Splash~~~
A large amount of fresh flesh and blood was dumped all at once into the lake. An ominous patch of red instantly bloomed across the rippling green surface, looking just like a defiled oil painting.
Ryu carefully and meticulously washed tools like medical forceps; consumables like scalpel blades were simply discarded. He had used them only to dissect monsters, so there was no need for special sterilization.
In the water, strip after strip of monsters—bodies long and narrow, pectoral fins broad, only about the size of a palm, resembling miniature flying fish—gathered around. However, they did not attack him; instead, they swarmed the dismembered parts of the fish-men, swallowing the minced meat bit by bit.
Ryu felt no discomfort watching this scene. Although "fish-men" had "men" in their name, they were not actually demi-humans; calling them humanoid monsters was even a stretch.
At first glance, aside from sporting a fish head, the upper body seemed to resemble a burly man. In reality, however, only the arms possessed a human structure; everything else was standard large fish physiology. Presumably, any vertebrate that straightens its body and grows human hands easily gives the impression of being a "demi-human."
Incidentally, while fish-men are like that, "mermaids" are a completely different species. The former are fish, while the latter are mammals (with truly bountiful features).
The upper body of a mermaid is entirely that of a beautiful human female, and they strictly respect realistic logic—they are completely nude, not using shells or starfish to cover themselves up in a futile attempt at modesty.
Speaking of which, being chosen to become the Mermaid Princess's bra must be the great dream of many marine creatures, right?
Considering that the underside of a starfish actually contains wriggling feeding organs... it seems Disney doesn't appreciate such hardcore elements, mostly sticking to seashells.
Perhaps due to these distracting thoughts, when he passed the roof of a certain building and saw groups of mermaids perched in twos and threes, Ryu's gaze lingered a moment longer on their fair skin glistening with fine water droplets.
Purely academic research. A [Monster Hunter] harbors no impure thoughts whatsoever!
Did the mermaids realize that this man driving the strange little boat was the same person who had sung with them from a distance earlier? Regardless, they did not attempt to seduce Ryu again, nor did they display any aggression, simply watching him slowly depart with cold indifference.
They actually count as a type of demi-human and possess considerable intelligence—creatures with developed language systems are generally quite smart. They have no habit of eating humans, yet they have a peculiar fondness for luring humans into the water to drown, as if they naturally possess a malicious personality. Thus, they are still classified as monsters.
Ryu remained vigilant at all times as he gradually drifted away, only completely relaxing once he confirmed they were not pursuing him. The singing voice of such creatures carries inherent mental magic; in Ryu's assessment, they were far more dangerous than fish-men.
Fortunately, he had not encountered any large predators so far, making the entire journey relatively smooth.
After paddling perhaps another seven or eight hundred meters, Ryu rounded the corner of a building and witnessed a strange spectacle: a "city wall" rose about three meters above the water surface. Every so often along the top, there was a gap where roughly three or four figures sat scattered, each with a long line extending from in front of them vertically into the water.
...What the hell? Do fishing enthusiasts spawn inside the Dungeon too?
Huh? Wait a minute!
That person is... although there was a discrepancy compared to the anime, being much more rugged in reality—or to put it bluntly, much more slovenly—it was undoubtedly him.
A massive beard that probably hadn't been trimmed in a century might not be rare among dwarves, but wearing a flawed helmet was definitely unique to him alone, right?
Dwarves are extremely cherishing and picky about their equipment; they wouldn't settle in that regard without a special reason!
Good luck indeed. To think he would run into a "plot character" before even getting out; in a sense, this was the most useful person for Ryu.
Good! The preserved fish-man meat can finally be put to use!
Suppressing his slightly agitated emotions, Ryu slowly approached the "shore" that connected to the city wall but sat only slightly above the water level.
It appeared this had originally been a passage connecting two high-rise buildings or palaces, something akin to an aerial corridor.
But after the castle proper was submerged, it had instead become a featured pier and rest area for this floor. Judging by the scattered wooden rafts tied up around it, not all adventurer parties possessed mages capable of "water walking."
"I don't even know if my current location is the 'entrance to this floor' or the 'gateway to the next layer'..." Ryu, knowing nothing of the terrain, furrowed his brows slightly but did not feel anxious.
After stepping ashore, he patiently deflated the rubber dinghy, folded it into a stowable size, and then opened his backpack, making a show of "putting it inside."
This action immediately attracted the attention of the fishermen on the wall:
While inflatable boats made from animal hide bladders were not uncommon, a boat this beautiful and neat was truly unprecedented.
Moreover, how did such a large mass fit into the bag? Was it magic?
Seeing Ryu come ashore and walk towards them, two of the men exchanged glances and nodded with the air of experience:
First, observe his background, then decide what action to take.
"Huh?"
Just then, one of them felt his fishing line suddenly sink. The biting force didn't feel like a probe, and the size was definitely not small.
Acting on instinct, he immediately yanked the rod up, standing straight and bracing his foot against the wall, unable to suppress a grin.
"A big one! Definitely a big catch!"
In that moment, he lost all interest in dealing with Ryu, and the nearby fishermen were also drawn over.
"What could it be?"
"With this much commotion, it won't be a barracuda."
"A sea snake?"
Splash—
Finally, the "big fish" surfaced. The fishing rod nearly snapped, but everyone's faces filled with disappointment upon seeing it clearly.
"What is that?"
"It's actually a corpse!"
"That's fine; taking it to the Corpse Collection Point can fetch some bounty."
"Tsk!"
Despite seeing the corpse of a fellow human, they were nonchalant, looking as if they were long accustomed to such sights.
After hauling the body up, the man who had "hit the jackpot" simply placed it behind him and continued fishing without a care in the world.
"Hey, that guy is walking this way."
"Hmm..."
Two of the fishing buddies exchanged hushed words.
"That equipment... although it looks messy, it's all brand new."
"A young master from a wealthy family out looking for thrills?"
"But look at that condescending gaze... although he hides it well, it has a temperament only found in nobles."
—It seemed that [Noble's Arrogance] was glaringly obvious to these old hands, useless to hide.
"Yeah... but inside this Dungeon, nobles are all the same."
"Hehe~"
If it were a newcomer from the outside, rashly barging into this underground 4th Floor alone... this kind of person, clearly from a wealthy family, could definitely be swindled out of quite a bit of profit.
If the other party were a highly skilled adventurer or possessed a certain degree of worldly experience, they wouldn't make a move without permission.
Adventurers are mostly a group of people dreaming of getting rich with nowhere else to go; it is easy for them to degenerate into ruffians and thugs. Cheating each other or even coming to blows is not uncommon. Perhaps those fishing here had slightly less fighting spirit, merely thinking of taking advantage of small gains.
But soon, they extinguished their little schemes, because the cleanest human in the Dungeon approached the slovenly dwarf—who looked extremely wretched even to adventurers—showing absolutely none of that noble germaphobia.
"Hello, Mr. Dwarf."
"Hmm? Is something the matter?"
"I see a pot in your pack; could I borrow it?"
"Did you and your companions come down without cooking utensils?"
"I have no companions. I was attacked by monsters earlier and lost most of my luggage... could you lend it to me?"
Ryu sat down, opened his backpack, and "took" out two oil-paper packages from inside. Upon opening them, the smell of fresh blood attracted everyone's attention.
The ensuing conversation made them look at each other, eyes wide with horror:
"I want to prepare this 'fish-man' tail meat while it's fresh; if I delay any longer, I'm afraid it will affect the taste."
"!!!"
"Huh... monster meat?"
"Eat it? That guy is going to eat it?!"
"Urgh..."
"Such a disgusting request, who the hell would be willing—"
"Sure, go ahead and use it."
That sturdy but short uncle actually agreed, and casually put forward a request of his own.
"However, could you let me have a taste?"
"With pleasure~"
Ryu bowed slightly, revealing a dashing yet slightly mysterious smile.
"Hello, I am Kuse Ryu, a traveling gourmet."
"I am Senshi."
Blinking calm and clear eyes that didn't quite match his appearance, the dwarf uncle said this.
"Do you also like monster cuisine?"
Also?
Is eating this stuff actually popular?!
The fishermen were instantly left in shambles.
________________________________________
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