Chapter 132
“Hmm, hmm…”
[Wild Strawberry Fruit Liquor]
Liquor made by soaking specially cultivated berries in a high-proof grain-based alcohol.
The high sugar content and alcohol concentration prevent bacterial growth, making it safe to drink.
A type of wild berry wine with an alcohol content of 48%.
[Deadly Hydrangea Medicinal Liquor]
Liquor made by soaking the immature seeds and petals of a highly toxic flower in grain alcohol.
The combination of high sugar, alcohol, and a purifying agent makes it safe to drink.
A type of elixir with powerful detoxifying and curse-breaking effects, alcohol content 45%.
[Divine Mandate Wine of Heaven’s Descent Goetze] A divine wine in which a heavenly #$% and the marrow of a #$% have been steeped together with Drops of the Azure Heavens and Tears of the Vermilion Sea.
It was deemed dangerous as a result of exceeding the limits of ‘#$%’, and thus has been sealed…
DO NOT DRINK DO NOT DRINK DO NOT DRINK DO NOT DRINK donotdonotdonottouchdonotfeeldonotlook
Do not touch.
Do not touch.
Put it back.
Do not look.
“!? W-What the hell is this!?” (Shizuma)
“What is it!? What’s wrong all of a sudden?” (Melt)
It happened while I was inspecting the bottles on the liquor shelf one by one with [Appraisal Eye].
When I checked one bottle, beautiful yet bound tightly in chains, the description that appeared was distorted, much like the one I saw on the humanoid creature cultivated in that mysterious facility deep within the artificial dungeon, Lindblum Lair.
“Melt… do you know what this bottle is?” (Shizuma)
“Huh? That one? It was on that shelf?” (Melt)
“Yeah, right on the bottom row here.” (Shizuma)
“…That spot should’ve been empty. Are you sure it was there?” (Melt)
“Eh… yeah, I’m sure. Don’t tell me…it was intentionally out of sight?” (Shizuma)
“No way… I’ve lived here for years and never knew about it. Grandma used to tell me, ‘That’s an adult’s syrup kids can’t drink, so you mustn’t touch it, Melt.’” (Melt)
“I see. So you didn’t go near this shelf much then.” (Shizuma)
“Yeah. So what’s with that impressive-looking bottle?” (Melt)
“Well…it’s hard to explain, but I kinda think your grandmother might’ve been…an incredible person.” (Shizuma)
I’ll leave it vague. Maybe Melt’s grandmother had gotten just one step away from uncovering the secret of this world.
When she was trapped in this dungeon, maybe she investigated it on her own and, like me, discovered that mysterious space.
This liquor feels like something that could’ve been born from that kind of circumstance.
This is purely speculation…but perhaps she even tried to find a way out of here that didn’t involve defeating the Dungeon Master.
“Of course! Grandma was a genius! She used to say that if she were twenty years younger, she could’ve unified the continent!” (Melt)
“Haha, that might not have been a joke.” (Shizuma)
Melt laughed as she spoke fondly of her memories.
Considering that the Silver Foxkins is a race gifted with high intelligence and talent, perhaps founding a nation wouldn’t have been impossible for her grandmother.
“So, have you decided which liquor to bring?” (Melt)
“Let’s take them all. From what I checked, none of them have spoiled.” (Shizuma)
“Nice! Then when we get home, let’s mix them with that carbonated water thing and do some taste testing!” (Melt)
The hint of sadness from earlier had completely vanished from her face. Her curiosity over the fruit liquor seemed to have overwritten the sentimentality.
—————–
“It’s already evening, huh? Hmm… Let’s head to the village tomorrow.” (Melt)
“Got it. Then let’s make dinner.” (Shizuma)
“Alright! But…even though it’s my house, can I ask you to cook, Shizuma?” (Melt)
“You got it. I’m the second best cook after Seira, so leave it to me.” (Shizuma)
Rest assured, my cooking skill has leveled up… Please look forward to it.
—————–
Vitality: 5581
Strength: 1901
Magic: 136
Mind: 671
Agility: 1755
[Growth Rate: Highest – Full Reflection]
[Blessing of the Silver Fox]
[Appraisal Eye]
[Basic Enchant]
[Survival Instinct]
[High-Speed Movement]
[Throwing]
[Gourmet]
[Rhythm Step]
[Divine Guidance] ← New
[Basic Attack Magic] ← New
[Basic Healing Magic] ← New
[Basic Night Sky Magic] ← New
[Performance Lv3]
[Cooking Lv4]
[Crafting Lv1]
[Sewing Lv1]
[Swordsmanship Lv7] ← Rank Up
[Archery Lv1]
[Martial Arts Lv1] ← New
[Hunter Knowledge Lv1]
[Scholar Knowledge Lv1]
[Thief Knowledge Lv1]
[Swordsman Knowledge Lv5] ← Rank Up
[Warrior Knowledge Lv8] ← Rank Up
[Mercenary Knowledge Lv2]
[Dancer Knowledge Lv5] ← Rank Up
[Saint Knowledge Lv2] ← New
[Brutal Fist Knowledge Lv1] ← New
[Magic Knowledge Lv2] ← New
[Star Arts Knowledge Lv1] ← New
[Fusion-compatible Skills Detected]
[Execute Fusion?]
—————–
“Something popped up…” (Shizuma)
“What? What is it? A bug? I thought I scattered bug repellent!” (Melt)
“Oh, no, no, just talking to myself.” (Shizuma)
“Ah, okay. You’re thinking about something then? I’ll go get the cooking tools ready.” (Melt)
“Yeah, please.” (Shizuma)
So this must be some kind of function to merge excessive skills. The resulting effects might change… but curiosity wins.
I select [Execute] on the unfamiliar option displayed in my menu…and then…
[Divine Eye]
[Basic Universal Magic]
[Warrior’s High]
[Gourmet Linker]
Several passive skills from different jobs merged, forming new skills I have never seen before.
Was this caused by the world itself? Or perhaps, since all my in-game data was imported, it triggered some unimplemented mechanic?
Maybe the Dungeon Core added this function to my menu.
It did say something like “Detected boostable program” before… Probably related.
—————–
[Divine Eye] (Appraisal Eye + Divine Guidance)
Allows reading detailed information of people and objects.
Also provides precise mapping of surrounding terrain.
Reveals multiple new weak points on enemies.
[Basic Universal Magic] (Basic Enchantment + Basic Attack + Basic Healing + Basic Night Sky Magic)
Allows use of magic from all elemental categories at a basic level.
[Warrior’s High] (High-Speed Movement + Throwing + Rhythm Step)
All physical actions accelerate and bodily abilities are enhanced in response to fighting intent.
[Gourmet Linker] (Gourmet + Survival Instinct)
Eating grants a 6-hour regeneration effect and removes stamina consumption.
Also allows revival from the brink of death once every 10 minutes as long as not hungry.
Downside: must eat at least 1 kilogram per meal.
—————–
“Amazing… There’s a few drawbacks, but…” (Shizuma)
Some of the effects were subtly stronger than before fusion.
The weak-point detection from [Divine Eye] is huge.
And I didn’t expect [Gourmet] and [Survival Instinct] to fuse.
So now, even I -not just Shilent- can nullify death once every ten minutes, huh?
…It says I have to eat at least a kilogram, but I feel like I could bulk it up with water.
“Alright, done! Melt, what do you want for dinner? I brought plenty of ingredients.” (Shizuma)
“Eh! Then I want that thing! The one you mentioned before during camping… The dish that kids and adults in Shizuma’s country both love!” (Melt)
Ah, she means curry. Melt got interested when I told her that story by the campfire.
Yeah… I couldn’t help reminiscing about the curry we made back in outdoor school.
There are rice-like grains in this world, though apparently rare.
So this time, we’ll eat it with bread instead.
“Alright then, time to mix the spices.” (Shizuma)
Luckily, I bought plenty of local spices back when I was with Seira.
I can recreate curry powder easily with those.
Thanks to [Cooking Lv4], I know exactly what’s needed.
Still…let’s make it fun.
“Melt, do you have something like a mortar and pestle? For grinding herbs?” (Shizuma)
“Yep! There’s also the thing that goes ‘grind grind’ in Grandma’s room. I’ll go get it.” (Melt)
She brought back something that looked just like a yagen, a traditional herbal grinder…heavy enough to thud on the table.
“You’re grinding something into powder, right? Want me to do it?” (Melt)
“Yeah, you’re probably better at that. I’ll leave it to you.” (Shizuma)
This time, I decided to have her help me cook.
I laid out the whole spices for curry in front of her… 19 varieties in total.
“Wow, that’s a lot! Are we making medicine?” (Melt)
“Haha, no, with this blend we’ll make a delicious ingredient… Spices.” (Shizuma)
“Really! Oh, I recognize this leaf. Some of these are used in alchemy! And that’s chili! The rest look like dried fruits, seeds, and herbs!” (Melt)
“It’ll be a bit of work, but I’m counting on you.” (Shizuma)
I prepped the other ingredients while she worked.
This time it’s not roux-style European curry, but vegetable-broth Indian curry.
Amazing… Steps just pop into my head. The power of [Cooking Lv4]!
—————–
The finished Indian curry.
We used beef, so it’d be blasphemous for an Indian, but still.
“This is…dangerous. It’s definitely a dish that leads people astray… Even when grinding, the aroma was incredible…but when you roasted that powder…the smell was divine!” (Melt)
“Right? It’s good, isn’t it?” (Shizuma)
“It’s too good! How could people from your world come up with such a flavor blend!? They must’ve been genius alchemists!” (Melt)
“……”
Even I have to admit it’s delicious.
Even with plain round bread, it’s more than enough.
Melt kept dipping bread after bread, while Lent silently kept eating without pause.
So she does eat normally, huh. Maybe she handles basic biological needs on her own judgment.
“That yellow powder…I’m sure it’d sell for a high price! Should we take it to the Alchemy Guild? Or maybe the Chef Guild?” (Melt)
“Probably the Chef Guild. Next time, I’ll go in Seira’s form and bring it in. Maybe I’ll get info about rice too.” (Shizuma)
“Rice… You mean pasta grains? Hope you find where they’re grown.” (Melt)
Time passed peacefully, filled with laughter.
If this house can gain one more happy memory today, that’d be enough for me.
—————–
After dinner, we talked about sleeping arrangements once we cleaned up and put everything away.
“I’ll sleep with Lent-chan tonight, okay?” (Melt)
“Please do.” (Shizuma)
“…”
“…Lent, can you sleep with Melt tonight?” (Shizuma)
For some reason, Lent walked toward me the moment the topic came up.
Maybe it’s a kind of programmed loyalty to my Shizuma form.
When I asked, she reluctantly moved to Melt’s side.
“Shizuma, what about you? Grandma’s room is far from mine… Won’t you get scared?” (Melt)
“I’m not a kid, you know. I’ll be fine. I’m older than you, remember?” (Shizuma)
“Eeeeh?” (Melt)
I’m taller too, for crying out loud!
Am I really that baby-faced?
—————–
The next morning, I woke up to the smell of something nice wafting from outside the room.
When I got ready and stepped out…
“Good morning, Shizuma! I’ll make breakfast today.” (Melt)
“Morning. Smells great! What are you cooking?” (Shizuma)
“The mushrooms we picked in the forest yesterday…grilled and mixed with pasta! I’ve been practicing cooking too, you know? I can even boil dried pasta properly and match mushrooms with it!” (Melt)
“Ooh, not bad, Melt.” (Shizuma)
What she served looked like a mushroom pasta reminiscent of peperoncino.
Large, thick mushrooms sliced and grilled golden-brown, giving off an aromatic scent I have never smelled before.
“Mmh! Delicious… Melt, these mushrooms are amazing. They go perfectly with pasta.” (Shizuma)
“Right? Maybe there’s an even better way to cook them… You’ll try something next time, right?” (Melt)
“Of course.” (Shizuma)
[Red Porcini Mushroom]
A highly prized edible mushroom worth ten times more than regular porcini.
Cooking enhances its texture and releases its rich aroma and unique flavor.
Best suited for soups or low-moisture dishes.
I instinctively activated [Divine Eye].
Since I’ll switch back to Seimu’s form when returning to Lindblum, I might as well gather info now.
Still, this thing’s pricey…
“Melt, Melt, we should gather as many of these mushrooms as we can on the way back.” (Shizuma)
“Good idea. They don’t sell this in Lindblum, you know. Each forest has its own species.” (Melt)
—————–
After breakfast, Melt and I left the house again.
Once we checked on the village, we’d be leaving the forest altogether…so she probably realized she wouldn’t be coming back here for a while.
She stopped at the entrance and looked slowly around the house.
“The last time I left this place, I had to rush out. It feels strange seeing it calmly like this. I stuffed my things in a hurry, cast a protection spell, and ran through the forest…terrified the Dungeon Master might return midway.” (Melt)
“I see. So you didn’t even get to say goodbye back then.” (Shizuma)
“Yeah. So this time…I’ll say it properly.” (Melt)
She smiled brightly, and then…
Facing the empty house, she shouted with all her might:
“I’m off!” (Melt)
Leaving those words behind, we stepped out into the world once again.
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