Up close, she really was massive.
I won't specify what part of her, exactly. Vesta was just large all over. But as the saying goes, bigger is better.
I finely chopped some parboiled vegetables and mixed them with mayonnaise, mashed hard-boiled eggs, the lemon juice Vesta had squeezed for me, and a dash of salt and pepper. With that, the tartar sauce was complete. I breaded and fried the whole fish Miria had prepared and topped them with a generous helping of the sauce. I truly believed it was best to leave all fish-related cutting to Miria.
Dinner was served.
"It is delicious, desu."
"This is incredible. I've never eaten a dish like this before."
Naturally, Miria loved it, and Vesta seemed just as impressed. That was a relief. If they were this fond of fried food, perhaps I would try making tonkatsu tomorrow.
After our meal, we all headed into the bath together. I started by washing the four of them down with soap. Now that my party had grown to four girls, washing them all myself felt a bit inefficient in terms of time, but I had no intention of surrendering that privilege. This was the highlight of my day, after all.
One must never confuse the means with the end. I didn't wash their bodies so that I could live; I lived so that I could wash their bodies. This moment was the ultimate joy of existence. This moment was life itself.
I took my time, thoroughly purifying every inch of them. I could honestly say my life had not a single regret. After they returned the favor and washed me, we all piled into the large bath bucket. It was a tight squeeze with five people, but I didn't mind one bit.
"I kept the water a bit on the lukewarm side, but it feels perfect, doesn't it?"
"Yes. It feels wonderful."
Perhaps because of the limited space, Roxanne pressed herself firmly against me. I could feel her smooth, supple skin through the warm water. No problems here. No problems at all.
"Miria, you're enjoying it too, right?"
"Yes, desu."
As was her habit, Miria was floating down by my feet. Vesta was submerged right next to her. Given her size, Vesta had quite the presence even in the bath. It was a magnificent sight.
Wait. Was she... buoyant? I felt like I noticed something bobbing, but I decided not to dwell on it. I was more focused on Sherry, who was right beside me. Moderation was key, I reminded myself. Everything in moderation.
Once we were out of the bath, I had them put the aprons back on. This time, I chose the silk ones. When Vesta wore hers, the sheer vertical drop between the peaks of her chest and the curve of her waist was staggering. The vast distance created a defensive line that looked absolutely impregnable, yet beckoned me to test its limits.
It was a trap. A trap designed to catch me like birdlime and never let go. But even knowing it was a trap, there are times in a man's life when he simply must charge in. When, you ask? Right now.
I slid my hand into that defenseless opening. This, surely, was the true purpose of an apron. The sleek, cool satin and Vesta's moist, velvet skin sandwiched my hand. The soft, supple curves of her flesh accepted my intrusion without resistance. They were incredibly mellow; my fingers sank in deep without me having to apply any force at all. I was caught between layers of rich, soft warmth—between love and pure pleasure.
Her skin gave my hand a moist delight as it seeped through my fingers, the sheer volume of her beauty gently coiling around my hand. Truly wonderful. I'd said moderation was best earlier, hadn't I? I was lying. Life is meant to be lived at the extremes. That's where the joy is found.
Two or three times won't kill a man; it's the first time that leaves him wanting, as Sei Shonagon might have said.
Having reached yet another fundamental truth of the universe, I led the party back into the Labyrinth the following day as usual. I decided to keep my Critical Rate Increase at the first tier, which provided a five percent boost. If I had spare Bonus Points, there were plenty of other skills I wanted to prioritize.
Between petrification and critical hits, combat had become significantly more manageable. Petrification, in particular, was a game-changer; once it triggered, the fight was essentially half over. Of course, I couldn't afford to be careless, but removing even one enemy from a small group completely shifted the momentum in our favor. Adding critical hits to that was like handing a spiked club to an ogre.
Roxanne and Miria were coordinating beautifully. They moved in sync so that Miria could focus on the targets we intended to save for last, which was a very promising development.
That said, petrification didn't trigger all that often. In fact, it happened less frequently than my five percent critical rate shortened our battles. I was putting my hopes on Miria reaching Warrior Lv 30 and unlocking the Assassin Job.
One issue was that both petrification and critical hits were entirely luck-dependent. What would happen if we encountered a maximum-size mob of five monsters and neither effect triggered? It wasn't a problem on the 20th floor, but if we relied too heavily on those procs to push into higher, more dangerous floors, we might find ourselves in a pinch. That was why I kept my critical rate at five percent for now. Since it cost Bonus Points, I couldn't keep the skill equipped 24/7 anyway. While I could push it higher, I wanted to minimize the power gap for whenever I had to swap it out.
"Master, there is a message from Mr. Luke. It appears he won the auction for a Skill Crystal: Kobold."
"A Kobold crystal? Tomorrow will be fine for that."
When we returned home in the evening, I found the note from Luke. I supposed our next upgrade would have to wait on a Skill Crystal: Goat. I hoped he’d manage to snag one soon, though it wasn't as if we were struggling yet. Since I didn't have an immediate use for the Kobold crystal, I put off the pickup and started on dinner.
Tonight was tonkatsu. I had Vesta handle the prep work, making the breadcrumbs and slicing the meat.
"The breadcrumbs are ready."
"Thanks. Having you here to help makes this so much easier, Vesta. I'm really glad you're part of the family."
"The pleasure is all mine. Thank you, Master. What are you making now?"
Since Vesta's help gave me some free time, I decided to try making crepes. I mixed milk, flour, sugar, and eggs in a rough approximation of the recipe. I’d never actually made them before, but I knew the theory. I figured a slightly runny consistency with a bit of extra milk would work.
Don't ask me how I knew the recipe. I'd just always wanted to try making them because it felt like something a "normie" would do. Ask not for whom I know the recipe; ask not for whom the bell tolls.
"It's just a little test. Watch."
"Yes, Master."
I poured the batter and spread it thin across the frying pan. Since it was an experiment, I only made enough for one. The batter flowed smoothly over the surface. It was a bit too runny, perhaps; I’d use less milk next time. Still, it wasn't a total failure. Since I’d preheated the pan properly, it set almost instantly. I recalled seeing them made like this at crepe stands. For a first attempt, it was decent.
Now, to fold it... Ah. Damn it.
When I tried to peel the cooked crepe off the pan, it stuck and got all crumpled. I clearly needed to be more careful, or perhaps fold it while it was still in the pan. Regardless, as a test, this was acceptable. I cut the crepe into five pieces and popped the first one into my mouth.
Oh. It was a crepe. A perfectly normal, edible crepe. I couldn't manage Isobeyaki, but I could do this. The texture was quite similar, actually.
"I made this as a trial. Everyone, have a piece."
I offered the rest to the girls.
"If Master made it, I'm very much looking forward to it," Roxanne said, taking the first piece.
Apparently, the order of operations was important. Since I’d cut them haphazardly, the sizes were all different anyway. Splitting things into five equal portions is harder than it looks.
"Remember, it's just a test. I'll make them properly next time."
"This is amazing. As expected of Master!"
"It's so soft and sweet. Delicious."
"Amazing, desu."
"It's wonderful. I didn't know anything this fluffy and chewy existed in this world."
Sherry, Miria, and Vesta each took their turn. Everyone seemed genuinely pleased. Vesta was especially moved.
"Vesta, have you never had anything like this before?"
"No. I never dreamed the day would come when I could eat something so delicious. Thank you, truly. I can never thank you enough, Master."
It seemed the taste was a bit overwhelming for her. We still had the tonkatsu to go, after all. Vesta enjoyed the tonkatsu as well, though it didn't seem to hit her quite as hard as the crepe had. Perhaps after reaching a certain level of excitement, the brain just maxes out.
She showed her gratitude through her actions, however. Vesta had been eager from the start, but lately, I felt her affection becoming... stickier. More persistent. It was a trend I wholeheartedly approved of.
I picked up the Skill Crystal: Kobold the next morning. Since it was just a spare, we headed straight into the Labyrinth. Almost immediately, we reached the boss room on Halber 21st Floor. Our luck was holding.
A Hat Bat and the boss, a Pat Bat, emerged from the gathering smoke. I rushed in to clear the small fry first, but Vesta stepped directly in front of the Hat Bat. She was a wall of muscle.
I wondered why she was blocking me for a split second before remembering I’d told her to do exactly that during boss fights. I’d completely forgotten my own tactical orders. It was helpful, yet also slightly inconvenient. The Hat Bat was a tiny, fluttering target; trying to hit it from the side while someone else was engaging it was a pain. It was probably faster to just trade blows with it head-on, especially since Durandal's HP Absorption would negate any damage I took.
Oh well. It couldn't be helped. Hesitating to give new orders would only slow us down. Besides, hitting it from the side meant I wasn't being targeted, which made things easier. I shouldn't complain.
The Hat Bat dove at Vesta. She parried it perfectly with her sword, sending the monster tumbling through the air from right to left. I chased after it in a wide arc. I managed to reach it just as it was trying to stabilize itself and slammed a Slash into it.
The monster tried another body slam against Vesta, flying off to the left this time. It was moving in the most annoying direction possible. It had to be doing it on purpose. Or, more likely, that was just the most logical path for it to take.
I scrambled after it, but I wasn't fast enough to land another Slash. I waited for its next charge, stepped forward in anticipation, and as Vesta dodged, I brought Durandal down hard.
Whoa. The feedback was solid; that was definitely a critical hit. I landed a second blow while it was still reeling. The monster lunged at Vesta one last time, she knocked it back, and I finished it with a final Slash.
The Hat Bat hit the ground and dissolved. Finally. That little pest had taken way too much of my time. Without a break, I joined the others in encircling the boss. The Pat Bat was much easier to handle; Roxanne blocked every single one of its attacks with her shield, keeping it pinned down until we finished it off.
"That was a magnificent strike earlier, Master. As expected."
Roxanne praised me as soon as the boss was dead. She was the one who had truly been impressive, but I wasn't about to argue.
"Thanks, Roxanne."
"Amazing, desu."
"I was told that sort of parry was a specialty of the Dragon Knight job, but it's incredible that you can do it too, Master," Vesta added.
And so, everyone was once again misled by Roxanne’s high opinion of me. I’d landed two critical hits against the Pat Bat, and Vesta had landed one herself. Despite all that, Miria’s petrification hadn't triggered.
"Sherry, are bosses immune to status ailments?"
"No, they can be affected. However, the success rate is significantly lower."
"I see."
I asked Sherry, the only one who didn't let her admiration cloud her judgment. So bosses had high resistance. That made sense, but it also meant this was the perfect time for Status Ailment Resistance Down to shine. Since I had my sixth job slot open, I could run Gambler and Swordsman simultaneously. That explained the criticals.
Next time, I’d try the debuff.
"The monster on Halber 21st Floor is the Rootle Troll," Sherry reported.
We moved up to the next floor. Rootle Trolls, huh? That meant the Marbrims wouldn't show up until the 22nd floor.
"We'll explore the 21st floor for the rest of the morning. After lunch, we'll head to the Quratar Labyrinth to clear the 20th floor, then stop by the 17th. Sound good, Miria?"
"Yes, desu!"
Even though we were putting off the Marbrims, Miria didn't seem disappointed. We were going eventually, after all. The real test would be when we cleared the 22nd floor. She probably wouldn't want to move on to the 23rd. Wait, actually, the 22nd floor boss room was where we’d hunt for Toro, and Marbrims still appeared on the 23rd. The Labyrinth was surprisingly well-designed in that regard. She wouldn't truly be upset until we finished the 23rd floor.
"Then we'll get two whole fish for tomorrow's dinner. I'll let you handle the cooking this time, Miria."
"Yes, desu!"
I kept Miria's spirits up as we pushed deeper. Not that her mood would affect the petrification rate, but it didn't hurt.
Before long, we encountered a group: three Rootle Trolls and a Flytrap. I opened up with Fire Storm. The Flytrap on the 18th floor and the Love Shrub on the 19th were both weak to fire, just like the Rootle Trolls. It was actually more efficient to have them on the 21st floor rather than having the Marbrims break the elemental flow.
I kept the fire magic coming as the monsters approached. The Rootle Trolls were hulking creatures, and seeing all four monsters charging in a line was quite a sight. When they reached our front line, they swung massive fists.
The punches carried a lot of weight. Roxanne deflected them effortlessly, Miria evaded, and Vesta parried with her blades. Roxanne even managed to dodge a pincer attack from the Flytrap with a graceful twist of her torso. Since the Flytrap had forced its way into the middle, Miria stepped up to engage one of the Rootle Trolls. The venomous Flytrap was the bigger threat, but the trolls' physical attacks weren't to be trifled with either. I was hoping for a petrification proc on either one.
In the end, luck wasn't on our side. No petrification triggered, and I finished all four of them with fire magic. Given the number of spells I’d cast, I didn't think any criticals had triggered either, though it was hard to be certain. That was the downside of the Gambler job; it made it difficult to gauge my exact combat efficiency. Maybe I should unequip it for a while? No, that was unnecessary. Petrification would throw off my timing just as much. I’d just have to assume our clear times would fluctuate by about ten percent.
Our next encounter was a single Rootle Troll and two Hat Bats. I used Water Storm this time. It was an easy fight with only three enemies, but I wondered which I should prioritize if the numbers were higher. Probably the Rootle Troll, since its attacks could cause paralysis.
Vesta knocked back a charging Hat Bat. She was getting much better at handling their erratic movements.
The Rootle Troll lunged forward, raising a massive fist. That heavy blow looked like it would be a problem, but just as it reached the apex of its swing, the troll froze solid.
"Oh!"
"I did it, desu!"
Petrified. It was stuck with its arm still raised. On two legs, it looked exactly like a life-sized stone statue. The detail was incredible; any sculptor would have been jealous. It was more realistic than a Laocoön. A Vajra Troll Statue. Or maybe a Troll Ascetic Statue, given the pose? Though it didn't look particularly holy.
After finishing off the Hat Bats with water magic, I shattered the statue with a Fireball. The troll dissolved into smoke instantly. It felt almost unfair that they stayed weak to fire even when they were turned to stone.
It looked like we could handle Halber's 21st floor. It was getting tougher, but we were keeping pace. The real jump would be on the 23rd floor. In every Labyrinth, floors 1 through 11 were one group, 12 through 22 were the second, and 23 onwards was the third.
After lunch, we took our map to Quratar's 20th floor. This floor was a breeze since both Love Shrubs and Rootle Trolls were weak to fire. We reached the boss room without seeing a single Pig Hogg or Marbrim. We were stopping by the 17th floor later anyway, so Miria wasn't complaining.
I drew Durandal and we waited in the area outside the boss chamber. It seemed another party was already inside.
"A bit of a wait, huh?"
"It's likely because the boss drops ingredients for medicine," Sherry explained.
Right, the shavings. The timing was also poor; early afternoon was peak hour for explorers. While we waited, another party entered the room. We were technically here on the Duke's business, so I didn't want to draw too much attention. If anyone asked, I’d just blame it on Miria's fish obsession. I’m a terrible master.
The previous party finished up, and the doors finally opened. We hurried inside. The floor was clean—no leftover equipment, so the previous group must have been competent.
Smoke coalesced in the center of the room, forming the boss: a Rough Shrub and its Rootle Troll escort. Vesta intercepted the troll while I cast Status Ailment Resistance Down on the Rough Shrub as Miria engaged it. Then, I joined Vesta.
I slammed a Slash into the troll just as Vesta dodged its swing. With a dedicated tank holding its attention, I could just hammer it from the side with Durandal. It made my life so much easier. I finished off the troll with a barrage of Slashes, then moved to join the fight against the boss.
Despite the debuff, petrification hadn't triggered yet. I brandished Durandal. Since Roxanne was holding the front and making things safe, I decided to focus on not taking a single hit from the Rough Shrub. I watched its movements carefully.
Its thrashing branches lashed out at Roxanne, who dodged with a graceful slip and countered with her rapier. I couldn't pull off moves like that. The sheer chaos of the branches made it hard to find an opening. I focused on staying out of reach, waiting for my moment.
Then, it stopped.
"I did it, desu!"
Miria had pulled it off. The Rough Shrub was frozen solid, its color turning a pale, stony white.
"Wow. Sherry was right—bosses really can be petrified."
"Yes, though I'd heard it was an exceedingly rare occurrence."
"That's our Miria. Good job."
"Yes, desu!"
I didn't know if the debuff had helped, but I made sure to praise her. She was the one wielding the Estoc of Rigidity, after all. I took the opportunity to unload on the boss with Durandal. Since it couldn't move, the chance of a counterattack was zero. It reminded me of continuous striking drills in kendo. Pure nostalgia.
I slaughtered the boss in a flurry of blows. I probably landed several criticals, but I was swinging so fast I couldn't tell. The Rough Shrub dissolved into smoke. Against a petrified enemy, even a boss was just a glorified punching bag.
After crafting some Anti-Paralysis Pills, we moved up to the 21st floor.
"The monster on Quratar 21st Floor is the Kettle Mermaid," Sherry said.
"Let's fight one to see how it feels, then head to the 17th. Roxanne, find us a mermaid."
"Understood. This way."
I'd fought them before, but with criticals and petrification in play, a single fight wouldn't tell me much. It was more of a formality to ensure there were no unexpected dangers. We cleared one encounter and then moved to the 17th floor. Unexpected dangers were, by definition, rare.
We hunted Marbrims until we had two whole fish, then returned to the Halber Labyrinth. I spent the rest of the afternoon testing Status Ailment Resistance Down on regular monsters. It triggered on one out of three, but the base proc rate for petrification was so low that my data set was too small to be conclusive.
The most I could say was that in long boss fights, there was no harm in keeping the debuff active. I also tried to see if it would help with the Bounty Hunter's Dead or Alive skill, but it didn't trigger once in three attempts. I gave up on that for now; testing it was a drain on my MP. I'd just stick to using the debuff in boss rooms.
When we finished our exploration, we headed back to Quratar to shop for groceries.
"I have something special I want to try making tonight, so I'll leave dinner to you girls. Vesta, you don't have to help me this time."
"Understood, Master."
First, I visited the liquor store. Usually, I only bought cooking wine, so this was a first.
"Sherry, is there a strong, distilled alcohol that's sweet? Like a fruit-based one?"
"You mean a liqueur? Yes, we have those."
I followed Sherry's recommendation and bought a small jar of liqueur. Next was the greengrocer. I picked up a lemon and asked Sherry another question.
"Is there a sweet fruit similar to this?"
"That would be a Garm. But those are hard to find this season. They're harvested in winter."
Ah, right. No Garms in summer. I wondered if they were like mandarin oranges. Wait, when were lemons actually in season?
"By the way, are these harvested in the summer?" I asked the clerk.
"I'm not sure. Back home, they were only a winter thing," Sherry added.
"Actually, there are two varieties," the clerk chimed in. "One for autumn and winter, and a northern variety for summer. They keep for a long time, so we usually have them in stock all year round."
Even Sherry hadn't known that.
"Fruit is a bit sparse this time of year," the clerk continued. "We have Cupico, though the season is almost over. Give it a few more weeks and we'll have more variety."
He pointed to the carrot-looking fruits. Cupico. I bought some and headed home.
Once we were back, I got to work on the crepes. I made two for each person, so ten in total. It was more work than I’d anticipated. I should have asked Vesta to help with the cooking part. Next time.
I put the finished crepes back into the pan with sugar, the liqueur, and the sliced Cupico. Then, I set the pan onto a small charcoal brazier.
"Wait... isn't that what you were experimenting with yesterday?" Roxanne asked.
"It's a special treat for after dinner," I replied with a grin.
"The one yesterday was delicious. I can't wait."
I hoped I wouldn't mess it up after talking it up so much.
"Vesta, give me some fire."
"Yes!"
Halfway through dinner, I had Vesta light the brazier.
"Vesta, is the fire you breathe safe for food?"
"It doesn't last long enough to cook a whole meal, but I've never heard of it being toxic."
"Can you use it to light the alcohol in this pan?"
"I think so. If I breathe on it from a distance, it shouldn't be a problem."
Perfect. This was going to work.
As we finished the main course, I started warming the crepes. When Vesta finished her soup, I grabbed the handle of the pan.
"Alright, it's time. Vesta, hit the pan with a little fire."
Vesta let out a small puff of flame from a short distance away. For a second, fire danced across the surface of the pan. Yellow and blue flames whirled up and vanished almost instantly.
A proper flambé. I’d wanted to do that for ages.
"Wh-what was that?"
"You set the alcohol on fire?"
"Amazing, desu!"
"Is it safe?"
I’d successfully piqued their interest. The queen of desserts: Crêpe Suzette. Seeing a chef do this in a French restaurant was the height of cool. I’d wanted to try it ever since I was a kid watching it on TV.
"It's perfectly safe."
I plated the Crêpe Suzette. The sauce had caramelized beautifully as the alcohol burned off. The Cupico was a bit charred, but considering people put pineapple in sweet and sour pork, it wasn't an issue. Plus, it looked like a carrot.
I handed out the plates, giving Roxanne the first one after mine. Then, I cut into my crepe and took a bite.
It was warm. And incredibly smooth and soft. A gentle, comforting texture. But the taste was the real winner—deliciously sweet, with the light bitterness of the caramel providing a perfect accent.
"Yeah, crepes are definitely better when they're served warm."
"This is incredible. A 'kureepu'? I had no idea something this delicious existed. As expected of Master!"
"I didn't know either. Such a soft, delicate flavor."
"Crepe, desu."
I was just glad she’d remember the name even if it wasn't a fish.
"This is amazing. I can't believe you can make something like this. I can't believe I'm allowed to eat it!" Vesta was practically glowing with happiness.
I was glad she liked it. I'd have to make sure she showed her appreciation later.
After dinner, it was the Sex Fiend's turn to shine. With the stamina boost from the job, taking on four girls was a breeze. As expected of a Sex Fiend—it was nothing at all.
Maybe I should focus on leveling Sex Fiend after I finish with Swordsman? No, I don't mean anything weird by that. I really don't.
It was possible the stamina increase was level-dependent, though. I wasn't struggling at the moment, so it wasn't an urgent matter, but it wouldn't hurt. Maybe I should try going for two rounds with all four of them to see where my current limit was? Just to know. Just to prove that my limit was still a long way off.
For that reason alone, it would be wise to keep leveling the Sex Fiend job.