I managed to get the two empty barrels Tohma asked for.
One of them is intended for our own use.
Since the general store didn’t carry any, I went out of my way to visit a workshop and purchased brand-new ones.
Being underage aside, the scent of wine soaked into used barrels was far too strong to handle.
“It feels like I could get drunk just from the smell.”
“I’ve heard that Japanese sake bath additives are good for the body, but this scent is honestly overwhelming. It makes me dizzy—no thanks.”
Since both Haruto and Natsuki agreed, I acquired a brand-new empty barrel with the pleasant scent of wood.
When asked what it was for, I gave a vague answer that it was for carrying water.
Adventurers without water magic users often struggle to secure drinking water, so the workshop owner even sympathized with us.
Just to be sure, I installed a magical toilet room and tried using the barrel as a makeshift bathtub. There were no leaks, and it worked perfectly.
While the Purification Clean spell can remove dirt, it doesn’t relieve the physical exhaustion built up in the body.
The sensation of stiff muscles loosening is something incomparable, and the comfort was second to none.
“So this is what a bath feels like… it’s amazing.”
“We have Tohma -nii to thank for this!”
“Yeah. With a bath, a toilet room, and now some high-quality Japanese bedding, both my mind and body feel at peak condition.”
The roomwear we purchased through a furniture shop’s summoning service is also incredibly comfortable.
With this perfect condition, the three of us decided to take on dungeon exploration again.
Delicious meals, warm baths, and soft, high-quality bedding greatly improved our dungeon camp experience.
Skills and magic became easier to use, and our level exceeded 85.
Despite the guild master of the Adventurer’s Guild saying it would be difficult to clear a mid-tier dungeon without a group of at least eight gold-rank adventurers, the three of us were able to steadily conquer it and reached the dungeon master on the lowest floor.
“So, this thing’s a Chimera?”
“Three heads, each from a different animal… gross.”
“Don’t underestimate it, Haruto and Natsuki siblings. It may look like that, but it’s a dungeon boss. It’s strong.”
“Yeah, yeah, we get it!”
“We’ll crush it with everything we’ve got.”
“Glad to hear it.”
The Chimera was a massive magical beast, about the size of a four-ton truck, with a lion’s body, a snake for a tail, and the dual heads of a lion and a goat.
The lion’s powerful attacks and the snake’s swift strikes were dangerous, but the goat head might’ve been the most troublesome of all—it could use magic.
“Maybe it’s less of a goat and more like a kind of demon. At least it doesn’t cast spells without incantations.”
Haruto used his unique Gift, Fist of Demonbane, to crush the goat head’s jaw. When the lion head tried to bite Haruto , Natsuki ’s Holy Shield blocked the attack.
The three of us have been together for so long that our teamwork is seamless.
“Holy Sword, come forth. Disintegrate into dust.”
The chant was a little embarrassing, but the power was unparalleled.
With the unique Gift of a Sage, Holy Sword Summoning, I summoned a holy sword imbued with the light of demonbane into my hands.
“Akimi, go for its head with everything you’ve got!”
I remembered Tohma ’s mischievous grin when he urged me like that the first time I held a bamboo sword.
His voice spurred me on, and I still recall the satisfying sound the bamboo sword made as it struck.
Following the movements engraved into my body through countless repetitions, the radiant sword came down squarely on the head of the beast that resembled a lion.
Without even letting out a scream, the Chimera perished.
“Alright, we did it, Akimi!”
“Dungeon cleared! Looks like our levels shot up too.”
“…That was surprisingly easy, wasn’t it?”
“That’s just because we’ve been training seriously. Now, let’s check what’s inside the treasure chest!”
Natsuki grabbed my arm, pulling me toward the treasure chest that the Chimera had dropped.
“Ten gold ingots, a tiara adorned with blue diamonds, and a leather pouch stuffed with gold coins.”
“And this jet-black dagger? It looks sinister just from its design…”
“Whoa, this is incredible. I appraised it, and apparently, it absorbs magic from whatever it cuts.”
“Isn’t that a cursed dagger…?”
The treasure chest was quite large, packed full of loot. As expected of a dungeon boss—it certainly delivered luxurious treasures.
Gold ingots, jewelry, old coins, magical weapons, and other rare items filled the chest.
“If it can drain an enemy’s magic, it’s a pretty good weapon, don’t you think? Let’s hold onto this one instead of selling it.”
“Then we can sell the other items?”
“What are the other magical tools?”
“Uh, a magical stove and a magical refrigerator.”
“Those could come in handy for dungeon camping. Let’s keep those too.”
“Yeah, good idea. We’ve gotten better at cooking, so let’s use them to prepare meals with magical beast meat.”
The magical stove and refrigerator were surprisingly helpful. Although they required magic stones as fuel, they were extremely convenient for cooking.
(This might be another gift from the Creator God.)
The magical toilet room had been a fantastic drop, but the magical stove and refrigerator would see regular use from now on.
Making a stove with earth magic every time we cooked was tedious, and as a modern person, I preferred a proper stove to open flames.
“Hey, a return magic circle just appeared. Let’s head back.”
“Isn’t it strange that it’s not a door at the end?”
“Magic circles are cooler and more fitting for the setting.”
Exchanging playful banter, we stepped into the magic circle. With a call to action, I channeled my mana into the circle.
“My level is 88. I heard gold-ranked adventurers start at level 60, so we’re doing pretty well, right?”
Haruto grinned, carefree as always, but I couldn’t bring myself to be overly optimistic.
What’s the max level for a Hero?
Is it capped at 99 or 100, or is there no upper limit? I still didn’t know.
“Clearing a mid-tier dungeon isn’t enough to give me confidence yet.”
“Then next is an advanced dungeon.”
“Once we clear an advanced and a special-tier dungeon, we’ll challenge the Evil Dragon.”
According to the Creator God, the Evil Dragon, the counterpart to the Creator, has taken over one of the special-tier dungeons and is amassing power there.
“A dragon, huh… It’s probably really strong.”
“Natsuki , are you scared?”
“Of course I am. Who wouldn’t be? But if we don’t defeat it, we can’t take Tohma -nii back to our world. We have no choice but to try.”
“Yeah, we’ll do it for Tohma -nii! Besides, I’ve heard dragon meat is supposed to be insanely delicious.”
“You switch gears too fast, Haruto . And are you even sure dragon meat tastes good?”
“Every light novel and manga I’ve read says it’s amazing!”
While magical beast meat was undeniably tasty, was dragon meat truly exceptional?
It just looked like a reptile to me, so I was skeptical.
Sure, snake and frog meat were edible, but mammalian meat was far more delicious.
“I’d bet beef from a magical ox would taste better than dragon meat.”
“You think so too, Akimi? I’m a fan of horse sashimi, so I’d prefer magical horse meat.”
“Come on, it’s gotta be dragon meat!”
“It might not be bad, but I imagine it tasting like chicken breast—kind of dry and stringy.”
“Me too. A bit too lean and tough. Magical beef or horse meat sounds way better. Orc isn’t bad either.”
“True, orc meat is tasty… I wonder if there’s an Orc King in the advanced dungeon?”
The mid-tier dungeon only had High Orcs and their rare variants, so we hadn’t tried Orc King meat yet.
It’s said to be of the highest quality, something even royalty rarely gets to eat.
“Alright, we’ve got our next goal.”
“Orc King meat tonkatsu!”
We decided to cash in the dungeon’s treasures at the Adventurer’s Guild and indulge in a bit of luxury tonight.
The most expensive bento and desserts from the convenience shop, and maybe some fancy ice cream to top it off.
