The Ancient Beast enjoys eating.
You might ask if other races don’t like eating too, but they especially loved it.
The Pharaoh was once a gourmet emperor who ruled over a vast desert, enjoying foods from all over the world through intermediary trade.
I, too, visited the Pharaoh’s empire occasionally, and even during a past where spicy food was nearly nonexistent, I was impressed by the quality of the meals.
After conquering the human kingdom, Lasty’s first action was to be treated to a meal by the royal chef.
Other Ancient Beasts may have different personalities, but they all share a keen interest in gourmet food.
“Hmm, hmm. It’s definitely mythical food; the effects are great. Beyond my imagination.”
The number of meats on the Celestial Skewers is a total of five.
Among them, Minoa only ate about 0.7, but the beast testing Minoa wept and allowed him to pass the trial.
“Thank you… thank you…”
Minoa also shed tears of gratitude.
…Whether it’s for lifting the curse or for letting him eat the skewers, who knows?
Looking at the reaction, it’s probably more toward the latter, right?
I turned to Leo, trying to savor the lingering taste left on my lips.
Sitting quietly with his cheeks puffed out, Leo’s eyes were puffy from crying, and he couldn’t even swallow.
He surely didn’t swallow it.
“What are you doing?”
“…I don’t want to swallow it.”
“Huh?”
“I guess it’s really delicious.”
Yena, who was next to him, replied bluntly.
And yet, acting as if she had completely forgotten, she turned her body in another direction while sneakily glancing at the skewers.
She’s sulking.
[Sulking]
[Hahaha]
[Yena has every reason to be upset since she didn’t get any lol]
[Yena, Yena…]
[Yena-chan T_T]
[You should offer something too, Yena]
[But seriously, what is this that everyone is like this?]
[God food;;]
“Are you sulking?”
“No, I’m not like that…”
“Should I give it to you?”
“Lady Lily, I’m not a beggar.”
Hmph.
“Forget it. I have no intention of forcing someone who doesn’t want to accept it. There’s plenty of delicious food in Deoen.”
“Really?”
“Yes, so…”
“Just kidding. I was joking.”
She offers the skewer.
A delectable size for one portion.
Since the remaining one needs to be analyzed separately to see if it can be mass-produced, this is practically the last one.
Giving the single precious skewer to Yena.
Yena’s eyes shake wildly.
The eyes trembled violently.
“So…!”
“If you don’t eat it, either I or Lord Leo will.”
“…….”
“5, 4, 3…”
Shut it!
“Oh, wow…”
They eat well.
Yena, leaning forward, munched on her food.
With her arm slightly snatched before she could eat, she struck a rather comical pose.
She might have stumbled, but a ranker like Yena could easily stand in even stranger positions.
I smiled and patted Yena’s head.
“Well done.”
Yena’s face turned bright red.
So it must be delicious.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh…”
“Isn’t it tasty?”
“It’s ma-something…”
Yena burst into tears.
It’s still a food I don’t understand.
■
After analyzing the Celestial Skewers, it seems to be a type of power.
Literally skewers from ‘Heaven,’ made using special meat and unique powers.
Eating it gives a taste of the celestial, and creating this is nearly impossible.
“At best, it would be a copy version. Maybe about 5%?”
While it wouldn’t cause anyone to tear up to the point of being stunned, it could still be made into a dish that would make someone want to eat it repeatedly.
“You can make it, right?!”
“Well, I don’t know…”
After the 30 minutes of Yena being out of it, she finally snapped back when Minoa finished explaining the Multicolored Successor and said, “I’ll help whenever I get the chance,” before disappearing.
“If I get stronger or if I collect this material, then maybe I could.”
The meat used in the skewer isn’t ordinary meat.
It’s a flavor that can never be replicated with regular meats like common beef or pork.
Perhaps the original source of that meat is also a being born from a special power?
“Puha… Is it finally all over?”
“Yes.”
“Then… I’ll go in…”
Leo staggered toward the World Tree’s door.
It might be the effect of the skewer, but Leo had been connected to Deoen for almost four days straight.
Though the penalty is lifted and the Deoen system protects the mind, bouncing around like that would be exhausting.
[bbbbb]
[Thanks for the hard work, Leo lol]
[You’re struggling]
[Even rankers can’t handle everything, right?]
[Really, I want to try that. What could it taste like?]
[lololol]
[The random park will be super expensive]
“Wait.”
“What?”
“We still have some settling up to do.”
“What… ugh.”
Soft.
I immediately approached Leo and touched his cheeks.
That ever so soft cheek was quite impressive.
After about five minutes of being poked, Leo was released from my hands, now even softer.
Leo was released from my hand in a slightly more squishy state.
“Ueeng…”
“Please be careful going in. Contact me if anything seems off.”
“Neeng…”
Leo waved his hand and logged out immediately.
Now it’s just Yena and me left alone.
“Are you going to use that?”
“Yes.”
“Um… isn’t it a bit dangerous?”
Yena, back to her senses, showed a slightly serious expression.
Minoa had been trapped here for a staggering two years because she couldn’t pass the trial.
Of course, being a user, it’s not like she was completely stuck for those two years, but not being able to go to other places, hunt, or travel would have been incredibly tough.
On top of that, Lily had to keep displaying content as a broadcaster.
Having to stay still for months or even years is a deadly penalty for a broadcaster.
“Now that there are no more mythical skewers, isn’t this pushing it a bit…”
“It’s fine. The reason I couldn’t help Minoa was for her safety.”
Of course, I can help.
However, the reason I didn’t was that I worried a little for Minoa’s soul in case there was even the slightest issue.
But as long as I’m putting my soul on the line, there shouldn’t be a huge problem.
“Since I’m doing it, I bear the responsibility too. I can hold out.”
“…I feel a bit uneasy about this.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll be over quickly.”
“Um… if anything goes wrong, I’ll open several random boxes to get skewers. And I should eat four and only give you one.”
Yena said this with a smile, and I responded to her smile by putting on the necklace.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
With the light of the Multicolored Successor, my vision went dark.
Purple.
■
The waves are surging.
The sea is filled not with blue light but with deep darkness.
The dark night sky, ominous as though pregnant with storm clouds, looms over the broken port, where the voices of the Dead Ones can be heard.
These are the restless spirits, unable to move on to the next life, wandering the world.
The sea seems to mock these spirits, only delivering the static sound of the waves.
Shwaaaak!
The sea stirs.
No, it’s an illusion.
Kuuuuuuuu…
The sea does not move.
More accurately, something with enough might to be labeled ‘sea’ is piercing through the depths and rising above the sea level.
The roots of the Black World Tree I had seen most recently were mere cuteness comparably.
Eight dark purple ‘legs’ appear, wrapping around the sea.
Between the absolutely massive body, six luminous eyes surveil the ocean.
Just by merely looking, it exudes overwhelming power that subdues all life in the sea.
“Kraken.”
“Kraken.”
The unfortunate ancient beast torn apart by the upper celestial race.
Among the countless ancient monsters I’ve seen, it ranks high among the top five strongest.
Moving island, terror of the sea, collector of specters…
There are many titles for Kraken, but there’s one descriptor that fits it best.
“The Disaster of the Sea.”
A being so strong that even an intermediate angel cannot suppress it, now looks down upon me.
Until Kraken dies, I had no confidence that I could defeat it.
The odds were fifty-fifty. Either I win or Kraken wins—one of the two.
Of course, Kraken has grown much stronger since its death, but the situation is different now.
“Celestial… Lily Elbrite…”
Kraken remains the same, while I have grown so weak compared to then.
Fortunately, this place partially overlaps with the spiritual world, allowing me to exert some power…
‘But Kraken knows that fact well.’
There’s quite a history between me and Kraken.
“Do you remember me?”
“Half-baked… Celestial… I’ll tear you apart…!”
One of Kraken’s eight legs envelops the sky.
Then, it swings down at me.
THWAAACK!!!
The sea churns, and an immense tidal wave crashes down on the shattered port.
The holy spear I hastily summoned trembles faintly.
The boundary is vague. But I can win.
As I fiercely tear off a leg, I soar high into the sky, two of its six eyes tracking my movements.
Suddenly! My body stops, and Kraken, which was glowing, quietly sinks below the water’s surface.
‘Oh no.’
It’s already too late.
“When that day comes, I will awaken again…”
Rumble!
On the day when the sun flips…
The world will be engulfed by the sea, and the sleeping monster beneath the surface will tear through the angel of light and emerge into the world.
The beast, drenched in angel’s blood, will stain the world with its light.
_To annihilate all life._
“……”
The sea has settled into silence.
■
“Lily?”
“…We’re doomed.”
Soon, the Kraken will awaken.
In its complete form.
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