Harvest Season

It turned out that profit was directly proportional to risk.

After crossing the Milk River and leaving the safe area, Xiu En's group was attacked after taking only a few steps.

It was a wild boar even larger than a tank. Honestly, weren't all the animals and plants in this area absurdly oversized? Other than "huge," no other description came to mind.

Roasted Whole Pig

Spirit Power required per unit: 60

Vitality: E+~D--, Strength: E+~D--, Intelligence: E-, Endurance: E+~D--, Speed: E+, Overall Combat Power: E+~D--

"This monster looks delicious!"

Steam blasted from Roasted Whole Pig's body, and anyone who approached would be scorched. When it saw Xiu En and the others, it became agitated, causing the steam it emitted to grow even hotter and the scent of meat to become even richer!

After a somewhat difficult battle, Roasted Whole Pig died, the two members of the Falling Hammer Squad were injured, and Xiu En was bitten by the pig.

This monster was not particularly strong. Ten fit ordinary people armed with weapons could take it down, though casualties would be unavoidable.

While everyone busied themselves dividing the spoils, Dan Ya fell into deep thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Ai Li asked.

He toyed with his bloodstained dagger, his expression strange. "This pig feels great to stab. No, not just great—I've never stabbed a monster with meat this good before. I kind of can't stop."

Ai Li silently moved two steps away from him.

"How is this monster still alive?" After treating the injured, Qi Laje circled Roasted Whole Pig in amazement. "It roasted itself alive. Why is it still breathing?"

After hesitating again and again, he cut off a slice of Roasted Whole Pig with a small knife and placed it in his mouth to savor it carefully.

"Mm."

Everyone watched his reaction.

Qi Laje opened his eyes. "It's simply premium roasted pork!"

Roasted Whole Pig's entire body was fragrant, steaming roasted meat, perfectly edible as it was. The only pity was that the battle had gone on a little too long. After being provoked, Roasted Whole Pig had released even more heat, causing most of its meat to become somewhat burnt.

Driven by curiosity, everyone tried a bite. The result was impossible to stop, and they gathered around Roasted Whole Pig to eat on the spot.

Even without any seasoning, the roasted meat was wonderfully rich and fragrant.

Qi Laje suddenly had an idea. He caught another Soy Sauce Locust, dipped the roasted meat in the soy sauce on its back, and took a bite. It was so delicious he nearly burst out of his clothes.

He felt that he had discovered the proper way to use the Gourmet Area—combine different ingredients and find the menu that suited him best!

"Zane Dungeon is truly amazing," the timid priest exclaimed as he ate. "I've never seen a monster that could roast itself alive in any book."

"Milk River, Chocolate Fountain, Pudding Mushroom, trees that grow roasted meat—I'd only ever heard of things like those in fairy tales." Ai Li let out a blissful sigh and suggested, "Why don't we come here for a feast every day after we finish exploring? We'd even save on food costs."

Dan Ya raised both hands in agreement, while Xiu En's mouth was stuffed with roasted meat as he mumbled, "Agreed."

"I wonder what Si Telan went off to do. She really missed out by not coming."

After eating and drinking their fill, the two squads continued their exploration.

The Gourmet Area was no smaller than the Swamp Area, but its item density was higher. Every few steps brought the adventurers a new discovery: bats hanging upside down from trees with broccoli growing from their tails, little mice passing by their feet covered in crispy French fries, and ordinary mushrooms with the thick, gelatinous texture of pig's trotters, packed with collagen.

There were simply too many new things. At first, they carefully recorded every newly discovered species, but later, they even ran out of ink while new ingredients continued appearing without end.

They were numb. The impact of all these new discoveries had numbed them.

It felt as though the Adventurers' Guild had not discovered as many new species in the past year as they had found here in just one day.

Then the two squads' exploration encountered an unprecedented crisis—

They were too full.

They had eaten as they walked, and there had been very few monsters to encounter, leaving them no chance to exercise. As a result, everyone's stomach was slightly bulging.

With no other choice, they could only rest briefly beneath a tree.

"L-let's, hic, summarize," Dan Ya said. She lay sprawled on the grass without a shred of decorum. The Ox Tongue Dandelions beside her gave off a fragrant scent, but she truly could not eat another bite.

"Alright."

Qi Laje rubbed his stomach as he pulled out his notebook. He and Ai Li had been recording all the discoveries along the way.

"For now, we'll call the area from the cave to the Milk River the safe zone, and the area beyond the Milk River the dangerous zone."

"So far, we've discovered as many as forty-six new species in the safe zone, including both plants and animals. The actual number is likely far greater than what we've found. I'd estimate there are at least a hundred species."

Ai Li added, "All the new species have edible value. It seems everything we've found so far only has edible value. We haven't found any materials that can be used to make magical items, nor have we found any treasure chests. It really feels as though this place was born solely for food."

Qi Laje continued, "Giant aquatic creatures lurk in the Milk River, and there are also unusual aquatic plants. However, none of us are particularly skilled in the water, so we didn't explore beneath the surface."

"Let whoever comes after us handle that," Dan Ya said. "We can't possibly do everything perfectly."

Ai Li flipped through the notebook and said with interest, "From what we can tell, this area has a complete ecosystem. Right after crossing the Milk River, you only encounter Roasted Whole Pigs and some small creatures. After walking for around half an hour, you can encounter Bread Lions and giant crocodiles that feed on Roasted Whole Pigs."

"The crocodiles live near a river even wider than the Milk River. Following the river leads to a lake, and even from the surface, you can see the abundant, colorful fish living in it. Strangely, the closer you get to the lake, the safer it becomes. There are only some harmless small creatures."

"I feel like this place will become a holy land for fishing someday," she joked.

The entire Gourmet Area seemed to be divided by rivers. Beyond the river inhabited by crocodiles lay an even more dangerous area. Even the Morning Wind Squad members could sense the danger, and entering it would inevitably lead to a hard battle.

Yet the giant plant at the end was irresistibly tempting, and an adventurer's instincts drove them onward.

Perhaps the area from the Milk River to the Crocodile River could be called the low-danger zone.

Qi Laje closed his notebook and sighed. "Even ordinary people could come here, right? If they hired one or two adventurers as bodyguards, there probably wouldn't be any danger."

He had collected quite a few ingredients along the way and planned to sell them for a good price after leaving.

Dong, dong.

A melodious bell rang out from afar, and only then did everyone realize that it was time for the dungeon to close.

"Time passed so quickly," Ai Li said reluctantly. "I don't even want to leave."

The others felt the same way. Some had even begun entertaining the idea of living here.

"What a pity." Xiu En looked toward the giant plant in the distance, regret in his eyes.

With the final toll of the bell, the adventurers' figures blurred and vanished without a trace.

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