Ch.264264 – Ingredient Gathering Dungeon

<264 – Ingredient Gathering Dungeon>

If Oknodie had snuck out to avoid taking the final exam with the power of faith, the same was true for the Andersen heir.

“Is Andersen that sick of holy power?”

“When you experience the pain of broken bones twice a week, you don’t want to learn holy power even out of spite.”

“Still, following me secretly was too much!”

“I’m sorry.”

“You could have been accidentally killed! Next time, please make some noise and follow me properly!”

‘Is that the issue!?’

The bewilderment lasted only a moment.

The Andersen heir somehow felt nostalgic.

Most noble boys have a mischievous phase.

They hide somewhere in the garden or embark on small adventures to expand their world, evading the strict surveillance of butlers, knights, and servants.

Andersen had such a time too.

Although he was forbidden from skill training after being caught by the family head, who said it wasn’t befitting of a noble, he felt oddly proud that his long-unused “Tracking” and “Taming” skills were still proficient.

Oknodie’s backhanded compliment about his threatening stalking skills felt much better than the nobles’ praise of “impressive,” “amazing,” and “sugoi” when his grades improved.

It felt like returning to childhood!

“Does your forgiveness mean you’ll let me join whatever you’re planning to do?”

“I’m considering it. Recently, one of my friends got seriously injured while playing with others.”

“Don’t worry. I’m stronger and sturdier than your friends.”

“I suppose so? As far as male characters go, You’re a tier 4 character. Ranking in the top 40 among thousands is quite an achievement.”

“?”

Though Oknodie was speaking in her usual incomprehensible way, it was clear she had accepted.

“So what are we doing now?”

“Treasure hunting!”

“Treasure hunting…?”

“You know that during ‘Religion Week’ events, professors and instructors concentrate their manpower on monitoring religious people, right?”

“I noticed something like that. Classes were openly canceled, and we were given free time.”

“This is when the academy’s security is most vulnerable in the first semester. So during this gap…”

“You’re planning to steal treasure?”

“We’re going to steal monsters!”

“…Monsters? Not treasure?”

It sounded bizarre.

But after hearing her explanation, there was some logic to it.

“No matter how much manpower they pull in, they wouldn’t neglect guarding treasures. Those places are always tightly secured. On the other hand, monster pens have this perception of ‘be careful if you don’t want to die,’ so now is actually the perfect time to infiltrate!”

While warehouse security would use dedicated personnel, monster pens would only be guarded by instructors on rotation shifts, apart from the regular animal keepers.

If treasures disappeared, it would cause a major incident, but monsters disappearing was a common occurrence at the academy.

“So your plan is to enter the monster pens while the academy isn’t paying attention, kill all the monsters, and gain lots of skill experience? Not bad.”

“Hieek! What cruel things are you saying! I would never do something so inefficient and terrible. We’d be tracked down if we did something that violent!”

“…Then why are we going to the monster pens?”

Oknodie spoke confidently as if stating something completely reasonable.

“The academy cafeteria menu hardly ever changes. And my collection progress is slowing down. So I’m planning to harvest ingredients directly this time!”

Looking closely, Oknodie and the maid had large bags on their backs with tools sticking out.

“…Gathering tools?”

“Yep. We’re going to collect cooking ingredients from monsters!”

As Oknodie lifted a milking machine while wearing white gloves, Andersen couldn’t shake the regret of having come along.

“As you know, now that you’ve heard this much of Oknodie’s plan, Young Master, you only have two choices.”

“What happens if I don’t participate?”

“You’ll waste a week imprisoned somewhere no one knows about.”

With the maid’s matter-of-fact warning, Andersen reluctantly joined Oknodie’s “Wacky Monster Cooking Ingredient Gathering Operation (Beginner).”

* *

Gift Academy has various daily quest dungeons available each day of the week.

For point mining, there’s the Adventure Department’s “Professor Bronze’s Underground Treasure Vault Stairs” that they visited before.

For ingredient gathering, there’s the Production Department’s “Professor Gordon’s Monster Farm.”

This monster farm is the special facility we’re sneaking into while professors and instructors are reduced during Religion Day.

“Alright, let’s steal away!”

“You’re announcing your intentions as you barge in… That enormous hat is just asking to be caught. Don’t you want to infiltrate more carefully?”

“Eh, only beginners worry about that. Experts can walk right in without concern!”

Saying that, Oknodie boldly entered the completely unguarded monster farm from the front.

What about the entrance lock?

Before he could ask, she pulled out a hairpin and clicked it open in 3 seconds flat.

‘So fast…’

Truly the disciple of a righteous thief.

But this is a monster farm.

Even when breaking into a rich neighborhood house, you’d have to deal with guard dogs first, let alone monsters.

No sane thief would ever break in, and even if they did, they might be killed.

Entering a monster farm without keepers present is a foolish act that raises only one question: are you volunteering to be food?

“Grrk grrk grrk”

“Kaaak kaaak!”

Sure enough, killer cats guarding the monsters in place of human keepers immediately bared their teeth and claws.

“Ah, leave this to me. Cats hate having their bellies touched.”

Cat-beastkin (or not) maid April boldly stepped forward in place of the two.

Andersen watched with interest.

How would a cat-person handle cats?

“Look at this.”

“Meow?”

“That’s right.”

April diverted the cats’ attention to the opposite direction with a laser pointer she pulled from her pocket.

Then she approached the killer cats whose punches could subdue even monsters… and kicked them hard in the stomach, sending them flying.

“You’re kicking them!?”

“It’s natural that the part they hate being touched is their weak point.”

“That’s certainly true, but… is it okay for a cat-beastkin to kick cats!”

“Huh? Do werewolves keep inferior wolves that walk on all fours as pets? They’re inferior species, so treat them accordingly.”

“What a mess this one’s personality is… it’s almost foundation-like.”

More precisely, it was a personality following what she had read in “99 Characteristics of Cat-Beastkin,” but April kept quiet because explaining was bothersome.

“Well done, April!”

“Thank you, Oknodie.”

“Now let’s split into three groups!”

“We’re gathering separately!? That’s dangerous.”

“Ugh. Is the senior Andersen saying he’s scared because it’s his first time? Well, the Young Master is only known for choosing the wrong lectures, not for any achievements at the academy…”

Feeling the disappointment from Oknodie as she turned away with cloudy eyes, Andersen reluctantly extended his hand.

“Fine. I’ll handle one task on my own. What should I gather first?”

“Would you like to shear the bomb sheep?”

“Bomb sheep? What kind of monster is that?”

“Ah, first-years wouldn’t know.”

Oknodie handed him a gathering dagger with a smile, as if it were nothing.

“They have special colored wool that you shouldn’t touch. If you do, a timer starts ticking, and when it reaches zero, they shoot magic of that color from their mouths. The white wool contains quite a bit of mana too, so when you squeeze it and refine it into cooking oil, it’s good for your health!”

“You’re assigning such a terrifying creature to a beginner!? Give me something else!”

“Tch. You’re so picky. Then I’ll ask April to handle the bomb sheep!”

April received the gathering dagger and wool sack with trembling hands.

As she entered the bomb sheep pen, giving Andersen a resentful look, the Young Master felt his noble dignity severely wounded.

“Next is gathering ingredients more important for cooking. Since you found the bomb sheep too difficult, I’ll choose something easier for you.”

“No, I’ll take something difficult.”

“Really?”

“The bomb sheep was particularly troublesome. I’m definitely not afraid of sheep that shoot magic from their mouths. I just… have an allergy to sheep wool.”

“I see.”

“It’s true. Because of my sheep wool allergy, I never wear wool clothes even in winter.”

“That could be the case. Then please take this.”

Oknodie pulled out a milking machine as tall as herself and something that looked like restraints from her pocket.

“What’s this?”

“Hehe. Giselle smuggled it in by bribing the inspection staff. It’s a secret from others, okay?”

“No, not the backpack. Why is the milking machine so big? How much are you planning to milk?”

It was so large that one might question if it could hold this much milk even when milking a cow directly.

“Oh, that’s fine. This is a monster farm, you know. Of course we need a big one since we’re milking minotaurs, not regular cows.”

“Mino… what? The muscular bipedal bull monsters that are over 3 meters tall?”

“They should be leashed, so avoid their headbutts, strikes, and kicks, then use these restraints to secure their bodies before milking them thoroughly!”

Insane.

The bomb sheep would be much easier.

It’s not too late.

I should ask to switch.

As Andersen was about to grab April, he saw the maid who had been walking sluggishly suddenly speed up three times faster, disappearing toward the bomb sheep pen.