Since Zephyr had taken the initiative to state they were parting ways, even though Mikoto had many questions about cooking, she could only give up on that.
She watched Zephyr's retreating figure until it disappeared around the corner of the tunnel, before she finally withdrew her gaze.
"They are quite nice. They feel much friendlier than the Apollo Familia Adventurers we encountered before. I guess that's just the gap between Familias." Ouka's feelings were a bit complicated.
He held the bento in his hands. Thanks to the addition of the spicy braised beef sauce and the hot dish, the taste of the bento, which had been gradually cooling down, had become much better.
"Yeah." Mikoto nodded.
She thought the same thing deep down. After all, in the two years since she had come to Orario with Takemikazuchi and developed as an Adventurer, she had encountered many Adventurers. There weren't many who were as open and straightforward as Zephyr.
What's more, she hadn't forgotten that even though it was their first meeting, he was willing to share food with her. If Zephyr were a chef, she would be very happy to patronize his shop.
Ouka remembered what Mikoto had said earlier about the ingredients used being a bit special.
He couldn't resist his inner curiosity and asked, "Um... Mikoto, what did you mean by the ingredients being special?"
After hesitating for a moment, she confessed the truth, "Actually... it's the meat of a Minotaur. Zephyr-san used culinary techniques to turn the monster meat into a dish. It's delicious, right?"
"?"
Ouka's movement of holding the bento froze. The smile on his face vanished, leaving only a blank expression.
His gaze shifted back and forth between Mikoto's face and the remaining sauce in the bento.
Minotaur meat?! Holy crap!
Just hearing that made his scalp tingle. After all, in the knowledge of Adventurers, monster meat contains toxins that cannot be completely eliminated even with high-temperature cooking. Unless absolutely necessary, it must never be eaten.
But what about now?
A dish made from Minotaur meat, looking exactly like spicy braised beef, was sitting in his hands, and he had even finished eating it.
The expressions of the other members of the party were somewhat strange.
But the taste of that dish had long been engraved deep into everyone's taste buds, and the resistance in their hearts was suppressed by the flavor.
Besides, even Zephyr, as the chef, had tasted a lot of it himself. There was no reason for him to harm them, just passing Adventurers he had met by chance, right?
— — —
'Only 3 more stranger diners needed to complete the sharing mission. What kind of reward will I get after completing this thing?'
At his current stage, his cooking skill was just that of ordinary home-cooked meals. The taste of the food wasn't due to his own techniques, it was more due to the complex and exquisite seasoning methods of the recipe from his previous life.
If he could rely on the cooking skill bonuses from Food Wars that could produce glowing dishes, the taste would certainly be better.
So, would this also bring more improvements in terms of stats?
To achieve a qualitative change in cooking skills, the sharing mission issued by the system must be completed. Regardless of which technique he obtained, it would be helpful to him at this stage.
It's just that... Stranger diners meant that those he knew wouldn't be counted.
Soon, he thought of Syr, who had asked him for food last night. She might be the key to the mission.
As he thought of this, his mind kept wandering. Since he could bring the Gourmet Creature he hunted in the Dungeon back to Orario for Loki to taste, couldn't he also sell these precious ingredients?
It was more meaningful than letting them go to waste in the Dungeon because he couldn't finish eating them. Most importantly, it could bring him a decent income.
Although Loki's current attitude was that she was very willing to customize weapons for him, the direction of the customization was only for convenience in Dungeon exploration.
What about the special kitchenware from those cooking anime that he wanted?
It seems I can only rely on myself.
The Hostess of Fertility, as the most popular gathering place for Adventurers, had a huge number of diners visiting every day. If he could establish a long-term cooperative relationship with them and supply the Gourmet Creatures as raw materials to that restaurant regularly, then not only would he be able to make money, but if the system had similar sharing missions, he could also act as a temporary chef to complete system missions more quickly. It was a win-win situation.
With this thought in mind, the party gradually explored to the 16th floor.
As a sense of hunger struck his body again, it reminded Zephyr that he had to return to Orario.
He looked at Lefiya and Lili, asking, "Shall we go back?"
"It depends on what you think." Lefiya naturally had no objections. "Just decide as you wish."
But if she really had to choose between camping in the Dungeon or returning to Orario for a comfortable rest, she would definitely choose the latter. After all, she still preferred the soft bed at the base.
"Then shall we go back?" Lili expressed her stance.
She naturally didn't refuse Zephyr's proposal, but what she was considering was—returning to the Familia base meant she could hug Zephyr while sleeping at night.
However, she didn't reveal this thought too obviously, as there was also Lefiya in the party.
"Then let's end today's exploration here."
If there was one regret, it was that Outsider's trigger probability was very low, and he hadn't encountered a Gourmet Creature yet.
As the party prepared to return, a sound similar to a lion's roar came from the distant passage ahead. A monster was approaching.
Immediately after, a system prompt appeared before Zephyr's eyes.
[Mont Blion]
[Capture Level: 7]
[A lion whose mane is made of Mont Blanc Cake. It uses its huge mane as a megaphone and can emit sound shockwaves from its mouth.]
[The meat has no edible value but the Mont Blanc cake of the mane is a high-grade dessert. It is sweet and delicious, and it is also the main ingredient for making high-grade chiffon cake.]
Lefiya caught the anomaly coming from ahead. When she noticed Zephyr's increasingly serious expression and recalled the encounters from some time ago, she asked, "Zephyr, is there a special creature appearing?"
Zephyr gripped the axe in his hands tightly, his gaze cast toward the depths of the dark cave ahead, his tone unable to hide the anticipation in his heart. "Do you like eating desserts?"
Zephyr's sudden question made Lefiya's hands, which were originally gripping her staff tightly, unconsciously relax a littl.
In her eyes, there was bewilderment. Is this the time to ask such a relaxed topic?
"Desserts?"
She stared blankly at Zephyr, then looked at the passage ahead, clearly feeling that the ground was constantly trembling.
Is this the time to discuss desserts?!
But as the words reached her lips, she recalled those absurd experiences she had shared with Zephyr in the Dungeon during this time.
Meat tree, Crab Pig...
All sorts of absurd creatures.
Is the approaching monster like that?
After Lefiya grasped the crux of the matter, she asked, "Zephyr, how... Why ask this suddenly?"
"Look ahead." Zephyr raised his finger and pointed toward the distance of the passage ahead.
Immediately after, accompanied by a roar, a figure emerged completely from the darkness of the cave. Its size was comparable to twice that of an adult male lion. Its limbs were thick and powerful, causing thuds as it stepped on the rocky ground.
The mane on the monster's head was fluffy, and possessed a perfect honey hue. From a distance, it looked like a piece of high-grade cake. The texture of every strand of hair perfectly matched the tiny air holes formed after baking a cake.
Lefiya felt her brain briefly crash as her pupils reflected that exceptionally absurd-looking monster ahead.
Even though she had vaguely guessed in her heart that it was very likely a monster not recorded by the Guild, when she saw it clearly, she was still shocked.
It was obviously a highly intimidating lion monster. Yet, its mane looked exceptionally tempting.
"Huh? Can this thing really grow like this?"
Zephyr nodded.
Lili, walking at the very back of the group, lifted her hood. Her eyes looked through the gap between Zephyr and Lefiya, catching sight of that magically-styled monster ahead.
During the time she had been in contact with Zephyr, she had seen many bizarre creatures—Crab Pig, Barbecue Pig, meat tree...
But when she saw the Mont Blion, she was still shocked.
"What on earth is this thing? Why do I feel like it's wearing a cake on its neck?"