Dante clenched his hand tightly as he watched the golden blood fall.
It was fundamental blood, signifying that his blood had reached the limit of what a mortal could possess.
The condensed mercury blood began to take on a spiritual hue, as if showing the next direction.
It was a sign that he had reached true Level 1, and it made Dante feel extremely excited and anxious. Soon, he would be a true combatant.
Ssshiiii…
The small snake suddenly emerged from Dante's tattered clothes, approached him, and swallowed three flasks of accumulated blood at once before collapsing on the ground, satisfied.
It slowly moved toward Dante, coiled around his shoulder, and began to sleep calmly.
Dante, who still didn't understand the snake, simply stroked it with the tip of his finger before returning his attention to the lion.
The beast wouldn't fit in his dimensional bag — at most, the bones, skin, and heart. But such a huge amount of meat and blood was impossible to carry.
Well, that meant it was the right moment: time for the barbecue, time to rest.
Dante ignored the lion's body and ran into the forest, collecting fallen wood and some dry leaves. Fortunately, the lion had already done part of the work.
He would place the wood in the dimensional bag to bring it back to the lair, without carrying anything that could make the task harder.
Upon returning to the lair, he built a small fire in the center and began removing the lion's skin from the left rib area, careful not to damage the skin or bones.
From the dimensional bag, a small spark seed appeared — perfect for starting a fire.
The seed fell onto the makeshift fire, and within seconds, the flames began to rise. The lair was the perfect environment: an oxygen supply and no gases to interfere.
Using a simple dagger he had received for hunting, Dante cut large pieces of the beast's meat and skewered them with branches, turning them into spits.
With two larger stones as support, he let the meat begin to cook.
Sitting on a rock, watching the preparation, Dante enjoyed a few moments of peace. Since that cursed old man had taken him as a disciple, such moments had become rare.
"Sometimes, calm moments are very pleasant. Fight, blood, and battles really make us different," Dante said to himself, at peace.
In fact, the moment brought him a funny memory.
Fragmented memories emerged, filling his mind. There he was — truly Dante.
He was in a strange place, surrounded by people. Laughter came and went, and everyone seemed very happy. The atmosphere was wonderful.
The food was strange, and he didn't even know what it was. Music played in the background, and Dante himself was laughing along.
The memory lasted only a few seconds, but it left Dante extremely smiling. Not even his achievements in battle had made him feel like this.
He remembered the celebration when he entered the village. People seemed happy to see a new survivor, a new neighbor.
The moment when he spoke with Viviane, the food, everyone's excitement… all of it seemed more valuable than power. Yet, he couldn't explain why.
Dante simply drowned those memories in his subconscious before returning to wait for the meat to cook.
After a few hours, he savored the lion through the night. In the end, he took his lair as a resting place.
When night fell, Dante slept there, completely at peace.