It turned out that being able to cook really was important.
With culinary skill worthy of a master chef, Lin Dong successfully "infiltrated" Ais's squad.
"Lin Dong, what did you do before?"
"Tumu."
"What's 'tumu'?"
Lefiya had never heard the term.
Lin Dong organized his words.
"Civil engineering. It's the general term for building land-based infrastructure. Civil engineers learn surveying, design, construction, maintenance, and repair, and master professional knowledge like structural systems and building materials."
"…I kind of don't get it," Tiona said, her eyes starting to spin.
"So you mean… like workers who build houses and city walls?" Tione interpreted.
"You could understand it that way. Back in my country, I was considered an important talent—passed the interview in three minutes and became an intern. Leaders came to me every day asking me to sign off on things."
He sighed with a hand to his forehead, acting nostalgic.
Some parts were made up… but most of it was true.
Back in college, he'd followed his family's advice and picked a civil engineering major. Thirty people in his class.
Before graduation, ten switched careers to become programmers.
One month after graduation, fifteen more jumped to other industries.
The remaining five, because they performed exceptionally, were "reused heavily" and directly landed stable government jobs.
"Since you switched to being a chef, what was that sword skill you showed earlier?" Lefiya caught the key point.
When Lin Dong cut down those goblins, he clearly wasn't swinging randomly.
She could see a professional combat style—made to kill monsters.
"You're not just making stuff up, are you?" Tiona looked suspicious.
Lin Dong smiled calmly.
"I'm not lying. Let me explain."
"In my old country, food culture was far more developed than surrounding nations."
"But that 'overdevelopment' caused a split in culinary ideology. Chefs formed two factions."
"One faction belonged to the Dark Culinary Realm. They were beings who had received the blessing of an evil god."
"Because they were strong, they often initiated 'food duels,' forcing others to eat their dishes."
"Those dishes were extremely addictive. Once you ate them, you'd be controlled—your self would be lost."
"To protect myself, I became a disciple of the legendary Demon Slayer Corps and learned this swordsmanship."
"…You really had it rough," Tiona said, thoroughly shaken.
She'd seen all kinds of villains in Orario.
But controlling people with addictive food? That was a first.
"Demon Slayer Corps…"
Beside her, Ais looked thoughtful.
Compared to Lin Dong's story of wits and war against dark chefs, what Ais cared about was his sword technique.
His fight with the goblins had been short, but she'd noticed something:
When he used that technique, his physical capability spiked dramatically in a short time.
And there was no magic fluctuation.
Meaning: it wasn't magic.
It was a special method.
If she learned it, she could do it too.
Of course, Ais had self-awareness.
A technique that boosted you without spending magic was core secret material anywhere.
She silently filed away the name "Demon Slayer Corps," planning to ask Loki about it later.
"I'm here."
Lin Dong spoke again.
"You're farming on Floor 8?"
Tiona was surprised.
With Lin Dong's earlier performance, he could handle Floors 10 or 11.
"It's my first time in the dungeon. I'm not going too deep. I'll adapt on Floor 8 first."
Seeing Tiona's confusion, Lin Dong explained.
"Your first time?"
Tiona's surprise deepened.
"Then why were you killing goblins earlier? I thought you had some special hobby."
Lefiya finally understood.
She'd been fooled by his goblin-hunting and had almost intervened.
"For a first-timer, staying shallow is the right choice," Tione agreed.
Strength and experience were different things.
The dungeon was a monster-producing hellpit. The deeper you went, the more complex the terrain.
Take Floor 8: starting from there, scenery and terrain changed sharply.
Cavern rooms multiplied. The ceiling height jumped from around three to four meters to nearly ten. The ground became open plains with short grass.
The monster types didn't change, but goblins and kobolds appeared in stronger forms.
Also, some new monster species that started appearing around Floor 6 showed up far more frequently on Floor 8.
If you moved alone and didn't understand the terrain and monster traits of each floor, it was easy to get killed in some "small" place.
"Then we'll go on ahead."
Lefiya waved.
Their target was Floor 37.
Bringing a Level 1 along, even with three Level 5s, wasn't "helping"—it was murder.
"See you around."
After they left, Lin Dong headed alone toward another cavern.
Following the plan they'd made, he cleared three cavern rooms of monsters.
Finally, in the fourth room, he found his target:
Killer Ants.
The moment Lin Dong appeared, five killer ants attacked him.
Lin Dong didn't hesitate—he drew his blade and cut down four, leaving one half-dead. He bound it with rope and carried it to an open cavern.
"Now let's see what you can do."
From Floor 7 onward, a new type of monster began to appear. Killer ants and battle shadows were both called newbie killers.
But unlike battle shadows—humanoid silhouettes known for speed-kills and ambushes—
Killer ants earned their nickname for another reason.
When near death, they released a special pheromone.
Its spread was extremely strong, and it sent a distress signal to other killer ants nearby.
For ordinary adventurers, that "summon allies" ability was lethal. One careless moment and you'd be surrounded.
Just like now—Lin Dong tossed the dying killer ant onto the ground.
In less than ten seconds, seven or eight killer ants appeared from another passage.
"They came fast."
Lin Dong drew his weapon and walked forward.
Everything was ready.
Tonight—he'd hunt until it hurt.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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