Authors note- sorry readers I am unable to write and thus won't be able to post a chapter on 2 July don't worry though I'll do it on 3rd.
After Saksham announced the end of the event and the beginning of the feast, everyone went forward to taste the food lined up at the stalls arranged around the venue. There were over 20 types of dishes, most likely to limit the wastage of food. If every prey that had been hunted was to be displayed at the stalls, it would make too much wastage. So, a mix of dishes using multiple parts of different prey was served at the feast. The fact that many people they didn't know, who were most likely members of the "HUNTED," were there helped ease their doubts about the wastage of food.
As Hob, Friz, Geld, and Amy walked around the venue, they noticed that the names of the hunters who provided the ingredients, the corpses of monsters for a particular dish, were mentioned next to the container that held the dishes. This made the table a bit too crowded as there were multiple names written alongside every dish. There were even names that were written multiple times alongside different dishes, such as Hob's group, whose names were written alongside four dishes. As it turns out, parts of the mutated bear were used to make two dishes, and another two made use of the meat of the mutated deer they had hunted.
But as it stood, no one was objecting to it as it helped them identify the dishes made from their prey, and everyone wanted to taste what they hunted and risked their lives for.
Hob and the group decided to split up, take some of every dish, and then meet at the table they occupied to save time and eat all the dishes made from their prey.
Soon, the group was sitting at the round table, looking at the dishes in front of them with salivating eyes. The first dish was Herb-Crusted Mutated Bear Meat Roast, which was served with root vegetables to enhance the taste, and the second dish made using the mutated bear was a Mutated Bear Meat Stew made with chunks of bear meat, vegetables, and wild herbs.
For the dishes made from the mutated deer, there were Grilled Mutated Deer Meat and Mutated Deer Skewers. The grilled mutated deer meat was cuts of thick meat grilled over an open fire and was served with greens and berries. As for the mutated deer skewers, they were bite-sized pieces of meat skewered with wild vegetables and roasted over a fire.
In the next second, everyone started eating with the Herb-Crusted Mutated Bear Roast.
"Woah, this one has a rich flavor, it's so good," Hob said, savoring a bite of the Herb-Crusted Mutated Bear Roast.
"Indeed, and it also has a sweeter undertone. I think it's because of the mutation," Friz judged based on the flavor.
Amy took a bite of the Herb-Crusted Mutated Bear Roast. "Wow, this is really tender! And the herbs give it such a nice aroma," Amy said, taking small bites.
Geld nodded in agreement. "I agree, it's surprisingly flavorful," Geld said, gulping a whole piece of meat in one go.
Friz sampled the bear meat stew next. "Mmm, this stew is hearty. The meat is so tender, and the broth is rich with all these wild herbs. This is just perfect," Friz said with excitement.
Hob tasted the stew as well and said, "Exactly, and those root vegetables soak up all the flavors."
Amy tried the grilled meat next. "Oh, this grilled deer meat is delicious! It's lean but so juicy. And these berries add such a nice touch of sweetness," Amy said, eating more of it.
Geld nodded while chewing on a skewer. "These skewers are great too. The meat is tender, and the wild vegetables bring out different flavors. It's like a feast straight from the forest," Geld said with food still in his mouth.
Friz finished a skewer and said, "It feels so good to eat so many types of food."
Hob took another bite of the roast. "Absolutely. It's not just food; it's you guys as well. It feels great meeting so many types of people, unlike when we could only meet those we were allowed to."
Amy smiled. "And it's a testament to our journey so far. We've come a long way from just trying to survive."
Geld raised his skewer and shouted, "To more hunts, more challenges, and more feasts like this!"
Friz raised her glass of water. "Cheers to ourselves!"
Hob joined in and said, "Cheers!" looking at Friz with a smile on his face.
After around 20 minutes, they were done tasting the dishes that used their prey as ingredients and got up to sample other dishes as well. There were all kinds of dishes, and they couldn't eat everything, so everyone went around eating the things they preferred. After almost 20 more minutes, they were full and stopped eating.
Sitting at their table, the group finally took in the scenery of the event and the things that were going on around them. Many of the faces they had seen before were there, most of them from group 3, but today was the first time Hob had seen them smiling and enjoying themselves as much as they were today. Before this, there was a slight tension surrounding everyone, even though it was almost unnoticeable, but now that it was gone, the group subconsciously felt more relaxed and carefree, and a smile crept up on their faces without them knowing. No one was saying anything, and everyone was busy savoring this moment of respite that they could only dream of in the past.
As they were lost staring at everyone, time passed quickly, and the feast came to an end. But for some reason, no one from group 3 left the original venue and sat down at their respective tables, making new acquaintances and sharing the story of their hunts. Though everyone maintained a distance from Hob's group, maybe because their hunt was already known to everyone or maybe because of some other reason.
As everyone was busy, Saksham's voice resounded in everyone's ears, "Since all of you aren't going to sleep yet, let me make one last announcement as well. I want all of you to go and meet Mr. Arihant in the training facility and ask about what to do after getting selected to be the 'HUNTED.' And all of you remember to collect your 'HUNTED' badge. It'll be the proof of you being a HUNTED from now on. I'll be going then. I only came by to tell you all about this. Continue whatever you're doing." and Saksham retreated from the venue of the feast once again.
Everyone waited for a few more seconds to see if Saksham would add anything more, and when the voice didn't arrive again, everyone heaved a sigh of relief and went back to what they were doing.
Hob and the group felt like they were out of place, so they went inside the building, said their goodbyes, and returned to their respective rooms.
Upon entering their room, Hob and Friz promptly changed back into comfortable clothes to sleep.
"We ate too much again!" Hob said, holding his stomach as he lay on the bed.
"You should've warned me of this," Friz said, laying her head on Hob's arms as she also held her stomach.
Soon, they both started laughing at each other's state and went to sleep after chatting some more.
In the morning, they woke up tired and took turns getting fresh and bathing. After they were done, they wore their regular clothes and went out together again and met Gordon, who seemed to be on reception duty today.
"Hey, Gordon, how are you doing?" Hob asked as he walked toward the reception.
"Oh, I'm doing good. I should be the one asking you that instead; you got the best hunt reward. It's very rare to receive that one unless you hunt a really formidable foe, and you even got it right as you became a 'HUNTED.' Congratulations on your spectacular performance!" Gordon said, congratulating them on their performance in the hunt.
"Thank you very much, Gordon. I'm here for the 'HUNTED' badge we were supposed to get," Hob said, trying to be humble.
"Oh, that. Here, keep it safe though; it can cost your life if you lose it," Gordon said as he handed over one badge to Hob.
"What about Friz?" Hob asked, seeing that there was only one badge.
"Oh, Friz was a lamb and survived the hunt with you. So, instead of being a full-fledged 'HUNTED,' she is going to be your assistant. Though if you manage to collect enough merits, it is possible for her to become a full-fledged 'HUNTED,'" Gordon explained.
Hob's face darkened when he heard that, but before he could say anything, Friz put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head. "It's pointless; these are the regulations," Friz said, holding back her emotions.
Hob calmed down, and without saying anything, he started walking toward the training facility with Friz.