Gacha Game Girls Are Obsessed With Me

I was a bit anxious that we might not receive any rewards since we didn’t completely take them down.

“Still, our fiendish friend has some manners.”

“Hmm, even though Aracrene has a bit of a sweet tooth, she doesn’t have much greed otherwise.”

In the spot where Aracrene’s doppelganger vanished, a treasure chest appeared!

A satisfied smile automatically formed on the corners of my mouth.

Well.

“Chomp.”

Just because there’s a treasure chest doesn’t mean every reward comes out with a bang.

Maybe I’ve just raised my expectations too high.

I’m a man who wouldn’t bat an eye at any ordinary reward.

That’s me.

“Let’s go straight up today without repeating any clears. Before that, let’s drop by the Guild House and prepare a bit.”

I still had the cooking buff active.

How could I resist freshly slaughtered beef?

Back at the Guild House, as I was sizzling and slicing the hearty thigh meat of the Minotaur to grill steaks.

“Meow!”

“Woof!”

Our party’s compact warriors, indifferent to decorum, began to watch with sparkling eyes.

One was observing the entire cooking process carefully, as expected of the next shop owner.

“Sniff, sniff, what a delicious smell!”

The other was just having a dopamine party with their sense of smell.

Now that I think about it, a scene I brushed past earlier inside the tower suddenly flickered through my mind.

– Yo…ri…?

– Grilled…meat…

Did I mention that Aracrene has a bit of a sweet tooth?

Lumi and her character overlap a bit, but while Lumi likes food, she isn’t the type to overindulge.

Hmm.

Hmm…

As I plated the medium-well steak on a plate to serve to the warriors.

“Saha? I have a slightly uncomfortable question.”

“Yes, Arc. What is it?”

Saha lightly caressed her hammer.

Why does she look so scary?

“If I were to bring this stove into the dungeon, would you be able to light a fire for me?”

“…? That much is doable.”

Saha’s expression softened.

What did she think I would ask?

A stove…? That feels a bit excessive.

“Enjoy your meal, everyone. I’ll be back shortly from a quick trip to the shop.”

“Meow! I want to go too!”

“Okay, okay.”

With one little cling, I made my way to Ha-Rong’s forge, which is open year-round.

Surprisingly, Ha-Rong has a workaholic tendency, claiming that even if I tell her to take a break, she prefers hammering away.

It’s a notion I can’t understand.

No? How?

Could that even be?

That loyalty reminiscent of the ‘company lover villains’ I saw in a community back in modern times is quite remarkable.

“I wish Tynia could take after her half as much.”

“Uh-huh?”

“Just nothing.”

Well, recently our shop owner has been increasing her professional awareness.

She’ll be able to manage the shop by herself in no time.

Auto-hunting is great!

Auto-clickers are great!

“Hey, Arc! You came at just the right time. This is something I’ve modified this time, combining a saw and scissors—”

Ha-Rong presented an oversized pinking shear reminiscent of those I saw at a stationery store when I was a kid.

She then began to give a speech about her creation.

…I doubt I’ll have any use for it once we escape the maze…

Still, out of courtesy, I listened attentively and reacted enthusiastically for a while.

“Can you make something like a small furnace? Not one for melting metal, but something we can use outdoors to grill meat. It looks something like this.”

I illustrated a rough camping stove on paper, describing it earnestly.

“That much is easy! Just wait a moment!”

Ha-Rong began to hammer away, creating the result.

In the meantime, I gently slid a few pieces of charcoal into my inventory.

“Master! You can’t do that!”

“Just once…?”

“No way!”

Now that I had a little gold to spare, I thought about spinning a special gacha, but was stopped by Tynia.

Is this a master-servant reversal world or something?

As the master, I can’t spend my own money freely…

Is this okay?

In the end, I gave up on the gacha and instead looked around at the shelves where Elise kept her alchemical items.

It seems I have some talent for alchemy, as there were various potions besides antidotes.

“Master, what is this?”

“Uhm….”

As I belatedly glanced at the potion bottle Tynia found, I broke out in a cold sweat.

There weren’t any labels attached.

However, due to the power of the seer, I was able to check the tooltip of the item.

[Special Vitality-Enhancing Drug (★★★)]

[It is a vitality-enhancing drug made by combining several ingredients known to be good for men, including Aracrene’s poison. Drinking just a sip is said to bring enough strength to do it four times easily.]

[Manufacturer: Elise]

“…It seems to just be good for the body…”

I left it alone and it ended up creating something like this…!

I immediately put it in my inventory, worried that this potion could be used for inappropriate purposes.

And the results of my investigation yielded:

Potions of Love (failure), Mild Efficacy Potions, and a variety of other potions were confiscated.

I was thinking it was impressive that my alchemy level had reached level 2 already.

And yet, she made something like this?

Confiscate! Confiscate!

…To be honest, I’m not entirely uninterested.

Of course, it’s possible that Elise made this to tease me.

Since I was unsure whether the warriors liked me or not, it was awkward to make the first move.

Because it would be awkward if things went sideways.

That rapidly became awkward after the confession…

The shadow of discord that loomed over the party…

Ultimately, unable to endure the awkwardness, one by one the warriors…

Ugh.

What a nightmarish bad ending route.

Let’s just lead a solid life of self-reliance like we are now.

“Arc~? Ready~!”

At Ha-Rong’s voice, I shook off my thoughts.

I went down to the first floor and obtained the Ha-Rong special portable camping stove.

Fortunately, it fit neatly into my inventory; it wasn’t too big.

Well, combat preparations are complete.

* * *

15th Floor, Zone 5.

“Will you…not forgive…?”

“Alright, alright, we’ll have a bit of meal time. Since you’re a proud fiend, could you wait that long?”

Welcoming the appearance of Aracrene’s doppelganger once again, I took out the portable stove and filled it with charcoal.

“Arc…?”

“Saha, can you light it up?”

“…?”

It seemed like not only Aracrene but also the warriors had hooks popping up in their heads when I asked that.

Still, Saha obediently lit the fire as I directed.

Ssssss—

And soon, the Minotaur meat began to sizzle triumphantly on the grill.

“Glug.”

“Swallow.”

The sound of swallowing echoed surroundingly, coming from both the direction of our warriors and towards Aracrene’s doppelganger.

I smiled.

Just as I had planned.

Including pepper and spices, I sprinkled them generously, adding salt as well.

Everyone’s attention was focused on my dazzling hand movements.

With the feeling of being in the spotlight, I got a bit carried away and truly displayed my skills.

“Aracrene?”

“Hrmmmm…?”

“Would you like to try some?”

To my temptation, while drooling, she shook her head in refusal.

But I sent a plate to Aracrene held by the SD Elise.

Sniff, sniff.

Tap-tap.

Glug.

Sounds of instinctively snorting came out, matching the sound of her feet patting the ground.

And decisively, the sound of swallowing.

Three rhythms harmonized together.

“Hmm, my Arc is truly merciful, right? Serving such precious grilled meat even to someone like you. Isn’t it an honor?”

“Hrmmmm… grilled… meat…”

Regardless of whether Elise was slightly mocking or not.

Aracrene began to savor the scent.

Eventually.

Aracrene’s hand slightly rose and touched the plate, then she picked up the meat and popped it into her mouth.

“…!”

For the first time, surprise and a smile blossomed on Aracrene’s face, which had been expressionless all along.

Seeing a friend who never smiled smile is charming in its own way.

…If only she didn’t have so many spider legs.

After hurriedly finishing the grilled meat,

Aracrene was gazing at me with a dazed expression.

Having become a pro at guiding my warriors as a seer, I could clearly understand the meaning behind her look.

That was.

She wanted more.

After grilling a couple more pieces of meat for her,

“….”

Realizing belatedly that she was receiving food from her enemy, Aracrene flinched and disappeared.

“…Arc. Is this really okay…?”

Yo-hena sent me a slightly worried glance.

“A dog won’t bite the owner who feeds it.”

“Isn’t that a discriminatory remark among races?”

“That’s right! Lumi won’t bite!”

Ari replied to my statement with an objection, and the one closest to a dog in the room issued a certified statement in my favor.

Heh.

* * *

Finally, Zone 10.

Just before entering the boss battle, I once again took out the stove to declare neutrality.

“…Delicious… oh….”

“Come on, there’s more. Lumi, let’s eat too.”

“Woof!”

Even the warriors who had fought hard through Zone 9 seemed to be feeling hungry, as they spread out mats and started to eat.

Of course, keeping a bit of distance from Aracrene.

Delicious beef filled the air inside the splendid temple for a while.

“…Can I… eat this every day…?”

“Of course.”

“Then….”

Carrots and whips are the best strategies to melt the hearts of people and beasts throughout the ages.

Finally, I was able to receive a declaration of surrender, no, a contract for transformation.

Of course, from that choice.

– You’re afraid of spider legs? Hmm, if you put something like the necklace you filled for me, those will disappear too.

Elise’s advice proved to be the most influential.

…I didn’t want to see those spider legs clacking around the village, performing a happy tap dance out of joy.

It was a matter of utmost importance.

In any case, after rapidly tearing the transformation contract that Aracrene hesitantly handed over—

“Meat… please take care of it….”

It felt like her loyalty leaned more towards cooking than me.

But that is the nature of the devourer.

Anyway.

We have tamed the enemy leader!

[Cleared Zone 10 in the Area of Aracrene on the 15th Floor of the Tower of Wishes!]

[You can now enter the 16th Floor of the Tower of Wishes.]

At that moment marking the end of the long journey through the maze.

[Hidden Achievement Unlocked: Master of Demons (1)]

[You have achieved the feat of gaining the loyalty of one of the three demons governing the Tower of Wishes. This feat has been relayed to the Demon Realm, and will attract the attention of even more fiends.]

[Hidden Trait ‘Demon Affection’ LV.1 Awakened]

[A special reward will be given.]

“…?”

Once again, a strange hidden trait appeared.

All is good, but what is demon affection?

I have a bad feeling about this.

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