Infinite Cosmic Cafeteria Chapter 50: Testing the Waters

Translator: Stellar Novels Editor: Stellar Novels

Hogger stood to the side, stunned. Earlier, he and his team had put in a great deal of effort to separate the two Lava Lizards. The lizards constantly tried to get back together, but when Ma Lu made his move, he instantly lured one far away.

However, Hogger then saw Ma Lu turn back, and Bocchi and the others looked tense, rushing toward him.

To everyone’s surprise, no matter how much Setta and the others attacked the Lava Lizard, its primary target remained Ma Lu.

Finally, Bocchi seemed to realize something and shouted at Ma Lu, “Quick, throw away the Flame Gecko you’re carrying!”

With that reminder, Ma Lu hurriedly untied a rope hanging from his waist. The other end was tied to the hind leg of a Flame Gecko, which Ma Lu had made into a 【Strike Charge】 trigger.

He tossed the rope aside, but the Lava Lizard continued to chase him, its drooling maw nearly reaching the back seat of his motorcycle, and Ma Lu could already smell the sulfur in its breath.

In a moment of Sudden Inspiration, Ma Lu quickly grabbed a small cage from his motorcycle, containing 14 spare triggers he had collected during his idle moments.

Though these were mere mosquito legs in terms of value, killing them could at least fetch some white blessings, and if lucky, upgrading through Heartbeat Lottery could even yield blue blessings. Tossing them away felt wasteful.

However, compared to the enormous losses of dying, that waste was insignificant.

Gritting his teeth, Ma Lu threw the cage away.

As soon as the cage left his hand, the Lava Lizard finally stopped chasing him.

Ma Lu was able to pull over his motorcycle and catch his breath.

Only then did he realize that the two Lava Lizards in front of him indeed resembled Flame Geckos—just scaled up by a hundred times.

“So, are they related in some way?” Ma Lu asked.

“Lava Lizards evolve from Flame Geckos, but out of ten thousand Flame Geckos, maybe only one will grow into a Lava Lizard.”

“Most people forget about their connection,” Bocchi added, pausing briefly. “Mainly because no one else has such a fondness for collecting Flame Geckos.”

“This world is truly fascinating,” Ma Lu remarked.

After the previous successful hunts, he had grown a bit overconfident, thinking that hunting was no big deal. But today, he nearly tripped over such a minor detail, reminding him of the ever-present dangers in the desert.

Even the seemingly harmless, silly-looking Flame Gecko could cause significant trouble if not handled carefully, making it clear why Bocchi and the other hunters remained so cautious.

Fortunately, after this unexpected incident, the hunt was back on track.

Bocchi, Setta, and the Lava Lizard engaged in a mobile battle, with Senqi using her spikes to distract the lizard whenever her teammates were in danger.

Previously, the Lava Lizard hadn’t spit lava, possibly because it was concerned about harming the Flame Geckos. Now, with no such worries, it unleashed its attacks. Fortunately, the members of the Double Sunflower Hunter Group had enhanced speed and reflexes, allowing them to dodge the scalding lava just in time.

Meanwhile, Hogger, while coordinating his team against the Lava Lizard in front of them, kept a close eye on the battle unfolding on the other side.

The Double Sunflower Hunter Group's performance far exceeded Hogger's expectations. Though there were five members, Mai Mai and Ma Lu hadn’t even made a move, so the actual fighters were only three.

Yet, these three were able to withstand the Lava Lizard’s attacks. Their movements were agile, and while their coordination was still a bit rough, their strong individual skills allowed them to resolve each crisis they faced.

However, Hogger couldn’t quite figure out what Bocchi’s strategy was.

Their skills were impressive, but their weapons were just ordinary, barely able to harm the tough-skinned Lava Lizard. Their attacks seemed to lightly scratch the surface, like a group of people trying to scratch an itch for the beast.

But if this stalemate continued, defeat seemed inevitable.

Humans can’t match beasts in stamina, and while the Lava Lizard could endure countless hits, the Double Sunflower Hunter Group could face a total wipeout from just one small mistake.

As Hogger pondered this, he suddenly noticed Bocchi and her team’s attacks becoming more aggressive, and their eyes were filled with excitement.

Because they heard Ma Lu shouting.

“Ninety-seven, just one more hit.”

With 【Harmless Handling】 in effect, each attack stacked at least 4 layers of poison, so just one final strike was needed to trigger 【Poison Stacking】’s one-time massive damage.

Setta manipulated his sand golem to raise its fist and charge straight ahead, but someone was faster.

Bocchi leapt over the golem, thrusting her mechanical spear at the Lava Lizard’s tail.

However, the key final strike came from an unassuming spike.

—99!

Ma Lu saw the dark green number above the Lava Lizard’s head flicker before finally settling at 99.

The next moment, the once-vigorous Lava Lizard began to convulse violently, and blood started seeping from its eyes and ears. With its last bit of strength, it bit its tail and curled up into a ball.

Then, it moved no more.

Wary of its formidable strength and the blazing lava in its mouth, no one approached immediately.

Only after Ma Lu said, “It’s dead,” did Setta cautiously step forward. After taking a few steps, he asked, “Is it really dead?”

“It’s really dead,” Ma Lu confirmed confidently.

Because a blessing selection screen had already appeared before him—two gold and one purple.

The Lava Lizard, worthy of being a 4-star ingredient, had impressive drop rates.

Although only ten hours had passed since they met, Setta’s attitude toward Ma Lu had transformed from initial distrust to admiration.

Especially after this Lava Lizard hunt—under Ma Lu’s command, the process was unbelievably easy.

Setta felt as though he were dreaming; it was the first time he realized that hunting could be so straightforward.

After a brief pause, he eagerly rushed toward the fallen beast.

Meanwhile, Ma Lu was contemplating a profound question: was the Lava Lizard killed by poison still edible?

The creature’s final state clearly indicated it had been severely poisoned.

But then again, the poison in Roguelike shouldn’t be real poison... Maybe he could slice off a piece of meat and let Little Ash try it first.

Ma Lu glanced over at the Swift Coyote cub, which was still blissfully unaware that it had been singled out. It circled Ma Lu, hoping for more food since he had fed it several Flame Geckos earlier during the baiting.

It clearly wanted more.

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