After recovering her stamina, Marcille took the still-dazed Falin to bathe. The buildings in this city were remarkably intact, and even the plumbing was functional; all they needed to do was clean the bathroom and draw a heating magic circle.
Ryu also had quite a few bloodstains on him, but considering his [Unfortunate Constitution], he acted like a gentleman and left the room, returning to the Red Dragon's corpse with Chilchuck.
"Since we're using your Ancient Magic Backpack, how about we give you an extra ten percent cut?" The halfling gestured enthusiastically at the dragon corpse.
Originally, they wouldn't have been able to take away so many materials. After all, they were short-handed and on an expedition where everyone's load capacity was very limited. But with Ryu's help, it was a different story!
"No need for the extra cut. It's just a small effort," Ryu replied.
Ryu didn't really care, but Chilchuck shook his head. "Although the success of this operation was the result of everyone's cooperation, you were the one who finished off the Red Dragon. No matter how you look at it, you contributed the most.
If we didn't get any loot, that would be one thing. But since we can take the materials with us, it's only natural to give you an extra ten percent of the total on top of an equal split—especially since you're responsible for transport, which is already a bit of a loss for you."
Although the currency here was mainly gold and silver—not scarce resources for Ryu—he didn't argue further seeing Chilchuck's persistence.
Halflings are often considered a race that "likes petty theft," and this has even spawned many discriminatory jokes, such as the one claiming they are short because their legs were chopped off for stealing.
In fact, there are indeed many money-grubbers among halflings, and theft is not uncommon, so they aren't exactly being wrongly accused.
But everything must be viewed dialectically.
This is not a world where all races live together in harmony; on the contrary, it strongly follows the law of the jungle, and Elves openly discriminate against other races.
Martial force is a necessity for survival in this world, yet halflings are a race with no advantage in strength or magic, possessing only strong sensory abilities. This means they must rely on other races; even as adventurers, they must join a team to be useful.
Often, halflings enter Dungeons as scouts. To put it harshly, they are essentially using their bodies to sweep for mines. Even if they can avoid most traps, the danger is undeniably high.
Correspondingly, it is difficult for them to gain the respect they deserve within the team. Just like in RPGs where the spotlight is always on the MT (Main Tank) and DPS, or how in League of Legends the top laners and ADCs get all the buzz, support staff—no matter how excellent—often have their contributions ignored, intentionally or otherwise.
So, the halfling obsession with money is understandable!
Wealth is a form of "power" they can tangibly hold in their hands! Height, wrist strength, and lifespan cannot be changed, but wealth can be continuously accumulated, altering one's status relative to others.
Chilchuck also loved money, but he had principles. He strictly adhered to the contract made when joining the team to receive his remuneration and wouldn't pull any tricks in such matters.
Incidentally, he was actually the head of the "Halfling Union" on this island, requiring his kin to sign contracts before accepting quests! They must never skip the union out of greed for petty advantages!
Thanks to this, the reputation of the halfling community on the island was relatively decent compared to elsewhere. (Some of his kin didn't quite understand, but no one openly opposed him.)
Ryu rather admired this kind of person—if he were born in the modern era, he felt Chilchuck would make a good department manager.
"Better use Senshi's kitchen knife. Your magic sword will scorch the edges. Take it slow, peel the skin off the tail first; that's good material for armor... Oh, you're very skilled!"
Ryu utilized his [Monster Hunter] skills, slicing through the dragon skin as easily as a master butcher dismantling an ox. With one cut, he peeled it open smoothly without needing any adjustments, leaving no gaps at the edges.
Chilchuck secretly glanced at Ryu a few times while scraping scraps of meat off the skin with a small knife for later processing.
Elegant manners like a noble, yet skilled hands like a professional hunter. His ability as an adventurer was top-tier... Could he be a spy from some country, or a King's (?) special agent?
Tropes found only in various novels churned in his mind, fueling his curiosity about Ryu's background.
But reason told him it was best not to voice these questions... Marcille's black magic alone had scared him enough. What if something even more outrageous came out?
Just look at their squad!
A half-elf researching black magic; someone just resurrected by said black magic;
A guy whose brain is constantly studying how to eat monsters;
A dwarf who claims to have lived in the Dungeon for decades, carrying a Mithril kitchen knife;
And a mysterious Oriental man with everything in his backpack, seemingly richer than a king;
—Damn it, am I the only normal person here?!
"Can dragon meat be sold for a price too?"
"Eh?"
Chilchuck looked up and thought for a moment. "Although many stories feature scenes of eating dragon meat, no one has actually proven it. Doing so won't grant any abilities at all; it's a monster after all... Hardly anyone buys it nowadays."
"Then I'll pack up the leftovers after cooking."
Ryu looked at the veritable mountain of meat before him with great satisfaction: as long as it was preserved well, it would probably be enough to eat for a year!
"No problem... Cooking?" Chilchuck twitched the corner of his mouth, forcing a smile. "Since you have normal food in your backpack anyway, how about making a separate portion for me and Marcille?"
"Unfortunate. I just used it all up."
"Stop lying!"
Dismantling the entire giant dragon was a massive project. Ryu got bored towards the end. Considering that the effect of dragon meat would diminish if eaten too much, he didn't take it all back. He just took a portion from each part, totaling about a thousand kilograms.
Also, although the dragon blood in this world was explicitly set to have no special buffs, he still collected a barrel of it and incidentally removed the dragon heart intact—its size almost made it impossible to stuff into his personal space.
Even if it had no effect, it was good for a collection~
"That should do it!"
After finishing the work, Ryu stood bored in front of the dragon's head, feeling a bit lost when idle.
He glanced at Chilchuck. The halfling was still processing the leather and dragon teeth; it didn't look like he would finish anytime soon.
So, he leisurely walked away to the spot where he had set the explosives earlier and retrieved these local specialties of the 21st century.
Calling it recycling, but putting things that had already been unsealed and primed back into storage felt weird... Suddenly, Ryu had a flash of inspiration!
With practiced movements, he swapped the remote control device for a pressure-triggered one. Then, he walked into the now half-empty dragon corpse, lifted a certain part, and placed it inside—let's call it waste utilization.
When he came out, he happened to see Senshi walking over happily with the iron pot. Ryu gave a friendly reminder:
"The gas in the dragon's stomach haven't been fully vented yet. Don't light a fire here; it's very dangerous."
***
The Full Dragon Feast was truly delicious!
This time, through the joint efforts of Ryu and Senshi, they brought out their collection of seasonings and side dishes. Using the thigh, tail, tongue, liver, intestines, tenderloin, back of the neck, and other parts, they created a total of ten dishes!
Added to that were fish-man caviar, man-eating plant salad, and mandrake candied apples. The spread filled the entire table, greatly shocking everyone, including the newly recovered Falin.
Leaving the others aside, although Marcille had a face full of reluctance at first, she began to savor the food as she ate, and by the end, she was still unsatisfied despite her bulging belly.
"This feeling is really fresh~" Falin was a girl with strong adaptability. She wasn't scared by this grand meal at all; instead, she joined in very actively.
That feeling, somewhat similar to Laios, made Marcille tear up, lamenting that even the innocent Falin had been led astray—
She then took a big bite of roasted dragon steak with a vengeance!
"Speaking of dragon meat, it has to be roasted," Laios commented like a scholar. "Maybe because the image of a dragon is easily associated with 'roast meat,' so books describing dragon meat cuisine since ancient times have invariably used roasting as the cooking method."
"Why?" Chilchuck was puzzled.
"Because of dragon breath. Knights who go to crusade against giant dragons in armor easily turn into teppanyaki—is that hard to understand?"
"...I shouldn't have asked you!"
Chilchuck imagined it briefly, his face turning pale as he stuffed a small piece of roast meat into his mouth.
Despite Laios's tone, food must not be wasted~
"Does anyone have issues with stamina?" Ryu, sitting naturally at the head of the table, looked around and said, "If it's okay, let's rest for a bit after eating and then start our return journey."
"Eh? In such a rush? Aren't we going to rest here for the night?"
Everyone was somewhat surprised. Marcille said, "There are buildings here to hide from monsters, and ready-made beds to sleep in. The other floors don't have these conditions."
"Of course, we could sleep a night before leaving... but I'm a little worried."
Ryu crossed his hands under his nose, making him look a few shades gloomier.
"This Red Dragon is not quite normal."
"...Come to think of it, there is indeed a problem."
Laios put down his knife and fork. Although the dragon meat feast gave him a sense of fulfillment, this man's greatest virtue was that when he ate, blood didn't rush to his stomach—his brain still worked.
"We encountered the Red Dragon on the Sixth Floor. Judging by the time, it came to the Fifth Floor immediately after eating Falin. Its nest isn't here, nor did it look like it was building one... It never slept, but patrolled around its territory. This is not normal behavior for a large monster."
"That's right. Dragons have a homing instinct. Unless it's for foraging, they won't stay far from their nest for long."
"But the Dungeon can provide dragons with a large amount of mana. Their demand for food isn't that high, and they wouldn't normally enter narrow passages to come to the Fifth Floor, which isn't suitable for hunting."
Ryu spoke with certainty, "We can only assume there is a reason for it to take actions that violate common sense!"
"A reason..."
Laios fell into deep thought, and the first monster that appeared in his mind was—the Dire Wolf!
The pack of Dire Wolves that appeared around the passage earlier!
It seemed they were scared by the Red Dragon, so they migrated en masse to the upper level... So, could the Red Dragon also have been driven up by something?
"Alright, let's pack up now!"
Laios didn't hesitate too much; in Dungeon exploration, one couldn't ignore even the slightest omen.
"Falin, can your body hold up?"
"I'm fine, brother."
"Mm!"
Laios knew his sister wasn't just acting tough. Although she had just been resurrected, her "pre-death" constitution was very good. Even though she was a bit thinner now, she was still much sturdier than Marcille.
"I'll carry your staff... Everyone, endure a bit more. We'll go to the Fourth Floor to rest. The terrain there is different from other floors; the large areas of water will block large monsters from the lower levels. Plus, the field of view is wide, so if there's any problem, we can retreat in time."
"Alright, your worries aren't unreasonable."
"I still wanted to study the dragon's bone marrow a bit more... It's a pity, but let's go."
After all, they were adventurers; hardship and fatigue were part of the job. Everyone quickly packed their things and set foot on the return journey.
Thanks to the Red Dragon's diligent patrolling earlier, there were hardly any swarms of monsters on this floor. The occasional stragglers were dispatched, and the group soon arrived at the area with the stairs leading up.
But just then—
BOOM!!!
A violent explosion rang out, the ground vibrating slightly. A large plume of black smoke mixed with flames rose from the city in the distance!
This startled everyone, especially Marcille. "Wh-what happened?"
"Calm down, it's far from us. That location... Oh, maybe the dragon's stomach spontaneously combusted."
Ryu squinted as he looked into the distance.
"Spontaneously combusted?"
"The dragon is dead, but certain parts heat up due to decomposition... Maybe the dragon's stomach was accidentally ignited."
"Does that happen?" Marcille blinked her clear, big eyes, seeking help from those around her.
Falin shook her head. Laios glanced at Ryu but said nothing. Senshi also spread his hands. Chilchuck, however, seemed to have a vague impression.
"I have indeed heard that in certain environments, corpses must be disposed of quickly, otherwise they might explode due to rot... But this is the first time I've seen it."
"The world is truly full of wonders." As a mage, Marcille felt she had gained new knowledge.
Falin was still a bit shaken. "It's a good thing we left in time, or everyone would have been hurt."
"Yeah~"
"Small matter. Let's move quickly~"
Ryu urged everyone forward, then glanced back casually.
Why did the dragon's stomach explode? How mysterious~
Hehe!
Oh my I hope the person is okay
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
[Destiny Coins (Chilchuck) +1]
[Destiny Coins (Senshi) +1]
[Destiny Coins (Laios) +2]
[Destiny Coins (Marcille) +3]
[Destiny Coins (Falin) +2]
[Destiny Coins (Thistle) +1]
The amount of gold coins dropped by different characters varies... It seems I haven't completely reversed things; there is still potential to be dug.
After all, given Laios's obsession with monsters, his desire is so special that the Winged Lion must have already noticed him.
...Perhaps the same goes for Ryu.
Good, this phase is complete. Continue!
________________________________________
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