We shelved the milk of the Strike Ox for the time being and continued our search.

　Since it would be a hassle to get into a battle unnecessarily, we proceeded to avoid fighting the Strike Ox as much as possible, while also training our [Stealth Foot] and [Hide Form].

　In the forest on the next level 17, I obtained a Kutto Berry.
　That's right, the kind you can pick up in abundance in my garden in autumn.
　They're delicious, but to be honest, they're not what I expected.

　No matter how hard we try to collect them, the selling price is only enough for a child's pocket money, so it's not worth it as an adventurer at all.

　Even if we were to eat them ourselves, we still had some kut left in our magic bags from last year.

　So, we just checked the forest and went to the next level without collecting.
　The 18th level of the forest is walnuts.
　I worked hard to collect these.

　I'd already eaten the ones I collected last year, and Natsuki said she wanted to make walnut bread.

　However, walnuts and chestnuts do not sell well, even if not as well as Kut.
　The reason is the shelf life.
　Walnuts in particular, and chestnuts as well, can be stored for a certain amount of time, so there is a certain amount of distribution.

　They are not cheap food, but they are not so cheap that ordinary people cannot afford them, and they are not so expensive that it would be unprofitable for adventurers of a certain skill to collect them in dungeons.

　Even so, it's undoubtedly delicious, so if I see it lying in front of me, I will naturally pick it up.

"Hmm, could this area be the nut area?

"That's a possibility. Considering there are eleven to fifteen layers.

Personally, I'd be happy with that, but it's not as profitable.

I'm not happy with the lack of challenge in the battles, or the monotony of ...... them. I'm not complaining about the nuts.

I agree. I'd rather have cashews. I'd like to try a cashew apple.

　The nut part is sold, but I've never seen or eaten the flesh part (not exactly the same, I guess).

　I'm just curious, but I'd like to try them.

I like cashews, too, but ...... they seem to be hard to eat.　I like cashews too, but it seems to be hard to eat the nut part.

"Really?　I know they have an unusual shape.

　I know that many nuts are troublesome to eat because they are mostly seed pods.
　For example, walnuts.

　This is also a bit tricky because you have to remove the surrounding pulp, but it's not that difficult if you use a tool.

　You can buy a special tool for this purpose at a normal tool shop.

　It looks like a small washing machine, and by throwing walnuts into it and rotating it with the handle, it will scrape off the pulp.

　Once the pulp is removed, all that's left is a regular walnut shell, which you can wash and dry.

　If you are strong enough, you can remove the contents without using any tools.
　Just like the hero of a kung-fu movie I once saw.
　However, this is not popular with the ladies because the contents often break into pieces.

　Toya and I were so happy that we crushed it, but he got angry and handed us a thin board-like object, telling us to use the tool.

　It's true that you can use it to pry open the walnuts to get them out cleanly, but it's hard to roast them when they're crushed, so it only took a moment for me to become a kung fu master.

　Well, walnuts themselves are sold in their shells, and their distinctive shape is well known.

　You can even see them in movies.

　In contrast to walnuts, the only thing I know about cashews is that they look like upside-down red peppers with cashews on the end.

　If you think of them as the same nut as walnuts, you'd remove the flesh and crack open the seeds. .......

That's right. Yes, that's the same as the seed, and the fact that you eat the kernel is also the same. There are two problems. Two problems: cashews are a member of the poison oak family, and it's quite difficult to get the kernels out.

"Gee, poison oak. ......

　I don't know about this body, but when I was in Japan, I didn't have a strong constitution against rashes, so I'm a little worried.

　I'd like to think that I'll be fine because of my "stubbornness" but .......

I'm sure you'll be fine because you have a pretty hard shell. I've never actually done that. I've never done it myself, but I'm impressed with how well you can do it.

　Thin skin ...... walnuts are sold with the skin on, but cashews are peeled, right?
　Sometimes there's a little bit left over.

Is that by hand?

"Yes, apparently. If you look at cashews for sale, you can see that they are all different shapes.

　Can't they be mechanized?
　If you think about it, it is understandable why cashews are so expensive.

　Eventually, with AI machine learning, there may be a robot that can peel cashews, and the price of cashews may become cheaper, but this is a story that does not benefit me now.

"So, even if I find one, I won't be able to eat cashews to my heart's content?
It would probably take several dozen times as much time to shell them as it would to eat them.
Ugh. --"Oh, Haruka, do you have any alchemy golems?

　I'm not sure what to make of this.

There are golems, but only for simple tasks. If you're going to have to hire someone to do all the details, it's cheaper to just hire someone, I promise.

"Oh, yeah, labor costs are so low.

　It's like robotization in developed countries and handicraft in developing countries.
　It's as if the advanced golem is a state-of-the-art robot.

"By the way, mangoes are also in the poison oak family.

"Oh, so you eat mangoes too?

Yes. Some people get itchy. Normal people don't have a problem as long as they don't eat a lot.

You can never be too careful with tropical fruits.

　I don't like itchy pineapples either, but I've only had the chance to eat a few mangoes, so I didn't know.



　Was it good or was it bad? .......

"Oh, by the way, gingko nuts also give you a rash. If you eat a lot of them, you might get poisoned.

"Yes. The pith of plum trees is also poisonous, and there are many plants whose seeds are poisonous. When you think about it, a nut that eats its kernels is like .......

Yes, it's best not to eat anything you don't know!

　I'm reasonably satisfied with my food.
　I'm reasonably satisfied with my food. I don't need to force myself to eat it.


　The next 19 layers.
　What I got was a nut called "Birrell".
　It resembled a wisteria seed.
　A pod about 3 cm wide and 25 cm long hung from it, and the seeds were inside.

　Natsuki said it looked like a seedling, but I didn't know what it was because I had never seen one before.

　The pods are quite strong, and it takes about as much strength to pry them open as it takes to crack a walnut shell, but once they are open, you can get about 10 seeds at a time.

　The size is about the same as a fava bean, the shape is a little like an almond, and the taste is similar to an almond when roasted.

　The seeds have a thin skin, but it peels off when roasted, so they are easier to eat than almonds with a thin skin.

　It's easy to harvest, and it's popular with people other than me, so it's a pretty good nut.

　It's a good thing that you're not the only one who can't get enough of them. ...... I feel like I'm suddenly eating something I don't know, but the name of this one showed up in the help section, and Haruka and the rest of the team immediately figured it out with their common sense, so there's no problem with knowing it. I'm not sure.



　There was a change in the area when we entered the 20th layer.

There's something ...... slightly different about the reaction.

　The reaction felt by the [search enemy].
　It seems like a strike ox, but the threat level felt is a bit higher.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for and how you can use it.

The difference this time is a little too big to be an individual difference. "Hmm, but it looks like a strike ox, right?
That's the point. ......

　The closest Strike Ox can also be seen by Yuki, who has the [Eagle Eye].
　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.
　If so, there is no reason not to use it.

"Hmm?　"Red Strike Ox?
"Red?　It looks black to me.

　Haruka and the others twist their heads at my words.

　You can't see it in detail with Haruka and the others, but you can see enough of its body hair from here.

　And that body hair is, needless to say, black.
　There's no difference between it and the Strike Ox so far.
　That's why I was wondering--.

"...... Oh, are the horns slightly red?

　The horns of the original black Strike Ox. The horns are slightly reddish-black.

　You have to look very carefully to notice the difference, but there are no other red parts, so this is probably the origin of the name.

"Oh, three times the speed?　It's got horns.
"I don't know if it's tripled or not, but we'll have to be careful. "In response to [insert name].

　It's not so strong as to be dangerous, but you can't deny that if you react to it as if it were a strike ox, you might be taken unawares if you're not careful.

　That's about the difference.

"Well, you'll see. I'll take care of this!

　And with that, Toya steps forward.
　That's the same position he took in Strike Ox. .......

"Toya likes to raise flags?　Are you stupid?　Are you dying?
I'm not going to die. I've got someone to protect me!

　Toya turns around with a smug look on her face and gives him a thumbs up.
　No, you're not!

That's not what a vanguard would say!　It's more your job to protect me!　You idiot!
"Yeah, I just wanted to say it.
Of course!

　If Toya really wanted someone to protect her, I would have kicked her in the back.

If Toya really wanted someone to protect her, she would have kicked him in the back. ......2 You guys, you've been acting like idiots and they've noticed. Come on, Toya, step forward.

Oh, ......, you're fast!　Hey!

　The Red Strike Ox, which had been in the distance, was quickly approaching.

　It's very difficult to make an accurate comparison, but I'd say it's at least twice as fast, if not three times.

　In the time it takes us to split up, the Red Strike Ox, which Toya has quickly ducked out of the way, runs between us at a considerable speed.

　Toya hurries after him, but there's a clear difference in speed, as he's not right behind him like Strike Ox.

　But even so, he could catch up if his opponent slowed down to change direction.

　As in the past, the moment he turns around, Toya grabs him by the corner and holds him back, but...

"Oh, oh, oh!

　You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.

"Oh no. This guy is very strong!　He's got to be wearing spikes or something!



　Toya shouted impatiently as he slammed his boot into the ground and managed to hold it in.

　It wasn't a difference in strength, but a simple difference in grip.
　If there were some kind of step to stand on, it would be different, but there was flat grass under my feet.

　Of course, it goes without saying which has a better grip on the ground, the four-legged Red Strike Ox or the two-legged Toya.

But there are some things you just can't control...

　The next moment, Toya was engulfed in flames.

"Noooooo!

　Toya screamed, jumped away from Red Strike Ox, and rolled on the ground.

　Haruka reacted immediately.

"'Extinguish'!

　Toya's flames were quickly extinguished, but Red Strike Ox was on the move as soon as Toya let go.

　But we didn't sit idly by and watch Toya and Red Strike Ox face off.

"Earth Wall!

　An earth wall appeared just in front of Red Strike Ox.
　That's me.

　Red Strike Ox plunged headfirst into the wall. The Red Strike Ox makes a dull sound and stops moving.

　At about the same time, the Red Strike Ox's legs were lifted up by Yuki's wall of earth, and it became as if it was standing on its head, its hind legs scratching the sky.

　The Red Strike Ox wriggled around for a while in this state, but eventually managed to get out from between the two walls and rolled over on its side.

"Mmm, Yuki, b*tc*. Let's do this.
"Here we go.
"'Earth Wall'.

　The "Earth Wall" is triggered again, just in time.
　The rest is as usual.

　The Red Strike Ox is quickly secured with ropes by Haruka and the others.

　The only differences are that the restraints require more force than usual, the rope makes a slightly annoying creaking sound, and Red Strike Ox is swinging his head around and spreading flames.

　...... Yeah, breath, you can breathe, right, Red Strike Ox?
　I'm not sure what to make of that.
　You can't let your guard down in another way, the [Spotting] skill.

You can't be too careful.

　It's not so much that it's burned, but the tips of the hair are definitely a bit chapped.

　Her ears and hair are also a bit chapped. I'm sure Toya can't see it, but...

"You should thank Haruka.　You can thank Haruka for making it go away so quickly.

...... Oh, yeah. Thank you, Haruka.

No. I'm just glad I got here in time. I don't want to see your tail and ears all shaved off.

Skinheads, but not ears and tails. Thank God.

　I agree with you.
　I've seen some hairless breeds, but ...... I think hair is fluffier.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

　In the event that you're looking for the best way to get the most out of your business, you'll want to take a look at the following tips.

　I don't care how fast Haruka's mind is, it seems a little too precise.

I'm not sure what to make of this. I'm not sure, but I thought there was a description about breath.

"Whaaaaat!　Then you should appraise it beforehand.

Shouldn't you be appraising it beforehand, Toya?

Yes, you're right.

　In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

　In the event that you've got a lot more than one of these, you'll be able to get a lot more.

　If that had been the case, he would have naturally been careful with Breath.
　Too bad, he deserved it.