Chapter 66
“Alright, let’s begin.”
With a tense face, I activated the dungeon simulator.
It seemed I was the only one nervous—everyone else looked relaxed and unconcerned.
Well, I was the only one who knew about the overcapacity issue, so I guess that made sense.
Still, despite my worries, the simulator started up without any problems.
Or so I thought.
At least until a blinding light flashed, the scenery shifted—and a bright red popup window appeared before my eyes.
[Dungeon entry limit exceeded!]
Adjusting dungeon difficulty…
Number of monsters ×2!
Monster attack power and HP ×1.5!
…What? Twice as many monsters? Just like that?
That popup was beyond shocking.
And their strength and HP increased by 1.5 times too?
What kind of hardcore mode was this supposed to be?
Behind the notification, the illusion of Ferdia appeared—smiling faintly.
No, she was smiling just like she always did, but somehow that same smile felt terrifying to me now.
The sudden spike in difficulty left me reeling, but there was no backing out.
We’d come this far—we had to see it through.
I quickly activated the magic circle that spread the Goddess’s Blessing to my teammates.
It did feel like my mana was draining less intensely into the spell circle than usual.
And with that, the dungeon simulation began.
It didn’t take long for everyone else to realize that something was off.
Where there was usually one Obsidian Bear, there were now two—
and the smaller monsters that appeared alongside them were swarming like a flood of ants.
“Uh… wait. Were there always this many monsters?”
“And they feel… stronger somehow. Tougher. Ugh…”
Our two tanks—Darren and Craig—were flustered, stumbling to adapt.
They were the ones on the front lines, so of course they’d notice the change first.
“You’re right. Something’s weird. Before, my magic could take them out in one hit… are they tougher now?”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward me, silently demanding an explanation.
Why they thought I’d know the answer, I couldn’t say.
But even setting that aside—how was I supposed to explain this?
I couldn’t exactly start talking about “game mechanics,” “dungeon entry limits,” or “difficulty scaling.”
After racking my brain, I finally blurted out:
“Uh, maybe… since there are more people this time, the dungeon got stronger to balance things out? Hahaha… just a feeling I got.”
“Hm, a plausible hypothesis,” Johanna nodded thoughtfully.
With that, she summoned another batch of familiars and sent them charging at the monsters.
Even if their power was multiplied, they still weren’t much of a match for her.
And seeing her fight with such ease seemed to boost everyone else’s morale.
We pushed forward, cutting through the hordes of stronger, more numerous enemies one by one.
Thanks to my Photon Bombs, our progress was swift.
It was a technique specialized for fighting groups of enemies—though its mana cost was immense.
Fortunately, I’d recently crafted an item that drastically reduced that cost, effectively overcoming that weakness.
Wow, this is actually manageable.
I popped a mana recovery potion into my mouth and thought.
I could really feel that my mana depletion rate had slowed down.
With all the item set bonuses and small reduction effects combined, my mana consumption was reduced by nearly 50%—
meaning I only needed one potion instead of two.
And with an item that boosted natural mana recovery, I was using only about a third as many potions as before.
But then a new problem arose—
my level had gone up, so my total mana pool had increased.
Even if I drank an entire potion, I no longer felt completely “full.”
Hmm, guess I’ll have to start brewing intermediate mana potions soon.
Of course, mana potions had ranks too—
Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior, and even Supreme.
Naturally, the higher the rank, the more concentrated and potent the potion.
Before, a basic mana potion could completely refill my mana.
Now, it only restored about 90%—at least by my estimation.
I can’t see the exact numbers, but that’s how it feels.
As my level increased, my mana capacity would continue to grow.
It was about time to upgrade to a higher-tier potion.
“Ugh, I’m hungry, boss… Let’s eat before we go…”
Darren plopped down on the ground, flailing like a child throwing a tantrum.
Seeing a full-grown man that huge acting like that made Rena grimace as if she were witnessing a crime.
But, truthfully, we were all hungry—the dinner hour had long since passed.
“Hmm, alright. Tonight’s menu: curry rice.”
I said this as I pulled out a portable table, cutting board, and kitchen knife from my inventory—
and then, a massive iron pot.
“…You carry that around with you?” Rena gawked.
“Uh, yeah. Borrowed it from the kitchen. We’ve got a big group, so I figured we’d need a big pot.”
Curry’s meant to be cooked in a big pot, isn’t it?
That’s how it always was when I was a kid.
My mother would cook a whole cauldron full of curry on weekends,
and I’d come home from school all week long, reheating a bowl for myself each day.
Never got tired of it—because curry’s just that good.
“Alright everyone, let’s get moving! You want to eat soon, right?”
I clapped my hands. That got everyone going.
Craig and Darren gathered dry leaves and started a fire.
Rena and Leo helped me prep the vegetables.
As for Johanna…
She was lying on her side, floating in midair, lazily watching us.
It was exactly the pose you’d see from a dad lounging on the couch on a Sunday afternoon—
just missing sweatpants and a stretched-out T-shirt.
Of course, you can’t exactly tell someone who’s lived for a few centuries to get up and help.
I pretended not to notice her and instead praised the twins.
“Whoa, Leo! You’ve never done this before, right? You’re pretty good with that knife!”
He’d diced the carrots so evenly and neatly that I couldn’t help but feel satisfied—
though he was a bit slow.
“Rena, you’re doing great too.”
His sister was chopping onions, tears streaming down her face,
but she didn’t stop—something I honestly didn’t expect.
In the past, she would’ve dismissed it as a waste of time, insisting that training was more important.
Compared to my past self, who’d managed to slice my own hand while cutting onions,
I had to admit—Rena might have more talent for cooking than I did.
“Uh, just… don’t rub your eyes with your hands, okay? That’ll be a disaster.”
Right as I said that, she froze—her hand halfway to her face—and lowered it again.
Crisis averted.
With that handled, I pulled out some fresh meat from my inventory and began to sauté it.
Cooking in a dungeon for the second time—it almost felt like camping.
Strangely cozy, even pleasant.
Before long, the huge pot of curry began to bubble.
Normally it should’ve taken much longer,
but thanks to Johanna, who superheated the fire with her magic (since she couldn’t bear the hunger any longer),
it was done in no time.
Cooking’s supposed to be about slow heat and patience… but I guess magic works too.
Somehow, it did work.
Apparently, she’d used some kind of mystical “Cook faster, by magic!” spell.
As for the rice, I simply pulled out some freshly cooked batches made by Chef Beth.
I ladled the curry over the steaming rice and handed out portions to everyone.
Darren devoured his like a starving beast—barely chewing, as if he were drinking it.
Craig, on the other hand, took neat spoonfuls, pairing each bite with a piece of well-fermented kimchi.
“Um… Ferdia—uh, I mean, Guide, would you like some too?”
I asked the Ferdia-lookalike guide hesitantly.
She wasn’t human, so I wasn’t sure if offering food was even appropriate—
but it felt rude to just eat without her.
“How kind of you, Hero of the Goddess. But I do not require food, so please enjoy without concern.”
So that was that.
I nodded and dug into my own bowl of curry rice.
Mmm. Whoever made this, it’s delicious.
Thankfully, the curry was a success.
My biggest worry had been Johanna’s reaction,
but she ate quietly and contentedly—no complaints at all.
After polishing off her bowl, she even brewed herself a cup of tea from a mysterious teapot that appeared from nowhere,
and finally said:
“Hm. My dear, you’re quite talented. You cook rather well.”
“Seriously, that was amazing,” Craig added, patting his full belly. “If I could eat food like this every day, I’d follow Elaine around too!”
Well, fair enough—they both had six bowls each.
Hehe, I’m glad everyone liked it. My first curry was a success!
I’d helped Beth cook before, but this was my first time handling a dish completely on my own.
Well—not completely on my own.
Everyone had helped, from prepping the ingredients to lighting the fire.
And with that, our dungeon dinner came to an end.
Only one thing remained—the final showdown with the boss, the Wooden Giant.
