<Fufufu. You all were worthy adversaries. Ah, I'll admit it. You made me suffer this much. A genuine death match. A battle truly worthy of that name. But before me, all your desperate efforts were meaningless. Fuhahaha! I've won at last! Today, on this very day, you have carved absolute defeat into your very beings before me!> The Body's energy is way off right now.
What's wrong with this guy?
Is his head boiling?
{Info, when did this guy break this badly?} Shh!
Good kids shouldn't watch!
{So that's how it is — the Body finally charged into a place you're never supposed to go, huh?} That's right. He totally snapped.
Which means the rest of us have to live on with determination.
{Body, I won't forget about you for about three minutes!} That's instant noodle time!
{Instant noodles… I'm hungry now…} Didn't you just forget about the Body in an instant?
{It's not impossible that we didn't, and it's not impossible that we did.} <Hey, isn't this way too harsh?> {Body!?} You idiot, did you come back to your senses!?
<No wait — calling me an idiot is the dumb part, right? That makes me look like the stupid one even after coming back?> Huh?
{So that wasn't it?} <Wanna have a little OHANASHI with you guys?> Everyone clamored and squawked all at once.
Well, can't blame the Body for getting excited. After all, the fire dragon scale-peeling was finally complete.
Just like the Body said, it was an intense battle. Scaling a fire dragon and three eels.
It was crazy tough.
Let me be honest. The time spent scaling took longer than the actual fight.
Well, there's no clock so we can't know the exact time, and it's all based on feeling, so maybe the fight actually took longer since we were so focused — but still.
Besides, even saying it was tough, the one doing all the work was the Body. The Info and Magic departments just chatted and raised our Skill Proficiency during all that.
The Body kept coming over saying he was bored and wanted us to switch, but our answer was a firm no.
Still, he refused to quit.
Well, we only have one body, and the Body is basically me anyway, so in the end it all amounts to me being tired — but it's really a matter of feelings, right?
It's like realizing a kid's fantasy of having a clone to dump homework on.
<Hmph. But I've completed the mission!> Congratulations!
{Congratulations!} <Thank you! Thank you!> Alright then, let's eat!
<Ooh, I've been waiting!> {Catfish, then eels, and now a fire dragon} The taste has surely evolved along with the rest!
<I'm gonna take one bite and go, "Mmm, delicious!"> {Nooo. That's a bad-tasting flag right there.} And so, taste test!
Mm.
Hmm?
Hmm…
<It's… meh.> {It's hard to say it tastes bad, but also hard to say it tastes good — it's that weird in-between…} It's like unseasoned white fish.
<Ah, I know that.> {Yeah, this definitely has the potential to be amazing if you had soy sauce or something.} Soy sauce — does that even exist in this world?
<Probably not?> {Right, like, you can't exactly tell a Japanese person to live without soy sauce.} Subculture and soy sauce — that's what Japan should be proud of.
<When I was human, I never really cared about food like that, but ever since becoming a spider, I really came to understand.> {Yeah. Japanese food was seriously delicious, wasn't it.} Don't give up!
<Info?> Soy sauce might not exist in this world!
But there could be a condiment that's just as good!
{Even if it's not a condiment, as long as there's delicious food somewhere…} <Right. Everything we've eaten so far has been raw Monsters.> Plus, calling Monsters "food" in the first place is kind of a stretch, no?
<Huh!?> {You noticed that? You're a genius!} Exactly.
I just realized — I'm a genius.
{Wait, seriously? I'm a genius? Then anything a genius does is forgiven, right?} That's right!
On this day, at this hour, I make one declaration!
To eat proper food, I will escape from this Great Ello Dungeon!
<Ooh!> I'm sick of eating nothing but tasteless Monsters!
<I'm sick of smelly meat!> {I'm sick to death of poison!} A healthy life begins with healthy eating!
<I want something more delicious!> {I want something sweet once in a while!} I really want something sweet.
<Yeah, I want chocolate.> {Chocolate might not exist, but fruit at least might…} Aaaagh, I've been trying not to think about it, but I can't hold back anymore.
<My body is craving sugar!> {When the Body says it, it sounds real, and that's the problem.} Alright.
Let's seriously aim for an Arachne body.
<Ah. Yeah, that's probably where this is headed.> {If we want to communicate with humans, that is.} Because what, we're just gonna eat nothing but Monsters until we die?
<No way!> {I want to eat something tasty!} See?
Food made by humans has got to be way more delicious than raw Monsters!
I'm done being a spider!
<Arachne are still spiders, though.> {But realistically, even if we became an Arachne, do you think we could actually communicate with humans?} We'll figure it out with sheer willpower.
{Remember how low my social skills are.} <Hey, I literally can't remember the last conversation I had when I was human…> Actually, when was the last time we even talked to anyone?
{So long ago we can't even remember…} <Am I gonna be okay?> W-willpower.
{Also, would they even understand Japanese?} Oh.
<Oh.> {Looks like a tough road ahead.}