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Marcille agreed to Frieren's request without the slightest hesitation.
If it meant bringing Falin back, she was willing to offer up anything—resurrection magic, forbidden spells, even the dark magic she had painstakingly developed herself.
After all, to someone like her who had grown up without a single playmate, Falin was the most precious friend she'd ever had.
The underground labyrinth stretched before them, deep and endless.
The first floor was a pitch-black corridor where you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face. Still, because it was close to the surface, a few faint beams of sunlight managed to filter down through cracks in the soil and rock.
Frieren had suggested using a light spell or even a flashlight, but Gabriel immediately shot the idea down.
"What's the point of exploring a fantasy dungeon if we start pulling out modern gadgets? That kills the whole vibe!"
To Marcille's surprise, she found herself agreeing. It reminded her of her own first dive into a labyrinth—how she'd been giddy with excitement back then.
"I still remember the time I got so spooked by a slime that I stuck my whole head in it… then almost choked to death. Ahh, good times."
The half-elf's nostalgic smile didn't look forced in the slightest.
Leo picked up the conversation, recalling his own story.
Back when he and his sister Falin had joined a prospector group called the "Gold Strippers," they had run into a squad of animated suits of armor. He'd been skewered through the chest in the fight and died on the spot. Only Falin's magic had brought him back.
Not long after, the siblings left the organization and slowly built their own adventuring party instead.
Chilchuck shared his own first death as well, and by now Rosen, Fubuki, and the others were wearing strange expressions.
Who talks about dying like it's a fond memory?
Was this whole world so bizarrely casual about death just because resurrection was possible?
Marcille noticed their discomfort and explained, "From your perspective we probably sound insane, huh? Laughing about death like it's nothing. But resurrection magic only works inside the labyrinth. Outside, it's just a normal healing spell."
In truth, "resurrection" here wasn't real resurrection. It restored a corpse to perfect physical condition, then guided the person's soul back into the body.
"If the soul's gone, then it's hopeless. Not even the labyrinth can fix that. And if the corpse gets completely digested—well, you're out of luck. That's why we have to save Falin before the dragon eats her whole!"
Of course, Rosen and the others who'd watched the anime already knew this.
Just then, screams echoed ahead. Two adventurers came tearing down the corridor, shrieking as they ran for the exit, a monster chasing close behind.
"Yes! Finally, my moment to shine!" Gabriel rolled up her sleeves, practically thrilled.
She'd never been allowed to fight humans in the previous world, but here? Smacking monsters around came guilt-free.
The creature came into view: half human-sized, with spindly legs and a giant mushroom cap for a head. A "Walking Shroom."
Before Gabriel could charge in, Marcille calmly lifted her staff and bonked the mushroom on the head. It toppled over, dead in an instant.
"…That's it?"
Gabriel blinked in disbelief.
What shocked her even more was that this pathetic little thing had apparently wiped out the entire adventuring party from before. Unbelievable.
"Oh, oh! According to the monster encyclopedia, Walking Shrooms are supposed to taste really good." Leo's eyes lit up.
"You're not serious. You actually want to eat that thing?" Marcille stared at him, aghast. She'd thought he was joking earlier!
Fubuki raised an eyebrow. "Wait… people eat monsters?"
"Well, it's basically just a mushroom, right? Horns or not." Gabriel crouched to inspect the corpse. "No guts or anything weird inside?"
Leo flipped through his nearly falling-apart bestiary. "Nope. Structure's the same as normal mushrooms. Should be perfectly edible."
"Absolutely not! No way!" Marcille recoiled like he'd suggested cannibalism. "I still have some rations left—I'll eat those instead."
"But the red dragon's deep in the labyrinth," Leo reminded her. "Ordinary dry rations won't last us that long."
"I already stocked up on snacks and staples, just in case," Gabriel said brightly. "Still… I kinda want to know what monster meat tastes like."
Leo's grin spread like he'd just found a kindred spirit.
Then he heard skittering up ahead, dispatched a giant scorpion with a clean slash, and the party pressed on until they reached a small adventurer outpost.
Leo immediately suggested lunch.
Everyone checked their watches. Barely thirty minutes had passed.
Even so, Gabriel was curious and went off to gather firewood.
Fubuki and Saeko seemed tempted to try. Rosen too looked interested. Meanwhile, Frieren was deep in conversation with Marcille about spells and incantations.
It didn't take long before Gabriel came back with the firewood. She and Leo got to "cooking"—though calling it cooking was generous. Neither of them knew the first thing about it. They hacked up the Walking Shroom, chopped off the scorpion's stinger, and tossed everything into a pot of boiling water.
The moment they tasted the result, both of them spat it out immediately.
Fubuki and Saeko, who had been about to try a bite, stopped just in time. Rosen burst out laughing.
"What did you expect? Just dumping monster parts in water with no seasoning? That's not cooking—that's punishment. Even normal ingredients would taste disgusting like that."
But sure enough, right on cue, the "real chef" made his entrance.
"Hold it right there! Boiling a scorpion in plain water? That's an insult to cooking itself!"
A stocky dwarf with a battle axe strode over, pulling a gleaming kitchen knife from his pack.
With practiced motions, he lopped off the scorpion's head, legs, tail, and pincers, then carefully peeled away the shell and guts to reveal the tender white meat inside—like shrimp.
"As for the Walking Shroom, you'll want to slice off the whole cap and the top three centimeters of surface. But the stems—oh, the stems are excellent. They've got this incredible aroma."
Sechii the dwarf held out a freshly cut mushroom to Marcille.
She hesitated, leaned in for a sniff, and frowned. It did have a kind of fresh, plant-like fragrance.But… why did it smell suspiciously like athlete's foot?
"..."
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