Chapter 81
Watching Laios and the others argue, Haruto immediately realized when he had arrived.
This was shortly after Falin had been devoured by the Red Dragon, when Laios, Marcille, and Chilchuck were about to return to the dungeon to rescue her.
After a moment of consideration, Haruto abandoned the idea of approaching them and joining their party.
He certainly admired Laios’s pure, almost obsessive appetite for monsters.
However, their main objective was to rescue Falin, while Haruto needed to gather as many monster ingredients as possible from the dungeon—a task that would inevitably consume a great deal of time.
Their goals simply did not align. Traveling together would only inconvenience both sides.
Haruto also needed to collect his ingredients before Laios’s party revived Falin.
Once their actions drew the attention of Thistle, the Mad Mage who ruled the dungeon, the entire labyrinth would undergo enormous changes under his control. Gathering ingredients at his leisure would become far more difficult.
As for the monsters inside, Haruto was not especially concerned.
Most creatures in this dungeon were not overwhelmingly powerful. Even if he encountered one of its strongest monsters—a dragon—he was confident he could handle it.
The dragons of this world appeared terrifying, but they possessed a fatal weakness. A precise strike to the inverted scale beneath the throat could kill one instantly.
Only two beings within the dungeon truly made Haruto wary.
The first was Thistle himself.
As master of the dungeon, Thistle could freely alter its terrain, create traps wherever he wished, and wield ancient magic with exceptional skill.
He also possessed the spellbook sealing the demon known as the Winged Lion.
Combined with his dangerously unstable state of mind, encountering him without preparation would be extremely troublesome.
Fortunately, Thistle usually remained deep within the dungeon or spent his time playing house inside the Living Paintings.
He rarely ventured elsewhere, so the chances of Haruto crossing paths with him were low.
The second threat was the sealed demon, the Winged Lion.
The Winged Lion possessed the strange ability to grant wishes and consume human desires.
The stronger the desire it devoured, the more powerful the demon became.
To Haruto, the Winged Lion was far more frightening than Thistle.
His Gourmet Cells had given him an enormous appetite, and appetite was also a form of desire.
If the Winged Lion devoured his hunger and left him with no desire to eat ever again, Haruto felt that would be worse than death.
The thought alone sent a chill down his spine.
Thankfully, the Winged Lion remained trapped beneath Thistle’s seal and could not yet escape.
Even if it did appear, whether it could actually consume Haruto’s appetite was another question.
Since awakening his Gourmet Cells, his hunger was no longer merely an ordinary desire.
The Winged Lion might find it far more difficult to devour than expected.
It was even possible that Haruto’s appetite would devour the Winged Lion instead.
Haruto continued thinking as he entered the dungeon.
He planned to search for a map at the market inside.
Ahead of him, Laios, Marcille, and Chilchuck were still absorbed in their argument over whether monsters should be eaten.
None of them noticed Haruto following at a distance.
They had barely entered the dungeon when they encountered a terrified group of novice adventurers.
The newcomers were fleeing in complete panic from a mushroom over a meter tall, screaming as it chased them down the corridor.
It was a Walking Mushroom, one of the weaker monsters inhabiting the dungeon and hardly dangerous to an experienced adventurer.
Marcille dispatched it with a single swing of her staff.
As she remarked that the fleeing novices were clearly unsuited for dungeon exploration, she suddenly noticed Laios excitedly picking up the dead mushroom.
"This will be our lunch!"
Marcille’s face immediately changed.
She threw herself onto the ground and began kicking and rolling around like a child.
"No! No way! Absolutely not!"
Just as she prepared to demonstrate her refusal with a handstand, she noticed Haruto watching from a short distance away.
Marcille froze.
Realizing that a stranger had witnessed her entire tantrum, she hurriedly scrambled to her feet and nearly tripped in her panic.
She then turned away and stared intently at the nearby wall as though it were the most fascinating thing in the world.
Her ears, however, reddened visibly.
Haruto looked at Marcille’s rigid back and cleared his throat.
"I’m only passing through. Please continue."
He quickened his pace and headed toward the light farther down the passage.
...
The dungeon’s first floor had originally been a graveyard where the island’s villagers laid their dead to rest.
Since it contained only weaker monsters such as Walking Mushrooms, Huge Scorpions, and Slimes, adventurers and merchants gradually began gathering there.
Some used the area to rest and recover, while others set up stalls to sell goods brought out of the dungeon.
Over time, a bustling underground market formed among the ruined walls and old tombs, eventually becoming one of the island’s liveliest commercial districts.
The market rang with conversation and bargaining.
Firelight illuminated row after row of stalls selling monster parts, simple potions, exploration equipment, and countless other goods.
After asking around, Haruto successfully purchased a clearly marked map covering the first four floors of the dungeon.
There were no maps of the fifth floor or anything deeper. Too few adventurers were capable of reaching those levels to chart them properly.
Haruto stored the map away and began exploring the market with great interest.
Sharp monster fangs, faintly glowing minerals, and anything else that caught his attention went straight into his purchases.
Only after spending the last of his remaining money did Haruto finally prepare to begin hunting monster ingredients.
Just then, an enticing savory fragrance drifted into his nose.
It was rich and full-bodied, yet carried the natural sweetness of fresh ingredients, instantly awakening his appetite.
Haruto turned toward the source.
Four figures sat together nearby—Laios, Marcille, Chilchuck, and the dwarf Senshi.
A pot rested in front of them, filled with boiled Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom.
That was where the aroma had come from.
Haruto swallowed.
He hesitated for less than a second before walking over.
"Excuse me. Would you mind letting me taste some of that dish?"
"It’s you!"
Marcille immediately recognized him.
The moment the words left her mouth, she remembered that he had witnessed her rolling around and throwing a tantrum earlier.
A blush spread across her cheeks, and she quickly looked away, unable to meet his eyes.
Laios did not recognize Haruto, but the instant he heard that someone else wanted to eat monster cuisine, his eyes lit up.
He rushed forward, seized Haruto’s hand, and shook it excitedly.
"You like monster cooking too? You want to try it? Of course you can!"
He was genuinely delighted to meet someone who shared his interest in eating monsters.
Senshi smiled and nodded as well.
"Of course. There’s plenty to share."
He was equally pleased to see another person willing to appreciate monster cuisine.
Chilchuck glanced between Laios and Senshi with a weary expression, but he raised no objection.