Kays Translations

Chapter 186

“Team One, keep the right tentacle in check and circle around! Rivana, charge in from your side!”
“Rear guard of Team One, cast your freezing magic—aim for the ground behind me!”

By the time we reached the tenth floor, Melt and I were witnessing firsthand the overwhelming strength of the top-class explorer clan—those who fight on the front lines.

“Team Two, keep firing at the left arm while retreating. When it stops moving, target the left leg with magic!”

It was a perfectly executed battle—like a game of shogi where every move was already decided.
The floor boss was a gigantic squid monster, the same kind Melt and I had once fought.

But before it could even move, its actions were completely sealed.

All its right-side tentacles were frozen solid to the ground, and even when it tried to react to Rivana’s charge, the right limbs and tentacles were pinned down by suppressive attacks.

And its left side—hammered by relentless projectile fire—couldn’t move either.
When it finally tried to lunge at the shooters on the left, the frozen right tentacles stopped it dead in its tracks.

At that moment, a concentrated volley struck the left leg, destroying it completely.

Without a chance to attack, the boss was immobilized—and now, as its final remaining tentacle lashed toward Araza, the commander—

“A weakened attack like this isn’t even worth blocking.”

Araza caught the massive tentacle head-on, wrapping her arms around it to stop it cold.
…That was brute strength in its purest form. Even weakened, that strike from such a massive monster shouldn’t be something a person could just catch.

“Cut it off, Rivana.”
“Understood.”

Rivana sliced through the immobilized tentacle, severing it cleanly.

And that was it—the giant squid had lost all its limbs.
It tried one last desperate move, spewing a cloud of black ink—but before it could, Gark charged forward with his shield raised, blocked the attack, and slammed his mace straight into its mouth.

“Battle complete. Damage report.”
“Team One, none, probably!”
“Team Two, no injuries either!”
“Good. Collect all monster drops and prepare to make camp.”

The whole fight took maybe three minutes.
That was all it took for them to completely shut down the same floor boss that took Melt and me over ten minutes to defeat.

So this is what it means to fight as a disciplined, elite team…

“Hey hey, that big squid earlier looked kind of pitiful, didn’t it?”
“Haha… yeah, it didn’t get to do anything.”

“They’re amazing though! I guess they’re just used to fighting in groups, but Araza’s orders and everyone’s responses—so smooth and strong! She even caught that huge squid’s attack—BAM!—I was shocked!”

“Yeah, that surprised me too.”

Honestly, I hadn’t thought Araza herself was the fighting type, but… that strength was no joke.
Those tentacles must’ve weighed tens of kilos each.

Just then, Rivana ran over.

“Shizuma, the floor boss dropped this. Cook it.”
“Oh, this is… oh, nice! It’s delicious—I’ve had it before.”

[Emperor Tentacle]
“A single arm of the Ocean Emperor Jupon. Exceptionally thick, long, and satisfyingly chewy. Beware the barbed suckers on some sections.”

In short: a massive squid leg.
Seriously—just one ring slice would make a whole steak-sized portion.

I’d cooked it once before with Melt, and the portion had been so huge, we still had leftovers stored away.

“Shizuma, over here. Kitchen’s ready.”
“Haha, got it.”

The camp was already set up, and a makeshift kitchen had been assembled.
Since this expedition didn’t include any dedicated support staff or cooks, only those who could manage minimal tasks were here.

Among them was a familiar face—Quebec, the young scout I once fought alongside in the artificial dungeon.

“Shizuma! You’re amazing! I couldn’t talk during the mission, rules and all, but—damn!”
“Long time no see, Quebec. That was some coordination out there. I didn’t know you used a bow.”
“Yeah, I’m a scout-warrior hybrid, but bows and throwing knives are my specialty.”

Ah, so he’s good with small blades, huh? Perfect.

“In that case, see these black barbs hidden around the suckers? Use your knife to dig them out while I prep the rest of dinner.”
“You can cook too? My squad leader and deputy mentioned they’d eaten your food before.”
“Only simple stuff. Anyway, I’ll leave the tentacle to you.”

Now then… let’s make a glaze for the grilled squid, and for the shrimp we caught earlier—let’s fry them up! Jumbo fried shrimp—basically prawn cutlets the size of my hand.
And of course, I’m using all the tartar sauce I’ve got left.

“Delicious! Absolutely delicious! During an expedition… to eat shrimp this good…! No, even outside, I’ve never had fritters this amazing!”

Breaking news: Araza roars.

Late this evening, while camping on the 10th floor after the boss battle, the normally composed Araza Meal reportedly shouted in sheer joy after tasting Shizuma’s cooking—forgetting all dignity in the face of overwhelming flavor.

“Ah, I—I’m just glad you liked it!”

“Hmm, I got a little carried away there. But this sauce—this sauce is wonderful. Truly delicious… I see now. So this must be the real reason why those two from Team One wanted you so badly…”

“Eh? I—I don’t think it’s that big a deal…”

“It is that big a deal. You see, I’ve always loved shrimp. My hometown lies beyond the mountain ranges on this continent—a small fishing village. Back there, shrimp was considered a delicacy.”

“Shrimp is delicious, right? I love shrimp too! I grew up in the mountains, but the river shrimp we caught there were easy to cook—even for someone like me who’s terrible in the kitchen—and always turned out tasty!”

“Oh? You like shrimp too, Melt? There’s an old saying somewhere: ‘There’s no bad person who loves shrimp.’ I already thought you were a good-natured person, but now I’m certain of it.”

With that, he stood up and went to grab more fried shrimp.
…His entire cool-headed image was collapsing.

But it wasn’t just Araza—everyone else was also happily stuffing their faces with the oversized “fried shrimp” (too big to really call shrimp) and smiling in bliss as they dipped them in tartar sauce.

“The squid is delicious. The sauce is excellent.”

Rivana approached, her plate piled high with squid.
Behind her was Gark, happily chewing on what looked like a giant grilled squid tentacle steak.

“This really is good. These creatures’ meat sells for a good price, so it’s a solid source of income. But since they yield so much, they also become an important food supply during dungeon expeditions. Normally, though, we can’t take everything with us—too bulky.”

“I always say we should bring more, because I’ll eat a lot of it.”

“There are limits, you know… But this time, thanks to Shizuma, we can store food safely even on a long expedition. Of course, we still have to stick to items that keep well over time.”

Ah, right. Regular storage magic tools don’t stop time—their contents still age normally.
Though Melt once mentioned there are rarer ones that do slow time inside them.
…Maybe I shouldn’t bring that up now.

“I’m looking forward to fighting those shell-type monsters during this operation. Shizuma, I expect great things from you.”

“Is that expectation as a fighter—or as a cook?”

“Haha, both, of course. Anyway, I’d better go check on the Master. If I don’t, we’ll never manage a proper meeting tomorrow. That man can’t stay calm when shrimp are involved.”

“Hahaha… Yeah, he’s eating them with scary enthusiasm right now.”

Melt wasn’t far behind, eating just as eagerly.
Watching everyone devour my cooking with such pure joy—it really filled me with a warm feeling.

Well… that wraps up our field trial. Tomorrow, we’ll head back outside the dungeon and begin the full strategy meeting.

“…Hey.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Fry the squid too. It’s definitely going to taste amazing.”
“Haha, got it. You’re right—fried squid is great.”
“You’ve had it before?”
“Of course I have.”

Personally, though, I think fried squid tastes best with a thick, tangy brown sauce.
I haven’t made that kind of sauce in this world yet, though I remember exactly how.

Maybe I’ll give it a try once tomato season comes around.
Oh right—Lindblum’s still building those big greenhouse farms, aren’t they?
At this rate, this country might actually become an agricultural powerhouse someday—there’s plenty of land compared to the population, after all.

“Thanks to you, Shizuma, the journey’s been much easier. And of course, you too, Melt. I think during boss battles—where teamwork matters most—it’ll be up to us. But for general exploration, it’ll be you and Melt taking point.”

“O-oh… I see. Understood.”

Sorry, I was too distracted by the fact that Rivana actually said such a long sentence.
But yeah… she’s right. Everyone here is taking this expedition seriously—seriously enough that even Rivana becomes talkative when discussing the dungeon strategy.

I’ll need to give it everything I’ve got too—so I won’t drag anyone down.

The weather inside the dungeon basically never changes with the passage of time.

However, unlike the other corridor-like floors that are open and well-lit, the floor where the Floor Master resides isn’t that bright. It stays dim—never exceeding the faint glow of the torches or the mysterious, evenly-lit walls.

In other words, it’s a place where twilight never ends.

Because of that constant dimness, this floor is actually ideal for camping—it’s easier to sleep here.
On top of that, the Floor Master’s area is instanced—each challenger gets their own version—so there’s no risk of other adventurers wandering in.

That’s why many explorers use this place to make camp: it’s a safe zone where there’s no chance of being ambushed by other parties.

“Mind if I join you for a bit, Shizuma?”

“Of course, Araza-san. Go ahead.”

It was around 9 p.m.
Most of the others were already resting in their tents or makeshift hammocks, while I sat alone, staring absently into the campfire.

Melt? She’d gone off to share a tent with Rivana.
She invited me too, but… yeah, I politely declined.

“Are you done with the planning for tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I talked it over with Gark, and we’ve settled most of the strategy. Honestly, your storage magic tool is a huge advantage—but even more important is that we can move without bringing any non-combatants and fully divide our forces between exploration and boss fights. That changes everything.

Tomorrow, we’ll head back to resupply and do one final equipment check. After that, we’ll go straight back in.”

“This test run—it was also to check if anything had changed inside the dungeon, right? Like monster distribution or environmental shifts? Did you notice anything different this time?”

“You catch on quickly. Yeah, we did. The frequency of tougher monsters and Floor Masters has definitely increased. That lobster swarm and this Floor Master here are good examples. Personally, though, I can’t complain—it keeps things interesting.”

“I’ll cook something new for you next time. I’m planning to mince shrimp, mix it with veggies and egg, shape it into patties, and deep-fry them. Then serve it on bread with plenty of sauce and fresh vegetables.”

“Ghh… I just finished eating, but now I’m hungry again. Hah… I’ll be looking forward to that.”

He smiled faintly as he said it—or at least, I thought he did.
Maybe it was just the flicker of the firelight playing tricks on my eyes.

“I came to hear more about you—about the Dungeon Master, and the world you came from.”

“Got it. Let’s start with the Dungeon Master, then.”

So, we sat around the fire, and I began to speak—
about the Dungeon Master who summoned me, and the one from the Scorched Valley Dungeon.

Stories that, I hoped, might one day help us in conquering this place.

And in that unchanging, softly glowing night—
time passed quietly.

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