Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 71

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Chapter 22: Grilling Meat in the Heart of the Dungeon

Dungeons were the only place to find valuable magic crystals.

Therefore, owning a dungeon brought more wealth to a lord than a silver mine.

‘Of course, that’s only if they have the ability to manage it.’

The dungeon here wasn’t very large. Still, the magic stones produced each day were worth several hundred gold.

It was beyond the means of Baron Mino, who was essentially no more than a village chief.

Keinzel narrowed his eyes as he looked at the mercenaries’ camp near the dungeon.

A group of people were arguing.

“This place belongs to March Phillips! Get out of here, you illegal occupants!”

“Why don’t you just say the entire North belongs to you? Isn’t this clearly Mino’s territory?”

“I have been granted full authority by Baron Mino!”

“You didn’t receive it, you forcibly took it!”

“Anyway, thieves, get out of here!”

“Try to kick us out if you can! Who are you calling a thief?”

March Phillips’ soldiers and mercenaries were bickering. If the fight escalated, it would turn into a clash.

It was best to get what they wanted and leave as soon as possible.

“It’s going to be hard to get in through the entrance like this.”

“Don’t worry. There isn’t just one entrance to the dungeon.”

Following Percival, a long crack appeared between the rocks.

Passing through there would allow them to enter the dungeon without the mercenaries blocking the entrance knowing.

Then someone called out to Keinzel’s group.

“You know a shortcut into the dungeon, and you look like you’ve mined some magic stones.”

It was a young man in nimble attire. He had been hiding on the rock and spoke as the group approached.

“Ah, ah, don’t be so nervous. I’m not trying to harm you. I’m Jax, a silver-ranked mercenary. My specialty is shooting rabbits 100 meters away with a crossbow.”

It seemed he wanted to join the group.

Jax continued his story.

“My nickname is Compass. I’m good with a bow, but I can memorize any path. The map of the first basement floor of the dungeon is in my head. Just ask me where there are many monsters and where you can rest safely!”

Jax lowered his voice as if telling a secret.

“And if you want, I can guide you to the second basement floor. It’s a little dangerous, but compared to the first floor, where there are more people than monsters, this is a gold mine. Five times more profit than the first floor…”

“Sorry, but we already have a Pathfinder [a guide or scout].”

“I’m a Pathfinder who has been to the second basement floor! Don’t compare me to those amateurs!”

Then Percival, who had been listening quietly, stepped forward.

“I am the Pathfinder of this group. I plan to go down to the third floor today, so you should look for someone else.”

That man holding a halberd [a pole weapon with an axe blade and spike] as tall as a person in one hand was just a guide!

Jax disappeared in shock.

Then, as if passing the baton, two mercenaries walked out from behind the rock.

They weren’t comparable to Percival, but they were still burly men.

“Hehehe. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I happened to hear that you’re going down to the third basement floor. Even little kids stop crying when they hear my name, the Black Bear of the North. That’s me. Haha!”

“I am the Blood Bear, the brother of the Black Bear.”

The Bear brothers quietly drew their swords. There was no hostility. They just wanted to prove their skills.

“Haaah, haaaaa!”

The Black Bear frowned and concentrated for a while. Then a faint aura formed at the tip of his sword.

“······Huff, huff! Sniff! D, did you see that? An aura sword! Monsters from other dimensions start appearing from the third basement floor. You can’t defeat them with ordinary attacks. You need a ridiculously expensive mithril sword [a sword made from a rare, strong metal] or an aura sword.”

The Bear brothers confidently took out their gold-ranked mercenary badges from their pockets.

They were brand new, as if they hadn’t been issued long ago.

Certainly, those who could handle aura were treated well even as mercenaries. But aura swords were aura swords.

“Do they call that an aura sword these days?”

“W, what are you talking about! Can’t you see the light of this brilliant aura!”

Percival, who used to be a mercenary, scratched the back of his head.

“The mercenary association had to lower the standards. If they were as strict as the Sword Knights, the number of gold-ranked mercenaries would be cut in half.”

“I see.”

To become a Sword Knight, one had to be able to manifest an aura sword. There were several conditions.

First, the concentration of the aura had to be so dense that it covered the entire blade and could be maintained for one minute.

When Keinzel gave them a look, Kundam and Abel shrugged and stepped forward.

“Is it my turn? If you call that an aura sword, I can use it now.”

Kundam held the drawn sword in his right hand and stroked the blade. Then a faint aura rippled.

And with a shout, he swung it at the tree next to the rock.

Kuku-kung-!

A tree as thick as an adult man’s thigh was cut in half and fell to the side. The Bear brothers stared at the sight in shock.

The last to decorate was Abel, who took off his casual clothes and wore tight leather clothes.

“Seven Blades!”

He just swung his sword once, but the seven blades covered the fallen tree.

Then the log was chopped into pieces perfect for firewood.

“Sorry, but we’re not recruiting any more people.”

The Bear brothers muttered with pale faces.

“What kind of gold-ranked mercenaries are like this······.”

Zeke, who was kicking stones on the ground, was a mithril-ranked mercenary, but no one cared.

After turning away several people like that, the group was finally able to enter the dungeon.

“Good job. Adding more people to the group in a place like this usually ends badly. Especially Jax, I could smell human blood, not monster blood, coming from that man. They call him the guide to the path of death… They’re nasty guys.”

Usually, people who try to find a group in a place like this aren’t normal.

They say they’ll guide you to a safe place, but they take you to a place with many monsters.

Then, nine times out of ten, they are annihilated.

Their method was to steal their valuable weapons and valuables.

“Usually, dungeons are divided into zones depending on the monsters that appear. If you only mine magic stones in a place that suits your skills, it’s not that dangerous.”

Even so, many people die here every day. Most of them are hunted by other humans.

It was literally a demon’s den.

“In that sense, it was a good thing to indulge in the mercenaries’ ridiculous performance. At least the gnats won’t be buzzing around anymore.”

From the moment you enter the dungeon, all you can trust is the sword in your hand and the comrades you trust to watch your back.

That’s why they waited fifteen days to bring Kundam and Abel.

Then the skinny man standing at the entrance of the cave shouted.

“Hey! Do you need an exploration expert! I’ll track the monsters and negotiate with the merchants for you. I can help you earn more than my share. I’m making this offer because you guys look skilled!”

Then Zeke, who was playing alone in the corner, lit up his eyes.

“Master! It’s finally my turn! Hehe! I’ll show that young punk who the real exploration expert is! Since when were we so close that you call me ‘Hey’!”

Keinzel ignored Zeke and waved his hand.

“Well, I did need a scout. Let’s talk about the details.”

Then Zeke muttered with a pitiful face like an abandoned puppy.

“M, Master… Why is the treatment so different? I, I’m a scout too!”

Fortunately, Zeke volunteered to take the 4th watch of the night and was able to stay with the group.

@

A group of ogres charged, swinging their clubs.

The monsters that appeared in the dungeon were strengthened by the magic power of the core.

“Krrr!”

However, the mercenaries, who were twice as numerous as the ogres, formed an encirclement and annihilation formation, and they fell helplessly.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen a monster!”

“Damn it! Is this really a dungeon? It looks like there are more sweaty mercenaries than monsters!”

“Anyway, capture them without hurting them as much as possible! It’ll be a big problem if the precious magic stones are damaged!”

The monsters that absorbed the magic power of the core had crystals called magic stones in their bodies.

Those magic stones were traded for the same weight as gold.

Keinzel muttered as he looked at the mercenaries mining the magic stones.

“No wonder there are fights.”

“That’s right.”

The tyranny of the giant mercenary groups was taking place in the dungeon. They monopolized certain areas and controlled the entry of others.

As a result, mercenaries often drew their swords against each other.

Percival muttered as he stroked the wall, which had changed as if bricks had been piled up.

“It’s grown again. It might grow into a medium-sized dungeon soon.”

Dungeons grow by eating the magic power contained in the earth. As they do, they gradually transform into artificial structures.

No one knows why this phenomenon occurs. Even scholars who have studied dungeons all their lives have not fully revealed the abilities of the dungeon core.

‘It feels similar to the place where Bishop was… Nah, probably a coincidence.’

“Let’s go down to the second basement floor as soon as possible.”

Keinzel’s group quickened their pace. There was nothing to do on the first floor anyway.

They passed through the mercenaries, who were glaring to prevent their area from being taken away, and arrived at the second basement floor.

Then the presence of people decreased significantly.

A stronger thought was felt, piercing through the darkness.

“Be careful. There are rumors that minotaurs [mythical creatures with a bull’s head and a man’s body] have been seen on the second floor.”

Keinzel nodded and explained the schedule.

“We’ll use this place as an outpost to collect magic stones for a while. And we’ll give them all to Abel and Kundam, so I hope you two will focus on becoming Sword Knights.”

“I’m sorry that we seem to be the only ones benefiting.”

“Don’t worry, you’re just getting the distribution first. I won’t give you a single copper after that.”

“Haha, I understand.”

Below the third basement floor, the magic power of the dungeon becomes stronger, and monsters from other dimensions are summoned.

Specters, banshees, ghosts, etc. Monsters that are difficult to deal with without a paladin who can handle divine power.

They often come up to the second basement floor and attack those who can’t use aura swords.

In the end, the danger level increases rapidly from the second floor, not to mention the third floor.

‘That’s why the first floor is so crowded.’

First, collect as many magic stones as possible on the second floor. Then, use them to go down to the deepest part at once.

Then Abel, who was strangely restless, grabbed Keinzel’s sleeve.

“······Keinzel. I want to talk to you for a moment.”

“Can’t you talk here?”

“U, uh. I want to talk alone.”

Keinzel nodded. Abel had trusted and followed him to this distant place.

He could listen to him for a while.

Arriving at the center of the passage leading to the first floor of the dungeon, Abel said with a face that had turned red to his ears.

“I wanted to say thank you.”

“I’m more grateful. You came all the way here because of me.”

“No, I mean… I’m thankful that you chose me instead of Kundam…”

Only then did Keinzel understand what Abel was saying.

He had revealed to Abel, a knight of Frellia, that his cooking had the power to undo the curse of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Abel smiled with a strangely happy face when he heard that.

“······If you had told Kundam, you could have received help from the Sword Master of Loyalty, Tristan, in case of emergency. Compared to that, I have even abandoned the name of Carter. But still, you······.”

Keinzel quietly patted Abel on the shoulder. Rather, Abel had given up the most in this place.

“I’m really glad I could be friends with you, Abel.”

Abel said with a face that had turned red to his ears, as if he was ashamed of something.

“······If you find the salt in the deepest part of the dungeon. You’re going to make a dish for Lady Frellia with it, right?”

“That’s why I came.”

“Th, then… I want to eat it first.”

Keinzel smiled quietly. He could grant that much.

“Okay. I’ll make it for you first.”

“R, really? I’ll be waiting!”

Abel looked at Keinzel’s face with impressed eyes, then smiled brightly, like a flower blooming.

When Keinzel and Abel returned, Zeke said with a strangely greasy expression.

“Master, what were you doing in a place with no one? You’ve been eating a lot of rabbit meat lately…”

“Have you finished installing the voice obstacles I asked you to do?”

“Ah, no! I, I’ll go do it now!”

“Then let’s leave the obstacle installation to Zeke. Let’s eat before we start mining magic stones in earnest.”

Then cheers erupted among the group as if they had been waiting for it.

Keinzel took out a two-dimensional pocket and created a plausible kitchen in one corner of the dungeon.

There was no law that said you couldn’t grill meat in a dungeon.

Grilling Meat in the Heart of the Dungeon #2