070 (Vol 4) HxH: Tombbound Power

"The bite force isn't weak. If I hadn't dodged just now, I might've lost a leg."

Muherr calmly analyzed the situation, showing no sign of fear.

"But aside from the bite strength and hardness, there's nothing else noteworthy about it."

The massive black rock that had suddenly appeared was just a brief interruption during their march. Afterward, the group stayed alert as they moved forward, eventually discovering several more rocks of the same kind.

But thanks to the earlier display, these rocks remained motionless, as if intimidated by Ronnel and his group. They stayed still—like real stones—and didn't cause any further trouble.

Ging, clearly bored, decided to name them Swallowing Rocks~

Even so, the group remained vigilant. They pressed onward without letting their guard down, though some found ways to keep themselves busy.

Some members of the logistics team, driven by curiosity, began collecting fragments of the shattered black rocks, soil samples, tree bark, scattered leaves—anything they could get their hands on. Their interest in the customs of the Dark Continent's foreign terrain was genuine.

Despite their cautious movements and additional collection efforts, the pace of the expedition didn't slow down.

Still, the Dark Continent was vast. Even moving efficiently, it took time.

...

Eventually, Nitro Rice was cooked by the logistics staff back at the mobile apartment—alongside the chefs and servers from the original base. It was prepared into shimmering, crystalline rice.

Each grain glowed golden yellow, reminiscent of the egg-fried rice made by top-tier chefs—bright, plump, and radiating energy.

The rice, made from three stalks of Nitro, was distributed to everyone in the team—except Ronnel.

Reactions varied.

Some devoured their share without hesitation. Others carefully tucked it away, planning to bring it home for family. Still others were already plotting how to use the Nitro Rice to trade for what they desired most once they returned to the Six Continents.

Some even brought theirs straight to Beyond, hoping to barter it for other items or favors.

Beyond, of course, was open to exchanges—so long as the requests were within his power. But there were limits to what he could offer.

...

As for Ronnel—who had an abundance of Nitro Rice on hand—he simply pulled out a stalk and decided to cook it himself.

In the early days, when he was gathering death energy and corpse poison, he had visited countless mausoleums and burial sites. He'd encountered many corpses that hadn't yet decomposed, absorbing valuable skills from them in the process.

While these weren't always combat-related, his life skills had advanced to remarkable levels—climbing, bartending, accounting, architecture, writing, cartography... all at least at an intermediate level, many far beyond.

Cooking was no exception.

Thanks to the rare magical beasts and abundant natural ingredients on the Six Continents, culinary arts had developed to an elite level—so much so that the Hunter Association had an entire division of Gourmet Hunters.

Ronnel had long mastered the art of cooking through the use of advanced skill books. It was one of only two of his life skills perfected to the maximum level.

The other was trauma medicine. Not internal injuries—just external wounds.

As a Hunter, medical care was essential. Ronnel's expertise in treating trauma came from studying the corpses of fellow Hunters and adventurers. Though he rarely needed the skill himself, it made him a top-tier trauma specialist.

...

During a rest stop, Ronnel personally cooked a batch of Nitro Rice. With his perfected cooking skills, the result surpassed even that of the team's professional chefs.

It was like refining rare ingredients into a medicinal elixir—the finished dish offered far greater effects than consuming the raw materials.

One stalk of Nitro yielded a whole, heaping bowl of golden rice.

Ronnel sat alone in a quiet room of the mobile apartment, holding a large ceramic bowl as he leisurely savored the dish.

The moment the rice touched his tongue, his first impression was its softness and stickiness—followed by a rich sweetness and lingering aftertaste.

It didn't have the punch of spicy or sour ingredients, nor the deep umami of sea beasts from the Dark Sea, but the purity of flavor surpassed them all.

Perhaps it was due to the abundant life energy it contained.

Still, its true value lay not in the taste—but in its miraculous ability to extend one's lifespan.

No one knew the exact reason for this effect. Even after collecting samples from the swamp where it grew, Beyond's team had made no major breakthroughs.

...

Ronnel could feel the difference instantly.

With his first bite, warmth bloomed in his stomach. A wave of vitality surged through his body, spreading to his limbs in an instant.

It wasn't a dramatic transformation—just a subtle current of energy—but Ronnel's refined awareness of his own body let him perceive it clearly.

After all, following his encounters with the Chimera Ants—and all the corpses he'd studied—his ability to monitor his own internal changes had reached near-perfection.

He could track every shift of power, down to the smallest detail.

Because of that, he could accurately sense how the Nitro Rice was boosting his longevity. Not only that—he could control the life energy, directing it into every corner of his body for maximum benefit.

He didn't get lost in the flavor. Instead, he carefully observed how each mouthful affected him.

One bite after another, Ronnel ate slowly, mind focused on the movement of energy within.

By the end, not a single grain remained in his bowl.