DELICIOUS IN DUNGEON
I slept too long!
I don't hear anything.
There's no heartbeat.
It's because you're listening through his armor.
Looks like he finally managed to fall asleep.
I suppose that means his food poisoning settled down.
Oh, Laios. What a troublemaker.
Let's let him sleep a bit longer.
He was tossing and turning all through the night.
I wonder about this dungeon,
does it already know how many monsters need to be defeated on each floor?
Killing monsters in here just stabilizes the ecosystem.
But if we don't do it,
the village will get completely overrun by them.
And when the village does get overwhelmed, it recruits adventurers to help.
Hmm. Pretty clever system.
What are you talking about?
About how dungeons are made, isn't it obvious?
It was a while ago,
but I studied it back when I was in school.
It's a lot more complex than you'd think.
Hey, isn't that Marcille?
You know, from the graduate course.
She was the school's very first genius!
Yeah. I heard she was the teacher's assistant the first day.
And I heard that they've decided
she's going to be a court magician.
Really? That's amazing!
Actually, I wasn't assisting the teacher until the fifth day of school,
and the court magician thing, it's 'cause my mom was one too.
By the way, I kind of pestered the teacher to let me join class today.
So, hi. Glad to be here.
Uh, hey.
Today, we're going to experiment with spirit cultivation.
I want each of you to grab a jar and head outside.
Using wooden disks with a hole in them,
place the disk, and then a layer of soil on top,
and begin alternating.
Create a barrier over it,
and then, fill the jar with mana,
release some spirits inside.
The microscopic spirits will live off the mana in the vessel.
They'll die if the mana is too dense or too thin.
Raising spirits is the foundation for summoning magic.
The vessel we keep them in is called a "dungeonium",
because it looks similar to the structure of a monster-ridden dungeon.
When you're finished, place it in the darkroom.
We'll see how they're doing in a week's time.
Wow, Marcille, your barrier is so pretty!
I can't believe this was your first time.
Although, why the interest in summoning magic?
-Huh? -It's not like it's your specialty.
I've been researching things to learn how to build a safe dungeon.
I'm on magic ingredients now.
For example,
ingredients like Mandrakes are pretty dangerous to harvest.
However, if we could create a safe dungeon
that's inhabited by monsters that are useful,
then it would greatly contribute to society.
Uh, wow.
That sounds amazing.
Look at Marcille's barrier!
It's so enchanting!
Hey, can I see too?
Make some room for me!
-Careful! -Huh?
Are you hurt?
Oh. No, I'm okay.
There are some impurities mixed in the soil,
and the mana's thin 'cause the barrier is full of holes.
In that state, the spirits inside won't live long.
You didn't get dirt on your clothes, did you?
Huh?
That girl, she's always covered in dirt
and ditches class, so people think she's weird.
Huh.
Now then, when everyone has their jars in front of them,
we'll see how your spirits have developed over the past week.
Are you kidding? Mine are all dead!
Wow, mine somehow survived!
Is this a new type of spirit?
You mean the mold?
If a good number of them survived,
the fire will be large.
It looks like your spirits are being maintained nicely.
Excellent work, Marcille.
Uh-oh.
Uh, what's happening to my jar?
That's quite a lot of spirits there.
What do I do?
Don't worry, I'll handle it.
Please tell me, how did you do that? I need to know!
Uh, well, you see, I…
I know a place pretty close by that has a lot of spirits,
I thought my dungeonium would work better if I used soil from there.
Huh? There's a place like that nearby?
Can you tell me where?
Uh, it's, uh…
This is the same amount as in a real dungeon.
This will be a fine sample indeed.
I got it from a real dungeon.
We can get outside from here.
This was here the whole time?
Huh?
So, are you always doing stuff like this?
Yup!
That's why people think she's weird.
It's a bug!
Delicious fruits!
You can't just pick up and eat random crap you find!
You've got to be careful! What if those things poisoned you?
Oh, but I actually know what these things are.
Grasshoppers and raspberries aren't poisonous.
So it really is a dungeon.
This is amazing.
The mana here is stagnant, and the air is stale.
It seems like it's a natural cave.
Wait, don't go in there!
Huh?
Oh, don't worry.
I come here often.
Stay on dry ground and it's perfectly safe.
Uh, hmm.
Hmm.
Mm.
Huh?
Incredible.
The inside of the dungeon really is swarming with spirits, huh…
I took some dirt and water from here and added it to my jar.
That explains it.
So what do you come to this place to do?
Hmm…
I usually write letters or do some reading.
Well, they weren't wrong about her ditching class.
Anyway, there's nothing dangerous yet.
Wait.
If we tilled this dirt and planted some Mandrakes,
I think we could safely utilize the dungeon's mana.
There's even a water source close by, so it's definitely possible.
Huh?
Oh, crap! This is bad!
Just stand back! I'll get rid of this Slime monster!
Wait! No!
What do you think you're doing?
It won't come into the sunlight.
You don't have to worry, I promise.
Slimes are actually able to break down bat droppings
-and then turn them into mana. -Oh.
If the Slimes weren't here to do that,
the dungeon would die.
Bats, huh?
-Take this. -Huh?
It's good.
If they're this good,
I bet the animals around here probably eat them.
I wonder what kinds of things the bats up there eat.
And what season do these raspberries grow in?
What kind of animals eat them?
I can't make a dungeon without knowing things like that.
I still have so much left to learn.
Thanks so much for bringing me here.
The truth is,
I thought if I just studied spells and magic,
that was all I need to know.
But that's not true.
Oh, I haven't introduced myself.
My name's Falin.
Would you mind telling me your name?
My name is Marcille.
Falin, what do you say to becoming friends?
The part about you being the school's first genius
has to be a lie, right?
Why would you think it's a lie?
I'll have you know that I was an honor student!
Anyway, this whole dungeon is pretty unbelievable.
There are layers of calculations going on,
and tons of mana being circulated.
If the mad mage is really out there somewhere,
they're not just your average magic user.
With that said, it's probably best if you stopped living here, Senshi.
Mind your own business.
Seriously, you hate magic, right?
While the dungeon itself is entirely made out of it!
Can't hear ya.
I see.
So Falin was talking about you.
When she enrolled into magic school, she would send me update letters,
I could tell that she was anxious there at first, but…
one day, she wrote about how she made a new friend,
and she sounded a lot happier.
Huh.
She always praised you, Marcille.
She thought you were awesome.
Huh?
Hm.
Falin praised you too, Laios.
She really looked up to you.
Hm, is that so?
What's so great about him?
He's got the best dog impression I've ever heard.
Maybe that's something I should keep between me and Falin for now.
Well…
let's get our butts in gear and go save Falin!
Come on, you tin can!
You're awake, so get up so we can get going!
We're currently here.
The orcs we talked to mentioned the Red Dragon had appeared right here.
It'll take two days to get there.
It's probably not where we left it,
but dragons also aren't really the type to wander far.
We should only make camp two more times.
First, at the halfway mark,
and lastly, right before the dragon.
We'll wake up Laios when the candle burns out.
Do what you need now.
We won't rest again for a while.
I'd like to wash up.
Seriously?
I can do it in the corner.
Just be quick about it.
We'll be outside if you need us.
Huh? Oh, it's fine if you stay.
I'm not getting naked.
Uh, okay.
Man, I sure do make them worry.
Wonder if I should've studied illusion magic too.
No, that's not the problem.
It's 'cause I'm the only girl in the party now.
We'll be parting ways here.
Are you serious? Does it really have to be now?
I mean, we still don't know where Falin is after all.
Sorry, but we have our own livelihoods to worry about.
Just remembering that moment makes me mad.
I thought that we were all friends!
Wake up, Laios!
Hey, come on!
Time to get moving.
There we go. Uh…
Huh. Guess I boiled too much.
An Undine!
-Huh? -What's wrong?
What?
My Water-Walking…
The water is moving.
Weapons won't work! We need fire!
Fire?
I'll start one.
Hey, Marcille, hold on a bit longer!
Easy for you to say.
Please let this hit it.
Uh?
Marcille, what are you waiting for? Go!
All of you, stay there!
My Water-Walking spell is wearing off!
Marcille!
Get up! Keep moving!
I won't be able to run now.
Where is it hiding?
I can't watch! Come on, Senshi, hurry up!
I'm going as fast as I can!
This is bad.
Huh?
I don't have much mana left.
I've got to get it in the next shot.
Where?
Where is it?
There must be some kind of clue.
There!
It has my blood.
It's so fast.
Hmm.
Just hold on!
Got--
-Hey, guys? -Uh?
What now?
All right, here's the plan.
Let's get out of here!
How are you holding up, Marcille?
I stopped the bleeding,
but I'm low on blood and mana.
So I'm spent.
Sorry.
It's fine.
Just take it easy.
Mm.
I really should've paid more attention when Falin was teaching me healing magic.
-Hey, Laios? -Huh?
What are we gonna do now?
There's no way we can take a mana-less magic user further into the dungeon.
And we can't continue on
without the help of her Water-Walking spell.
Let's wait for other adventurers to pass by.
If we're lucky, one of them will be a healer.
There's no way that someone who's willing to help others
would conveniently pass by here.
Besides, we don't have anything we can trade.
Yeah, I think the only thing we have is Kelpie meat.
Let's hope the person is starving.
It's a rare nutrient source in a dungeon.
Who cares about nutrition right now?
Actually…
did you happen to grab its liver too, Senshi?
Of course I did.
Livers are too rich in iron to leave behind.
Hm?
Huh?
I knew it.
That means…
-It's grilling time! -It's grilling time!
Mane, neck, liver,
ribs, tail, thigh, loin,
and veggies.
KELPIE GRILLED MEAT
Marcille.
-Mm? -Marcille.
Are you good to sit up?
We made something nice for you.
Thigh.
Where's the liver?
You got to make sure organs get cooked all the way.
Forgive me, Marcille. But I'm digging in.
Mm.
It's pretty good.
Yeah, it's a little chewy, but I like it.
Does it taste more like a horse or a marine animal?
I haven't eaten either, so I can't really compare it.
Ribs.
It tastes sweet, doesn't it?
Yeah, it's so soft.
Marcille, the liver is ready now.
Tenderloin.
Oh, it feels like it's melting in my mouth.
I really like this one.
Here's some liver, Marcille.
Tail.
Yummy.
An interesting flavor on this one.
Here, Marcille.
Have more liver, Marcille.
How is it, Marcille?
Eat some more, Marcille.
You like it, Marcille?
Please…
Huh?
Please give me the other parts, too!
-Uh… -Oh.
Well, it looks like she's starting to recover.
Liver is amazing.
That aside, what do we do about her low mana?
Yeah, if only there was a meat that could help restore it.
Why did you stuff the Basilisk with mana herbs?
I still stand by my choice.
Do you smell that?
It's coming from below.
What is that?
I think it's grilled meat.
Someone below must be cooking it.
Jeez.
You got to be kidding me.
What kind of moron would be grilling meat in here?