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Chapter 2: The Research Begins\n \n \nIt was a slime.\n \nIt was a small child slime. The slime had a scratch
mark on it. Perhaps it had been scratched by my hand.\n \nWhen I was struggling desperately, I accidentally
scratched the body of a child slime that had come for me.\n \nI was stunned by the pathetic little monster, but I
checked again to see what I had eaten.\n \nI timidly lick the sticky slime's remains on my
fingers.\n \n"Sweeeet!!"\n \nSweet, sweet.\n \nDelicious. It's so delicious.\n \nWhen I was struggling against the seizure, I could
only think it was sweet. But when I calmly chew it, it tastes ridiculously
delicious.\n \n"I didn't know that slime is edible."\n \nI read many books to become a "Sword Saint".\n \nHowever, none of the books mentioned that monsters are
edible. There are stories of people who think that eating monsters is
forbidden, but no one knows how they taste.\n \nIn the first place...\n \nI grabbed the stick again. I stand in front of the
dead slime. Most of its body has been eaten by me, and it is motionless.\n \nI swing the stick down at the white core in the
slime's sticky body.\n \nThe impact cracked the core, and the slime finally
disappeared as if melting into the darkness of the night.\n \nAll that is left is a cracked, jewel-like core.\n \nThis core is what powers the monsters. The body that
surrounds the core is called the "outer shell" and is slightly
different from the "body" of a human, pig, or cow.\n \nThis is because if the nucleus or outer shell is
damaged to some extent, it will disappear without a trace.\n \nHowever, so far, no one has seriously examined their
bodies.\n \n"If the core and outer shell are not damaged
beyond a certain extent, then maybe monsters can be eaten?\n \nIf I am going to live in the mountain from now on, I
will need food.\n \nIt would be possible to live by consuming deer, boar,
nuts, and vegetables.\n \nHowever, it would not hurt to have monsters as food
options.\n \nFor this reason, I need to confirm whether my
hypothesis is correct or not.\n \nI decided to take action immediately.\n \nMy target was the Black Crow.\n \nThey are bigger than crows, but if I have the right
equipment, I should be able to catch them. I also have some survival skills.\n \nThe first thing I need to make is a bow and arrows
that will be effective in hunting the Black Crow.\n \nI made an ax from stone and chopped a thin young tree.\n \nI cut it lengthwise and gradually shaped it with
stones to shape it into a bow.\n \nThe bowstring is made from stripped bark and twisted
strands, and the arrows are made from thin wood and fallen bird feathers.\nThen apply the ground-up leaves of the silkworm plant
to the arrowheads' tip. This is a poisonous plant that only works on monsters
and is harmless to humans. When hitting a monster, it will cause the monster to
stop moving.\n \nApparently, it's a must-have item for all monsters
hunters.\n \nAlthough not as good as with a sword, I can use a bow
as well. I learned it from the Tristan family's knights.\n \nEven though Black Crow is a monster, this should be
able to knock it.\n \n"Ouch......"\n \nI am slowly approaching the Black Crow that's perching
on the branch while keeping my footsteps as quiet as possible.\n \nThe sun is already beginning to set.\n \nAnother night is about to begin after I ate slime last
night.\n \nI haven't had any seizures since then.\n \nIn fact, I am feeling much better.\n \nWell, the Black Crow is active at night.\n \nIf I wait until after the sun goes down, maybe the
Black Crow will become more active and attack me.\n \nIf I want to kill it, I have to do it during daytime.\n \nI get as close as I can and pull my bowstring.\n \nIt's far less reliable than a bow made by a master
craftsman, but it's enough for this distance.\n \nI release my hand from the string.\n \nThe arrow slice through the wind and heads straight
for the Black Crow.\n \nIt hits him right in the stomach.\n \n"Gaaa! Gaaa! Gaaa! Gaaa!"\n \nThe Black Crow spread its wings and went frenzied. It
leaped straight up.\n \nThis is not good! He's getting away!\n \nI take out another arrow, prepare for a second shot
and aim at it. Of course, it's harder to aim when the target is flying than
when it's resting on a branch.\n \nBesides, this is a forest. There are too many
obstacles.\n \nThe Black Crow's figure disappears into the forest
darkness.\n \nI thought so, but my worries turned out to be
unnecessary.\n \nSuddenly, the Black Crow lost its balance and fell to
the ground. I hurriedly put back my arrow into the quiver and ran to the spot
where he fell.\n \nThere I found the Black Crow, his body cramped and
couldn't move.\n \nApparently, the silkworm plant's poison had taken
effect. He had jumped up in a hurry, so the poison must have spread faster.\n \nNow let's start the main show.\n \nI have to minimize the damage to the outer shell to
avoid making the Black Crow disappear and see if I can slice off the meat.\n \nI have no experience with monsters, but I know how to
butcher chickens because the Tristan family's chef taught me.\n \nI'll start by pulling the feathers from its stomach.\n \nAs expected of a monster. It has strength. Even though
the poison should have made him unable to move his body, he was struggling. The
Black Crow's wings hit my cheek repeatedly.\n \nOnce the feather pulling is done, I cut off its wings
that had hit my cheek earlier.\n \nI thought it would turn into a magic stone at this
point, but the Black Crow hasn't disappeared yet.\n \n"As expected, if I cut off its head, it will
die."\n \nI had no choice but to leave the head and cut off the
legs. I didn't want it to look at me, so I wrapped its beak and eyes around
with a rope that I made earlier.\n \nFinally, I cut open the belly.\n \n"Done."\n \nThe next thing I know, I am holding the Black Crow's
breast meat in my hand.\n \nI was absorbed in my work. The sun almost disappeared
behind the mountain.\n \nAt that moment, the Black Crow seemed to have run out
of energy and finally turned into a magic stone.\n \nI thought that the breast meat, wings and legs I had
removed would also disappear, but they did not disappear like the slime.\n \n"Beautiful......"\n \nThe Black Crow's breast meat is so beautiful that it
made my eyes sparkle.\n \nIt looks a little more purplish than a chicken, but
it's not particularly gross.\n \nIf anything, it looks more like a crystal or a gem.\n \nI'll try to eat it right away.\n \nI boil water from the river in a plate-shaped stone.\n \nI made a fire using Bocklin, a fruit that contains a
lot of resin.\n \nMy father's knights taught me many survival skills, so
I am quite skillful in this thing.\n \nI put the breast meat into hot water and boil it.\n \nEven though it is harmless to the human body, it is
still meat that has been poisoned by the silkworm plant, so it is best to be cautious.\n \nBesides, there is no guarantee that the Black Crow
itself is not poisonous.\n \nThat's right. Let's try an experiment with the wild
dogs that attacked me before.\n \nI throw the meat at the dogs.\n \nThe dogs happily ate it up and left with a satisfied look
on their faces.\n \nSeems to be no problem.\n \nSo I roast the remaining Black Crow breast meat over
the fire and try to eat it.\n \n"Oooooh---- delicious!"\n \nI screamed in surprise.\n \nIt had just the right amount of fat on it, and the
chewy texture was not bad. It had a slightly unique taste, but the flavor
gradually spread in my mouth as I repeatedly chewed it.\n \nMore than anything, it was the first meat I had eaten
in a while.\n \nI enthusiastically munch the meat. I forgot that I
actually eat a monster's meat after 1 or 2 chews.\n \nEven though there is plenty of it, I never get tired
of it.\n \nBefore I knew it, I had eaten it all.\n \nMy stomach is swollen.\n \nI had eaten too much, as expected. If the wild dogs
attacked me now, I wouldn't be able to move.\n \n"Huuuf..."\n \nI lay down on the fallen leaves.\n \nI am so satisfied.\n \nWhen was the last time I felt so satisfied?\n \nThe sun had finally set. The second night of my life
in the mountain is about to begin. But before that, I noticed a change.\n \n"Are? I can see the forest more clearly than
yesterday."\n \nThe forest that had been as dark as the bottom of a
well looked brighter than yesterday. I thought it might be because of the fire,
so I moved away, but no - my vision is still clear.\n \nMy eyesight has improved. No, I can see better at
night now.\n \nIs it because my eyes are getting used to the night's
darkness?\n \nI tilted my head. I'm still not sure.\n \nThere is another strange thing.\n \nAfter eating the slime, it is obvious that my physical
condition has improved.\n \nI haven't had any seizures at all today. I'm feeling
much better.\n \n"Is it possible that eating monsters make my
health better or increases my physical strength?"\n \nI heard that there are some magical plants and their
seeds that can increase human strength.\n \nThe outer shell of monsters may also have such an
effect.\n \n"Then, can this heal my body?"\n \nAn idea suddenly pops into my mind.\n \nIf my body healed, then I can challenge my father to
fight one more time and maybe win. Maybe he would allow me to come home.\n \nLet's give it a try. I quickly decided.\n \nTo do that, I first need to research the potency of
the monsters' meat and how to prevent them from turning into magic stones.\n \nExploring things that are not written about in books
will surely be a challenge.\n \nBut on the other hand, I am excited. Maybe it is
because I have found hope for my life.\n \nThen immediately, my research on Monster Food began.\n \nAt the same time, it is also the beginning of my
survival days in a mountain full of monsters. \n \n
