I guided the hero to the front of my crafting room.
โWait here for a moment. This room is for my personal use. Iโd prefer if outsiders didnโt enter.โ
โAh, got it.โ
The hero seemed restless, like he really wanted to come in.
Well, heroes are the type who barge into peopleโs homes and loot freely, justifying it as part of their duty.
The thought of a place theyโre not allowed to enter must make them uneasy.
Still, my crafting room is filled with various materials that Iโd 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 Iโm at it. Heโll 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.
โHere you go, hero.โ
I handed him the fish burger and blueberry juice.
The hero sniffed at the food I handed him.
โThis doesnโt have poison in it, does it?โ
It seems he was a little worried about food prepared out of his sight.
โRelax. Iโm not that underhanded. If youโre that worried, Iโll taste-test it for you.โ
โNo, you donโt need to do that. It would reduce the amount.โ
Oh, he cares about that? For someone so mighty, the hero is surprisingly stingy.
โBesides, I can use anti-poison magic. I wouldnโt die from something like poison.โ
Thatโs 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.
โWhoa, hey! What are you doing all of a sudden?โ
Facing someone much stronger than me, I couldnโt help but tense up. My heart pounded as sweat formed on my palms.
โThis is amazing! What is this?! This is the most delicious thing Iโve ever eaten!โ
The hero took another big bite of the fish burger.
Was it really that good?
โYouโฆ youโre a genius! To think you could make something this delicious!โ
Next, the hero gulped down the blueberry juice, then grabbed my shoulders again.
โH-Hey! This is incredible! Itโs perfectly refreshing and sweet!โ
For someone so powerful, his vocabulary is pretty limited. Still, Iโm glad he enjoyed it.
โAlright, Iโve decided. Iโm making this dungeon my second home!โ
โโฆHuh?โ
What is he talking about now? This is my living space, you know.
โThere 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.โ
I had successfully won over the hero.
With that, the threat to my life was gone. What a relief.
โWell, Iโve got no other reason to be here, so Iโll be on my way. But if Iโm ever in the area again, I might drop by.โ
โAlright. Take care.โ
The hero bid farewell and left the dungeon.
Once his figure disappeared, I couldnโt help but leap for joy.
โY-YESSS!!โ
I was ecstatic! Could anything feel better than this?
The heroโmy one major threat to survivalโspared me.
In the game, Evil Ham is fated to fall to the hero. Itโs an unavoidable event.
But I did it. As the weakest boss, I managed to escape the heroโs wrath.
With my future now secure, all thatโs left is to live a peaceful life.
After the hero left, I touched the dungeonโs crystal out of curiosity.
โHuhโฆ What?โ
My dungeon points (DP) had increased by over 10,000. Whatโs going on?
All I did was feed the hero and send him on his wayโฆ
Could it be that defeatingโor, rather, pacifyingโa hero brings in massive DP?
Or maybe itโs because heโs 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?
โNo wayโฆ If only the hero had stayed longer.โ
The hero was so efficient at generating DP that I found myself wishing heโd stayed.
Still, having a being so powerful and independent hanging around is risky.
While I wanted him gone earlier, I now wouldnโt mind if he came back.
Wait a secondโฆ Thatโs 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 adventurersโnot as strong as the hero, but still powerfulโand 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.