Chapter 212: Taking A Break, Cooking Lunch Together

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The agents remained mostly silent as they firmly pushed the gathered hunters farther back from the site. One of them finally stepped forward and announced in a clear, official tone that this was yet another Gate Closing Event. They explained that the entire area had to be quarantined immediately so they could scan for residual dimensional signatures and determine exactly where the vanished Gate had gone. The announcement only made the crowd angrier. Hunters roared in frustration at the unfairness of the situation, furious that there was nothing they could do even if they wanted to investigate further.

As tensions continued to rise, news reporters arrived on the scene in a rush of cameras and microphones. They began interviewing the frustrated hunters while simultaneously broadcasting footage filmed by those who had managed to record the entire closing of the Gate.

Watching everything unfold from within the restless crowd, Vladimir and Riven’s Shadow Self stood quietly for a few moments before disappearing into the surrounding shadows without drawing attention.

When the real Riven finished conquering the Dungeon, he returned directly through the portal his Shadow Self had prepared. The two of them were then moved safely outside by the Authority of Gluttony.

"Well, let’s move on to the next target, Shadow," Riven said as they walked away from the chaos.

"Is that how you’re going to call me from now on?" the Shadow Self asked dryly.

"Shadow Riven sounds way too cringe and you know it."

"Hm. Maybe the Main Body should give me a different name then."

As they headed toward the second dungeon on their list — the D-Rank Whispering Caves, a place filled to the brim with aggressive beastly creatures and a single powerful boss — Riven reappeared inside his Spirit Dungeon Realm and walked toward Elisa.

"Sorry for taking a little too long," he said, carrying a woven basket filled with various things he had gathered during the expedition.

In the middle of a sun-dappled clearing within the forest, he found his wife sitting comfortably in her wheelchair. Carlos and Daniela were keeping her company. Label was not present; she had locked herself inside her own house and was already deep into experimenting, cooking up several new concoctions with the materials Riven had given her — especially a formula designed to completely mask scent.

The three ninjas remained outside the house, keeping watch, so it was just the four of them for the moment... along with little Noir, of course. The black wolf pup was happily wagging his tail while carrying several large spirit birds in his jaws. He dropped them proudly in front of his "parents" like an offering, as if demonstrating how a proper hunt should be done.

"Woof!"

Both Riven and Elisa found the gesture endearingly adorable.

"Aww, you brought us quite a huge surprise! What kind of bird is this?" Elisa asked with bright curiosity as she examined the catch.

"There seems to have been a boom of new species appearing here," Riven said while carefully analyzing the creatures. "There are at least twenty new species, and several older monster species have already started readapting to the environment."

"Are you going to eat them?" Daniela asked with interest. "Oh, we could go hunting together...!"

"Yeah, that’s the plan," Riven replied. "I still have the last ’catch’ I received from Ryujin’s farewell waiting, but that will be after lunch."

"Can we use this honey for today’s lunch?" Elisa wondered, holding up a jar of golden honey. The bees in the Spirit Realm had simply allowed her to take it, which still surprised everyone.

"We can," Riven nodded. "Maybe I could cook something like honey-mustard chicken, or perhaps teriyaki chicken but using this honey instead... Hmm. Let’s try a lot of new things. Experimenting with new ingredients is always wonderful."

"Yes!" Elisa agreed happily.

"I’m starving," Carlos announced, his stomach already grumbling loudly. "When are we eating?"

"Alright, let’s go then," Riven said with a smile.

The portal leading back home was still open. They walked through it and arrived directly in the kitchen. They had not yet moved the entire house into the Spirit Dungeon Realm; that was planned for later.

Riven began cooking while Elisa helped from her wheelchair. She prepared a large batch of fried rice using the leftover rice from the previous day, adding plenty of extra ingredients into the mix to make it richer and more flavorful.

At the same time, Riven carefully cut the chicken and other ingredients, seasoning everything with the spirit herbs they had found inside the realm. The fresh, aromatic leaves released a bright, citrusy fragrance the moment they were crushed.

Carlos and Daniela waited patiently in the living room while watching television. Most news channels were already rolling coverage about yet another dungeon that had mysteriously disappeared.

The kitchen quickly filled with the warm, savory scent of searing chicken as Riven worked at the counter. His movements remained precise and unhurried. He had already cubed the fresh spirit bird that Noir had proudly delivered. The meat still glowed faintly with residual Spirit energy. A quick analysis through his senses confirmed it was completely safe — tender, mana-rich, and perfect for cooking.

Beside him, Elisa hummed softly from her wheelchair, her hands busy at the adjacent cutting board. She diced onions, carrots, and a handful of the spirit herbs Riven had brought back. Yesterday’s leftover rice sizzled in a wide pan with fragrant sesame oil. Eggs were scrambled in, and a generous splash of the golden honey from the hive she had somehow charmed the bees into giving freely was added at the end. The way the bees had willingly offered the honey only further confirmed Riven’s private theory that his wife might actually be some kind of gentle goddess.

The combination of sizzling meat, sweet honey, and fresh herbs filled the entire house with a comforting aroma that made everyone’s stomachs growl even louder. For a short while, the dangers of dungeons, closing Gates, and the approaching end of the world felt far away, replaced by the simple warmth of a family meal being prepared together.

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