I Have a Task Log

As he spoke, Colin deliberately held out his hand to show the ring on his finger.

"The goods you want are in the basement. Why don’t you come take a look first?" the Drow said, his expression unchanged.

"That would be perfect," Colin nodded.

He then followed the Drow through a wooden door behind the counter and down a staircase into a basement-like area.

Through the cracks in the floorboards beneath his feet, he could see the rocky ground below.

As soon as they entered the basement, the Drow asked, "Looking at your group, you must be the Wolf Hunter squad, right? Did the people from up top send you?"

’Has the nickname "Wolf Hunter" really spread this far?’

While thinking this, Colin took out the [Dimensional Hole] he had gotten on the Surface and said, "These are the supplies sent from the Surface. They said they had already dispatched a team. Have you not seen them?"

"They already sent a team? That’s terrible..."

The Drow frowned as he took the handkerchief offered to him. "Thank you for your support. If you wish to rest here for the next few days, room and board are on the house."

"That works. But we probably won’t be staying many days. At most, we’ll just look around Mist Harbor a little," Colin said.

"Look around? This is no place for fun," the Drow said with a frown. "Be careful not to leave the areas monitored by the skulls—the same kind you see on the tavern ceiling. That way, you won’t get into trouble."

Colin nodded.

"Alright, let’s head to the main hall for now. You can order some lunch. Thank you again for your contribution." After speaking, the Drow’s lips curled into an awkward smile.

"And thank you for your service," Colin said.

So far, his conversation with the Drow had been quite pleasant. The descriptions of Drow in the books he’d read had initially made him a little nervous.

"Gentlemen, I still recommend you try our local specialties. I guarantee you’ll have a hard time finding them on the Surface," the Drow chattered as he led them back to the main hall.

After returning to the main hall, the Drow pointed to the wooden wall next to the counter and said, "The menu is over there, gentlemen and ladies."

The group huddled over to take a look.

Sure enough, the menu listed sinister-looking dishes like Roasted Rippleskin, Fried Shipworms, and Raw Shipworms. The word "Specialty" was even written next to "Shipworms."

On closer inspection, Colin discovered that the price of mushroom flour bread was several times more than on the Surface. The prices here were quite frankly outrageous.

’At least this meal is free.’

After making his choice, he said, "One order of roasted shipworms, mushroom flour bread, and a mug of Ram’s Head Ale."

The others also went up one by one to order what they wanted, then found a table and settled in to wait.

It was so quiet around them that no one really spoke.

Taking advantage of the lull, Colin diverted his attention to his Task Log.

-----------------

[Commission: Deliver Supplies]

[Rating: 5]

[Reward: 250 Skill Level, Power +1]

-----------------

Looking at the mission’s rating, the tentacled monster’s strength was actually on par with a Winter Wolf. Colin recalled that his narrow escape from the goblins and his kill of the Winter Wolf had also been rated around five.

He couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional thinking about it.

The first time he faced a Winter Wolf, it had been a life-or-death struggle. Forget being bitten; just getting knocked around a couple of times had left him completely dazed and confused.

The second time he faced an opponent comparable to a Winter Wolf was that one-armed Yenogu the Poison Fang. Although he had won that direct confrontation, it had still been a lot of trouble.

The third time must have been that pack of Scorpion-tailed Lions. Even with two other squads helping, the fight had been a messy one.

And now, a monster said to be as strong as a Winter Wolf was just... casually dealt with. To put it cruelly, it was no different from kicking a stray dog to death.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Kase’s voice came from beside him.

"I feel like everything happening now is like a dream," Colin said wistfully. "Maybe we were actually killed back when we faced that Winter Wolf, and this is all just a dying fantasy."

"I’ve had that feeling too, Mr. Colin."

Orelia said with a smile, "I thought I had died when I destroyed that Summoning Array. When you all were willing to accept me again, I felt the same way."

Ale tilted her head and asked with some seriousness, "So when is it my turn to die?"

"Is your squad always like this?" Dorn asked Kase.

The Half-Orc crossed his arms. "Don’t mind them. Their brains are temporarily broken."

"Oh, shut up, Kase."

Just then, the Drow Boss and a few dark-skinned Underground Gnomes brought their food over and placed it in front of them.

The moment Kase and Ale saw the food, they dug in.

One took huge bites while the other took small ones, yet they ate at roughly the same speed. It was a sight to behold.

"Is this... really edible?" Orelia asked hesitantly, staring at the item in front of her.

On the plate before her sat a sticky, brown chunk of meat, covered in a thin layer of slime. It looked just like a piece of rotting flesh.

"You ordered the Rippleskin, right? It’s a type of fungus. I guess it’s supposed to look like that." Seeing her pained expression, Colin pushed his own plate forward a little. "Want to trade with me?"

"Thank you, Mr. Colin." Orelia took a deep breath. "I must take responsibility for my own mistakes."

With that, she put on an expression like she was facing death, picked up a Small Knife, cut off a small piece, and put it in her mouth. After forcing herself to swallow, she closed her eyes and licked her lips.

"That stuff tastes pretty much like meat. You’re acting like you’re eating poison," Dorn said.

"Don’t mind me, Mr. Dorn," Orelia said. "I have a bit of a trauma when it comes to food that’s about to rot."

Dorn took a sip of beer and emphasized, "Just call me Mr. Shadow Anvil. It sounds better."

Sitting next to him, Colin also looked down at the contents of his plate.

In the center of the plate were the roasted shipworms. They were skewered whole, looked golden-brown, and were coated with salt granules and some strange powder.

Next to the roasted shipworms was the blue mushroom flour bread.

The mushroom flour used to make this bread was said to come from the spores of a fungus called Bluecap, also known as "Underground wheat."

Colin took a deep breath, picked up a roasted shipworm, and hesitantly took a bite.

With a CRUNCH, he bit through the golden-brown shell, and a sweet, savory juice burst into his mouth. After chewing a couple of times, Colin found the shipworm meat to be quite chewy, much like a large oyster, only with a fainter fishy taste.

Colin took another sip of his beer.

This underground beer had a very thick head of foam and even had a slightly spicy taste.

All in all, the meal was actually quite delicious.

Colin looked at the expressions on the others’ faces. Aside from the Tiefling, everyone else seemed quite satisfied with their food, even though most of it looked rather strange.

"So, what’s the plan now?" Dorn asked, picking his teeth with a Dagger.