I guided the hero to the front of my crafting room.
“Wait here for a moment. This room is for my personal use. I’d prefer if outsiders didn’t enter.”
“Ah, got it.”
The hero seemed restless, like he really wanted to come in.
Well, heroes are the type who barge into people’s homes and loot freely, justifying it as part of their duty.
The thought of a place they’re not allowed to enter must make them uneasy.
Still, my crafting room is filled with various materials that I’d rather not show others.
If something were stolen, it would be a big problem.
I stepped into the crafting room and got to work using the furnace. I began by grilling some fish I had stored and then crafted bread from wheat while I waited.
Might as well craft some blueberry juice while I’m at it. He’ll want more than just solid food.
I sliced the freshly crafted bread, sandwiched the grilled fish, and finished the creation: a fish burger.
Hopefully, the hero likes it.
“Here you go, hero.”
I handed him the fish burger and blueberry juice.
The hero sniffed at the food I handed him.
“This doesn’t have poison in it, does it?”
It seems he was a little worried about food prepared out of his sight.
“Relax. I’m not that underhanded. If you’re that worried, I’ll taste-test it for you.”
“No, you don’t need to do that. It would reduce the amount.”
Oh, he cares about that? For someone so mighty, the hero is surprisingly stingy.
“Besides, I can use anti-poison magic. I wouldn’t die from something like poison.”
That’s right. This guy learned detox magic pretty early on in his journey.
The hero took a bite of the fish burger. Slowly chewing, he looked over at me.
Ten seconds of chewing later, his eyes widened, and he grabbed me by the shoulders.
“Whoa, hey! What are you doing all of a sudden?”
Facing someone much stronger than me, I couldn’t help but tense up. My heart pounded as sweat formed on my palms.
“This is amazing! What is this?! This is the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten!”
The hero took another big bite of the fish burger.
Was it really that good?
“You… you’re a genius! To think you could make something this delicious!”
Next, the hero gulped down the blueberry juice, then grabbed my shoulders again.
“H-Hey! This is incredible! It’s perfectly refreshing and sweet!”
For someone so powerful, his vocabulary is pretty limited. Still, I’m glad he enjoyed it.
“Alright, I’ve decided. I’m making this dungeon my second home!”
“…Huh?”
What is he talking about now? This is my living space, you know.
“There are plenty of other dungeons out there. Taking down other bosses would be enough to make a name for myself. No need to kill someone who can make such great food without opposing humans.”
I had successfully won over the hero.
With that, the threat to my life was gone. What a relief.
“Well, I’ve got no other reason to be here, so I’ll be on my way. But if I’m ever in the area again, I might drop by.”
“Alright. Take care.”
The hero bid farewell and left the dungeon.
Once his figure disappeared, I couldn’t help but leap for joy.
“Y-YESSS!!”
I was ecstatic! Could anything feel better than this?
The hero—my one major threat to survival—spared me.
In the game, Evil Ham is fated to fall to the hero. It’s an unavoidable event.
But I did it. As the weakest boss, I managed to escape the hero’s wrath.
With my future now secure, all that’s left is to live a peaceful life.
After the hero left, I touched the dungeon’s crystal out of curiosity.
“Huh… What?”
My dungeon points (DP) had increased by over 10,000. What’s going on?
All I did was feed the hero and send him on his way…
Could it be that defeating—or, rather, pacifying—a hero brings in massive DP?
Or maybe it’s because he’s such a powerful being that even feeding him counts as a huge accomplishment?
DP is earned when dungeon inhabitants are satisfied or enemies are defeated.
Maybe the hero, while in the dungeon, was counted as a resident, and feeding him triggered satisfaction points?
“No way… If only the hero had stayed longer.”
The hero was so efficient at generating DP that I found myself wishing he’d stayed.
Still, having a being so powerful and independent hanging around is risky.
While I wanted him gone earlier, I now wouldn’t mind if he came back.
Wait a second… That’s it.
If feeding a hero generates so much DP, then gathering strong adventurers here and offering them meals might be a good way to farm DP.
If my theory about stronger individuals generating more DP holds, I could attract adventurers—not as strong as the hero, but still powerful—and rake in points efficiently.
Could coexistence with humans really be possible?
For now, I need to figure out how to use this sudden influx of 10,000 DP.
Good planning is the key to survival.
