The 'Red Song' from the other side of the ocean, Y.M.C.A., sung with the authentic vocals of an old Christian patriot under the Stars and Stripes, crushed the mermaids' singing without any suspense, rippling through the air above the vast underground lake.
Even if they wanted to resist, amidst that high-pitched, impassioned sound and rhythmic beat, the mermaids' lukewarm arias simply couldn't make their presence felt.
And so, the enchanting singing voices gradually lowered until they vanished completely. The mermaids, wherever they were hiding, seemed to have given up entirely... These traditionalist mermaids probably never imagined they would be crushed by speakers and electronic synthesized sounds, did they?
Ryu turned off the speaker, observed carefully for a moment longer to confirm that no monsters were appearing in these waters for the time being, and only then relaxed, plonking his butt down on the pillar.
This starting position wasn't wonderful, but it wasn't too terrible either. He had considered the possibility of being thrown into the Dungeon rather than the safe surface world, but landing directly on the 4th Floor, where water covers most of the area, was a bit of rotten luck.
Rolling up his sleeves and trouser legs and wringing out some of the water from his clothes, Ryu began to calmly survey his surroundings—
His position was a 'lone island' on the lake; there were no other pillars around. The nearest structure was over two hundred meters away—a statue half-submerged in the water.
"Confirmed, it's the underground 4th Floor of the Dungeon... It could be worse. At least I didn't fall into one of the other dungeons in this world."
Delicious in Dungeon is an adventure-oriented work, featuring a classic "save the princess, save the kingdom" plot. However, its tone has nothing to do with hot-blooded shonen tropes; instead, it mixes absurdity with rigor and madness with rationality. Overall, it uses a cheerful approach to depict a dark story.
In this world, monster paradises known as "Dungeons" exist. Some are natural, small-scale paradises, but most are ancient ruins. Their specific creation process is related to the "Demons" of ancient legend. Ordinary adventurers don't know the inside story, but the long-lived Elves know that they are cages for Demons.
As for their exact origins, rumors abound. It seems they weren't created solely to seal away Demons, but also to cover up certain secrets. But by now, the truth has been buried, and adventurers, merchants, and people with nowhere else to go flock here for the treasures and opportunities within the Dungeon~
The stage for the story is a newly discovered Dungeon on a small island. The entrance was exposed on the surface about six years ago. It is the ruin of the ancient "Golden Kingdom." Legend has it that anyone who can defeat the Mad Mage who cursed the entire nation—the Lord of the Dungeon—will inherit the entire kingdom (including the island and the ruins beneath).
The reason Ryu felt fortunate was that, although his "spawn point" wasn't great, at least he was inside the Dungeon where the main storyline takes place, rather than some god-forsaken place. Otherwise, given the shipping technology of this world, he might not even reach the location before his one month was up, making it impossible to even get a hot meal!
And the plot duration of Delicious in Dungeon itself is quite short; one delay, and he might miss it entirely.
His current problem was how to safely leave the underground lake area, and eventually the Dungeon itself, to find the protagonist party and determine the current timeline. Only then could he apply the right remedy and select the appropriate course of action from his pre-arranged plans.
On the underground 4th Floor, the rock strata naturally cracked, releasing groundwater that submerged the original city districts and squares. The mana-rich lake water nurtures numerous monsters, and within the perilous reflections lie the phantom images of the town left behind by people who lived here countless years ago~
Judging from the original work, the monsters here are just mermaids, fish-men, and sea monsters—their overall strength isn't very high. The problem is that the entire area has very few footholds; one must rely on rafts or "Water Walk" magic to cross it.
Swim across?
Leaving aside physical exhaustion, the mere idea of fighting aquatic monsters in the water is just too damn brave!
Ryu's physical capabilities now completely surpass those of ordinary humans, and his swordsmanship, even without Kagetatsu's possession, reaches the average level of a master swordsman—but these advantages would be mostly nullified once he entered the water!
Fortunately, he had prepared a lot of "Wonder Tools" to deal with the complex environment and monsters of the Dungeon. It was only the 4th Floor; it wouldn't stump him yet.
"Anyway, let's get out the air pump and the rubber dinghy first... Hmm?"
Ryu glanced over, his attention instantly caught by silver ripples spreading across the water surface. Countless tiny silver specks of light gathered, and lines of text appeared on the gradually calming water:
[System Card · Delicious in Dungeon]
[Theme: Eat or Be Eaten]
[Drew 15 Points (Pseudo). You may allocate them arbitrarily among the following options.
Positive buffs deduct points; selecting negative effects increases points.
Note: Please make a decision within 24 hours.
The effects of all options will last for one month.]
—Positive—
-6:
[Monster Hunter], [Humanoid Slayer], [Treasure Hunter], [Philanthropic Hunter]
-3:
[Vigorous Appetite], [Vigorous Curiosity], [Vigorous Love], [Vigorous Killing Intent]
-1:
[Halfling's Dexterity], [Elf's Grace], [Dwarf's Resistance], [Tall-man's Adaptability]
—Negative—
+5:
[Ravenous Appetite], [Ravenous Inquiry], [Ravenous Love], [Ravenous Killing Intent]
+3:
[Weakened Digestion], [Weakened Poison Resistance], [Weakened Immunity]
...
"The instance's System Card!" Ryu was exhilarated. "It's finally here!"
Unlike last time, Ryu wouldn't let this one-time opportunity slip away in vain!
...But when he finished carefully reading the explanation, his brow furrowed involuntarily; he was clearly dissatisfied.
"Negative traits... I can't touch a single one!"
This was where he felt the greatest restriction. In the past, even if he didn't have enough points, he could ruthlessly pick two negative ones to scrape some together. But the point-adding options offered this time were absolutely untouchable!
Digestion, poison resistance, and immunity were closely linked to the theme of Delicious in Dungeon. Although Ryu didn't know the current timeline yet, every single one of his plans involved the step of "eating monsters."
After all, he was the [Gourmet of Solitude]!
If these three qualities were to decline, wouldn't it affect the absorption of the food?
And that column where each option added 5 points... Ryu felt something was very wrong just looking at it!
It even made him unsure about several of the positive buffs above!
There is an "Interdimensional Demon" in this world, and it likes to devour human "desires."
This Demon isn't a "villain" in the conventional sense. It is a mana aggregate accidentally contacted by ancient people. Essentially a colorless existence, it takes on the color of whatever desire is imprinted upon it, subsequently developing its own loves, hates, and preferences, and gradually assuming different forms in legend.
It appears in different places, but generally speaking, it still belongs to the same life form.
Its power is immense; the reason this massive Dungeon can be so prosperous is due in no small part to borrowing its power... Why choose trait terms that might attract it while on its turf?
Therefore, Ryu didn't want to touch the "-3" and "+5" columns—both positive and negative—unless absolutely necessary!
"Then all that's left are the '-6' and '-1' columns... [Philanthropic Hunter]? Mating with non-humanoid races increases fertility and world prestige? What the hell!"
________________________________________
Get rewarded for helping with our community goals!
🎯 Reward for all: +1 bonus chapter at 50 Powerstones.
🚀 Tier Reward: Help us reach 20 members for +5 chapters on all stories!
👻 Join the crew by searching Ms. Medusa on (P). You know the spot! 😉