Culinary God in Wilderness

Daniel was already waiting there. When he saw Robert walk over, he opened a cage and pulled out a grouse.

As the grouse flapped and struggled, the shot focused on its ankle.

A small white tag made of some unknown material was tied to its leg, printed with the three numbers ’073’.

"Because hunting wild animals is forbidden within the Panama Forest, we discussed it with the local forestry bureau and came up with a way to guarantee a food source for the contestants: releasing live animals."

"These grouse were all caught in the wild in Mexico, so they’re truly wild, not domesticated. There are no native grouse in the Panama Jungle, and the biodegradable corn-based tags on their legs make them easy to identify."

"If the contestants manage to hunt these grouse using their own skills, they’ll be rewarded with a fantastic meal."

"Of course, in a forest area this large, some of the grouse are bound to evade the contestants and survive. But we don’t have to worry about them becoming an invasive species."

"Mexico is in the northern temperate zone, so its environment is distinctly different from here. Grouse aren’t native to this region and likely won’t survive for long. Plus, with the presence of harpy eagles, both of these factors pose a significant threat to them."

Grouse prefer colder environments over tropical ones, so they would be unable to survive and reproduce in this forest.

"This is our first attempt. We’ll decide whether to do a second release later by tracking the contestants’ progress. After all, the choice of species is crucial. We have to select creatures with a lower reproductive rate to avoid impacting the local environment."

Robert gave a nod to the side. Staff members behind the three trucks simultaneously opened the large iron cage doors and struck them hard with iron rods.

CLANG!

Startled by the immense noise, the grouse instantly panicked, scrambling over one another as they flapped their wings and flew out.

Multiple cameras swiveled to cover different directions, the floodlights shifting to follow them.

Only then could the audience see that an ordinary forest lined both sides of the highway.

Grouse aren’t strong flyers; they can only flutter and glide. At most, they can leap from the ground onto a branch a few meters high.

The overwhelming flock of grouse quickly vanished into the darkness in all directions, their sounds gradually fading to silence.

"We’re on a section of the Pan-American Highway that runs through the middle of the Lake Lagobaiano region. It’s surrounded by lakes on both sides not far from here. If you follow the highway southeast, you’ll reach the area where most of the contestants are located."

"Grouse can’t swim, either. They’ll have to either find a place to hide around here or move southeast."

"Hopefully, the contestants will discover these little surprises we’ve prepared when they wake up tomorrow morning."

He winked at the camera, as if hinting at something.

...

Before dawn, inside the shelter, Lin Chen’s eyes snapped open.

[Current environment: Non-urban. Condition met.]

[Calorie intake in the last 20 hours: below 300 kcal. Water intake: below 300 ml. Host status: Verified.]

[Happiness Life System activating. Searching for suitable abilities...]

The sudden notification startled him for a moment, then it dawned on him.

’That explains it. I was wondering why my Happiness Points stopped increasing when I got home. Turns out it only works in the wild.’

Hearing the long-unheard voice, he felt a wave of fondness and pulled up the panel to glance over it.

[Happiness Points: 10]

[Strength: 6]

[Stamina: 7]

[Intelligence: 6.5]

[Current Abilities: Culinary Mastery, Basic Wilderness Survival Skills, Basic Biological Atlas, Wild Mushroom Encyclopedia, Wild Plant Encyclopedia, Complete Collection of Outdoor Tools, Basic Bow Mastery, Wild Animal Encyclopedia, Basic Trap Mastery]

[Redeemable Knowledge: Wild Bird Encyclopedia, Wild Ore Encyclopedia, Wild Fish Encyclopedia, Wild Insect Encyclopedia]

[Redeemable Abilities: Basic Axe Mastery, Basic Dagger Mastery, Basic Short Knife Mastery, Basic Fishing Mastery]

’Oh, my Strength and Stamina both went up by 0.5. Looks like all that exercise paid off.’

He nodded in satisfaction and waited quietly. A moment later, the notification sounded again.

[Search complete.]

[New redeemable knowledge added based on current environment: Wild Fish Encyclopedia subdivided into Freshwater Fish Encyclopedia and Saltwater Fish Encyclopedia, Wild Shellfish Encyclopedia, Wild Crustacean Encyclopedia, Wild Fruit Encyclopedia, Wild Tree Encyclopedia, Wild Raft Encyclopedia.]

[New redeemable abilities added: Basic Saw Mastery, Basic Tree Climbing Mastery, Basic Swimming Mastery, Basic Diving Mastery, Basic Rowing Mastery, Basic Blowgun Mastery, Basic Throwing Mastery, Basic Slingshot Mastery...]

’?’

He had expected only a few new additions, but the unending stream of announcements left him completely stunned.

’So much new knowledge and so many new abilities?’

He was especially annoyed when he discovered the Wild Fish Encyclopedia had been subdivided into two separate categories; he could have kicked himself. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

’I already had ten Happiness Points. If I had known the price was going to go up, I would have redeemed it sooner.’

But regrets aside, it wasn’t as if he was in desperate need of it just yet.

He was already familiar with the more common edible fish, and there were crabs, shellfish, and more to be caught by the sea. There was no need to risk trying to catch unfamiliar saltwater fish.

’Freshwater fish were even less of a concern, as very few species are poisonous. Besides, I’m not planning on going near a river anyway.’

’The early stages are the best time to earn Happiness Points quickly. I have to figure out which knowledge and abilities are essential and redeem them as soon as I can.’

’Hunting is forbidden here, so bird knowledge is useless. I should probably prioritize redeeming abilities.’

’But abilities cost 15 points to redeem, and I’m still 5 points short.’

’In my current state and with the tools I have, what can I do to make myself happy... and earn some points?’

He calmed his mind to think, and an answer soon came to him.

A full stomach and a big drink of water.

"Good morning, everyone!"

He crawled out of the shelter and began to dismantle the roof, recovering the bark rope. He tapped his watch, curious to see if any viewers were in his stream this early.