Chapter 265 – Gesser Mushroom

They were now approaching the territory of the Harpy tribe. To prevent the Formal-Level priestess from detecting his power and fleeing in fear, Punk had no choice but to conceal his aura.

Under normal circumstances, whether wandering the wilderness or walking through cities, Punk never hid his Master-Level strength. It wasn’t that he lacked the means to conceal himself—with the “Hydelazar Magic Box” and the complete knowledge inherited from Grand Arcanist Vedrasha, he could easily disguise himself as an ordinary person with no magical fluctuations. Only a Legendary Expert would be able to see through such concealment.

However, unless absolutely necessary, Punk never resorted to such measures.

The reason was simple: he preferred a tranquil environment.

Whether in desolate wilderness or bustling cities, Punk detested the clamor of beasts and crowds. Every time he witnessed medieval peasants—devoid of civility—shouting loudly or even relieving themselves in public, he fought the urge to hurl a fireball at them.

What he found most intolerable was wasting precious time on the ubiquitous, troublesome pickpockets and thugs in cities. Moreover, crowded places represented immeasurable risks. No one could guarantee that a seemingly lowly beggar or thief wasn’t actually a Master-Level Stalker skilled in disguise.

The most valuable lesson Punk had learned from Vedrasha’s battlefield memories was to attack and defend without hesitation against any matter, energy, or unknown entity that approached without permission. Danger always lurked in inconspicuous details.

For these reasons, Punk always unabashedly radiated his Master-Level pressure, relishing the pin-drop silence and complete absence of living beings around him, no matter where he was.

But now…

Suppressing his impatience, Punk endured several Harpy children playing at the territory’s edge as they crowded around, chattering and gawking.

“Shoo, shoo, get away now!”

The Harpy guiding Punk shooed the chirping children aside and quickly led him toward the tribe’s entrance.

Like many beastfolk tribes, Harpies practiced ancestor worship. They carved their ancestors’ names onto blood-soaked wooden stakes as totem poles at the tribe’s entrance, placing rare prey skulls beside them as offerings. The stronger the tribe, the more skulls piled up around the totem poles—some beastfolk tribes even amassed small hills of magical beast skulls.

This Harpy tribe’s totem pole was rather unremarkable. Only a few Apprentice-Level professional skulls held any imposing presence; the rest were merely wild beast skulls.

Following his guide, Punk bypassed the mediocre totem pole and entered the tribe. Two tall Harpy guards noticed the guide’s subtle hand signal and withdrew their hostility, their expressions shifting to mockery and schadenfreude.

“A hand signal? It seems they’re not completely foolish.”Punk watched with mild amusement as the three Harpies exchanged what they thought were covert gestures. He could deduce that their communication likely meant they intended to take him to see this so-called “High Priestess.”

Glancing at the two gatekeeper Harpies whose faces were full of mockery, Punk shook his head calmly. He had already discreetly placed his hand on the “Emerald Staff” behind his back. The moment that arrogant High Priestess appeared, Punk would strike her down with the swiftest and fiercest blow!

However, the High Priestess did not appear immediately as Punk had anticipated. She seemed to have an air of self-importance, unlike the leaders of smaller tribes who would come out to console “warriors” injured in hunts. The guiding Harpy had no choice but to force a smile and invite Punk to her home for a sit-down.

A brief visit wasn’t a problem. Although referred to as a priestess, she clearly wasn’t a spellcaster—the entire camp showed no traces of magical fluctuations. Punk wasn’t worried about any traps, so he readily accepted the Harpy’s “invitation.”

Seeing Punk calmly agree, the Harpy seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. She quickly led him to a large treehouse, instructed an elderly Harpy to offer “the best” hospitality, and then hurried off.

“Off to report to the High Priestess, I suppose. After hearing her description, that priestess ought to rush over in a panic!”

Punk speculated about how the High Priestess would react upon learning that someone of unknown strength had entered the tribe and concluded that waiting here for her to come to him was the best strategy.

So Punk took his time, leisurely floating up into the treehouse, which was roofed with vibrant green leaves. There, a younger Harpy served him a meal that was considered quite lavish in this impoverished tribe.

The Harpy serving the food was a somewhat timid male. In the matriarchal Harpy society, males held very low status and typically served as servants.

Punk estimated it would take the High Priestess some time to arrive after receiving the report. In the meantime, he might as well sample the local delicacies. After all… these flavors would vanish completely after today!

The meal’s lavishness was relative. The dish consisted of a simple fruit and vegetable salad with minimal seasoning, and the main course was a clear broth with a bit of bone marrow. It couldn’t compare to the feasts of human Nobles, but Punk actually preferred this lighter fare. With his Ancient Elves heritage, he had little taste for the greasy, heavy dishes common at Noble banquets.

Picking up a piece of meat with a wooden fork, Punk murmured somewhat indistinctly to himself:

“Hmm, not bad. The Modie lizard meat is stewed just right, with just the right amount of salt. The Chichi Vegetable neutralizes the bloodiness of the meat, and they’ve added Plum Petals for fragrance… I must say, if it weren’t for the slightly bitter Gaiser Mushroom Powder, it would be perfect.”

As he finished speaking, Punk slowly set down his fork and fixed a serious gaze on the young Harpy, who was standing by, utterly dumbfounded.Punk had little expertise in food, but the System’s scan still detected every component within this meal. Among them, the Gaiser Mushroom Powder—glaringly obvious in Punk’s eyes—was essentially an otherworldly version of potent knockout drugs.

“What a pity, little one. I’m not afraid of this stuff, but I can’t blame you for not knowing. Gaiser Mushrooms do have strong neuroparalytic effects—you’d definitely knock out Apprentice-Level magical beasts with them every single time. But I’m afraid you’ve never used this on a Formal-Level powerhouse before, otherwise you’d have learned…”

Punk used a mage’s hand to lift the young Harpy by her head as he stood up. His tone was teasing yet bone-chilling, as if echoing from the depths of the Nine Hells¹.

“…that such poison without magical energy cannot affect those beyond the Formal-Level. To me, this is nothing but a failed seasoning!”

(End of Chapter)