Despite his fatigue, he felt a sense of accomplishment. The Dark Crawlers weren't as frightening in his eyes anymore. He had learned each of their weak points—how they moved, when they attacked, how they defended.
Boran stood up and walked toward the last Dark Crawler they had killed. "Let's make use of our final prey," he said. "My stomach is growling and there's hardly anything edible around here. I've never heard any rule saying Dark Crawler meat isn't edible."
The blue fire in Boney Stark's eye sockets flickered with curiosity. Boran crouched next to the creature and began examining it carefully. He paid special attention to the acid-secreting mouth region of the Dark Crawler.
"Look," he said to his skeleton friend, "first we need to remove the acid glands from its throat. Otherwise, the meat would poison us. We can keep these glands—they might be useful later." Using a large Dark Crawler fang from his inventory, he carefully cut out the acid glands and stored them.
He looked around. Thick roots stretched across the cave walls and ceiling among the phosphorescent mushrooms. "Let's gather these roots," said Boran. "We can use them to make fire."
[Learned New Knowledge: Underground Root Types]
Boney Stark slung his bow over his back and began collecting the roots. The skeleton's fingers were careful, only picking the types of roots that Boran pointed out. Boran continued explaining as they worked.
[Level 1 Poisonous Cave Root detected]
"Those ones with purple veins are poisonous, don't touch them. But these light brown, thick ones are exactly what we need."
The Dark Crawler's anatomy was interesting. Its body, about a meter long, was covered in overlapping hard scales. Boran carefully guided the sharp fang toward the soft connection points between the scales. "Here," he showed Boney Stark, "the skin seems thinner where the scales meet. If we cut here, we might be able to open up the skin without damaging the meat inside."
Slowly, he made an incision from the Dark Crawler's side toward its belly. Dark, moist meat appeared beneath the skin. "The muscle tissue is quite dense, especially in the legs. That must be why they can move so fast. The meat's texture is almost like the fish I ate in the Misty Ruins, but firmer."
They cleared a small area in the corner. Boran arranged the thick roots parallel to the ground. "We'll cook the meat over these," he explained.
Boney Stark took a small root and lit it with the blue fire from his eye sockets. Contrary to expectations, the roots didn't burn quickly but smoldered slowly, emanating a steady heat. A bluish smoke rose from the roots.
"So you can make fire with your eyes! Fantastic! Now I won't have to worry about making fire anymore," said Boran. "Now it's time to prepare the Dark Crawler meat." He cut the meat into thin strips using the sharp end of the fang. "If it's thin, it'll cook faster and reduce the risk of acid residue. We have to think everything through."
He carefully placed the meat strips on the roots. A slight sizzling sound was heard. "That sound is good," said Boran. "Means it's the right temperature. We'll wait a bit."
As the meat cooked, a mildly spicy aroma filled the cave. "Interesting," said Boran, inhaling the scent. "The Dark Crawler meat smells better than I expected. Maybe these creatures are more delicious than we thought."
Finally, the meat was done. Boran took a piece and examined it carefully. "It's turned gray, that's a good sign. No trace left of its purplish raw color." He tore off a small piece and cautiously tasted it.
"Hmm... Surprising!" he said while chewing. "It tastes like a mix of seaweed and mushrooms, but with a richer flavor. The texture is quite tender too. I think we've found a solution to our hunger problem. If only we had some spices…"
[Learned New Recipe: Grilled Dark Crawler Meat]
Boney Stark silently watched Boran. Laughing, Boran said, "Sorry, friend. You can't eat, but at least you can be sure I won't go hungry."
After finishing his meal, he stored the remaining meat in his inventory. "We can use this later," he said. "We should gather some of these roots too. They're useful both for cooking and as fuel. Finding the stream in the cave was lucky too, I didn't go thirsty. Now I know what to bring to the next dungeon: a knife, spices, and a water flask."
Boran took one last look around. "There you have it," he said with satisfaction. "survival requires creativity." They extinguished the remaining embers of the roots and prepared to continue their journey.
"You know," Boran continued, "this hunt taught us a lot. We coordinate better now. You shoot arrows from a distance while I hold them off, just like the team I imagined. Choosing Bastion Form was a good decision—I never lost my position once."
"But we still have a lot to improve. Plus, we need to complete the other quests... We haven't seen any Gloomy Hunters yet. They're our next target."
Boney Stark sat quietly, examining his bow. The encounters with Dark Crawlers had left some scratches on it.
"Oh, and there's something else I noticed," Boran suddenly said. "Most Dark Crawlers attack alone, but sometimes they come in groups of two or three. That's when things get trickier. Developing Stunning Shield Bash was a good choice—after stunning one, dealing with the others becomes much easier."
He stood up and began checking his equipment. His shield had a few new scratches but hadn't sustained any serious damage. His armor—except for the dent in his chest—was also in good condition. The Dark Crawlers' claws were hard but not strong enough to pierce his armor.