Dimensional Slime Rancher-Chapter 11: A Savage Blood-Ape... is nothing but a shaved monkey

Chapter 11: A Savage Blood-Ape... is nothing but a shaved monkey

They were as bright as twin moons in the dark, and as desperate as a starving man in a desert.

The optical sensors of the mechanical dog, Unit 02, and the glowing, translucent core of Pudding were staring straight at the steaming piece of Void-Spiced Ribs.

The meat, coated in a glowing tangerine glaze and exuding a dangerously tempting, spicy fragrance, was clasped firmly between Ren’s chopsticks.

The raw craving bursting out from the two companions made Ren jump back a step in shock.

"Fuck! Do you guys know how creepy it is when you just silently materialize like that?"

Ren’s hand trembled, almost dropping the precious, kinetic-infused rib onto the floor.

Unit 02 let out a pathetic mechanical whine, its tail wagging so fast it was a silver blur.

Beside it, Pudding had stretched its gelatinous body upward, forming two large, pleading pseudo-eyes that practically sparkled with cosmic hunger.

"Do you want to eat this?" Ren expressionlessly waved the glowing piece of meat around.

Unit 02 barked eagerly, and Pudding cooperatively jiggled its entire body in a frantic nod.

Ren’s stiff, lazy face remained completely unmoved, but the corner of his mouth widened into a villainous smirk.

He opened his mouth and shoved the fat, tender piece of Void-Spiced Rib inside in one go.

His cheeks bulged as he bit down. There were even some glowing tangerine glaze stains on his lips.

Pudding and Unit 02 froze. When they realized Ren had actually eaten the prize, Unit 02’s optical sensors dimmed to a heartbroken gray, and Pudding slumped into a flat, depressed puddle on the floor.

It looked as if it had lost the absolute will to continue living; the entire sky had just collapsed on the poor slime.

"How infuriating! This cruel human is definitely doing this on purpose!" Pudding seemed to vibrate in sheer outrage.

For the sake of that cosmic meat, Pudding’s usually cool blue surface turned a furious, boiling red. It bounced aggressively, glaring at Ren’s ankles.

Ren, at that moment, did not have the time to care about a temper tantrum.

The extremely explosive taste of the Comet Boar was bursting out from within his mouth.

The rich, spicy fragrance of the meat was like a literal bomb, instantly exploding and completely conquering his taste buds.

The perfectly synthesized sweet and spicy Stardust glaze flawlessly mixed with the high-grade meat.

The texture of the meat was not hard at all. After a perfectly controlled flash-fry, the exterior had become appropriately crispy.

The taste of the cosmic batter mixed with the tender pork was simply divine.

Because it was cut from the spine of a beast that survived in the vacuum of space, the meat had become incredibly soft after Ren’s preparation, but it still contained traces of raw kinetic energy.

It popped and crackled on his tongue like tiny fireworks, which only increased the thrilling tastiness of the meal.

Ren’s eyes completely lit up.

His chopsticks picked up another piece of the ribs and shoved it into his mouth with lightning speed.

He narrowed his eyes, enjoyably chewing while being utterly captivated within the sea of spicy, cosmic fragrance.

Pudding was furious! It was bouncing frantically around the counter. Its nonexistent heart was filled with conflict as it debated its options.

"Should I just engulf this foolish human’s leg and snatch the plate?"

"No, what if he refuses to feed me those premium Mana Cubes later? My refined palate has already been completely spoiled by this human!"

"Should I attack? Or should I beg?" As the glowing pieces of meat rapidly disappeared from the white polymer plate, Pudding felt as if its very soul was being constantly emptied...

Finally, there was only a single piece left.

Ren’s chopsticks had already slowly landed on that final piece of rib.

As he clamped onto the meat, the glowing glaze splattered slightly, filling the air with one last burst of mouth-watering scent.

Pudding was practically vibrating with tears as it stared at the final piece!

Ren was still chewing his previous bite; his expression was both comical and highly satisfied, perhaps the most colorful expression he had ever shown.

"Here, take it. It looks like my capitalist heart is still too soft," Ren simply said, tossing the final glowing piece to the floor.

Pudding was immediately overjoyed. It launched itself into the air, engulfing the piece of spicy rib in one smooth motion.

The rich, explosive aroma of the cosmic meat burst out within Pudding’s gelatinous body. The slime shivered violently.

With a shape shifting display of pure pleasure, it turned a bright, happy shade of orange and let out a loud, rumbling burp that produced a tiny, sparkling nebula in the air.

Ren was dumbfounded. Did this puddle of water just burp a galaxy?

After dissolving the rib, Pudding was still slightly unsatisfied. However, that heinous shopkeeper had already finished everything else. It could only helplessly return to its spot on the recliner and resume its nap, dreaming of more spicy treats.

Ren leisurely cleaned up the plate and went to bed, a satisfied smile on his face.

The next morning, Ren got out of bed much earlier than usual.

He went straight into the Workshop after washing up. He had specially gotten up early to practice the Quantum Splicer technique mentioned by the System. From the sound of it, it seemed like a highly impressive, delicate skill.

However, the moment Ren stepped up to the synthesis table, his line of sight was immediately attracted by a heavy, clunky tool made of dark, unpolished iron.

"Please splice one thousand Basic Spirit Cores using this crude, uncalibrated Rune-Chisel within an hour. Every single fusion must be perfectly aligned. After finishing, you shall be awarded with ten points of Splicing Proficiency," the System solemnly declared.

Splicing a thousand cores within an hour, and each one had to be absolutely flawless... It was almost an impossible mission for an experienced Artificer, but it was just barely manageable for Ren with his Foundation Establishment reflexes.

However, when he grabbed the thick, heavy Rune-Chisel, his entire face darkened.

The tool was extremely heavy and unbalanced. Using a single hand, Ren could barely keep the tip steady. It would be absolute torture to use this ancient piece of junk to complete delicate genetic work.

"System, are you deliberately fucking with me?" Ren asked with a cold expression, glaring at the ceiling.

"As a young man aiming to become the Rancher King, are you telling me that you cannot endure a little physical hardship? The road to multiversal dominance isn’t easy. Young man, you need to learn to build a solid foundation. The System thinks highly of you; work hard," the System seriously encouraged him, causing Ren to be completely speechless.

He knew that arguing with the System was as pointless as talking to a brick wall, so he could only train according to the brutal requirements.

Retrieving a pile of dull, unrefined Spirit Cores, Ren lifted the heavy iron chisel and started to skillfully channel his Qi.

After the first core was flawlessly fused, Ren expressionlessly grabbed the second one and immediately started chipping away.

Since he had already started the training, he would wholeheartedly engage in it.

Genetic splicing was a skill that demanded absolute attentiveness, and unbroken focus was the only way to perfect it.

And so, the rhythmic, heavy sound of metal clinking against crystal rang out from the Dimensional Ranch since the early hours of the morning.

"Eh? Smelly Boss didn’t open the store for business today?"

As Xiaoyi, Luo Qing, and the rest arrived at the dead-end alleyway, they discovered that there was already a group of anxious nobles queuing up at the entrance.

Many of them were trying to peek through the shuttered windows with faces filled with intense doubt.

"Hmph! Don’t tell me he heard about our wager and is too terrified to show his face?"

Zhao Feng, dressed in a pristine white robe, elegantly sneered, waving his fan.

"Boss Ren is afraid? Are you here to tell bad jokes? You just have to obediently wait here and prepare to hand over that Tier-4 Spirit Gathering Pill to Sister Luo!" the little girl snorted in reply, fiercely defending her turf.

The Three Bears of Ouyang and Luo Lan were there as well.

They were also slightly baffled by the fact that the usually punctual shop was not open for business yet, especially on the day of the Beast Tamer Sect’s grand challenge.

"It could be that Boss Ren was delayed by preparing his ultimate beast,"

Luo Qing gently said, her voice cool and composed. "Let’s just wait for a while."

Just as her beautiful voice faded, the heavy metal door of the shop suddenly slid open with a hiss, and Ren expressionlessly appeared in front of their eyes.

"The shop is open for business. No pushing," Ren simply said, then turned around and walked back to the counter.

There were only about fifteen people in the queue, all of them highly influential figures who had skipped the Sect’s morning parade just to secure their daily purchases.

Xiaoyi eagerly ran in to grab her feather duster, taking the opportunity to conveniently inquire about the impending duel.

"Eh? Smelly Boss, why does your right hand keep shaking like a leaf?" Xiaoyi curiously stared at Ren’s hand, which was continuously, uncontrollably twitching.

Ren glanced at her and simply said,

"It’s nothing. I just had a heavy workout. It’ll be fine after a minute."

His hand was shaking violently because he had been gripping that ridiculously heavy iron chisel for over an hour, perfectly fusing a thousand cores... It would be shaking even if he had used a modern scalpel, let alone that barbaric piece of scrap metal.

Soon, the System manipulated a stream of warm, gentle energy to flow into Ren’s arm, causing the numbness and the muscle spasms to instantly vanish.

The regular customers excitedly ordered their beasts and items, and Xiaoyi was too busy managing the queue to immediately inform Ren about the wager.

After the first wave of customers was satisfied, it was finally the turn of Zhao Feng, Luo Qing, and the Three Bears, who confidently stepped up to the counter.

As Zhao Feng stepped up, he felt a surge of arrogant superiority. Today, he would expose this fraud.

"Smelly Boss, this Naked Zhao made a massive wager yesterday! He bet that whatever combat item you’re selling is absolute garbage compared to the Beast Tamer Sect’s Savage Blood-Ape!"

As Zhao Feng approached, Xiaoyi loudly announced to the entire room, pointing an accusing finger.

Ren was slightly startled, pausing as he wiped down the counter. He looked at Zhao Feng’s smug face, then at the expectant eyes of Luo Qing and the Ouyang brothers.

Then, Ren expressionlessly replied, "A Savage Blood-Ape... is nothing but a shaved monkey."