Gem Meat

"But... doesn't it require a strong physique as a foundation?"

"That's true, but it produces immediate results in improving combat strength. Interested in learning?"

"I am!"

Thor nodded solemnly. Now that he had lost his divine power and become mortal, he had to do everything possible to grow stronger if he wanted to protect the one he loved.

"No problem. Grandis!"

"Yo, Boss."

"Thor?" Grandis looked Thor over from head to toe, her eyes full of suspicion. "You're not even as good as Mumen Rider. Pathetic."

"My divine power is sealed right now. I'm just an ordinary person."

"Fine, but you there, you'd better think this through. I won't go easy on you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"We're just about to begin combat training. Come on."

"Combat training?! I haven't even learned the basics!"

"Feel Godhead Fist with your body. That's the fastest way to get started."

Grandis casually tossed her flask onto the grass and wiped her mouth. Her drunkenness instantly vanished.

A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in Thor's heart. Something about this felt very wrong.

Uchiha Sasuke and Mumen Rider, who had just finished training, stood nearby and gave him sympathetic looks.

Officially, she was guiding a newcomer. In reality, she had found herself a living punching bag.

The two took their stances on the field.

"I won't go easy on you just because you're a woman."

"Let me see what you've got, rookie."

"Ha!"

Thor roared and charged forward with a punch.

His attack was full of openings. Grandis easily saw through it despite only using the strength of an ordinary human. One uppercut struck his chin hard, sending him flying before he crashed heavily to the ground.

"You're way too weak. You're full of openings. Don't tell me you used to just flail around with Thor's power?"

"None of your business! Again!"

Thor wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and climbed to his feet.

He had to admit it: he had never encountered an evenly matched opponent before. He had either been crushed by someone like Odin, or faced mere fodder that he could deal with by swinging Mjolnir.

"Your fighting technique is garbage, and your physical ability is only thirty percent of Mumen Rider's. Other than being somewhat durable, you're useless."

"..."

Mumen Rider, who had been used as the unit of measurement for combat strength, secretly rejoiced. At least he was no longer at the bottom.

"He's yours."

"Don't worry. I'll beat him until he's half-dead, then heal him with divine arts."

"What the hell?!" Thor's eyes widened. "Can I call a stop now?"

"What do you think? Honestly, it's my first time beating up a god. This is really exciting."

"..."

"!"

"Stop! My back!"

"I surrender! I give up!"

"..."

Thor's heart-wrenching wails echoed through the training room.

His fighting skills were atrocious, and now even his bodily functions were restricted to a mortal level. Even an opponent like Mumen Rider could easily crush him. Yet divine lightning powerful enough to tear apart the heavens slumbered within him; Mjolnir had merely been a medium for guiding that power.

Tragically, he had long since become a slave to his hammer. Without his weapon, he was utterly helpless, let alone now, when even his divine power had been taken away.

"Stop! This is outright **!" Jane, who had been watching, rushed into the sparring area and forcibly interrupted Grandis's special training.

Thor lay sprawled on the ground, his face swollen like risen dough. His broken ribs stabbed painfully into his lungs. The slightest movement of his fingers sent waves of agony sweeping through his body—Asgard's prince had never experienced such humiliation.

"Don't be nervous. They're only superficial injuries." Grandis rolled her joints as though she had just finished warming up. "He'll have to undergo this kind of training every day from now on. He needs to get used to it sooner rather than later."

"Every day?!" Jane's voice rose sharply. Injuries like these would be enough to keep an ordinary person in intensive care for half a year. She absolutely could not let Thor remain in this devilish training ground.

"Calm down, **." A milky white glow spread across Grandis's palm. "Slow Healing."

Starlike holy light seeped into Thor's battered body. The bruising rapidly faded, and his bones let out faint sounds as they rejoined.

"We're leaving! She'll ** you to death!"

"No, I want to master Godhead Fist." Thor braced himself against the floor and rose with difficulty, determination blazing in his eyes. How could the god of war who had once conquered the Nine Realms be brought down by pain? Besides, he had indeed glimpsed the possibility of slaying gods within those techniques. If he reached the pinnacle, even Odin's Golden Palace would collapse beneath his fists.

"You're unbelievable—"

"Girl, when a man has made his choice, questioning him is the greatest insult."

"But her teaching method is practically abuse!"

"Pain is the most effective way to remember." Grandis shrugged indifferently. "I suggest you stay away, or you'll affect the rest of the training."

"I..."

"Jane, wait outside for me." Thor wiped the blood from his mouth. "I'll come find you when it's over."

The female scientist's clenched fists finally fell limply to her sides. As she turned away, she slammed the metal door hard enough to make it thunder.

She had only been worried about him, yet he had openly gone against her.

The more she thought about it, the angrier Jane became.

No one could underestimate the power a furious woman could unleash.

In a huff, Jane spun around and stormed out of the training room without looking back.

"Yo, your little girlfriend's gone feral."

"I'll go comfort her after training."

"All right, first, basic training—horse stance for an hour." Grandis gave the order casually, a mischievous glint flashing in her eyes. "And one more condition: master the basics of Godhead Fist in three days. If you fail..." She waved a pair of scissors that had appeared at some point. "You can say goodbye to that long hair of yours."

"Not a chance! Who dares touch my hair?!"

Thor's instant outburst was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Heaven knew how obsessed he was with that blond hair.

"That's not up to you."

Grandis cracked her knuckles and revealed a devilish smile. The gap in their current strength was enormous. If they really fought, Thor's thousand-year-long hair would probably hit the floor on the spot.

"Have a 'pleasant' training session." Li Chen took the delicate hand of the purple-haired girl. "We'll leave this place to them. Let's go outside."

"Mm... okay..."

The girl who had looked so valiant moments ago was now as docile as a house cat. Her burning palm carried an unfamiliar warmth, utterly different from the cold, hard hilt of a sword...

At the League of Heroes headquarters' most luxurious Hero Restaurant, rare ingredients from across the multiverse were gathered. It not only contained the finest delicacies of the modern world—Almas Caviar, 5** wagyu, bluefin tuna, Bresse chicken—but also fantastical ingredients beyond common sense: magical beasts marbled like wagyu, bizarre trees laden with ** crab meat, and wine springs gushing amber brandy.

Rainbow Fruit gleamed with rainbow hues, Gem Meat sparkled on the plates, Century Soup steamed with golden vapor, sweet cola crackled in cups, and slices of Wine God Dragon meat gave off an intoxicating aroma...

The only thing missing here was a master chef capable of turning these God-Level ingredients into miracles. If they could recruit Little Master, the father and son of the Medicine King, or the God Tongue, these rare delicacies would surely bloom with even more exquisite flavors.

Of course, ordinary ingredients could be taken freely, while legendary ingredients required energy points to exchange for them.

"Mmm! This is amazing!"

The purple-haired girl praised the glowing Gem Meat on her plate, completely unaware that grease had gotten on her cheeks.

Like a jewel polished over and over by a craftsman, its marbling was distributed perfectly. Crystal-clear meat juices glittered like broken gold, and the rich fragrance drifting through the air put even the finest perfumes to shame.

Its intense, primal meat aroma was enough to whet anyone's appetite even without a master's cooking.

"..."

Glancing at the stack of plates beside him that was as tall as a person, Li Chen finally understood how terrifying big eaters could be.

Without a gold mine at home, could anyone afford to raise this wild spirit?!

—And that was with the energy from Gem Meat equaling a hundred times that of ordinary meat.

If the Hero Restaurant had not been there to support him, then if he truly drew Artoria, Yuyuko Saigyouji, Kanna, or Allen Walker in the future, he would probably wake up every day worrying about food expenses.

"Mmm."

After swallowing the last piece of Gem Meat, the purple-haired girl finally put down her knife and fork.

She was about eighty percent full. This was the first time since her birth that she had experienced the feeling of being full.

Though it was unbelievably delicious, she still felt as if something were missing, leaving her faintly regretful.

"Does it not suit your taste?"

"The meat is good... but I miss Kinako Bread more..."

After pondering for a moment, she spoke softly.

In terms of rarity, Gem Meat far surpassed Kinako Bread.

Yet the girl preferred the latter alone, as though the taste of her first bite had been carved into her soul.

"If you want some, order it. I'm paying today."

"Really?!"

"Yeah."

"Please bring one hundred servings of Kinako Bread!"

"..."

The sight of the girl happily chewing her bread was like seeing someone embrace the finest flavor in the world.

Such blank-sheet purity naturally drew the gazes of everyone around her.

"Here, you can have some."

Halfway through eating, she suddenly looked toward Li Chen, who was watching with his chin propped in his hand.

Her gaze lingered on the bread for several seconds. As if making an enormous decision, she broke off more than half and offered it to him.

"Thanks."

Unable to refuse such sincerity, Li Chen accepted the bread bearing her bite marks and could not help smiling.

In a sense, this counted as an indirect kiss—though the girl probably had not considered that at all. She merely clumsily wanted to share her favorite thing with someone she cared about.

"By the way, do you have a name?"

"A name..."

The girl's eyes suddenly dimmed, and a heavy sorrow settled in her voice.

She looked especially despondent. Anyone who encountered her would launch fierce attacks, and having lived isolated from the world for so long, she naturally had no such thing as a name.

"I... do not have a name."

"Then how about I give you one?"

Li Chen suggested with a smile.

The purple-haired girl did not answer immediately. Instead, she looked at Li Chen in confusion.

"Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you so kind to me?"

"That's the privilege of pretty girls."

Li Chen gently pinched the girl's soft cheek, his crimson eyes curving slightly.

Faced with this innocent spirit girl, Li Chen had felt fond of her from the moment they met, so he was naturally willing to take better care of her.

"I see..."

"Of course."

"But the humans I met in the past all said I had to be destroyed."

"They're just ants." Li Chen waved a hand dismissively. "Why care about their nonsense? If they're too noisy, just cut them down."

In his eyes, the purple-haired girl was far too kind. She held back every time she fought. With her strength, she could easily annihilate an army of a million. If she displayed such power just once, he wanted to see which country would still dare provoke her.

"Mm... that does make sense." The purple-haired girl nodded thoughtfully. "By the way, what name do you intend to call me?"

"Yatogami Tohka. Do you like it?"

"Not bad. From today onward, I am Yatogami Tohka."

"..."

"Ding—C-rank third-place Iron Man Tony requests a call."

Just as Li Chen was feeding Yatogami Tohka, the Chairman's Ring on his finger suddenly sounded a notification.

Every member's wristband could communicate across vast distances. On Earth, it might not be as convenient as a phone, but once one crossed dimensions or traveled far from Earth, phones became useless. That was when the wristband's communication function became especially important.

After silently choosing "Accept," Tony's image, encased in Iron Man armor, immediately appeared on the light screen.

"You're already back?"

"That's right. It took a bit longer, but it's better than the side effects of spatial jumping."

"You need something from me?"

"** sent a congressional representative to talk with you."

"That doesn't sound like your style. Tell me, what did they offer you?"

"My father's relic."