I instructed Azelas to wait for a moment.
It wasn’t because Azelas was weaker than those things that I gave such an order.
Azelas is S-Class.
The orangutan and chicken are S-Class.
There’s no way to win if I let my guard down.
Even so, there was one reason I gave this order.
I just didn’t want to waste strength for no reason.
It’s nicer to handle things comfortably, right?
If I wait a little, I can just deal with a single weakened monster. There’s no reason to jump in now to fight two fresh monsters.
So I just let them duke it out.
Once one of them loses, I can surprise the remaining one and take care of it.
Ah, by the way.
Including Azelas, the monsters in the area with Azelas were not nerfed.
I didn’t entrust my arm to Azelas.
─ “I’ll wait just a bit.”
Azelas flopped down into the air.
Then, looking up, watched the fight between the monsters.
─［Wooo! Woooo!!!］
The orangutan sprayed blood from its thin tail.
─［Cock-a-doodle! Cock-a-doodle-doo!］
The chicken flapped its wings, creating a powerful gust.
The orangutan monster is called “Blood Orangutan.”
I labeled the chicken as “Chicken,” then I watched their battle slowly while working on the index.
─［Wooo!］
The Blood Orangutan swung its arm.
The red blood it created sliced through the air.
─［Cock-a-doodle-doo!］
The chicken let out a sharp scream and twisted its body.
With a single flap of its wings, it generated a blade-like wind.
Paaang-!
The wave of blood and wind collided like knives.
The fierce winds quickly subsided, and the red wave scattered like petals.
Soon after, the Blood Orangutan stretched its arms in a unique pose.
It mumbled something softly.
In that moment.
The area around the Blood Orangutan turned completely red.
A space drenched in blood was created.
【Mysticism】─ 🤔
The space was completely dominated by the Blood Orangutan.
It navigated the blood-soaked space freely, swinging its arms and launching the blood from all around towards the chicken.
In response.
The chicken rapidly spun in midair, transforming into a drill-like figure.
The blood that tried to hit it was repelled by its rotation.
The back-and-forth battle continued ceaselessly.
But neither side could gain the upper hand.
Even if they are the same rank, there must be a level difference, yet these two seemed evenly matched.
They looked perfectly equal.
After 10 minutes of fighting.
─ “It seems like it will never end…”
Azelas yawned and lay back in midair.
─ “So boring…”
10 more minutes passed.
Nevertheless, the fight between the Blood Orangutan and the chicken raged on.
“I didn’t think it would take this long.”
─ “I think it will fight for a lifetime…”
Azelas stretched and got up.
Then, gazing at Iris, said.
─ “I’ll just finish it.”
It wasn’t an announcement.
Seeing that they didn’t move immediately, it seemed that they were waiting for my permission to move.
“…Alright. Just jump in and catch them both.”
Azelas, who had been waiting for instructions, raised the corners of their mouth and nodded.
In no time, they pushed off the air with their foot,
Purwaak-!
With an intense sound of splitting air, they shot up into the sky.
─［Wooo?］
─［Cock-a-doodle?］
Azelas barged in between them.
The monsters hesitated, taken aback by her presence.
But only for a moment.
Soon, they roared and attacked Azelas simultaneously.
Azelas lightly waved their hand.
Swish swish.
The casually swung arm nullified the Blood and the chicken’s wind.
Azelas turned to the left and met the gaze of the Blood Orangutan.
At that moment.
Suddenly, Azelas’ figure vanished from sight.
Before long, Azelas reappeared in the original spot.
Holding the head of the Blood Orangutan.
I quickly checked the spot where the orangutan had flown.
The body of the Blood Orangutan was plummeting down, having lost its head.
─ “One down.”
Azelas discarded the head of the orangutan like trash.
Then vanished again.
And in just one second, she reappeared.
This time, she was holding the chicken’s head.
─ “Two down. Done.”
As soon as Azelas intervened, the battle ended within 20 seconds, without excitement.
I should have just done it like this from the start.
Well, at least I had time to draw, so it wasn’t all bad.
*
Meal time.
The exploration team returned to the hideout one by one.
［Mapping is hard. Kirik.］
［Beep beep.］
First team.
Psycho Clown and Medical Mushroom returned empty-handed.
［C’mon, c’mon!］
Second team.
Dog Spider and Hedgehog Summoner brought back a Poison Apple.
Dancing joyfully.
After a bit of time passed.
Next, the third team returned.
［We’re back, Explorer!］
［Beep!］
Centauress and Jellyfish caught a Pig King.
Centauress grinned while looking at other teams.
［Hehe. What we caught is the biggest, huh.］
That smile didn’t last long.
Behind Centauress.
The fourth team, Azelas, was carrying the bodies of the Blood Orangutan and chicken.
Seeing that, Centauress’s mouth dropped open.
［N-No! Two at once…!］
Centauress ground her teeth.
Seemingly frustrated.
She approached Azelas, frowning and whispered a warning.
［Azelas. I know you’re stronger than me.］
“…?”
［But I was the first to build a connection with the Explorer. In other words, I am like a senior to you. So I will mate first. Keep that in mind.］
“……”
Swish.
Azelas turned their head away, ignoring Centauress.
Good job.
If I had to deal with such things every time, it would just give me a headache.
Azelas approached me, dragging the captured monsters, and asked.
“What should we eat first…?”
“Of course, we should eat the chicken first. By the way, I didn’t catch your answer earlier—do you like chicken?”
At my question, Azelas nodded slightly.
“I like it.”
“Glad to hear that.”
“But this…”
Azelas pointed to the chicken.
Their expression was full of disappointment.
“It’s small, so it’s a shame. Originally, it was supposed to be… really big.”
“Have you seen one of its original size?”
“Before I came to the Labyrinth, I did… It was hundreds of times bigger. Probably.”
“Well, there’s nothing to be done about it. Monsters that are originally large get a size nerf in the Labyrinth. But was the chicken you saw outside as strong as this one?”
Azelas nodded.
“It was almost like this one. It was at a similar level to me back then.”
So before coming to the Labyrinth.
Azelas’s danger level might have been around S-Class.
Anyway.
Now that we had the chicken, it was time to start cooking.
“Oh, is this the second time Missy has typed something?”
【Mysticism】─ 🤐
Missy kept her mouth shut again.
“Anyway. Since Missy, who only used emoticons, requested through typing that we should fry it, we have to fry the chicken.”
I was already planning to fry it.
*
While the monsters were deboning the chicken.
I received help from my assistants.
Rize sent a large, wide cauldron.
Yumi sent cooking oil, eggs, and milk.
Missy sent flour.
【Pururu】─ O_o
Pururu sent disposable gloves.
“…The gloves are useless, though.”
Why is she upset when she sent them on her own accord?
I placed the enormous cauldron onto the wide, spread Magma Slime.
Ssuuung, ssuuung~
Next, I poured all the cooking oil into the cauldron.
Then mixed flour, eggs, and milk in a basin to create the batter.
After extracting the blood from the chicken that the monsters had dismantled, I tossed the pieces in the batter and mixed them well.
Finally.
I dropped all the chicken into the bubbling oil in the cauldron.
As I waited for it to fry, I used the bones I’d pulled from the orangutan’s wings as chopsticks to flip the chicken pieces around for even cooking, while also continuing to work on the index.
As time passed.
I fished out a perfectly cooked golden chicken.
“Azelas. Try it first.”
“Me, first…?”
“Yep. Honestly, I didn’t make this just for myself, but because I wanted to let you, as the newcomer, enjoy something delicious. So you should eat first.”
“…Thank you.”
Azelas’s eyes moistened a bit.
They might have been slightly touched.
Azelas took the chicken with her bare hands.
Staring intently at the chicken in her hands.
Azelas cautiously brought the chicken to her mouth and took a bite.
Yum.
She tore into the chicken.
Chew chew.
Filling her mouth to savor the flavor.
Then, she slowly lifted her head to look at me after swallowing what she had chewed.
“It’s delicious…”
“Really? I’m glad to hear that.”
The quality of the meat seemed to be good.
There’s no off-putting odor.
Well, the meat from the Pig King didn’t have any off-putting smell either.
Azelas took another bite of the chicken.
A small smile appeared on Azelas’s previously expressionless face.
I felt it was a good idea to make the chicken.
“Hey everyone, shall we eat now?”
I said while looking at the monsters and headed toward the cauldron.
Placing down the index I had just worked on.
■Chicken
─ Actual Danger Level: S-Class.
─ Ability: Wind Manipulation.
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