Chapter 69

I froze where I stood.

Cook the dragon…?

In Sla2Plate’s true ending, the Fire Dragon Infernum fought the player as the final boss.

Once the player drove out Infernum, who had ruled as a tyrant, the twins became the dungeon’s new masters and peace was restored.

But although I’d seen the defeated Infernum flee countless times, I could swear I’d never once killed him, captured him, or cooked him.

“As for the cooking method, I’ll leave it entirely to your discretion, Roasted Chestnut. However, I’d like the eyes and the heart served intact, without discarding any part of them.”

“…”

“Roasted Chestnut, there’s no need to worry so much. Hunting a fire dragon won’t be difficult. After all, I’m your companion, aren’t I?”

He seemed to have misunderstood why I’d gone stiff.

He encouraged me, saying he’d help with the hunt and that even young Roasted Chestnut would be able to do it.

As I listened, I carefully considered my answer.

‘I can’t refuse.’

What I really wanted to ask was whether he absolutely had to eat a fire dragon. Couldn’t he just eat whatever I served?

But if I said that, there was no telling what Dominic—already displeased because of the Fire Dragon’s Seal—might do.

The choices available to me were practically predetermined.

“I can’t say I’m confident… but I’ll do my best, Dominic-ssi.”

The real problem was figuring out how to deal with this going forward.

I held out my hand for him to climb on, but even after hearing my answer, Dominic remained motionless.

Then I realized why.

The Fire Dragon’s Seal was branded on the hand I’d extended.

Apparently he didn’t even want to touch a place bearing someone else’s seal.

I offered my other hand instead.

Only then did the pudding slime settle comfortably into my palm.

Feeling his soft, squishy body against my hand, my heart finally settled.

Maybe I should buy something this squishy once I get out of Sla2Plate.

The moment the clock struck six, a black silhouette silently appeared at the staircase.

Je Hyun-oh descended two or three steps at a time.

The instant his feet reached the first floor, he came to an abrupt stop.

“Lieutenant Colonel Je, did you sleep well—”

Before I could even finish my greeting, he was suddenly standing right in front of me.

Realizing where his gaze was fixed, I obediently held out the back of my hand, displaying the Fire Dragon’s Seal.

A moment later, Kwak Hanmuk and Mo Haein came downstairs as well.

The first thing Kwak Hanmuk checked was today’s slime.

“…I can still see it. Fuck.”

After confirming the morning slime, he cursed before muttering in resignation,

“I’ll check my contamination level again once we’re out. Doesn’t seem like there’s gonna be a cure….”

While he mourned the possibility of spending the rest of his life as the only person who could see slimes, Mo Haein noticed the Fire Dragon’s Seal.

“Trainee. What’s that? When did the restaurant owner show up?”

“I woke up about thirty minutes early because of what seemed to be a system error, so I met the owner first.”

“Oh, hey, Little Chestnut.”

Kwak Hanmuk bumped into me hard enough to make a thud.

“Let’s work through the strategy together, alright? You keep doing things by yourself.”

“I’m sorry. I was in too much of a hurry.”

“Yeah. You should be sorry.”

Looking down at me, he warned,

“Goyo, don’t forget weird stuff always happens around you.”

“Yes. I’ll be careful.”

I didn’t bother mentioning that Infernum was eagerly waiting for me to end up on his dining table.

Why?

Because that was never going to happen.

With three members of the Special Mission Team and one pudding slime backing me up, I was feeling extremely confident.

‘Ah, the hologram badge.’

Samra had told me to wear the hologram badge after entering Sla2Plate.

But with everything going on, there were too many things I wanted to hide.

If communications were connected, I wouldn’t even be able to talk freely with Dominic.

For the time being, I decided to pretend I’d simply forgotten.

I explained to Je Hyun-oh and the captains that our party’s combat strength had impressed Infernum enough for him to unlock the daytime dungeon, and that it was far more difficult than the nighttime dungeon.

The captains didn’t actually know what conditions unlocked the daytime dungeon.

And this was their first time entering with a party this powerful.

They had little choice but to accept my explanation.

Crossing her arms, Mo Haein murmured,

“So the dungeon opens during the day too. I guess your combat power has to reach a certain level.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Chewing noisily on an apple he’d gathered from the orchard outside the village yesterday, Kwak Hanmuk said,

“Well, since we’re here anyway, let’s clear all ninety-nine floors today.”

Mo Haein nodded.

“I don’t know how hard the daytime dungeon is, but with us, it shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

“Captains, there’s actually no need to go all the way to the ninety-ninth floor yet.”

The goal of Sla2Plate wasn’t simply conquering the dungeon.

Running the restaurant was just as important.

Clearing the dungeon alone accomplished nothing.

I began briefing everyone on my plan.

When I finished, neither captain spoke for a moment.

Mo Haein turned toward Kwak Hanmuk.

“Is this how you sold that leaf tea yesterday too?”

“Captain Mo. That was honest money.”

After hearing that we’d put on a play for the dungeon gatekeepers in exchange for money, Mo Haein wore the face of someone who had achieved enlightenment.

“…Alright. Let’s give it a try.”

After receiving her approval, I turned to Je Hyun-oh for the final decision.

“What do you think, Lieutenant Colonel Je?”

“Ah, the minimum party size for the floor we’re aiming for today is two people, so we’ll split into two teams.”

His metal hand pointed at me.

“Captain Kwak and Lieutenant Colonel Je will be…”

The metal finger continued pointing at me.

“…one team.”

His metallic fingers clicked softly.

The gleaming blade attached to them looked particularly sharp.

“…That was the plan, but after thinking about it, I’d still rather go with Lieutenant Colonel Je.”

An adorable little emoticon appeared above his goggles.

Having involuntarily lost the right to choose, I did my best to think positively.

‘Maybe Lieutenant Colonel Je will let me clock out early like he did in DeZonDeal.’

If not…

For a brief moment I considered staging a mutiny against my superior, only to realize there was absolutely nothing I could do, and gave up.

As long as one party member possessed the Fire Dragon’s Seal, everyone gained permission to enter the dungeon.

Everyone immediately began preparing.

I was about to check my inventory before suddenly stopping.

Could Dominic see my inventory window too?

There was something inside that he absolutely shouldn’t see.

Carefully, I opened the inventory.

Dominic showed no particular reaction.

‘So he really can only see the quest window.’

Why the quest window of all things?

I glanced at Dominic, who was still sparkling with obvious displeasure.

‘I’m curious what he and Infernum talked about earlier, too.’

I’d have to find a chance to ask him discreetly later.

Thinking about how I could learn more from Dominic, I headed toward the dungeon.

When we arrived at the dungeon, the Fire Dragon twins appeared.

I held out the back of my hand toward them.

The instant Ella saw the seal, she screamed.

“Impossible! Our lord actually granted someone as weak as you permission to enter the daytime dungeon!”

She grabbed my hand and examined the seal herself.

Once she confirmed it was genuine, she shouted in disbelief all over again.

Peeking over Ella’s shoulder, Ellun looked at the seal and quietly muttered,

“That’s dangerous.”

Then he smiled faintly at me.

“I’ll be entering with my companions, so it’ll be alright.”

Only then did Ellun shift his gaze behind me.

His reptilian eyes lazily swept over Je Hyun-oh and the captains.

“…Even so, be careful.”

He opened the stone gate while giving me one final warning.

Rumble.

The moment it opened, I hurried inside.

The enormous statue of the Fire Dragon standing in the dungeon lobby looked down upon all adventurers.

The dungeon in Sla2Plate was structured as a tower.

Once all normal monsters on a floor were defeated, a boss monster appeared.

Defeat the boss, and the next floor became accessible.

In the daytime dungeon, hidden bosses also appeared on floors with repeated digits.

Normal monsters and boss monsters dropped cooking ingredients upon death.

Hidden bosses, however, fled after defeat, leaving only ingredients behind.

Today’s objectives were:

- The normal monster on Floor 32, the Flame Lizard.
- The boss monster on Floor 32, the Lava Golem.
- And the hidden boss on Floor 44, the Flame Mage.

Crack.

Cracking his knuckles, Kwak Hanmuk grinned.

“Let’s blast our way to Floor 44.”

Then he looked at Je Hyun-oh.

“Lieutenant Colonel Je, fighting!”

The plan was simple.

Je Hyun-oh would clear the way at top speed.

Kwak Hanmuk and Mo Haein would farm materials on Floor 32.

Je Hyun-oh and I would continue on to Floor 44.

A strange symbol appeared across Je Hyun-oh’s goggles.

Without another word, he strode forward.

Opening the door, he entered the tower’s first floor.

Before the rest of the party had even fully entered the area, Je Hyun-oh spread all six metallic wings.

Without making a sound, the flying metal feathers instantly killed every normal monster the moment they appeared.

The boss met the exact same fate.

Up through Floor 10, Je Hyun-oh never once lifted a finger.

His metal feathers handled everything.

Enjoying the benefits of the Je Hyun-oh cheat, I diligently followed behind.

Items littered the floor, but we didn’t pick up everything.

I only pointed out what the captains actually needed.

“Ah, you don’t need that one. Just take this.”

Since inventory space was limited, we collected only valuable or important materials before continuing upward without hesitation.

Starting from Floor 11, Je Hyun-oh finally began fighting personally.

And somehow…

…he cleared the tower even faster than when he was relying solely on his wings.

Eventually, we reached Floor 32.

After checking the materials dropped by the Flame Lizard and Lava Golem, I smiled.

“Captains, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“See you later, Goyo.”

“Be careful, Trainee.”

Leaving Floor 32 in their hands, Je Hyun-oh and I continued to Floor 44.

By the forty-fourth floor of the daytime dungeon, even Je Hyun-oh needed a little time to defeat the monsters.

Of course…

…it was only a little.

It still took only a matter of minutes to defeat the boss.

Then the hidden boss appeared.

Smoke spread thickly across the floor as the smell of sulfur filled the air.

The skeletal mage wore robes woven from black flames and carried a staff studded with enormous rubies.

The hem of his robe flickered continuously with fire, radiating enough heat to burn anyone who approached.

“Mortals… the time of judgment has—ugh!”

Before the Flame Mage could finish his dramatic speech, Je Hyun-oh charged.

Dominic, who had quietly ridden on my shoulder the entire time, finally spoke.

“Roasted Chestnut. Wasn’t it considered proper manners on your planet to allow someone to finish introducing themselves?”

Watching Je Hyun-oh carve through the skeleton mage, I whispered,

“He’s a Berserker. That’s just how they are.”

“So it’s a class characteristic. I understand.”

The Flame Mage let out a pitiful scream.

“Gaaah!”

Dominic watched Je Hyun-oh’s completely one-sided battle for a moment before saying,

“Hm. That Berserker may require a small amount of restraint. I believe I’ll use some magic.”

“No, no, Dominic-ssi. It’s alright. He may look like this, but he’s still perfectly normal.”

While I quietly whispered with the pudding slime, Je Hyun-oh utterly shredded the Flame Mage’s health bar.

His metal hand danced like a whirlwind of blades.

I’d thought his peaceful hobbies had mellowed him out a little.

Apparently not.

Before long, the Flame Mage admitted defeat.

“Ghk…! I merely let my guard down! When I return, you shall pay for insulting flame!”

Clatter.

The Flame Mage tossed down a crystal bottle before disappearing.

After confirming the item, I immediately stored it in my inventory.

“I’m heading out now, Lieutenant Colonel Je.”

The real strategy was only just beginning.

Je Hyun-oh waved his hand at me.

I stepped onto the teleportation magic circle tucked away in the corner.

Once a floor had been cleared, its magic circle allowed free travel between completed floors.

I returned to the first floor and exited the dungeon.

The twins looked surprised to see me.

“You’re alive.”

“Remarkable! Your abilities are quite—”

“Thank you.”

I hurriedly greeted them before running right back inside.

A little later—

“Hey, Little Lamb! You’re not dead this time ei—”

“Thank you.”

Then a little later—

“…What exactly are you doing? Your companions have been doing this for a while now too.”

“Thank you.”

And then again—

“Little Lamb! You’ve completely lost your mind!!”

“Thank… ah, no, that’s not it. Sorry.”

The captains and I were repeatedly entering and exiting the dungeon to force the monsters to respawn.

“Ella-nim, Ellun-nim. You must be getting bored. Could you watch these for a moment?”

I gathered all the lizard tails the captains had piled near the entrance and neatly arranged them beside the twins.

Whenever the Fire Dragon twins stood at the dungeon entrance, they naturally radiated heat.

Using that gentle warmth for a light preliminary roast improved the flavor and even granted bonus stats.

Surrounded by piles of lizard tails, the twins blinked.

As realization dawned on her, Ella muttered,

“You… you’re not Little Lamb at all. You’re a crazy lamb…!”