[theme music playing]
DELICIOUS IN DUNGEON
[Chilchuck] Dammit!
Are you kidding me?
This wall wasn't here last time. What gives?
[surprised yelp]
Another earthquake?
That's not what that was.
The dungeon is moving and changing its shape.
[Marcille] I bet that mage is doing it.
He's probably being cautious about us.
Does that mean we'll be wandering around this place in circles till we die?
Guess I've gotta get a bit reckless.
Just wait here.
[grunts]
[gasps]
[Senshi] The coast is clear.
Looks like climbing the wall might not be such a great idea.
Well, it's time to start walking then.
[wind howling]
[Chilchuck] I don't know if anyone else is getting this feeling but…
[indistinct giggle]
…it's like the town is getting livelier.
With the Red Dragon dead,
the monsters hiding from it are surfacing.
This floor originally had lots of monsters.
Us avoiding them was sheer good luck.
[pained grunt]
-[pained groaning] -[gasps]
Whoa, are you guys all right?
[Senshi] Hmm…
So unhealthy.
We've been walking nonstop and haven't had a decent meal
since eating the Dragon.
If I had to guess Laios's age…
Well, I can't really tell if he's young or old simply by looking,
but Chilchuck and Marcille are definitely still growing.
Come on.
[Senshi] I'm overwhelmed with shame that I can't provide a hearty meal
at such an important time in their lives.
I must feed them.
The young-ins must be fed.
And I have to feed them!
-[Laios groans] -[sniffs]
Hm. I smell something kinda sweet.
-[Senshi] Something you can eat? -[both gasp]
[Chilchuck] No, it's more like a floral scent.
[gasps]
[Senshi] Wherever flowers are blooming, there's sure to be some water.
It's all up to you, Chilchuck!
I'm on it!
[birds chirping]
Is this place some kind of graveyard?
[leaves rustling]
[gasps]
[Chilchuck] Wait, what's that over there?
-[all giggle] -[sensual music playing]
[both giggle]
-[Senshi] Don't look! -[yelps]
[tense music playing]
[Senshi] Oh, uh, excuse us.
[Chilchuck] Hey, Senshi! Let go!
[all grunt]
-[Senshi gasps] -[Laios] Get back, Senshi!
-[Laios grunts] -[gasps]
[Senshi yells]
[coughs]
[Senshi] What's that?
[Laios] Arm yourselves!
These things aren't humans.
They're Dryad flowers!
[Senshi] Then this dust in the air is…
[narrator] It's not dust at all.
Once inhaled, these microparticles
cling to the respiratory system's mucous membrane.
The body recognizes these particles and labels them as harmful,
then activates its immune system and quickly tries to dispel them.
Simply put…
[crackles]
[Senshi groans, shouts]
-[sneezes] -It's hay fever.
-Ew! So gross! -[both sneeze]
Oh, that hurts!
-[sneezes] -[Chilchuck gasps]
Dryads' pollen! No way!
Crap! Don't inhale it!
[both crying]
[Chilchuck] This is bad.
-[Senshi] I can't stop crying. -[gasps]
[Chilchuck grunts]
[both groan]
Come on, Senshi! You gotta stand up!
[grumbles]
-[Chilchuck] Laios! -Uh, Kensuke.
-Where are you? -[Chilchuck] Damn it.
[Chilchuck groans] My eyes…
[Chilchuck groans]
[Chilchuck] Senshi, reach forward.
On my signal, I want you to swing that sword behind you!
Ready?
And…
Swing!
[Senshi grunts]
[Dryad gasps]
[both groaning fiercely]
[both sneeze]
[Chilchuck groans] Oh, no!
My eyes are suddenly getting itchy.
[Chilchuck] My vision is…
[Dryad yells]
[pained groan]
[Senshi grunts fiercely]
[grunts]
[Chilchuck] Run, Senshi!
[Senshi] No!
My job is to stay here and protect all the young-ins from harm!
What are you talking about?
[Senshi] Chilchuck!
I'm gonna need you to be my eyes!
[Chilchuck] How? I can't see anything!
[Senshi] Your five senses are better than most, aren't they?
[grunts]
[Chilchuck] Smell?
No, the scent of the pollen is too strong.
Sound?
[Senshi sneezes]
Senshi's sneezing is too loud.
I can't trust my sight, smell, or hearing right now.
I know!
The wind!
[Senshi sneezes]
It dodged your sneeze and moved to your back right.
[Chilchuck] Swing up in that direction, Senshi!
[Senshi grunting]
[Senshi groans]
[both sneeze]
[Laios] Kensuke…
[Marcille sighs softly]
[Marcille] It completely snapped in two.
I need to repair it and feed it some mana quickly or it'll die.
And after it took me so many years to get it to grow this much…
-[leaves rustling] -Hmm?
-[all groaning] -[shocked yell]
[Senshi] This… This whole area is safe.
[Marcille] You're such a liar!
You guys fought against Dryad flowers?
That must have been rough.
[Senshi] So they were flower monsters, huh?
And here I was thinking they were human men and women.
The male and female part was right.
Dryads are unisexual.
Oh, hang on a minute.
-[groans] -He's doing it again.
Think we should knock him out to stop him this time?
I feel like we've gotten to a point where we can't be picky anymore.
I found myself having thoughts like,
"So what if the flower is shaped like a human?"
Marci--
-[laughs] -[both gasp]
Found some!
[Laios] Beautiful Dryad fruits!
[Marcille] How do I reverse time…
Cut it out! Don't casually look for scary-sounding spells!
[Chilchuck] Your black magic jokes aren't funny.
So, seriously, stop!
[Senshi] I didn't see a lick of pollen come out of this last Dryad I cut down.
The female flower then.
Before pollination, flowers care for and protect the other fruit.
[Chilchuck] Hey, this thing kinda looks like fruit too.
Hey, good find.
Those are flower buds.
They would eventually become the Dryad flower.
They look tasty and much easier to eat than the stuff you're carrying.
[Laios] What's the worst that could happen?
Let's grab a few.
[Senshi] Don't pluck too many of them, got it?
Understood.
[Chilchuck] Whoa. There are Mandrakes growing here.
There's no dog around,
so we'll just have to chop off their heads, okay?
-Hmm. Seriously, Chilchuck? -[chuckles]
Can you drop that already?
[Senshi] Hmm.
A pretty good harvest, if I say so myself.
I'm glad I thought ahead
and asked to borrow this axe from those orcs!
[Chilchuck groans]
[Senshi] Put the chopped ingredients into a pot with water and bring to a boil.
When they become soft, remove them from the heat,
and give them a good mashing in the pot.
Once it becomes paste-like,
add some more water along with your preferred seasonings.
[Senshi] Hmm.
[sniffs]
Already smells good.
In that case…
[Senshi] Lightly fry it in some butter and then add in some mushrooms.
Pour a little melted cheese over the top, and…
it's ready!
JACK-O'-LANTERN POTAGE AND SAUTÉED DRYAD BUDS WITH CHEESE
[Marcille] Why'd you put it in that thing?
[Senshi] I figured it might give you some help with replenishing your mana.
You can have good intentions but that doesn't make doing it any better.
I'll still eat it though.
[Marcille] It's sweet!
There's a floral fragrance
and despite it being dense, it melts in your mouth.
I love this.
[Marcille slurps]
[Chilchuck] That's kinda horrifying.
[cheerful music playing]
The acidity of the cheese works well.
[Senshi] I personally like how there's a slight bitterness.
So now what?
How do we escape from this place?
What if we end up stuck in here forever?
Sealing the path to the surface will cut the flow of magic.
So I highly doubt he'd try to keep us here indefinitely.
Which means there has to be a way out.
Do you think there's any kind of logic to the dungeon changes?
Mm, that's it!
[Laios] I'll record the frequency of the earthquakes on the map.
[Chilchuck] I'm starting to think this might work out.
[Marcille] It's a lot easier to feel optimistic
-when your stomach's full, huh? -[satisfied laugh]
[Marcille gulping]
[exhales]
My body's all nice and toasty now.
Seems like some of my mana is back too.
Laios, Senshi, we should get your wounds healed up.
You don't need to push yourself this soon.
-[Marcille] I'm not healing. -Oh.
You are! You really need to step up.
[hesitated groan]
[Marcille] It's time for me to teach you magic.
I won't be able to protect everybody from the mad mage all by myself.
If you can learn healing and abjuration magic,
it'll make things easier.
Falin taught you the basics, didn't she?
[Laios] More or less.
She actually specialized in the gnome magic system,
which is a bit different from the magic system I learned to use.
But the roots are similar so it should be okay.
I'll drum it into your head fast, I swear.
Let's do this and get stronger.
Mm.
They're too optimistic about this.
And that's exactly how young people should be.
[irritated groan]
Can you stop treating me like a child already, Senshi?
I'm so tired of it!
Why'd you even cover my eyes in front of those Dryads anyway?
[Chilchuck] I mean you saved me, but still!
I see. Well, Chilchuck…
[Senshi] You said before that your old man passed away, didn't you?
[Chilchuck] Yeah, what about it?
[Senshi] Hmm.
Now, this is as good a time as any.
I'll teach you what you need to know.
Go and take a seat right there.
[Chilchuck sighs]
You're probably at the age where you're gonna start
showing interest in certain things,
so you gotta need to have some good knowledge about them.
What's that mean?
[Senshi] Let's just say that humans also have a stamen and pistil.
[horrified, high-pitched scream]
[Marcille] Wrong! Do it again!
[Senshi] Are you listening?
[narrator] And so, their lessons continued on well into the night.
Come on, do it.
[hesitated groan]
-The hell? -[whimpers]
I thought touching it softly might be kinda weird.
That's not the point at all so get over it!
Give me your left hand.
[soft groan]
See? Something like this is fine.
[groans]
[Marcille] Your magic won't improve if things like this embarrass you.
Come on, focus!
You need to become aware of the mana that flows within your body.
It's like the venous system.
Link that flow with the palm of your hand,
from the very top of your head and all the way down to my toes.
Match to my breathing, my body temp, and pulse.
When you feel like you have the rhythm down, repeat after me.
-Sperae… -[Laios] Sperae…
-Yeptum… -Yeptum…
-Rufermus… -Rufermus…
-Vilal… -Vilal…
[Marcille] Eurekant…
[Laios] Eurekant…
-[Marcille] Oonzu… -[Laios] Oonzu…
[Marcille gasps]
-It itches! -[Laios yelps]
Ugh!
It's so itchy!
-Are you all right? -What the…
-The scab just came off. -Huh?
Wow, you actually did it!
Good job, Laios!
Are you sure about that?
Your ear is bleeding now.
It's fine. That's how it is at the start.
You're a pretty fast learner.
I guess your bloodline has a talent for it.
[Laios] It helps that the way you teach was easy for me to follow.
Glad to hear.
Now, before you forget what that feeling is like,
-try it on Senshi. -Huh?
I'll be watching, so just go and do it like before.
[Marcille] It's makeshift,
but I'm going to use some Dryad branches to repair it.
Hopefully, it works.
[gasps]
-[grunts] -[startled gasp]
-Did it have to be there? -Oh, I…
[Marcille] You need to quit worrying about that!
You can't stay shy about it.
Embarrassment is improvement's biggest enemy!
[Chilchuck] You shouldn't really disregard that sort of stuff.
Healers touch other people more than anyone
and it can lead to some problems.
Personal relationships are the main reason parties disband.
Jealousy, envy, falling in and out of love,
grudges, and hate.
It's a real nuisance.
[Marcille] You wouldn't happen to be talking about Falin and Shuro?
I'm speaking from experience.
For leaders, instead of combat skills,
they should focus on keeping their team together.
Honestly, instead of him learning magic,
I'd rather he develop good social skills and judge of character.
Because if he had those,
then he wouldn't have gotten himself in a situation involving black magic.
[Marcille] What about you, Chilchuck?
Why don't you try studying some magic?
Maybe you'd stop being scared of it.
Oh, I am so sorry!
You see, any half-foot I know who's dipped into black magic
mysteriously got kidnapped by elves and were never seen again.
It's such a crazy coincidence.
Because of that, I never had the chance to learn about it.
Forgive me for being so ignorant.
[Marcille] Actually, the ancient magic I've been researching
isn't what you think.
It's magic that draws energy from a different plane
where infinity exists.
[Marcille] How do you turn a cup that's full of water into gas?
You simply boil it, right?
Well, then how do you turn all the water in a lake into gas?
The logic behind it is the same, but it's easier said than done.
[Marcille] You need magic that supports vast amounts of power and time.
Which is what coordinate magic is.
Many places in this dungeon are linked to another place.
That power is used to summon monsters, also to create the dungeon itself.
At that time, Falin didn't have the power to recover on her own.
[Marcille] In an attempt to circumvent that,
I ended up rewriting a section of the dungeon
and made it so that her body was part of it.
[Marcille] Just for a moment, of course.
-[loud rumbling] -[all gasp]
-Another earthquake. -[Chilchuck] It's close.
Look over there!
[Chilchuck] The wall's moving.
But where is it going?
Let's get a closer look.
-[Laios] Mm. -[Senshi groans]
What? [groans]
[Chilchuck] Hey, what's wrong?
I suddenly feel dizzy.
Oh, yeah, that's right.
It was your first time using magic
so you're likely dealing with mana sickness.
-[Marcille] It'll hopefully ease up soon. -[groans]
We'll be back.
Get rest, okay?
[Laios] Whether I open or close my eyes, everything looks so saturated.
[ghost 1] Help us.
[ghost 2] Please, let us die.
[ghost 3] The mage is…
[Laios] Am I seeing things?
Hearing things?
[ghost 1] I'm begging you.
Just let us die…
[Laios] Mana sickness really bites.
[loud clattering]
The path in front of us is changing.
Hmm. I think I see a pattern, uh, but then again maybe not.
[loud rumbling]
[Senshi] It's looking like we gotta observe things some more.
Not being able to make progress is bad, but…
-Hm? -Huh?
-[both gasp] -The floor is rising all of a sudden.
Hurry and get off!
[Marcille] Ow!
That sure was close.
Man, we almost got stuck there, huh?
[all laugh]
[narrator] The Cockatrice with merciless, petrifying venom.
[intense music playing]
-[frantic screaming] -[panting]
[Senshi] Sure looks like a Basilisk!
But it's a Cockatrice, which is ten times more dangerous!
One bite from it, you'll turn into a statue!
-[panting] -[gasps]
[Chilchuck] A door to the left!
Hurry and get inside!
[all scream]
What are we gonna do?
[Senshi] This won't hold long.
Are we able to escape through the back?
[Senshi] If it has the same characteristics as a Basilisk,
I'm pretty sure it can detect us just by tracking our body heat.
It'll be hard for us to sneak away.
But that's only something the snake head has the ability to do.
The bird head is relying on sight to find us.
Marcille, do you remember what Laios did when we faced the Basilisk the last time?
[gasps]
[Marcille whimpers]
[Senshi] Whatever you do, don't back down!
Put your whole body and soul into intimidating it!
[Marcille groans]
[Marcille] That's easy for you to say.
[Senshi] All you gotta do is make yourself look big
and yell at it nice and strong!
[Marcille] I get that I'm taller than Chilchuck and Senshi, but…
this monster's twice the size of a Basilisk.
And I'm honestly not that good at yelling.
Wait…
What did Laios yell back then?
Was it "Whaa"?
Or "roar"?
[loud chicken scream]
[Marcille groans]
Well, regardless of what it was, I've just got to make it flinch!
[yells]
[narrator] Roll credits.
[Marcille] What am I even doing?
I'm definitely gonna screw it up!
I can't do what Laios does.
How am I supposed to do this?
I know.
I'll do it…
my own way!
[narrator] The magic school's first-ever genius,
Marcille!
[loud blast]
[Chilchuck] What was that explosion?
[Senshi] It's Marcille, come on!
[suspenseful music playing]
[battle cry]
[fierce grunt]
Too shallow.
[whimpers]
[Marcille] Crap, I've made too much noise.
Both heads are looking at me now.
I need to cast but there's no time--
[grunts]
[loud blast]
[Senshi grunts fiercely]
[Cockatrice groans]
Marcille! Did you get bitten?
Uh, I'm okay.
That looks like a bite to me, you idiot!
[frustrated groan] Dammit!
What? You've got bitten by a Cockatrice?
This is bad.
Do you know the trick to help you deal with a Cockatrice bite?
There's a trick to it?
[Laios] First, remove your pants.
[Marcille groans]
Sit and bring your body close together.
[groans]
Pull your arms inward, cover your ears with your fingers,
-and close your mouth. -[groans, sighs]
Hm.
Good.
Now you're all set to turn into stone.
I thought this was a method not to get petrified, you little--
Oh…
[Laios groaning]
Oh, crap, she got hardened in a really dangerous pose.
She's gonna break.
Her core's unbalanced, so she could tip over any second.
[Laios] Not looking good.
[Chilchuck] Of all the poses she could have chosen.
[Senshi] What should we do now?
Is there any way to undo this?
Hmm…
There's a few ways.
[Laios] First, just waiting till it just wears off.
Petrification is more like a curse instead of a poison.
[Laios] Elves have a strong resistance to magic,
so they should recover faster than others.
The second way is to search for some medicinal herbs.
Or third, to go look for an adventurer who knows the right spell.
Last option is to let me try to cast something to heal her.
Can you though?
[Laios] Marcille taught me the basics of reading her magic book.
There should be a spell to get her back to normal.
[groans]
[Chilchuck] Well, while looking for herbs and an adventurer,
I'll stay hopeful about the other two ideas.
So how long would it take to heal up naturally?
For tall-men, it's six months to ten years.
-I'm gonna fetch the Cockatrice. -[groans]
[Senshi] These changed color real fast overnight.
We should eat them sooner than later.
[Chilchuck] She's leaning and it's kinda concerning.
Should we put something underneath her butt
to keep her up straight?
Yeah, that might help.
I've got a pretty good idea.
[Senshi] At the bottom of the pan,
place the julienned flower buds and some spices.
And place Marcille on top of that.
[Laios] Oh, her eyelashes broke.
[Senshi] Soak the Cockatrice meat in a brine
and place that in Marcille's lap,
and this way, she stays perfectly balanced.
Well, she does seem more stable.
[Senshi] This should keep her from taking a tumble.
[Chilchuck] She looks kinda like a heretic idol.
[narrator] From that point on, Laios and the others worked hard.
DAY 2
There were many trials and errors.
DAY 3
But on the fourth day…
I found one!
[Senshi] How do you reckon to use it?
Uh…
How about we…
stick them on?
[Laios] The stone is starting to feel a little warm.
Now's the time.
Sperae Yeptum…
Rufermus Vilal…
Histoum…
[Laios] Am I even pronouncing any of this correctly?
-[loud bang] -[Laios gasps]
[Laios] Crap!
[quirky music playing]
[Marcille breathes deeply]
Marcille! You're back!
[Senshi] Yup, soft.
-I said the words right! -Huzzah!
Wait! Huh?
What the… Ugh!
Is this a vegetable?
Why is there a pot?
Let's see here.
Hmm…
This one was a success too.
-Yay! -What the…
[Senshi] Boil the meat that you had brined in and then…
slice it up thinly.
Take the fermented buds, plate them with the meat, and…
it's ready.
EISBEIN-STYLE COCKATRICE AND SAUERKRAUT-STYLE DRYAD BUDS
What? It's really been that long?
I wonder what method ended up working in the end?
No way to tell when we tried so many.
It'd be nice if it was the spell I cast.
Yeah, right.
It was probably all thanks to the herb I found.
[Senshi] You sure?
'Cause maybe the Cockatrice meat I was prepping
somehow neutralized the curse.
[Marcille] I caused them so much trouble,
and at a time when we really needed to get back to the surface.
Hey, guys, I…
[gasps]
[Marcille] No, wait a second.
Under the circumstances,
there's something I should tell them first.
Yeah, of course.
Don't ever use people as a human pickling weight.
[narrator] So it goes with dungeon food.
Delicious in dungeon.
[closing theme music playing]