165: Silver Grizzly Bear

Not only did the Frozen Bison provide rich, energy-dense fat sufficient to withstand the bitter cold, but after Toriko's rough yet effective tanning process, their thick and tough hides also became excellent cold-resistant Materials, with wind-blocking and heat-retaining capabilities that even surpassed the "ignition jumpsuit."

However, as Erina took small bites of the beef that Lin Luo had personally grilled, the critical instinct belonging to her "Gods Tongue," which had been temporarily suppressed by the extreme cold, quietly came back online.

She frowned slightly, swallowed the meat in her mouth, and commented in a low voice with a tone bordering on that of a professional critic: "Terrible grilling technique... the heat is completely uneven. There are still unpleasant blood streaks remaining in some areas on the outside, while some parts on the inside have already been charred to a bitter crisp."

"Although the meat quality of this 'Frozen Bison' itself is Advanced enough, it... has been completely wasted by this crude processing technique."

Her voice was not loud, but in the silent temporary shelter, where there was only the crackling of the campfire and the howling of the wind and snow, it clearly reached everyone's ears.

Upon hearing this, everyone's movements paused slightly, and then they all wore strange expressions, wanting to laugh but not daring to, forced to hold it in. Because this "crude" grilled meat was prepared by Lin Luo's own hands.

Furthermore, in this frozen wasteland where one's life hung by a thread, being able to have hot food to fill one's stomach and replenish energy was already something to be grateful for; who would still fuss over taste and technique?

Lin Luo glanced sideways at Erina, said nothing, and simply flicked his finger nonchalantly.

A wisp of cold wind drifted in, as if it had eyes, skillfully bypassing the tightly wrapped hem and collar gaps of Erina's bison hide, and with a "whoosh," it snuck into the back of her warm neck!

"Ah—!" Erina was jolted by the sudden icy sensation, causing her to shrink her neck abruptly like a startled rabbit, letting out a short shriek. She immediately realized it was Lin Luo's doing, wrapped the fur tighter around herself, turned back to glare at him, her cheeks flushed from the recent shock and the heat of the campfire: "You...!"

Lin Luo then slowly withdrew his finger, looking at her with a smile, "Hmm? What's wrong, Young Miss Erina? Do you suddenly feel that even the food made with 'terrible grilling technique' has become exceptionally warm and endearing?"

"You... jerk!" Erina was so angry she couldn't form a complete sentence, she could only glare at him fiercely, yet she was helpless, and could only inch her body closer to the campfire, wishing she could bury her whole self into the warm bison hide.

Toriko watched from the side, amused, and almost spat out the meat in his mouth. Komatsu was also unable to hold back a laugh and quickly lowered his head, pretending to focus on eating. Even Machi and Takimaru couldn't help but let a faint smile cross their faces.

The temporary camp, ravaged by wind and snow, ultimately could not hold out for long. A sudden, unannounced, violent whirlwind swept past, and the wind-sheltered ice depression they relied on for cover let out a groan of overload, then collapsed with a roar, as snow and ice debris instantly buried the faint embers of the campfire.

"We can't stay here any longer! The wind and snow are too strong here, and the terrain is unstable; there's no way to set up camp!" Lin Luo made a prompt decision, patted the ice and snow off his body, and protected Erina by his side, "Hang in there a little longer, let's keep moving forward and see!"

No one had any objections. Everyone quickly packed their gear and charged back into the blizzard.

They didn't know how long they had walked, but they finally entered a canyon between two ice peaks. Once they entered the canyon, the raging wind and snow miraculously weakened until it disappeared completely, leaving only cold silence all around.

"The wind has indeed stopped." Toriko looked around at the ice walls, "The iceberg is warming up due to the methane hydrate eruption, and the heat disrupts the airflow, forming a 'reverse wind.' Those deadly storms outside are being 'pushed' out by it. Being close to the heat source here makes it calm instead."

Komatsu took off the heavy bison hide and sighed with relief: "We've broken into Ice Hell at its most dangerous time."

"That's right," Toriko nodded, "But only at this time is it possible for the frozen 'century soup' to flow out with the melting ice."

He walked at the front of the group and said: "The one known as the 'Gourmet Showcase' is the aurora that decorates the century soup. We must find that first."

Komatsu was puzzled: "Gourmet Showcase?"

Takimaru explained: "The aurora is the guide."

Toriko nodded: "This aurora is like a top-tier restaurant that has been silent for a hundred years, opening its 'showcase' at a specific moment, using its light to attract 'customers' and guide them to the location of the century soup."

Upon hearing this, Machi curled his lips sarcastically: "Heh, this story is made up with quite a fairy-tale atmosphere."

Komatsu didn't catch the sarcasm and instead agreed: "Yeah, these ice crystals are sparkling; as long as there are no wild beasts, it really is like a fairy-tale world..."

He walked lightly on the hard, smooth ice surface, his gaze drawn by the crystal-clear ice walls refracting the faint light, and he quickly ran to a particularly brilliant cluster of ice crystals, excitedly saying: "Look! This iceberg really is sparkling, just like crystal!"

"It really is..." Erina, also wrapped in the bison hide, curiously leaned in and reached out to touch the smooth and cold "crystal" wall surface.

Lin Luo frowned slightly and warned: "Better be careful, it might not be safe here..."

Before he finished speaking, a sudden change occurred!

His eyes sharpened, his reaction lightning-fast; he raised his hands, and two solid light chains shot out instantly, wrapping around Komatsu and Erina's waists, pulling them violently backward!

Almost at the same instant—

BOOM!!

The brilliant "crystal ice wall" where they had just been standing exploded! A huge, astonishingly large claw covered in thick, white-gray fur broke through the ice, easily shattering the mountain-like ice wall into pieces!

Ice fragments splashed like a waterfall, and a massive white-gray giant bear with a ferocious glint in its eyes, emitting terrifying cold air, roared as it crawled out of the shattered ice cave, blocking everyone's path! Its cold breath instantly lowered the surrounding temperature even further; its capture rank was clearly not low.

Almost at the same moment, Toriko, Machi, Takimaru, and even Lin Luo instantly entered combat mode. However, Toriko took a step ahead, bypassing the others; far from being nervous, he stared with excitement at the behemoth that had broken through the ice.

"Oh, oh! This is a beast I've never seen before!" His eyes shone with the light of discovering a new ingredient, and to the astonishment of everyone, he leaped up and jumped directly onto the Silver Grizzly's back, which was as broad as a rock!

The Silver Grizzly roared and shook its body, trying to throw off the "little bug" on its back. Toriko, however, was as steady as a mountain, quickly pulling out a portable detector and "slapping" it onto the giant bear's massive head.

With a few beeps, the information appeared.

"Silver Grizzly... the capture rank is not low! Look at this muscle texture, this fat layer... whoa, this is a super great source of protein!" Toriko looked at the data on the detector, his mouth almost unable to control the drool, which was the purest desire for top-tier ingredients.

He took a deep breath, actually bowed slightly on the bear's back, and whispered with gratitude: "To all the food in the world... I am grateful!"

"Let's dig in!!"

Before his words had faded, the energy of his gourmet cells erupted in both hands; his left hand transformed into a sharp knife, and his right hand into a sharp fork, carrying the whistling sound of tearing through the air, he no longer defended passively, but instead charged forward to meet the violent bite launched by the turning Silver Grizzly head-on!

This polar overlord, which seemed vast and terrifying, capable of easily shattering ice walls, appeared so clumsy and weak in front of the Four Heavenly Kings at full power.

A flash of the knife! The shadow of the fork crossed!

Toriko's figure was so fast that it only left afterimages on the ice. The Silver Grizzly's claws swiped at empty air; its thick fur and muscles were like paper in front of Toriko's "knife and fork."

After just a few rounds, which couldn't even be called an intense fight—

Pfft!

A clean cutting sound rang out.

The Silver Grizzly's snarling, roaring head was cleanly decapitated by Toriko with a single stroke! The massive headless body swayed for a moment, then collapsed onto the ice, blood quickly staining a patch of ice crystals, before rapidly freezing.

The battle started fast and ended even faster.

Toriko landed steadily, shook off the non-existent blood stains from his hands, and looked at the prey on the ground with a satisfied smile on his face: "Done! Tonight's extra meal is sorted!"

Komatsu, Erina, and even Machi and Takimaru were all a bit stunned. Is this the strength of the Four Heavenly Kings level? Facing such a ferocious polar beast, it was as easy and relaxed as handling ordinary ingredients.

Erina watched Toriko easily take care of the Silver Grizzly, her small mouth slightly agape, her violet eyes filled with disbelief: "Is he... really this strong?"

Lin Luo glanced sideways at her, his tone flat but matter-of-fact: "Four Heavenly Kings, do you think this title is just for show?"

"Then what he said before about not being able to beat you..." Erina leaned in closer, lowering her voice, with a hint of curiosity and seeking confirmation, "Is it true or false?"

The corner of Lin Luo's mouth curved into a confident arc, he didn't answer directly, but just gave her a meaningful look.

Erina was a bit annoyed by his feigned mystery, snorted softly, and turned her face away: "Arrogant jerk."

Without the assault of wind and snow, the interior of this ice canyon appeared unusually calm; although the temperature was low, there was no longer that bitterly cold wind that sapped one's vitality. Lin Luo looked around and said: "Hey, Toriko, the environment here is nice; let's rest here for a bit."

"OK! No problem!" Toriko agreed readily, efficiently butchering the best cuts of meat from the Silver Grizzly, handing them respectively to Komatsu and Erina, who needed to cook, and then immediately took out a simple folding tent from his pack and began to set it up skillfully.

Soon, three thick tents were pitched on the ice, forming a small temporary camp. The campfire was lit again, the orange-red flames dispelling the surrounding chill, bringing a long-lost warmth and sense of security.

The frying pan sizzled over the fire, and the stew pot bubbled, emitting white steam; the rich aroma of meat, mixed with the strange fragrance of plants, began to permeate this silent realm of ice.

In front of Erina lay several silver-gray meat steaks with textures like top-tier marbled beef; she was focused, using the small knife she carried to perform the final trimming and cutting.

"I chose the 'marbled' parts with the most even fat distribution for pan-frying. I added a bit of 'Ice Millet Flower' powder gathered from the nearby rock crevices, and paired it with chopped 'Icicle Chives'; it should be able to neutralize the greasy taste that bear meat might bring, and enhance the layers of umami."

She explained softly while she worked.

On the other side, Komatsu watched over a bubbling stew pot, in which large chunks of bear meat, precious bison fat, and some cold-resistant root vegetables were rolling; the broth had already turned a rich, milky white.

"I'm making red-stewed Silver Grizzly, using the chewier leg meat and back meat, and added some of the bison bone marrow from before and fragments of 'Warm Ginger Stone' I found to remove the gamey smell and enhance the flavor; it's almost ready!"

Two completely different yet equally tempting aromas intertwined, making Toriko next to them keep swallowing his saliva, his eyes moving back and forth between the frying pan and the stew pot, looking distressed and unable to choose: "Wow... both sides smell super delicious! I didn't expect to be able to eat such elaborate gourmet food in this freezing hellhole! I don't know which one to eat first!"