ORIGINAL WORK BY RYOKO KUI
It all began in a tiny village.
One day, the ground shook and the floor of the catacombs split,
from the fissure, emerged a man.
He claimed to rule the Golden Country, which vanished 1,000 years ago.
"The land had prospered," he said,
until a mad mage cast a spell that sunk it deep underground,
trapping his subjects there.
"I shall bestow my kingdom to whomever defeats the mage," he cried.
Then, the man turns to dust and blew away.
DELICIOUS IN DUNGEON
Stand fast.
This dragon should be no problem for us.
Get 'em!
With our skills…
…we can't lose.
Although…
I'm really hungry.
Heck, everyone seems a bit sluggish.
There was a mistake on our map. So we wasted a day getting here.
Then we lost three days of food in a trap we fell into.
After we slay this dragon,
we'll have to go back for more supplies.
Brother!
What's with her?
Did she get hit with a confusion spell?
Huh?
No way.
We came all this way… just to fail?
Get out of here!
Laios!
Thank goodness.
That was close.
We'd all be dragon food if it weren't for that spell.
Speaking of, have you seen Falin?
She got eaten.
What?
The spell couldn't reach her in the dragon's stomach.
Oh, no.
The dragon's sleeping now.
I'll go back for her.
Hey… Hey, wait a second!
We're broke.
When we teleported, all of our inventory was left behind.
All except the gear on our backs.
What?
I've got some more bad news for you.
Chilchuck?
Two of our party members just decided to quit.
RESIGNATION LETTER
What?
They've been getting offers from another party for a while now.
Oh, jeez.
Raiding dungeons takes money.
The cost of party members, gear and food can get expensive.
Let's say we sold all the gear we have on us.
Would that give us enough cash to buy cheaper gear, a little food,
some medicine, a few daily essentials, and hire a couple more party members?
-What do you think? -Not even.
By the time we figure this out, my sis will be digested.
You can't come back from being chewed to pieces, right?
Wasn't someone resurrected after being pooped out?
-Ugh… -Not that I heard of.
Put financial problems aside,
we need to find something to eat.
We almost died today 'cause we were so hungry after all.
Now then, where to eat?
If we want something really cheap, there's the public dining hall.
The Laughing Wolf Tavern has bigger portions, so…
Oh, but that place has a fantastic menu!
They make a soup with meat dumplings that's to die for.
-No. -Uh?
I have to go back to the dungeon.
But… you need to eat.
Here's the plan.
I want the two of you to leave the party.
What?
I'll take your gear and sell it, and raid the dungeon by myself.
No! That's a horrible plan!
You'll get killed.
Listen, this way, I won't have to downgrade my armor.
And if I'm alone, I can avoid monsters and get back to that floor faster.
It's totally doable.
Besides, this was all my fault.
I don't want to risk your lives too.
Uh…
I'm going back there with you!
You're not the only one who cares about Falin.
I would do anything to save her.
Oh?
I'm not going to slow you down.
And a powerful magic user like me will come in handy.
My skills are nothing to sneeze at either.
You never know when you'll need a trap disarmed or a door unlocked.
You guys are the best.
Are you absolutely, positively sure you want to come?
Even though you'll face death?
Y-Yeah…
We're going to get all of our food from the dungeon.
Huh?
This place is full of monsters, right?
So then, the dungeon has to have an ecosystem in it.
The carnivorous monsters eat the monsters that are herbivores,
and the herbivore monsters eat plants
which need water, light, and dirt to grow.
Thus, we humanoids can sustain ourselves in the dungeon too!
So, that's it then?
We're really eating monsters?
Yup. Every meal.
Think about all of our adventures up to now.
Some of those monsters were tasty-looking, remember?
Uh…
No, they weren't! Are you insane?
There are lots of people here who hunt monsters for food.
Sure, and they're all criminals who've been banished down here!
They're always sick from food poisoning and blowing chunks from both ends!
Well, you did say you'd do anything to save poor Falin.
I didn't say I'd eat monsters!
We don't have money for food, what else can we do?
Right, but if we eat something weird
and get food poisoning, we could all die from that!
Run!
Why do they keep letting newbs down here?
If they're that scared of walking mushrooms,
they should stay out. Oh?
Laios, no. No!
I think we just found our lunch.
That's gross!
Ew! No! I don't wanna!
How do you even know that thing's safe for us to eat?
The Dungeon Gourmet Guide says so.
It's a basic ingredient, actually.
They're supposed to be meaty with a mild flavor.
-Gourmet Guide? -Looks like it's been read a lot.
Let's find a more open space and build a fire.
I wish we had a few more ingredients though.
Hear that scuttling? That's a Scorpion!
I lost my appetite.
Even though we are in a dungeon,
this section is always bustling with adventurers and merchants.
It used to be the catacombs
where the villagers' ancestors were laid to rest.
Six years ago, it was connected to the dungeon proper,
and has become quite the busy location.
They say monsters come from the bottom of the dungeon.
Are they creatures from the surface transformed by dark magic
or are they from the bowels of hell? No one knows for sure.
Either way, they look strange and attack without hesitation,
as if they were protecting something.
If these monsters can exist deep below the dungeon floor,
so too could the Golden Country.
You caught it like a crayfish.
That's how it's done. And actually, it's easier than a crayfish.
Hey.
You're a little too into this.
Is eating monsters
some kind of weird fantasy of yours?
Saving my poor sister is the only thing on my mind.
Sure it is.
All right, I admit it, I do love monsters.
I love how they look, how they sound, how they live, and…
I always wondered how they'd taste.
He's a psychopath.
Do we have to cook this right here? Everyone's staring at us.
But we need the water, and it's just a few steps away.
All right, how do we cook it?
I was thinking we could boil it.
What happened?
It's easy to cut vertically, but cutting across is hard.
That means diagonal and horizontal slashes
will have little effect on walking mushrooms!
I learned something new.
It looks more like food now that it's sliced.
No, it doesn't.
Uh… hold on!
You're cooking the whole thing? Aren't they poisonous?
The venom from it won't hurt us if we eat it.
Uh…
Are you sure?
Yep, the guide says it's totally safe to eat.
-Uh-huh. -I knew it.
-Excuse me, folks. -Uh?
A Scorpion Hot Pot, eh?
Can't say I agree with your method.
Who are you?
These have to be prepared for cooking.
You have to chop off the pincers, head, legs, and tail.
Especially the tail.
Gives you the run or something fierce.
But the guide said it was safe to eat.
You won't die, but it tastes like ass.
Next, you have to slice the sucker up so it heats even,
and the juices can seep out. This way, you get all the flavor.
It's easier to eat this way.
Then you pull out the innards, like so.
They're bitter and the texture's all wrong.
As for the Walking Mushroom, skin it and lose the butt,
save the feet and throw 'em in the pot.
They're delish.
The feet taste good, huh?
-Yep. Take a whiff. -Hmm?
Unique, ain't it?
Mushroom foot sniffer.
Your pot's not big enough though.
So, we'll use mine.
You're weirdly prepared.
It will be bland with just a scorpion and mushroom.
Add this.
Hold on! You can't put those in!
-Why not? -There's no way I'm eating that.
You see those? Those are corpses.
I'll eat a monster if I have to,
but not plants from a graveyard!
Tell 'em! Tell 'em this tastes great on its own!
-Marcille! -Who the hell are you anyway?
-Up! -Up what?
A Slime!
Oh, no, it's covering my face.
I can't cast my spells now.
The first time I ever died was because a Slime got me.
-Are you okay? -Doing great.
A little got up my nose though.
Use my hanky.
I had no idea you could kill those with a knife.
It's easy if you know how its organs are laid out.
Sure, it looks like a globby ooze,
but it's actually not that different from a humanoid.
This here is how the organs of a Slime are arranged.
Compared to a human's anatomy,
it's like if you turned your stomach inside-out
and surrounded your head and organs with digestive fluid.
They can sense your breath and like to attack when you exhale.
That's why if you shout or pitch a fit like the good lady here,
you get slimed.
You can't eat these raw,
you first have to wash it with hot water and a splash of citrus juice.
Then, you can either pat it dry
or rub some salt on it and let it dry in the sun.
After that, you got yourself one high-quality ingredient.
If you can, starve one for two weeks, then dry it.
I promise the taste is worth the wait.
By the way, this is a portable Slime dryer I made myself.
Just lock it in there like so,
and it will dry out nicely as you're walking around.
It will be a while before that one's good,
-but this one's ready to go. -Oh.
We'll add it to your pot.
-Thanks, but can you spare it? -Sure.
You don't know how happy I am
to have found someone else who's as into monster food as I am.
I've been studying the monsters in here
and how to cook 'em up for over ten years now.
Ten years?
Has this dungeon been around for that long?
Mm?
I'll have this ready in a bit.
It's ready.
HUGE SCORPION AND WALKING MUSHROOM HOT POT
So Huge Scorpions turn red when boiled.
This turned out better than the recipe looked in the guide.
This shouldn't smell as good as it does.
Cook it long enough and the heat shrinks the meat in the shell,
makes it easier to pull out.
You're right.
It's good!
I know, isn't it?
The preparation totally changed the flavor.
I know, didn't it?
Mm! It tastes so good!
I know, doesn't it?
All right, let me try it!
What are these?
Dried Slime innards.
Ugh…
So good!
I never thought a Slime could taste like this.
They're amazing soaked in fruit juice too.
Mm. These yummy roots you put in are nice and fluffy.
Technically, those aren't roots.
They're the stems of a plant that grows upside down in the dungeon.
This algae is soft and delicious too.
Is this something that also grows here?
Nah, that's just plain old algae. You find it wherever it stank.
-Uh… -All this time
and I never knew this dungeon had so much yummy stuff in it.
Oh. I'm stuffed.
Perhaps now is a good time for introductions.
Yes, of course.
My name's Senshi. It means "seeker" in Dwarvish.
My name's Laios.
That's Marcille, the mage, and Chilchuck, the picklock.
Something tells me you three are on a mission.
Oh, well…
On one of the lower levels,
a member of our party got eaten by a monster.
We have to save her before she's digested.
I'm sorry, that's horrible. But which monster?
A dragon with crimson scales.
Crimson scales on a lower level?
That's a Red Dragon.
I hear dragons mostly sleep 'cause they're so big
and need to conserve their energy.
Their digestion should be slower than other monsters.
I sure hope that's true.
-Please. -Hmm?
Would you allow me to join your party?
Sure, if you'd like to.
Actually, you'd be a great help to us.
I would? Fantastic.
-Thanks so much. -No. Thank you.
For years, how I've dreamed of cooking one of those Red Dragons.
I have so many recipes in mind.
Steaks or hamburgers are classic and easy enough.
Ooh, shabu-shabu would be amazing too.
Or oyakodon as long as we have enough eggs…
"Is it right to eat what ate one of us?"
The thought crossed everyone's minds then, but no one said anything.
The second floor.
Here, strange vistas stretch before them,
unlike the village's musty catacombs on the first floor.
Scholars say this is the tallest tower of the Golden Castle,
stretching up from deep below.
These trees are so tall and I always wondered,
how come they don't poke through to the surface?
Maybe the curse on this place won't let 'em.
You okay there, Marcille?
Yeah, my foot got stuck on a plank.
We've been walking a while now.
-We should rest. -Uh…
Let's find a place to set up camp and get some sleep.
Hey, do you remember that time
we spent the night here in one of the hollowed-out trees?
Yeah, I do.
I made pork soup and got burned so bad.
Soup…
Are you hungry?
I got some of that scorpion broth from lunch if you want.
No, thanks.
Oh, I know.
We should hunt us a monster for our dinner.
-What would you like to eat instead then? -Huh?
If you're craving something, I'll try making that.
That's nice of you to offer, but…
it's gonna have monster in it, right?
As long as it's edible,
I'm fine with whatever.
What kind of monsters appear around here again?
Well, hmm…
Big Bats and Giant Rats.
I'm not eating unhygienic things!
Forest Goblins.
Same with demi-humans.
Living Armor.
Metal?
That's it? There's nothing normal? Aren't there birds or fruits?
Oh, my God.
First, you say, "I'm fine with anything,"
then hate whatever we suggest, you're that type.
What? I just don't want to eat gross things!
There are normal animals here, but they're docile,
we'd have to set traps and wait.
A duck isn't gonna walk by carrying a green onion.
I know. You have a point.
But… this is a dungeon,
so it might have dire ducks with man-eating green onions!
Now there's something funny and tasty.
-I don't share your optimism for it. -Huh?
Well, this time of year, there's plenty of nuts and fruits around.
What? There are?
Mm-hmm.
A-ha! A Man-eating Fruit Plant! I should have known!
Actually, "Man-eating" is just a general term for it.
See that flower? Its formal name is Baraselia.
And it grows along trails animals use.
It produces fluid strands, like spider silk,
and when a creature touches it…
It can't digest anything, so it doesn't eat the things it catches,
it uses them for fertilizer.
It can use a human for fertilizer too then?
You know the vegetables you have no problem eating?
Those grow in soil, fertilized by animal corpses and poop.
Right. But I don't have a problem eating those.
Don't freak out.
We're on the second floor.
A corpse retriever would've come and picked up any dead bodies by now.
They check these plants all the time. This ain't the lower floors,
so there's no way someone was left here for fertilizer.
I don't know.
Sneaking up to pick one will be tough.
All right, then we fight it.
-Step aside. -Hmm?
I can destroy them all with one spell.
Sperae Yeptum Rufermus.
Alamandras Proju.
Nexant Aslam.
Stop that, you idiot!
What? Why?
Do you want to destroy all the fruit too?
There's an ironclad rule here. Take only what you can eat.
Stop lecturing and help! Uh?
No. No, no, no, let go!
"It can't digest anything," huh?
It's totally digesting him!
What? Oh, well, some have digestive tracts.
It depends on the species.
By the way, the species that has you is parasitic,
it plants its seed under your skin.
You're not helping!
Stay as still as you can.
These plant-type monsters have lots of limbs.
If I took 'em on one at a time, we'd be here all day.
I only have to attack one spot.
Its root.
Ouch.
Are you okay?
Uh? Yeah, nothing's broken.
-How was it? -Huh?
Like I told you before, this species leaves its seeds under your skin,
it's called a Shadowtail.
Unlike the Baraselia type that squeezes you till your bones break,
this type needs to keep whatever it traps with its vines alive.
It squeezes its prey just enough so it can't escape,
but it's still relatively comfortable in its clutches.
Which could feel kind of cozy. Did it?
I upset her again.
Yeah, you got intensely weird at the end there.
First, a light steaming.
Then you cut around the stem like so.
Give a little twist and pull, and the seeds will come right out.
Next, you peel the skin off, and pound it till it's nice and soft,
then line the bottom of the pan with it.
Give the unripe fruit a good mashing,
add a dash of Slime and a bit of scorpion broth,
and mix till it's good and thick.
Once it's got a smooth consistency, pour in the rest of the scorpion broth
and a handful of the chopped fruit.
Mix it up a little bit and pour it into the frying pan.
Let it cook a bit.
I just want to see if I can grow this on the surface.
That's a stupid idea!
No!
And when you see it start bubbling like that,
drop in the rest of the fruit.
Perfect.
It's ready.
MAN-EATING PLANTS FRUIT TART
It's a tart?
Looks like it but it's not.
The crust keeps it from burning. Don't eat that part.
It's real salty. I thought it'd taste more sweet.
Yeah, it's good though.
Go on, try it. I'm pretty sure you'll like the flavor.
You didn't make this with the plant the corpse fell out of, did you?
No, just its fruit.
The gelatin from the stem of that species
would've made this dish come out a whole lot better though.
It's just not firm enough with the Slime.
Hmm?
Wow, this is really good!
The fertilizer-type fruit is juicy and sweet,
while the digesting-type fruit is savory.
I bet the animals love these too.
Must be hard for the plant to make enough fruit to keep up with demand.
What's the point making it if it's just gonna get eaten?
Well, it is a carnivorous plant.
It makes fruit to attract the animals it eats to survive.
That makes sense.
Then… being delicious is part of the plant's strategy.
How clever!
Now you see the appeal of monsters. Aren't they great?
As if!
Well, what do we do about him?
We'd lose time dragging him back to town.
Maybe I can resurrect him with my magic?
Don't risk it. The spell could backfire.
If we just leave him where people can see him,
he'll get picked up eventually.
That's a great idea.
This works… I think.
Kind of reminds you of the gallows, doesn't it?
That night, Marcille had a nightmare.
Dungeon food.
Eat or be eaten.
There is no hierarchy to it.
Just the reality that to eat is the privilege of the living.
Oh, dungeon food.
Delicious in dungeon.
DELICIOUS IN DUNGEON