Chapter 70

Until now, Gaminjin had been obsessed with chasing and eating monsters, but by making him eat the steak I cooked, I successfully tamed him.

Now, I can finally focus on the dungeon strategy and, ultimately, the duel with Sanchez.

The content of the duel is the extermination of the multi-legged dragon, an emergency quest.

If I lose, Sanchez said he would make me strip naked and kowtow, so I can't afford to lose.

Therefore, I need to dive into the middle layer of the dungeon where the multi-legged dragon is believed to be. However, the dungeon is like a maze, making it easy to get lost.

While experienced adventurers who have cleared this area many times might know their way around, this is my first time stepping into this dungeon.

Moreover, I don't even have a map of the dungeon's interior.

So, I would be completely lost if I were an ordinary adventurer.

But, I have a secret weapon for situations like this.

I just need to borrow the power of a certain demon.

"---I hereby command you, in the name of Norman, to swiftly take residence in my body. Fulfill me with your knowledge and power. Within the limits of your authority, fulfill all my wishes with sincerity."

I was reciting the incantation necessary for the summoning ritual.

The demon I was summoning this time is---

"Come forth---the 62nd ranked demon, Varaq!"

The 62nd ranked demon, Varaq. I summoned him before to find Orobos. He is also a demon who likes the fallen angel, Crossel.

Varaq's unique ability is to find people and objects.

The multi-legged dragon is no exception.

Using my left eye, where Varaq's sigil is inscribed, a trail of light, like footprints, appeared in the dungeon corridor that was empty just a moment ago.

Following these footprints will lead us to the multi-legged dragon.

"Alright, follow me."

With that, I took the lead and moved forward.

◆

The deeper you go into the dungeon, the stronger the monsters become. Conversely, the monsters in the upper layers are not that strong.

We were already on the 9th floor, but the monsters we encountered along the way were all easily defeated by Gaminjin and Orobos.

Baalbatos and I hardly did anything.

"We've gathered the materials, so let's move on to the next floor."

While collecting the materials from the defeated monsters, we continued to advance deeper and deeper.

"The multi-legged dragon seems to be on this floor."

We had just descended to the 10th floor.

Thanks to Varaq's power, we were able to reach this point without getting lost at all.

After advancing for another 5 minutes,

"I found it."

The multi-legged dragon.

As its name suggests, it is a giant dragon with many legs, like a centipede.

It is said to normally inhabit deeper floors, but for some reason, it has come up to the 10th floor.

"Sanchez and the others don't seem to be here yet."

I thought they might already be fighting the multi-legged dragon because I spent a lot of time cooking earlier, but it seems we arrived first.

If that's the case, if we defeat the multi-legged dragon before Sanchez gets here, we win.

"Alright, everyone, are you ready?"

I called out to the demons waiting behind me.

Orobos and Gaminjin responded enthusiastically, while Baalbatos nodded hesitantly.

After confirming that everyone was ready, I boldly stepped forward in front of the multi-legged dragon.

"Let's get this over with."

◆

The multi-legged dragon was indeed a very strong monster.

But we were stronger.

The result was a decisive victory without much of a struggle.

Orobos and Gaminjin's performance was particularly outstanding.

Their relentless attacks did not wane even against the multi-legged dragon, and they dominated the entire battle.

We would have won easily even without me.

"Growl! Growl!"

After the battle, Gaminjin, in an excited state, was trying to tell me something.

"Baalbatos, what is Gaminjin saying?"

"He is asking you to make a dish using the meat of the multi-legged dragon as soon as possible."

It seems Gaminjin can't wait for the meal I will prepare.

"Well, I brought the cooking tools, so it's not impossible."

Besides, there are no signs of any monsters around.

Even if they did appear, this group would have no trouble dealing with them.

I'm also getting hungry, so having dinner here isn't a bad idea.

"Alright, let's prepare dinner to celebrate our victory."

Then, with the help of Orobos and Baalbatos, I started preparing a dish using the meat of the multi-legged dragon.

First, I disassembled it into edible-sized pieces. I only used the meat, and carefully removed the scales, which can be sold for a high price as materials.

After disassembling it, I lit a fire with some wood and placed a metal plate on top.

The seasoning is the same as the chicken lizard steak from last time. There are no other seasonings available, so there's no choice.

The meat of the multi-legged dragon was lean and light, more like eel than meat.

Gaminjin seemed to enjoy the multi-legged dragon steak and ate a large amount of it one after another.

However, it seems he finally got full and left some for us to eat as well.

And, as promised, Gaminjin taught me the summoning ritual.

Although Gaminjin cannot speak, Baalbatos translated for me.

I was skeptical about whether Gaminjin, in his beast form, really knew the summoning ritual, but it turned out he was quite knowledgeable about it, and his teachings were very helpful.

Not only did I listen to the lessons, but I also deepened my understanding of the summoning ritual by summoning a part of Gaminjin.

"Thank you both. Thanks to you, I was able to deepen my understanding of magic."

I thanked Gaminjin and Baalbatos.

The summoning ritual I learned this time felt like a greater power to me than any other magic I have learned before.

"Oh, there you are."

Suddenly, I turned around and saw Sanchez and his guards.

I had forgotten that the duel was still ongoing.

It seems they took quite a while to get here.

During that time, we had cooked, eaten, and even studied the summoning ritual.

"Mr. Sanchez, we've won."

"Hahaha, what are you saying? There's no way you could defeat the multi-legged dragon."

"No, as you can see, we have already defeated it."

I showed him the disassembled multi-legged dragon.

"Y-You're saying this is the multi-legged dragon!? Impossible, there's no way you barbarians could defeat it!"

"But, as you can see, we have defeated it. Surely, a wise person like Mr. Sanchez can accept the reality in front of you, right?"

"Y-You, you're mocking me...!"

I might have goaded him a bit too much.

His veins were popping and twitching.

"Ah, I see. I understand. It was you who defeated it. Indeed, you are not as incompetent as Norman and have some skill."

Sanchez pointed at Orobos and said this.

When Orobos punched Sanchez, his strength was evident. So, he came to this conclusion.

Actually, Orobos did play a significant role in defeating the multi-legged dragon.

"This duel is invalid, invalid. I didn't expect that an incompetent person like Norman would have such excellent subordinates."

He even declared the duel invalid.

And the reason was too childish.

It doesn't change the fact that we won, even if it was thanks to our subordinates.

"Hahaha, that's good, Norman. You have excellent subordinates. However, it's tragic to have an incompetent master. Subordinates become dissatisfied when their master is incompetent. You never know when a subordinate might rise up. Say, you there, why don't you become one of my knights instead of Norman? I'll definitely give you better treatment. Besides, serving an incompetent master must be tough. You often get mocked because of your master's incompetence. If you come to me, you won't have to worry about anything."

"That's enough, insulting my master---"

"Orobos, stop."

I stopped Orobos, who was about to pounce on Sanchez.

"But, Master..."

However, Orobos seemed unable to hold back and unusually spoke back.

"It's okay, Orobos. I feel the same way you do."

I have been insulted this much.

Even I can't keep my cool.

"Indeed, as Sanchez says, my subordinates are very excellent."

"Yes, that's right. It's bound to be that way."

"So, I don't mind if this duel is declared invalid."

"Hmph, of course. In a proper duel, I wouldn't lose."

"Alright, then, as a substitute, how about a one-on-one magical duel between you and me?"

"A one-on-one duel?"

"Yes, surely a person as excellent as Mr. Sanchez wouldn't refuse a duel with an incompetent person like me, right?"

"Of course not. A person like you is nothing to me!"

"Then, you accept the duel, right?"

"Yes, of course I do."

"Thank you for accepting. Let's start, then."

I smiled slightly.

This was a good opportunity to try out the new summoning ritual I had just learned.