Chapter 80

With over 10,300 favorites and over 4,380,000 views, ranking 35th in the genre's daily list, thank you for your support.

---

I had been verifying videos late into the night, so I ended up oversleeping a bit. As I yawned and went down to the living room, I couldn't see Mika, who had already left the house. My mother and father were relaxing on the sofa, watching TV.

"Good morning..."

"Good morning."

"Oh? You're finally up. Daiki, just because it's a day off doesn't mean you can be lazy, you know?"

"Ah, yeah. Sorry."

"Mika has already gone to work. Didn't you say you were going too?"

"Yeah."

While talking to my mother, I shook off the drowsiness and moved to the kitchen. I took out barley tea from the refrigerator, poured it into a glass, and drank it all at once.

...Somehow, my head feels clearer now.

"...Phew. I plan to go around noon, so it's still okay."

"Okay."

I told my mother it was fine while looking at the clock in the living room. It was already past 10, but I could easily get there in an hour, so there was no problem.

"Daiki, are you going to have breakfast? There's some left from this morning in the refrigerator."

"Hmm, I'll pass. I plan to eat from food stalls there, so I'll just have coffee."

"Okay. Then go wash your face first; you still look sleepy."

"...Yeah."

After replying to my mother, I left the living room and went to the bathroom to wash my face. The cold water woke me up. While brushing my teeth and looking in the mirror, I realized I was still in my pajamas, so I went back to my room to change without returning to the living room.

I quickly changed from my pajamas into regular clothes, grabbed my shoulder bag with my wallet and other small items, and left my room. When I returned to the living room, a cup of coffee was waiting for me on the table in front of the sofa where my parents were sitting.

"Oh, Daiki. You're ready, I see."

"Yeah. Thanks for making the coffee."

I thanked my mother for the coffee, sat on the sofa, and put my bag at my feet.

The coffee was slightly cold, but it was still within acceptable limits.

"By the way, Daiki, I have a favor to ask. Is that okay?"

"Huh? What kind of favor?"

While drinking the coffee, my father, who was sitting next to my mother, spoke to me.

"Actually, I want you to take pictures or videos of Mika at work."

"Pictures of her at work?"

"Yeah, either photos or videos would be fine."

"Oh, that's a good idea. Daiki, please do it for me too."

It feels like a home video from a school visit.

...No, I don't mind, but Mika would probably blush if she knew.

"Sure, but if Mika doesn't like it, I won't take any."

"Well, we'll see. Try to trick her and do it for me."

"Hehe, I'm looking forward to seeing what she looks like."

I put up a precaution, but seeing the two of them smiling, I felt like I would be in trouble if I didn't do it. I finished the remaining coffee as if to cover up, grabbed my bag, and stood up from the sofa.

"Then, I'm off. I don't think I'll be back too late."

"Okay. Say hello to Mika for me."

"Be careful."

"Yeah, I'm off."

I said a word to my father and mother, left the living room, and went out of the house. The sky was clear, with no sign of rain and a warm sun.

---

When I came out of the ticket gate, the wide passage was overflowing with people. People of all ages, couples, families, and others were walking in one direction... towards the outside of the station. It seems that the destination of all these people is the same.

"Wow, it's such a popular event. Dungeons really are getting a lot of attention."

I moved to a small open space by the wall and watched the flow of people, amazed by the crowd. I had expected that fewer people would come to dungeon-related events after the recent news of a minor explorer's death, but it seems I was wrong.

"However, moving through this crowd to get to the event venue is..."

I was half-annoyed by the large number of people heading to the event venue. Just a glance showed that the line of people was in the hundreds. It would take some time to get to the venue...

However, it would be bad manners to cut in at the entrance, so I had no choice but to wait in line.

"Ah... I guess I'll have to wait in line."

I bought a bottle of tea from a vending machine and joined the crowd leaving the station. The line was moving at a decent pace, so it shouldn't take too long.

However, my prediction was off, and by the time I arrived at the venue, it was already past noon. The sports park where the event was held was about 1 km from the station, so it should have taken 10-15 minutes to walk there, but it took me about 30 minutes, twice as long as usual.

Thanks to that...

"Finally made it. Ah... I'm hungry."

As I got closer to the venue, the smell of food from the stalls hit my empty stomach, which I had skipped breakfast for.

Especially, the smell of burnt sauce from the yakisoba, which came from the side of the entrance waiting line, was tough to handle.

"I'll eat something before meeting up with Mika..."

I mentally apologized to Mika and headed towards the food area, the opposite direction of the goods stall where she and the other person were working. They say you can't fight on an empty stomach... so it can't be helped, right?

I finished my self-justification and charged into the food area.

---

I spread the food I had secured from the stalls on a table in the eat-in area and nodded in satisfaction. The spoils were three items, all chosen for their quick purchase and preparation time.

"Alright, let's dig in. I'll start with the yakisoba."

I eagerly removed the rubber band from the yakisoba pack, which had been giving off a fragrant sauce smell, and grabbed the noodles with the included chopsticks, putting them in my mouth.

"Yeah, it's delicious!"

I continued to eat, taking a second bite of the noodles.

The noodles were perfectly crispy, and the crunchy texture of the bean sprouts and cabbage added a nice accent. The sauce was sweet and spicy, and the fragrant smell of the burnt sauce stimulated my appetite.

And most importantly...

"The crispy oak meat is really good!"

Despite being crispy on the outside, it still had a solid meaty flavor. The meat juice that oozed from the meat intertwined with the noodles, adding depth and richness.

With the added hunger, I devoured the remaining yakisoba in one go.

"Phew... It was worth the price."

I placed the chopsticks on the empty pack and wiped my mouth with the included paper napkin.

The yakisoba with oak meat, priced at 1200 yen per pack, was expensive but satisfying in terms of volume and taste. Even though the prices of dungeon ingredients have been falling recently, they are still relatively expensive.

"Alright, let's move on to the next one..."

The next item I reached for was... a kebab wrapped in a paper bag. It was a half-circle of wheat dough filled with coleslaw and grilled meat, topped with a spicy red hot sauce that was very appetizing.

However...

"The meat from the giant frog is a bit concerning... but I'll give it a try."

The giant frog... a frog-shaped monster that exploded when mishandled. The thought of its meat made me a bit hesitant, but I decided to take a bite of the frog meat kebab.

"...! It's pretty good."

The texture of the giant frog was just like chicken. The meat was mild in flavor but well-seasoned, and the more I chewed, the more the umami flavor came out. The combination of the crispy, fragrant grilled meat and the spicy hot sauce was perfect, and the fresh coleslaw gave a clean finish.

"The meat of the giant frog... can replace chicken."

Despite its appearance, it might be a surprisingly good ingredient. I was impressed by the giant frog's successful transformation and finished the remaining kebab.

By the way, the giant frog kebab... 600 yen each.

"Alright, the last one is..."

I reached for the last item, a skewer. It was a simple skewer with four large pieces of grilled meat on it.

"Minotaur meat skewer. It was expensive, but... how does it taste?"

The minotaur meat skewer was 1800 yen per skewer. I eagerly took a bite of the minotaur meat skewer.

"Delicious!"

That's all I could say.

The meat, grilled to a fragrant crisp over charcoal, was seasoned with just salt and pepper, but it was incredibly juicy, and the more I chewed, the more the meat juice oozed out. The lack of excessive seasoning allowed the natural flavor of the meat to shine through.

"..."

I silently savored the minotaur meat skewer. The difference in skill when cooked by a professional is clearly evident in simple cooking methods.

I sighed, comparing the minotaur meat skewer to the minotaur meat dishes I had cooked at home.

"Well, it's fine."

After finishing my spoils, I took a break, drinking the bottled tea. Despite choosing the items on a whim, it turned out to be a satisfying lunch, and I was impressed by my own sense of taste.

"Phew... Thanks for the meal."

After clasping my hands, I cleared the empty packs and other trash from my seat. Other customers were also gathering in the eat-in area for lunch, so it wouldn't be good to monopolize the space.

As soon as I stood up, a pair who had been looking for an empty seat sat down. I threw the trash into a container at the end of the eat-in area and left.

---

With a full stomach and a calm mind, I decided to take a quick tour of the venue and head to the goods sales area where Mika was.

At the food stalls in the food area, various items made from dungeon ingredients were lined up, including the ones I had eaten. There were even some suspicious-sounding items, like goblin meat... which I didn't want to confirm, but most were existing dishes with dungeon ingredients added.

"As the variety of dungeon ingredients increases, the range of dishes will expand, but for now, it seems only meat-related ingredients are available..."

After looking around the food area, I didn't see any stalls selling fish or plant-based ingredients. As a result, most stalls served dishes with dungeon-produced meat as the main ingredient.

The current lineup is still quite limited.

"Other types of ingredients can only be expected from monsters that appear on the middle floors and beyond."

As I walked along the stalls, the crowd and number of stalls decreased, marking the end of the food area.

"Is this it..."

I looked back at the row of stalls and then continued walking towards the next area.

A little further away, I saw a large temporary stage set up with rows of pipe chairs. It seemed I had reached the stage show area.

"Quite a large stage..."

It looked to be about 20m by 10m.

Well, if they're going to do the mock battle Mika mentioned, this size is necessary...

Since it was lunchtime, the stage show area was quite empty, with few people around.

"Huh? That's..."

I noticed a signboard with the schedule written on it next to the stage. When I got closer, I saw that the mock battle Mika mentioned was scheduled for 1:30 PM. Checking my watch, I realized there was still a lot of time left.

"...Another hour. There's quite a bit of free time."

Since there was no point in staying here, I decided to move on.

---

After a short walk, I arrived at the next area, the product area.

The stalls in this area displayed various products made from dungeon materials, giving it the feel of a new product exhibition. While it was interesting, the area was sparsely populated, and the current customers seemed to be more like industry insiders. The interaction between the stall staff and customers felt more like business negotiations than retail sales.

I decided to take a look around the sparsely populated product area. Despite the atmosphere, the variety of products was quite interesting.

"Hey, what's this?"

I stopped in front of a stall that caught my attention.

On a pink plastic basket, items were piled up haphazardly, with the product name and price written on a cardboard sign.

It was the skill scroll on sale that Mika mentioned.

---

There are many stalls selling products made from local ingredients.

They are a bit expensive, but the taste is worth the price.