Chapter 37 - Chapter 37: Yakiniku Party
Was it a teleportation spell, or a trap?
I had made contact with a woman from the Labyrinth Cult while pursuing Sana's whereabouts, but it seems I was flung to a quite deep layer of the dungeon.
The reason I know this is the existence of a giant monster like a dragon.
The presence of such a huge monster means this must be a very deep layer.
The guidebook distributed by the government only covered up to the middle layers, and there was almost no information about the deep layers on the net either.
It might be questionable whether that is trustworthy, but it seems information exists up to the 6th layer.
Few adventurers have reached here, and the hardcore groups aiming to conquer the dungeon are keeping their data secret.
Even so, honestly, I didn't think anyone else thrown here would survive, and I was thinking about how to escape from here fighting alone.
While I was worrying, I heard the sound of someone fighting.
When I ran over there, what appeared before my eyes was a beauty in bikini armor facing off against a giant dragon.
She was a famous top-rank female adventurer.
I joined in to help, and after defeating the dragon and letting out a sigh of relief, I was pushed down by the approaching bikini-armored woman.
"You! Are you not interested in making children?!"
"Haa?!"
Her beautiful, soft hair gently stroked my face like a gentle breeze.
Her almond-shaped, gem-like eyes approached my face.
Along with that, a stimulating scent drifted over, and I realized it was her body odor.
"Making children! Making children -- nyaah!"
She let out a strange scream and suddenly jumped up.
"Princess -- pushing a man down and suddenly asking for his seed like that, isn't that improper for a lady?"
What arrived was a female mage.
A green robe embroidered with gold thread.
A green long one-piece dress emphasizing her large breasts -- her thighs peeked out from the slit.
In terms of breast size, Sana from my guild isn't losing either.
No, no, putting aside such old man thoughts, this woman was the one listed as a top-ranker alongside the bikini-armored woman.
"Kaorulko! What are you doing!"
It seemed she kicked the bikini-armored woman's buttocks.
"What? -- I was just scolding her for doing something improper for a lady, hugging a gentleman she just met and begging for his seed..."
"!"
It seems she realized what she was doing after being told that by the mage.
She hurriedly moved away from me.
"Also, Princess, when she gets excited --"
"!"
She blushed and squeezed her legs together.
Still, she is being called Princess.
Well, her hairstyle is indeed a princess cut, and she looks like a princess knight or something.
Her long, black hair held a deep color that seemed to melt into the midnight darkness, emitting a faint glow in the light.
Her hair was smooth, and her features were also mysterious and beautiful.
Her eyes held a star-like brilliance, her nose bridge was high and straight, and her lips were lustrous.
The bikini armor she wore further highlighted her beauty.
The armor was made of a red, glossy material, beautifully emphasizing her athlete-like, toned beauty.
She was an existence possessing both beauty and strength -- her figure was like a goddess of war who had stepped out of a myth.
"Aah..."
Despite such beauty, her scent was very distinctive.
"A-ah, I'm sorry. When I get excited, um --"
In short, the scent was spurting out from her hidden armpits.
"No, no, if it's the scent of a beauty, that's more like a reward, haha."
"I-is that so?"
"Also -- I've heard that when you feel the other person's scent is good, genetically they are compatible -- and things like that."
"!"
After hearing that, she jumped in again and pushed me down.
"W-wait a minute."
I wondered what she was doing, but she was sniffing my neck and armpits.
She is beautiful, but isn't she quite a weirdo?
"Sniff, sniff -- nyaah!"
She jumped up again.
"Princess, surely you don't intend to start right there, do you?"
"Can't I do it?"
"Of course not? Think about the current situation."
"That is -- true, but..."
"Your strange actions are making the gentlemen pull back, Princess."
"Well, being ridden by such a beauty in bikini armor has never happened in my life until now, so I'm happy about this... but why suddenly talk about making children?"
"Glad you asked!"
She sat up, puffing out her chest proudly.
"What on earth is the reason..."
"My interest is in what happens if children are made between high-level adventurers -- that's it!"
"Haa, I see -- but I thought there were cases like that, and research was done on them..."
"What I am saying is about truly high-level adventurers."
"So, someone like me? You're overestimating 'high-level', aren't you?"
"What are you saying! Do you call a man who slaughters a dragon solo low-level?"
"There was also support from your magic."
"Hah! That explosion magic like urine? -- Please stop joking."
I really couldn't tell if she was refined or vulgar, this princess.
"I apologize... for the magic that is like urine."
"Kaorulko's fuel efficiency is too bad! You ate most of the food!"
"B-because, magic consumes calories... it can't be helped, can it?"
"Thanks to that -- guu~"
The bikini-armored woman's stomach growled.
"Could it be that you have no food?"
"A, um, shamefully..."
"Anyway, will you eat this?"
I took out a calorie bar from my Item Box.
I bought these by the box as an emergency supply.
There are potatoes too, but without drinks, they will get stuck in the throat.
"Still, an Item Box!"
"Yes."
"Then, the person holding an Item Box mentioned in the government's public relations..."
It seems the mage knew about me.
"That is me."
"Exactly!"
The princess nodded while putting the calorie bar in her mouth.
"I also saw in an adventurer feature that your mage also has an Item Box."
"Y-yes, that's right. It doesn't hold much..."
The two of them were devouring the calorie bars.
"Could it be that you were on the brink of crisis because you were hungry?"
"N-no, before that, munch munch... cough cough!"
"Princess, that's bad manners."
"I was about to collapse from hunger, you know."
"Even if you say that..."
"Aah, there are plenty of calorie bars, so don't rush."
I took out the boxed ones.
"A, thank you! This debt, I will surely repay it!"
"No, before that, we need to escape from here and return to the surface."
"That's right!"
The big-breasted mage shouted.
"Before that, there is something I want to ask -- no, let's find a safe place first?"
"That's right."
Having caught our breath, the three of us searched for a safe zone.
Speaking of which -- even though I defeated the dragon, I didn't level up.
I might not have had enough experience points because I leveled up beforehand by dropping rubble into the rift.
I don't even know if experience points are a numerical value... well, there is certainly some kind of law.
Now -- even if we call it a safe zone... if there is a passage leading to the upper layers, that is the most certain safe ground.
Even in the upper layers, they use that law to set up camps.
For now, I found a large pillar, so I decided to make a campsite there.
I arranged large rocks from the Item Box to make a wall.
If the opponent is a dragon, this won't be useful, but it's better than being completely visible.
"There is no ceiling, but have you seen flying enemies?"
"No."
"Then, let's make this our campsite for now."
"Thank you."
When the mage's magical light appeared, I gave them canned coffee.
"Thank you! I didn't think I could drink something like this!"
The princess happily drank the coffee dry.
"For now, we have plenty of food, but not many varieties."
"Nothing of the sort! We can't speak of luxury in this situation!"
"I'm glad you say that."
"Now that we are calm, I would like to express my gratitude again. Thank you!"
"No, no, it's good for us that there are survivors. I was thinking I'd have to return alone forever..."
"If we can return to the surface, we will give the utmost thanks! No, I can pay now!"
"Now?"
"Here! Do whatever you want with my body!"
Saying that, she used both hands to lift up the bikini armor's chest.
"W-wait, wait."
"Is one of me not enough?! Then, I'll join in too!"
She grabbed the chest of the big-breasted mage standing next to her.
"Um... is this person always like this?"
I asked the female mage just in case.
"She is not usually like this, but the condition for the Princess's ideal man is someone stronger than herself -- that was the condition."
"Haha, I see..."
"As I said earlier, are you not interested in what happens if children are made between high-level adventurers?!"
She approached me again.
"I am not uninterested, but..."
"W-will I not do?..."
The woman who moved away from me looked a bit dejected.
"It's not that... I've never been liked by such a young, beautiful, and strong woman."
"Then there is no problem!"
"Well, if you say there is no problem, then there isn't."
"Good! It's decided!"
"What has been decided..."
"I apologize... but once the Princess decides something, she absolutely will not back down."
The big-breasted mage bowed her head.
Well, that seems to be the case.
"The order is mixed up, but we haven't introduced ourselves yet. I am Niwa Daisuke."
"Hmm! I am Yaegashi Sakurako! And this is Yaegashi Kaorulko."
"Yaegashi surname... does that mean the Yaegashi Group...?"
"Hmm! That's my family home!"
The Yaegashi Group -- before the world stopped, it was a super-large conglomerate said to have ruled the world from behind the scenes.
When the world stopped, the group suffered huge losses and collapsed, but its influence in Japan is still great.
"I am Kaorulko. Nice to meet you."
"Yes, nice to meet you -- the two of you have the same surname, could you be relatives or something?"
They probably aren't sisters.
"Yes, that's right."
"Haha, I see~"
The Princess has almond eyes, the mage has droopy eyes, and their breast sizes are completely different, but I feel their facial contours and atmosphere are similar.
"Um... Niwa-san, how should I address you?"
"My guild members call me Daisuke, so Daisuke is fine."
"Then, Daisuke-san."
"Understood."
"Then, I am Darling!"
The bikini-armored woman crossed her arms and answered haughtily.
"Eh?! Seriously?"
Is this like the Daecha aliens from old anime?
"Of course! In fact, only Darling is possible!"
"No, well, it's fine, but..."
"That's it!"
She pointed at me.
"Eh? Which one?"
"Even though we decided to date, you are too stiff!"
"More casually?"
"Hmm!"
She crossed her arms and puffed out her chest.
"Then, is it okay to call you Sakurako?"
"Of course!"
"Good, then Sakurako!"
"What?!"
"I'm going to kiss you."
"...Hah!?"
I embraced the confused woman.
"You were talking about making children just a moment ago, so a kiss should be fine, right?"
"W-wait... stop."
Her face turned bright red, and even her ears were red.
At the same time, a stimulating scent drifted from her.
Since it is a closed space surrounded by rocks for defense, the scent is filling the area.
I asked Kaorulko.
"Has this been like this since she was young?"
"She had it a little, but it got worse after becoming an adventurer and leveling up."
"Aah, so leveling up strengthened these parts too?"
"Uu..."
She looked embarrassed... but if it was strengthened, it feels like some kind of skill.
Like keeping low-level monsters away...
"Indeed -- for some people, even a hundred-year love might cool down. I'm fine with it, though."
"So, if you are stronger than the Princess and don't mind her flaws -- there is no one else but Daisuke-san to consider."
"That's right! It's written as 'sadame' and read as 'fate'!"
The Princess widened her eyes.
"I wish there was a younger, better-looking man~ haha."
"N-no, that's not it! M-my chest plate is quite thick..."
She was stroking my chest.
"I've been doing farming work in my own fields for over 10 years. Every day is like a workout."
"So, this is practical muscle."
"Well, something like that."
-- Anyway, since we ended up in this state, I will kiss her.
"Wait, wait a minute!"
"Is there something else?"
"...Since being thrown here, I haven't brushed my teeth either..."
"Ah, I see -- if we don't escape from here soon, we'll get covered in all sorts of things. Well, you won't die even if you don't take a bath for a week or two."
After the world stopped, there was no fuel, so I couldn't take baths either.
There were hot springs near the sea, but getting there required fuel.
I could only wipe my body in the river.
Soap and shampoo were precious items.
I was washing with rice husks and tree ash.
Even living normally, every day was survival.
"That is true, but..."
"Well, when we return to the surface covered in all sorts of things, everyone might be surprised, haha."
"Uuu... I am a woman, after all..."
"That's right -- Kaorulko, can't you use the cleaning magic?"
"I don't have it."
As expected, there are various patterns of magic people learn.
"I see. My girl had it, though... well, if she was with me, it would have been a bit tough here..."
"I also wanted cleaning magic."
"Well, when you end up in a state like this..."
Water is in the Item Box, but I can't use it to wash my body in this state.
I don't know what will happen next.
"I wish there was water somewhere..."
"I hear there are sometimes water sources."
"There is no map here, after all."
As Kaorulko said, wishing for things that don't exist is pointless.
There might be a spring on the way back to the surface.
"Then, is Kaorulko's build centered on attack magic?"
"I can use healing too."
"Oh -- so, ahem, ahem..."
No good, sexual harassment.
She is turning red, and this is another troublesome setting.
I can't keep joking around forever.
There is something I need to confirm with them.
"I have a question."
"What is it?"
"What caused us to be thrown here, was it a naked woman?"
"Yes! Did Darling see her too?"
"Yes, that woman seems to be related to the Labyrinth Cult."
"So that's it! When we encountered them, the children were with them."
"I had children with me too, and there were guys from the Dancing Darkness guild, and they seemed to be cooperating with the Labyrinth Cult."
"What! Those guys who never stopped having black rumors... so they were no good guys after all..."
"If we get back, we have to expose them."
"Of course! We won't let them get away with it!"
"Well, to do that, we have to escape from here..."
The women looked at each other.
"Honestly, we thought it was impossible for just the two of us, but with Darling joining, we have a hundred-fold strength."
"I also feel more secure with two people than going up alone."
"Daisuke-san, you didn't think returning was impossible, did you?"
"Well, it's also because I was just thrown here, haha."
Maybe this is a closed space with no holes leading up.
I'll keep that to myself for now.
"Um..."
Kaorulko raised her hand.
"What is it?"
"Can I ask a question too?"
"Yes, please go ahead."
"Daisuke-san, you defeated the dragon, but you didn't level up."
"Aah, I thought so too, but since I leveled up beforehand, maybe the dragon didn't provide enough experience points."
"Eh?! What on earth did you defeat?!"
"I'm not sure either -- haha."
I told them about dropping rubble into the rift.
"It's an attack possible because you have a large-capacity Item Box..."
She sat sideways, deep in thought.
Her small gestures are elegant too.
You really see the upbringing in places like this.
"Well, that's how it is."
For now, let's eat.
They were happy with the calorie bars, but that's too plain.
I also provided bread and onigiri from the Item Box.
Since we are hiding, the scent should be fine, and there is a huge dragon corpse.
The scent from that would be bigger anyway.
Will scavengers gathering on corpses come?
I feel like dungeon creatures don't have such an ecosystem.
They don't seem to eat each other either.
"Fuu, I'm calm now."
"I never thought I could eat my fill of rice."
"Indeed. I thought I was done for..."
Judging from Kaorulko's expression, the Princess probably doesn't say things like this usually.
"Well, then -- I want to do something about that dragon."
"Do something -- you mean?"
"That is valuable material too, isn't it? I want to take it to the surface."
Well, I did use depleted uranium rounds and a corrosion knife.
Even if the meat is no good, the scales should be usable.
With scales that hard, there should be various uses.
"Eh?! Impossible!"
"I'll manage it somehow."
We all left the rock enclosure and headed for the dragon's corpse.
It seems no other monsters have approached yet.
"Have you ever seen a scene where monsters prey on other monsters?"
"No, never." "Neither have I."
"Then, maybe monsters won't approach this corpse..."
"How are we going to handle something this huge?"
"We put it in the Item Box."
"Can something like this really fit?!"
"No, I tried at first and it didn't fit. But if I cut the tail part, I think it will fit."
"Really?"
"Probably."
Kaorulko took out a longsword from somewhere and handed it to the Princess.
I thought her weapon was missing, but she had put it in the Item Box.
"What are you going to do with the sword?"
"Just cut the tail with this, right?"
"Can you cut it?"
"I don't know!"
She puffed out her chest.
"Gakku!"
I was startled.
"Well, if you could really bisect a dragon, you wouldn't have needed my help anyway, right?"
"No, I had already reached my limit of stamina and strength. Kaorulko was also running out of magic power."
"Yes."
In short, they ran out of food and couldn't replenish energy.
High-level adventurers' stamina is like infinite as long as they eat -- of course, there is a limit.
If we had rested, eaten the dragon meat we cut off, and then continued fighting, we might have been able to keep going.
Well, the enemy wouldn't wait for that.
Anyway, for now, I decided to try cutting the dragon's tail.
The Princess climbed onto the dragon's tail, adjusted her breathing, and unified her spirit.
"Yaaaaa!"
The raised sword flashed -- but!
Sparks flew, and the blade was deflected.
It seems a wound was made.
It seems one slash isn't enough to cut it in two.
"Damn it!"
It seems she understood she couldn't win, and she looked regretful.
"Then, let's try my knife again."
I jumped onto the huge tail and thrust the knife I took out of the Item Box.
Immediately, the scales began to rot and decay.
Rotting means that no matter how hard they are, the scales are biological substances.
"Oh! Is that a drop item too?"
"Yes, it's a knife that makes anything rot when scratched."
"Hmm -- if there were no scales, I think I could cut it even without them."
Changing positions, the Princess swung her sword with all her might, and the meat split, revealing a white, clean cross-section.
Then, after three swings, the huge tail was severed.
"Oh~! Amazing!"
If your stomach is full, high-level adventurers' combat power is truly terrifying.
I can't just be surprised.
I must store this in the Item Box.
Approaching the tail like a sewer pipe, I tried to store it.
"Store!"
The dragon's tail disappeared before my eyes.
"Amazing!" "It really disappeared."
"Good... if this fits, maybe the body will fit too."
Actually, I don't need the internal organs, so I wanted to throw everything away here.
I used depleted uranium rounds and things.
Well, the radioactivity is gone, but the chemical toxicity should remain.
There probably isn't time to dismember it.
"Store!"
The body, like a small mountain, was also stored safely.
"Darling, amazing!"
The Princess hugged me.
"We won't be short of food now, haha."
"Well, that is true."
"There's an urban legend on the net that dragon meat is delicious, right?"
"H-how about it?"
The Princess seemed half-skeptical.
Anyway, we must escape from here.
If time passes, another dragon of the same type might pop up.
I know I can handle it, but I want to avoid unnecessary battles as much as possible.
-- About two days passed wandering the dungeon after defeating the dragon, but I found no exit.
"Aah, damn it! Stress max! If it comes to this, let's have a yakiniku party in a fit of rage!"
"Truly Darling! That is a brilliant idea!" "R-really going to do it?"
Since the Princess agreed too, I took out the dragon's tail and shaved off some meat.
I stored it back immediately, then asked Kaorulko to heat the rocks I took from the Item Box and grilled the meat.
It hasn't been bled, but how is the taste?
It sizzled on the rock with white smoke, and a fragrant scent drifted over.
The scent smells delicious.
Salt, soy sauce, and miso are in the Item Box, so I'm not short on seasonings.
For now, I took a bite as a poison test.
"Oh?! Delicious!"
Sweetness and the umami of the meat spread in my mouth, blending into one.
The wonderful aroma also escaped from my nostrils.
"Really delicious! I can eat as much as I want!" "Delicious!"
Seeing me eat, the Princess and others started eating the meat too.
"There is a mountain of it, so you can eat as much as you want, haha."
Meat that hasn't been bled becomes raw and bad-tasting because bacteria multiply.
So it's delicious right after killing it.
It stays fresh while in the Item Box.
As the three of us surrounded the rock and ate the meat with incredible speed, a noise came from above.
"Gya! Gya!"
"Harpy?! They are here too?"
"They might have come targeting our meal."
Well, if we were making such a good scent, it wouldn't be strange for monsters to approach.
We knew that, and we were having a yakiniku party in a fit of rage anyway.
Kaorulko took a weapon out of her Item Box and handed it to the Princess.
A shadow that looked like a Harpy was flying above for a while, but it seems to have landed nearby.
"Gya."
I stopped the Princess who was about to draw her sword at the Harpy walking towards us.
A well-proportioned face, hair trimmed evenly.
"Could it be you?!"
"Gya!"
It seems this is a blessing from heaven.