click
When Luke entered the house, he found his family gathered on the floor. Large pots of rice, baskets of bread, and generous portions of at had already been laid out.
"Ah, Luke. You’re finally back." Gustav greeted him with a grin. "Co, let’s eat."
Luke blinked in surprise.
"Why haven’t you all started yet?"
He had left nearly two hours ago. Between gathering firewood, chatting with the system, and spending a considerable amount of ti with Thea, he had been gone far longer than intended.
He had assud they would have finished eating and be resting by now.
Instead, Zuri grinned and said,
"We were waiting for ya. Co, let’s start."
Luke froze for a mont before letting out a quiet sigh.
Back in his previous world, there had been a common saying:
A man’s importance rises with how much he earns.
The sa truth seed to apply here.
The people who had once treated him lightly and rarely cared for his opinions, including Zuri and Terek, had waited for him before beginning their al.
Naturally, he didn’t dwell on it or bring it up.
There was no point souring everyone’s mood.
Walking over, he took a seat beside Laila.
"Well, since everything’s already been served, why are Ginna and Monica still standing?" he asked. "Co, join us."
Ginna and Monica exchanged uneasy glances.
Before either could respond, Zuri spoke up.
"He’s right. If we need anything, we’ll get up and grab it ourselves."
The two won were accustod to tending to everyone’s needs during als, so their hesitation was understandable.
Still, with everyone urging them to sit down, they didn’t resist for long.
Monica took the seat beside Luke, which... didn’t sit well with Terek.
For so reason, the situation was beginning to irritate him.
Glancing toward Gustav, he decided he would talk to him after the al.
Once everyone was seated, the feast finally began.
Luke grabbed a roasted rabbit leg and tucked the at between two pieces of bread before gently pulling it apart.
"Goddamn..."
The sigh escaped him in pure appreciation.
The at ca off effortlessly.
Tender.
Juicy.
Perfectly cooked.
Rich juices imdiately soaked into the bread, and Luke paused for a mont to savor the aroma rising from it.
Across from him Ginna and beside him Monica watched with barely concealed anticipation.
Their eyes remained fixed on him, waiting for his verdict.
Finally, Luke took a bite.
The mont the flavors hit his tongue, his expression softened.
The crispy exterior gave way to tender at, while the juices blended perfectly with the bread.
For a brief mont, he forgot about dungeons, quests, and everything else weighing on his mind.
This...
Was heaven.
Luke chewed a few more tis before finally swallowing the bite.
Then he took another.
And another.
By the ti he was done, an entire loaf of bread had disappeared in just three large bites.
That alone told Monica and Ginna everything they needed to know about how much he enjoyed the al.
Luke missed many things from his previous life.
Air conditioners.
His bike.
His collection of gas.
Food, however?
Not at all.
This was on an entirely different level.
He scooped so rice into a small bowl, piled on a generous amount of at, and imdiately dug in.
Each bite was rich and satisfying, the flavors blending together perfectly.
Before long, he also tried the special drink Dalia always prepared.
The cool liquid slid down his throat, washing away the richness of the al without diminishing it.
Instead, it complented everything.
Luke closed his eyes for a mont and let out a content sigh.
The food was incredible.
The drink was incredible.
Together, they were so perfect that he felt as though his very soul was being purified.
He turned toward Monica and then Ginna, flashing them a smile that conveyed exactly how he felt about the al.
The two won visibly relaxed, their efforts more than rewarded by his reaction.
Just then, Zuri called out,
"So, Lex, are you going to participate in the hunting contest tomorrow?"
The question imdiately drew everyone’s attention.
Heads turned toward the man.
Lex offered a wry smile. After briefly glancing at Dalia, he replied,
"Not sure. While I’m healed now, I haven’t hunted in a long ti."
Gustav chuckled.
"A tiger never forgets how to hunt, no matter how rusty its fangs beco."
A faint smile appeared on Lex’s face.
Just then, Terek added his own opinion.
"Yeah, and don’t participate just to win. There’s no rule saying you have to aim for first place in every contest."
He gestured toward Luke.
"I an, look at your brother. He’s participating just for the sake of it."
Silence fell over the room the mont those words were spoken.
Even Lex looked caught off guard.
Luke, however, rely smirked.
He calmly finished chewing the food in his mouth before turning toward the older man.
"You sure are confident in yourself."
There wasn’t a trace of hesitation in his voice.
Nor did he make any effort to hide how ridiculous he found the statent.
Terek grinned.
"You can’t seriously be thinking about winning a contest that I’m participating in."
Luke let out a short snicker.
"Old man, you’re forgetting sothing."
His gaze locked onto Terek’s.
"You may have been born here, but right now you’re a guest. A visitor."
His voice remained calm, but the confidence behind it was unmistakable.
"I live here."
He leaned back slightly before adding,
"I can walk into the most dangerous corners of this forest with my eyes closed."
The statent carried a startling amount of confidence.
Calling Terek a guest in the very village he had been born in took nerve.
A lot of nerve.
Even Zuri was montarily taken aback by the boy’s boldness.
Terek didn’t take offense in those words and told the boy, "Let’s see then, whether your courage or my experience wins tomorrow."
Luke shrugged and didn’t offer any response.
Though, his ego was definitely triggered. And now, Luke knew he was going to take this much more seriously..
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