"It was supposed to be a high-ranking C-rank monster, so I had high hopes. This was a bit of a letdown."
Vihera sighed, her gaze fixed on the Cyclops’s corpse sprawled across the ground.
The final blow—the one that had snuffed out the giant's flame of life—had been so powerful that its head had completely disintegrated. Brain matter, blood, fluids, bone, and meat were splattered across the nearby rocks.
After confirming that the headless body had truly ceased to move, Vihera looked at the remains as if they were nothing more than refuse, her interest vanishing in an instant. Because the opponent had failed to satisfy her battle lust, she had already judged it worthless.
After all, her gaze was already drifting toward targets far more capable of arousing her desires—two of them, in fact. It was only natural that her curiosity shifted toward them.
In truth, the reason Vihera had been able to overwhelm the Cyclops so completely was not just the gap in their raw strength, but also because their combat styles were a perfect mismatch. Had her opponent been a monster that prioritized speed or technique, she would undoubtedly have struggled more. Of course, given her extraordinary prowess, it was unlikely she would have lost, but she certainly wouldn't have secured such a one-sided victory.
Knowing this herself, Vihera gave a small shrug as Rei and Elena approached.
"You're as strong as ever," Rei remarked.
"It’s not much to be proud of against an opponent like this. Still, I’ll let it slide this once. From now on, don't interfere in my fights."
Understanding that she was referring to the stone he had thrown when the Cyclops was about to strike, Rei gave a small bow.
"My bad. I moved on instinct. I’m sure you could have dodged an attack like that even without my help."
"Well, as I said, it was just a minor enemy, so I don't mind."
Vihera exhaled a small sigh and spoke again, shifting the mood. "More importantly, we keep meeting in the strangest places, don't we?"
"We're descending the dungeon floor by floor, so it's only natural for us to be here," Elena replied. "What about you? Why are you on this level?"
Even with the battle over, the seductive, predatory light representing her battle lust didn't fade from Vihera’s eyes. If anything, because the massive Cyclops had fallen so easily, she seemed almost frustrated. Now that two—or two and one beast, if one counted Set—worthy opponents had appeared, it was only natural for her to be tempted by the urge to fight.
"Nn!" Byune barked a short protest, her expressionless gaze cutting through the tension.
Byune’s eyes shifted from Vihera to the headless Cyclops. In a monster like this, the horn and the eyeballs were the most valuable materials. Byune clearly had plenty she wanted to say to the woman who had ruthlessly pulverized them.
"Oh? Right, I suppose I did. Sorry about that," Vihera said, her apology entirely lacking in remorse.
Byune opened her mouth to complain further, but then—
"Guruuu."
Set let out a soft trill and gently offered something it was holding in its beak. It was a fragment of the Cyclops Horn, placed carefully into Byune’s palm. It wasn't whole; it was likely a piece that had broken off during the final impact, but it was a substantial chunk.
"……Nn."
Byune’s expression didn't change, but her mutter carried a trace of disappointment as she accepted the horn fragment. For a girl as focused on profit as she was, even a fragment of a Cyclops’s horn was too valuable to discard.
"I said I was sorry. Come on, let’s get on with the dismantling."
"……Nn."
Nodding at Vihera’s words, Byune looked at the corpse before turning her eyes back to Rei. Or rather, she looked at his arm. Even without its head, the Cyclops stood nearly four meters tall. It was obvious what Byune wanted.
Furthermore, there was the giant hammer the monster had used. It was forged from a massive slab of ore; as a material, it would surely fetch a high price. That is, assuming they could carry it back.
Byune, Elena, and Vihera all turned their gazes toward Rei simultaneously. The two women silently signaled that he surely wouldn't refuse a request from a young girl. Rei eventually sighed and raised his hands in surrender.
"Fine, I’ll help. But I can't do it for free. Personally, I'd like the magic stone, but I know that’s asking too much."
"Nn!" Byune nodded firmly.
Rei figured that while Byune didn't do the fighting, she handled the scout and thief duties like finding traps, making them a well-balanced party. Not that Byune lacked combat ability; for a D-Rank adventurer, she was actually quite capable.
"Gurululuuu?"
As Rei considered what to ask for instead, Set looked at him with round, sparkling eyes. Its desire was clear. Cyclops meat had a strong, wild gameyness, but it was delicious enough that it fetched a decent price on the market. Even without knowing the economics, Set simply wanted to taste a meat it had never had before.
"Guruuu?" Set tilted its head slightly, as if asking, Is it okay?
Rei sighed, half-forced into agreement. Then again, since he also wanted to try the meat, it was a logical conclusion.
"Byune, here’s my offer. I’ll carry the hammer and all the marketable materials in my Misty Ring. In exchange, I want all the meat. How about it?"
"Nn…… Nnn…… Nn?" Byune thought for a few seconds, her expression unchanging, before shaking her head slightly.
"So, that’s a no?"
Byune shook her head again. Rei had become better at reading her subtle emotional shifts, but communicating with someone who only said "Nn" was still difficult. She had shaken her head, but her body language didn't seem to reject the proposal. He was about to get confused when a translator stepped in.
"She says the deal is mostly fine, but she wants to keep a few portions for her own meals," Vihera explained.
Rei thought about it for a moment and nodded. The giant was over four meters tall. Giving up a block or two of meat wouldn't be an issue.
"Then it's a deal."
"Nn!" Byune chirped. She wasn't looking to sell the meat; she just wanted a good dinner.
"Now that we’ve settled the negotiations, let’s start the dismantling. It’s a big body; it’ll take all four of us if we want to finish quickly."
"……Fine," Elena agreed without protest.
Vihera looked slightly surprised by Elena’s cooperation, but she likely decided not to push her luck. She took a knife from Byune and set to work. Elena adored Byune, so even if she disliked Vihera, she wasn't going to bail on the work.
"Set, keep watch. The Cyclops kept other monsters away, but once the smell of blood spreads, we might get company."
"Guruuu…… Gurululuuu!" Set gave a confident cry, though it was clear its motivation was fueled almost entirely by the promise of meat.
The four of them began the work. Vihera and Byune handled the torso, where the most valuable magic stone was located. Elena took the arms, while Rei handled the legs.
They stripped the hide and carved the meat from the bone, separating the tendons as they went. It was easy to describe, but back-breaking labor in practice. The heavy scent of iron rust filled the air, mixed with the pungent odors of stomach contents and bodily fluids. Being in a canyon-like hall with poor ventilation only made the smell linger more than it would have in the open desert.
As seasoned adventurers, however, they simply frowned and pushed through the discomfort. After about an hour of work, the Cyclops was reduced to raw materials, meat, a magic stone, and various parts for proof of subjugation.
"That was exhausting," Rei muttered, stretching his back.
But his work wasn't done. He still had to store everything in his Misty Ring.
"Guruuu," Set trilled, tilting its head. Is it ready?
Rei smiled. While he was using fire magic to dispose of the offal, he sliced a bite-sized piece from one of the blocks, seared the surface, and tossed it to Set.
"Gurululuuu!" Set caught the meat in its beak mid-air and savored the flavor. It was unseasoned, but the rich, deep umami of the red meat filled its mouth. Set looked perfectly satisfied.
"Nn!" Byune called out, pointing to where the hammer was lying.
"Right, this too."
"Nn," Byune nodded.
Almost no one could use a hammer like that as a weapon, but as scrap metal for forging new equipment, it was incredibly valuable—perhaps even more so than the damaged horn or eyes. Rei reached out and grabbed the massive tool. It was over three meters long and weighed well over 200 kilograms.
Yeah, an ordinary party could never bring this back, Rei thought. Without an item box or a cart, hauling such a weight would turn any party into a slow-moving target for monsters.
He glanced at Elena. A high-capacity magic pouch could technically fit the handle, but very few adventurers owned one, let alone one large enough for this. Rei stored the hammer in his Misty Ring and stood up.
"Well, I’ve got the materials. We’re heading for the B15F stairs now. What about you two?"
"We’re coming with you," Vihera said. "Our target wasn't the Cyclops, after all. We’re hunting something else. We’ll go as far as the stairs; if we haven't found what we need by then, we’ll call it a day. Sound fair?"
"Nn," Byune agreed.
Elena was torn between her rivalry with Vihera and her affection for Byune, but she eventually nodded. Rei welcomed the extra combat power and Byune's scouting skills, and Set was happy to have more people to pet it. With a unanimous vote, the temporary party was reformed.