Love Bento

"It's starting to feel more and more like a game where you fight monsters and level up."

The thought made him smile.

Then his gaze fell on the Wild Bull Leader's massive, hill-like corpse, and a glint of eagerness flashed in his eyes.

Improving his level required a tremendous amount of energy, and high-level monster meat infused with magic was undoubtedly an excellent source.

The Octopus Monster meat from before had been far more filling and replenished his energy much better than ordinary food.

The meat from this D-Rank leader was sure to be even higher quality!

"Captain," Xu Feng asked, unable to hold back, "can I take some of this Wild Bull meat home to eat?"

"Beef? Of course." Piao Zhi Yong nodded readily. "The horns, heart, certain special bones, and the magic core are valuable materials that need to be turned in or distributed. You can take as much of the remaining meat as you want, but..."

He glanced at Xu Feng's sturdy build and reminded him, "This kind of monster meat has a high concentration of magic. If ordinary people eat too much, they'll have trouble digesting it, or even suffer from magic overload.

"You're a physical-type hunter, so you should be able to digest it better, but don't eat too much at once.

"Also, the meat is tough and resistant to heat, so it's hard to cook well. People usually just roast it quickly and eat it half-raw. It ends up tough and chewy, and not many people like it."

"Got it! Thanks, Captain!" Xu Feng's face lit up with delight.

Without hesitation, he walked over to Jin Shan. "Brother Jin Shan, can I borrow your weapon?"

"Oh, sure." Jin Shan looked a little puzzled, but handed over the giant, door-sized sword.

Xu Feng gripped it with both hands and lined up his swing against a relatively intact hind leg of the Wild Bull Leader. Then his sword flashed again and again!

In just a few strokes, he had cut off a huge bone-in piece of beef, nearly two meters across and more than half a meter thick!

He quickly wrapped it in the heavy oilcloth he'd prepared and tied it up. After testing its weight, he nodded in satisfaction, then hoisted it onto his back with some effort.

The enormous hunk of meat nearly covered his entire upper body.

The others watched him at work, speechless.

"Xiao Feng... this Wild Bull meat really doesn't taste good. It's gamey and tough. Why'd you take such a huge piece?" Mai Xiao Wen asked curiously.

But when her gaze landed on Xu Feng's handsome profile, flushed slightly from carrying the heavy load and all the more lively for it, her heart gave a little jump, and her cheeks warmed. Her voice softened without her meaning to.

"If... if you like beef, tomorrow... tomorrow I could buy some fresh, ordinary beef and cook it for you to try..."

"Wow! Getting ready to make him a love bento already?"

Luna had appeared beside them at some point. She hooked an arm around Mai Xiao Wen's shoulders and teased her with a knowing grin.

Mai Xiao Wen was already shy, and Luna's teasing made her cheeks turn as red as a ripe apple.

She gave Luna a light, embarrassed punch, but didn't deny it. Instead, she murmured in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz:

"A hunter should dare to love and hate... If you meet someone you like, what's wrong with taking the initiative..."

"Thanks for the offer, Sister Xiao Wen!" Xu Feng seemed not to notice Mai Xiao Wen's girlish shyness.

He flashed a neat row of white teeth, his smile sunny and open. Scratching the back of his head, he said a little sheepishly:

"But I'm planning to go home for dinner tomorrow. Mom said she'd make me some old hen soup, and she specifically told me I had to come back."

At that, a hint of disappointment flickered through Mai Xiao Wen's eyes. She stamped her foot lightly, but kept her gaze fixed on Xu Feng.

Afterward, the team made one final sweep and inspection of the entire dungeon.

Once they confirmed that no monsters remained and no valuable resources had been overlooked, they returned to the present world through the portal.

Before leaving, Xu Feng looked at the other Wild Bull corpses on the ground. After a moment's hesitation, he dragged over another, relatively intact Wild Bull and wrapped it in a second piece of oilcloth.

Now the load on his back was even more astonishing.

The two bulging bundles nearly swallowed him whole. As he walked, he looked like a moving mountain of meat.

After saying goodbye to Piao Zhi Yong and the others, Xu Feng left alone.

It was now two in the morning, and all was silent.

His father, Xu Shan, had long since finished work and gone home to rest.

Xu Feng had also told his parents that afternoon that he had a mission that night and would be home late.

The Hunter Association was about ten kilometers from their home in Guanghua Residential Area.

With Xu Feng's current stamina, he could make it home in under half an hour if he ran at full speed.

But he didn't plan to go straight home just yet.

There was one more thing he needed to take care of.

The sewer where the Octopus Monster was hiding, so close to home.

He had to eliminate the potential threat as soon as possible, before it could grow into a bigger problem and endanger his family.

But before that...

Carrying the enormous bundles of meat, Xu Feng turned into the woods behind Guanghua Residential Area.

"Meow~~"

He sat down against a tree, rubbed Little Black's head as it suddenly sprang down from the canopy, and took out a hind leg from an ordinary Wild Bull, setting it in front of the cat.

Little Black meowed and immediately dug in, its eyes shining.

Xu Feng then set the bundle down beside his feet and fixed his gaze on the Attribute Panel, visible only to him.

"Add points!!!"