Amid the intense battle between Magnus and the Orc, Medelien suddenly whispered to Gilgamel: "I heard that Orc meat is of very high quality..."
Gilgamel gazed at Medelien in surprise.
How could she have the time to think about food ingredients in a situation like this?
And all of the things she desires for is that Orc's meat!
That's unethical and unprofessional!
That Orc, after all, is a humanoid creature. How could she have the appetite to eat it?
Gilgamel subconsciously observed the Orc, who was fiercely fighting with Magnus, from head to toe.
The Orc appeared to be a humanoid with a face resembling a pig, featuring green skin and menacingly sharp fangs. Despite its humanoid characteristics, the Orc's towering height and large body resembled that of a giant more than a human. Its muscular physique, concealed beneath the armor, appeared unnaturally shaped, giving the impression of a thick and robust build.
Imagining turning those twitching muscles into meat, Gilgamel couldn't help but gulp and think, 'Is it really that tasty?'
"Unfortunately, this Orc has been heavily contaminated by abyssal energy. It is not consumable." Medelien lamented as she looked at the Orc from a chef's perspective.
Gilgamel immediately said, "What a coincidence! One of the magic spells I have mastered is purify. I can try to cleanse the abyssal energy with this magic spell."
Purify is a Tier-1 magic spell designed to eliminate filthy energies such as poison, curses, and potentially abyssal energy.
To master this spell, Gilgamel went as far as immersing himself in a swamp filled with toxic water. After a year of intense training, the once-polluted swamp was cleansed, resulting in a significant loss in value. Consequently, Gilgamel faced reprimand from an elder in the organization and was fined a considerable amount of mana crystals.
Although he didn't know if Purify worked on abyssal energy, he wouldn't know without trying.
Medelien looked at Gilgamel and praised, "Not bad, Gil. You really came to this trip prepared!"
"You can praise me some more, hehe~" Gilgamel teased, rubbing his nose, which had elongated due to the flattery.
Medelien's eyes lit up with longing as she spoke, "For so long, I have yearned to craft a dish using Orc meat, but it is a rare find in the market. And even if it were, it wouldn't be my share to get it. Yet now, this high-quality meat lies before me. I am determined to make it into a delectable feast!"
"Can you make it especially spicy for me?" Gilgamel made a request.
"Would you like it fried or grilled, my lord?"
"Anything is fine as long as you are the one who cooks it, my lady."
"Oh, please, my lord~"
"My lady~"
The cringey exchange between the two individuals was unknowingly witnessed by Collin and Farad, causing them to struggle to maintain calm expressions on their faces.
In this situation, they were actually discussing the Orc as if it were a food source.
Had the Orc been able to comprehend their dialogue, it likely would not have hesitated to cease its altercation with Magnus and instead charge fiercely towards the two insolent humans.
Meanwhile, Magnus was engaged in a fierce battle with the Orc, their weapons clashing violently. Despite the Orc's imposing size, Magnus possessed greater strength, giving him the upper hand in the confrontation.
In spite of the Orc's magical ability to boost its weapon's damage, it posed little threat to Magnus.
Magnus wielded a custom-made Tier-1 magic staff tailored for close combat magic, boasting attributes that rivalled the enchanted weapon of the Orc.
In addition, Magnus relentlessly unleashed his magic upon the Orc whenever the chance presented itself. It was only a matter of time before the Orcs got overwhelmed.
Magnus exerted his strength and plunged his staff into the Orc, causing it to stagger backward. Seizing the moment, he swiftly invoked another magic spell.
"Earth Prison!"
Without delay, the ground beneath the Orc surged upward, coalescing into a cage that entrapped the creature, leaving it powerless within the confines of the earthen prison.
In the world of wizards, it's common for those with advanced talent to possess multiple elemental affinities in addition to their original one.
Take Farad, for example. His primary elemental affinity is thunder, allowing him to wield various thunder-based magic spells proficiently. In addition, he has also attained mastery over the basic elements closely intertwined with the lightning element, namely wind and fire.
These additional affinities enable Farad to battle in the air by utilizing wind-based magic spells such as "Levitate," similar to Gilgamel. However, instead of Telekinesis, he swiftly navigates through the air using the thunder magic spell "Flash."
Similarly, Magnus has also mastered two additional basic elements, namely earth and fire, in addition to his original element.
Upon realizing its predicament, the Orc let out a furious roar. It swung its massive axe wildly, attempting to shatter the earthen cage that had entrapped it. Yet, the soil continually surged and fortified the prison, denying the Orc any opportunity to escape.
Magnus kept gripping his hand as the mana inside his body kept flowing out to increase the soil and completely buried the Orc alive.
After a while, a sharp "DING" resonated from the small device fastened to his wrist. Magnus swiftly glanced at it and noticed the digit "1" displayed on the screen.
"Hey, you've earned a point. Congratulations~" Gilgamel unexpectedly emerged from the behind.
"Well, that was a piece of cake," Magnus boasted, feeling quite pleased with himself.
"Yeah, yeah." Gilgamel responded carelessly and said, "Now, can you get the soil away from the Orc's body? We need to get its body. I hope you didn't roast it in that pile of dirt."
"Huh?" Magnus was taken aback and asked, "What for?"
"For our dinner, of course!" Gilgamel said matter-of-factly.
Magnus looked surprised. He turned to his teammates, but they just shrugged.
Seeing this response, Magnus turned back to Gilgamel and said, "The meat is covered in dirt. Can it still be processed?"
"Don't worry. We have the best chef on our team," Gilgamel reassured him, casting a glance towards someone in the group.
Noticing his gaze, Medelien raised her hands with a sweet smile on her face.
Suddenly understanding the situation, Magnus exclaimed, "Ah, I see. Is that why you put her on the team?"
Feeling offended, Medelien retorted: "Excuse me!"
Collin approached and urgently whispered, "Hey, can we leave now? I heard numerous footsteps approaching from behind. They sound like abyssal creatures, and it seems like there are many of them."
"Isn't that great? We can grin them and harvest a lot of points, as long as there are no Tier-2 abyssal creatures among them." Magnus said with great confidence.
After witnessing Farad's intense battle with the Wyvern and actively participating in combat against the Orc, Magnus felt assured in his ability to wipe out the abyssal creatures in the area, excluding the Tier-2 abyssal creatures.
However, Magnus was well aware that he couldn't accomplish this task alone.
In addition to himself, the team had Farad, whose strength was on par with his. Furthermore, there were still Gilgamel and Collin, whose strengths were still unknown.
With the combined skills and efforts of the team, Magnus held strong confidence in their capability to triumph over even the Tier-2 abyssal creatures.
Gilgamel paused, taking a moment to consider his decision.
As the leader of the team, he valued the input of his comrades.
"Alright, it's time to decide. Who is in favor of pressing on?"
Farad and Magnus were the first to raise their hands, as expected - they were known for their love of battle.
To everyone's surprise, Medelien also joined in, explaining, "I need to look out for other ingredients."
"You've got to be kidding," Collin blurted out, unable to contain his disbelief.
Medelien simply shrugged, uninterested in arguing the point.
Having teammates as formidable as Magnus and Farad meant all she had to do was focus on protecting herself in the upcoming skirmish without holding the team back.
As the vote results in favor of continuing the fight came out, Gilgamel paused for a moment before he finally spoke: "Then, it's decided!"
Previously, they decided to escape from the preying eyes of abyssal creatures because they had not had time to assess the situation and needed a safe place to make a plan.
Now, with no means of escape, they found themselves compelled to engage in combat.
Additionally, they came to realize that the adversaries they were facing were not as formidable as they had initially believed. This realization dispelled any reason for hesitation or retreat, empowering them to face the challenge confidently.