In the public imagination, the image of dwarves is often linked to caves, ores, informality, heavy drinking, and filth.
In reality, there is truth and falsehood in this. Dwarves indeed love mining, have an amazing capacity for alcohol, possess extremely high heat tolerance, and have great strength, which is why many excellent craftsmen have emerged among them.
But their style is absolutely not one of "informal" boldness!
The dwarven way of doing things cannot be described simply as generous or stingy; they are a group of fellows who stubbornly stick to their principles. If conditions are agreed upon in advance, they will accept the outcome even if they end up suffering a loss.
Conversely, if they gain a significant advantage, they will absolutely not give the other party the slightest discount.
On the other hand, dwarves are not all craftsmen. It should be said that the average dwarf knows a thing or two about crafting, but there are also many whose main profession is warrior or miner.
Craftsmen generally pay more attention to personal hygiene, a habit formed during the daily maintenance of weapons. Miners and warriors, however, are more casual, especially regarding their overly developed beards...
But even among dwarves, Senshi is an extremely special case.
As a human, Ryu didn't know what standard to use to evaluate a dwarf's appearance, but from his perspective, Senshi had an honest and reliable face. His muscles were lean and thick, looking like someone very familiar with combat.
However, with clothes unwashed for a long time, lush facial hair fixed in place by grease, and a body emitting an odor like a beast or a monster... he was simply like a savage!
—Interestingly, this description wasn't exactly wrong. In Ryu's memory, this dwarf warrior (cook) had already lived in the Dungeon for over fifty years. Aside from buying daily necessities like salt, he basically never went to the surface.
And to be able to grow healthily in such a place, he naturally found a fresh and ample food source—monsters.
This type of food, which normal people would absolutely never attempt to eat, was a sort of religion for Senshi. One could tell from his luggage; even important items like his helmet and axe were barely maintained, yet his iron wok and kitchen knife looked brand new.
...Speaking of which, didn't this set of kitchenware seem to be made of Adamantite and Mithril?
Ryu picked up the kitchen knife Senshi had lent him, weighed it in his hand, and zoned out slightly:
If I could take this thing back, would the scientists be able to recreate a new material from it?
"What is it? Do you not know how to process it?" Senshi asked, looking up when he saw Ryu hesitating to use the knife.
"It's fine, I was just thinking about what dish to make."
Ryu smiled gently. The kitchen knife twirled lightly in his hand, and under his manipulation, it sliced through the "fish meat" with extreme smoothness.
The meat of the fish-man's tail was similar to marlin. After draining the blood, it presented a pink color, with slightly darker grain patterns distributed evenly across the cross-section, giving an impression of firmness and explosive power.
Ryu's [Monster Hunter] ability did tell him how to cut along the muscle grain, but cooking methods were somewhat outside the syllabus. He had to follow recipes from reality, planning to make a pan-fried fish steak or eel sushi.
"Mr. Senshi, does the fish-man meat contain toxins?"
"No," Senshi said concisely. "Have you never cooked a fish-man before?"
"I've tried large whales and octopuses, but we don't have this kind of monster in my hometown. I came out traveling to search for special ingredients like this."
As Ryu spoke, he methodically used Senshi's seasonings. For every slice, he picked out the blood vessels and sinews, keeping the ratio of fat to muscle consistent.
It was evident that he really knew how to cook and had good technique. Every movement was skilled and natural, carrying a unique sense of relaxation that drew people into his rhythm just by watching.
Senshi nodded earnestly. As a culinarian who had been working for half a century without a license, he greatly appreciated Ryu's focus and passion.
Interestingly, those fishermen unknowingly gathered around as well, seemingly very interested in how to cook monsters, watching Ryu's every move with gusto.
Using a few slender iron rods to support a simple stove, with coal providing high combustion efficiency—clearly treated to prevent dampness—a spark from the flint successfully ignited it immediately.
—Senshi's luggage looked bulky, but in actual use, it revealed itself to be like a mobile kitchen, with various items staying methodically in their proper places.
Relying on these, Senshi, a warrior who couldn't use magic, was able to explore the Dungeon alone. One could say he was a walking logistics department~
The iron wok gradually heated up under the flames. Ryu first seared the fatty parts at the bottom of the pan, then spread the rendered fat evenly around the sides. To remove the fishy smell, he ground spices into powder and sprinkled them evenly over the fish meat, coated the outside with a layer of flour, and then placed it in the pan, lifting and rotating it occasionally to ensure even heating.
Before long, the fragrance wafted out, and the surrounding fishermen looked at each other in dismay.
At the same time, Ryu completed the cooking of the fish-man hair—which was actually the aquatic plants they used for camouflage. Using a small amount of rice mixed with the washed and chopped plants, adding a pinch of salt, he made a mixed congee.
The moment the two dishes were officially completed, Senshi couldn't help but applaud: "It smells fragrant. It will definitely taste good. You didn't waste a single bit of the essence. Well done!"
From Ryu's attitude toward the ingredients, he couldn't help but feel a trace of goodwill:
In Senshi's values, monsters eat humans, and humans can also eat monsters; there is nothing to criticize about this. But one must make the best use of the ingredients and prepare them as deliciously as possible, because they help one survive. This is the respect they deserve.
"Alright, let me taste it!" It was the first time eating monster cuisine made by someone else, so Senshi couldn't help but feel a bit excited.
The dwarf took the plate Ryu handed over, picked up a piece of fried fish steak to taste carefully, and his eyes immediately lit up. He nodded repeatedly, clearly extremely satisfied.
He wasn't one of those judges in gourmet anime who wouldn't stop until their words shocked everyone; this reaction was already enough to satisfy Ryu~
Ryu had set aside his own portion, but there was still some left in the pan, so he waved to the fishermen: "Do you guys want to try it?"
"Huh?"
The four men were startled and subconsciously took a half-step back: "No, no, no, you're too kind! I, that sort of... sigh, forget it."
"Is that so? I saw you looking like you really wanted to eat it."
"Haha, you're joking!"
"Yeah, who would like eating monsters?"
"Careful you don't catch some strange disease, young man~"
Ryu nodded: "I appreciate everyone's kindness... but this is strange."
He stood up and strolled over under their gaze.
"Since you gentlemen don't want to eat the monster cuisine, why were you looking at 'me' with such longing expressions?"
"..."
The four looked at each other and subconsciously clenched their fists, but kept giggling faces.
"Hey, don't say that, we all like women, hahaha~"
"Yeah, although you're good-looking, we don't have that kind of interest!"
"It's best if you don't." Ryu wore a harmless, polite smile on his face, having arrived beside one of them without anyone realizing.
Placing a hand on the man's shoulder, Ryu spoke beside him: "But your gazes were really too intense; it's easy to make people nervous.
If it's neither love nor appetite, then it's hard not to wonder what it is.
Or perhaps, you weren't looking at 'me', but at something next to me?"
Subconsciously, the man cast his gaze toward the backpack Ryu had placed on the ground. His limb muscles tensed naturally, and as he turned his head, he gritted his teeth, his expression becoming ferocious—
His movement suddenly stopped.
He was shocked to find that he couldn't turn his head!
Because Ryu had arrived behind him at some point. His companions were clearly within two meters yet failed to block him. Now, besides the hand resting on his shoulder, there was a finger pressed against his neck like a short knife.
It was ghostly; with just this one action, he felt weak all over, as if a nail had been driven in, jamming his entire neck. He was stunned, not knowing how to resist!
"Hey! What are you doing!"
"Kid!"
"...Stop."
The controlled man's pupils trembled slightly, his lips quivering as he said: "Stop... don't come over..."
"Big Brother!"
"What's wrong? We have the numbers!"
"...Anyway, don't make any rash moves!"
The man's breathing became rapid, he couldn't help blinking continuously, and his heartbeat became erratic. His voice sounded extremely nervous.
Why? Even though there wasn't a knife at his throat, why did he feel like he would be killed if he moved even slightly?!
Targeting this young man's backpack was an opportunity for the man:
Either he could hit the jackpot, or it was just some junk.
But travelers who looked like they came from wealthy families often carried some hard currency for emergencies. Stealing just a part of it would be a huge profit!
As for this dwarf, he seemed unfathomable before, but now he didn't look like an expert. The axe on him wasn't even as sharp as the kitchen knife, so there was no need to fear him.
But how did things turn out like this?
How did his life and death suddenly fall out of his own control?
This kid... just what is he!
"Sir, did you know?"
Ryu whispered in his ear: "In my hometown, this part is called the 'carotid sinus.' You might not understand, but you can imagine it as a valve controlling blood flow. Just applying a little force, like this..."
"Ah~~~"
"That's right. The human brain will mistakenly think internal blood pressure has risen, thereby dilating your cerebral blood vessels and lowering blood pressure and heart rate... Ah, can't think anymore?"
Ryu moved his finger away. The man immediately felt the pent-up heat in his head being released and breathed a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted, but for some reason, his eyeballs were darting around uncontrollably.
"Don't be nervous, take a deep breath. Dizziness is a normal phenomenon."
Ryu comforted: "However, if this spot were truly attacked, fainting and suspended animation would be very normal. You must be careful in the future."
"You, huff, who... are you?"
"Just a cook."
Ryu said flatly: "As a culinarian, isn't it quite normal to have an understanding of animal anatomy?"
Animal? Culinarian?
This guy!
In an instant, the man's groin tightened suddenly, and his eyes were full of terror. The surrounding fishermen, seeing their boss's face change drastically, became bewildered.
They weren't good people. Although there were rules against adventurers killing each other in the Dungeon, such things couldn't actually be prevented, and their hands weren't clean either.
However, between evil and evil, there are levels!
The man, defeated both physically and psychologically, didn't even know when Ryu had left his back.
Whether from lack of oxygen or something else, his legs were a bit unsteady...
When he came back to his senses, a fragrance rushed into his nose, making him look down in a daze, right at the fish-man steak served in a wooden bowl.
"Since you weren't coveting my backpack, then you must have been interested in this, right? Don't stand on ceremony."
Ryu looked up and smiled: "Please."
Gulp!
His throat bobbing, the man stared straight at the bowl and accepted it with trembling hands.
Although he had regained his freedom and his side had the numerical advantage, having tasted what it felt like to have the Reaper standing behind him, he had absolutely no thought of solving the problem with force anymore.
"Fish-man meat..."
Eat it? Really eat it?
"That's right, you must taste it with heart. This is the last resonance they left in this world. After this, they will become our flesh and blood, eventually entering a new cycle one day."
The smile on Ryu's face was full of gentleness and elegance, his voice like a teacher instructing a child.
"Eat. With gratitude—for the lives that nourish us."
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