Chapter 362

"All right, give it a try."

Haruto handed Kagura and Kanna each a pair of chopsticks before picking up a piece of Giant Toad meat himself.

After being fried, the surface had absorbed the rich sauce while retaining a faint crispness.

The instant Haruto bit into it, the first flavor to reach his tongue was the deep savory aroma of doubanjiang, followed immediately by the clean sweetness of the Giant Toad meat itself.

Unlike ordinary bullfrog or frog meat, Giant Toad flesh was considerably firmer and more substantial, with a satisfying chew that allowed him to feel the muscle fibers spring lightly between his teeth.

Despite that firmness, its natural flavor was refreshing rather than heavy, without the slightest trace of unpleasant gaminess.

The sauce had penetrated every strand of meat, its saltiness perfectly balanced and followed by a faint sweetness that lingered pleasantly after each bite.

Haruto then picked up a piece of Punching Potato.

Frying had created a resilient golden crust around the outside, but once he bit through it, the interior was as soft and fluffy as a cloud.

The potato had thoroughly absorbed both the savoriness of the Giant Toad and the spicy fragrance of the sauce, drawing out its own natural sweetness in the process.

In fact, the potatoes had absorbed even more flavor than the meat.

With the slightest pressure from his tongue, the soft interior melted apart in his mouth, releasing layer after layer of flavor and making it difficult to stop after a single bite.

Kagura was clearly delighted with the Dry-Pot Giant Toad with Punching Potatoes.

Her chopsticks descended into the pot almost continuously, alternating between pieces of frog meat and potatoes as she ate with obvious enthusiasm.

Before long, a sizable pile of Giant Toad bones had accumulated beside her.

Kanna remained as quiet as ever, but she certainly wasn’t eating slowly.

The frequency with which her chopsticks kept reaching into the pot made it obvious that she was every bit as satisfied with the dish.

Haruto watched the sisters enjoying his cooking and smiled contentedly.

Seeing other people genuinely enjoy something he had prepared was always satisfying.

At the same time, he continued eating while planning what to do with the rest of their ingredients.

The remaining Giant Toads could be braised in sauce or turned into frog soup. The One-Punch Bear’s paws would be excellent for slow braising, while the rest of the bear meat could be roasted.

All of it should be delicious.

The three eventually finished the entire pot without leaving a scrap behind.

After resting for a while, they set off for Axel.

The Adventurers Guild was still crowded when they returned.

Seeing Haruto’s group come back so early, several adventurers looked over in confusion.

"Hey, aren’t those the three newcomers?"

A burly adventurer with a thick beard called out loudly.

"What happened? Went after the Giant Toads and One-Punch Bear and got chased back already?"

Several others turned toward them with teasing smiles.

Haruto ignored them completely and walked straight to the reception counter, where he handed his Adventurer’s Card to Luna.

"Luna, we’re here to turn in our quests."

Luna accepted the card and checked the information recorded on it.

Her eyes immediately widened.

"You already finished them? Both the Giant Toads and the One-Punch Bear?"

The Giant Toad quest itself wasn’t particularly difficult, but locating enough of them took time.

The One-Punch Bear, meanwhile, was far more dangerous.

An ordinary adventuring party would generally need several days to complete both assignments.

Haruto’s group had accepted the quests only yesterday afternoon.

Yet they had already finished them before noon today.

It seemed almost unbelievable, but the information recorded on an Adventurer’s Card could not be falsified.

Once Luna confirmed the results, the surrounding adventurers erupted in astonishment.

"They cleared the Giant Toad and One-Punch Bear quests in half a day?! How is that possible?"

"Who the hell are those three? They’re ridiculously strong!"

"The last time I teamed up for Giant Toads, it took us an entire day to kill five!"

Under everyone’s shocked stares, Luna handed Haruto the rewards with obvious admiration.

"Haruto-san, you three really are incredible. Here is your payment."

Haruto accepted the money, then turned toward the quest board again.

After briefly examining the available requests, he casually selected two more: one to subjugate Savage Alligators, and another involving a Multi-Headed Water Serpent.

Luna’s expression immediately changed when she saw what he had chosen.

The Savage Alligator quest was roughly comparable in difficulty to hunting a One-Punch Bear.

The Multi-Headed Water Serpent, however, was considerably more dangerous.

"Haruto-san, the Multi-Headed Water Serpent subjugation is an extremely dangerous quest. Are you certain you want to take it?"

"Don’t worry. It’ll be fine."

Haruto smiled and collected the quest notices.

Over the next several days, the three began systematically hunting all kinds of monsters around Axel.

Savage Alligators and Multi-Headed Water Serpents lurking in the water, Griffons soaring through the skies, packs of White Wolves roaming the countryside—none of them posed the slightest challenge to Haruto, Kagura, and Kanna.

They would leave Axel every morning and usually return to report their completed quests before the afternoon.

As a result, the names of the three newcomers spread rapidly among Axel’s adventurers.

Everyone soon knew that three absurdly powerful rookies had recently joined the guild, and that they seemed unusually enthusiastic about monster-subjugation quests.

Gradually, Haruto’s party became something of a legend around Axel.

Of course, none of the adventurers realized that the trio’s extraordinary enthusiasm for hunting monsters had very little to do with heroism.

They simply wanted to eat them.

While Haruto and the others were busy collecting various monster ingredients, Megumin and her companions eventually completed the demon-subjugation quest.

Satou Kazuma and Aqua also properly began their careers as adventurers.

One afternoon, Haruto, Kagura, and Kanna returned to the Adventurers Guild after hunting a Manticore.

Even while entering the building, Haruto was still rapidly considering the best ways to prepare it.

The tenderloin was the softest cut and would be perfect for pan-seared steaks.

The hind-leg meat was firmer and pleasantly chewy, making it suitable for braising as a snack to accompany drinks.

Even the meat from the tail possessed plenty of connective tissue and could probably be slow-cooked into a wonderfully rich stew.

The noisy guild hall quieted slightly when the three entered.

By now, everyone’s attention naturally drifted toward them whenever they appeared.

Some gazes carried respect, others curiosity, while more than a few adventurers who still hoped to join their party looked ready to approach them at any moment.

"Haruto-san, you’re back!"

Luna immediately greeted them with a bright smile from behind the counter.

"Did you finish the Manticore quest?"

"Yeah, it’s done."

Haruto nodded and handed over his Adventurer’s Card.

Just as Luna was preparing their reward, the sound of intermittent sobbing drifted in from outside.

Kagura tilted her head curiously toward the entrance.

"That sounds like Chris."

Haruto followed her gaze.

Satou Kazuma, Chris, and Darkness had just entered the Adventurers Guild.

Chris was quietly sniffling.

Beside her, Darkness’s cheeks were flushed an unusual shade of red, and her breathing was slightly rapid, as though she had just experienced something particularly exciting.

Kazuma walked ahead of both women with an unmistakably smug expression.

The moment Haruto saw the three of them, he immediately understood what had happened.

Kazuma had obviously just learned the thief class’s signature skill, Steal, from Chris.

And, exactly as expected, the very first thing he had stolen from her had been her panties.

"Chris, what’s wrong? Did someone bully you?"

Kagura quickly walked over, genuine concern in her voice.

Chris had been curious about Haruto’s group and had approached them several times over the past few days, so she had become reasonably friendly with both Kagura and Kanna.

Naturally, Kagura wasn’t going to ignore her when she saw her crying.

Chris looked up, sniffed, and was just about to answer when Darkness eagerly spoke first.

"Oh, Kagura! Well, Chris was teaching Kazuma the thief skill Steal just now, and not only did he steal her panties, he even extorted her for money afterward!"

"She’s feeling pretty depressed about it!"

Darkness’s eyes were shining far too brightly, and even her voice trembled slightly with excitement.

Just remembering the scene made her heart race.

Having her panties suddenly stolen and then being blackmailed for their return...

The very thought seemed wonderful.

"Hey! Why are you telling everyone that?!"

Kazuma immediately panicked.

Sure, that was exactly what he had done, but she didn’t need to announce it in the middle of the guild hall!

Chris finally managed to speak.

"And giving him my wallet still wasn’t enough! I told him I’d pay however much he wanted if he’d just give them back, and he actually said, ’The owner doesn’t get to decide how much her own panties are worth.’"

"Wait! Wait, hold on! Yes, I said that, but hold on!"

Kazuma was becoming increasingly desperate.

Chris completely ignored him.

"He even said that if I refused, he’d preserve my panties as a family heirloom and pass them down through the generations."

"Pfft—!"

Several male adventurers nearby immediately sprayed out the beer they had been drinking.

"Kazuma’s actually insane!"

"A family heirloom?! You can do that?!"

"So that’s what thief skills are really for!"

The men immediately began laughing and cheering.

The women in the guild, along with several female staff members, reacted very differently.

They stared at Kazuma with open disgust and contempt, as though looking at something filthy they had stepped in.

"He stole a woman’s panties and then blackmailed her with them? What a disgusting pervert."

"How is someone like that even allowed to be an adventurer? He’s an embarrassment to the profession!"

"I’m staying far away from him from now on. Who knows when he’ll target me?"

Kazuma opened his mouth to defend himself, only to realize there was absolutely nothing he could say.

Every accusation was completely true.

Not a single word had been exaggerated.

Haruto glanced at Kazuma thoughtfully.

Strictly speaking, Kazuma really could have kept Chris’s panties as a family heirloom.

After all, Chris was secretly Eris, the Goddess of Fortune.

Maybe the panties of the Goddess of Fortune could actually increase Luck.