[137] - The Second-Generation Melk's Commission, Destination: Heavy Hole (BONUS)

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"You... and Granny Setsuno... how did you know?!"

The second-generation Melk finally managed to collect herself, but even then, she could barely get the words out.

"Know what?"

Yuuki knew exactly what she was asking, but he prompted her anyway.

"That I secretly took over for my master and claimed to be Melk to the outside world!" Melk II dropped the act. In her mind, if Yuuki and Setsuno already knew, there was no point in hiding it any longer.

In truth, she had been on edge this entire time, serving as "Melk." On one hand, she was terrified her skills weren't good enough and that she would tarnish the Melk name. On the other, she was afraid her master would be furious when he returned and found she had taken over his work.

The psychological pressure on her these past few years had been immense.

"What are you talking about? Aren't you the second-generation Melk? So what do you mean by 'secretly'?"

Yuuki's words left Melk II even more dumbfounded.

She felt as if they weren't even on the same page. After a moment, Melk II led Yuuki back into her house, poured him some tea, and, bit by bit, told him the story of her and the first-generation Melk.

"I see. So this is all just a big misunderstanding. Granny Setsuno and the first-generation Melk are good friends. She learned about you from him, and he even told her that you had already become the second-generation Melk."

"In other words, for whatever reason, he never told you about this, which led you to mistakenly believe you were just filling in for him. The truth is, he acknowledged that you were ready to graduate long ago."

Yuuki laid out everything he knew for her.

"What? Master already acknowledged me? He actively handed the work of Melk over to me?!"

Hearing this, Melk II's face was a mask of disbelief.

"Why are you so shocked? Think about it. How long have you been doing the work of Melk? If I remember correctly, the first-generation Melk received that big commission several years ago."

"If your skills weren't up to par, if you hadn't earned his recognition, how could you possibly have held this position for so long?"

Yuuki rolled his eyes. This is what happens when people get trapped in self-doubt—they can't see the situation clearly. That was Melk II's problem. If she hadn't been so consumed by her own insecurities, she would have seen the truth of the matter long ago.

It was because she was caught in that spiral, never daring to even consider the possibility, that she remained blind to it.

"Even if you say that... Master didn't leave any message when he left. He just disappeared. If he really approved of me, he shouldn't have done it like that!"

Melk II wasn't entirely convinced. The fact that her master had never told her himself had always been a knot in her heart.

"Well, you can just ask him yourself. Granny Setsuno said he's been at the bottom of the Heavy Hole this whole time, forging a knife."

Yuuki shrugged. If she didn't believe him, she could get the answer from the source.

"WHAT? MASTER IS IN THE HEAVY HOLE? That's right... the Melk Stardust is there. If he took on a commission, it's highly likely he'd be there—"

"I wonder what kind of commission he took on that would keep him in the Heavy Hole for so long!"

....

Knowing her master was at the bottom of the Heavy Hole surprised Melk II at first, but it quickly made sense. It only made her more curious about the nature of his work—She knew his forging and sharpening skills inside and out. For a commission to take him this long to complete, it must be incredibly difficult.

"Even if you say that, I would have gone to the Heavy Hole long ago if I had the ability. My Gourmet Cell level isn't high—I can't compare to Master."

"The materials I've used for forging and sharpening all these years have mostly been provided by the chefs themselves. Only when I have no other choice do I use the high-level materials Master left behind."

"The Heavy Hole has intense gravity, and it's filled with hordes of powerful beasts. I can't handle any of that. So even if I knew Master was in there, I couldn't go and ask him myself."

Melk II shook her head, hating her own weakness.

Yuuki secretly nodded.

Compared to her father, Melk II was indeed quite weak—the first-generation Melk was a powerhouse capable of entering the Gourmet World, a member of Biotope 0th.

But Melk II?? She could handle beasts in the capture level 20-30 range, but a capture level 40 or 50 beast would be too much for her—

—It was a good thing the beasts around Melk Mountain weren't high-level, otherwise, she would have trouble just protecting herself.

....

"I have some business in the Heavy Hole. I can take a letter down for you."

Yuuki offered. Melk II's eyes lit up.

"COULD YOU REALLY?" she asked again, her voice full of hope.

"Of course. But I have a condition. I'll bring a letter down for you and bring back some Melk Stardust. In return, you have to forge a knife for me with everything you've got."

Yuuki didn't specify the best materials or the fossilized Fang of the Dragon King. He knew that if he helped her, she would offer them herself.

"No problem! I agree!" Melk II accepted without a moment's hesitation.

"In that case, wait for my good news!"

With that, Yuuki didn't linger any longer and flew directly towards the Heavy Hole.

"HE CAN FLY!"

The sight of Yuuki taking flight was another huge shock for Melk II. He had also flown when he first arrived, but only the Vampire Kong had seen it.

By the time she had rushed out, he had already landed. She had assumed he'd climbed the stairs. She never imagined he could actually fly.

She had never seen a human who could fly, or even heard of one.

....

The Heavy Hole was close to Melk Mountain, and Yuuki found it quickly. But as he approached, he realized something was wrong.

"This gravity... it's not what the original story described. Just at the entrance, it's already over ten times normal gravity!"

Yuuki was surprised as he felt the immense pressure.

In the original story, even at the bottom of the pit, the gravity hadn't reached ten times normal when Toriko was there. Honestly, that part of the plot had always been problematic. The Toriko who went to Melk Mountain had already been to the Gourmet World once.

Though he came back battered and had to be rescued, he was by no means weak. For a powerhouse of that level to be so affected by less than 10 Gs of gravity seemed off—

—Yuuki guessed the original author had written it from a normal person's perspective, otherwise Toriko wouldn't have struggled so much.

But this Heavy Hole was different.

If it was over 10 Gs at the entrance, what about the bottom??

Yuuki suspected the gravity at the bottom might exceed a hundred times normal—even more intense than the gravity on the 100G Mountain created by the Monkey King.

At that moment, Yuuki noticed that the gravity acting on his body was completely different from the external gravity. The pressure outside was over 10 Gs, but what he felt was less than two.

....

"Is it because of Enbu?? That's right, even when not actively used, Enbu can passively disperse force!"

Yuuki understood that his mastered skill was at work. Enbu itself could negate the vast majority of forces, and gravity was no exception.

It was a pity his mastery of Enbu wasn't at its peak, so he couldn't completely negate all the gravity even at the entrance. But this place was definitely a perfect training ground for Enbu. His body was under constant pressure, and his Enbu was constantly active.

Practice was the most important part of mastering anything, and Enbu was no different.

Feeling the external pressure, Yuuki leaped straight down. As he descended, the gravity steadily increased. After a few thousand meters, he found the gravity was approaching fifty times normal.

Even though Enbu could only disperse a portion of it, Yuuki had mastered Food Honor, so he adapted to the new gravity within a few breaths.

If a person who hadn't adapted to such gravity were to enter this environment rashly, their combat power would be severely diminished. Even if their body could withstand the pressure, their techniques and speed would be affected by the gravity.

Without rapid adaptation, they would be lucky to retain half of their combat strength.

Yuuki, however, could quickly adapt to such an environment. Even if his speed and movements were affected, he could adjust to an optimal state in an extremely short amount of time.

In other words, his combat power wouldn't be significantly impacted. He wouldn't be like Toriko on his first visit, who was nearly injured by a Balbamoth because the gravity affected him.

The moment Yuuki adapted to the surrounding gravity—a number of strange-looking monsters emerged from the surrounding caves.

They were Balbamoth, with a capture level of 44.

But in this high-gravity environment, if a Gourmet Hunter of the same level came in, they would most likely lose in a one-on-one fight.

After all, the Balbamoth had lived in this environment since birth and were long adapted to the gravity. An outsider whose combat power was reduced by the environment would be at a great disadvantage.

What's more, the Balbamoth were a species that moved in swarms. They wouldn't play fair and fight you one-on-one. Even if you were a higher level, it would be difficult to survive against a swarm.

Especially in a situation like this, one might panic and flee downwards. Running into an area of even greater gravity without adapting first would be fatal.

Of course, that applied to others. Yuuki's combat power was not affected by the gravity here.

So these Balbamoth posed no threat to him. In fact, his Gourmet Cell level was so high that in the face of these creatures, a massive aura was released from his body.

Against a swarm of beasts far weaker than himself, intimidation was the best choice.

A colossal presence surged forth. The Balbamoth, affected by this aura, their snake-like pupils shrank, and their massive bodies began to retreat. Even in a pack, faced with a power they couldn't possibly resist—they could only choose to flee.

At the same time, Yuuki's presence reached the bottom of the Heavy Hole.

....

"Hm? Someone has come to the Heavy Hole? This aura... is unfamiliar!"

The first-generation Melk, who was working, sensed the presence and put down his tools. While he knew this presence couldn't threaten him, it was undoubtedly over level 100 in strength, so he couldn't just ignore it.

Putting down his work, he walked out of his workshop and had his Scorpion Cattle stay behind. He knew the Scorpion Cattle was no match for the owner of this aura, so he certainly wouldn't let it go to its death.

....

Up above, seeing the Balbamoth retreat after being intimidated by his presence, Yuuki paid them no more mind. Balbamoth meat wasn't particularly tasty, so he had no intention of capturing them.

Just like that, Yuuki descended rapidly. At a depth of ten thousand meters, the gravity had already exceeded one hundred times normal.

"Good grief. The gravity here is already over a hundred Gs. A weaker person coming here would probably be crushed instantly!"

Yuuki noted that this Heavy Hole was far more dangerous than the one in the original story. Based on the current beasts and gravity, even a level 70 powerhouse would be at considerable risk.

Glancing around, Yuuki soon found a group of Jewel Crabs. These were the same Ruby Crabs that Toriko had found.

But Ruby Crabs were just one branch of the species. There were many different colors of Jewel Crabs. The different colors had different tastes and textures. Yuuki wasn't about to let these crabs go.

Any ingredient that could live under such immense gravity was no ordinary ingredient.

After collecting some Jewel Crabs, Yuuki continued his descent. This time, he went all the way to the deepest part of the cave.

Before he even reached the bottom, he smelled a foul odor. As he got closer, he found that there were numerous animal carcasses here.

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