Infinite Cosmic Cafeteria Chapter 8: My Companions Are Few

Translator: Stellar Novels Editor: Stellar Novels

"I will form a new hunting party to reassure Chi Qi, but it won't be with you," Bocchi finally said after a long pause.

Ma Lu wasn’t particularly surprised. "Is it because I’m of no use?"

"That's right," Bocchi admitted.

"Good, it seems you’re already stepping into the role of a leader."

"I don’t know where you’re from, but it’s clear you don’t understand the desert out there. It’s full of opportunities, yes, but it’s also riddled with dangers. The way you handled the Thousand-Toothed Sandfish was completely amateurish. If I let you join the party, you probably wouldn’t survive even a day," the little boy warned.

"I know hunting is dangerous, so if a fight breaks out, I’ll do my best to stay behind you," Ma Lu replied.

"…………"

"Before you make a final decision, why don’t you at least hear what my Psychic ability is?" Ma Lu played his trump card.

"You’ve awakened a Psychic Ability too?" Bocchi’s face finally showed a trace of surprise. "Which type is it?"

"My Psychic Ability is a bit special. It's Rogue-like."

(Translator's Note: The word Rogue is in english)

"Rou… Rogue?" Bocchi looked puzzled. "What’s that? Psychic Abilities are only categorized into Wind, Fire, Lightning, Metal, Earth, Beast, and Water, right?"

"That’s why mine is special."

"You’re not just making this up to sneak into a hunting party, are you?" Bocchi was skeptical.

"How about this—let’s not think about forming a new hunting party just yet. Let’s team up once, and I’ll prove it to you. If you think I’m lying, you can kick me out afterward," Ma Lu suggested.

…………

As Bocchi was changing the battery of his motorcycle, he stood for a while in front of the wind turbine at the power station, allowing his head to clear a bit.

He thought he must be crazy, actually believing the words of a stranger he had known for less than a day.

It all came down to his unwillingness to accept reality.

Even though he had left the Harpist Hunting Party and said he’d never be a hunter again, deep down, Bocchi couldn’t accept that reality. Most importantly, he had once promised that man he would fight alongside him.

Now that the man was gone, Bocchi still remembered that promise, which made him want to keep fighting, carrying the burden for both of them.

Damn it! Bocchi punched the metal frame beside him, drawing the attention of passersby.

The little boy ignored the pain in his hand, went to a nearby shop to buy a set of hunting gear, and restocked the supplies he had used up last time. Only then did he ride his fully charged motorcycle back to the Little Bear Bar.

From a distance, he saw Ma Lu squatting outside the door, with a small iron cage at his feet.

Bocchi recognized what was inside and frowned. "Where did you find so many Flame Geckos?"

"I bought them from the bar's kitchen. I put it on your tab for now; I’ll pay you back after the hunt," Ma Lu said as he climbed onto the motorcycle, holding the cage.

Flame Geckos are the most common animals in the desert and are easy to catch, so they aren’t worth much. Although Bocchi found it odd that Ma Lu was bringing a cage of Flame Geckos on a hunting trip, he didn’t say anything else. He turned the bike around and drove out of the city.

On the back seat, Ma Lu changed into the hunting gear Bocchi had bought for him. It was the most basic model, but even so, it was far better than the black clothes he had gotten from the Insect Egg. The new gear was superior in terms of insulation and breathability.

The accompanying face scarf and goggles also provided protection against the wind and sand, shielding his mouth, nose, and eyes.

Re-entering the desert, Ma Lu was no longer as disheveled as he had been five hours earlier. This time, his golden finger had also arrived.

When he previously encountered the Thousand-Toothed Sandfish attack, in a critical moment, Ma Lu had thrown out Fate's Gift, the most powerful artifact in the multiverse according to Old Wang.

But all he got was a strange number—29—without any other results.

It wasn’t until later, after he personally killed a Flame Gecko, that the Traveler’s Bracelet on his wrist suddenly popped up with a string of alerts.

【Attention, Attention, Attention... Detecting special high-dimensional energy, inserting a new rule into the current universe】

【New rule insertion complete... Trigger condition met, activating additional function】

【Function No. 29】

【Congratulations, your team has just defeated the formidable Flame Gecko. Please choose one of the following blessings within the 60-second countdown:】

【Oxygen Lover: Increases team stamina by 1%】

【Basic Healing: Provide a specified teammate with a basic healing effect】

【Arsonist: For team members with fire-based Psychic Ability, there is a 3% chance that extinguished flames will reignite】

Below, there was a small note: Blessings only apply in the current universe. All blessings reset upon leaving the current universe.

Ma Lu didn’t rush to choose, as none of the three rewards seemed particularly useful to him. However, the familiar post-battle choice of one out of three, combined with the in-universe rules, sparked many memories for him.

Roguelike? Could this really be Roguelike?

Roguelike, or "meat pigeon" games, like time management games, is a genre of games. However, compared to time management games, Roguelike games are clearly more popular at the moment.

(Translator's Note: They’re called meat pigeon games as meat pigeon "肉鸽" (ròu gē) sounds like the word “rogue”)

And like time management games, Roguelike elements can simply be inserted as a new gameplay mechanic into any game, just like what was happening now.

After a brief thought, Ma Lu chose the first blessing. He wasn’t injured, so Basic Healing wasn’t needed, and Arsonist seemed rather meaningless. Therefore, the stamina boost was the only option left.

However, the 1% stamina boost was barely noticeable; Ma Lu couldn’t even feel it. He could only find the added blessing in the newly appeared character status bar on his bracelet.

But clearly, one blessing wasn’t enough.

So, while Bocchi was changing the motorcycle battery, Ma Lu slipped back into the bar’s kitchen.

Though he was kicked out in less than three minutes, he still managed to collect seven Flame Geckos and, amidst the chaos, also killed a dying Vampiric Long-Tailed Weasel by the sink. The weasel turned out to be a two-star ingredient, offering Ma Lu three more options:

【Iron Lifter: Increases team strength by 10%】

【You’re Slowing Down: Attacks from team members have a 3% chance to apply Slowed status to the target, reducing their movement speed by 50%】

【My Companions Are Few: The fewer members in the team, the higher the base attribute boost for each individual—strength, speed, stamina, and reflexes increase by 50%. For each additional member, the effect decreases by 10%, and the blessing becomes ineffective with more than five members】

This time, the three options made Ma Lu’s eyes light up.

When he had killed the Flame Gecko, the choices were all white, but after defeating the Vampiric Long-Tailed Weasel, the options changed color, becoming two blue and one purple.

Ma Lu quickly skimmed through the options and, without hesitation, chose the bottom purple blessing.

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