When people saw Finn returning with many injured people, he calmed them down. Looking at the people eager to contribute, he did not lie to them.
"It's just a bit challenging, but everyone is alright. I will have to make a massive amount of essence food for our fighters out there," he said. "Can you help me gather as much ingredients as possible?"
He could get Ranran to give out a list of ingredients he needed. Many of these ingredients had to be foraged outside because the quantity he had in store might not be enough.
At this, those who had been itching to help out stepped forward. They might be too weak to directly influence the fight, but they would contribute somehow!
…
Finn, along with his assistants Micc and Ranran, whipped up massive amounts of essence food. The rush and the quality were not his best, but still very good, and most of his food was still C-class, minimum D-Class.
These effects ranged from increased percentage of recovery of vitals, increased stats like agility and strength, temporary immunity to tiredness, and so on!
He placed them all in his space runes and rushed over.
He would feed these fighters well, even if it was the last thing he did!
…
Back in the extension, the battles continued to brew. It had been hours since the attack happened, but the monsters were still flowing in, and it was clear that there were still more approaching.
"Ah, I'm so tired."
"Gosh."
"Should we head back now? We helped plenty already, haven't we?"
"Yeah, they won't blame us," another said, gasping for air. "All my appendages are hurting…"
It was then that the delicious aroma wafted around, which made people crazy. The monsters too, causing them to be more careless in their barrages.
Finn smiled. "We will do wheel battles," he said. "Every hour, we will change batches, while the others recover, others will fight. We will feed you every step of the way, especially before battles to maximize the buffs.
"Each of these dishes are essence food, all sponsored by the inn. So…please continue helping in its fight!"
The sight of the buffet-style dining inside the cave made people's eyes widen, their stomachs growling.
The fighters, tired and injured, were injected with renewed energy!
Arms tired? Impossible! They would be used to shove food into their mouth later!
…
The sight and aroma of the food proved to be energy boosters on their own. The fighters, once languid, were fighting as if they had just woken up from sleep.
Similarly, the monsters rammed their heads against the barrier with more intensity, chipping away some of their defenses.
Most of all, the buffs they received from the food were no joke!
Especially for the fortified-level people who could 'absorb' it most.
Essence food, in general, did not just give energy in contained through special ingredients and techniques of the Great Chef. Otherwise, some wouldn't work for those with high levels.
It was more accurate to say that they had the ability to energize the bodies' innate abilities, which was why the effects of essence food were rarely the amount, but in percentage.
The only limit was that low-level essence food might not have much effect on fortified and above, not because the effect wasn't there, but because the food would be absorbed by the ravenous high-level stomach too quickly.
Instead, higher-level food like C-class had compounding effects, making fortified-level people feel like they could take two or three of their peers.
Before they knew it, the end was soon in sight. Some people even felt a little disappointed. During this time, three batches of food were served, each one so delicious that they wanted to eat their own tongues.
Now that the mob was almost over, would the flow of food end as well?
…should they slow down their kills?
Finn, fearing precisely this scenario, promised everyone in attendance that he would create a new batch of different dishes after this was over to celebrate, and then they were injected with power again.
…
So far, there had been several batches that had gone to and fro the extension. The use of the clinic for people who fought here was free, provided they would return when energized, and a lot of people did do this.
Haurus and the rest of the staff also came periodically, bringing food, potions, weapons, and so on.
So even if there were only a hundred or so toughened level fighters and around a dozen fortified on their side, they managed to kill the hundreds of monsters that now formed a mountain of corpses outside.
Their fire mages started to burn the carcasses as their main job. It would not only damage the monsters incoming, but it would also clear out the dirt. Ranran gave them a lot of oil and lard as well, hastening the process.
Finn, after whipping up a final batch of food, let his staff take over the distribution, and he himself joined the final batch of monsters to be dealt with.
He gave Syl another cup of energizing drink, though she had just eaten, and he wiped her sweat, before jumping in to battle himself.
…
The fight ended a few more hours later, with the carcasses they were forced to burn to avoid attracting a new batch. It was a pity for wasted meat, but at least the cores were easier to find.
When things were cleared out, people looked out the barrier and studied the damage. The area directly around the extension had become somewhat of a wasteland from all the battles that happened.
They were reminded that not long ago, there were monsters that filled up this sight. If they were just awakened level, fine, but these were strong monsters that had no business forming such numbers so close to Level 1.
"This is not normal."
"Is the Aphelion Phase coming already?"
This thought caused a ripple of unease towards everyone.
It had only been less than a year since the previous one. Many were still recovering.
At this, Finn couldn't help but remember the large number of flying birds with human riders that they saw before.
By estimate, they would probably be more or less a hundred people, and they were definitely up to something big.
"Or…something could've caused it."
…
Tens of kilometers away, a certain group headed back in the direction of the safe zones.
From the large number of a hundred people, they were now down to a dozen, but they didn't care because their task was over.
The leader, Frago, laughed as he held up his ring, which was now glimmering in excess energy. It was a bit painful, but he was not stupid enough to use this again, after what happened last time.
This, and the previous ring, was actually for his great-grandfather. It was just that he was allowed to wear it as it would also have an effect on his body.
The old man also promised to give it back to him after use, and there would definitely still be leftover force. It was already refined by an Apex-level powerhouse, and would fit well for him.
By then, he would also spike in strength, and none of his peers would be a match for him!
Sadly, their monsters had all been taken down by the previous fight against monsters, so now they were going on foot. Their energy had also been consumed by the previous large mob, and they really couldn't afford to travel for a few more days.
At this, his assistant—bleeding profusely from his shoulder—stepped forward. "Master! There should be a resting space nearby."
"What?"
"I received the map some time ago, I think it is legitimate."
The map? It was heading towards a place called Wanderer's Refuge.