After wandering through the third floor for a while, I decided to pitch my tent near a thicket of cranberries.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a spot with the kind of mystical view like the underground lake in the caves of the second floor.
“Well, having this magnificent night sky all to myself is a luxury, too.”
The night sky, dyed a deep indigo with nothing obstructing it, was breathtakingly beautiful, as if it might pull you in.
No matter how long I stared, it never felt tiresome.
The stars twinkling across the vast heavens formed no constellations I recognized, and the sight of two moons hanging in the sky still felt a little surreal—but beauty is beauty.
Thanks to the magical barrier around the tent, no beasts could approach, allowing me to enjoy stargazing at my leisure.
There’s a certain joy in munching on grilled horn rabbit skewers while sipping lemon sours I purchased from the summoning magic online convenience shop.
Since I couldn’t get a reclining chair from the summoning magic store, I hung up a hammock I bought at a 100-yen shop, relaxing as I gazed at the night sky.
Perhaps because it’s inside a dungeon, there were no insect sounds, making it eerily quiet.
Occasionally, a wolf’s howl pierced the silence, but overall, it was far more tranquil than my apartment in Japan.
“Dungeons aren’t so bad…”
I murmured to myself.
Each floor offered different landscapes to enjoy, and hunting monsters periodically earned points, ensuring I never had to worry about food.
Although my level hadn’t risen much, my skill levels in the four elemental magics had improved considerably, especially my proficiency in fire magic.
(Probably because I overused fire magic in the cave area. On this floor, burning grass is risky, so I should focus on leveling water and wind magic instead.)
Earth magic also seemed more compatible with the cave environment, so I planned to combine it with fire magic for some explosive fun in those areas.
The gentle swaying of the hammock was so soothing that getting up to return to the tent felt like too much trouble.
Perhaps I’d had one too many lemon sours, enjoying the rare treat a bit too enthusiastically.
Letting myself sink into the pleasant buzz, I pulled a blanket from my item box and wrapped it around myself before falling asleep right there in the hammock.
The cheerful chirping of adorable birds woke me up in the morning, their calls clear and lively. Chirp chirp cheep cheep, piyo piyo. Then, a loud, discordant “Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
(…Yeah, that last scream. Really?)
Mixed in with the melodious bird songs, the grating croak of a raspy voice worked as an impromptu alarm, forcing me to reluctantly sit up. The hammock swayed with my movements.
I groggily lifted myself and scanned the surroundings, sighing at the pre-dawn hues of the sky.
“Well, I’m getting used to going to bed and waking up early. No chance of falling back asleep, so I might as well get up.”
Climbing out of the hammock, I quickly changed inside the tent. The alcohol seemed to have fully left my system, and I felt pretty good.
As I stepped outside, that raspy voice echoed again. “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” Could it be a rooster-like monster?
Annoyed at having my peaceful rest disturbed, I decided to hunt down the source of the noise. Maybe I’d secure some fresh meat for breakfast while I was at it.
“Wow, I didn’t expect it to be a rare variant of the Cocco Bird that I’m always so grateful to!”
The enormous Cocco Bird, so large it could easily be mistaken for the floor boss, was identified via appraisal as a Giant Cocco (subspecies). The appraisal also noted it was exceptionally delicious, so I had no hesitation in taking it down.
When I hit it with a slightly larger-than-usual fireball, it promptly transformed into drops.
“Big meat is always welcome. Two drumsticks, wings, thighs, breast meat… and then there’s a magic stone the size of an egg and feathers?”
Since the Giant Cocco itself was about the size of a small van, the meat it dropped was also massive. One drumstick alone was as big as an armful. The thought of how much food this would provide filled me with excitement.
The massive magic stone was so large I almost mistook it for an egg; it looked like it would fetch a lot of points. As for the feathers, I couldn’t think of a use for them, so I decided to convert those to points as well. Maybe if I gathered enough, I could make a feather duvet, but for now, they weren’t necessary.
Humming happily, I stored the heap of meat in my item box. With this much, I’d be enjoying delicious chicken for quite some time.
For breakfast, I decided to use some of the breast meat.
I sliced it thinly for easy eating, seasoned it with salt, pepper, and garlic, then coated it in potato starch and dipped it in beaten egg. After that, I simply fried it in a pan with olive oil.
I like the skin to be golden-brown and crispy, so I pressed it down firmly with a spatula as it cooked.
“All right, done. Giant Cocco Piccata with butter-sautéed vegetables on the side.”
The vibrant vegetables added a nice touch, making the dish both visually appealing and appetizing.
For the vegetable side, I quickly sautéed onions, broccoli, and cherry tomatoes in butter and soy sauce. Even though it was a simple preparation, food outdoors always seems to taste better.
Since it turned out so well, I snapped a picture with my smartphone and shared it on Hero Message. Only after sending it did I realize it was still early morning, but they were in dungeon boot camp too, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
“Let’s dig in!”
I clasped my hands together in thanks and took a bite.
The crispy chicken skin was so delicious it made me narrow my eyes in delight. The breast meat, which is prone to drying out, was tender and juicy thanks to the egg coating.
The simple seasoning of salt, pepper, and garlic was perfect, but I thought adding some grated Parmesan could be a nice variation.
The butter-soy sauce vegetables were hearty and satisfying, and I considered that making a sandwich with the piccata might be a good idea.
Once I finished everything, I washed it down with a cold glass of orange juice.
“Yep. Giant Cocco is incredibly delicious. If I find another one, I’m definitely hunting it down.”
If the breast meat was this good, I could hardly wait to enjoy the drumsticks as roasted chicken, karaage, or fried chicken.
Although I didn’t come across another rare subspecies of the Giant Cocco, I did manage to hunt a decent number of regular Cocco Birds.
I also took down a herd of Horn Rabbits, so I shouldn’t have to worry about chicken or rabbit meat for a while.
I converted all the drop items from wolves, foxes, and other beasts into points and eagerly headed to the third floor.
Placing my hand on the solitary teleport door standing in the grassland, I transferred to the fourth floor.
“Huh? Ruins…?”
I’d assumed the next area would be more forest or grasslands, but the sight that greeted me was completely unexpected.
Dry earth and partially buried cobblestones, reddish-brown earthen walls—brick, perhaps? I could see the ruins of man-made structures.
The roofs had collapsed, leaving only the walls, many of which were half-buried in creeping vines.
“Kind of like ancient Roman ruins, maybe?”
I’d read somewhere that the absence of constructed walkways suggested the presence of a developed water and sewage system.
There were traces of what looked like bathhouses and theaters, which were fascinating. I tried appraising the area but could only identify it as dungeon ruins.
Exploring with a sense of curiosity, I was soon confronted by a group of goblins.
While it was disappointing they didn’t drop meat, they made good practice for leveling up my fire magic.
In the ruins of the fourth floor, aside from goblins, there were only kobolds and hobgoblins. After mapping out the area with auto-mapping, I decided to head deeper.
Near the teleport door sat a Hobkobold, a higher-tier variant. After defeating it with fire magic, I was surprised to see a treasure chest appear.
“Yes! Finally, a proper weapon!”
Inside was a simple wooden short bow resembling a Japanese yumi. There were no arrows, but appraisal revealed it to be a magical item that could fire invisible magic arrows when infused with mana.
“As long as I have mana, I can shoot unlimited arrows. This is great.”
Not having to worry about running out of arrows was a relief, and since the magic arrows changed depending on the attribute of the infused mana, it seemed perfect for leveling up all my magic skills.
“Dungeon treasure chests are the best.”
From now on, I resolved to hunt not only for delicious monster meat but also for more treasure chests.
