Chapter 43

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We were sweating today as well, hunting orcs. This was to stockpile orc materials as Himeko had requested. In recent explorations, we've been roaming through floors 10, 11, and 12, hunting orcs with the intention of wiping them out. Thanks to my spatial storage, I can store orc meat and other materials without them spoiling for a long time, making me feel like I have a large, ultra-cold commercial freezer.

Even now, with nearly 1 ton of orc materials stored in my spatial storage, the stock continues to grow. This is because Himeko is still beheading orcs right in front of me.

"Himeko, I think we've accumulated quite a bit of orc materials..."

"Yes, with this much stock, we should be fine for a while."

Himeko, who was skillfully skinning the orcs she had defeated, answered my question while stabbing them with her skinning knife. However, I sensed something ominous in her response.

"For a while... How long exactly?"

"Yes, we use about 5 kg of orc materials to make one batch of soup... So it should last about half a year, I guess."

"...We've gathered this much, and it only lasts half a year?"

Yuzi, surprised by Himeko's answer, involuntarily let out a stunned remark. However, I felt the same way. I never thought that even with this much stock, it wouldn't last more than half a year...

"Oh? You two didn't know? Even for making ordinary soup, we use about 10 to 20 kg of pork bones or chicken frames at a time, which means we consume nearly 1 ton per month. Orc materials are used as a secret ingredient, so the consumption is still relatively low."

"...Geez."

"...Really?"

"That's why I explore the dungeon."

Himeko sighed and informed us of this surprising fact. I never imagined that making ramen required so much material...

"In terms of material costs, it's not just 10 times more expensive to make ordinary soup. ...And to provide it as a product without raising prices much... Father is really something."

Himeko, seemingly remembering something, muttered a complaint in a low voice. Yuzi and I, unable to say anything, exchanged glances while maintaining vigilance, waiting for Himeko to calm down. After about a minute, Himeko regained her composure, blushed slightly, and cleared her throat to cover up her moment of distress.

"If more explorers can reach this floor and orc materials start to circulate in large quantities, the purchase price will likely drop... But given the current situation, it will probably take a while for the price to come down. Until then, I'll have to work hard to gather orc materials. ...So, I ask you both, can you help me until the purchase price drops?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll do what I can."

"Me too."

Knowing the details of Himeko's situation, Yuzi and I couldn't say no. Indeed, if we continued to consume such quantities regularly, the store's finances would eventually collapse unless we procured the materials directly. To avoid such a situation, it makes sense that Himeko needs to explore the dungeon as an adventurer.

"Thank you both. I'll definitely return the favor."

Himeko bowed to Yuzi and me, expressing her gratitude with a smile. Well, I'll wait patiently without expecting anything in return.

We finished orc hunting and descended to the 13th floor. Few explorers can reach this floor, and we haven't encountered any other groups yet. As we avoided and disarmed traps while moving through the corridors, we encountered a certain monster. A frog-like monster, about the size of a dog, with green, slimy skin, a Giant Frog, was croaking and threatening us.

"...Air Ball!"

Himeko first launched an Air Ball at the Giant Frog, but it leaped and dodged. The wind projectile missed the Giant Frog, hit the floor where it had been, and dissipated, scattering compressed air. As I quickly tracked the Giant Frog's movement, it was clinging to the ceiling upside down, ready to charge at us. As I observed to determine its attack direction, I suddenly made eye contact with the Giant Frog and slightly lowered my center of gravity. In the next instant, the Giant Frog kicked off the ceiling and lunged at me.

"Daiki!"

"I'm fine!"

Yuzi issued a warning, but I was already in motion. I dodged the charging Giant Frog by jumping to the side and, the moment it landed, I kicked its exposed side with all my might. The moment my kick connected, I felt the sensation of crushing several of the Giant Frog's internal organs. The Giant Frog spewed blood and saliva, flew into the wall, and exploded, splattering blood everywhere.

"Whoa! Gross!"

"Hey, Daiki. Wasn't that a bit overkill?"

"Yeah, this scene is... a bit much."

Yuzi and I covered our mouths and protested. While we've become somewhat desensitized to blood from recent dungeon explorations, the sight of meat splattered on the dungeon walls was overwhelming. We had once created a similar sea of blood during a battle with a group of goblins, but the bodies had still retained their shape. This was the first time we had seen minced corpses.

"Yeah, I guess I misjudged the force a bit."

This was the first time I had kicked a monster with all my might, but my attack power was too high for the low-level monsters. In a game, a critical hit or a one-shot kill would simply reduce the monster's HP to zero, but in reality, this is what happens. It's possible that only monsters in deeper levels can withstand such attacks without exploding. In other words, if I use full-force attacks on low-level monsters, I will inevitably create splatter scenes. We averted our eyes from the wall where the Giant Frog's remains were stuck, and of course, no items dropped.

"I thought I was somewhat desensitized to blood, but this kind of death is a bit too much."

"Yeah, and if the monster explodes, I can't even use my skinning knife."

Himeko, holding her skinning knife, expressed her dissatisfaction at not obtaining any items. Well, if the monster is minced, you can't skin it. It was fortunate that it was a Giant Frog this time, but if it had been an orc, we wouldn't have gotten any meat, which would have been disastrous for Himeko.

"Kusakabe-kun"

"Yes!"

Himeko looked at me with a sharp gaze.

"Can you use your Zashiki Warashi ability when fighting orcs? If they explode like this..."

"Yes, I understand."

I got the message. It makes sense from Himeko's perspective.

Yuzi, who had been watching our exchange, muttered something, perhaps reflecting on it.

"Well, regardless of the power of Daiki's kicks, we need to get used to such scenes, right?"

"...Yeah."

"...Yes."

Yuzi's point is valid, but it's a depressing thought. We need to get used to the sight of biological splatter, which is a traumatic experience. However, it's an undeniable fact, and there's no way to avoid it. This might be one of the drawbacks of being overpowered at the beginning. If we had progressed gradually like other explorers, we wouldn't encounter situations where monsters explode in one hit.

I sighed and reluctantly suggested something.

"Then, to get used to it, should we kick a few more?"

I dangled my right foot and asked for their opinions, secretly hoping they would say no. However, that wish was not granted.

"...Yeah."

"...Yes."

"...Alright."

It was a reluctant agreement, but with all three of us in agreement, there was no choice but to proceed. Sigh, where are the frogs?

After turning a few more Giant Frogs and other monsters into mincemeat, we ended our exploration. For the first time in a while, I felt queasy. I won't be able to eat today. I never realized that killing with swords and spears is relatively clean.

As expected, no monsters could withstand my kicks. The exception was large monsters like orcs. They didn't explode upon impact with the wall, but their abdomens burst, splitting their bodies into upper and lower halves. The internal organs spilled out, creating a different kind of splatter scene. The orc, not dying immediately, crawled towards us on the floor, which was a bit horrifying. I remember feeling fear and disgust.

It would have been better if they had exploded and splattered on the wall.

"Today's exploration was unexpectedly intense."

"Yeah, it was. It was the toughest we've had recently."

"Yes, I don't want to see meat for a while."

"Me neither."

I won't be able to go near the meat section of the supermarket for a few days. I'll definitely remember today's splatter scenes if I do.

"Still, it's good that we learned early on that skinning knives don't work on exploded monsters. We need to consider how to kill monsters from now on."

The theory I had during a conversation with Sae seemed to be correct. No items dropped from exploded monsters, and the skinning knife never produced any drops. It seems that the damage rate inflicted on the monster before it dies affects the drop rate. Since exploding means 100% damage, the drop rate is 0%, and even with the skinning knife's probability boost, it's still 0. This is something we need to verify in the future.

"Right. If we go through all the trouble of defeating a monster and get no items, it's not worth it. We can't afford to do that."

"Exploring the dungeon costs money. We need to avoid losing everything."

"Agreed."

As Yuzi said, exploring the dungeon requires money. From transportation to food and equipment maintenance, the costs vary. We're lucky that we don't have to consider accommodation costs since we complete our explorations in a day. However, we need at least 10,000 yen in returns per dungeon exploration to maintain a balanced budget.

We chatted as we ascended to the 1st floor. After confirming that no other explorers were near the stairs, I called out to Himeko.

"Before we leave the dungeon... Himeko, can you use the cleansing spell on us?"

"Yes, of course. Both of you, stand there."

Yuzi and I followed Himeko's instructions and stood about 2 meters apart in front of her.

"Here goes. 'Cleansing.'"

Powder-like light rained down on Yuzi and me. After about 5 seconds, the light disappeared, and our bodies, which were dirty with blood and sweat, were as clean as if we had taken a bath and done laundry. This was the result of Himeko's recent efforts to improve her skill proficiency.

While Yuzi and I checked for any remaining dirt, Himeko had already cleaned herself.

"Thank you, Himeko. Yuzi, let's do the usual."

"Got it."

I took out three cooling bags from my spatial storage, gave one to Yuzi, and carried the other two. Himeko needs to be in top form and maintain vigilance, so we can't burden her with carrying the bags.

Even though the 1st floor has weak monsters and few appearances, we need to be prepared. We don't want to be caught off guard by monsters after coming this far.

"Let's go."

"Sure."

"Yes, let's go."

We quickly moved through the shortest route on the 1st floor and exited the dungeon in about 5 minutes. After leaving the dungeon, we quickly changed clothes and exchanged items, then divided the rewards. Recently, Himeko has been taking all the orc materials, while Yuzi and I divide the proceeds from other dropped items. Since Yuzi and I get a bit more, we tried to give the difference to Himeko, but she refused, saying it was her labor. So, we've been pooling the difference as party funds.

After dividing the rewards, we boarded the shuttle bus to the nearest station and headed home. Today was tiring, really.

If the monsters aren't tough enough, they'll explode like water balloons when they hit the wall, right?