Infinite Cosmic Cafeteria Chapter 11: Chef's Knife

Translator: Stellar Novels Editor: Stellar Novels

Bocchi eventually grasped that hand.

Because even selling his soul to the devil was better than being torn to pieces by a pack of jackals.

Moreover, the devil’s hand was surprisingly comfortable to hold, with skin as smooth as a skinned Gray Elephant Shrew.

However, this also made Bocchi wonder—could the owner of this hand really bring hope to the team in the upcoming battle?

But there was no time to think further; the jackal pack was already upon them.

A Two-Headed Jackal lunged first, followed closely by the second, then the third...

Bocchi moved as well, his eyes locking onto the nearest Two-Headed Jackal. He thrust his mechanical spear straight out.

With a squelch, it pierced the target’s neck!

Bocchi was stunned after the successful hit because he had aimed for the Two-Headed Jackal's abdomen, but somehow the strike was off by a few inches.

Before Bocchi could figure out what had happened, the other jackal head had already come biting.

Unlike most beasts, a Two-Headed Jackal doesn’t die immediately even if it loses one head because it still has a spare.

Bocchi pressed the switch on his mechanical spear, sending a high-voltage current that instantly paralyzed the Two-Headed Jackal.

(Translator's Note: I’m imagining it as the spear the MC uses in the webtoon Sweet Home lol)

But before he could catch his breath, a second wave of attacks came.

This time, three Two-Headed Jackals charged all at once, attacking from different directions, making Bocchi tense up.

Yet, it seemed like these three Two-Headed Jackals were somehow injured, as their movements appeared sluggish.

Bocchi waited for one to leap into the air, then swung his spear like a baseball bat, knocking it away. He bent his right knee, sharply lifting it, and drove it hard into another jackal's belly.

At this moment, the third Two-Headed Jackal's fangs were barely a fist away from Bocchi’s left calf, about to land its bite. But at this critical moment, Bocchi had already retracted his spear and thrust it downward in reverse!

As a result, the Two-Headed Jackal was firmly pinned to the ground!

This set of actions clearly intimidated the rest of the Two-Headed Jackals, causing them to slow down and hesitate, but the most shocked was Bocchi himself.

Since he trained every day, Bocchi was very aware of his physical capabilities. With his current strength, he could at most handle two Two-Headed Jackals at once and would need to be extremely cautious.

But including the first one that charged at the front, he had just defeated four Two-Headed Jackals in quick succession without sustaining any injuries.

Have I really... become stronger?

Bocchi stared blankly at his own hands.

The reason his first thrust was off-target was not due to poor aim but because his speed had increased. Bocchi had attacked based on his usual experience, resulting in an earlier strike; the spear that was supposed to aim at the abdomen ended up piercing the neck.

Similarly, the other three Two-Headed Jackals weren’t injured; their movements hadn’t slowed—Bocchi’s own reaction speed had simply become faster.

As for his strength, the Two-Headed Jackal pinned to the ground by Bocchi’s mechanical spear could testify the most, though it was too busy howling in pain at the moment.

Ma Lu stepped forward, drew a small knife, and ended the suffering of the poor creature, gaining another chance to choose from three options.

【Aerobic Master: Increases the entire team’s stamina by 10%】

【Localized Bleeding: Team attacks have a 15% chance to trigger a bleeding state, increasing the target’s blood loss by 100%】

【Too Deceptive: 15% chance for earth-element Psychic Ability users in the team to create a quicksand pit nearby when using their abilities】

The luck this time was average; all three blessings were blue, indicating that even two-star ingredients only occasionally yield purple blessings.

Ma Lu sighed slightly in disappointment and casually chose 【Localized Bleeding】, then continued forward and dispatched another Two-Headed Jackal that was still impaled on the spear.

The Traveler's Bracelet immediately presented three more options.

【Father-Son Bond: If there is a father-son relationship within the team and they are within 3 meters of each other, all their attributes are increased by 20%】

【Too Deceptive: 15% chance for earth-element Psychic Ability users in the team to create a quicksand pit nearby when using their abilities】

【You're Quite the Target: Designate a teammate; hostile creatures within a 20-meter radius will have their hostility toward that teammate increased by 100%】

Once again, all three were blue blessings, and 【Too Deceptive】 truly lived up to its name, appearing twice in a row. The remaining blessings didn’t seem particularly useful, so Ma Lu decided to forgo choosing and let the 60 seconds pass.

(Translator's Note: Too Deceptive (太坑了) contains the word 坑 which can mean pit, depression or hollow but can also mean to hoodwink or to cheat. It’s slang for when you suffer a loss. That’s why it’s ability is to create a quicksand pit and Ma Lu says it lives up to it’s name as its a pun about him getting it again being unlucky)

However, at that moment, he noticed a new change among the jackal pack. The recent tragic events that had befallen their companions made them realize that these two seemingly tasty prey were not easy to deal with. The remaining Two-Headed Jackals began to glance around, clearly showing signs of retreat.

Bocchi also noticed the jackal pack's unusual behavior. However, before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the Two-Headed Jackals suddenly seemed to be provoked, arching their bodies with blood-red eyes fixed on him, letting out low growls.

Bocchi knew this was the signal that the pack was about to attack.

Although he couldn’t understand why the Two-Headed Jackals had changed their minds so quickly and their hostility had increased, Bocchi immediately pulled his mechanical spear from the ground. At the same moment, the jackal pack charged once more.

This time, there were nine of them, including the two that had been guarding the motorcycles. But strangely, Bocchi felt less tense than before.

Because now, he was stronger than ever.

Bocchi warned Ma Lu behind him, "Be careful, whatever you do, don’t leave my side."

Ma Lu responded with a slight embarrassment, as he had just chosen 【You're Quite the Target】 and designated Bocchi.

He had no choice—after all, they were facing a pack of two-star ingredients, and letting them go would be a waste.

Furthermore, with Bocchi now part of the team, Ma Lu could view his status in the character panel, revealing a long list of blessings attached to his name.

These included a 45% boost in strength, a 47% boost in speed, a 41% boost in stamina, and a reaction speed boost of up to 50%.

In addition, there were enhancements to attack effects and Psychic Ability, which should be sufficient to handle the Two-Headed Jackals before them.

Ma Lu wouldn't be sitting back this time either. His body, too, had received blessings and enhancements, but as an ordinary person without combat skills, charging in with wild punches was still a bit risky.

However, thanks to the effects of 【You're Quite the Target】, Bocchi had firmly drawn the aggro, creating a favorable environment for Ma Lu to sneak in attacks.

In the blink of an eye, the jackal pack was upon the two of them.

Bocchi struck first, thrusting his mechanical spear into the mouth of a Two-Headed Jackal. Since he couldn’t perfectly time his attacks anymore, he decided to aim for the meatiest spots and see where it landed.

He then swung the Two-Headed Jackal still skewered on his spear, spinning around and knocking away several others in his path.

But there were simply too many Two-Headed Jackals; two managed to evade this sweeping attack and sprang to Bocchi’s side. Bocchi quickly kicked one in the neck, snapping its spine with the force.

He then attempted to retrieve his mechanical spear to impale the other, but three more Two-Headed Jackals were now less than a step away from him.

Bocchi had to first deal with the three, retreating half a step to avoid critical hits, but his calf couldn’t escape unscathed and got scratched.

The Two-Headed Jackal then tried to bite Bocchi, but a small knife suddenly slashed out sideways and plunged into its eye socket.

The excruciating pain made the jackal scream, failing to bite down, and Ma Lu had already pulled the knife out, blood spraying, as he stabbed it into the Two-Headed Jackal's body again.

This time, his aim was slightly off, hitting the shoulder blade, but the knife didn't slow down, slicing right through the bone.

A masterpiece from Old Wang! Quality assured!

This seemingly unremarkable chef’s knife had a simple yet brutal effect—it could cut through any ingredient and was indestructible.

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