190-173 Marbling meat

It's been over 30 days since we were trapped on the second level.

Still no sign of a way back.

Normally, this would be a stressful party, but we were having a good time.

--A party is a party, but it's a yakiniku party.

It's so good!

"That meat is already looking good.

Nao, don't just eat meat. Eat your vegetables too.

These vegetables are very bitter.

Yeah, I know. When the food is lightly seasoned, the bitterness is a little distracting.

Today's dinner is a leisurely yakiniku party.

The reason for this is this afternoon.

I had my first encounter with a demon.

It's called "Pickau" and it's about 50 centimeters long.

It looks like a short-legged metabolic cow, with a sharp knife-like horn on its head.

It attacks by rushing with its horn.

Its attack method is to use its horn to lunge.

However, it was still not much faster than Stub Burrows, and we all ducked and cut off its head, killing it instantly.

It was a little cute to look at, so Haruka and the others were saying "cute~" at first, but when it attacked, we beheaded it without hesitation. No problem.

What you get from a pickaxe is horns and meat.

The horns, which look more like black ore than animal horns, can be sold for a good price.

The meat, according to the book, is not very popular because it is fatty, and the amount of meat you can get from one animal is small due to its small size, so it is not a good source of income.

As usual, I was planning to throw the corpse into my magic bag and dismember it after I returned home, but Haruka suggested I try it for a change.

We had been eating ready-made food, but after more than a month, it was undeniable that we were getting into a bit of a rut, and there was no one to object.

Compared to bats and the like, it's a demon that I don't feel any reluctance to eat.

And it was a big hit.

It was certainly greasy, but it suited the Japanese palate, which likes marbling.

It seems that my metabolic figure was not a coincidence.

According to Tatsuki, it tasted "almost like marbled high quality wagyu" and was quite tasty when grilled on the teppan.

It is indeed too fatty to eat in large quantities, but if you grill it over a charcoal fire, the fat will drain off and it is also delicious.

The only drawback is that .......

You can't get much meat out of it, right?

Yes. They're so small.

When you remove the organs, skin, subcutaneous fat and bones from a 50-centimeter-long pickerel, you get surprisingly little meat.

The marbled part of the meat is even more limited, and Toya, who is a big eater, could eat the whole animal by himself.

If you want to eat it from time to time, you have to hunt a good number of them.

The meat from non-marbled areas is also tasty as ordinary red meat, but the selling price is not so high.

If you can't sell it at a very high price, why don't you keep it?　There are other uses for red meat.

"Yes!　I'd like to have some marbling, but only once in a while.

What's there to say against it?

Pork is good, but so is beef.

So it was unanimously decided to keep the Pikkau meat.

It's peaceful even though we're locked up.

By the way, how's the transition going?

Just when I thought it was peaceful, I was asked.

"I can now travel to a certain distance, but it's tough to go back to .......

Normally, you would learn the "Teleportation" and then practice the "Area Teleportation" in that order, but the biggest problem is that you can't experiment to see if you can actually transfer outside the dungeon.

What if I'm able to successfully get out of the dungeon with "Teleportation"?

There are three problems.

Since it is difficult to specify a place that is difficult to imagine as a destination, there is a high possibility that I will not be able to come back here.

If I can't come back, it will be impossible to rescue me by magic once the experiment is over.

And even if I could, I don't know if I can make it back to LaFang by myself.

And even if I could, it was unlikely that I would be able to gather enough people to rescue him.

Even if I were to send a request to the guild, there are few adventurers in Rafaan who are better than us.

Where's Yuki?

"Me?　I can't use it as well as Nao. I've been practicing with her, but...

As it stands, I'm only capable of moving to a corridor a little farther away by myself.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

The problem is that it's hard to experiment beyond that.

It's dangerous to go too far alone.

So now I'm practicing "area teleportation," which is a rudimentary method of transferring within sight with Yuki in tow.

I'm not sure if that's good enough for a month.

Space-time magic seems to be a difficult magic to learn. ......

Yes, it is difficult, you know?

So no pressure, thank you.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea.　You guys are practicing magic too, right?

Yeah. There's only so much training you can do in silence.

There's only so much we can do in the six hours a day we're on guard duty.

The only thing we can do during that time is to train without making noise, read books, etc., because the other members can't sleep if we're slammed with training.

So, most of the time, including mine, is spent training magic.

Basically, I'm training in light magic. ......

I don't know if I'm doing well. I don't know if I'm doing well, I'm just sort of getting a feel for it.

Haruka and Natsuki looked at each other and chuckled as if troubled.

"What do you mean?

You see, you can't really see the effect, can you?　You can't actually see the effects of it.

"Oh, you need someone to cast it on.

Level 7 "Remove Curse", level 8 "Cure Addiction", level 9 "Cure Insanity", level 10 "Regenerate".

None of these have any effect when used on a healthy person.

The effects are invisible. ......

By the way, I've used Recover Mental Strength, Resist Disease, Bless Breath, and Recover Slumber on sleeping Nao-kuns, have you noticed?

"Oh, really?　I didn't notice it at all.

In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site.

I don't know, but is that why I don't feel irritated when I'm trapped?

Yeah, that could be it.

It's not that our mentality is strong, but if you think of it as a magical aid, it makes sense.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to go home for a month, but that's a pretty extreme situation to be in.

But those are level 6 or 7 magic, aren't they?　Are you able to use them now?

"That's why I'm still practicing. I don't even know if I'm doing it right.

Recovery magic isn't just about activating it.

As is the case with all magic, there is a considerable difference between "activating" and "using" light magic and space-time magic.

For example, "Regeneration".

Depending on your skill level, the effect can range from "healing a slightly chipped finger" to "regenerating a missing arm".

The same way my "Teleportation" varies from "can be transferred within sight" to "can be transferred to home".

Therefore, even if you have reached [Light Magic Lv.10], you can hardly say that you have mastered light magic.

And by the way, what is Toya doing?　You don't have anything to do, do you?

No, I'm not sitting around idly either.　It's true that I can't use magic, but I read books and do muscle training, you know?　I'm not sure what to make of it.

I'm sure you'll be able to understand why I'm so excited about this.

It's kind of hot, though, when someone does it next to you.

What the hell?　I'm trying so hard not to make a sound!

I'm struggling not to make a sound! "Because you're standing on your head, doing push-ups and smiling.　Isn't that disgusting?

Oh, that's a little ......

I don't know if I'd like it if someone did that next to me.

I've thought about that too. I didn't say it because I'm trying so hard. ......

Ugh. ......

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to try.

I'm not sure if you'll be able to find a way to make it work, but I'm sure you can.

"No, you know what?　Isn't it nice to be able to do something you couldn't do before?　I couldn't do that on my head over there.

"M......

As a man, I can understand that.

But it seems that Natsuki and Haruka could not sympathize.

I used to fly Purify on a regular basis so that I wouldn't smell like sweat.

"Oh, me too.

"Oh, that's why you did that?　I thought both of you were very thoughtful. ......

Toya is even more depressed by the two's unreserved words.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

I'm not sure what to say. "Cure Insanity".

With those words, Toya's head lit up dimly, and he looked surprised.

"Oh, ......, I feel better now. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.　That magic.

"It was an experiment, but it seems to have worked. --It works on mental health, after all.

If it's effective against mental illness, even if it hasn't reached the point of insanity, then it's also effective against emotional ups and downs.

I think it's unlikely that we're going to have a full-blown mental illness ourselves, but it would be worth it just to get rid of the anxiety and fear.

Are you saying all those words just for the sake of this experiment?

No, I meant it.

No, I mean it." "You don't actually think I'm hot? It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your time.

I'm not sure.

I'm just half joking, Toya. The experiment is the main thing.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.

It's not a magic that I would normally have much use for, but since I'm stuck in a confined space right now, I'm practicing hard. I'm practicing hard so that I can recover if someone gets confused.

I'd like to think we'd be okay, but in panic movies, the collapse starts with the stressed-out person.

Oh, yes. Horror movies, suspense movies.

"I can't stay here! In horror and suspense stories, people who say "I can't stay here!" and become alone or run away get killed, or act strangely and put others in trouble.

So far, we haven't had any problems, but the situation is like a panic movie.

There is no possibility that someone will become delirious and desperate.

In such a case, Haruka and the others decided to make fun of Toya as an experiment to see if they could use Cure Insanity and if it would be effective in calming down the mind.

I don't want you to suddenly turn into a beast. Only a beastman.

No, I won't!

Nao, if you're going to attack me, you have to do it in order.

What do you mean, "order"?

What do you mean, "in order"? - Well, of course, first you have to confess, right?　...... What did you imagine?　I wonder?

I didn't imagine anything!

It's not that I don't like it, but I do.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't have those feelings, but honestly, I'm not sure I'd want to get into it, because I'm afraid it'd be too awkward if I ended up with or broke up with someone.

We're meant to be together.

Fortunately, we're still young, and adventurers marry late - by the standards of this world - so we can afford to put it off.

The situation may change when each of us becomes independent.

"You're a wimp.

I thought I heard something, but like a hard-of-hearing protagonist, I pushed it to the back of my mind.