The Goddess Granted Me the [Hatching] Skill and Somehow I Became the Strongest Tamer, Commanding Mythical and Divine Beasts - 86

Chapter 86: Cockatrice Meat

“Hmm, that was quite a good workout.”

Around us, the dead bodies of Cockatrices lay scattered.

Carol, satisfied, sheathed her dagger and stretched.

“Still, you’re incredibly amazing.”

Despite having moved around so much, Carol was not even out of breath, and I stared at her in amazement.

“Indeed, her speed is unbelievable,” I said.

I could barely keep up with her movements. I could only admire Carol’s swift actions.

“No, Klaus. You too,” Hanna said.

I tilted my head in confusion.

“You were keeping up with Carol’s movements and cutting down the Cockatrices with your sword, weren’t you?”

I had been following her, but I hadn’t defeated even half as many as she had.

“Usually, with B-rank monsters, it’s hard enough just to land an attack…”

I understood what they meant now.

“Ah, well, this sword is a bit of a find,” I explained.

It had been picked up by Feni in the volcanic cave, and as expected for an S-rank item, nothing so far had been able to withstand it.

“Everyone, gather the claws!”

Paris’s command came, and we began collecting the claws. I used my sword to cut off the Cockatrices’ claws, and the others gathered them.

By the time we had gathered most of the claws, it had become quite late. It seemed like we would be staying here for the night, but…

“Paris, what about the rest of the Cockatrice?” Carol asked, looking to the leader.

“Well, normally, we’d want to eat it, but the Cockatrice’s bl00d contains petrification poison. It’ll take time to remove it…”

Cockatrice meat is considered a delicacy, but removing the poison requires soaking it in saltwater and changing the water every few days for several weeks. We couldn’t do that while traveling in a cart, so Paris sighed and muttered, resting his hand on his chin.

“Klaus, you can remove the poison, right?”

Carol turned to me with hopeful eyes.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I can do it. I’ve removed poison from Poison Toad meat before.”

I had already confirmed that I could use the Purifying Flame to handle it.

“Could you do it for us? If we can eat it here, we’ll have a food source, which would be helpful…”

“Sure, it’s not that much effort, so I’m fine with it.”

Either way, I had planned to purify the bl00d on my sword, so it wouldn’t take any extra time.

“Klaus, hurry up!”

Carol hurried me while holding the blocks of meat. I smiled wryly and summoned the Purifying Flame.

“That’s fast, but won’t it burn everything?”

“No, it’s a flame that purifies impurities, like poison and dirt, so it won’t burn anything.”

I demonstrated by sticking my hand into the flame.

“‘Ooooh!’”

I heard the voices of surprise from around me. No matter how many times I did it, first-timers were always taken aback.

Red and yellow smoke rose as the purification process completed. What was left was glossy, pink meat.

“It’s purified, so it should be safe to eat now.”

“The meat you use this skill on is always delicious, I can’t wait!”

Carol’s ears and tail wagged as she said this.

“Alright, let’s cook it!”

Hanna started cutting the blocks of meat, and Ritz began skewering and roasting them.

Soon, the fat from the meat dripped onto the fire, and smoke rose. The delicious smell spread around, and someone’s stomach growled.

“I can’t wait any longer!”

Though it seemed like the meat wasn’t fully cooked yet, Carol grabbed a skewer and eagerly bit into the meat.

“Mmm, mmm, crunch!”

She chewed carefully and swallowed, as the surface was hot. Everyone around her watched as she ate.

“So good!”

Carol shouted, her eyes sparkling.

“Really?!”

“Is there any sign of petrification?”

The adventurers around her watched carefully, but there was no change in her condition.

A little later, when the other meat was done cooking, people could no longer resist and reached for it.

“Wow, it’s true! It’s so tender, and the more I chew, the richer the flavor fills my mouth!”

“I’ve eaten Cockatrice meat before, but the bl00d was perfectly cleaned, and there’s no unpleasant odor or taste. This is way better than the Cockatrice meat I ate before!”

Each person who ate praised the meat, and soon, those who had been holding back eagerly grabbed skewers as well. Before long, everyone rushed in, and the meat was gone from the grill in no time.

Even adventurers used to good food from the kingdom were enthusiastically eating the Cockatrice meat.

“Yeah, this is definitely too good.”

Honestly, it was the best taste I had ever had, and I couldn’t help but speak my thoughts aloud.

“I just hope Cockatrices don’t go extinct from this point on…”

I worried at that moment, wondering if the national adventurers, now hooked on the taste, might end up wiping out the entire Cockatrice population.