Sizzle—sizzle—
Over the charcoal fire, oil slowly seeped out of the yellow fish as it roasted.
The aroma grew richer and thicker.
Daniela's gaze was completely glued to the fish now. She stared at the two roasting fish with anticipation, her small tongue flicking out faster and faster as she licked her lips.
Her hands were clenched tightly together.
The players' mouths watered uncontrollably.
Even Jiang Han couldn't help swallowing twice.
A moment later, she blushed deeply.
She secretly scolded herself for being so embarrassing—how could she give in to something as base as appetite? It was just a fish, after all…
But it smelled way too good!
After Ma Jun sprinkled on a little more coarse salt, a system notification suddenly rang out beside his ear.
[Congratulations, Player, for creating an epic-tier dish! Dungeon Evaluation Value increased!]
[Congratulations, Player, for obtaining the item: Charcoal-Grilled Dragonfish!]
[Charcoal-Grilled Dragonfish | Quality: Purple]
[A top-grade ingredient produced from Morro Reservoir. After consumption, permanently increases Agility by 1 point!]
Ma Jun stared at the fragrant yellow fish in his hands, excitement filling his chest.
It really worked!
Items that permanently boosted attributes in regular games were also effective in horror games.
This was amazing.
That meant he could farm stats here and grow absurdly strong.
And this village didn't just have dragonfish like this.
The dungeon's objective was to survive seven days?
Seven days wasn't nearly enough!
What was hell to other players was, to him, a paradise for building strength.
If the other players knew what Ma Jun was thinking right now, they'd probably be so jealous their teeth would ache.
"Here, take one," Ma Jun said, handing one of the grilled fish to Daniela.
Her face instantly filled with emotion.
"You're really giving it to me…? Thank you, Master!"
She looked at him with gratitude and attachment, then whispered softly,
"Master, let's go back to our room and eat slowly. I don't want to eat in front of these ugly humans."
The players: "…???"
Their emotions were beyond words.
So we're the ugly humans, huh?
That favoritism was way too obvious!
"Well, that works," Ma Jun thought for a moment.
It really was better to find a private place.
After all, this was an epic-tier item. If something unusual happened while eating it and the other players noticed, it would be troublesome.
Under the players' complex, jealous gazes, Daniela clung to Ma Jun's arm and pulled him out of the dining hall.
After a long silence, Mu Chen asked weakly, his face pale,
"Ma Jun… what exactly is he?"
Jiang Yan shook her head.
"I don't know."
"All I know is that he's definitely not an ordinary person."
"If he's not a hidden super-elite from the military, then he's the secret successor raised by one of those major families!"
Mu Chen looked at the mushy boiled beans in his bowl, then thought of the fragrant yellow fish from earlier.
Tears welled up.
Even his voice trembled as he said,
"Do you think… he turned on cheats?"
…
Inside Daniela's room, the two sat facing each other.
The broken window had already been repaired.
The fireplace crackled, filling the room with warmth like spring.
Even without the threat of cold, Daniela would never feel hostility toward Ma Jun again.
In her heart, he was the best, kindest Master in the world.
He had even surpassed her mother in priority.
All of these feelings naturally arose after eating the charcoal-grilled dragonfish.
When she eagerly bit into the fish, the crystal-soft flesh instantly turned into a warm current.
From her mouth, it slid straight into her belly.
Just like when she had helped her Master earlier…
As the fish meat and essence entered her body, it was like fire spreading through her veins, igniting her entirely.
She almost moaned unconsciously.
She was addicted to this feeling.
She liked drinking human blood because it gave her warmth.
But that warmth wasn't even one-tenth of what she felt now!
Eating dragonfish was different from the candy her Master gave her.
One was physical comfort.
The other was both physical and spiritual satisfaction.
"Mmm…"
Daniela let out a soft sound and suddenly felt her body grow much lighter.
Ma Jun felt the same.
The dragonfish really was delicious—better than any fish he had ever eaten.
The flesh was tender and fragrant; even the bones were crispy enough to chew.
He finished it in just a few bites.
A system notification rang out.
[Player has consumed epic-tier item: Charcoal-Grilled Dragonfish. Agility +1!]
Ma Jun quickly opened his status panel.
Sure enough, his Agility stat had changed to:
[Agility: 6]
(Equivalent to a half-professional parkour enthusiast)
Ma Jun was thrilled.
This was insanely good value!
He moved his arms experimentally—his speed had clearly increased.
It felt like an invisible shackle had been removed, leaving his body light and agile.
He was ecstatic.
Just one point made this much difference?!
Then what if he ate ten… or eight more?
What kind of monster would he become?