Walking straight out of the woods and calmly and naturally facing Moro's gun muzzle.
This was the attitude displayed by Benjamin, devoid of any hostility.
Moro did not lower his handgun, and the Nen in his left hand remained ready, but he also did not ignore Benjamin's gesture of goodwill.
"Moro, Treasure Hunter."
Given the completeness with which the other party introduced himself, Moro temporarily assigned himself the title of Treasure Hunter.
Benjamin nodded, raised his hand to point at the three corpses on the ground, and said:
"I'm not looking for accountability, and it might seem like a rhetorical question, but I still need to confirm, Moro, these people... were they killed by you?"
"..."
Moro was silent for a moment, subtly glanced at Benjamin's shadow, and then answered unequivocally:
"I killed them."
Given the scene, any concealment would be unnecessary.
Benjamin nodded again upon hearing this, and said calmly:
"A few poachers. Good that they were killed."
After this simple assertion of the three corpses' identity, his gaze shifted to the white deer next to them, and he said:
"Flower-horned Giant Deer, a B-rank protected species. It's been circulating frequently on the black market lately, which is why I'm here."
"Oh?"
Moro understood the implication in Benjamin's words and asked calmly:
"That should be the job of a Poaching Hunter, shouldn't it?"
"That's right."
A slight smile appeared on Benjamin's face.
He explained:
"But Gourmet Hunters like us, who frequently deal with ingredients, have a responsibility to maintain the environment. If we encounter poachers outside, we naturally won't just turn a blind eye."
"So... you specifically came for them?"
Moro glanced out of the corner of his eye at the corpses on the ground.
For Gourmet Hunters, all ingredients are sourced from nature, so they have a responsibility to maintain the natural world.
Therefore, it made some sense that a team of poachers would be targeted by a Gourmet Hunter who frequently travels in the deep mountains and old forests.
Benjamin, however, shook his head:
"Not entirely."
"Hmm?"
Moro looked at Benjamin.
Benjamin paid no attention to the handgun Moro was holding level, and walked directly toward the white antlers that the poachers had cut off.
"Look, this is a great thing."
Benjamin picked up the coral-like, intertwined antlers, his eyes gleaming.
Moro raised an eyebrow at the sight.
Benjamin briefly weighed the antlers, then looked at Moro:
"If it weren't for you, I would have killed these poachers after tracking them here. Of course... I would truthfully hand over the existing poached items on the ground to the local Forest Protection Bureau, but as for these Flower-horned Giant Deer..."
At this point, Benjamin paused, his expression becoming incredibly serious:
"They absolutely cannot go to waste."
"..."
Moro showed surprise and couldn't help but wonder if Benjamin had been observing from the shadows from the very beginning.
After all, Gourmet Hunters frequently hunt various rare ingredients in the deep mountains and old forests.
If nothing else, they must be very proficient in the technique of Zetsu (Halt).
And Benjamin's motivation for doing this was to give himself an excuse to taste the Flower-horned Giant Deer.
Benjamin saw Moro's reaction.
He drew a boning knife, carved from blood-red mineral, from the sheath on his waist, and asked while carving the antler:
"Moro, are you perhaps thinking... that I deliberately hid, waited until the poachers finished hunting the Flower-horned Giant Deer, and then showed up, all for the sake of these antlers?"
"I didn't say that."
Moro immediately denied it, but his gaze fell on the blood-red boning knife in Benjamin's hand.
Under the silvery moonlight, he could clearly see the smoky Nen surrounding the knife.
That Nen did not originate from Benjamin but was attached to the boning knife.
Undoubtedly, this uniquely shaped boning knife was a Nen object, and the Nen attached to it was not weak in precision.
Hearing Moro's words, Benjamin's speed in carving the antler increased, and he generously admitted:
"But I was indeed deliberately waiting."
Moro looked up, a little surprised, at Benjamin.
He talked about having a responsibility to maintain the environment, but the result was exactly as Moro suspected: he wanted to eat a B-rank protected species, which is why he...
Thinking of this, Moro quietly stepped back, increasing the distance between himself and Benjamin.
Noticing Moro's movement, Benjamin stopped carving the antler and said leisurely:
"No need to be so surprised. I am a Professional Hunter... Whether it's by unscrupulous means or rationalizing my actions, as long as I can get what I want, I won't hesitate to do it."
As he spoke, he held up the antler towards Moro.
A section of the horn had the hard material scraped away, revealing a jelly-like, gelatinous substance inside.
"Even if this appears on the black market, it is by no means easily bought. Believe me, this is a top-tier ingredient that can drive every Gourmet Hunter crazy. If you miss it, I guarantee you'll regret it for life, so... want to eat it together?"
"No thanks."
Moro refused without a second thought.
Ignoring Benjamin's reaction, he finally put away the handgun and picked up the backpack containing food and tools.
He wasn't sure if Benjamin was a licensed Professional Gourmet Hunter, but he had already classified the other man as an anomaly.
His current thought was to get as far away from this anomaly as possible.
How could he possibly stay here to eat the antlers of a Flower-horned Giant Deer?
"Are you sure you don't want to eat it?"
Benjamin's eyes were calm, and he asked a follow-up question in a flat tone.
Moro shook his head, then pointed at the poached items scattered on the ground, saying:
"I'll leave these things for you to turn in. Including these three poachers, you can totally take the credit and let their corpses serve as cover for your consumption of a B-rank protected species. In any case, whatever you want to do has nothing to do with me."
"Then I won't be polite."
Benjamin smiled and started carving the antler again.
Moro nodded, put the backpack on his shoulder, and then slowly backed away towards the forest while facing Benjamin.
Benjamin was aware of the high level of vigilance Moro had shown from beginning to end, and calmly watched Moro retreat and leave.
After a little while.
Moro retreated to a clearing adjacent to a few large trees and took a long look at Benjamin.
An unscrupulous... Professional Hunter, huh.
Slowly withdrawing his gaze, Moro turned and walked into the woods, disappearing in just a few moments.
Benjamin stared at the gap in the trees where Moro had vanished.
His original intention was to make Moro an accomplice in consuming the B-rank protected ingredient.
Unfortunately, he failed to convince him.
So, for a fleeting moment, Benjamin seriously considered the idea of keeping Moro here.
However, the thought appeared quickly and vanished even faster.
He could tell that Moro was the type who severely lacked trust in outsiders, likely due to frequent dealings with people who were two-faced.
Thus, without a better understanding, Moro was able to maintain an appropriate sense of distance.
"He truly doesn't recognize a good thing when he sees one."
Benjamin squinted his eyes.
A mysterious premonition arose in his heart.
Perhaps they will meet again...
—
(End of this Chapter)
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