Our story begins in a quiet little village.
One day, a slight tremor caused an underground crypt to collapse—and from within it, a man emerged.
He claimed to be a king from a once-prosperous nation known as the Golden Kingdom, which had been buried and sealed away for over a thousand years by a mad sorcerer.
"Whoever defeats the sorcerer shall inherit all that my kingdom once held!" the man declared before fading away like a mirage.
From that moment on, people across the world became obsessed with the legend of the Golden Kingdom, swarming to the great underground labyrinth in pursuit of its treasures.
This marked the beginning of what would later be called the Era of Great Dungeons! (Probably.)
Among the many adventurers drawn to this new era was the group led by Laios.
And after witnessing Bai Mo's strength firsthand, Laios—who initially planned to reject him—quickly changed his mind.
After all, strength like Bai Mo's far surpassed that of high-ranking adventurers!
But… Laios quickly remembered something awkward—his party had no money and no supplies.
Somewhat embarrassed, yet still honest, Laios tried to dissuade him:
"Brother Bai, if you're curious about the dungeon, maybe try joining a different party at the guild?
We don't have any salary to offer, or even enough food!"
"I'm not worried about getting paid," Bai Mo replied with a smile. "I'm more curious about the environment inside the dungeon."
He glanced over at Laios and added, "And I heard the dungeon is full of monsters. Can't we eat them?"
"Eat… monsters?"
Laios's eyes lit up—he felt like he'd found a kindred spirit. "You want to eat monsters too?"
"Is that so strange?" Bai Mo asked seriously. "The world is built on the law of hunting or being hunted, eating or being eaten.
If monsters can eat humans, why can't we eat monsters?"
"You're absolutely right! I've always thought the same way. In that case, welcome to the team!"
As Laios welcomed Bai Mo, their companions—Marcille and Chilchuck—could only cover their faces in disbelief.
This guy… is seriously planning to eat monsters, isn't he?
But with their teammate Falin still trapped in the belly of a red dragon and being slowly digested, they didn't have time to argue the details.
The sooner they hunted the dragon, the better their chances of saving her.
And Bai Mo's power would undoubtedly be a great help.
Once their party of four was assembled, they packed up and descended into the dungeon.
After tallying up their remaining coins, they split into two groups.
Marcille and Chilchuck went to buy camping gear—tents, bedrolls, and other essentials.
Meanwhile, Bai Mo and Laios went off in search of "ingredients."
But when Bai Mo saw Laios walk out of the shop with nothing but some salt and seasoning, he understood clearly—Laios was serious about cooking dungeon monsters.
Not that Bai Mo minded—he was just as eager to taste the flavors of dungeon creatures.
As they walked down the stairs into the dungeon, Marcille finally asked, "Hey Laios, what food did you even buy? That little bag looks suspiciously light…"
"Mm!" Laios nodded without hesitation. "We didn't have enough money, so I spent the last of it on seasonings!"
"As for food? We'll find that in the dungeon!"
Marcille stared at him in horror, her mind flashing to the zombies, giant centipedes, ghosts, and gargoyles that lurked below.
"Absolutely not! There's no way I'm eating that gross stuff!"
She dropped to the ground and started dramatically throwing a tantrum.
Meanwhile, Bai Mo calmly pulled out his phone and snapped a few photos… and a short video clip.
"Alright, Marcille, we don't have time for this," Laios said seriously.
"We have no idea how fast the red dragon digests its prey. We have to slay it before Falin is completely gone!"
Marcille went silent. The situation was too urgent to argue.
"…Fine. But I'm warning you—I'm not eating anything disgusting."
As if to punctuate her point, she zapped an approaching monster—what looked like a mushroom with legs chasing after some beginner adventurers.
Bai Mo curiously poked at the creature's mushroom-covered body.
"Well done, Marcille. Looks like we're having walking mushroom for lunch today," he said. "Though it might be best to gather a couple more ingredients…"
This was no ordinary foraging trip—it was a bold step into gourmet experimentation.
Soon after, Laios managed to catch a giant, poisonous scorpion in a nearby tomb section, snatching it up like one would a lobster.
Laios began boiling the walking mushroom and the shelled scorpion together.
Bai Mo simply watched in silence—he was waiting for a key person to appear.
As expected, after Laios's questionable stew inevitably failed, a short and stocky dwarf warrior appeared—Senshi, the culinary expert.
Without delay, Senshi took over, processing the ingredients with practiced skill.
He even gathered fern shoots and tree roots near the tomb to use as garnish, then added some dried slime for richness and began simmering the dish.
Ding~ Congratulations, host! You have tasted the Green 2-Star Dish: "Boiled Giant Scorpion and Walking Mushroom Hotpot."
Deliciousness rating: 77 points!
Recipe recorded!
From this dish, Bai Mo learned how to properly prepare the walking mushroom and giant scorpion species found in the dungeon.
Though the fern greens and the mushroom monster's legs smelled a bit odd, the flavor overall was surprisingly pleasant.
Bai Mo also spotted an old, battered book in Laios's bag—a "Gourmet Guide to the Dungeon," which Laios treated like a priceless treasure.
Though its origin was unknown, the book contained surprisingly detailed methods for processing dungeon monsters.
After borrowing it from Laios for a while, Bai Mo silently memorized its contents.
This Dungeon Gourmet Guide was like the Eastern classic Classic of Mountains and Seas—a strange, wondrous manual of magical cuisine.
Once Senshi learned that the group was heading to slay a flame dragon and rescue Laios's sister, he immediately offered to join them.
Naturally, Laios had no objections.
Due to the urgency of their mission, they exchanged only brief introductions before setting off again.
This time, Bai Mo stuck close to Senshi, asking questions about various dungeon creatures and their preparation techniques.
Senshi, passionate about cooking and having researched monster cuisine for over a decade, was more than happy to share his knowledge with someone who appreciated it.
Thus, thanks to his familiarity with the plot, Bai Mo successfully integrated into Laios's party.
After all, he really wanted to try cooking a red dragon—and saving someone along the way? Win-win.
Having lost two members and gained two more, Laios's team was reshaped once again.
The best part about traveling with the main character's group? You never had to go looking for monsters—they always found you.
The downside? Bai Mo couldn't sneak off and hunt solo for rare ingredients.
But he had no plans to hide his abilities anyway.
In a world where magic existed, a martial artist knowing a spell or two wasn't so strange, right?
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T/N:
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