CH 76

“Yosh, Let’s Go To the Dungeon! Part 2 ~Should I start a mobile steak shop?~”

“Alright, this is Rolando, we will now begin our attempt to challenge the third level!”

A monologue, which was not muttered to anyone, echoed through the echoing space. As soon as the sound died down, I felt a rush of embarrassment, so I coughed once and walked down the spiral staircase that led to the third level.

At the top of the stairs was a dense forest that filled the entire field of vision. Yes, it seemed that the theme was a forest.

There were various types of forests, and this forest was so thick and green that the leaves on the trees covered the sky. It could be described as a sea of trees or a…forest jungle.

For a moment, I wondered if I had to continue, but the sight spread out before I only confirmed this fact, so I gave up and decided to continue.

Although there was nothing out of the ordinary in the forest, my skill [Scouting] was able to sense the reactions of other creatures.

As I continued walking for a while, I saw a white object ahead of me. It was wriggling about, and upon closer inspection, it seemed to be moving using a foot-like projection on the part facing the ground.

“I see, it’s a caterpillar. Oh, if I analyze it, I’ll get an answer.”

I was so surprised by the sudden appearance of the mysterious object X that I suddenly remembered that analyzing it had slipped my mind, and when I used Analyze, it turned out to be a caterpillar-type monster, just as I had predicted.

Its name was [White Caterpillar], and it seemed to be a monster belonging to the E rank. Its average ability was E, but it seemed to specialize in defense, and its durability and resistance were D-.

As it was called “White,” its appearance was that of a white caterpillar, which was not very pleasant to look at. Other notable features include the fact that it had the skills of [Body Strike] and [Thread Spitting], which gave me a general idea of its means of attack.

“Shii, shii”

“It recognized me as an enemy. So, let’s fight it.”

The main purpose of my visit to the third level this time was to check the performance of my new equipment, as well as to challenge the dungeon. Specifically, the light armor and steel sword were made from Rock Lizard material. In addition to these two items, I also purchased a knife for dismantling, but I decided to check only the armor and the sword this time since I carried this knife only as a precaution.

First, for the light armor, there were two things to check: durability and ease of movement. As for the durability, the performance was improved since it was the same as what I had been wearing, but it was unclear to what extent it had been improved. Just as the White Caterpillar was about to hit me, I took the attack with the part of my body covered by the armor.

“Hmmm…not a scratch on it at this level, huh? It’s a good piece of armor.”

Although I didn’t feel that it was a little inaccurate to check its performance with the attack of a monster of about E rank, at least I knew that I wouldn’t be affected by the attack of a monster of E rank or equivalent. My bare ability without physical enhancement was all S, so I didn’t feel any pain from the attack of an E-rated white caterpillar, but it wasn’t a bad thing to be prepared for the coming battle with the female demon tribe. I convinced myself half-heartedly that the new armor was not a mistake.

The next step was to check the performance of the steel sword, the results of which were immediately apparent. The result was a one-hit kill. The flash of the horizontal cleave I unleashed easily sliced through the body of the White Caterpillar, cutting its round body in half.

As a result, I found that the performance of this equipment was high, but it was undeniable that the white caterpillar was not useful as a tested stone to examine its marginal value.

“Do I need to try it on a stronger monster?”

After coming to this conclusion, I continued through the three levels, from the forest to a place where more powerful monsters were to be found. Because the terrain was a forest, medicinal herbs and mushrooms were growing wild at the base of the trees, and I collected everything I could find.

When the monsters themselves recognized me, they attacked without fleeing, so I asked them to become rust on my sword as practical training in swordsmanship, which I rarely get to do.

After several hours of moving through the forest, I arrived at the safety zone where the next transition portal was located, so I decided to have lunch there as a short break. For lunch, I mainly had some meat that I had obtained in the previous town, but I was concerned that it would be well past its expiration date in terms of days, so I sold it off at a village and other places I stopped at along the way. This time the meat was a steak made from the meat of a Dashboa that I had defeated in a dungeon previously.

There were several other adventurer parties in the Safety Zone besides myself, each resting on their own accord, but things changed abruptly when I started grilling the meat.

Adventurers had little concept of local procurement, and most of their food and other supplies were processed and preserved. However, despite such techniques, most of the food was quite tasteless, to put it simply, because most of it was made without regard to taste. In such a situation, it was only natural that their eyes would be drawn to the fresh Dashboa meat as I started grilling it right in front of them.

“….”

“….”

There were no words spoken there, but the atmosphere was heavy with a kind of silent pressure, and I felt something uncomfortable. Despite this atmosphere, I was still hungry, so I couldn’t stop cooking, and at last, the steak was ready.

“Itadakimasu…nom, nomnom.”

“….”

As I was still enjoying the wonderful taste of meat spreading in my mouth, someone suddenly called out to me.

“K-kid. Sorry, but could I have some of that meat?”

“Nomnom…”

“Of course, I’ll pay for it.”

It was a young male adventurer who approached me saying so. Since this was still a low-level dungeon, he was probably either E or D-rank. I took a guess and observed the man in front of me.

He didn’t seem like a bad adventurer, but it wasn’t hard to imagine what would happen if I served him meat. My steaks were quite tasty if I do say so myself. If I were to sell them at such a low price, it would be obvious that other adventurers would flock to my place in droves. If that were the case, I had only one choice.

“Five small silver pieces for each one.”

“Wha! Isn’t that too much of a rip-off!?”

The adventurers shouted at the price I offered. The market price for a single meal was generally three to five large copper coins, and one small silver coin was enough to fill one’s stomach. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the price of a meal ten times higher than the market price was overpriced.

However, there was a reason for this price, and that was the lack of meat on hand, and if they were to offer the same thing I had, the seasonings used – especially pepper – would be a problem.

Even in the previous world, pepper was considered very valuable at one time and was even considered to be worth more than gold of the same weight. This world was no exception, and pepper, salt, sugar, and other seasonings and spices were considered to be very high-quality products.

Because of the abundant use of these ingredients, the steak I was eating was a very luxurious product. In addition, we were in a dungeon, where lives were at risk. In light of this, I couldn’t entirely say that this steak was not worth five small silver coins.

“…..”

“If you can’t afford it, that’s fine. But this is what I consider the value of a steak in this place right now.”

In reality, I just didn’t want to cook for other people without any need to. I found it hard to understand what was so important that I had to go to such lengths for a stranger.

“…..”

“H-hey, Olberto. What are you doing–-”

“Fuuh”

While we were having this exchange, before I knew it, a man was standing in front of me. He was a large man, perhaps over 190 centimeters tall, with a well-trained body, and had the appearance of an adventurer.

He thrust his fist toward me. His fist stopped right in front of me, and then he turned his palm and opened it. In his open palm were five small silver coins, the amount I had decided to sell the steak for.

“Five small silver coins. One, please.”

“Y-yes. If you have your plate, bring it over.”

“Alright.”

I watched as the man went to get his plate, and then I started to cook. I had used this as an excuse for not wanting to cook, but I had never imagined that there were people who were willing to pay five small silver coins for it. Still, I couldn’t take the option of not cooking the steak since the conditions were met, so I cooked the same steak that I had made the first time.

During the cooking process, the man called Olberto, who had brought his plate, was impatiently waiting for the steaks to be done. Meanwhile, the adventurer who had first approached me had a look of wanting to say something, but in the end, he was unable to say anything.

“Plate.”

“Here.”

I put the grilled steak on a wooden plate that the man had brought and handed it to him. The man replied with a short “thank you,” then used the knife he was carrying to cut the steak into bite-size pieces, which he then boldly grabbed and tossed into his mouth.

“Nomnom…”

Only the sound of the man chewing echoed through the place, and as the other adventurers watched with bated breath, a change immediately occurred to the man. The man took a bite of the steak, his eyes widening in astonishment, and then he began to bite into it with great vigor. His vigor was so great that one could tell that the steak tasted delicious.

In less than two minutes, the man had gobbled up a piece of steak and began to talk eloquently about his impressions of the steak’s taste in a baritone voice that matched his appearance.

“It’s delicious, too delicious……. The moment you put it in your mouth, the overwhelming juice and flavor of the meat fills your mouth and mass-produces so much juice on your tongue that you can’t get enough of it. The meat is so tender that it can be bitten off without the need for a knife, yet still provides enough chewiness. The seasonings used are basic, just salt and pepper, but they are used in just the right amount to maximize the flavor of the meat, without any compromise. This is truly the supreme cuisine for eating meat at its best.”

The man’s voice was so low-pitched that it lingered in the ears of everyone present, and just as the adventurers were about to be tempted to try the steak themselves, the next thing the man did was cause the other adventurers to completely change their minds about purchasing the steak.

After the man finished commenting on the steak, he picked up the leather bag he had been carrying at his waist and walked over to me and then held it out. The leather bag was stuffed full of silver coins. The meaning of this action was…….

“This is all I have. I want you to sell as much as it’s possible with it.”

“Hey, Olberto! You can’t just take everything on your own!”

The adventurer who first approached me and the other adventurers present were astonished by the man’s behavior. I later learned that the man was an adventurer famous among C-rank adventurers for his obsession with food, so much so that he had earned the nickname “Gourmet Fighter”. The fact that a man with such an obsession with food was willing to risk his entire fortune to eat my steak was a surprise.

The fact that he wanted my steak so badly meant that it was so good that he was willing to bet his entire fortune on it, and there was no way it could be bad.

“L-let me have some too!”

“M-me too!”

“Me too!”

“So do I!”

From there, the other adventurers started to order in droves, and in the end, everyone there ordered steaks, a result I most certainly didn’t want.

In the end, it was decided a maximum of three orders per person would be accepted, both because I was short on meat and to make sure everyone had enough. The man who placed the first order was reluctant when he heard this, but he thought it would be bad for the other adventurers to have all the meat for themselves, so he finally agreed to the order.

After that, I was absorbed in the continuous grilling of steaks, and by the time I had finished grilling steaks for everyone, I had a stack of 165 small silver coins in my hand. In just one hour’s work, I had made 165,000 Japanese yen.

Because of the large number of steaks I had to grill, I took out a large griddle that I had prepared for such an occasion and felt as if I were selling steaks on the road.

All the adventurers who ate the steaks were captivated by the delicious flavor of the meat, and one female adventurer devoured all three steaks in one sitting. One of the adventurers who had eaten the steak said, “I want a drink,” but was stopped by his companions, since it was not possible to have a drinking party in the dungeon.

“Thanks, kid.”

“No problem. I got what I deserved. Well, I’m going to go on ahead.”

“Yeah, we’re going to take a little break, so you can go on ahead.”

Even for the most gluttonous of adventurers, three steaks were indeed a bit much, and most of them were rubbing their stomachs. Of course, Orbert, the Gourmet Fighter, was not satisfied with his meal.

After the adventurers thanked me, I resumed my dungeon challenge. After a few more hours, I found the second safety zone and finally reached the boss’s room after unlocking the transfer portal.

Fortunately, no one was around, so I was able to challenge the boss and quickly settled it. Incidentally, the boss was a “Big Caterpillar,” a monster about twice the size of the White Caterpillar, but it moved almost precisely like the White Caterpillar so I could defeat it without any difficulty.

With this, I decided to call it a day and returned to the surface through the transfer portal at the end of the boss’s room, delivered materials to the Adventurer’s Guild, and returned to my lodgings for the day.