Chapter 32

In the morning, Seiki drew water from the well and filled Rea's bucket to the brim. Despite being hit on the head several times, he checked the soil's condition and opened the window to keep the room from getting too hot.

"Is there anything else?"

He asked just to be sure, but Rea remained motionless, basking in the morning sun that had risen over the horizon. Since she didn't say anything, it was probably fine. This way, when she returned home, Rea wouldn't be in a dire situation.

"Well, I'm off."

Seiki informed Rea and left the house.

In front of the dungeon, he checked his equipment and thought to himself. Come to think of it, how many years had it been since he last said "I'm off"? It had slipped out unintentionally after a long time.

It used to be a casual greeting. But now, he realized it was a good one.

After that, Kuren joined them, and Seiki and the others headed to the fifth floor.

After slaying over 300 Silver Wolves, Seiki visited Akane's shop with high spirits. However,

"......"

Today, Akane seemed a bit moody. Her usually carefree face was now furrowed with a frown.

Had she eaten something bad?

Even when Seiki asked her to appraise something, he didn't feel like provoking her as usual. The atmosphere was completely different.

...It was boring.

"By the way, does this shop do weapon maintenance?"

"Eh? Can't you do it yourself?"

"I'm a beginner."

"Oh, that's right."

Materials from the surface wear out quickly. But Seiki's weapons were made from dungeon materials, which were quite durable.

Still, they weren't indestructible. Over time, the sharpness of non-magic swords would dull, and their defensive capabilities would decrease.

Experienced adventurers who had been exploring dungeons for years would adjust their equipment themselves or entrust it to skilled team members.

But Seiki was a beginner and didn't know how to maintain his weapons.

"I'll order the necessary supplies to enable you to adjust your weapons in the future."

"Will you do it, Akane?"

"I can do that much. After all, I'm a shop assistant at a weapon store."

"...Oh, right. I thought you were just a material shop."

"I'm not."

It was easy to mistake her for a material shop assistant since the store had no items, but she was originally a weapon shop assistant. It wasn't surprising that she had the skills to adjust weapons.

"Is there any equipment you want to repair urgently?"

"I think it's fine, but can you check it for me?"

While Akane inspected his equipment, Seiki inwardly groaned.

Hmm.

Something feels off.

Today's Akane was too normal. She was working as a regular shop assistant.

That's strange.

Too strange!

Is this a sign of some natural disaster!?

It's not strange for a shop assistant to do their job properly. But Akane was different. If she wasn't being light-headed and casual, it wasn't Akane.

If he had called her a material shop assistant,

"I'm mainly a weapon shop! And I can even appraise materials, so this is already perfect! I'm serving you, so admire me more!"

or something like that. If she were in her usual mood, her words would have echoed three times as loud.

But today, she just said,

"It's not."

This threw him off.

"From what I can see, your armor seems fine. ...Actually, even if it's an entry-level model, it would be a problem for Ichi's quality assurance if it broke down in just a few weeks after being sold. The short sword from the Silver Wolf has a bit of a rounded edge. I'll prioritize ordering whetstones."

"O-oh..."

What should he do? She's being serious.

Akane is being serious! It's so serious that he's getting chills!

Is it possible that lightning or a spear will really fall from the sky?

Even under Seiki's gaze, which seemed to be pleading for a reaction, Akane showed no response. In fact, she seemed distracted even though she was looking at Seiki.

...This might be a serious problem.

Seiki offered the meat of the Silver Wolf to Kito, who lived next door (a 10-minute walk away). Kito, who had participated in the defense against the stampede, gleamed with muscles visible through his tank top and was delighted with the Silver Wolf meat.

"Thank you for such delicious meat. When the crops from the field are ready, I'll let you know."

"No, it's nothing."

Perhaps his physical abilities had improved from slaying monsters during the defense. The field area had significantly increased compared to last year.

The field was filled with lettuce, radishes, and turnips, all waiting to be harvested. There were also young leaves of bell peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, and corn, basking in the sunlight.

"By the way, take this. It's asparagus I picked this morning. This is probably the last of the year."

"Wow, thank you!"

Seiki's eyes sparkled at the thick asparagus handed to him. It was thicker than his thumb.

Asparagus is a plant that grows from underground stems. Since the stems have a long lifespan, asparagus can be harvested for several years after planting.

In summer, the asparagus is left unharvested to grow branches and store nutrients. If grown properly, the roots and stems will thicken over the years.

Supermarket asparagus, which is thin, is usually harvested after 2-3 years. Thick asparagus takes at least 5 years to grow.

"How old is this?"

"I planted it last year."

"Eh!?"

"Surprised, huh? I actually made compost from the monster meat you gave me. It worked out pretty well."

Monster meat, while not immortal, is rumored to have effects like fatigue recovery. However, there's no concrete evidence of which components are effective.

Still, the rumor spread widely, and now it's common knowledge, like "eating eel gives you stamina."

But who would think of using delicious meat, which most people would consider a waste, as compost?

...You're something, old man.

"Do you have any of that compost left?"

"Yeah, I do. Do you want some?"

"Yes, can I have a little?"

"Sure. Wait a moment."

Kito went back into his house and returned with a bulging jute bag. As he approached, a faint smell of compost wafted over.

"It will smell less after it ferments a bit more. Is that okay?"

"No, it's fine as it is. Thank you."

"No problem. It will become better compost over time. I'll give you some then."

"Thank you."

As he thanked Kito and was about to leave,

"Oh, right. Take this."

"...What is this?"

Kito handed Seiki a beautiful pebble. It was an amorphous, white, and transparent stone.

It resembled quartz but had no cleavage and was not cloudy. It had a white hue overall.

It was probably a magic stone, a rare find from inside monsters.

However, its uses were still unknown. It didn't release magic power when destroyed or cause an explosion, nor did it turn into a magic sword when embedded in a weapon.

"It came from the meat you gave me. I don't know what it is, but as an adventurer, you might find a use for it."

"...Yes, thank you."

He had no idea how to use it, but Seiki gratefully accepted the magic stone and left Kito's house.

While looking at the fields, Seiki returned home. He then noticed Kuren standing in front of his house.

"What's up, Kuren. Did you forget something?"

"Today, I will eat the wolf meat with you!"

"O-oh..."

Overwhelmed by Kuren's assertiveness, Seiki flinched. Indeed, she had been inviting him to eat together for about two days, but he had been turning her down.

Seiki had been thinking about doing something to thank Kuren. Plus, there was the issue with Rea.

He had just received asparagus from Kito. Today, he would put in extra effort to prepare a lavish meal.

"Alright. Come in."

"Thank you!"

Seiki cut the Silver Wolf meat into 2 cm pieces and flattened them with the back of a knife. After seasoning with salt and pepper, he took out the bread from the freezer and grated it.

He broke an egg, coated the meat with flour, dipped it in the egg, and then covered it with the grated breadcrumbs.

He heated oil in a frying pan.

Rapeseed is commonly cultivated in K-town. It can be used for oil and as fertilizer when mixed into the soil. It's a very convenient crop.

When the oil from the rapeseed was hot, he gently placed the breaded wolf meat into the pan. It sizzled pleasantly as it fried.

Meanwhile, Seiki cut the asparagus and added it to a pot, seasoning it lightly with salt and pepper.

When he brought the dishes to the table, Kuren's eyes sparkled.

"Is this a cutlet?"

"Yes. I'm sorry I don't have any sauce or soy sauce. Please eat it with this plum salt."

"Plum salt?"

Kuren's eyes widened at the small pot Seiki handed her.

"In spring, I make pickled plums. The plum vinegar that comes out during the process can be dried to make plum salt."

"...You can do anything, can't you, Seiki?"

"Thanks to the internet."

Knowledge that used to be called "grandma's wisdom" can now be easily searched online.

After the stampede, several large-scale servers shut down, causing much of the online knowledge to disappear. However, essential information for daily life still remains.

"What's this?"

"It's asparagus soup."

"Eh!?"

Seiki hadn't intended to be fancy, but Kuren was surprised.

"Can you make asparagus into soup? I thought it was usually grilled or fried."

"Oh, really? In asparagus-growing regions, this is common."

He encouraged her to try it, and Kuren tentatively sipped the soup. As soon as she took a mouthful, her eyes welled up with tears.

"...It's sweet!"

That's right.

Fresh asparagus is concentrated with sweetness. It's delicious grilled, but when made into soup, the sweetness dissolves, making it even more delicious.

He would have preferred to make miso soup, but miso was precious and almost gone. So today, he made a salt-based soup to highlight the ingredients. He was glad Kuren enjoyed it.

He was disappointed that there was no sauce or soy sauce for the cutlet, but the acidity of the plum salt matched well with the rich game flavor of the Silver Wolf.

This combination worked well.

Seiki and Kuren ate in silence. It must have been very delicious. Kuren was crying, and Seiki's eyes were also a bit moist.

After the meal, as Kuren returned home, Seiki went to Rea's room.

"I'm back. I brought something good today."

Despite his return, Rea remained unresponsive, sulking. Was she upset because he didn't come to this room immediately?

"This is compost made with monster ingredients. Can I add it?"

Hmm. Rea seemed to react slightly, as if saying, "Add it?"

Compost can be incompatible with certain plants, causing them to wither or get sick. It's not something you can just add without consideration.

Rea tapped the soil impatiently. This suggested that the monster compost wouldn't harm her.

As he sprinkled the compost, Rea's leaves drooped as if she were soaking in a hot spring. It seemed the compost felt very good.

"Hmm?"

Rea's head (or what seemed to be her head) looked at Seiki as if sensing something.

Rea stared intently at Seiki's chest. What was there?

After a moment of thought, he remembered.

"Could you want this—ah!"

He took out the magic stone from his chest pocket that Kito had given him. Rea quickly snatched it from Seiki's hand and buried it in the soil.

I see. Rea wanted this kind of "rare" item. Not a joke.

Despite being named after a goddess, Rea was turning into someone who steals rare items rather than bringing abundance.

If this continued, the soil beneath her would become a treasure trove. Though rare, it would probably be just junk to humans.

"Rea, thank you?"

"(Sulking)"

It's your fault for bringing me here!

Rea's leaves became prickly.

While he couldn't deny that, it was a separate issue.

"Rea... thank you?"

"(......)"

After staring at her for a while, Rea finally gave in, shaking her leaves up and down in a pout.

"Good girl."

As he stroked her leaves, another leaf hit the back of his hand as if to say, "Stop it, it's annoying."

* * *

【Serious Players】Fully Conquer the Dungeon! 156th Floor 【Official】

290 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

Is Masatsugu almost there?

291 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

Not sure, no updates yet.

He's moving by pedal swan, so it might take a while.

However, the team house seems to be more active.

He might return soon.

292 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

Have the volunteers for the rescue operation gathered?

I'd like to join if I can fight alongside Masatsugu.

293 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

Not sure.

After all, they're all serious players.

They might not act together to prevent leaks of internal information.

294 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

Seriously?

Is it a situation where they're acting as a solo team to keep information from leaking?

295 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

There might be dangerous information about magic items or awakened abilities that could leak.

296 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

If we fight in Shinjuku, someone will see it anyway, right?

297 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

They might ignore the minions and go straight for the boss.

298 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

Ah, that makes sense.

That's a possibility.

299 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

Well, if we're retaking Shinjuku Station, other teams will be there too.

It's fine to ignore the minions and launch a direct attack.

300 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

By the way, there's a report of someone being stranded in the dungeon.

Is anyone going to help?

301 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

Shinjuku?

If so, leave it to Masatsugu.

There probably won't be any remains left anyway.

If we're lucky, they might still be alive.

302 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

No, it seems to be Chikaho.

303 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

Hmm.

What's the situation?

304 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

Hey, that's cold.

Is there no one who will help?

They talk about saving Japan and helping people, but are adventurers just all talk?

305 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

Are you kidding?

Adventurers risk their lives to explore dungeons!

If someone went in on their own, it's their own responsibility.

It's wrong to complain to us!

Do you want to risk someone else's life to save someone you want to help?

Don't be so selfish!

It's contradictory to ask for help while claiming to help others!

If you're going to be a burden to others, just die quietly!

That's the responsibility of an adventurer!

306 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

>>305 You're a samurai.

But you're a bit too harsh.

If you want to help, go in yourself.

If you can't, you can always put out a request.

307 Name: Go, Anonymous Frontline

>>305 Sorry.

>>306 Got it, thanks.

By the way, Aizu is famous for asparagus, but Hokkaido actually produces the most.

Next update on Friday.