Style

Stepping out of the forest directly, he calmly and naturally faced Moro's gun.

This was Benjamin's attitude, devoid of any hostility.

Moro didn't lower his pistol, and the Nen in his left hand remained ready, but he didn't ignore Benjamin's friendly gesture.

"Moro, Treasure Hunter."

Given the completeness of the other party's self-introduction, Moro temporarily gave himself the title of Treasure Hunter.

Benjamin nodded, then pointed at the three corpses on the ground and said:

"I'm not here to hold anyone accountable, and it's a bit obvious to ask, but I still need to confirm, Moro, these people… did you kill them?"

"……"

Moro was silent for a moment, subtly glancing at Benjamin's shadow, then very frankly admitted, "I killed them."

Given the scene, any attempt to conceal it would be redundant.

Upon hearing this, Benjamin nodded again and said lightly, "A few poachers, good riddance."

He easily identified the three corpses and then shifted his gaze to the white deer beside them, saying, "Horned Giant Deer, a B-class forbidden creature. It's been circulating frequently on the black market recently, which is why I'm here."

"Oh?"

Moro caught the implication in Benjamin's words and asked calmly, "That should be the job of a Professional Hunter, right?"

"That's correct."

A smile appeared on Benjamin's face as he explained, "But those of us who deal with ingredients often have a responsibility to protect the environment. If we encounter poachers out in the wild, we naturally won't turn a blind eye."

"So… you came specifically for them?"

Moro's peripheral vision flickered towards the corpses on the ground.

For Gourmet Hunters, all ingredients are sourced from nature, thus they bear the responsibility of protecting nature.

It made some sense that a team of poachers would be targeted by Gourmet Hunters who frequently roamed deep mountains and old forests.

However, Benjamin shook his head, "Not entirely."

"Hmm?"

Moro looked at Benjamin.

Benjamin, completely unconcerned by Moro's still-raised pistol, walked directly towards the white antlers that had been cut off by the poachers.

"Look, this is good stuff."

Casually taking the intertwined antlers, which resembled coral, Benjamin's eyes lit up.

Seeing this, Moro raised an eyebrow slightly.

Benjamin weighed the antlers slightly, then looked at Moro:

"If it weren't for you, I would have killed these poachers after tracking them here. Of course… I would have truthfully handed over the already-poached items on the ground to the local forest rangers, but these Horned Giant Deer…"

Benjamin paused here, his expression becoming extremely serious: "They absolutely cannot be wasted."

"……"

Moro's eyes widened in surprise, and he couldn't help but wonder if Benjamin had been hiding in the shadows observing from the very beginning.

After all, Gourmet Hunters often hunted various rare ingredients in deep mountains and old forests. If nothing else, their 'Zetsu' techniques would certainly be very skilled.

And Benjamin's motive for doing this was to give himself an excuse to taste the Horned Giant Deer.

Benjamin saw Moro's reaction. He drew a boning knife carved from a blood-red ore from his waist sheath and asked while carving the antlers, "Moro, you're not thinking… that I deliberately hid and waited until the poachers finished hunting the Horned Giant Deer before showing up, all for these antlers, are you?"

"I didn't say that."

Moro denied it immediately, but his gaze fell on the blood-red boning knife in Benjamin's hand.

Under the silvery moonlight, he could clearly see the wisps of Nen on the boning knife.

That Nen did not originate from Benjamin but was attached to the boning knife.

Without a doubt, this uniquely shaped boning knife was a Nen object, and the Nen attached to it was not weak in precision.

Hearing Moro's words, Benjamin's carving speed increased, and he frankly admitted, "But I was indeed waiting deliberately."

Moro's gaze lifted, looking at Benjamin with some surprise.

He claimed to have a responsibility to protect the environment, but in reality, just as Moro had predicted, it was all for the sake of eating a B-class forbidden creature…

With that thought, Moro silently retreated, increasing the distance between himself and Benjamin.

Noticing Moro's movement, Benjamin stopped carving and said slowly, "No need to be so surprised. I'm a Professional Hunter… Whether it's by any means necessary or rationalizing my actions, I will do whatever it takes to get what I want."

As he spoke, he held up the antler to Moro. One of the horns had its hard outer layer removed, revealing a jelly-like substance inside.

"Even on the black market, this kind of thing isn't easily bought. Believe me, this is a top-tier ingredient that would drive every Gourmet Hunter mad. If you miss out on it, I guarantee you'll regret it for the rest of your life. So… want to share?"

"No, thank you."

Moro refused without a second thought, not caring about Benjamin's reaction. He finally put his pistol away and immediately picked up the backpack filled with food and tools.

He wasn't sure if Benjamin was a licensed Professional Hunter, but he had already classified the other man as an anomaly.

All he wanted now was to get further and further away from such an anomaly.

There was no way he would stay here to eat the Horned Giant Deer's antlers with him.

"You really aren't eating?"

Benjamin asked again, his eyes calm, his tone neither warm nor cold.

Moro shook his head, then pointed to the poached goods scattered on the ground and said:

"I'll leave these for you to take credit for, including these three poachers. You can claim the merit for yourself, and use their bodies as cover for consuming a B-class forbidden creature. Anyway, whatever you want to do has nothing to do with me."

"Then I won't be polite."

Benjamin smiled and resumed carving the antlers.

Moro nodded, slung the backpack over his shoulder, and then slowly retreated towards the forest, facing Benjamin.

Benjamin was aware of Moro's constant high level of vigilance and watched him retreat calmly.

After a short while.

Moro retreated to an open space adjacent to several large trees and gave Benjamin a deep look.

A Professional Hunter who stops at nothing...

Slowly withdrawing his gaze, Moro turned and walked into the forest, disappearing within moments.

Benjamin stared at the gap in the forest where Moro had vanished. His original intention was to make Moro an accomplice in consuming the B-class forbidden ingredient together.

Unfortunately, he hadn't succeeded in persuading him.

So, for a moment, Benjamin had seriously considered keeping Moro there.

However, the thought came and went as quickly as it appeared.

He could tell that Moro was the type who lacked trust in outsiders, likely due to frequently dealing with people who were two-faced.

Therefore, without sufficient understanding, Moro was able to maintain a fitting sense of boundaries.

"What a waste of good goods."

Benjamin narrowed his eyes, a strange premonition filling his mind.

Perhaps they would meet again...

The Third Princess has been renamed Eve, for your awareness.

However, I believe you will all forget the Third Princess's name in a few days, haha!

Speaking of which, I overslept again today. I slept from afternoon to evening and was finally dragged out of bed by my alarm. I'm still not in the right state, and I feel very sleepy right now.