“...Seto, if you’re going to use that, let me know beforehand.”
Rei caught the fruit—a blue and green mottled thing about the size of a human head that looked far from edible—and spoke to the approaching gryphon.
“Guruuu?”
Was that a problem? Seto tilted its head. Watching the exchange, Elena let out a soft chuckle.
“Well, no harm done. It’s not as if the fruit hit Rei in the head. ...Though I suppose we wouldn't know the outcome had he failed to catch it.”
“Falling from that height? A fruit this solid would do some serious damage.”
Rei tapped the back of his hand against the fruit to check its density. A hard rapping sound echoed back. It felt nothing like the apples, pears, melons, or oranges he knew from Japan.
“At this rate, I probably didn't even need to catch it.”
It was so hard that it seemed unlikely to crack even falling five meters to the ground. Since they were in an oasis with sandy soil, there was even less reason to worry.
“It's so tough it could practically be used as a weapon. So, how are we supposed to eat this?”
“The usual method is to split it with a blade. You could use a blunt weapon, but that supposedly ruins the flesh inside.”
“Guruuu!”
Hurry up and eat! Seto trilled. Rei let out a small sigh and pulled a knife from his Misty Ring.
Naturally, it wasn't his Knife for Material Stripping—the one he used to carve up monster corpses. Even Rei didn't want to use a blade meant for gutting monsters on something he intended to put in his mouth.
He pressed the blade against the fruit, but it was tougher than expected. A light push wasn't enough to make a dent.
“It really is hard.”
“Yes. I’ve heard rumors that the outer shells are sometimes used to make armor.”
“Armor, not a weapon? What kind of fruit is this... Hup!”
Rei muttered in disbelief, then applied real strength and swung the knife. Even a shell this hard couldn't withstand Rei when he was half-serious. The fruit split cleanly in two.
A sweet fragrance immediately filled the air.
While the exterior was a garish blue and green, the inside was packed with vibrant orange fruit flesh.
“Huh. ...The outside was a bit questionable, but this looks great.”
He scooped out a bit of the orange flesh with his finger and tasted it.
It was a rich, concentrated sweetness. Yet, it didn't feel cloying, and the aftertaste was clean. The mysterious texture seemed to melt away on his tongue. He could see why people would pay a high price for this.
In terms of flavor, "concentrated mango" was the only way to describe it. The mangoes Rei had been given as gifts back in Japan couldn't even compare.
He savored the flavor, then gave one half of the fruit to Seto. He sliced the remaining half with his knife and handed a portion to Elena.
While Seto pecked away at its share with its beak, Rei and Elena cut the fruit into bite-sized pieces and ate. Elena’s eyes widened in surprise, her gaze telling Rei exactly how delicious she found it.
For a few minutes, the two men and one beast ate in silence. By the time the fruit was gone, they were satisfied, though a part of them already missed the flavor.
“Phew. That was good.”
“Indeed. I’ve had many opportunities to eat high-end fruits, but few can match this. It truly is a delicacy of the dungeon.”
“Now that you mention it, that bread we bought at the bakery also used dungeon-grown ingredients.”
Rei recalled the bread piled high with jam, honey, and fruit chunks.
“That’s right. ...This is a Labyrinth City, after all. There must be many shops like that. It might be fun to explore the city properly later.”
“Gurululuuu.”
Seto trilled in enthusiastic agreement.
“I’d like to secure a few more of these fruits. Fortunately, even if they spoil quickly, I have this.”
Rei showed the Misty Ring on his right hand from beneath his Dragon Robe.
Elena was about to nod with a smile when...
“Gurululululu...”
Seto let out a low growl. It wasn't the happy sound from a moment ago, but a warning.
The ground vibrated, and the sound of snapping trees echoed nearby.
“Don't tell me it's another Cyclops?”
“I doubt it. But would it be a problem if it were?”
“Not at all.”
Rei drew the Death Scythe from the Misty Ring while Elena took a stance with her Whip-sword.
Seto prepared to pounce. Finally, the creature appeared. It wasn't a Cyclops—far from it.
It was a giant red crab, standing about three meters tall.
Of course, it was a monster, so it differed from a normal crab. It had four claws—two on each side—each about a meter long. It also had a mouth filled with sharp fangs and a tail.
The tail was encased in the same hard carapace as its body. Rather than a tail, it looked like a sectional weapon, like a three-section or five-section staff.
That was undoubtedly how it intended to use it.
The crab moved toward them, snapping branches as it fixed its gaze on Rei and his companions. It swayed its claws and tail, waiting for an opening to strike.
Rei looked at the crab and turned to Elena.
“Didn't Pleiades tell us about that one? An Earth Crab?”
“Yes. A crab monster that inhabits the desert. It's Rank C. Around here, it's considered mid-tier. ...Though the ones I’d heard of were only about two meters in size. I didn't expect one this large.”
Elena spoke with calm observation, but Rei, for some reason, looked quite pleased.
“Personally, I’m more of a shrimp person than a crab person, but I don’t exactly hate crab.”
“Gurululuuu?”
Seto trilled, as if asking, Is it tasty?
“Yeah. Crab is delicious in its own right. Especially the Crab Miso—that's the best. ...Even if I do like shrimp more.”
In Japan, crab was generally more popular, but Rei preferred the firm, springy texture of shrimp.
“Anyway, once we beat it, there's Crab Meat waiting for us. With claws that size, they should be packed full. Seto, let’s get to work for the sake of dinner.”
“Guruuu!”
Seto barked sharply. In that instant, a shockwave rippled toward the Earth Crab’s eyes.
Rei and Elena were slightly taken aback by Seto launching a preemptive strike with zero warning, but they wasted no time charging in.
“Flying Slash!”
The shockwave from the Magic Eye of Shock was followed immediately by Rei's air-cutting strike, which collided with the crab's massive right claw.
The two forces locked for a split second, but then both the claw and the Flying Slash were repelled. A small crack appeared in the crab's shell as the slash dissipated.
“Tch, it's tough. Even at Level 3, Flying Slash only managed a crack?”
Rei spat the words as he leaped back.
The reason he retreated instead of pressing the attack was immediately apparent. The Earth Crab tried to pursue him, but something tore through the air from its right side with incredible speed.
The Whip-sword sword tip, now in its whip-like form, successfully severed several of the legs beneath the crab's claw.
The carapace on the legs was clearly much thinner than the claws used for combat.
The moment Rei's attack hit, he had used the crab's focus on him as a diversion, allowing Elena to land a flanking blow.
And Elena wasn't the only one.
“Gurulululululu!”
Having kicked off the ground and taken to the air, Seto let out a Roar and descended like a plummeting spear.
Bolstered by its speed, its own weight, and the Effect of the Bracelet of Herculean Strength, Seto's strike slammed into the crab. The monster had already lost its balance from the severed legs and had instinctively raised its cracked claw to defend itself. Seto's paw crushed the carapace into fragments. The power was so immense that the three-meter-tall Earth Crab was sent flying.
“Shaaaaaaaaaaa!”
The crab let out a screech that seemed impossible for a fanged mouth. It smashed through several trees before finally plunging into the oasis with a massive splash.
Rei and Elena held their weapons ready while Seto watched the water, prepared to follow up.
...Thirty seconds passed. The water rippled, but the Earth Crab didn't resurface.
“Did we get it?”
Elena whispered. Rei shook his head, his guard still up.
“No way. We only broke one claw. It has three others, and we haven't touched the main body. ...Though Seto's strike was powerful enough that the shock might have rattled its insides.”
The moment Rei spoke, another massive pillar of water erupted from the pond. Then another. And another. Four in total.
The two men and one beast watched the water, weapons at the ready.
Then, a different kind of splash erupted—a messy spray that looked like something had been thrown out of the water.
The object flew right over their heads, bounced several times, and skidded to a halt against a tree.
Rei, Elena, and Seto caught a glimpse of it as it passed. They turned their eyes toward the unmoving shape.
“Is that... a crocodile?”
It had a long snout, scales, and a tail. It was slightly less than two meters long.
Dungeon monsters were never ordinary animals. This crocodile, which reeked of blood and didn't move an inch, had limbs shaped like fish fins. It clearly wasn't meant for walking on land.
“A crocodile? Like the ones in the tropical jungles?”
“Yeah. But this is clearly a monster. Probably the Bloody Dile that Pleiades mentioned.”
“Ah... the ones that ambush you while you're drinking. I remember.”
“That's the one. And there isn't just one or two of them in there.”
Rei looked back at the oasis. Pillars of water were still erupting, and more Bloody Diles were being tossed onto the shore.
A quick look at the bodies showed horrific bite marks. Some had their torsos ripped open, while others had fist-sized holes punched straight through their scales.
“What's the plan?”
“We wait. The Earth Crab is doing the heavy lifting for us. We’ll finish it off when it comes up. ...Actually, there is one thing to do.”
Rei looked at the five or so Bloody Dile corpses scattered on the ground. More were falling even now.
Taking advantage of the situation, Rei touched the corpses to store them in his Misty Ring, using his Death Scythe to finish off any that were still clinging to life.