Titles or whatever, Zephyr didn't care much. He was more curious about the task reward, but when he saw the [Despicable Outsider Diner] talent clearly, he felt something was a bit off ans shifted his gaze to the specific effects of the talent.
[Outsider]
- Only effective within the Dungeon.
- Hated by the Dungeon itself.
- Will change the terrain of the surrounding environment at any time, and encounter special Gourmet Creatures.
"?"
When he saw the detailed effects of the talent clearly, Zephyr felt the muscles in his cheeks twitching.
Zephyr's feelings were extremely complicated. He already had mixed feelings about this system that seemed to have wandered in from another show, and as a transmigrator, he knew all too well the strength of the monsters in Toriko.
Mount Turtle, King Octopus Kong...
He couldn't even imagine what it would be like if creatures of this level appeared in Orario.
Return it!
But the system offered absolutely no response.
But on the other hand, if he could encounter creatures from the Toriko world in the Dungeon, it would definitely be helpful for increasing his strength.
Most importantly, the talent only triggers within the Dungeon, so at least it wouldn't endanger Orario. Otherwise, there would be no knowing how that would end.
However, when he thought about Charles's goal from the very beginning, that pent-up drive to explore the safe floor, Zephyr's brows knit together.
There was only one floor left until the goal, but according to the specific description in the talent, the exploration ahead would definitely not be as calm as before.
The terrain changing at any time and the possibility of special Gourmet Creatures appearing—with these two points staring them in the face, the risk for the party to continue moving forward was maxed out.
After finishing the meal, Lefiya keenly captured the subtle changes on Zephyr's face. His furrowed brows made her think that the food cooked from the Minotaur contained toxins.
She hesitated for a moment and asked, "Did something happen?"
Zephyr reined in his complex thoughts and turned to look at Lefiya, whose face was full of concern.
He definitely couldn't talk about the system. As for being hated by the Dungeon, the terrain changing, and special Gourmet Creatures, it was even less possible to explain the situation to Lefiya face-to-face.
After all, this kind of thing...
Just thinking about it felt ridiculous.
His initial plan was to gorge on monster meat during this period, reach the 18th Floor, and then return to Orario. Furthermore, he intended to transfer to the Loki Familia.
But now?
The Advanced Trial issued by this damn Strongest Gourmet Hunter System, and the settled quest rewards, had disrupted his plans for what was to come.
Zephyr's expression was strange as he said, "It's just... I suddenly feel that the Dungeon exploration ahead probably won't be as smooth as it is now."
"Is it okay?"
Lefiya recalled the various encounters they had experienced while exploring the Dungeon together during this period. It couldn't be considered particularly difficult.
Besides, according to what Loki mentioned in passing, the vast majority of Rookie Adventurers in Orario generally spend over half a year from starting until exploring the middle floors.
With the current speed of the party's advance, they could reach the 18th Floor by tomorrow. This kind of progress, anywhere you put it, would count as impressive.
"Zephyr, why do you think it won't be smooth ahead?"
Zephyr's expression was somewhat strange. He couldn't exactly say it was because of himself, could he?
After thinking it over, he finally shook his head. After all, the rewards given by the system had just arrived, and he hadn't seen with his own eyes what these so-called special Gourmet Creatures actually looked like.
But in the Toriko worldview, just talking about monster levels, that would definitely be nightmare difficulty for the Adventurers of Orario. It definitely wouldn't be too simple.
"I just have a feeling. The exploration has been too smooth, it actually makes me a bit uneasy. Who knows, maybe even stronger monsters will appear on the coming floors?" Zephyr weighed his words and gave a vague response.
Just as he finished speaking, the floor began to tremble, far exceeding the commotion caused by the Minotaurs' charge earlier.
A dull thudding sound came from the distance of the passage, as if some gargantuan creature was approaching the party's direction.
Thump!
Thump!
Charles stood up, his axe back in his hands, his eyes scanning the surrounding environment vigilantly.
"There's a monster! And..."
Charles's expression gradually became solemn. Based on his intuition from the combat experience over this period, he added, "Judging by the movement under our feet, it's likely much stronger than that Infant Dragon we encountered the other day."
Kate held her dagger in her hand. After hearing Charles's words, she immediately turned her head and looked at Lili, who was at the back of the party.
"Are there monsters like this in the middle floors?"
"According to the intel, the Monster Rex of the middle floors should only be the Goliath on the 17th Floor. As for the introductions of rare monsters..."
Lili flipped the book to the end but didn't find any relevant content. She shook her head. "There is no record in the Guild's intel, the only relatively powerful threats are the Minotaur. But this kind of commotion definitely isn't that."
"It couldn't be that we've encountered a new species, could it?"
Just as everyone was confused, in the shadows deep in the cave ahead, the silhouette of a gargantuan object slowly emerged.
The body length was estimated to exceed four meters, and the shoulder height was nearly three meters, far exceeding all the monsters they had encountered before.
Most importantly, it was the unprecedented appearance of this monster. The thick body was covered in red stripes bristles, and two curved tusks grew from its mouth. It also had six short legs evenly distributed under its torso.
Charles's eyes widened. He looked at Zephyr, his voice clearly lacking confidence when he spoke, "Ze... Zephyr, have you ever seen this kind of monster before?"
[Crab Pig]
[Capture Level: 13]
[A mammalian beast of the wild boar family, capable of moving at high speeds using its six short legs, with a very strong vengeful nature after being attacked.]
[The meat is firm, the fat content is less than it looks, and a rich deliciousness is condensed within the light taste.]
[When cooked into a dish and tasted, one can feel a taste experience like the highest-grade crab, hence it is named Crab Pig.]
Zephyr's scrutinized the monster ahead, trying hard to keep his composure. "This guy... might be a new species?"
The other companions in the party all looked grim. Especially Lefiya, who was walking at the back of the group.
She gripped her staff tightly and asked, "Should we fight?"
"Let's try first."
Zephyr recalled the price they paid to kill the Infant Dragon. Even Charles and Kate had almost lost their lives in the Dungeon.
But this Crab Pig before them, in terms of its size and the oppressive feeling it exuded, was clearly bigger than the Infant Dragon.
"Lefiya, I think you should try using magic first to see what happens."
Charles gulped.
Whether they could defeat this thing was an unknown, but upon hearing Zephyr's words, he still chose to shoulder his axe and stand at the very front of the party.
"I'll hold it back."
As for Zephyr, he did not continue to manifest a horn as he had in previous battles.
The reason was actually quite simple. The Crab Pig's body was simply too bloated. The thickness of its epidermal fat and muscle layers far exceeded what a spiral horn could penetrate. Even if they clashed head-on, the horn would most likely get stuck halfway.
Dragon Roar!
The stun effect provided by the Infant Dragon's talent might be able to temporarily freeze the Crab Pig before them, buying the party a short window to retreat.
Meanwhile, Lefiya had already begun chanting. Surging air currents caused her hair to fly wildly around her ears, while a pure white light condensed at the tip of her staff.
"Unleashed streak of light, bow limbs of the holy tree. You are an expert of the bow. Shoot, sniper of the fairies. Penetrate, arrow of absolute accuracy."
Swish!
The magic known as Arcs Ray sped straight toward the Crab Pig ahead.
When the magic made contact with the monster's skin, the explosion burst forth with white light, the shockwave from the blast sending gravel and dust flying.
But as the dust slowly settled, the sight that met their eyes caused the party members' hearts to sink to the bottom.
The Crab Pig was still standing in the same spot. On its skin, only a scorched black mark remained where the magic had struck. It hadn't even injured the muscle underneath in the slightest.
In its eyes, there was nothing left but the frenzy of being provoked. Its six legs exerted force simultaneously as it charged toward the party.
"Run!"
Zephyr didn't hesitate for a second and gave the warning.
Charles and Kate turned around almost simultaneously, running for their lives in the direction they had come from.
However, Lefiya was, after all, a backline mage. She was clearly inferior to the other members in terms of speed, and not long after she started running, the distance between her and the charging Crab Pig behind her quickly closed.