Chapter 45

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

---

As the cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

---

Aiming for the 7th floor, he activated the gate.

On the 7th floor, there was the Silver Wolf and its owner. However, Seiki's prediction was off.

"Cough!"

"......A chicken?"

"A chicken, indeed."

The monster was, without a doubt, a chicken.

"Was it Kikokko?"

"A cute name, isn't it?"

"Only the name is cute."

Kikokko, as its name suggests, is a monster that primarily uses kicking attacks. It belongs to the same series as the Killer Rabbit but is far stronger.

Using its flightless wings, it accelerates rapidly. Then, it spreads its wings to stop abruptly.

Its body floats up slightly, followed by a series of kicks.

Seiki defended against the kicks with his two short swords.

"Heavy..."

The attacks were quite heavy. It was hard to believe such energy could come from such a small body.

However, it wasn't a dangerous opponent. In a split second of combat, he realized this.

Its strength was below that of the Silver Wolf on the 8th floor of 'Chikaho.'

Seiki stepped on the ground and closed the distance in an instant.

"Kek?!"

Kikokko couldn't keep up with Seiki's movements.

Taking advantage of its confusion, he swiftly slashed with his short swords, cleanly severing Kikokko's neck.

"Good job."

Seiki immediately began to dissect Kikokko.

He had eaten various meats, but chicken was a rare treat.

Hot pot, fried chicken, grilled chicken... Oh, and don't forget the eggplants?

"Hehehe..."

What should he make for dinner? While thinking about his meal, he carefully prepared the meat.

"Ugh..."

Behind him, Kuren covered her mouth. Despite hunting extensively in 'Chikaho,' she still hadn't developed a tolerance for gore.

"......Hm?"

While dissecting the chicken, Seiki furrowed his brow.

Clack, clack. A dry sound could be heard.

He looked in the direction of the sound.

From the depths of the dungeon, two Kikokkos appeared, their red combs erect, threateningly.

"Kuren, Rare!"

As Seiki shouted, Kuren and Rare began their ranged attacks.

Potato stones and white magic orbs flew, instantly tearing the two Kikokkos apart.

Ah, what a waste of food...

Seiki apologized to the dismembered Kikokkos.

The main items obtained from Kikokko were meat and combs.

The meat was priced at a minimum of 100 yen per kilogram.

The lowest price was given if the bloodletting process was poor or the hygiene was bad. If the processing was done properly, it could be bought for 300 to 500 yen per kilogram.

The price varied depending on the individual. Some could fetch over 1000 yen per kilogram due to differences in fat content.

The combs, when dried, became medicine. Despite their small size, they were worth 1000 yen each, the same as the horns of Killer Rabbits.

After dissecting the first Kikokko, Seiki moved the ones Kuren and Rare had killed to the side of the corridor and paid his respects.

--- I'm sorry I couldn't eat you.

Seiki and the others collected the chicken meat and combs as they advanced.

The boss of the 7th floor was Big Kikokko. It spread its wings aggressively, waiting for Seiki and the others. It struck a bold, masculine pose to appear more formidable.

Kuren and Rare mercilessly attacked the boss. Poor Big Kikokko, still in its aggressive stance, became the victim of their ranged attacks.

How pitiful... Seiki felt sympathy for the boss. The opponents were just too ruthless.

With a hint of melancholy, Big Kikokko was absorbed by the dungeon.

The dungeon flickered upon the first defeat, and they secured the dropped materials.

"A large comb and feathers... What's this?"

The Kikokko's feathers were connected in a circular shape. Seiki examined it closely but couldn't determine what it was.

A dud?

"Kuren, put this in the magic bag."

"Sure. And the comb... Kyaa!?"

When he handed her the feather ring, Kuren screamed and pulled her hand back. The feather ring floated and fell gently.

"Hmm, what's wrong?"

"Seiki-san, it's really heavy!"

"Heavy?"

Seiki furrowed his brow and took the feather ring. However, he couldn't feel any weight.

"An equipment item?"

"Maybe. Could it be a magic item?"

"......It's possible."

Magic items existed not only as weapons but also as accessories. The performance of magic accessories varied widely.

A famous example was the ring Bacon possessed, which increased muscle size by more than a round. (There was a rumor that his desire to show off his enhanced pectorals and biceps was the reason he often wanted to take off his shirt)

Weaker items included things like "a slight increase in arm strength?" or "a feeling of getting more experience points!"—the kind of effects that were questionable even in the pop ads of Sapporo's item shops.

If it was obtained on the upper floors, it was likely to be one of the weaker magic items. Just to be safe, Seiki carefully observed the feather ring before slowly putting it around his neck.

"Hmm......? Is something different?"

He moved his body to check.

He felt something was different, but it could be a placebo effect.

He would have Akane look at it later.

"Let's move on... Hmm?"

Looking up, Seiki noticed something. Kuren's gaze had become slightly warmer.

"What's wrong?"

"No, Seiki-san, you're... amazing."

Kuren was struggling to keep her face from twitching.

Wearing a mask that looked cursed, like a shaman in an unexplored land, with Rare, the potato monster, on his back.

And then the mysterious feather decoration appeared.

The magic item seemed to match Seiki's existing equipment, especially the mask, in a disturbingly perfect way.

With just the feather decoration, his presence became eerily unique.

He often said he wanted to stand out, but wasn't it enough already? If he wanted to stand out more, he might as well add some lights.

"That's not true."

However, Seiki denied Kuren's words.

He wasn't "amazing." He rated himself as average at best.

He had improved a lot compared to before, but there were always stronger people.

It was said that the power level changed drastically when one became an intermediate adventurer. Seiki was sure that many intermediate adventurers would laugh at his current strength.

He was far from being a senior adventurer.

Therefore, he said he still had a long way to go.

It wasn't modesty. It was the truth.

But Seiki had no intention of being content with his current position.

"I need to get stronger..."

"Do you aim for 'even more'!?"

"Hmm?"

"Eh?"

A subtle tension filled the air between Seiki and Kuren. Something wasn't clicking.

...Was it just his imagination?

"I need to get stronger, or it'll be bad."

"Y-Yes, that's true. Seiki-san... you're... 'weak,' after all."

"Right..."

Seiki sensed something off in Kuren's words. But for some reason, he felt he shouldn't think too deeply about it.

It was probably just his imagination. Deciding it was just his imagination, Seiki continued forward.

---

He activated the gate to the 8th floor.

Mapping and exploring from the 6th to the 7th floor took time. Checking the clock, it was already 4 PM.

"Let's check the monsters on this floor and then return to the surface."

"Understood."

This was the highest floor Seiki and the others had reached in 'Chikaho.' They moved more cautiously than before.

Holding his short swords, they walked for a while when a monster appeared in the corridor.

It had a wavy vine and a heavy body. Its large hands held orbs with patterns.

"That's—!"

As soon as he recognized it, Seiki leaped forward.

He closed the distance with the monster, but the monster also reacted.

Like a potato, it fired projectiles from its vines at Seiki.

—Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

"Ugh!"

He barely dodged. It was almost a full evasion.

But as he dodged, he realized something.

His body felt lighter?

Was it because of the feather decoration? His maximum speed had increased slightly.

He could probably dodge even if he slowed down a bit.

Seiki calmly observed the monster's attacks and dodged.

Unlike the potato, the monster had no firing motion. The projectiles came unexpectedly. But as long as he didn't make a mistake, he was confident he could defeat it.

"I'm going in!"

"—!"

At Kuren's shout, Seiki leaped to the side.

In an instant, the air was crushed and shattered.

—Bang!

A light explosion sound accompanied the magic, which pierced the monster's body.

The impact of the magic slightly destabilized the monster. Seizing the opportunity, Seiki closed the distance and slashed its body with his two short swords.

"—!"

The monster's silent scream echoed.

After a brief convulsion, the monster slowly fell to the ground and died.

"Ha... ha..."

Seiki approached the fallen monster without letting his guard down. He harvested the patterned orbs from its body, carefully cutting them and putting them in his mouth.

"Seiki-san!?"

"—Hmm!"

Seiki was shaken by the intense sweetness of the red flesh.

"...This melon is incredibly sweet!!"

The monster that appeared was, surprisingly, a red-fleshed melon.

"Seiki-san..."

"What is it?"

"Isn't it dangerous to eat everything?"

"You can't know the taste without trying it."

"What if it's poisonous?"

"Spit it out, and you're safe."

"......"

Ah, this person is from a different planet. Kuren's cold gaze pierced Seiki.

"Try it, Kuren."

"Ah, okay."

Seiki offered a cut piece of the melon, and Kuren tentatively took a bite.

Instantly,

Kuren's eyes widened. Her eyes welled up with tears of joy.

"...It's sweet."

"Right?"

"It's like eating sugar!"

Kuren approached Seiki with heavy breathing, taking another piece of the cut melon. The melon was devoured in no time.

"...Kuren"

"...Yes."

Seiki and Kuren nodded at each other, their eyes burning with the passion of farmers.

Thus, their hunting time was extended.

The monsters on the 8th floor had two types of flesh: red and blue. The red had a rich aroma and intense sweetness, while the blue had a delicate aroma and a refreshing sweetness.

"...My stomach hurts."

"...Yeah. We ate quite a bit."

Their enthusiasm for the harvest was inversely proportional to their fullness. If they had infinite stomachs, they might have hunted until morning.

After their fullness extinguished the farmers' passion, they left the dungeon. The surroundings were already dark.

"We managed to gather a lot of both red and blue. For today's distribution..."

The moment he mentioned distribution, Kuren's eyes sparkled. She had a preference for the red flesh.

Yeah, she wants the red-fleshed melons. I get it.

"Let's split the red flesh. The blue and other fresh ingredients, can you give them to me?"

"Yes, of course."

It seemed Kuren had no interest in the blue-fleshed melons, eggplants, or chicken.

Both were delicious, but maybe she expected Seiki to cook them well.

Seiki took the red-fleshed melons from Kuren's magic bag and divided them. He received the remaining fresh ingredients.

"I'm thinking of making jam. Do you want to try it?"

"Jam... Yes!!"

Kuren's voice echoed in the fallow field, showing how much she enjoyed the melons she had harvested.

However, she showed no reaction to the potatoes, eggplants, or chicken...

When hunting melons, she emitted a fierce aura and was possibly faster and more efficient than Seiki.

Desire truly drives people to madness.

Seiki resolved to be more careful in the future to avoid such situations. It might already be too late, though...

It was past Akane's shop closing time. They decided to give the materials to Akane the next day and disbanded for the day.

Seiki returned home and, while browsing the internet, cut the melons.

He halved the red-fleshed melons, scooped out the flesh, and returned it to the skin, then stored it in the freezer.

He took the flesh from the blue-fleshed melons, put it in a pot, and slowly heated it over a hibachi. When the moisture evaporated and the flesh became soft, it was done. He stored it in a container and chilled it.

Using the remaining charcoal from the hibachi, he grilled the eggplants.

Although he had already eaten dessert, this was the main dish of the day.

The grilled eggplants were ready!

When he took a bite, the inside oozed out. It was sweet! So incredibly sweet!!

Seiki was overwhelmed by the deliciousness.

"...I'm glad to be alive."

A long-lost, nostalgic taste. Tears fell involuntarily.

Despite his stomach being full of melon, Seiki ate a large eggplant in one go, crying.

---

Namara = "very" or "extremely" in dialect

Hokkaido has a mix of dialects from various regions due to its history of settlement.

Hanshakushi = A cooking term in dialect, meaning "crush it halfway." "Zengoroshi" means to crush it completely. It's common to hear mothers say "I'll crush it halfway" while holding a knife in the countryside. (Just kidding)

Feather Ring = Mask-san's enhancement part

Presence boosted!