Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

After parting ways with Laios and the others, Haruto followed the route marked on his map.

He encountered plenty of monsters along the way.

There were enormous rats with powerful bodies and glossy coats, their beady black eyes alert as they occasionally let out sharp squeaks.

He also came across Forest Goblins—hunched creatures carrying crude stone tools and whispering among themselves in small groups.

Neither species held any culinary value in Haruto’s eyes.

Unless they attacked him first, he simply ignored them.

After traveling for over an hour, Haruto finally reached his destination.

The roots of ancient trees twisted across the landscape like massive dragons, burrowing deep into the surrounding stone structures.

Haruto took out the dungeon map he had purchased and followed its directions until he found the entrance to the third floor—a crumbling stone doorway left half open, revealing darkness beyond.

The light gradually dimmed as he entered, and a passage sloping downward appeared before him.

Since he had yet to learn illumination magic, Haruto took out a torch and lit it.

The flickering flame instantly brightened the path ahead.

Its dim golden glow cast swaying shadows across the stone walls, making the passage seem even deeper and more oppressive.

Haruto followed the corridor farther into the dungeon and soon encountered his first monster, a Skeleton.

After destroying it, he continued onward, meeting more and more monsters as he went.

Unfortunately, while there were certainly plenty of them, none were the kind he wanted.

Gargoyles, Dryads, Skeletons, Ghouls...

They might look impressive, but they were completely useless as ingredients.

Haruto realized that he had chosen his route far too hastily.

He should have asked Laios’s party about the area before separating from them.

Had he known this path was filled almost entirely with inedible monsters, he would have been better off following Laios.

It was too late for regrets now.

Haruto increased his pace and avoided as many useless monsters as possible.

He had not gone much farther when several wandering Ghosts blocked his path.

Physical attacks passed straight through them.

Haruto also tried striking them with Nen. While his aura could force them back, it failed to inflict any meaningful damage.

Whenever he attempted to leave, the Ghosts pursued him relentlessly, clinging to him like a curse.

"Looks like I’ll have to exorcise them somehow."

Haruto glanced back at the pursuing spirits with growing irritation.

Did they really think he had no way to deal with them?

Once he made his decision, Haruto accelerated and temporarily left the Ghosts behind.

He knew they would find him again soon, so he wasted no time.

He quickly took out an iron pot and several ingredients.

After placing the pot over a fire, he added water, coarse salt with exorcising properties, strong liquor, garlic, and some glutinous rice cakes he had originally brought as snacks.

He had raw glutinous rice as well, but rice cakes would taste better in a dish.

Haruto then added sugar, milk, and chopped Man-Eating Plant fruit.

The sugar, milk, and fruit had no exorcising purpose. They were simply there to improve the flavor.

He stirred everything together with a spoon.

The sharp fragrance of liquor and garlic blended with sweetness and fresh fruit, producing a strange dish that belonged to no recognizable cuisine.

It was finished—or at least halfway finished.

Haruto quickly poured the mixture into a sealed glass jar and tied a rope around it.

By then, the Ghosts had caught up.

With a flick of his wrist, Haruto swung the jar by its rope like a meteor hammer and sent it crashing into the nearest spirit.

The instant the glass struck, the Ghost dissolved as rapidly as snow beneath sunlight.

"Not bad!"

Haruto grinned and began swinging the jar at the remaining Ghosts.

It did not take long to wipe them all out.

By then, frost covered the entire glass jar.

When Haruto opened it, the mixture inside had frozen solid and looked remarkably similar to ice cream.

He scooped out a small portion and tasted it.

The salty sweetness carried a faint spicy aftertaste, while the icy texture melted smoothly across his tongue.

It was certainly unusual, but surprisingly enjoyable.

Haruto continued deeper into the dungeon while casually eating his newly created Exorcism Ice Cream.

Before long, he reached a spacious hall.

Dozens of suits of armor stood in perfectly ordered rows along both walls, each identical in design and gleaming with cold metallic light.

Understanding flashed through Haruto’s eyes.

These were monsters known as Living Armor.

Almost every adventurer believed that someone or something controlled the armor from within.

Haruto, however, knew the truth.

Living Armor was actually a colony of mollusk-like creatures.

The metal armor was merely their "shell."

As the creatures grew, their shells developed into separate pieces—helmets, gauntlets, shields, swords, and other components.

When the colony assembled, those pieces formed a complete suit of armor.

Haruto had to admit that Thistle, the Mad Mage who created them, possessed an impressive imagination.

Naturally, he was extremely interested in collecting them.

His body blurred as he rushed into the hall.

The moment Haruto approached one of the suits, it sprang to life and attacked.

Its movements, however, were far too slow in his eyes.

After easily avoiding its strike, Haruto dismantled the armor and separated every component.

Another suit nearby immediately animated and joined the attack.

More than ten minutes later, every Living Armor that had once stood neatly throughout the hall had been reduced to scattered helmets, breastplates, gauntlets, swords, shields, and other pieces.

Once Haruto confirmed that none could resist any longer, he walked among the remains and stored each component inside Gourmet Restaurant.

When he finished, he dusted off his hands and swept his gaze across the now-empty hall.

After confirming that he had missed nothing, he turned and continued deeper into the labyrinth.

Following the map, Haruto soon arrived at a descending staircase.

After walking down for roughly ten minutes, he reached a stone platform where the path ahead had been completely blocked.

Haruto checked the map and confirmed that a hidden passage existed somewhere nearby.

Unfortunately, it did not explain how to open it.

With no other choice, Haruto searched for the mechanism himself.

After examining the area thoroughly, however, he still found nothing.

Fortunately, he had another method.

Taking a deep breath, Haruto activated En.

As his aura expanded, every detail of the platform became clear within his perception.

Faint marks carved into the walls, nearly invisible grooves along the floor, and even the passage hidden behind the stone...

It took only moments for Haruto to locate the mechanism.

He walked to an apparently ordinary section of the left wall and pressed his palm against one of the bricks.

With a little force, the block sank inward with a quiet click.

The neighboring wall immediately began to rise, revealing a dark passage hidden behind it.

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