The Wyvern’s carcass slammed into the ground near the camp. Seeing it fall, the adventurers who had been hiding in the grove cautiously emerged and approached the body.
“Hey. It really is a Wyvern.”
“Y-Yeah. I can see that. Just don't get too close. It might be the lowest of the Dragon Species, but it’s still a dragon. Even without its head, it might still have some life left in it.”
“There’s no way it's still alive after that... Whoa!”
The moment one of the adventurers reached out to touch the headless beast, its left leg gave a sudden, violent twitch. The man scrambled backward in a panic, drawing a wave of snickers from the surrounding group.
“Don’t laugh! Anyone would have jumped!”
“Alright, settle down,” Tibia cut in. “There’s no point leaving it here. We need to haul this thing back to the stripping site!”
The adventurers let out a collective groan. Headless or not, the Wyvern was easily four meters long including its tail. It wasn’t hard to imagine exactly how heavy the massive creature was.
“The body’s one thing, but what about the head?” one of the men asked, pointing toward a high branch in a nearby tree where the Wyvern’s head sat perched.
Tibia turned her gaze toward Nacht. As a Thief, he was light on his feet and could easily scale the tree. Nacht let out a resigned sigh and opened his mouth to agree, but the sudden sound of beating wings interrupted him.
Set descended from above, expertly plucking the head from the branch with his front paws. Rei hopped down from the gryphon’s back as they landed and addressed the group.
“Sorry. That was more of a struggle than I expected. The Wyverns I fought under the Dragon Knights used Fire Bullets, so I didn't expect a wild one to be capable of a full Fire Breath.”
“Ah—I see. Yes, that certainly explains it,” Tibia replied, her words trailing off.
Even though he had just taken down a Wyvern as just one man and one beast, Rei looked more awkward than proud. Tibia reflected that he had practically soloed a B-Rank level Anomaly Species Skeleton, so taking down a wild Wyvern was well within his capabilities.
“Anyway, you all head back and keep going with the material stripping work,” Rei commanded. “I’ll bring the Wyvern over myself.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. It’s no trouble with the Item Box.”
“...Ah, right. Of course.”
Tibia and the others nodded, the logic immediately clicking. They were once again struck by the sheer convenience of the Item Box, but they turned back to the task at hand, determined to finish the request.
“Guruuu?”
Set let out a soft trill and rubbed his head against Rei, practically begging for praise. He was likely proud of the fact that he hadn't obliterated the head this time—unlike when he’d fought the Kobolds in the dungeon.
“Yeah, you did great. It’s a shame the neck is mostly gone, but we don't need much from the neck anyway... maybe just the bones? And those can be substituted with other parts, so you definitely get a passing grade.”
Rei gently petted Set’s head, and the gryphon purred in delight. After a few minutes of rest, Rei turned his attention back to the massive carcass.
“Lunch today is going to be Wyvern meat. With a beast this size, even you can eat your fill, Set.”
“Guru!”
Set gave a joyous cry. Rei reached out and stored both the Wyvern’s head and torso into the Misty Ring.
“Alright, I’m heading back to help with the stripping. Set, I need you on lookout again. Also...” Rei paused, checking the angle of the sun. It was just past 10:00 AM. “We’ll break for lunch in about two hours. Keep it up until then.”
“Gurululuuu!”
Whether he was motivated by the request or simply the promise of dragon meat, Set gave a sharp cry and disappeared back into the forest. Rei followed suit, heading toward the main harvesting site.
When he arrived, he was greeted by a surprisingly organized scene.
“Hold the tail down! It’ll slip when I’m peeling the hide!”
“Eh? Ah, sorry, sorry. Hang on, my hands are slick with blood...”
“Then go wash them in the river first!”
“We’re prying off the Earth Crab carapace! Match my timing! One, two...!”
The team was working in perfect unison, as if the Wyvern attack had never happened.
“Oh, you’re back. Here, take this,” an adventurer said, spotting Rei. “We’re finished with the Spiral Rabbit. Here’s the Proof of Subjugation Part—the right ear—along with the horn, meat, and fur.”
The Spiral Rabbit was significantly smaller than the other monsters, making it the easiest to process. Rei nodded and stored the materials, Magic Stone, and ears into the Misty Ring.
“What about the internal organs? If we leave them out, we’ll have every predator in the area on us.”
“Dig a pit and toss them in,” Rei instructed. “I’ll incinerate everything with magic later. More importantly...” He raised his voice so the entire group could hear him. “Once you finish your current task, I’ll need your help over here. We’re having the Wyvern for lunch!”
“““Uooooooo!”””
A roar of excitement went up from the adventurers. Generally speaking, the higher a monster’s rank, the more delicious its meat was due to the density of Magic Power. A Wyvern was a solid Rank B opponent; with a beast that large, every person present could eat their fill of premium meat.
“...Are you sure?” Tibia asked, stepping toward him. As the one-armed leader, she had been focusing on directing the workers. “That’s quite a splurge.”
“Yeah. It wasn't part of the original plan, so consider it a bonus. And don’t worry, your party gets a share too.”
“Eh? I... thank you.”
Rei left a stunned Tibia behind and pulled the Wyvern’s carcass back out of the Misty Ring.
“Man, no matter how many times I see that massive body appear out of thin air, it’s still terrifying,” Ecethesus muttered as he stripped a Kobold hide.
“Tell me about it,” Nacht added. “An Item Box... I saw it yesterday, but it’s still a shock.”
Tibia shook off her surprise and began barking orders.
“Listen up! This Wyvern is lunch, so let’s get it dismantled! One person is enough to finish the Earth Crab, and we don't need a full team for the Desert Lizardman. Everyone else, get on the Wyvern! Do we have anyone here with experience stripping a Wyvern?”
Only Ecethesus, Nacht, and Gort raised their hands. The fact that any of them had experience with dragon-class materials was a shock to the other adventurers, but the three of them had spent the previous war stripping down the mounts of fallen Bestia Empire Dragon Knights.
Under their guidance, the group fell upon the Wyvern. Rei didn't just watch this time; he joined in, learning the proper techniques for the high-value materials. Bones, meat, Magic Stones, fangs, scales, claws, and wings—even the tongue and the internal organ for breathing fire were valuable. There was almost nothing to discard.
It took about an hour of focused labor by over ten people to completely dismantle the beast. The midday sun was hot, but the nearby river provided a quick way to wash off the blood and grime and cool down.
Rei finished washing up first and immediately began cooking. He pulled a cutting board and knife from his Misty Ring and began carving the Wyvern meat into chunks. He used nearby branches as skewers and seasoned the meat with salt and pepper.
Seeing him work, several adventurers with cooking experience offered to help. Even with her injury, Tibia proved remarkably dexterous, skewering meat with one hand.
“You’re pretty good at that,” Rei noted.
“This much is easy,” she replied with a shrug.
“Rei, is this piece fine?”
“Trim the sinew. It’ll be too chewy if you leave it.”
“I’m a beastman,” Robre, the Wolf Beastman Adventurer, chuckled. “I can handle a little chew.”
The next second, another adventurer brought a fist down on the back of his head.
“Ouch!”
“Maybe you can, but most of us are human. Have some consideration!”
With the preparations finished, Rei used his magic to start a series of campfires and lined the skewers up around the flames. He would have liked to make a vegetable soup with the meat as well, but making soup for fourteen people was too much work, and he doubted anyone wanted hot liquid in this heat anyway. Skewers were the practical choice.
“Guruuu.”
The smell of roasting meat drew Set from the forest. He purred as he approached the fire.
“Guru?”
He asked if it was ready yet, but only Rei truly understood the nuances of the gryphon’s sounds. To the others, the deep rumble sounded like a low-level threat. Several adventurers instinctively backed away from the flames.
“Relax. Set doesn't attack people for no reason,” Rei assured them. He sat down and petted Set’s head, making the gryphon lie down while he stroked his back to show the others there was no danger. “See? He’s fine. Someone pass me the seasoning.”
He pulled a pot of sauce from the Misty Ring and handed it to a nearby adventurer. The man took the pot and began basting the meat, his mouth watering at the combined scent of dragon meat and savory sauce. They kept about half the meat seasoned only with salt and pepper for those who preferred a simpler taste.
The air grew heavy with the rich, intoxicating aroma of roasting meat and caramelized sauce.
“Guruuu, gurulululuuu...”
Set’s stomach-churning growls of anticipation echoed through the clearing. This time, the other adventurers didn't look afraid; they looked hungry. Finally, Tibia gave the word.
“Alright. It’s lunchtime. Eat up, everyone! We have a lot of work left this afternoon!”
“““Uoooooooooo!”””
A roar went up as the adventurers lunged for the skewers. Rei was just as quick, snagging ten for himself and Set before retreating from the fray.
“Guru, guru, guru!”
Set trilled impatiently. Rei chuckled and laid half the skewers on a large leaf for the gryphon.
“Gurululuuu!”
Set went to work with his beak. Rei took a bite of his own—a simple salt and pepper skewer. The moment he bit down, the intense flavor of the meat exploded in his mouth, followed by a rush of savory juices. The outside was perfectly crisp, while the inside remained tender and rich.
Next, he tried the basted meat. The deep, complex flavor of the sauce melded with the charred exterior of the Wyvern meat, creating a taste that was utterly addictive.
“...Delicious,” he whispered.
The clearing fell into a rare, comfortable silence as the entire group focused solely on the feast.
The shared meal unified the team, and the afternoon’s material stripping work proceeded with unprecedented speed. By the end of the day, they had successfully processed every single carcass. The adventurers received their rewards and bonuses, and Rei walked away with his Magic Stones and a profit of several Platinum Coins from the sale of the surplus materials.