If one were to name the most popular spot in Sein Dungeon right now, it would undoubtedly be the Gourmet Zone.
Weapons, equipment, and magical tools had their worth, but they only mattered to adventurers. Food, however—food was universal. Everyone loved it, and everyone craved the thrill of tasting something new.
The Gourmet Zone satisfied those desires perfectly.
No matter what kind of gourmand one was, here they would find something to suit their taste.
It wasn't surprising, then, that the very moment the Gourmet Zone was discovered, people instantly recognized its staggering commercial value.
With the Bedford Family backing the operation, a specialty street dedicated solely to its produce sprang up almost overnight. Caravans laden with goods came and went in endless streams, spreading these delicacies across the land—along with tales of a paradise of cuisine hidden within a dungeon.
Exotic, strange-looking ingredients that were delicious beyond expectation quickly became prized commodities. Word of mouth spread like wildfire. Before long, people were flooding in from every corner of the continent: merchants hungry for profit, adventurers eager to earn by escorting, and simple food lovers desperate to see for themselves what kind of place could truly be called a "paradise of cuisine."
In short—the place was overflowing with people.
And if they wanted to enter safely? They had little choice but to hire adventurers.
At the Bedford City Adventurers' Guild, escort requests for the Gourmet Zone had skyrocketed, now making up more than a staggering seventy percent of all commissions.
Everyone needed a safe, reliable route into the Food District. The problem was, the dungeon's layout constantly shifted—the position of traps, the spawning of monsters, nothing ever stayed fixed. Even the most seasoned adventurers only managed about a fifty percent success rate.
On this, Wade himself had remarked:
"I designed eighteen different configurations of traps and monsters for this route. Every party that enters faces a randomized layout."
Still, the overall difficulty wasn't insurmountable. The zone had to attract people, after all—you couldn't make it impossible to reach.
Even with the cost of harvesting ingredients—Mana drained at every turn—the Gourmet Zone was still generating outrageous profits.
How outrageous? Let's just say Wade could toss out Crucible Knights with his eyes closed.
Soon, he would have enough Mana to upgrade his Dungeon Master authority again. But after a long night of consideration, he decided to hold off.
If he upgraded now, the bulk of his Mana reserves would be devoured in an instant, leaving him vulnerable.
"I'll wait until my reserves are at least double what's required. Then I'll upgrade."
Closing the upgrade interface, Wade turned his attention to adjustments. The dungeon was currently sealed for maintenance hours, making it the perfect time.
The Gourmet Zone itself needed no overhaul, only fine-tuning.
It was divided into three regions:
A Safe Zone, free from harm.
A Danger Zone, home to monsters like Roast Pigs.
A Super Danger Zone—the domain of the Rainbow Fruit, guarded by far deadlier beasts.
So far, explorers had only breached the Safe Zone and the Danger Zone. The fringes of the Super Danger Zone were barely manageable, but deeper ventures usually ended in inexplicable, total annihilation.
For reasons Wade couldn't fathom—perhaps under orders from sub-guildmaster Sid—adventurers kept charging into the Super Danger Zone, only to die each time.
Wade half-expected Sid to eventually come crawling to him for help. But since the man never did, Wade didn't bother.
"Add some new ingredients to the Safe Zone, remove the unpopular ones, and…"
He paused mid-thought, tempted to slip a few Potato Mines into the Safe Zone. After a moment, he shook his head and tossed them into the Danger Zone instead.
The Safe Zone had to remain absolutely safe. Reputation was everything.
He reviewed the harvest data, tallying which ingredients were most popular. Those would remain prioritized.
But slyly, he reduced their spawn rates just a little.
"Since they're so popular, you'll just have to make more trips. Thanks for your patronage."
None of the Gourmet Zone's ingredients could be cultivated outside. If people wanted them, they had no choice but to keep coming back.
After finishing his designs, Wade leaned back, but something gnawed at him.
Yes, the Safe Zone needed to stay safe… but wasn't it unbearably dull to leave it completely free of surprises?
"Just a little bit then."
He refrained from planting monsters, instead sneaking in a handful of special ingredients:
Puffer Whale (Toriko) – Exquisite flavor, but lethal if the poison sac wasn't removed.
Hallucinogenic Mushroom – Delicious, but liable to trigger nightmares.
Electric Banana – Sweet and rich, but carried a nasty electric shock.
Wade slapped his own hand.
"No! That's enough! Just these three!"
He physically pinned his left hand against his right, as though wrestling down the demon within him.
In the end, Righteous Wade barely triumphed over Evil Wade.
Thus, the Safe Zone remained filled with harmless yet delightful foods, while the Danger Zone grew richer in both culinary and functional ingredients.
Items like the Restless Cricket (Zelda), Hearty Durian (Zelda), Nulberry (Monster Hunter), and Sitrus Berry (Pokémon) were sprinkled throughout.
Roaming monsters—Barbecue Pig, Caste Leo, Garara Gator, Shroomboar (Genshin Impact)—were large, loud, and easy to spot.
To balance things out, Wade added some new threats:
[Lingzhiling (Black Myth: Wukong)]
[Mana per Unit: 65]
[Combat Power: D-]
[Fungiling (Black Myth: Wukong)]
[Mana per Unit: 65]
[Combat Power: D-]
And, from Plants vs. Zombies: Squash, Chomper, and Potato Mines.
"That should do it," Wade said with satisfaction, clapping his hands. "Now, for the traps and mechanisms…"
(***)
Meanwhile, Leon sat slouched in the second-floor lounge of the Adventurers' Guild, his mind replaying the image of the Banished Knight pointing a finger at him.
The more he dwelled on it, the hotter his anger burned.
"Tch… my head."
The side effects of too many resurrections in such a short time were catching up to him. His skull throbbed, and worse, his memories were beginning to blur. Only proper rest could fix it.
He longed to take revenge on that cursed Banished Knight immediately. But with a bitter sigh, Leon admitted the truth—he wouldn't be fit to return to the dungeon for at least two or three days.
Just one day away from the dungeon already made him feel restless and on edge.
At that moment, the door swung open.
Maru stepped in.
"Boss," she said, "I just overheard something interesting downstairs."
"What is it?" Leon asked, his voice weary.
"It's about Sein Dungeon," Maru replied, lowering her tone with deliberate mystery. "This news has been spreading for a couple of days now, but we were too busy inside to pay attention."
The instant Sein Dungeon was mentioned, Leon's eyes lit up.
"Don't drag it out."
"Alright, alright," Maru said with a teasing smile, spreading her hands.
"Apparently, people have started finding a magical item called Furlcalling Finger Remedy. It can summon Assistants and Warriors."
Leon frowned. "And what are those supposed to be?"
"Don't rush me." Maru leaned closer, savoring his anticipation.
"Boss… have you heard of the Warrior of Sunlight?"