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After regrouping, Lua Cheia began exploring the rest of the underground area. Eventually, they reached the conclusion that it was just a dead end with no hidden paths or items. But then…

“Shh, it’s there.”

Hinagiku, leading the group, peeked past a rock and held up her hand to stop the others from following too closely. Crim and the rest moved carefully, creeping closer to take a look as well.

“Is… is he setting up a trap there?”

They watched as the tuna (placeholder) tossed grotesque starfish into nearby puddles.

“So he placed those starfishes there… Then again, it was my fault for not watching where I was running.”
“…I hate that I’m starting to think that’s kinda adorable.”
“What a coincidence, sister. I also didn’t think he was such a hardworking guy.”

As they whispered among themselves, the tuna (placeholder) finished his task and turned to walk away.

“Well… What should we do?”
“We could ambush him now,” Frey suggested.

Hinagiku and Frey both turned to Crim for her decision.

I really don’t want to fight that thing, it’s too gross. But it’s true, we might not get another chance like this.

“…Yes, let’s do it.” Her hesitation was quickly overtaken by her gamer instincts, and she began giving everyone instructions on how to proceed with the attack.

“Hmm… A fair point. Lycoris, wilt thou do it?”
“Yes, let me handle it.”

Lycoris, the most skilled at gathering information, examined the tuna (placeholder) and made the analysis window visible for everyone to see. The group huddled around her to check it out, and what they saw left them dumbfounded.

“ “ “WHAT THE HELL IS THISSSS?!!!” ” ”

“Gyogyoo?!”

The group’s shock at the overly detailed backstory caused them to forget their plan for a surprise attack, shouting out in confusion. Bonithunnus XIII (the tuna) turned around, startled, and immediately prepared for battle. Both sides braced for a fight, with no intention of holding back.

……
…………
………………

The three-meter-tall giant, Bonithunnus (the tuna), collapsed face-first onto the cave floor, sending tremors through the ground.

“He was… a powerful foe…” Crim muttered, wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. Despite the victory, she still looked shaken by fear.

“I was ready to give up so many times…”
“He was a splendid warrior, even if he was our enemy…” Freya added, exhausted, while Hinagiku nodded in agreement.

“Yeah… I wasn’t expecting so many water-element attacks in a cave with just a few puddles like this.”
“The water jets he spat out were really powerful and well-aimed too…”
“We really can’t get deceived by appearances here…”

The rear guard, Frey and Lycoris, who had run out of MP, and Kasumi, who had taken a beating defending them, also shared their thoughts on the intense fight.

The viewers, just as impressed as the group, continued buzzing about the fight.

Regardless of all that, it was time to check the loot.

As their leader, Crim began going through the items one by one. The first item was a cut of fish meat, almost transparent, with an incredibly rich marbling of fat, giving it a white, snow-like pattern.

«Powder Snow Otoro»

“That’s… that’s a grade S ingredient!” Kasumi exclaimed.
“You’ve heard of it, prez?!” Crim asked.
“Yes… It’s an ingredient that pushes the game’s taste engine to its absolute limit, created with the help of professional food critics to perfect its flavor and texture. Some say there’s nothing in the real world that compares to it. Because of that, it fetches insane prices on the player market!”

Everyone audibly gulped as Kasumi explained. Even Crim, who usually had an aversion to all types of meat, found herself drooling over the luxurious, shiny cut.

“Ah… let’s decide whether to sell it or eat it later. Moving on!”

They carefully placed the cut of meat into their loot bag and checked the next item.

This time…

«Black Diamond Caviar»

“…Huh?” Crim let out a puzzled sound.

Everyone else had similar reactions.

It made sense—caviar, which usually meant the eggs of a shark, was an unusual find in a fantasy setting like theirs. But the rare ingredients didn’t stop there.

«Golden Toro Salmon»
«Millenium Onomi» (Onomi: Marbled meat from a whale, taken from the area between the dorsal fin and the tail)
«Snowy Teppou» (Teppou: Another name for fugu/pufferfish meat)

The list of grade S ingredients kept growing.

As the comments pointed out, if Lua Cheia decided to sell all of these ingredients, they’d have enough money to buy almost anything they wanted. But before they could focus on that…

“…Say, what’s that over there?” Crim muttered.

Everyone, including the viewers, instinctively nodded at the same time, sensing something unusual.