After spending a good while around the Golden Apple tree, hunting down about nine more «Golden Applepull», and even chopping down the Golden Apple Tree, we picked up our dungeon crawl again and pushed on to the 46th floor.
The floors 41st~50th of the «Mellow Apples Dungeon» were orchards. And contrary to what its name implies, there were more fruits than just apples to be found. Plus, as the intermediate-high dungeon, those fruits were incredibly delicious. In particular, the fruits from the 46th floor and beyond were a must-harvest place.
So, we decided to try some ourselves.
"Wow, this pear is delicious! So juicy and sweet!"
"This strawberry is also exquisite, Lana-sama. Please, do try it."
"!! Ah, these mangoes are great too. Is it because it's freshly picked? It tastes
even better than usual."
The girls were absolutely raving. Even the princess, who must be used to high-quality fruit, were making appreciative noises.
Incidentally, the seasonal rule didn't apply here, so these floors were brimming with non-seasonal fruits as well. Talk about fantasy! It's certainly convenient!
We casually made our way through the 46th floor, gathering any fruit that caught our eye, and decided to take a break and sample our haul.
"Zephyr, I'm thirsty."
"Alright. Karua, what would you like to drink?"
"Hmm, curry?"
"...Curry isn't a drink, is it? Just have some juice."
What on earth was she planning to drink? She was certainly a character. I handed her some fruit juice that had dropped from a Banana Tree monster «Babana». Hopefully, she soon realised curry wasn't a drink.
"This juice is delicious!"
"Glad you like it."
Karua was singing the juice's praises. She seemed to really take to it. I also decided to help myself to some fruit, starting with an apple. I lightly cut into it with a knife.
"Whoa! So much juice! It's overflowing with honey. This is amazing!"
"Hey, Zephyr, isn't that a «Honey Apple» from «Woodapples» drop?! I want some too!"
"Hold on, I'm cutting it now."
...Ah, wait. Come to think of it, «Honey Apple» were drops from the 10th floor boss we casually detoured to finish it, not the fruit from the 46th floor. Uh-huh, I mixed it up.
Oh well. It might even be a good idea to compare which floor's apple drops are the most delicious. Apples, after all, were available on every floor except the very deep. Though, there were some called «Metallic Apples,» they're actually ingots. Why on earth would an ingot drop be apple-shaped?
As Lana requested, I lightly cut and peeled the apple, then placed several slices on a plate for her. I was capable of doing at least that much. The trick was to cut it first, then peel it. That way, it's not too difficult even for peeling beginners.
"Hmm, you can actually peel fruit properly, huh?"
"Heh-heh, just this much."
Sierra was impressed. It felt a little good. But really, it's nothing to write home about. Anyone could learn to peel with practice. Or so I thought, but they kept asking me to peel. The girls could do it too, you know?
"This apple is divine! It's incredibly sweet and so crisp! Apples really are the best, aren't they?"
Lana, a big apple lover, extended the highest rave reviews she gave today. I tried it too, and it was truly exquisite. Just one bite and the honey oozed out. Sure enough, you could never underestimate boss drop!
I also tried an apple harvested from this 46th floor, but honestly, the boss drop was still tastier. Both were delicious, of course, but the boss drop had an insane amount of honey. It certainly lived up to its name, «Honey Apple.»
And so, after our mini fruit party to recharge our spirits, we decided it was time to get back to action.
"Hmm... I feel lighter somehow?"
Sierra was the first to murmur this. At her words, I lightly moved my own body, and indeed, I, too, felt a little lighter. I checked my HP bar, but there was no buff icon!
"It must be the power of those fruits. They were top-grade cooking ingredients, after all. They probably had some kind of physical effect, even raw."
"They have that kind of effect!?"
No way. I knew that cooked items gave buffs to the user; that's how it was in the game too. But just picking and eating raw fruit shouldn't apply buffs. However, it seemed that even in their raw state, they somehow made the body feel better even without the effect of any skills.
Come to think of it, Ester mentioned something about good cooking for growth before. Did that mean there was some true fantasy element to them?
"Everyone, let's gather more fruit. I want to find out what's making our bodies feel so good. It might even help us with the dungeon."
"Sounds interesting."
"I agree."
Sierra and Ester approved. Since we hadn't noticed it until now, I couldn't determine if the effect was only from the fruit in these deeper levels, or was it limited to a certain type of fruit. If I could pinpoint that fruit, just eating it could relieve fatigue and potentially improve dungeon exploration and studies. This was getting exciting!
"Alright, then—"
—Just as I was about to give instructions, it happened.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a gigantic apple wreathed in a blue aura charging at us. Was it...aiming for me?! Knowing what it was, I instinctively managed to raise my shield in my left hand.
"!! «Defense»!"
"SHAAAA!!"
"W-what in the world!?"
*Thud*. A heavy impact transmitted from my arms. The huge apple slammed directly into my shield, reinforced by my defense skill, and bounced off.
"Battle Formation!"
At my command, everyone immediately got into position.
"! «Sonya» didn't give any reaction at all. It wasn't here a moment ago."
"Well, it's unsurprising given this monster. It probably just appeared out of
nowhere."
"There are monsters like that!?"
If there was someone who could charge at us without tripping detection, it's definitely a monster like that. Because—
The massive red apple, enveloped in a pale blue aura, floated and drifted through the air.
"This is—the wandering boss, «Ghost Apple».'"
This wandering boss, «Ghost Apple,» had the same ghostly properties as ghosts—the ability to phase through walls. It must have phased through from a lower or upper floor, suddenly appearing at our location.
