NOVEL WEB chapter 47
Chapter 47
Gobuzou-san and Iko-san’s oath-taking ceremony concluded without a hitch.
There wasn’t much about sportsmanship, but it was about fighting fair and square with all their might.
We watched the oath-taking while sipping tea, but once it ended, the participating athletes had to head to their respective venues, starting a mass migration.
From here, contestants waiting for their matches or those who’ve been defeated will wander around the town’s food stalls, but there’s also a certain number of people who aren’t participating in the Grand Martial Festival but are just touring the stalls…
“What’s this shop…? Huh, poison!?”
Well, well, some customers have wandered in.
It’s a group of three human adventurers, clutching pamphlets issued by the Commerce Guild.
Maybe they came to check out the outskirts first, avoiding the likely crowded central area.
“Welcome~ How about some delicious poison cuisine~?”
“Hey, are you joking with this poison cuisine?”
“Let’s go, I don’t want to pay to eat poison.”
But it seems the three adventurers intend to pass by our stall.
In a game where pain feels real, I guess there’s an aversion to eating poison?
But wait a minute!
This poison isn’t just any poison!
“Hold on, you lot, are you sure about that~?”
“Hm?”
“Don’t listen to her.”
“What would you say if I told you that just by eating a delicious soup, you could gain [Poison Resistance]…?”
Oh. The adventurers have stopped in their tracks.
Yes, yes, you understand.
“Sounds fishy~”
“Is that true?”
“Don’t do it, don’t do it.”
I’ve piqued one’s interest, but the other two are skeptical. Well, they’ll understand if they actually eat it. If they eat it…
“You need three bowls for resistance level 1, you know? If you can endure the pain of the poison, two bowls might do it.”
“With three bowls, there’s no pain from the poison?”
“Of course, it’s just delicious. Well, you’ll drink detoxifying tea at the same time.”
“Hey, hey, hey, are you seriously going to eat poison!? I told you to stop!”
“But, we might get [Poison Resistance] just by drinking soup, you know? It’s a hundred times better than suffering horribly while getting it during an actual adventure. One bowl is 100 reward stones, right?”
“Yep. The soup for [Poison Resistance] level 1 is 100 reward stones per bowl~”
“See, 300 reward stones isn’t that expensive, right?”
“No, it’s suspicious!”
“But maybe it’s worth trying for about 300 reward stones…”
“You too!?”
Heh heh heh, the second one is starting to show interest. I feel like a spider that’s caught a butterfly in its web. Well, I’m not a spider-type monster though.
“So, what are you going to do? Buy it? Not buy it? Which?”
“Well, I’ll have one bowl for a taste test to start.”
“Oh, then I’ll…”
“Thank you for your purchase~”
“You guys… I warned you! Don’t blame me if something happens!”
And so, two of them make a purchase.
I receive 200 reward stones and hand over two bowls of golden, transparent soup.
It doesn’t look poisonous at all, but it’s incredibly potent!
I really wonder how it’s made.
“What’s this soup? Consommé?”
“No, it smells amazing. It looks genuinely delicious…”
“Here’s your detoxifying tea.”
I’m not a murderer, so I make sure to give them tea too.
“Drink this right after the soup, before the poison status effect appears. It’ll leave a refreshing aftertaste too.”
“Huh? Oh, got it.”
“I’m telling you, I don’t know anything about this…”
“No, forget about the poison, it really looks delicious?”
“You guys are being tricked!”
Ignoring the one still resisting to the end, the two adventurers gently bring the soup to their lips and—
“Ugh—…”
They’ve frozen.
“See! I told you so!”
“—It’s delicious!”
“Huh…?”
And suddenly, as if transformed, they gulp down the soup!
Yeah, that’s right.
Mungaga-san’s cooking is delicious to the point of being a bit crazy.
“Delicious!? What is this!? It’s a soup so good it makes all the meals I’ve eaten before feel like garbage! Chinese? Ethnic? The seasoning is a bit spicy, but it’s just so good!”
“This tingling isn’t from spices, is it? No, this tingling sensation left on the tip of the tongue must be the poison! But, this tingling, or rather, this stimulation adds an even deeper punch to the deep richness and intense umami! Is it balanced overall!? This is amazing…”
“S-Seriously…?”
Heh, they’ve fallen…
“Ugh!?”
“Huh!? H-Hey!?”
But it seems the two were so overwhelmed by the deliciousness that they forgot to drink the tea, too absorbed in the afterglow.
They collapse, displaying the poison effect… with purple bubbles coming out of their heads…
I told them to drink the tea, didn’t I?
Ah, geez, can’t be helped.
“[Cure Light] [Cure Light]”
“Ugh, ku…”
“My, my throat is burning…”
“Ah, geez, you’re so troublesome— [Heal Light] [Heal Light]”
After detoxifying the two and restoring their HP, they finally stand up. They seem to be alright now.
Well, that’s good.
“A-Are you okay…?”
“Yeah, we’re fine… Thanks to that seller over there…”
“I told you to drink the tea before you got the poison status effect, right? There won’t be a second time, so please?”
“Ah, sorry…”
“We’ll be fine this time…”
“No way, you guys aren’t…”
“We’ll have two more bowls!”
“Are you serious!? You just collapsed! Why are you going for a second bowl!?”
“If you’d like, would you like a bowl too, mister?”
“I don’t need it! No, wake up, you guys!”
The third person grabs their shoulders and shakes them, but the two exchange glances as if in agreement and shrug.
“Ah, you won’t understand unless you drink it…”
“This is delicious regardless of [Poison Resistance]. Actually, isn’t it too delicious?”
“It’s crazy, right? Honestly, I underestimated the monster race nation.”
Come to think of it, these gentlemen are ordinary humans. Maybe they’re like tourists who came here for the event?
Hearing the two’s opinions, the last one starts to waver. Come on, it’s only a matter of time before you’re caught in the spider’s web too.
“Is it that good? Then, I’ll—Eek!?”
It’s rude to scream at the sight of my face, isn’t it? …Or so I thought, but I feel like their gaze is directed behind me.
So I turn around and…
Eek!?
Mungaga-san was grinning with a fierce look, his expression like a Hannya mask!
He probably thinks it’s a business smile, but it’s clearly bad for business!
“Ah, a demon is smiling!? So this soup really is the devil’s drink!?”
“No, no, that’s wrong. That’s our chef. I’m doing the selling instead because his face is too scary.”
I hurriedly deny it.
If I don’t, the customers might run away!
“Thank you very much~♪”
“See, with that attitude, it doesn’t sell at all even though it’s incredibly delicious…”
As I point behind me with my thumb, the three nod with understanding expressions.
Yeah, I’m glad they understand that…
“Well, I guess so…”
“That face would scare customers away before they even consider drinking the poison soup…”
“I get it, but…”
“Why!? Ain’t it strange!? I’m showin’ such a lovely smile!”
“No, no, no!”
Only Mungaga-san thinks that!
All three of them are completely denying it!
“Well, shall we get refills?”
“Ah, I’ll have one bowl too…”
And so, all three buy the [Poison Resistance] level 1 soup.
Thank you for your purchase~
“So good! What is this!? No, this level of satisfaction isn’t just soup! Rather, it’s more than eating the main course of a full-course meal—Mmph!?”
The third person who drank the soup for the first time is being forcibly fed tea by the other two who’ve already drunk it.
Yeah, I think it’s good not to make the same mistake twice.
“What are you guys doing!? You could’ve let me savor the aftertaste too! Wait, the tea is delicious too!?”
“You still have two more bowls to enjoy…”
“We only have one more bowl to enjoy…”
“Hey, that’s not my problem!”
So, after pouring tea and taking a breather, the two who’ve had two bowls drink their third. They really do seem to be enjoying the soup.
“Oh”
“[Poison Resistance] really did grow…”
“Seriously!? G-Give me the third bowl!”
“Here you go, thank you~”
In the end, all three of them gained [Poison Resistance], but their expressions are gloomy.
I wonder what’s wrong?
“We got [Poison Resistance], but…”
“Ah, the soup was so delicious, I want to drink a bit more…”
“There’s [Poison Resistance] level 2 soup, right? Aren’t we going to order that?”
By the way, the [Poison Resistance] level 2 soup is 200 reward stones. Apparently, if you drink five bowls, your [Poison Resistance] will level up.
Well, Mungaga-san said he’d adjust it that way, so I guess that’s how it is.
Since my own [Status Ailment Resistance] level has gone up, I don’t actually know what happens.
It would be helpful if these people could do a human experiment for me.
“If [Poison Resistance] becomes level 2, that means the poison is even more potent than before…”
“Maybe the divine balance of flavors from earlier will be disrupted…”
“I-Is that so…!”
The three seem to be pondering indecisively, but…
“No, the taste has been adjusted accordingly. Rather, the umami of the poison-infused food comes out more strongly, so it’s even more delicious than level 1—”
“We’ll have the [Poison Resistance] level 2 soup, please!”
“Coming right up~”
And so, after drinking five bowls of soup, all three seem to have acquired [Poison Resistance] level 2.
Yeah, they seem satisfied with the taste too.
I hope this will be the start of our stall becoming popular, but I wonder?