Chapter 3: Meat of a Sixth-Tier Young Dragon
Everyone was dumbfounded.
“Is this guy crazy? He’s actually begging to be beaten?”
“I think he’s been rattled after awakening some trash profession. Forget it, don’t stoop to his level.”
“I just don’t like this guy. When the college entrance exam comes, I’ll make sure he finds out why the flowers are so red!”
Yet a faint smile played on Xu Han’s lips.
Come on, then!
In seven days, who will have the upper hand is still uncertain!
The homeroom teacher made a few more remarks, then announced the dismissal.
Xu Han was about to head home when two people walked straight up to him.
One was Li Bin.
Behind Li Bin was a chubby boy with a face full of freckles and thick black-rimmed glasses.
“Hey, Xu Han, since the homeroom teacher assigned you to my group, you’d better behave!”
“Now that you’ve awakened a useless profession, just like Tian Fangchao, you’re better off lying down and playing the obedient dog. Whatever I tell you to do, you do it!”
Tian Fangchao chimed in, “That’s right, just be like me. Stick with Brother Li, he won’t let you lose out.”
“What are you two talking about?” A clear, melodic female voice rang out.
Su Li appeared before the three, looking curiously at Li Bin and Tian Fangchao.
“N-nothing, we were just having a friendly chat,” Li Bin replied, instantly switching to a fawning smile.
“Let’s discuss where we’ll level up tomorrow,” Su Li suggested.
Li Bin grinned. “Of course, we’ll go hunt Ironback Boars in the east of the city!”
“Ironback Boars are heavy and slow. They hit hard, but they’re easy to dodge, so it won’t be much effort.”
Tian Fangchao nodded eagerly. “Exactly, Su—the beautiful Su! Brother Li has already worked it all out to help you level up faster. This is the most efficient way!”
But Xu Han interjected, “I think it’d be better if we went south of the city to hunt Phantom-faced Apes.”
“Ironback Boars may be clumsy, but their defense is far too high. Magic professions are better suited to level up on them. For physical classes, it takes at least ten minutes to kill a single Boar—terribly inefficient.”
“But Phantom-faced Apes have fragile bodies. For you, as a greatsword warrior, just two blows would bring one down. The efficiency would be much higher.”
Li Bin shot Xu Han a glare. “Who asked for your opinion? I’m the leader, so I decide where we go!”
But Su Li spoke up, “I think Xu Han makes sense. Phantom-faced Apes are most afraid of high-damage classes.”
“Once they’re hit by a greatsword, they’re easily disabled, making it convenient for the rest of us to finish them off.”
“Killing Phantom-faced Apes would definitely be much quicker.”
With the class beauty backing him, Li Bin had no choice but to swallow his anger and force a smile. “If Su Li says so, then we’ll go hunt Phantom-faced Apes.”
Su Li nodded with a smile. “Let’s meet at seven tomorrow morning in the south of the city, then.”
Xu Han gave a nod and left without a backward glance.
Watching Xu Han’s departing figure, a flicker of malice flashed in Li Bin’s eyes.
“Tian Fangchao, what profession did you awaken? What skills did you get?”
“I’m an E-rank support profession—background actor. Only got a useless skill: play dead. I can fake my own death and redirect aggro.”
Li Bin’s eyes lit up, a cruel smile creeping across his face.
He leaned in and whispered a few words in Tian Fangchao’s ear.
Tian Fangchao thumped his chest, brimming with enthusiasm. “Don’t worry, Brother Li, I’ll make sure the job gets done!”
...
Xu Han hurried home, unable to contain his excitement.
The house was quiet.
According to his predecessor’s memories, his parents had died hunting monsters when he was young, leaving him a sizable pension.
It was this pension that had sustained him until now.
“System, show me the piece of meat I just got!”
Space warped for a moment.
A bright red piece of meat appeared in his hand.
It was only the size of his thumb, and could be swallowed in a single bite.
“What kind of meat is this?” Xu Han wondered aloud.
He used the Eye of Appraisal, and the information appeared before him:
[Name: Hatchling Dragon Meat]
[Race: Black Dragon]
[Rank: Sixth Tier]
[Description: Black Dragons are the only dragons among all the great dragonkind who cannot wield magic, but their physical strength is overwhelming. Their scales are immune to most magic.]
[Recommended dishes: Braised Hatchling Dragon Meat, Stir-fried Dragon Fillet, Roasted Dragon Meat]
Xu Han: ???
Sixth tier hatchling dragon meat???
“I thought the system would just give me some second or third-tier beast meat as a token. I never expected it to be so generous! Praise the system!”
Xu Han rummaged in the fridge for star anise, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and Sichuan peppercorns.
He immediately began caramelizing sugar for the sauce, planning to make braised hatchling dragon meat.
After a flurry of activity, the meat was finally stewing.
Two hours later, the hatchling dragon meat was still tough as stone, impossible to chew.
Helplessly, he left it stewing.
Only after more than six hours did the meat finally become tender and flavorful.
A rich aroma of meat filled the entire room.
Xu Han’s stomach had long since begun rumbling.
He picked up a piece, placed it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.
The savory fragrance surged straight to his mind. The meat was tender yet still chewy, and even after swallowing, a lingering, unique aroma danced on his palate.
At once, he felt a surging power well up from his belly, spreading through every inch of his body.
It was as if he were soaking in a hot spring—warm and comfortable—prompting a long, contented sigh.
The system’s prompt sounded.
“Host has consumed sixth-tier hatchling dragon meat for the first time. Gained 300 strength and 300 constitution.”
“Host has acquired the dragon hatchling’s skill: Dragon Scales.”
At the sound of this heavenly announcement, Xu Han eagerly opened his status panel.
[Name: Xu Han]
[Race: Human]
[Profession: SSS-rank Grand Gourmet]
[Level: 0]
[Strength: 307]
[Constitution: 309]
[Agility: 6]
[Spirit: 8]
[Skill 1: Eye of Appraisal LV.1 (View target’s stats, 1% chance to discover target’s weakness; target must not exceed your level by more than 5; cooldown: 10 seconds)]
[Skill 2: Dragon Scales LV.1 (Incredibly tough dragon scales. When activated, they cover part of the body, reducing 90% of physical and magic damage. Duration: 3 seconds. Cooldown: 1 minute.)]
An absolute defensive miracle!
Ninety percent of incoming damage reduced.
Wouldn’t that make enemy attacks feel like nothing more than a gentle scratch?
And his strength and constitution had each increased by 300 points!
Even a third-tier level-60 combatant wouldn’t have such high stats.
He might not have any offensive skills, but the strength behind a casual punch would be enough to crush someone at level 60 with ease.
Truly worthy of being called dragon meat!
The system chimed again.
“Hatchling dragon meat has been recorded in the Gourmet’s Codex. Please continue your efforts.”
With a thought, Xu Han opened the Gourmet’s Codex.
A virtual light screen appeared before him.
This was the Gourmet’s Codex.
On the left side were several dark frames, each containing three question marks.
The first frame was already lit up.
Inside was a small, adorable black dragon hatchling, along with a brief description below.
On the right side of the Gourmet’s Codex was a single task:
Record three exotic beasts in the codex: Incomplete