to safely communicate with them was another problem...
If only I could eat seasoned roasted meat every day.
His mouth was still chewing on the meat, but Asterion's thoughts had already drifted off to who knows where.
The most important thing is strength, after all, right? If he had the power of an Elder Dragon, he wouldn't need to fear being captured by hunters—even being captured, studied, and then released was not acceptable to Asterion.
Don't let the fact that he was a cunning Glavenus, the kind scorned by other Glavenus, fool you. Asterion had his own pride!
"Guga!!"
A sudden shriek snapped Asterion out of his fantasy. He turned his head and saw his Kulu-Ya-Ku brother screeching with its neck outstretched—as if something was stuck in its throat.
Turning his head back, Asterion saw that the small piece of meat originally placed on the stone was gone.
Good. The situation was clear.
Asterion quickly tried to slap the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother's back... its neck, with his Bladed Tail, but stopped abruptly when he saw the tail was still sizzling. In the end, he could only lean over and quickly shake the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother's neck with his small foreclaws.
"Gak! Gagagaga! Gaga—cough gak!!"
It was somewhat difficult, but with Asterion's strong help and the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother's own effort, it finally spat out the piece of meat.
"Roar, roar, roar." (Sorry, I think I cut it a little too big.)
Shaking his head awkwardly, Asterion had thought the small piece he cut off was small enough for the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother, but it seemed it was still too large.
No more words were needed. Wielding his Bladed Tail again, he cut the small piece of meat even smaller, and then Asterion signaled that the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother could continue eating.
"Guga? Guga!"
The experience of almost choking just now left the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother somewhat shaken. It eyed the tiny meat piece on the ground warily, but after much hesitation, it lowered its head and bit it with its blunt beak before finally swallowing it.
"Gugu! Gagagaga!!"
"Roar, roar? Roar, roar, roar!" (See? It's delicious, isn't it?! I knew what I made couldn't possibly taste bad!)
Seeing the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother fan its foreclaws excitedly after eating the meat, Asterion let out a sigh of relief and couldn't help but laugh heartily.
Sharing delicious food always brings joy to a dragon, and it was even better when his brother liked what he liked.
The Glavenus chef's first challenge: Success!
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