Han Soi did not stop eating after that first skewer. Once he tasted cooked meat, something inside him broke free.
He devoured everything.
All three beast's meat that should have lasted days had disappeared into his stomach. He ate calmly at first, then faster, then with pure enjoyment. By the end, he sat back with a satisfied breath, looking surprisingly content for someone who had just eaten enough for several people.
Yue Yue also ate a few more bites, but soon her tiny stomach became round and tight. She couldn't eat another crumb. She sat beside him, holding her belly, eyes half-closed from comfort. She felt a little bit sleepy.
Just as she was drifting off, a small ding echoed in her mind.
[Host, It is the optimal time for you to inherit this world's memories.]
Yue Yue blinked lazily.
"…Oh. That makes sense," she murmured inside her thoughts. She was tired, stuffed, and honestly… She felt like sleeping. Han Soi looked scary at first, but now he seemed harmless. So she could trust him.
She pushed herself up a little and looked at him.
"I'm going to sleep," she said softly. "I'm… a bit tired."
Han Soi stared at her, confused.
Didn't she just wake up after sleeping so long?
But then he remembered that females were delicate. And Yue Yue was so thin and small. Maybe she really did get tired easily. That thought softened him immediately.
He nodded and followed her to make sure she could comfortably sleep on the bed.
The moment she lay down, she curled into the blanket like a sleepy kitten. Han Soi pulled out a warm blanket from his spatial storage and gently covered her. She burrowed into the warmth with a small sigh of comfort.
Inside her mind, the system spoke again.
[Initiating Memory Transfer. Does the host wish to proceed?]
"Yes," she whispered.
And before the word completely formed, her eyes closed. She slipped into a deep sleep.
Han Soi watched her quietly. Her sleeping form looked pitiful yet sweet, and something in his chest tightened. His eyes softened in a way that would shock anyone who knew him.
Slowly, he got into the bed beside her.
He hesitated for a moment. Then, unable to resist, he placed his arm around her waist. She fit against him so perfectly that his breath caught. Her small face, her long baby-soft hair…everything about her tugged at his heart.
He pulled her gently into his chest, holding her like she was something fragile and precious.
"When we leave this place," he whispered into the quiet room, "I will grandly propose to you and will make you the most envious female."
His voice was calm but full of determination.
He had already decided.
Once they escaped this polluted zone, he would ask her to marry him. He would become her strongest, most loyal husband. He wasn't going to wait. His heart had already chosen.
He didn't even care whether she could give him cubs. That didn't matter. What mattered was only her. She was the first female who had ever warmed his cold heart.
He could not imagine a life without her now.
For a long moment, he simply held her, feeling the rise and fall of her breathing. He imagined their future… Her smiling at him, him beside her, their home, everything soft and peaceful. The thought filled him with happiness he had never known.
Finally, he forced himself to let go.
She needed to rest, and he needed to prepare.
He got out of bed quietly and put his gear back on. He glanced at her one more time with a loving expression.
He would give her the best.
He would make her the most cherished bride in the entire empire.
So he turned around and headed toward the lower levels of the polluted zone. There were rare items down there…precious treasures, valuable materials. He would hunt all of them.
He wasn't coming back to this place again.
And he needed everything he could find…
to propose to the girl who had captured his heart.
Han Soi moved quietly through the elevator tunnel that led down to Level 19. And even if arriving at level 19, he did not stop at the edge but directly started walking deeper.
The deeper he went, the colder the air became. The light dimmed until only the glow of his energy stone lit the path. This place was known as one of the worst levels in the entire polluted zone. Even seasoned fighters avoided it if they could.
But Han Soi walked straight toward it without hesitation. Soon he reached the destination.
The ground was cracked and dry, as if it had been burned long ago. Strange black smoke leaked from holes in the earth, carrying a heavy smell of metal and rot. The air itself felt poisonous. Anyone weaker than an A-rank would faint within minutes.
In the distance, twisted shapes moved between broken stone walls; they were polluted beasts. Their bodies were warped and oversized, covered in bone spikes and thick plating. Their red eyes glowed in the darkness, watching every sound.
Han Soi didn't stop. He walked toward the center area.
It was a huge open pit, surrounded by ruined metal towers. Inside that pit lived an AAA-rank monster known for killing many teams. It has back fur, long horns, and massive claws. Even its breathing sounded like thunder.
Han Soi found it waiting for him.
The triple A-rank beast lifted its head. Its eyes burned bright red, and its jaws opened wide with a deep roar that shook the ground.
Han Soi's sword was already drawn.
The beast charged, and Han Soi stepped forward.
The clash was violent. The monster's claws tore through stone like paper, but Han Soi dodged with fast movements. His sword sliced along its arm, sending black blood spilling across the ground.
The beast roared again; it was furious at the attempt to dodge its attack, so Beautiful started swinging its tail like a giant whip. The impact broke a boulder beside him.
But Han Soi didn't slow down.
He rushed in close with calm eyes. The beast's claws narrowly missed his shoulder as he ducked and cut across its chest. Black smoke burst from the wound, filling the air with a foul smell.
The monster's fury grew, and it slammed its horns toward him.
Han Soi pushed off the ground, leaping above the wild strike. With a clean, powerful slash, he cut deeply across the back of its neck. The beast screamed and staggered, but he didn't wait. He darted to the front again and delivered the final blow straight to the center of its forehead.
The beast fell with a heavy crash that echoed across Level 19.
Han Soi stood still, breathing quietly. His entire body was covered in black blood, but his eyes remained steady.
He knelt down, pressed his hand to the monster's skull, and with precise strength broke open the bone. Inside, hidden deep, was a sparkling gem…the monster core. It glowed like a small star. Light blue and pure, shining even in the pitch-black air.
It reminded him of Yue Yue's bright, jewel-like eyes.
He pocketed it gently, as if it were something fragile.
Then he stood up and continued.
He hunted without rest.
One beast after another came out of the shadows. There were twisted wolves with bone masks, horned lizards with cracked skin, and giant insects with glowing veins. He killed them all. Each strike was clean. Blood splashed across the ground until the entire area smelled of iron.
He gathered everything valuable; there were monster cores, rare materials, mutated flowers, and glowing stones. His spatial storage slowly filled with treasures.
Time passed. He didn't count how long.
Soon he was completely bathed in blood from head to toe. His clothes were soaked, and the red haze in his eyes sharpened. His inner orc was urging him to shift into his beast form and tear everything apart.
But he stayed human.
Changing into his orc form would make retrieving delicate items harder. His claws could break precious gems. His fangs could destroy monster cores. And besides, he was still in control.
As long as he stayed human, he could hunt cleanly.
So he continued killing, step after step, deeper into Level 19. Every strike was fast. Every motion was cold and steady. The polluted beasts fell like shadows dissolving in sunlight.
At last, when his storage was nearly full, he stopped.
Han Soi wiped the blood from his face, turned away from the corpses, and began walking back with silent footsteps.