Fate: The Forged Arthur Pendragon

Su Ya, knowing his own limitations, didn't think of himself as a king.

He viewed Merlin as a greedy gambling addict and an absurd schemer, Lucan as a cunning con artist, and Dagonet as a cowardly knight.

Likewise, he saw them as grasshoppers temporarily tied to the same rope as himself.

Or rather, fellow travelers currently on the same path, whom he needed to be wary and cautious of.

However,

Su Ya, possessing an extraordinary observational ability, was utterly unable to comprehend,

the gradually changing gazes of these peculiar individuals and the cavalrymen as their time together lengthened.

Because of his naturally sharp gaze, which instinctively caused him to scrutinize people from head to toe, he was disliked and instinctively rejected by others.

From childhood to adulthood, Su Ya had always been alone, sitting in corners observing the world, clumsily trying to integrate into 'groups' like a fledgling learning to walk.

He had never had friends.

Nor did he understand the fact that emotions could change with people's will.

To him, 'the world,' in his observation, was essentially a tide composed of countless static 'labels.'

And when the labels were torn off, the true and ever-changing human heart fell into his empty sight.

This only made him feel bewildered.

Nine o'clock in the morning,

In the makeshift camp.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Eat."

Merlin frowned in confusion, one hand on her hip, the other using a spoon to clang against the large pot placed before Su Ya.

Inside the large pot was a huge piece of food, resembling a beef leg. It hadn't undergone the delicate processing of the smoked fish they had earlier, nor was it even garnished with rosemary or plated.

This was simply boiled in a large pot of salty water, its broth yellowish-brown, gurgling with strange bubbles that emitted green smoke. And this 'beef leg' was still bloody, with veins under the skin eerily twitching.

The only positive point was that at least the leg hair had been shaved clean...

Su Ya looked up, somewhat innocently, at the three people in front of him, and weakly said:

"I think it wouldn't hurt to boil it a bit longer?"

Hearing this, Merlin let out a long, drawn-out "Huh?" and, rapping the pot, retorted ill-humoredly:

"Huh? Is it because it doesn't look good? But this is how monster meat is; it won't cook thoroughly even if you boil it over a normal campfire for a whole day."

"Besides, last night you even ate the dining table! We struggled so hard to stop you from eating the horses, the dirt, the tents, the armor, the weapons."

"You're already this hungry, just make do with it!"

"But..."

"No buts! We spent the whole morning just shaving off the leg hair. You have to take at least one bite, right?"

Su Ya looked at Lucan, Dagonet, and Merlin, who were blocking the pot, staring at him with gazes like scientists studying a lab rat.

For some reason, even though there was a large pot separating them,

He felt an inexplicable sense that these three people were standing too close, and their gazes towards him were starting to become incomprehensible.

This made him feel extremely awkward and uncomfortable.

Moreover, the terrifying words that came out of Merlin's mouth left him at a loss.

When did I eat the table? Although the table was indeed gone this morning, you must have thrown it away, right? That kind of thing shouldn't even be on a human's menu!

And wasn't eating dirt, tents, armor, and weapons a bit too exaggerated?

At this moment, Lucan, with his arms crossed, smiled and persuaded:

"Actually, this monster meat tastes delicious and contains extremely high calories. It's the top choice for high-level warriors to replenish energy. There's a famous dish in the Royal Capital called 'Honey Moss Roasted Black Dog Leg' which is made with this ingredient."

"It's just that we temporarily lack auxiliary ingredients and high-temperature flames, so we can't make it look appealing, but the dish's fame actually comes from the inherent deliciousness of the ingredient itself."

At this point, Lucan thought for a moment, then pointed at the calf-sized dog leg in the pot and said:

"Moreover, this fellow is your opponent tonight, a monster called a 'Black Dog'."

"Dagonet must have told you already, we have no food left. All our future meals will need to be hunted by ourselves."

"And just processing the ingredients for you has already exhausted the knights to the point of collapse, making them unable to perform other tasks."

"So..."

Having reached this point, Su Ya could only nod:

"I understand."

At this, Dagonet warned with some concern:

"My King, you don't need to force yourself too much. Monster meat contains extremely high calories. An ordinary professional knight only needs—"

However, before he could finish speaking, Su Ya had already started,

taking a large bite of meat. After only a few simple chews, the monster meat, which even ordinary blades couldn't cut, turned into fragments and was swallowed by him.

Dagonet swallowed the rest of his sentence, "only a fingernail-sized piece of dried meat is enough for a day's needs," and stared at Su Ya in a daze.

At this moment,

Su Ya felt a peculiar savory taste blossom between his lips and teeth. Immediately afterward, the swallowed meat transformed into a warm current that surged through his body, then flowed down his intestines and truly settled in his stomach.

An unprecedented, profound sense of satisfaction emerged, as if he was meant to eat this kind of food.

The smoked fish, cheese, and cabbage soup he had eaten before had tasted like chewing wax. Not only did he get hungrier the more he ate, but he also had to consume large amounts just to provide the bodily functions needed for activity. His brain instinctively blocked out the perception of the 'eating' process,

because, for Su Ya, it was essentially no different from eating dirt.

And now,

Su Ya strangely began to enjoy the process of eating. As Lucan had said, although the meat was somewhat undercooked, affecting the texture, the ingredient itself was incredibly delicious!

Immediately afterward,

Unlike the feeling after previous meals where he still felt a little hungry but had no desire to continue eating,

As the entire pot of calf-sized dog meat, along with the broth that looked like a witch's potion, entered his stomach,

A peculiar force, quickly feedbacked from his stomach, instantly pierced through his entire body like a drawn sword. It was almost as if he had regained a part of the power he was inherently meant to possess!

[Panel Updated—]

[Strength tier increased to: E.]

[Magic increased to: F.]

Su Ya remembered this sensation. The species 'Black Dog' quietly appeared on his mental recipe list, and he instinctively began to anticipate the hunt Lucan had mentioned for tonight.

Under the astonished and yet accustomed gazes of the entire knight order,

Su Ya finished his breakfast.

The group set off again, quickly moving along the path Dagonet and Lucan had scouted last night, aiming to reach Pandenburgh in front of Sol City before sunset.

On the inevitable path to Pandenburgh lies a forest called Morbone Wood.

The 'Black Dog' Su Ya was about to hunt roamed within this forest.

This is a powerful monster originally found in Yorkshire and northern England. It is the size of a calf, with deep black and green fur, and eyes like red will-o'-the-wisps, feeding on the souls of passing travelers and merchants.

Affected by the magic tides, it has largely revived in this era, gradually spreading throughout Britannia, and occasionally even awakening more terrifying beings among its kind when they gather in clusters.

However,

ahead of Su Ya's group, in Morbone Wood,

there was another group of uninvited guests, who had arrived after receiving Hector's message, diligently constructing a magic workshop, aiming to hunt Su Ya's cavalry unit.