#415 - Minezaki: I didn’t expect that I would become a big boss!

At the border between the Gourmet World and the Human World, several Gourmet Hunters who had just entered the Gourmet World were experiencing a streak of exceptionally bad luck. They had attempted to steal a Bat Snake's egg, but ultimately, they had stirred up trouble and angered a Bat Snake with a capture level of 3. Now, they were desperately fleeing through the forest.

The Bat Snake is a large snake with a pair of bat wings. Not only is it enormous, but it can also glide to some extent, making it quite fast.

As a rare ingredient with a capture level of 3, the Bat Snake's flavor as a food isn't particularly ideal. It's mostly empty with not much meat, and coupled with its dangerous nature, most Gourmet Hunters are unwilling to provoke such a creature.

However, Bat Snake eggs are a delicacy in the Human World, with a single egg easily fetching millions of yen.

At this moment, the leading man among the Gourmet Hunters sprinting through the forest was clutching an egg the size of a soccer ball.

His two companions were fleeing while also taking the time to turn and fire guns at the giant Bat Snake, hoping to slow it down.

However, facing the machine gun fire, the Bat Snake, possessing both snake and bat genes, easily deflected the bullets with its scales, hissing as it relentlessly pursued the humanoid reptiles before it.

Was the Bat Snake so persistent because these despicable thieves stole its egg?

Not really, because Bat Snakes, when extremely hungry, will even devour their own eggs.

Its relentless pursuit was simply because, to it, humans—these humanoid reptiles—were also a rare and delicious treat.

"This isn't good. At this rate, it'll catch up to us soon! Should we just give the egg back?"

"Idiot, haven't you read the Rare Ingredients Encyclopedia? Don't you know what kind of habits this thing has?

Do you think it won't chase you if you give the egg back? It's your body it's craving now."

"Alright, you two, stop talking nonsense. The entrance isn't far now. As long as we can escape this time, we'll have something to brag about later!"

The three, fleeing for their lives, followed the marks they had left on the ground, heading towards the entrance. However, as they reached the location they remembered as the entrance, they were stunned to find it blocked by a 'wall'.

Or, to be precise, it wasn't a wall, but a massive mountain of meat made entirely of various kinds of flesh!

Upon seeing the mountain of meat before them, the three Gourmet Hunters were filled with despair.

With an obstacle ahead and a pursuer behind, the Bat Snake was almost upon them. Now, choosing another route was out of the question.

Just as the three couldn't help but curse, wondering who was so inconsiderate as to pile so much meat at the entrance, blocking their way, they were shocked to discover that the 'mountain of meat' in front of them was actually moving!

Seiya and Minezaki didn't know the exact size of the entrance between the Gourmet World and the Human World, but if they remembered correctly, the other side of the entrance should be a cave.

Minezaki's backpack wasn't an issue, but if Seiya tried to pass through the entrance with the "mountain of meat" on his back, he would definitely get stuck.

That's why they had hesitated at the entrance. However, Seiya hadn't expected to suddenly hear curses behind him while they were considering their options.

It was Seiya's turning around that allowed the Gourmet Hunters to discover, upon seeing the mountain of meat move, that there was a figure beneath the massive pile.

The exact weight of such a large "mountain of meat" was unknown, but it should be at least dozens of tons. Anyone who could carry that was undoubtedly a formidable individual.

"Hiss— — — — — —!"

However, before the Gourmet Hunters could say anything more, the sudden hiss behind them reminded them that they were still in danger.

Just as the Bat Snake opened its bloody maw, attempting to swallow the three in one gulp, Minezaki put down the large backpack on his back, drew a short knife from his thigh, and charged forward.

"A Bat Snake? If it were the me from a few days ago, it would have been a formidable foe, but now..."

Minezaki, rushing past the three Gourmet Hunters, leaped over their heads. With incredible precision, he stabbed the short knife directly into the Bat Snake's eye.

Attacked in its vulnerable eye, the Bat Snake immediately let out a miserable screech. However, before it could shake off the detestable human on its body, Minezaki gripped the knife with both hands and forcefully slashed downwards.

Using his body weight and centrifugal force, the knife, originally inserted into the Bat Snake's eye, split its body in half.

Seeing the capture level 3 Bat Snake killed so easily by Minezaki, the three Gourmet Hunters before him were dumbfounded.

"You guys, weren't you just saying we were inconsiderate? We're not deliberately blocking the entrance; we're trying to figure out how to get in."

Female Gourmet Hunters were rare, and female Gourmet Hunters who were so beautiful and had such a hot figure were even rarer.

Although Minezaki wasn't the kind of muscular woman they usually saw, his ability to instantly kill the Bat Snake still prevented the three men before him from harboring any wicked thoughts.

"Slap— — — — — —!"

Faced with the questioning of such a "big shot," the leader of the three Gourmet Hunters immediately slapped his companion next to him with lightning speed.

Just as the person who was hit was confused, not understanding why his leader had slapped him, he heard his leader say, "I'm talking about you. Why are you so inconsiderate? Don't you know what 'first come, first served' means?"

The younger brother who had been slapped was also quite clever. He looked first at Minezaki, who was looking angry, and then at his leader, immediately understanding. "Ah, yes, yes, yes, you're right, boss. I'll definitely be a considerate person in the future."

Seeing that his younger brother understood his meaning, the tall and burly Gourmet Hunter rubbed his hands like a fly and looked at Minezaki with a fawning expression. "This big shot, that's how it is. I was scolding my younger brother just now, definitely not the two of you. Please don't misunderstand..."

Seeing the three's behavior, Minezaki couldn't help but chuckle. She wasn't really angry in the first place, just a little unhappy that they were cursing Seiya.

She had always thought that Gourmet Hunters were tough guys or ruffians who licked blood from their blades, but she didn't expect that there would be such mercenary and fawning characters among them.

Seeing Minezaki smile charmingly, the three men before her trembled even more. After all, they really couldn't tell if this female big shot was really happy or not...