Chapter 46.2

As for how the three men were fighting, it was just as Haruki had expected.

The man with the great sword would lure the house centipedes in, while the two men with the bows would unleash their arrows from behind.

If things went well, it was a pretty stable formation.

The formation and strategy were all textbooks stuff, but they were trying to do it in their own way as well.

And he could see the fruits of their efforts.

However, that just wasn’t enough to overwhelm the house centipedes.

The guy with the greatsword couldn’t continue to lure them.

And that meant the two archers couldn’t target it.

And the result…

The house centipede ended up moving around freely, and all three of the Adventurers had their equipment scratched.

“Ahhh!”

“Ahhhh!”

“Ahh!”

“…Yeah.”

Haruki couldn’t watch.

He didn’t feel like spectating while these men gradually showed more and more skin.

If they continued to fight like this, they would start to grow slowly.

And so for a little while longer, they would just have to bear being stripped by the house centipedes…

Haruki cheered them on in his heart and then left the dungeon.

＊

As soon as Karen arrived, Haruki started to prepare to make breakfast.

He baked the dough he had prepared and then took out the jam he had made.

Then he put them on the table.

“Let’s eat!”

They put their hands together in thanks to the lives they were about to consume.

He put ample jam on the bread and stuffed it into his mouth.

The bread was fragrant and the exquisite scent of the green melon went up his nostrils.

Then the strong sweetness spread throughout his mouth.

“It’s so good!!”

The jam had turned out amazing.

Even Karen seemed quite impressed with it.

Tears fell from her eyes as she hiccuped. Still, she continued to fill her cheeks with bread.

It did not take long for the bread and jam to disappear from the table.

When the jam was gone, Haruki put the sherbert on the table. He had taken it out of the freezer right before they started eating.

It had also turned out amazing.

The texture of the frozen juices and the sweetness that had already started to melt, spread in your mouth in an instant.

And the rich, orange flesh smelled wonderful.

“…Ahhhh!”

Karen shoveled sherbert down her throat so fast that she ended up holding her head and moaning.

Eating something cold that fast could make your head hurt.

She should pace herself better.

Haruki wanted to tell her this, but he was too preoccupied with moving his own spoon.

Both of them suffered temporary headaches, but they finished their melon sherbert all the same.

“Ahh. We sure ate a lot.”

“Yes…”

Haruki rubbed his stomach and sighed in ecstasy.

As for Karen, she had a forlorn expression as she looked at the thin melon peel, which she had scraped to the absolute limit.

He would make some more for her.

As long as she would stop licking the spoon like that.

“We must hunt melons all day today!”

“No…”

Karen was a lot more enthusiastic than he was anticipating.

Did she want to eat more jam and sherbert?

Or was it that she already finished her share of the melon?

“…”

As he stared silently at Karen, she averted her eyes uncomfortably.

It seemed like it was the latter.

Once they were finished cleaning up, they decided to head to the prefab.

He would sell the materials they had acquired yesterday, and ask Akane to appraise the items.

“First, about the fangs from the 5th floor’s boss, it’s a Silver Wolf fang in a different size. As for this stone, congratulations, it’s a magic tool.”

“Ohh!”

As it had looked like an ordinary stone, Haruki had not been expecting anything.

And so he was all the more surprised.

“So, what kind of magic tool is it?”

“It’s a heat stone that emits heat when you hit it. You can adjust how strong it is depending on how you hit it. With a single one of this size, a single household could use it for about a year.”

A stone you could use for a cooking fire.

That seemed quite useful, but it only lasted for one year…

“That’s not impressive at all.”

“Why do you say that? A fire that you can use for an entire year is nothing to sneeze at. You can cook as much as you want.”

When she said it like that, Haruki felt that she was right.

Haruki sniffed.

“That being said, it’s not exactly rare either. While they are quite a bit smaller, there are dungeons where these things can be mined. One of the more famous ones would be Nakasatsunai. By the way, these things are actually more commonly used at weapon workshops, and not kitchens. They’re useful when making and repairing weapons. They go for 10,000 yen per kilogram. Do you want to sell it?”

“No. I’ll use it myself.”

As it wasn’t rare, he didn’t see the point in passing it on to someone else.

As Haruki liked to cook, it made more sense to just use it himself.

He would ask about how to use it later.

“And these vines from the 6th floor. That’s 10,000 yen per meter.”

“Huh? For that!?”

No matter how he looked at it, it was just a normal vine.

If it went for 10,000 yen per meter, that meant the whole coil would be 200,000 to 300,000 yen.

“What is that even used for?”

“For bows. It’s very durable. So it can be used for really strong weapons.”

“I see.”

Bows were one of the more popular weapons.

If it could be used for middle-class weapons too, then it was no surprise that it could cost so much.

“Now, the 7th floor. The large crest is the same as the normal ones.”

“Right.”

“And this feather necklace… Well, first of all, I’m surprised you just put it on immediately.”

“Uh, is there a problem with it?”

“No, thankfully. But what would you have done if it was cursed?”

“…But, it doesn’t really look like it would be cursed, does it?”

“All I’m saying is that you should be more careful.”

Akane sighed with exasperation.

Are you stupid?

She might as well have been asking that out loud.

“But I wasn’t cursed. So I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“Ah, yes, yes. Of course, of course. So, as for what it does, I think it raises your agility a little?”

“Ohhh. That’s a good one.”

“But it’s uncertain just how much it raises it. If you really want to know, I could have it sent to someone who can do a more detailed check?”

“No, that’s fine. It would be better to find out while I’m fighting.”

Then he sold all of the monster materials together.

Once all of the money was sent to the IC cards, Akane, who had been quiet up until then, smiled mischievously.

“Now, it’s my turn!”

“…Hey, Karen. Let’s go hunting.”

“Wait. Hey, I said wait! Listen to what I have to tell you!!”

Haruki only needed to pretend to leave the prefab to make Akane burst into tears.

While she was the enemy, he pitied her…