Charles opened his mouth, just about to ask what was meant by affecting the meat's texture, when he saw Zephyr's movements, which were much faster than he had anticipated.
He slightly crouched, gathering his strength. The rock layer on the ground cracked, gravel splashing up with his footsteps. Zephyr shot forward, launching the first wave of attack against the Barbecue Pig ahead.
At the very moment he lunged forward, he clearly felt the intense changes in his body brought about by leveling up. It felt as if every muscle was filled with power. He felt as if he had an endless supply of brute strength within him.
Along with the muscle memory developed from constant fighting, every one of Zephyr's movements was much more fluid now.
The axe he held in his hand, which was originally so heavy that it required both hands to swing when he was at Level 1—could now be easily lifted with just one hand. It was no different from wielding a spatula in the kitchen.
Holy crap! So this is what it feels like after leveling up?
He finally understood why, when Lili heard a few days ago that he was going to confront Zanis, she had appeared so nervous and uneasy.
The difference in strength between Lv. 1 and Lv. 2 was not just a simple accumulation of numerical values, but more of a qualitative change after elevating one's level of life.
The ten-meter distance that had originally separated them was quickly closed to right in front of the Gourmet Creature in the brief moment Zephyr lunged forward.
The Barbecue Pig's reaction was not slow either. It roared and raised its front hooves. It kicked the ground with its thick hind legs, and charged straight toward Zephyr's chest.
Tsk. It feels like... it's not as strong as I expected?
Zephyr narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the monster's attack path.
If he were following his combat strategy from Level 1, the best choice at this moment would be to dodge sideways to avoid a head-on collision. But now, that was completely unnecessary.
When the Barbecue Pig in front of him was about to charge over—
Dragon Roar!
The Barbecue Pig's massive body froze instantly. It remained frozen in its sprinting posture. However, hindered by the inertia brought by its weight, it still slid forward, its four roasted hooves plowing deep marks into the passage floor.
Good opportunity!
Zephyr did not miss the chance to attack, his gaze scanning quickly. Finally, he locked his sight onto the Barbecue Pig's abdomen. That was the point where the charred outer skin was thinnest and easiest to break. As long as the blade cut in, it would inevitably deal a heavy blow to the Gourmet Creature.
He bent his knees, his center of gravity dropping sharply, and borrowing the speed and inertia accumulated from his sprint, he slid down toward the ground—this was something he had learned from watching videos.
A sliding tackle!
He held the axe tightly with both hands in front of him, the sharp edge aimed at the Barbecue Pig's soft abdomen.
Pfft!
The axe broke through the outer defense, slicing across the Barbecue Pig's abdomen, the metal edge cutting right through the soft abdominal skin.
The charred outer layer, the tender inner meat wall, as well as the internal organs of the Barbecue Pig.
All layers were neatly sliced open by the blade, revealing an extremely gruesome wound. Blood mixed with the grease unique to roasted meat sprayed out, making the rich aroma of roasted meat in the air even more fragrant.
Steaming meat juices flowed out along the wound, dripping onto the Dungeon's rocky floor and making a slight sizzling sound due to the high temperature.
The monster's pupils dilated, and after receiving the fatal injury, its massive body began to tilt toward the cave wall on the left.
Finishing this series of fluid movements, Zephyr slid a few meters, then, relying on the reverse force of his inertia, stood back up.
He raised his hand to wipe away the golden grease that had splattered onto the side of his face.
With a tentative thought, he sampled the taste.
The taste seems not bad?
"It's over."
Zephyr shook the residual grease and blood off the axe. He had underestimated the help a suitable weapon brought to an Adventurer.
Relying solely on [Unicorn] definitely wouldn't work. When fighting Adventurers, it could be hidden as a surprise sneak attack, but when facing these increasingly massive Gourmet Creatures in the Dungeon, they weren't as effective He had to get a suitable weapon.
He gathered his thoughts and looked at the Barbecue Pig lying on the ground, its abdominal wound continuously oozing golden grease, the smell of perfectly roasted pork filling his nasal cavity. Just smelling it made his stomach start working at full capacity.
Most importantly, this thing was a proper Gourmet Creature.
According to the system's explanation, this thing was definitely non-toxic, and the meat must contain quite rich Gourmet Cells.
Thinking of this, Zephyr turned around and looked at his dumbfounded team members.
"Um... Are you guys interested in eating some freshly roasted Barbecue Pig in the Dungeon?"
"???"
Should they be shocked by the sudden change in Zephyr's strength after his level up, or should they be shocked by this unprecedented new Dungeon creature before them?
Charles couldn't figure it out, but as the rich aroma of roasted meat drifted into his nose, his stomach, which had been filled by breakfast, started rumbling. His intuition told him that this thing must taste really good.
The puzzled Lefiya had long since walked behind Zephyr.
Watching his skillful movements in butchering the ingredients, she recalled what Zephyr had said before the battle and couldn't suppress her curiosity.
"Um... Zephyr."
"Hm?"
"Why did you say just now that this monster in front of us must be finished quickly? Is it because... this Dungeon monster would become very troublesome?"
Why did this silly elf always ask questions that were hard to answer? He couldn't exactly say he was a transmigrator and the system prompted him, could he?
After deliberating for a moment, he said, "Then let me ask you, you've seen roasted pig, right?"
Lefiya nodded.
Last night, at The Hostess of Fertility restaurant, Loki had ordered a portion of roasted pork chops, and with the sauce, the overall taste was quite delicious.
"What about a living Barbecue Pig?"
Lefiya shook her head.
"So, there is only one possibility. The monster we encountered used the unique special heat within its body to cook itself into the appearance of roasted pig."
He pointed to the perfectly browned layer on the surface of the Barbecue Pig's skin. "Look at its skin, crispy, with an even color. It's obvious—the doneness of the meat has reached the perfect level for flavor, suitable for eating."
"If we couldn't finish it quickly, I was worried that it would roast its own meat until it became tougher and tougher."
"How should I describe it? It feels like overcooking a steak, completely wasting good ingredients. No matter how you look at it, it's not worth it."
"You can understand, right?"
Listening to Zephyr's eloquent speech, Lefiya opened her mouth but the words she originally wanted to ask were all stuck in her throat. She felt that what he said made sense, but thinking about it carefully, it seemed like something felt wrong everywhere?
Her gaze swept again to the corpse in front of her.
How to put it...
The essence of this conclusion was entirely built on the absurd claim that a Dungeon monster would actively cook itself into dishes.
But what monster would cook itself?
Facing the roasted ribs handed over by Zephyr, she could see that the surface of the meat shone with an alluring golden luster, and the rich aroma of roasted meat drifted into her nose along the air, stimulating her taste buds. The smell was even richer than what she had eaten at the restaurant last night.
Lefiya looked at the steaming roasted ribs in her hand, her eyelashes trembling slightly. The factual conclusion was already placed before her, and she developed strong self-doubt.
This... is this explanation really reasonable?