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"Wow. First time I've smelled foot fungus that actually smells good."
Gabriel, never one to filter her thoughts, blurted it out before Marcille could.
"Well, calling it that… isn't entirely wrong, I guess."
Senshi scratched his head, unable to offer a better explanation.
"These walking mushrooms spend their whole lives running around, so the flesh in this part gets really tender and chewy."
He crouched down, pulled a large pot from his pack, and set it on a makeshift stove.
"Wait—this pot… it doesn't look like regular iron. What's it made of?"
Marcille's curiosity got the better of her. And now that she looked closely, even the knife in Senshi's hand seemed unusually refined.
"Oh, the pot's forged from adamantine. The knife's mithril—stays razor-sharp. You could even use it to slay a dragon if you wanted."
He tossed out the explanation casually, but Marcille nearly dropped her staff in shock.
As a mage trained in the academy, she knew exactly how rare those metals were.Equipment made of adamantine and mithril was practically priceless on the open market… and this dwarf was using them for kitchenware?!
"This is sacrilege—absolute, unforgivable waste!"
Marcille threw her head back and wailed to the heavens.
Senshi ignored the melodramatic half-elf. Feeling the dish needed more substance, he started digging herbs out of the mossy dungeon wall. Just as he was about to throw them into the pot, Marcille darted in front of him, crossing her arms in protest.
"Hold it! No way you're putting that in! Eating monsters is already bad enough, but plants that sprout from graves? Absolutely not!"
At that moment—
Splorch.
A glob of green slime dropped from the ceiling right onto Marcille's head.
In an instant, more globs followed, smothering her entire face. Panic hit hard as her breath was cut off. Her hands clawed uselessly—the slime's watery body slipped right through her grip.
Through the translucent goo, she glimpsed her companions in the dungeon… and, disturbingly, her great-grandmother waving to her from the afterlife.
Just as the life-flashback montage began, Frieren fired off a blast of magic, scattering the slime to bits.
Marcille collapsed, coughing violently. Gabriel rushed to her side, fussing with worry, while Frieren crouched by the remains, calmly studying the gelatinous puddle.
"Strange. This slime isn't like the ones from my world. It actually has organs, like a real animal."
The sticky liquid dripping off Marcille was digestive fluid.
In Frieren's world, slimes were nothing more than cold, jelly-like blobs—completely organless.
"Odd, isn't it? Same name, but fundamentally different creatures."
It reminded her of their earlier chats about magic: spells with the same effects, but entirely different methods.
"Things are getting interesting. I wonder if this dungeon has treasure chests too."
"Treasure chests? Oh, they definitely exist," Marcille said, peeling slime from her hair. She glanced uneasily at Senshi who was already scooping up slime remains, and quickly shuffled a few steps away from him.
"Even after all this time, some chests reappear after being looted."
"Oh? What do they usually contain?"
The moment treasure was mentioned, Frieren's eyes lit up. Her normally impassive face now brimmed with rare excitement.
Marcille was taken aback by the sudden passion.
"Mostly just materials. Sometimes weapons, or gold and jewels, but the odds are slim. And you have to watch out—those ornate-looking chests are often mimics in disguise."
Frieren didn't even hear the last part. Her mind was already filled with visions of discovering and unlocking treasure.
Knowing her uncanny knack for always getting eaten by mimics, Rosen quietly reminded her to be careful.
Frieren waved him off. "Relax. There's no way I'd fall for a mimic."
Before long, Senshi's "scorpion mushroom stew" was ready.
Gabriel and Laios were first in line.
"Wow, it warms you up from the inside. And the flavor's amazing!"
"Yeah… surprisingly good."
Saeko Busujima tried a slice of mushroom and nodded in agreement.
"There's still plenty left. No point wasting it—care for some?" Senshi offered generously.
Rosen's group accepted without hesitation. After all, crossing worlds wasn't just about completing missions—it was also about experiencing new traditions and cuisines.
"Still feels like something's missing though…" Gabriel muttered halfway through her bowl.
Her eyes lit up. "Right! What's a meal without soda?!"
She reached into the chat group's storage and pulled out two packs of canned drinks.
"What's this?" Senshi eyed the strange metal cylinder. Mimicking her, he cracked one open and took a sip.
The fizzy liquid exploded in his mouth, bubbles dancing like tiny sprites on his tongue.
The others tried it too, and their reactions mirrored his—pure astonishment.
When asked what it was, Gabriel grinned smugly."This, my friends, is one of humanity's greatest industrial achievements!"
Even Marcille, who had sworn she wouldn't eat monster food, finally caved in. Her stomach growled, and before long she was devouring bowl after bowl alongside the others.
She turned her embarrassment into hunger, polishing off two heaping servings before finally setting her chopsticks down.
As the group relaxed, Rosen noticed the Tree of Life within him reacting faintly to Marcille. He wasn't surprised.
Compared to grim apocalyptic tales, Dungeon Meshi's story was straightforward—rescue Falin in the early arc, confront the mad mage later. But no matter the plot, the true star was always the food.
The series' charm lay in its calm, steady storytelling—and in the endless creativity of turning monsters into cuisine. Even deadly battles rarely carried a sense of real danger, thanks to the convenient rule of resurrection after death.
Once the meal was finished, Laios and his companions prepared to move on.
Rosen's group, after a quick discussion, decided to pick up their own pace toward the heart of the dungeon.
"..."
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