That's right, that's what adventure is like!

"Grinding shiitake mushrooms into powder will give it a certain degree of saltiness and can also enhance its flavor."

"Tearing the dried meat into thin strips may not give you the pleasure of swallowing it in big gulps, but when you soak bread in it, it absorbs the richer meaty broth."

"When stirring, be sure to scoop gently and lift slowly to avoid burning, after all, it's not professional cooking equipment..."

The campfire flickered.

The orange-red light dispelled the surrounding shadows, illuminating Roland's face and reflecting his relaxed expression with obvious pleasure.

Taking a sip of the rich and smooth dried meat and mushroom bread soup further enhanced his enjoyment, leading him to drink three bowls in a row.

"Gulp!"

Yogurt, like him, was enjoying the healing power of food. He was holding the wooden bowl with a rough and unrestrained manner, ignoring the steaming hot soup, and swallowing it directly.

Compared to his usual silence, he truly resembled a half-orc at this moment.

That makes sense; who wouldn't want to enjoy a hot meal in the dungeon?

However, Roland still had doubts.

He tilted his head slightly and saw Yogurt's two older brothers fighting shirtless in the distance, their roars audible even from this distance, which made him raise an eyebrow.

"Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Yog shook his head and sighed softly, "It's no use. That's just how we orcs are."

Half an hour ago, after the elven ranger left, Yog's two older brothers immediately questioned him, accusing him of betraying the faith of the Beast God.

But Yogurt insisted that she was just learning the survival rules from the strong, and none of the three could convince the others, so they decided to use the most primitive and barbaric methods.

--fighting.

Whoever has the bigger fist gets to do the talking.

Finally, Yogurt demonstrated the excellent ranger skills she had learned, pressing a dagger against her two brothers' necks in just one minute in the dark.

Gore was convinced of the truth, but Torgo was still unwilling to let his little brother be tricked by the elves, so a second duel ensued.

But this time, no one could sway Yogurt's mind, and the duel was more like an act of venting their anger.

Sure enough, as Roland scooped up the fourth bowl of soup, two bruised and battered orcs walked over. Judging from their demeanor, Torg had won the right to speak.

"Drink it."

Yogurt silently served his brother two bowls of thick soup. Tolger glanced at him, then sat cross-legged in silence, sipped the soup, and finally ended the farce in a low voice.

"Go if you want to. There are only three of us left in the tribe. Although you are the youngest, you are already an adult and have the right to make the decision."

"Brother, I..."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Torg turned his head, a strong warning flashing in his eyes. "If you truly betray the Beast God, then I will personally send you to meet Him!"

"……Um."

Yogurt paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.

But the myriad emotions he felt, like the mushroom soup in his hand, could only be known by tasting it himself.

Seeing his reaction, Torg's expression finally softened, and he turned to Roland: "This time, the servants really ran into trouble with the elves; their bad luck is ingrained. We've decided to head back to town immediately. What about you?"

This decision did not surprise Roland. In fact, he had already considered ending the adventure, since most of the goals had already been achieved.

To his surprise, Torger added after that, "He saved me once, so consider him my benefactor. If you ever need anything, just let me know."

A barely perceptible glint of light flashed across the edge of his vision. The sudden information surprised Roland, who then nodded slightly, accepting the kindness.

The system notification indicated that his story level had been upgraded to "Second-rate".

The previous speculation that the story needed to be "glamorous" resurfaced, giving him another idea.

"Let's go back first. After all, this is the seventh floor, and it's quite a journey back. We can travel together."

After a brief pause, Roland continued, "But before I leave, there's one more idea I want to try."

"OK."

……

The path back to the entrance was much easier, since the monsters weren't on guard behind them, and the problem of getting lost was easily solved with Yogurt's expert guidance.

Aside from accidentally saving a novice adventurer group that was about to be wiped out, there were no other incidents on the road.

After wiping the gold coins given to him by the two newlyweds clean, Roland raised his head and realized that he had finally arrived at the entrance to the second floor.

"Coo coo coo, have you ever seen my master...?"

The familiar sound of the exchange scales rang out again, but this time it brought a completely different answer.

"Yes, I know—he's dead."

The crisp, decisive answer left the golden scales hovering in mid-air, and after a long pause, the question was asked again: "Where's the evidence?! Where is the evidence??"

"Take a look at this."

Roland took out the thick manuscript with its distorted handwriting, turned to the last page, pointed to the words on it, and said softly, "He made a deal with the devil, had his soul harvested, and is eternally condemned to hell."

"Gurgle—"

After a mournful cry, the exchange scales responded with a sharp shriek.

"No, our master will never succumb! He will return; this is his eternal home!!!"

The loud explosion echoed through the empty hall, making eardrums ache. Roland calmed himself and said patiently, "The probability of that is too low. You'd better face the facts. I think you'd better come with me..."

"Gurgle—"

An invisible magical force emerged, and dozens of ancient armored figures opened their scarlet eyes, staring at the adventurer who had angered the scales of justice. They raised their longswords, the sound of metal scraping against metal audible as they moved.

The four huddled together, bracing for any possible battle. Although this was already the entrance to the second floor, these guardians, whose missions were etched into their very being, should not be underestimated.

However, in just a short while, the red light in the eyes of these armored figures dimmed, and they fell into slumber once more.

"Coo coo... Let's get out of here..."

The balance scales floated listlessly in mid-air, a golden light flashed in the air, and transformed into a thin sheet of paper that landed in Roland's hand.

This is its inherent characteristic: once it acquires relevant information, it must provide corresponding rewards.

But that wasn't what Roland wanted. He frowned, about to speak again, when he saw the scales tilt slightly, and then emit that familiar sound once more: "Coo coo coo... Have you seen my master?"

This is?

Yogurt said in a low voice, "Let's go. It seems the association must have done something to prevent the collapse of this Black Ash Dungeon's specialty."

Roland regrets that he had to give up the idea of ​​taking the scales away from the dungeon. If this could have been added to the story, it would have been a significant and memorable moment.

Unfortunately, although he was crafting a story, this is a cruel and cold reality, far from being as beautiful as it seems.

Despite the many regrets in this story, it is all he could do at the moment.