Chapter 116: Luke Wants to Eat Meat!
(PS: Sorry for the wrong chapter. I uploaded the wrong chapter lol.)
Chapter 116: Luke Wants to Eat Meat!
Each area inside the Dungeon has its own characteristics, making camping more convenient or inconvenient depending on the location.
The Large Tree Labyrinth, where Luke and Ais are currently located, is considered a comparatively convenient area.
Luke ignites a pile of dry leaves and branches with a flint; the crackling sound of burning plants fills the air.
A small pot sits above the campfire, a boiling vegetable soup within.
Camping in the Dungeon is often difficult. Some areas, dominated by rocks or waterfalls, make even lighting a fire extremely challenging.
The reason the Large Tree Labyrinth area is relatively convenient isn't simply because of the ease of lighting a fire; more importantly, there are abundant food and water sources.
Food and water are the most vital supplies for surviving inside the Dungeon.
Apart from floors dominated by rivers or lakes, finding water sources in the Dungeon is very difficult.
Therefore, when exploring the Dungeon, capable adventurers must replenish drinking water at known locations on fixed floors according to a carefully crafted plan.
Luke constantly stirs the vegetable soup in the pot with a spoon. His cooking skills aren't exceptional; the food he makes isn't exactly delicious, but it's not unpalatable either.
Generally, Luke handles the cooking when camping in the Dungeon, even when Riveria leads the team.
After all, one cannot expect delicious food from someone who was originally elven royalty, possessed great strength before becoming an adventurer, and holds a high position after becoming one.
Ais, raised by Riveria and always seen as a 'princess' by Loki Familia members, shares a similar lack of culinary talent.
If Luke's cooking level is only average, then Riveria and Ais are definitely below average.
Luke and Ais's dinner today consists of two bowls of vegetable soup per person, one piece of dried meat, and one flatbread.
However, before starting to eat, there is still one last thing to do.
"Ais, turn off the light. The soup is nearly cooked."
"Hmph!"
Ais unhappily humphs, still holding a grudge against Luke for snatching her biscuit earlier.
Despite her unfriendly attitude, she still stands up to 'turn off the light'.
The light source of the Large Tree Labyrinth area comes from 'light moss' growing everywhere, emitting a green glow that illuminates the surroundings.
Unlike the crystals on the 18th floor, light moss doesn't lose its glow over time, meaning these floors don't have a distinct 'night'.
What Luke means by telling Ais to 'turn off the light' is to remove the light moss inside the hollow space.
When the light source disappears, it represents nightfall.
This isn't only done to keep their perceived time in line with the surface but also has a crucial purpose: preventing monsters.
The Dungeon's monsters live year-round in this area and are familiar with the environment.
When they see an unusual scene like a place darker than the surroundings, they'll cautiously choose to leave.
As long as they don't make too much noise, monsters usually instinctively avoid darker places.
Ais quickly removes the moss growing inside the hollow space and places it in several transparent glass bottles, creating a portable light source.
While cleaning, she also slashes at the few cracks on the recovering wall, muttering fiercely.
Swish—!
"Bad guy!"
Swish—!
"Stole my snack!"
Swish—!
"Riveria is also a baddy!"
Swish—!
"They all bully me!"
Swish—!
"..."
Swish—!
"Want snacks!"
Luke sat in front of the fire, ladling the cooked vegetable soup into a bowl.
He watched with amusement as Ais vented her grievances on the wall.
After venting her frustrations, Ais calmed down and returned with bottles filled with moss.
She took out two bottles, placing one at the entrance of the hollow space and the other in the middle. The rest were covered with cloth.
This way, they could maintain a small amount of light while still monitoring the entrance.
After finishing the pre-dinner work, Ais washed her hands with the prepared clean water and sat down next to Luke.
"Here, for you." Luke soaked the slightly hardened jerky in the vegetable soup and handed it to Ais along with the flatbread.
Although Ais was only ten years old, her appetite was no different from an adult adventurer's.
To support her strong physical fitness, her energy intake had to be substantial.
Fortunately, the food in this world was more energy-dense.
Otherwise, high-level adventurers would likely all become huge eaters.
Luke picked up his portion of vegetable soup and sighed as he looked at the pitiful amount of jerky.
Although it wasn't just vegetables, the soup also contained some wild fruits and herbs collected from the dungeon.
He didn't dislike his cooking; being able to eat normal food in the dungeon was a luxury, and his culinary skills were just above the passing line.
Luke sighed because he preferred meat over vegetables and fruits.
While edible vegetables and fruits existed in the dungeon, they were hard to find but not impossible, and many herbs could stave off hunger.
But meat was a different story. Ordinary animals simply couldn't survive in a monster-infested dungeon, meaning no animals and therefore no meat.
The meat that adventurers ate was usually prepared before entering the dungeon, mostly jerky for long-term preservation.
As for the bodies of monsters... the way they turned into black smoke and ashes the moment the magic stone was removed didn't exactly make them look edible. At least Luke had no intention of trying.
Some monster drops included parts of their body tissue, which seemed edible unlike the dissipating monster bodies. But whether anyone dared to try them remained unknown.
The dinner portion wasn't too large; they quickly finished two bowls of vegetable soup each.
In the dungeon, it was necessary to keep their bodies ready for combat at all times, so overeating wasn't advisable.
Under normal circumstances, it is not allowed to be 80% full. Staying around 60% or 70% full was the usual standard.
After dinner, Luke, 'keeping his promise', took out the unpacked biscuit that Ais had torn earlier.
Ais looked at the snack Luke handed over with a conflicted expression.
She wasn't so full that she couldn't eat, but if she ate the snack, her food intake for the night would exceed the optimal standard for staying combat-ready in the dungeon.
Even a slight decrease in fighting efficiency due to extra food was unacceptable to Ais, who considered killing monsters and leveling up extremely important.
But the biscuit Luke handed over was so tempting and delicious looking.
Ais held the pack of biscuits and fell into deep conflict under Luke's mischievous smile.
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