Haruto stayed near the middle of the pack, constantly scanning his surroundings.
His gaze swept across drooping vines, murky pools, and small unidentified creatures darting through the undergrowth.
His nose twitched as he separated the various scents mixed into the damp air—the freshness of vegetation, wet earth, faintly rotting organic matter, and...
A barely perceptible fragrance of sweet fruit.
’Hm?’
Haruto’s steps faltered, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
Following the sweet aroma, he spotted several bright-red strawberries drifting lazily through the thick mist.
Each strawberry was enormous, roughly the size of a ball, making them particularly conspicuous against the fog.
"No way. It’s one of those!"
A delighted smile spread across Haruto’s face. He pushed off the ground and raced toward the floating strawberries.
The closer he came, the stronger their sweet fragrance became.
At the same time, an enormous turtle gradually emerged from the fog.
It stood nearly three stories tall and resembled a small rocky hill.
The tempting strawberries that appeared to be floating in midair were actually growing directly from the creature’s shell.
The dense mist had hidden the rest of its body, creating the illusion that the fruit was suspended on its own.
Haruto immediately recognized the species.
A creature native to the Milsy Wetlands—the Trickster Strawberry Turtle.
It normally concealed itself beneath swamp water, leaving only the strawberries on its back exposed.
Their irresistible fragrance lured hungry animals close enough to strike.
The moment prey took the bait, the giant turtle would surge from the water and use its powerful neck and enormous, fang-filled jaws to drag the victim beneath the surface and devour it.
...
The Trickster Strawberry Turtle only waited patiently when hunting other creatures native to the wetlands.
When it encountered humans, it usually attacked without hesitation.
This one had clearly been drawn toward the noise made by the passing applicants.
The moment it noticed Haruto approaching, the turtle released a deep growl.
Its jaws opened impossibly wide, revealing rows of daggerlike teeth that gleamed coldly through the mist.
Carrying a wave of foul breath with it, the enormous head lunged toward Haruto.
The attack was swift, precise, and vicious.
An ordinary applicant would not even have had time to react before those jaws closed around them.
Haruto, however, had already been expecting it.
He showed no trace of panic. Twisting at the waist, he slipped sideways with ghostlike speed.
The turtle’s jaws snapped shut on empty air, missing his clothes by inches before smashing into the muddy ground.
A heavy crash echoed through the wetlands, spraying filth in every direction.
"You’re surprisingly fast. Too bad you picked me."
Laughter colored Haruto’s voice.
He drove one foot into the ground and launched himself directly toward the creature’s exposed head.
His right hand clenched into a fist, veins rising along his arm as he concentrated part of his aura around his knuckles.
Before the turtle could pull its neck back into its shell, Haruto’s fist tore through the air and slammed into the side of its skull.
Boom!
The impact produced a deep, thunderous sound that made the surrounding air tremble.
The punch looked simple, but backed by Haruto’s monstrous strength and reinforced with Nen, its power was devastating.
The turtle’s head snapped violently to one side.
The muscles along its neck convulsed several times before the light rapidly faded from its eyes.
Its neck went limp and crashed heavily to the ground.
The enormous creature stopped moving.
...
"Trickster Strawberry Turtle successfully captured!"
Haruto withdrew his fist and shook the faint numbness from his arm, a satisfied smile on his face.
He walked over to the fallen head and crouched to inspect the creature.
The flesh was firm and carried a unique hint of sweetness. Whether stewed in soup or braised in sauce, it would surely make an exceptional dish.
The strawberries growing from its shell were even more promising.
Their fragrance was far richer than that of ordinary strawberries, making them unquestionably top-quality fruit.
Only after finishing his inspection did Haruto place a hand against the turtle’s head.
A soft golden light appeared beneath his palm.
It spread like flowing water, gradually enveloping the creature’s entire body.
Then, amid a faint shimmer, the three-story-tall Trickster Strawberry Turtle silently vanished.
Haruto slowly withdrew his hand, a smile curling across his lips.
This was the personal Nen ability he had developed—Gourmet Restaurant.
It was an independent pocket dimension similar to Knov’s Hide and Seek.
However, the interior of Haruto’s Gourmet Restaurant already contained more than ten thousand cubic meters of space, making it considerably larger than Knov’s dimensional mansion.
Even better, Gourmet Restaurant was not fixed at its current size!
As Haruto grew stronger and stored more ingredients inside, the space could continue evolving, expanding, and upgrading.
Sensing the pocket dimension grow slightly after accepting the Trickster Strawberry Turtle, Haruto’s smile widened.
The increase was small, but the more ingredients he collected, the larger Gourmet Restaurant would eventually become.
...
Of course, creating an ability like Gourmet Restaurant had required Haruto to establish five strict limitations and vows.
First, only animals and plants that he personally recognized as ingredients could be stored inside Gourmet Restaurant.
Anything that failed to meet that condition would be rejected.
Second, any living ingredient had to be completely unconscious and incapable of resisting before it could be stored.
Third, stored ingredients could expand Gourmet Restaurant, but only the first specimen of each species would have any effect.
Storing duplicates would produce no additional growth.
Fourth, storing ingredients consumed Haruto’s aura.
The larger and fresher the ingredient, the greater the cost. Removing something from the space, however, required only a negligible amount.
Fifth, Haruto needed at least a basic understanding of the target ingredient.
Something entirely unknown to him could not be placed inside.
These five limitations and vows were what allowed Gourmet Restaurant to meet his expectations.
Beyond its initial capacity of over ten thousand cubic meters and its seemingly limitless potential for growth, it possessed another crucial function.
Any ingredient stored inside would remain in exactly the same condition as when it entered, even after several decades.
That feature was extremely important to Haruto.
He had no time to butcher and process the Trickster Strawberry Turtle now.
If its body were left outside for too long, the quality and texture of the meat would inevitably deteriorate.
Gourmet Restaurant eliminated that concern completely!
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