Jeanne's steps faltered. She clapped a hand over her forehead, her face a picture of secondhand embarrassment, unable to bring herself to look.
Riveria's hushed exchange with Laurier and Aura cut off abruptly. All three of them swiveled their gazes toward the strange little "exchange" unfolding between Leon and Ais.
"Monster Hunter Special?"
Riveria's jade-green eyes narrowed slightly as she studied the dish wrapped snugly in cloth in Leon's hand. Catching the subtle mix of exasperation, awkwardness, and even a trace of pity flickering across Jeanne's and the two elf girls' faces, suspicion began to stir in her chest.
This so-called Monster Hunter Special... could there really be something out of the ordinary about it?
Her curiosity was thoroughly piqued.
In stark contrast to Riveria's cool observation, Ais remained expressionless.
There was even a hint of disdain in her eyes.
Food?
So long as something filled her stomach and restored her stamina, wasn't that enough? Taste was utterly beside the point.
To her, nothing mattered more than growing stronger.
From beginning to end, only one thought lived in her heart.
Revenge.
Kill the Black Dragon.
Beyond that, nothing mattered.
Even becoming stronger was nothing more than a tool for her revenge.
"..."
I'm pulling out my trump card and you don't even react!?
This is humiliating.
Leon's mouth twitched. Still, on second thought, once he revealed the Monster Hunter Special's miraculous effect, there was no way she wouldn't bite.
After all...
This was a dish that hit Ais's weak spot with pinpoint precision.
Including the well-traveled elf royal standing right in front of him, he was willing to bet no one could resist a dish like this.
Even if the Monster Hunter Special did come with one teeny, insignificant... side effect.
Of course...
Accidents weren't impossible, but with Ais? There was no way he'd crash and burn.
Glancing at the still-unmoved Ais, then catching the scrutiny and curiosity in Riveria's eyes, Leon lifted his chin slightly. With a hint of almost imperceptible smugness, he made his proud announcement:
"The Monster Hunter Special. Our familia's secret specialty dish."
"As for what it does, it's not so different from weapons, armor, elixirs, or magic swords. It's meant to boost your combat power."
Boost combat power!?
Ais's heart jumped. Ripples finally disturbed the flat surface of her expressionless eyes.
Catching that shift in an instant, Leon curled his lips into a smile and dropped the bombshell:
"After eating the Monster Hunter Special, for the duration of the full-stomach effect, roughly two hours, the eater's Basic Abilities receive an unconditional boost. The increase is stable at around 5%."
He raised one finger for emphasis.
"Note: 5% across the board. Meaning what? Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Agility, Magic... every single base stat gets a full boost."
"An effect this potent is practically the equivalent of gaining an extra useful skill out of thin air, or a precious Development Ability."
"So? Interested now?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Riveria and Ais both came to a stop.
Their eyes locked onto the dish balanced in Leon's palm.
One pair of eyes lit up; the other flickered with astonished suspicion.
Clearly, they were both stunned by what Leon had just produced.
Compared to Ais, whose mind was now completely filled with "can boost combat power"...
The well-read, far-traveled Riveria was weathering a far more violent storm on the inside.
She had never once heard that Orario had something like this.
A 5% boost might look unimpressive, but it all came down to who was using it.
For a Lv. 1 adventurer, 5% was a drop in the bucket. Negligible.
But for a Lv. 5? A Lv. 6?
That boost wasn't a little something extra. It was massive.
For a First-Class Adventurer fighting on the frontlines year-round, the Monster Hunter Special was the kind of chip that could tip the scales of a life-or-death battle.
Think about it. A monster you couldn't quite beat under normal circumstances, just one bite of Monster Hunter Special short of victory... what if that one bite got you over the line?
But none of that was what shook Riveria the most.
What truly stole her breath was Leon's seemingly offhand follow-up.
Riveria's jade-green eyes sharpened instantly. She took a step forward, her voice carrying a gravity and demand for confirmation she had rarely shown before.
"Are you certain... that the stat boost from this Monster Hunter Special won't affect the purity of the Excelia the eater accumulates in battle, or their progress toward a Great Feat? Not even the slightest reduction?"
Seeing how seriously Riveria was taking this, Leon wiped the smile from his face. His expression turned open and firm as he nodded.
"As everyone knows, Excelia is only reduced when you fight under a buff directly bestowed by another."
"Things like someone else's enhancement magic or support skills, for instance."
"But that doesn't include the Monster Hunter Special. Fundamentally, it's just food. It's no different from the bread or jerky you'd normally eat to fill your stomach. The boost it provides comes from the internal changes the eater undergoes after digesting and absorbing it, not from external interference."
Leon spread his hands and offered the simplest analogy possible:
"Does eating a regular meal reduce the Excelia you gain in battle?"
"Obviously not."
This near "bug-tier" property was something Leon himself had only fully figured out well after the fact.
At first, he'd only known the Monster Hunter Special had a few minor side effects. It wasn't until after he'd eaten it before the Floor Boss campaign, and everyone had analyzed and discussed it together, that this hidden property had been discovered, almost miraculously.
"Hah..."
Hearing Leon's explanation, Riveria's breathing visibly quickened.
She was clearly shaken by the news.
If what this young man said was true... then the value of the Monster Hunter Special would be beyond imagination. No matter what, Loki Familia would have to establish the firmest possible cooperative relationship with Demeter Familia, and with this Leon.
However, whereas Riveria could at least just barely hold onto her composure and maintain some measure of expression control...
Ais was more direct. In an instant, her hand shot out to grab it.
"Hey, hold on a second."
At a speed even faster than Ais, Leon pulled the dish back, hurriedly stopping her rash move.
Are you kidding me!
The last thing he wanted was to let Ais experience the Monster Hunter Special's side effects right in front of Riveria.
The consequences of that...
He wasn't ready to die yet.
"Phew..."
Seeing Leon pull back from the edge, Jeanne and the two girls who'd been tense beside him all let out a breath nearly in unison.
Ais's sudden move had just about scared them half to death.
Especially Laurier and Aura.
They had personally witnessed what happened the first time someone ate the Monster Hunter Special without any mental preparation. Even an adventurer as iron-willed as Gojouno Kaguya couldn't withstand the extreme stimulation of the "Culinary Mirage," losing composure on the spot.
Let alone an ordinary person.
They'd almost certainly be instantly drowned in that incomparable flood of bliss, passing out cold in the midst of sheer ecstasy.
Thank goodness...
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