Enemies Are All Nourishment for My Fungi..

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Drinking My Way to a New Constitution

“Just listen, don’t actually bet on the probabilities. We haven’t figured out the patterns yet, and there’s the issue of individual variance. If you’re not short on cash, you can give it a try. The proteins and fats rich in special energy are beneficial to the body even if they don’t promote Awakening, that’s for sure.”

“These mutant beasts can’t be easy to hunt, right? There doesn’t seem to be much edible meat on one.”

“Right, different mutant beasts have different edible parts in common. You can’t eat the head or the major blood vessels in the organs at all, forget about delicacies like throat and tripe. Generally, compared to their body weight, the proportion of meat that can be taken is very small. For this pig, the edible part makes up a third, which is a popular choice of meat. As long as you bring it out, there are merchants who will buy it.”

“Is this kind of pig easy to hunt? I’ve heard someone say that their eldest son would come home wounded every time he brought back meat, trying to improve his brother’s odds, but the old man worried about his son’s safety every day.”

“Well, that’s a few different scenarios. Either the eldest son is weak, or the team is not strong enough, or their training is insufficient. The standards of private teams are inconsistent, it’s hard to comment.”

“Don’t they look at training levels? Are weak people also taken into teams?”

...

“Cannon fodder.” The woman took a bite of the meat and raised her eyebrows at Ye Nai, “They talk sweet when recruiting, promising Awakeners will take Ordinary people hunting, sharing the earnings, but once you’re in, the weak are at others’ mercy. If you run into a ruthless team, they might even use you as bait to lure the prey.”

“So you have to be cautious about finding teammates…”

Ye Nai felt her heart thumping at the conversation, but she was here to earn money and couldn’t avoid hearing such information. She had to accept it and find a way to survive that suited her.

“Don’t rush to find teammates. Stick to your plan, spend money on the training gym, increasing your strength is more important than anything. That way, even if you run into bad teammates, the decision to stay or go is in your hands.”

Ye Nai took the advice, downed the rest of the drink in her glass, poured herself another full one, and filled up her companion’s glass as well.

The two clinked glasses, saying everything without words.

With good food and good drink, a few minutes later, Ye Nai’s second bottle of beer was also gone.

Her face was still flushed and she was sweating profusely; the alcohol seemed to be leaving through her sweat, leaving just water in her belly. The owner kept sending over grilled mutant beast meat, and although she still wanted to eat, she couldn’t sit still anymore. Wiping her hands clean, she headed straight for the nearby restroom.

When she came back, she saw two freshly opened bottles of beer were already placed at her seat, at least half the crates of beer at the sides of the chair were empty, and the consumed bottles were stacked next to the crates.

She sat down and continued to eat and drink.

After the two bottles of beer, she took a restroom break to pee, then came back and continued.

Since the alcohol was just sweating out, her superpower meant she could never get drunk. She decided to sit there and see when they would close up shop.

More than an hour later, the grilled meat was all eaten. There was a bit of beer left, but everyone had had their fill, so it was time to act out the routine of settling the bill, just like at the end of a hot pot meal when everyone pushes responsibility for unfinished dishes to others. At the street stall, it’s about picking up the remaining bottles and thumping one down in front of someone without a drink.

“Drink up, then we can leave, or else you’re staying to pay the bill.”

That’s the one-liner for persuading someone to drink.

A bottle was placed in front of Ye Nai.

“Kid, you’ve been in great form tonight. Have another bottle, if you finish it, the team leader pays. If not, you pay.”

“Burp…”

Ye Nai let out a satisfied belch. She was full from food, not drink. The alcohol wouldn’t stay in her system, but the various meats and vegetables she ate took up real space in her stomach.

Looking at the bottle of beer, she silently filled her glass to the top.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to pay the bill, she could afford a little money, but she didn’t want to waste the beer that had been opened.

After the persister made a round, they came back to find Ye Nai sweating while tipping back her drink, with the beer bottle now empty.

“The young lady can hold her liquor, huh? Is this really your first time drinking?”

“Really, kids can’t drink, and besides, alcohol is expensive. Where do I get money to build alcohol tolerance?”

“Have you been sweating while drinking all night?”

“Yes, I can’t do this anymore, my stomach is bulging.”

Ye Nai put down his cup and stood up, belching twice in a row.

“Can you still walk in a straight line?”

“Yeah, I didn’t even get the bathroom door wrong when I ran there.”

“Team leader!” the person shouted loudly at the only remaining table of seated people, “Here’s a booze sieve!”

The table laughed and watched their own team members messing around, as the team leaders who were waiting to pay the bill stood up and came over.

“Burp~” Ye Nai belched again, “What’s a booze sieve?”

“It’s what you are, the alcohol leaves with your sweat, the rest goes when you pee, and then you come back and can keep on drinking.”

“Oh, so you’re saying I waste a lot of alcohol when I drink?”

“No no no, you have the ‘thousand cups undrunk’ constitution; this is very rare.”

“What booze sieve? Ye Nai, how much have you drunk?”

“Come here, give me your hand, let me check your pulse.”

The team leaders gathered around, and two female team leaders who saw his flushed face each took one of his wrists, taking his pulse.

“I don’t know, bottle after bottle; I ran to the bathroom again and again, and I never stopped sweating.”

“Your pulse is normal.”

“Damn, is this really a booze sieve constitution?”

“Yeah, drinking alcohol is a waste of money for me.” Ye Nai scratched his face.

“Join the army, don’t waste such a good constitution; we need your stomach.”

“No no no, it’s not like that, I can’t take orders well. If you guys need me to drink for something, I can rent out my stomach.”

Cao Jie’s eyes lit up as he remembered something, patting Ye Nai on the shoulder.

“Go home, take a bath and have a good sleep. Starting tomorrow, you’re really going to be drinking for several days straight.”

“Ah? Why?”

“Do you know that you became famous for taking out the trash today? The whole hazardous zone knows a Big Space User has arrived. Those old-timers who have worked here for many years are somewhat worried. Tomorrow they will definitely test you, to see what you’re all about and how long you plan to move trash.”

“Oh…” Ye Nai’s eyes rolled around, “I invite them to drink, get them all drunk, and then mock them?”

“Just outdrink them, mocking isn’t necessary. You’re not going to be moving trash here for ten or eight years like them, right? You’re not on the same path; no need to make a strong impression on them.”

“Makes sense.”

“However, when inviting people for a drink, we still need to take the initiative.”

Cao Jie pulled Ye Nai along, followed by the other two female team leaders, and the four went to find the BBQ stall owner.

The owner had been busy all night and had only just sat down to drink and rest.

“Brother Peng.” Cao Jie called out first as he approached.

“Speak.”

Brother Peng, with a bald scalp and a stout body, took a drag of his cigarette, downed half a glass of alcohol in one breath, glanced at Ye Nai, and then focused on Cao Jie.

“This young lady here is Ye Nai, a Big Space User. If we’re going to treat people to drinks in the next few days, we’d appreciate it if Brother Peng could look out for her.”