The heavy wooden pot lid was lifted.

A wave of hot, rich aroma instantly hit their faces.

Through the white mist rising from the steam box, Gauss looked into the pot at the thick, enticing amber broth, floating atop which were large chunks of fresh, tender white frog meat with clear texture, golden yellow potatoes, and bright orange carrot pieces scattered throughout.

In the billowing steam, this stew exuded a warm, mellow, and unique fragrance.

“Phew—” Gauss picked up a wooden ladle and swallowed his saliva. “This really looks great.”

He scooped out a ladleful of broth and meat into a wooden bowl.

Gauss glanced at Aria sitting opposite him.

“Want to try some?”

Aria’s gaze stayed fixed on the stew in the cast iron pot.

To be honest, although the ingredients came from monster meat, both the appearance and aroma were actually quite good.

“Well, I’ll try it first,” Gauss said, sharply noticing the hesitation on Aria’s face and understanding her reluctance towards unfamiliar food.

Unable to wait any longer, he prepared to be the first to test the taste.

He brought the wooden bowl close to his lips, carefully blowing away the steaming heat along the rim.

Under Aria’s watchful eyes, Gauss took a gentle sip.

Then he closed his eyes, savoring the flavor.

“How is it?” Aria asked quickly, worried that the soup might contain toxins since Gauss remained silent for so long.

“Ex-excellent!”

Gauss exhaled deeply with satisfaction.

Then he opened his eyes, his face lighting up with surprise.

“Really?” Aria scratched her head.

“Yeah.”

But Gauss no longer paid attention to her response.

With his other hand, he grabbed a spoonful of frog meat and brought it to his mouth.

The Rust Frog’s legs, developed through long hours of intense jumping, had become succulent and tender from the stew without turning mushy. Instead, they had achieved an exquisite balance of crispness and smoothness.

With a bite, the plump meat burst with layers of flavor, dissolving into tender fibers soaked with the essence of the amber broth.

The aromas of all the ingredients mingled perfectly.

Every taste bud on Gauss’s tongue seemed to dance with joy.

Once swallowed, the food quickly transformed into a warm current, nourishing his entire body.

After just a few sips, Gauss felt a comforting warmth flood through him, spreading slowly from his stomach to every limb.

This is delicious!

And on top of that—

The energy density is so high!

Gauss felt his innate Energy Storage Gland talent working overtime, converting the food into heat like never before during past meals.

This monster meat seemed much more suitable for his current body than ordinary meat.

So this is the high-calorie food he had been searching for?

While chewing heartily, Gauss pondered silently.

Opposite him, Aria watched his eager eating and felt her own appetite stirred a little.

Should she... try some?

She imitated Gauss, cupping her empty bowl carefully, scooping out a ladle of the amber broth and selecting several pieces of frog meat that looked the most appealing.

Then, mustering her courage, she took a spoonful of the meat soaked in broth and put it in her mouth.

She closed her eyes and chewed slowly.

After a long moment...

She opened her eyes and looked down at the remaining food in the bowl, a complex expression on her face.

It’s actually not bad?

The frog meat was crisp and tender, the broth rich and mellow, far exceeding her expectations.

Only... after swallowing, a peculiar tingling sensation lingered deep in her mouth, like a faint electric current.

Aside from this unusual feeling, the overall taste wasn’t unpleasant;

in fact, once accustomed to it, she even found the meat had a unique aroma compared to normal meats.

As a result, though she had only eaten about seventy to eighty percent full at noon, Aria unknowingly finished another bowl.

Even Ulfen got a large portion, eating ravenously.

“Burp!”

Aria let out a satisfied burp.

“Burp!” She put down the empty bowl, unable to hold back another burp, her face full of confusion.

“Strange... I only ate two small bowls, so why do I feel so full?”

Gauss was still eating.

Fortunately, his appetite was good, and with Ulfen’s help, the entire pot of stew was eventually finished without wasting any food.

Gauss lay back on the ground, feeling the rare sensation of being completely stuffed.

The two of them and the wolf rested briefly at their temporary camp.

Only when the fullness in their stomachs subsided did Gauss stand up energetically.

His eyes scanned the surrounding frog corpses, shining brightly.

He had no intention of wasting these high-calorie emergency rations.

They could be made into durable jerky.

However, time was tight, so he could only do preliminary processing for now. Later, once back in town, he would find someone to help with curing and drying.

Gauss immediately explained his plan to Aria.

She nodded in agreement.

She knew Gauss ate a lot, and after personally feeling the incredible energy density of the stew, she agreed it was excellent sustenance for him.

The two quickly got to work, processing the nearby Rust Frog carcasses.

They saved the thigh muscle fibers, filling an entire satchel. Then they went to a nearby pond to wash the meat, rubbing it simply with saltwater.

Finally, Gauss used Gust and Aria’s magic to remove excess water and any strange odors before sealing it in bags for preservation.

“Though... I feel like this frog meat might have slight toxicity,” Aria said, moving her cheeks and exhaling deeply.

After eating, that tingling, electric current-like numbness in her mouth lingered for almost an hour before fading, which was suspicious. Fortunately, she had no other adverse reactions.

“Really? I don’t think I felt anything,” Gauss replied, curiously clicking his tongue.

He thought carefully and indeed felt no abnormalities.

After all, he had eaten much more than Aria.

Aria pondered for a moment.

She was very sure her sensation was real, but Gauss’s reaction was definitely genuine as well.

This only meant... with the same food, Gauss’s tolerance was far higher than hers?

Thinking this, she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Gauss really didn’t seem like a normal human when it came to digestion.

It was as if beneath his skin was a monster-like digestive system.

Her words struck a chord with Gauss, who immediately felt a chill and hurriedly took out the Complete Guide to Emerald Forest Ingredients to check.

In an inconspicuous corner at the end of the page, he found a small note easily overlooked.

Warning: Though the leg muscles of the Rust Frog are edible, their meat contains mild neurotoxic properties to normal humans. This manifests as brief oral numbness, typically harmless and dissipating after about one hour. Recommendation: Exercise caution when consuming in large quantities!

After reading, Gauss breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it was harmless, that was fine!

But then an awkward feeling crept up.

What did they mean by “normal humans”?

He was a normal human too, so why did he show no abnormal symptoms... No, he probably wasn’t entirely normal.

His Energy Storage Gland talent must have long transformed his digestive and absorption organs far beyond the scope of ordinary humans.

...

After the satisfying meal and rest, the two and the wolf set out again toward the Rust Frog habitat.

Soon, beside a quiet little lake reflecting tree shadows, Gauss locked onto his target.

On a damp flat ground, the group of Rust Frogs recorded in the commission rested.

He crouched low, counting quietly from afar.

Fifty-two!

“Let’s proceed with the plan we just agreed on...” Gauss lowered his voice and looked at Aria.

“Understood!” Aria nodded knowingly.

They quickly finished their communication.

On the way here, Gauss had already detailed his tactics.

Ulfen patrolled the battlefield edge, intercepting any frogs attempting to flee.

Its speed was fast, perfect for this job, and it could avoid competing with Gauss for key kills in the main fight.

Gauss needed to ensure at least forty-two kills to push his accumulated monster count to five hundred.

Normally, with his efficiency, this wouldn’t be a problem.

But just to be safe, he sent Ulfen out.

Usually it wouldn’t matter much, but at this crucial point of reaching the goal, attention to detail was necessary.

If he missed just a few in the wilderness and had to find random small monsters later, it wasn’t guaranteed he would encounter them.

Missing that final push would be frustrating.

Fifty-two Rust Frogs was not a tough challenge for two first-level professionals, especially with Gauss’s notably “supermodel” spellcaster abilities.

“Ulfen, counting on you!” Aria gently patted the thick neck of the massive wolf.

Ulfen let out a low growl, acknowledging the command.

Its agile figure melted into the shadows like a ghost, stealthily moving to the perimeter opposite Gauss’s position, ready to intercept any fleeing soldiers caused by Gauss’s attacks.

Gauss then took out the pale Bone Staff.

Holding his breath, his eyes locked sharply on the nearest Rust Frog lazily sunbathing on the grass.

He patiently waited a moment, ensuring it was completely unaware.

Then suddenly, he unleashed his magic.

“Fire Bolt!”

Muttering the incantation, the tip of the Bone Staff instantly condensed a sharp crimson light, compressed and elongated.

A slender, scorching hot fire arrow shot out, piercing the skull of the plump Rust Frog before most of the others could react.

The high temperature instantly incinerated its fragile brain.

The giant frog didn’t even manage a cry of pain, its limbs convulsed reflexively a few times before going completely limp and lifeless.

The whole process was as quiet as a perfect assassination.

“Kill Rust Frog *1”

The panel notification quietly appeared.

Looking back at the frog group, all seemed peaceful and unaware that one of their kind had silently died on the outskirts.

“Not bad!”

Gauss nodded approvingly.

Indeed, not using Magic Missile was the right choice.

Magic Missile’s destructive power was too great, shattering the Rust Frogs into pieces and immediately alerting the entire group.

In contrast, Fire Bolt, though blazing visibly, caused less noise.

Rust Frogs’ eyesight wasn’t especially sharp, and when scattered, they might not even notice a fallen comrade on the perimeter.

There was another reason.

When collecting the thigh meat earlier, Gauss noticed that the three Rust Frogs initially killed by Magic Missile had much of their thigh meat blown to bits, resulting in less usable food compared to targets taken down with smaller-caliber Fire Bolts.

“Take it slow, no rush.”

Gauss continued patiently hiding, observing, and aiming...

He then spotted a lone target away from the group.

In the next moment, another Fire Bolt repeated the strike, piercing straight through the Rust Frog’s braincase into its body.

Another one down!

Gauss kept up the sneak attacks.

The number of Rust Frogs killed steadily climbed.

Though slower than frontal assaults, this method was safer and less exhausting. If unnoticed, he might have kept up the stealth kills indefinitely.

One, two, three...

However, on the eleventh kill, an accident happened.

Though the Fire Bolt had been aimed in advance, the Rust Frog, originally motionless, suddenly lowered its head and stuck out its long tongue to catch a passing beetle on the ground.

This movement caused the Fire Bolt aimed at its skull to hit its thick back instead.

“Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit—!!”

A piercing, ear-splitting frog cry exploded like thunder on flat ground.

The entire Rust Frog tribe was alarmed by the sudden scream. Many bulging eyes simultaneously turned toward the source, instantly realizing a comrade was under attack!

“Ribbit!”

“Ribbit!”

The angry frog cries rose in waves, and the whole group erupted into chaos!

Gauss, seeing his stealth exposed, felt no frustration.

Eliminating eleven silently was already a pleasant surprise.

Now that he was discovered, there was no point hiding. He began shooting Fire Bolts openly.

“Whoosh!”

“Whoosh!”

Amid the furious frog shouts, the Fire Bolts accurately struck three of the giant frogs charging at the front.

Watching the angry frog horde surge forward like a green tide, Gauss calmly signaled Aria with his eyes.

Receiving her reply, he activated Enhanced Jump, his footsteps instantly lightening as he ran off in another direction.

The main body of Rust Frogs angrily pursued him.

Gauss led the frogs on a chase around the lake, occasionally stopping to fire a Fire Bolt, randomly picking off a lucky frog at the front.

Moreover, Gauss always kept a safe distance ahead, just enough to avoid their toxic slime but close enough to keep their aggro fixed on him.

The Rust Frogs were pulled by hate but failed to notice their numbers steadily dwindling.

In a fight where the few face many, avoiding being surrounded was vital. Though danger wasn’t guaranteed, saving effort was naturally better.

Meanwhile, during this valuable time when Gauss held the frog group’s attention, Aria began moving in the distance.

She continuously invoked nature’s power, casting Entangling Roots and planting vine seeds on the open ground.

When Gauss and the nearly halved frog group circled around again, he heard Aria’s shout from afar and understood her intent.

He then guided the dust-clouding Rust Frogs toward the area rigged with vines.

“Here they come!”

Gauss ran across a seemingly normal flat grassland.

Soon after, the Rust Frogs hopped by.

But as they passed, countless tough, dark green vines erupted suddenly like awakened poisonous snakes!

The vines quickly ensnared many Rust Frogs, and those behind who couldn’t dodge collided with their trapped comrades.

Chaos ensued!

“Whoosh!” “Whoosh!” “Whoosh!”

Gauss had been waiting for this moment.

He waved the Bone Staff, rapidly shooting Fire Bolts that struck fixed targets, saving aim time and allowing faster spellcasting.

“Pant!”

In a very short time, the Rust Frog numbers visibly plummeted.

When the remaining frogs realized trouble and began to scatter, a powerful wolf howl sounded. Ulfen, hiding in the shadows, emerged and blocked the fleeing Rust Frogs.

Aria also joined the final battle.

Finally, with the two and the wolf surrounding the remaining frogs, the Rust Frog group was completely wiped out.

The dust settled.

This battle took longer than usual, but fortunately, no accidents occurred.

Gauss exhaled deeply, a mix of anticipation and tension in his eyes as he called up the panel in his mind.

It was now filled with abundant information.

The first notification was a title upgrade.

“You have accumulated 50 Rust Frog kills. Title [Rust Frog Hunter] upgraded to [Rust Frog Slayer].”

“Current Effect: Shockwave. Upon activation, it causes a mental shockwave effect on Rust Frogs within a 10-meter radius, inflicting a 2-second forced stun. Repeated use requires a cooldown interval.”

After the title upgrade, its effect greatly improved.

Originally the range was only 3 meters and control time 0.5-1 seconds, meaning Gauss rarely had opportunity to use it in combat.

Now, the range increased from 3 to 10 meters, and the control time doubled to 2 seconds—an enormous enhancement.

The second notification was the reward Gauss had most anticipated for reaching a total kill count of 500.

“Monster kill total reached 500.”

“Reward: Intelligence +1”

“Intelligence: 89”

This time the bonus was the highest Intelligence increase? Why? It seemed different from the previous stat allocation rules aimed at filling gaps in his compendium.

As Gauss’s thoughts swirled, a pure, icy energy surged into his mind like a clear spring!