"Quick, Marcille, it's going to get cold~"
"How could I possibly eat something like this!"
...
The Elf's ears twitched twice and perked up, her entire expression brightening considerably as she looked incredulously at the white, tender meat peeled from under the giant scorpion's carapace.
"How can it be this delicious!"
"Ha! I told you, the book said the taste of giant scorpion is very similar to crab!"
...Crab?
Ryu's plate held half a "scorpion pincer." The meat inside had automatically shrunk after boiling, arranged tightly like small fruits. A gentle touch caused them to fall off, emitting a tempting sheen, and the taste was extremely savory.
When chewing, juices flowed along the gaps filling the entire mouth, slightly scalding but not viscous or thick, appearing refreshing and silky, just like a mini version of soup dumplings.
But this was definitely not the taste of crab!
Or perhaps, the crabs in this world are different from what Ryu remembers?
While enjoying the monster stew and drinking tea brewed from antidote herbs, Ryu silently observed the adventurer party before him—the so-called "protagonist group."
The "So Good" Elf is Marcille, a mixed-blood half-elf with high magical talent, hailing from a proper academic background as an honor student.
The human warrior who looks blank-faced and seems like he doesn't think much is actually a guy with inner brilliance. He lacks neither the experience to explore the Dungeon nor the courage to protect his companions. What's even more valuable is that he possesses creative thinking—his brain circuitry is as quirky as Satou Kazuma's.
This guy is named "Laios Touden." Generally speaking, he is a very nice person, but he has an affection and obsession for monsters that exceeds common sense, even to the point where he wishes he could become a monster himself... Since he can't do that, he settles for the next best thing: tasting them.
The remaining one, who looks baby-faced but is effectively a middle-aged uncle, is the halfling "Chilchuck." He excels at puzzle-solving, scouting, and disarming traps—essentially the thief class in games. He often wears a sour face, but he is actually quite responsible and counts as a reliable adult.
—In the short half-hour since meeting them, Ryu had completely matched their actual appearances with the animated descriptions in his memory.
There were no discrepancies; it appeared to be the "normal timeline," with no drastic alterations or misrepresentations!
Since that was the case, the contingency plan he had formulated based on the original plot and characters could be executed without concern!
This is the Dungeon's 1st Floor, corresponding to the first episode of the story:
The protagonist squad was no match for the Red Dragon. Laios's sister, "Falin," teleported everyone out of the Dungeon but was eaten by the Red Dragon herself. Following this, the team experienced a crisis of disbandment, leading to a sharp reduction in combat power.
Laios and the Elf mage wanted to save his sister, but they lacked supplies and equipment; entering the Dungeon in this state was suicide.
Out of utter helplessness (and impatience), Laios decided to use monsters as a substitute for dry rations along the way, eating his way down to the lower levels of the Dungeon!
Logically speaking, it would be impossible for them to succeed, but because they met the professional monster chef Senshi, they unexpectedly received powerful logistical support and actually completed this expedition!
—Having sorted out the current situation, Ryu swallowed the last mouthful of food, wiped his mouth, and smiled leisurely.
"It's a pity..."
"Hmm?"
Laios, holding his bowl, looked over. He had few friends and particularly loved exotic cultures, so he had been paying attention to Ryu, wanting to chat more to bridge the distance. Now, he finally had the chance.
"What's a pity? This giant scorpion is made very deliciously."
"No, I wasn't talking about that."
Ryu put down his utensils, his face carrying a trace of empathetic melancholy.
"Listening to your encounter, it seems you met disaster on the 6th Floor, right? Actually, Mr. Senshi and I were on the 4th Floor two days ago. If we hadn't chosen to turn back then but instead continued deeper, perhaps we could have met you, and you wouldn't have failed due to poor condition."
"Laios... your sister's situation is very tragic. Choosing to sacrifice herself to save her partners—she must be a very gentle woman. Please don't be too depressed; in order to save her, you must pull yourself together!"
"..."
Marcille and Chilchuck fell silent upon hearing this, likely remembering Falin's appearance, and their moods dipped low.
Laios, the blood relative, merely felt sentimental for a split second, appearing as if he wasn't that sad at all, not forgetting to shovel meat into his mouth.
He glanced around blankly, finding the atmosphere a bit odd, and suddenly realized his companions were grieving for Falin. He immediately became anxious.
No! As the leader, I have to encourage everyone!
Right, at a time like this, I should say something happy—
"It is indeed regrettable, but to be honest, if Falin hadn't had that accident, Marcille, you guys wouldn't have hardened your hearts to try monster cuisine, right? You would have missed this delicious meal. In other words... it is precisely because Falin isn't here that we can have this wonderful experience, isn't it?"
"!"
At these words, the whole table was shocked!
"Are you... serious?" Marcille's eyes lost their light, looking at Laios like a female ghost. "Falin is gone, and you're actually happy?"
The halfling uncle looked in disbelief: "You brat..."
"...Eh?" Laios only then realized his words were ambiguous and hurriedly explained, "No, no, I meant if..."
—How did this guy grow so big without being beaten to death?
Ryu's eyebrow twitched. Although he was prepared, Laios's insensitive remark still shocked him a little.
As someone who received a good education and was raised as a "leader," Ryu really found it hard to understand how someone could speak so thoughtlessly~
But a guy with no schemes like this couldn't possibly backstab you; he was actually a good candidate for a teammate.
"By the way, if you want to save Falin, you must kill the Red Dragon, right?"
Ryu spoke up in time to bail Laios out. "To ensure the integrity of the corpse, time must be of the essence... two or three days?"
"No, the Red Dragon is a monster with strong territorial awareness but is very lazy."
Speaking of this, Laios instantly became serious, looking like a different person from his silly appearance before: "Because of its large size, it must reduce daily physical exertion, so the Red Dragon doesn't like to move much and spends most of its time sleeping. During this time, the speed of digesting food will also slow down... there is still time!"
"Correct!" Marcille was also full of confidence, or rather, her attitude was extremely resolute. "We will definitely be able to save Falin!"
Being eaten whole by a dragon and still being savable?
This sounded a bit like a fantasy, but in the Dungeon, it was indeed achievable.
Because this world possesses "resurrection magic," which can allow the dead to regain new life!
According to common sense, resurrection magic has a massive number of restrictions. Using it requires satisfying too many preconditions, making it basically impossible under normal circumstances.
But this "Dungeon" is an extremely special environment that prevents the deceased from escaping, thereby indirectly binding the soul to the corpse until the corpse is severely damaged and can no longer serve as a vessel.
This greatly reduces the difficulty of resurrection magic. Coupled with the high concentration of magic power within the Dungeon itself and the construction of some unique "rules," precious miracles have become easily obtainable items here.
The adventurers currently gathered on the island have almost all been resurrected; it's not rare at all!
And this magic was also the "local specialty" Ryu wanted to obtain the most!
"With your current lineup, it's a bit difficult." Ryu sized them up, pondering. "Going down to the 6th Floor in one go requires supplies that cannot be offset solely by monsters. Moreover, we must consider the issue of combat power... You only have half your people left now, right?"
"That's right..."
Marcille said angrily, "Those heartless guys!"
"A full squad of six people, now left with three; defeating the Red Dragon is almost impossible." Ryu was very pessimistic about their chances.
"But even so, I must go," Laios said with a low but firm tone. "Because Falin is waiting for me!"
"...In that case, I actually have an idea."
Ryu glanced at Senshi, and the dwarf happened to look up as well.
"Is Mr. Senshi of the same mind?"
"Hmm, I am very interested in the Red Dragon."
Senshi said with expectation, "Red Dragon... that is the top-tier monster in the Dungeon. There's no way I could hunt it alone, so I haven't tried its taste yet."
"Mm-hmm."
Ryu nodded and turned back. "So, how about we cooperate?"
"...Eh? You guys can help?!"
Marcille and Chilchuck realized a turning point had appeared and stood up excitedly. "But we don't have money to hire you right now!"
"Don't worry about money. Mr. Senshi isn't interested in those things, and I... accept other forms of payment."
"Other forms?"
"Exactly. For example..." Ryu looked straight at the blonde Elf.
"Me?"
Marcille pointed at herself, tilting her head adorably, unable to understand Ryu's meaning.
Chilchuck's expression became subtle, and he took a half-step in front of the Elf as if to protect her, though given the height difference, it didn't really have much effect.
However, Ryu's next words made the halfling breathe a sigh of relief:
"I am very interested in magic, but I hear it is hard to learn. If I could have an Elf teach me, I should be able to grasp the basics very quickly~"
Learn magic?
There was no sectarian bias in this world. Marcille had no objection to this; if she could gain assistance essentially for free, that would be best.
But out of academic seriousness, she still said to Ryu very earnestly, "Magic isn't something that can be learned overnight. I might not have much time to teach you on the road... only after we rescue Falin. If you can accept deferred payment, I have no objections. Whatever magic it is, it's fine."
"That's good, contract sealed." Ryu secretly rejoiced. "Please take care of me, Professor Marcille."
"Okay!"
The Elf happily shook hands with the youth. Originally, she had felt a bit guarded because this person appeared suddenly and inexplicably shared a kindred spirit with Laios, but now it seemed he wasn't a bad person!
"Then there's no time to lose. If everyone is rested, let's set off now."
Ryu was simply more proactive than Laios. "None of us are novices. Although I am new here, I have already been to the underground 4th Floor. On the road, we will strictly observe discipline and rest schedules, aiming to reach the 6th Floor within four days!"
"Four days!"
"If it could be even shorter, that would be better."
"Isn't that too fast?"
Chilchuck spoke up in opposition. "Underestimating the Dungeon will lead to suffering. If we die now, there's no one to resurrect us! And we don't have the money to pay others for resurrection fees!"
When he said this, he subconsciously ignored Marcille, because in the past, the one responsible for resurrection and healing was Laios's sister, while Marcille gave the impression of not being good at these things.
—But in reality, Marcille was hiding her light under a bushel.
"It's just a goal; of course, it depends on the specific situation. I won't force everyone to break through recklessly. No matter which floor we are on, if you object, we will stop to reorganize."
Ryu looked straight at the blonde Elf.
Ryu smiled faintly: "I just have a lot of confidence in this team."
"You say it so lightly... forget it." Chilchuck rubbed his chin. "Anyway, let's get this straight first: if any of you blindly go to your deaths, I won't follow."
"Of course."
Laios looked left and right, then bowed his head vigorously. "No matter what, thank you! Once we rescue Falin, I will treat everyone to a huge feast!"
"Don't say that; Falin is my best friend too."
"Haha! Don't mind it; helping others is the foundation of happiness! Forget the feast; I only look forward to seeing what kind of dish that Red Dragon can be made into~"
"Ryu... even though we just met, you are my good friend from now on!"
Laios revealed an expression like a puppy capable of wagging its tail, looking so eager he wished he could stick to Ryu's side, causing Chilchuck next to him to roll his eyes.
'Eh... why do I feel like this team has changed leaders?'
The halfling glanced at Ryu thoughtfully but ultimately decided not to comment.
This squad was already at the end of its rope; even a scammer wouldn't waste effort on such a team. If he were cruel enough to eat monsters just to cheat Laios out of a few coins... that would be too dedicated!
Let's tentatively assume this man is the type born with leadership charisma.
"Alright, let's set off now!"
Laios cheered up, hung his sword back at his waist, and reached out to pull Ryu up.
"On this journey, we'll have to entrust our backs to each other!"
Who would have thought that such a seemingly ordinary man would eventually achieve great things—Ryu followed behind Laios, filled with emotion.
He had his own plan. To farm a massive amount of gold coins, he had to change the fate of Laios's squad at "that point in time."
Moreover, although Laios and the others encountered the Red Dragon on the 6th Floor, that monster had actually already gone to the 5th Floor. If they could rush to the 5th Floor quickly and achieve the goal ahead of schedule, the time saved would be enough for him to do another thing. As long as he succeeded, he could completely reverse the direction of the story!
So he did have ulterior motives regarding Laios and the others; Chilchuck's hunch was not wrong.
But leaving personal gain aside, he had no intention of harming these people; for them, it was even a good thing.
And from another perspective, he personally admired Laios very much—certainly not because of those quirky brain circuits.
Laios, a man with very ordinary combat talent but a very active mind.
Born into a Magistrate's (village level) family in a remote area, he had a relatively happy childhood, but his relationship with his father wasn't very good after growing up.
After encountering misfortune, the first thing he did upon waking up was to regroup. In a desperate situation, he resolutely launched an expedition into the deepest darkness, overcoming layers of difficulties along the way—not just various aberrant monsters, but even the temptation of the "Interdimensional Demon that devours desires."
But he still restrained his desires, successfully defeated the Demon's chosen one—the Lord of the Dungeon—and ultimately, with the help of the Elf special forces, completed this expedition, saved a country on the verge of destruction, and became the one who governs!
Ryu really liked this kind of adventure story where an ordinary person achieves great things. It sounded so exciting... wait... uh, why does this feel like déjà vu?
Shaking his head to drive the distracting thoughts completely away, the youth steadied his mind and fell back two steps to come to Marcille's side.
"Do you have time now?"
"Eh, you want to learn right now?"
Marcille blinked. "The 1st Floor indeed doesn't have much danger, but in this environment, I don't think you can learn anything."
"Just give it a try; I'm very idle anyway."
"That's fine, I suppose..."
As an Elf girl researching forbidden powers and racing against "death," Marcille wasn't that rigid in her ways. She didn't require Ryu to perform any rituals or swear any oaths; she simply handed a grimoire to him directly.
"Anyway, let's first learn how to read a grimoire. The script and grammar are different from the Common Tongue... What are you doing?"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Ryu flipped through the pages rapidly, "reading" it from cover to cover under Marcille's puzzled gaze.
—The left eye's "eyepatch" had already recorded all the content.
"Nothing," Ryu closed the book and smiled faintly at the Elf. "This is more efficient for me... Alright, please tell me the translation formula. The computer—my brain—is already prepared to crack it."
"Formula? Crack?"
Marcille scratched her head. "This isn't an arithmetic problem!"
________________________________________
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