Chapter 21 is heree (^_^)/

Special thanks for Panacea for pr-ing this chapter

Enjoy \(^_^)/

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Yesterday, I successfully escaped from those two young beastkins. While those kids were giving their testimonies, I ran away.

'What about the reward? Let’s just take it tomorrow morning!'

Or so I thought.....

“Good morning!”

Yesterday's kids are right in front of the adventure guild's counter, greeting me.

Why are you two here?!

“We were told by the staff lady that you’d take your reward today morning, so we came at dawn to meet you” The girl told me.

That’s clever, but so creepy!

“We wanted to say thank you for saving us yesterday.” Added her male companion

“Thank you for saving us!”

The two kids bowed their heads toward me. What should I say....

“No problem, I’m glad you two are safe.”

Is it right? Uh... why are they looking at me with those big eyes?

“So cool....yet so cute...”

Hey girl, who are you calling cute?! As *former* man, I feel offended!

The female beastkin was looking at me with red cheeks and the male beastkin walking towards me with his eyes still full of admiration.

“What are your adventurer rank? Are on journey? How old are you? From which region are you ?”

Wha-? Slow down boy! Stop moving forwards each time you're asking me a question! I'm starting to regret coming alone today......

“Rick, it's rude to ask so many questions when you haven’t even introduced yourself”

“Oh right! My name is [Rick Berhera]”

The beast boy introduced himself and shook my hand eagerly, contrarily to the girl, who shook my hand timidly. I have absolutely no interest in little kids! Really! So stop looking at me with red cheeks!

“Um...my name is [Elma Usara], nice to meet you”

“... my name is Ru- I mean, just call me Crev. Nice to met you”

I'm not used to the name yet.... As he’s asking me those questions, this kid just keeps getting closer and closer.

“So, what are you gonna do today? Going back to the dungeon? Sightseeing? Or takin-“

Just when I got cornered by this kid, the staff lady recognized me

“Are coming to get your reward Crev?”

“YES! Yes I am!”

Once again I ran away from those kids.

Thank you for the great timing, staff lady whose name I don’t know! I escaped using the back door and ran to the market place. I know it seems like over reacting but believe me, when a kid's suddenly so over you, that means they want something from you.....at least that what I learned from my sisters in my previous life.

I was just walking around the market when I saw a familiar face near the fruit stall.

“Crev? I thought you’re gonna visit the guild this morning?”

It was Mark, apparently browsing the fruit stall.

“Ah, yes I already did.”

“Really? That’s fast, hey, do you think I can make this into a fruit tart?”

Mark asked me while showing a big, deep red fruit in his hand. If I’m not wrong, the fruit's name is Marah, weirdly, this fruit is a bit salty, but when mixed with a little bit of salt become as sweet as maple syrup.

“Maybe? It is sweet when you mix it with salt after all.”

“Then, I will buy this and this and th-“

“Please don’t over spend the budget..”

“...tsk..”

At my words, Mark put down the other fruit slowly, then after we paid for it, we walked back to the inn.

“Are we going to the dungeon after this?”

“We haven’t finished yesterday's quest after all....it's all because of those stupid criminals.”

As we walked through the inn’s door, familiar twin figures ran towards us.

“Is that lunch?” Perika asked.

“Lunch?” Repeated Parika.

“Yes, it is lunch, which means I won’t cook it until lunch time, so wipe up that drool off your faces” Mark said with a stern voice while wiping said drool with his handkerchief.

He looked just like an older brother for those two, it's hard to believe they just had a fight yesterday.

“Where are Lila and Kena?” I decided to ask, noticing their absence.

Perika and Parika answered my question while Mark was still wiping their faces.

“O'eh deh {over there}”

I could see Kena and Lila talking to someb-....... those kids?!

Noticing me and Mark's presence, Kena waved at us.

“Crev! Mark! These kids are searching fr you two”

“Hello” Said Elma

“Sir.Crev!” Enthusiastically shouted Mark

Eh? Sir Crev? Why is he calling me that?! And how did they find our inn?

“We asked the staff lady where were you lodging”

Staff lady whose name I don’t know, you traitor....

“They were asking us if they could tag along to the dungeon today.”

Wha-?!

“We won’t disturb you!” Swore the boy while his companion nodded firmly.

“We promise!”

Kena answered them right before I could refuse.

“Of course! Right Crev? You also don’t mind right?”

I do mind! But how can I say so when you glare so intensely at me?!

One of Kena’s biggest weaknesses, she’s soft towards kids... Although she’s harsh towards Allan, Kena is really nice to Arin. She often visited her when Arin was recovering.

I am lost for words and simply nod in defeat.

Since the others finished their quests yesterday, today every one's focusing on gathering the adult altractian spider’s leg.

We walk to the dungeon right after breakfast. I just noticed, right after we introduced our group to those two kids, that our group is mostly composed of melee fighters, from an outsider's view, there are no healer or magic caster among us. I realized this after Rick asked, of course I told them that we using potions for that. Rick is a sword user and Elma is a healer, the both of them are turning ten this year. Usually they take easy quests, like gathering herbs or other social quest and yesterday was the first time they were gone in a dungeon. When I asked them why, they looked at each other nervously for a moment.

“for..for experience! Because we want to become great adventurers!” Elma started

“Y-yeah! We want to travel to the dungeon!” Added Rick

It's a bit weird, but I know the feeling of wanting to go venturing in dungeons.. A dungeon is a man’s dream after all! Well, that was the reason why I ended up meeting them yesterday, I was too excited, and since I had the [Auto-Mapping] skill I dared to walk separated from Mark. This skill is pretty uncommon because most people who obtain this skill were adventure who have gone to dungeons many times, to the point they're starting to remember the dungeons' paths in their head, as for my case, I learned it the moment I read a map......I know its cheating, bu-ut I can’t do nothing about it! It just automatically happened! And not only dungeon, I actually can map the other areas if I activate the skill, neat right ?

Usually when you go to a dungeon, there's always some treasure in a corner or some hidden places, that’s why I walked towards one of dungeon’s dead ends. Instead of treasure, I found kids and bunch criminals..... I really should have activated [Detector] skill....

“Over here”

Mark was signaling for us to take the right path, I wonder if he also has the [Mapping] skill. As we walked for hours inside the dungeon, we fought several slimes, more golems, found some spider nests and one or two Vouth frogs.

“Sir Crev, you’re a dual swords user? I thought you were a monk”

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Elma asked me while Mark was preparing our lunch. Just why she still calling me ‘Sir’ ?

It must be because I was throwing those criminals around yesterday. In this world, a monk is a profession with crazy strength and bare-handed warrior, while yesterday, I fought those guys with judo movements, I don’t think monks in this world even know such movements.

“My instructor taught me those. She told me to learn to defend myself if I happen to fight without a weapon”

“Can you teach me those moves?!”

“Well, I can teach you some basics”

“Awesome!”

“T-then, me too!”

Wait, why are you two sandwiching me?! And since when?! S-somebody, do something!

“Hah...”

Kena is sighing while looking at me with envious eyes. Rather than being envious of me, why don’t you help me here?!

“The food is ready”

At Mark's words, Parika and Perika were the first to move, they’re really fast too.

“This is amazing!”

“D-delicious!”

Rick and Elma have blissful faces when they eat Mark’s soup. It is delicious....

“Are you some kind of chef from capital?”

“W-what are those made out?”

“Vouth frog’s meat”

“PFFTTTTHHH!”

Eh? Why is everybody spitting out the food? Have they never eaten frogs before? It’s delicious though... (Editor's note : Hell yeah it is!)

“Wh-?! Are you serious?! Vouth frog meat is deathly poisonous! Everybody knows that!”

Kena screamed in panic.

“PFTTTTHH”

This time, I’m the one who’s spitting the soup. Mark looked really pissed since his food just got wasted but he answered Kena with calm voice.

“I know, the poison is usually stored in a poison bag inside their mouth and spit it to attack the adventurer. Once you killed them, the poison bag will explode and contaminate the meat and the other organs. But if you kill it by cutting their head off before the poison bag can explode, the meat is eatable. Their meat is especially delicious if you fry it with balu sauce and butter. I’ve been eating this food for years now so its safe”

Everyone still have doubtful expressions on their faces. Well, is it like fugu sushi? Mark said it's safe, so I will continue eating this. After seeing me eat, the others also started eating.

“.....it’s really fine..” Elma murmured.

“Of course, this isn’t the first time I cook using poisonous monsters.”

Kena, Lila, and the twins shouted in sync with their eyes wide open at Mark's casual admission.

“Wait, what?!”

“...You actually eat without knowing what you eat?”

I didn't know whether to be worried for them or in awe at them.

“It’s amazing to be able to cook monsters from dungeons.”

As Elma said, most of the ingredients people use are from livestock or other nonpoisonous monsters.... but even livestock from this world look like monsters, so it isn't very different for me.

“When did you start cooking monsters?” Rick asked

“Eh?...hm... maybe when I was ten back then” Mark mused, rubbing his chin.

“T-ten?! Around our age?”

Both kids started to look at Mark with sparkling eyes....

“It isn’t a good story though...still want to know?” The cook asked teasingly.

““YES!””

Even Parika and Perika too?!

“Well, back then, my village just got attacked by bandits...”

It’s that heavy from start?!

“I was an orphan from the start, so its was not a problem for me.”

Heavy background?! And it should be a problem for you! It's your freakin village!

“Most of the kids from the orphanage were sold as slaves by them except for me, because I happened to become their cook”

Wha-?! How did that happened?! Why did you become a cook for the people who attacked your village?!

“I happened to cook for them once because none of them could cook and became their cook ever since. At that time, I still did not know how to cook monsters from dungeons and I just cooked simple things, but those bandit were really terrible cooks, I have never seen people almost dying because of their own cooking....

They had their base deep down in the dungeon, protected with crystal barriers, no monsters dared to come close and the men covered the way out with some foliage to camouflage the entrance. In the inside are lots of gold and jewellery and some low level monsters. To prevent me from escaping, they chained me to their kitchen . For more than a year, I worked as their personal slave....

Then one day, they came back with a boy from a noble household, and asked ransom for the boy. While waiting for their money, I was in charge of taking care of that boy. Because our ages were similar, we became friends.”

Oh! It’s like those movies when they become friend and then escape together?

“Although I say friend, it more like a babysitter and the baby..”

Eh?

“He barely did anything! He dozed off, always sleeping and barely doing anything! Even lifting a spoon was hard work for him! How could I leave somebody like that alone?!”

“...”

“His parent, rather than paying the ransom... They sent some magic caster to attack the bandits, causing a landslide and closing the exit, we were trapped. Everyone panicked and tried to dig their way out but it was hopeless”

Everyone stared at Mark and listened to his story with tense faces

“We were trapped there for more than a week, the foods supplies were already empty before you knew and everyone was starving. The only things left were monsters in the dungeon, but everyone knew they either were poisonous or tasted horrible”

“Is that when you started to learn how to cook them?” Asked Rick timidly.

“No, still didn't know that they were edible back then. The bandit leader suddenly woke me out in the morning and told me to get the fire ready and heat the water, they would prepare the meat. I just did what they told me to. After the hot water was ready, I walked towards the main room. I didn't really know how they would get the meat, but then I understood when I saw they tied up my friend at the table with a sword in their hand........my friend....he...”

Everyone held their breath hearing Mark’s story. He looked really saddened by remembering his past.

“...*glup*”

“My friend, despite all of that, he just looked at me while dozing off! Despite this danger, he just laid down, too lazy to move! I just can’t believe him!...*sigh* after that, I started to learn how to cook using ingredients from monster inside the dungeon.”

................

.........

WAIT, what happened to your friend?! What happened to HIM?! You just skipped the important part!

We're not moving, still waiting for Mark to continue his story.

“Well, what are you waiting for? The soup is getting cold.”

He just nonchalantly continued eating his soup while leaving us with many more questions in our heads, what happened to his friend? Did he cook him? And how did he escape? What happened to the bandits?

But we also hesitated to ask, we’re a little bit afraid to know, I mean, what if he actually cooked his friend?!

Everyone just stayed silent while eating the soup...

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I write down this chapter using my computer

Then I realize, writing using my phone are way faster than using my computer (•_•)

Next chapter!

Read the untold story....

Two childhood friends and one hills

Through four seasons and one cliff

With tragic end...

.....or is it?

Next chapter! COMING SOON!