I'm Just Good at Packing

Rayne did not answer Smoker in a hurry.

Observation Haki swept across the island's terrain like invisible sonar.

A moment later, Rayne pointed toward the depths of the jungle.

"Over there, two kilometers away. There's a waterfall, and behind its curtain is a dry cave. Let's set up camp there first."

Smoker and Rosinante followed him skeptically.

When they truly made their way through the dense jungle and found the perfect campsite exactly as Rayne had described it, both Smoker and Rosinante were stunned.

It was a huge natural cave hidden behind the curtain of a waterfall.

Outside, the roar of the water was deafening, but the cave itself was remarkably dry and quiet. The ground was flat rock, the ceiling was high, and there was not the slightest sense of oppression. It was practically a natural shelter.

"All right, we'll live here for the next two weeks," Rayne announced.

Just as Smoker and Rosinante were still marveling at this heavenly campsite and preparing to gather firewood and spread dry grass the primitive way, Rayne stopped them.

"Wait."

Rayne did not want to expose the fact that he had a Storage Ring, but he also had no intention of living like a savage for two weeks.

So, under their dumbfounded gazes, he set down his backpack, which looked like it could hold no more than a few changes of clothes.

He opened it, reached inside, and pretended to rummage around with great effort.

Then, from that tiny bag, he pulled out a soft moisture-proof mat.

Before the two could react, he pulled out a second one, then a third.

Next came three warm down sleeping bags, a bright kerosene lamp, a gleaming set of cookware, and even a portable tent large enough for all three of them...

Smoker's eye twitched violently. He looked at the huge pile of supplies on the ground, then at the small backpack in Rayne's hand, now completely flattened, and finally could not hold it in any longer.

He snatched the backpack away, turned it over and inspected it thoroughly, then roared, "Do you take us for idiots?! How could such a tiny bag possibly hold this much stuff?!"

Rayne looked at him with a "kind" smile. "Why wouldn't it fit? Watch carefully."

He took the empty backpack back and, right before their eyes, slowly "stuffed" the enormous tent back inside under their utterly incredulous stares.

Then came the sleeping bags, the cookware... That little backpack was like a bottomless pit, effortlessly swallowing everything.

Of course, he was merely quietly putting it all back into his Storage Ring.

When the last moisture-proof mat vanished into the bag...

Smoker was completely petrified.

He could not say a single word. He simply stared at the scene before him as if it were magic, feeling his entire worldview being repeatedly ground into the dirt.

"Wow, Rayne!" Rosinante looked at him with worshipful eyes. "Are... are you a magician?"

"Just basic packing skills." Rayne patted nonexistent dust from his hands and said smugly.

A few minutes later, a "luxury camping" base had been set up.

To give the two idle men something to do, Rayne pointed toward the jungle. "You're in charge of our first dinner."

Smoker, holding back a surge of frustration, charged into the woods. Before long, he returned with a strangely shaped wild chicken.

Rosinante, meanwhile, speared several fish from a nearby stream.

After returning, the two simply cleaned and prepared the ingredients outside the waterfall, then chose the most straightforward and brutal cooking method: roasting everything directly over the fire.

The result was predictable—charred on the outside, raw on the inside, with a heavy earthy stench.

Rosinante eagerly handed Rayne a piece.

Rayne accepted it expressionlessly, took only a small bite, and then stopped chewing.

He fell silent for a full three seconds before calmly tossing the piece of roasted meat in his hand into the fire.

He stood up and said only one thing: "Wait here." Then he vanished into the jungle.

Less than five minutes later, accompanied by thunderous footsteps that shook the ground, Rayne dragged back a giant porcupine the size of a small truck and casually threw it before them.

What followed was Rayne's personal performance.

He drew the Skillful Grade Blade at his waist. Its thin, light blade reflected not even a trace of firelight.

Smoker and Rosinante saw only a blurred flash of steel. The giant porcupine's hard bony armor, thick fat, and lean meat were perfectly separated in a manner that was almost artistic.

The entire process was smooth and fluid, without a single unnecessary motion, as though he was not preparing ingredients but performing precise surgery.

"This guy... even his Swordsmanship..." Smoker stared at the perfectly divided cuts of meat, once again shocked by the discovery of Rayne's strength.

Rayne ignored their astonishment. He skewered several of the finest tenderloin cuts and ribs, then set them over the fire.

Then, unhurriedly, he pulled small glass bottles of various seasonings from his "four-dimensional" backpack one after another.

He unscrewed one and poured out a pinch of coarse sea salt. With a flick of his fingers, the grains scattered evenly over the meat. He opened another, crushed several black peppercorns in his palm, and their sharp aroma instantly filled the air. Finally, he took out a small pinch of herbs, crushed them, and lightly rubbed them over the surface of the meat.

Sizzle—!

As the first drop of fat fell into the campfire, it crackled.

An unprecedentedly rich aroma of meat, mixed with the layered fragrance of spices roasted by the flames, instantly enveloped the entire cave!

Smoker's and Rosinante's stomachs growled at the same time, utterly betraying them.

At last, when the steaks had been grilled to perfect crisp-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside golden perfection, Rayne handed each of them a piece.

Smoker and Rosinante no longer cared about dignity or restraint. They took the scorching grilled meat directly into their hands and bit down hard.

Delicious—!!

The instant their teeth broke through the crisp outer layer, both of them felt their souls soar!

Hot, rich juices burst through their mouths. The meat was so tender it barely needed chewing, blending with the pure savory saltiness of sea salt and the perfectly measured touch of spices into a torrent of flavor that instantly overwhelmed every last one of their taste buds!

Neither could say another word. Like wild beasts that had starved for three days and nights, they frantically tore into the grilled meat in their hands, their mouths slick with grease and their faces wearing expressions of happiness they had never known before.

This was the first meal they had eaten since arriving at the training camp that could truly be called delicious.

While the two ate with tears in their eyes, Rayne sighed, his face full of dissatisfaction.

He cut off a piece of the most tender loin, tasted it, and frowned. "Sigh, no good. The heat was still a little off, and the seasonings aren't complete enough."

"Most importantly... why doesn't this dish glow?"

Smoker and Rosinante stopped moving at the same time. Their mouths were stuffed full of grilled meat as they stared blankly at Rayne as though he were an alien.

Glow? Why would food glow?