"This must weigh five or six hundred kilograms," Luke estimated, surveying their prize.
Moving such a massive creature single-handedly was clearly impractical. Internal energy wasn't meant to be squandered on such tasks.
The team fashioned a makeshift stretcher from two logs and rope, hoisting the black boar.
Oliver and Eric, being the junior members, were naturally tasked with carrying the load.
They began their journey home.
While reaching the middle layer often involved extensive searching, the return trip was relatively direct. Within half a day, they were back in Willowbrook.
Their impressive catch drew attention as they passed through the village. Though not a monster, the boar's size promised a lasting food supply for the team – a significant haul by any measure.
"Team Four's struck gold!"
"Indeed! Recruiting new blood and scoring a big catch – that's a promising start!"
After processing, the boar yielded over 300 kilograms of meat.
Village rules dictated that ordinary meat wasn't subject to taxation, unlike monster meat, of which over 50% had to be surrendered. Hoarding monster meat was a capital offense.
Oliver's share came to 50 kilograms of meat and a substantial amount of bones.
As a newcomer, he wasn't entitled to an equal portion. In terms of strength and utility, he still lagged far behind Eric and Laura. Fifty kilograms was a generous allocation.
Upon returning home, Oliver immediately set about cooking.
His family pitched in to help. Ethan brought firewood, while Sophia and others fetched water.
These chores, though seemingly trivial, could consume half a day if tackled alone. Oliver accepted their assistance gratefully, vowing to repay their kindness once his cultivation bore fruit.
"In my previous life, vegetables and meat just had different nutritional profiles. Both were essential. But this world seems different..." Oliver mused, recalling conversations overheard in the mess hall.
Meat commanded a far higher price than grain here. Beyond its taste, it held immense value for cultivation.
Hunters claimed that all life in this world contained "life force."
Human internal energy was a transformation of this "life force."
Animals, being more advanced lifeforms, contained greater concentrations of life force. The stronger the creature and the higher its position in the food chain, the more potent its meat for cultivation purposes.
"Boiled in plain water... what a waste. Is there truly no seasoning?" Oliver lamented.
Seasonings existed, of course, but were beyond his means.
He eyed the unseasoned pork, grimaced, and forced himself to eat with eyes closed.
To his surprise, the meat lacked any unpleasant odor or taste.
After quickly consuming about a kilogram, Oliver found himself satiated. His body entered a digestive state, and drowsiness set in.
Knowing that strenuous activity would hinder digestion, Oliver opted for rest.
"My appetite's quite small. Ordinary people with hearty appetites can consume dozens of kilograms in a sitting. Does this mean my physical talent is below average? Among billions, are only a select few considered truly gifted?" These thoughts accompanied Oliver into a deep slumber.
He awoke in the afternoon, feeling energized. Without delay, he began his daily Energy Cultivation practice.
Immediately, he noticed a difference. The usually elusive physical energy now surged forth in torrents, nearly tripling his usual output.
"I feel so... invigorated. Is this what it means to be properly nourished?"
Oliver hadn't anticipated such a dramatic effect. It was as if he'd consumed some rare elixir.
Careful introspection revealed the cause. Even with constant rotation of energy absorption points, his body hadn't fully recovered.
The life force from the meat had been eagerly absorbed, triggering this potent reaction.
It wasn't that the meat itself was extraordinary, but rather that his body had finally received long-awaited sustenance.
Consistent meat consumption could potentially address his body's deficiencies, maintaining an accelerated cultivation pace.
At minimum, tripling his daily silk-like energy production seemed feasible.
"Three meals a day, about three kilograms? Fifty kilograms could last quite a while," Oliver calculated, carefully preserving the remaining meat.
The presence of life force meant that smoking or curing would diminish the meat's potency. He'd noticed less dramatic effects from the dried meat consumed during their hunt.
To maximize benefits, fresh meat should be consumed generously and promptly.
The following days passed peacefully. With ample meat supplies, the team saw no need for immediate action.
Oliver maintained his regimen of three kilograms daily for four more days. Unable to preserve the remaining ten kilograms indefinitely, he sold it to other hunters for fifty-three copper coins.
The standard price was three coins per half-kilogram, but private sales naturally commanded a lower rate.
Rather than save, Oliver invested his earnings in more meat, sustaining his accelerated training for another three days.
In total, including the first day, he'd maintained this enhanced regimen for eight days.
To his astonishment, Oliver had cultivated twenty-five new strands of silk-like internal energy, bringing his total to ninety-five. He was on the cusp of forming his fourth basic internal energy core.
This meat-fueled cultivation was nearly three times faster than his previous pace!
"And this is just ordinary meat. What might monster meat achieve?" Oliver's eyes gleamed with excitement.
The benefits extended beyond mere cultivation speed. He summoned the Rebirth Codex to review his recent progress:
◇
Ordinary Skills
Farming (Level 3: 260/300, yield increased by 30%)
Energy Cultivation (Level 3: 490/600, practice speed increased by 60%)
◇
"Double skill experience! Level 4 skills might arrive sooner than anticipated," Oliver grinned.
Indeed, since incorporating meat into his diet, his daily skill experience gain had doubled from one point to two.
Initially, Oliver had dismissed it as an anomaly. Occasionally, the Rebirth Codex would grant two experience points, perhaps due to accumulated fractional points.
But this doubling had persisted for eight full days – unprecedented in his experience.
This acceleration was clearly linked to the meat's enhancement of his spiritual practice.
It seemed safe to conclude that practicing Energy Cultivation while consuming meat accelerated skill experience acquisition.
If ordinary meat doubled the rate, what might monster meat achieve? Double that? Triple? The possibilities were thrilling!
Oliver rose, determined to seek further support from his parents.
Grain could be directly exchanged for copper coins. Without funds to purchase land himself, parental assistance was his only option.
His farming skills had continued to improve, and he'd been experimenting with yield-increasing techniques.
Recent efforts had boosted per-mu yields by 50 kilograms, from 310 to 360 kilograms.
It was time to fully implement these methods. With his farming techniques potentially increasing yields by 30%, they could achieve a staggering 468 kilograms per mu!
Across their twelve acres, that totaled 5,600 kilograms.
Combined with Sophia's family's holdings, they might be able to invest several thousand kilograms in Oliver's Energy Cultivation practice.
Even a thousand kilograms would be a substantial boon.
The grain-to-meat exchange ratio was roughly six-to-one. A thousand kilograms of grain could secure 160 kilograms of meat.