[The group was about to approach when a bud in front of the roots twitched, and the ground began to tremble violently.]
["Careful!" Welt quickly stopped Stelle and March 7th from advancing: "That thing is transforming!"]
[Pale yellow dust slowly drifted from the bud, enveloping the area around the Creation Furnace. As the immense power of Abundance surged, the bud bloomed instantly, and a deep blue divine deer stepped out slowly.]
[Flowers bloomed and fruits hung from the deer's four antlers, as if symbolizing harvest and life's blessings.]
"Wow, this divine deer looks pretty good. Its limbs are strong; the meat should be really firm."
In the Dungeon Meshi world, the dwarf Senshi wiped his iron pot, gazing longingly at the Celestial Screen with a dreamy expression.
The elf mage Marcille crossed her arms in a big X: "No way, no way! Oyster, oyster! I'm telling you, this thing doesn't look edible at all! A deer growing out of a flower? Who knows if the meat's poisonous!"
"No problem," Senshi said, pulling out a piece of drying jerky from his pack. "This is cockatrice jerky. It's slightly toxic, but if processed properly, it's safe. The deer's meat should be similar."
"For a sturdy deer like this, the hind leg meat is perfect for grilling, but it's best to simmer it over low heat for half an hour first."
Senshi's eyes suddenly lit up as he glanced at the deer's antlers: "Oh, Marcille, see those fruits hanging on its antlers? They look delicious too. You could marinate the meat with their juice before simmering—it'll give the venison a rich, fruity aroma."
"The Ambrosial Arbor's roots could be used for cooking too. Plant roots, when prepared well, are quite tasty. And with how these roots keep growing, they'd be perfect to cultivate in a dungeon as a staple for adventurers."
"Uh… those are the Ambrosial Arbor's fruits! Eating them could turn you into a mara-struck!" Marcille warned.
"No worries, many fruits lose their toxicity when cooked."
Laios rubbed his chin, pondering. "I remember similar fruits in the dungeon. If eaten raw, they cause hallucinations of tiny people, but if cooked or dried and marinated, the toxins are removed, and they become delicious."
"Too bad the Trailblazers have no interest in 'cooking' these monsters. Otherwise, there's no reason to miss out on such a delicacy," Senshi shook his head regretfully. "The deer's upper leg meat would be perfect for pan-fried venison steaks, and the neck meat would make great minced patties… It'd be good for hotpot too. Such a pity, such a pity…"
Muttering to himself, Senshi headed toward the darker lower levels of the dungeon. Laios and the others, stirred by his words, felt their mouths water, hoping to find a substitute for divine deer meat deeper in the dungeon.
["What in the world… is this monster?" Master Gongshu was startled.]
["As expected of a divine miracle, creating life so effortlessly. This power is truly remarkable…" Tingyun gazed at the deer with a mesmerized, longing expression.]
["This thing is guarding the Ambrosial Arbor's roots and the furnace…" Welt's eyes sharpened.]
[In battle, each time the deer stamped the ground, countless vines and branches sprouted from the earth to attack the group. Clearing them wasn't too difficult, but their endless onslaught dragged out the fight.]
[Though the group's attacks wounded the deer, under the blessing of Abundance, its injuries healed almost instantly, no matter how many times they struck.]
[Despite landing more hits, the prolonged battle put the attacking group at a disadvantage.]
"This recovery ability… it's like a Reverse Cursed Technique, healing any damage almost endlessly."
"No, Yuta, a Reverse Cursed Technique can't achieve this level of effect."
Gojo Satoru, one hand in his pocket, pushed up his sunglasses, his ice-blue eyes fixed on the deer's healing wounds.
"Not to mention a Reverse Cursed Technique consumes two to three times the energy of a normal technique… Even if it can heal the body quickly, a fatal blow to the head would still be game over."
Gojo's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. "Plus, the core of cursed energy lies in the abdomen. If the abdomen takes a critical hit—it's! Game! Over!"
"So, according to Teacher Gojo, to kill the deer, we'd need a one-shot headshot? Or target its other critical areas?"
Yuta Okkotsu furrowed his brow, thinking of his teacher's Hollow Purple. The only one in the Astral Express Crew with such one-shot power was probably Welt's black hole, but that would inevitably damage the furnace behind the deer.
"Oh, Yuta…" Gojo tapped his sunglasses lightly. "Observe. Keep observing."
"Look at the deer's feet—aren't there several roots connected to it? This silly deer is just a front. The real enemy is those roots anchored in different spots."
"If you can find the nearby roots, even if you send Yuji up, the odds of beating the deer are…"
He waved two fingers in front of his eyes. "Two hundred percent! Sure, Yuji's still twenty Kusakabes away from the invincible Teacher Gojo, but taking down a deer without its roots would be as easy as crushing a ramen packet~"
[Welt sensed something was off and quickly ordered the group to fall back.]
["Good grief, no wonder the Xianzhou fears Abundance creatures. This recovery ability is just unreasonable!" March 7th glanced at Tingyun with lingering fear: "Miss Tingyun, Xianzhou's long-life species… they're not all like this, right?"]
[Tingyun chuckled softly: "This divine deer is likely a guardian born from the Ambrosial Arbor, closely tied to its roots. Most Xianzhou natives don't have such outrageous abilities…"]
["Ugh, as long as it's still here, we can't move forward," March 7th said dejectedly.]
["Not necessarily," Welt had already noticed something amiss, his gaze shifting to several massive roots spreading in the distance: "The deer seems to heal instantly, but perhaps it's drawing sustenance from somewhere…"]
[Stelle caught on: "Follow the roots to find its supply?"]
["Cut the grass at its roots and let it suck on nothing!" March 7th perked up, excited again.]