♪
[footsteps approaching]
This spot should be fine.
No humans around to meddle in our business.
[MUKOHDA] Yeah, we’ve got plenty of space out here.
Sui, pop out for a second.
[SUI] Need something, Master?
Time for our experiment.
Let’s find out how big you can get
with your Giganticize skill.
[SUI] Okay, then everybody should back up
and give Sui lots of room.
[DORA] Give me a break.
Sui’s not squishing anybody.
We don’t have any clue how huge Sui will get.
I agree we should step back just to be safe.
[SUI] Okay, Sui is ready!
[all gasping]
[all exclaiming]
[SUI] Master, looks like Sui can grow this big now!
[DORA] Oops, I take it back.
I’ve never seen a huge slime like this.
Sui is much larger than the specimens
I’ve encountered in the past.
I know Sui isn’t like the other slimes,
but if you’re surprised, they must be seriously unique.
Indeed. And to think Sui’s merely three months old.
Curious.
[MUKOHDA] It must have something to do
with the otherworldly plastic and trash
they’re always gobbling for us.
Yes, that seems quite likely.
[SUI] Is Sui a super special slime?
Hooray!
- Yay! Yay! - Congrats, but calm down!
Shrink back to your normal size!
[SUI] Okay.
[sighs]
[SUI] And guess what?
Sui can grow to that size
or this size or any size in between!
- Cool, huh? - My!
[DORA] You're so awesome!
[SUI] This size is best.
Because Sui likes to get all warm
and snuggly in Master’s bag!
I think this size is my favorite, too.
And you're still your cute self.
But I know who to call when there’s a problem
that needs a big solution.
[SUI] Call Sui!
Um... [gasps]
How about we eat here?
[DORA] Genius idea, boss!
Nice weather and killer scenery!
[FEL] Yes, excellent thought!
[SUI] Sui’s hungry!
Then you guys get comfy and I’ll cook.
♪
For a quick morning meal,
let’s use what we’ve already got.
I’ll start by cutting up some fresh okra.
[sniffs] Smells so good!
On top of rice, add chicken, fresh okra,
and a scrambled egg.
[all exclaim]
[MUKOHDA] And voila!
A Cockatrice Three-Color Minced Chicken Bowl!
[FEL] Mmm... There isn’t enough meat,
and the flavor is too light for my tastes, but it is edible.
[MUKOHDA] As always, meat reigns supreme.
[DORA] The meat is dense, and the veggie is sticky!
All sitting on a fluffy cloud of egg!
It’s a festival of texture!
[SUI] Sui loves the egg the very most!
Another serving. And add more meat this time.
[DORA] Same for me!
[SUI] Sui wants extra meat and extra eggs!
I don’t know.
At this rate, there won’t be any left for me!
[♪ opening theme song playing]
[door opens]
Oh, hello, Göran. Need something?
- [Mukohda chuckles nervously] - [GÖRAN] Hmm...
[MAN] Hmm?
Wow, this is amazing!
[GÖRAN] Have you never seen a kyklops before?
I was hoping you could process it for me, Horace.
That’s what I call a clean shot.
This beast will give us a good piece of leather.
About how long do you think
it will take you to finish this job?
Just a day.
Come back around this time tomorrow.
In the meantime,
let me give you the appropriate rewards
for ridding our town of the evil plants
- and pesky kyklopes. - [MUKOHDA] Oh, thank you.
[HORACE] After that,
you should explore everything our town has to offer.
Our Nijhoff is famous, you know.
- Yeah, for its pottery, right? - [HORACE] Yup.
[MUKOHDA] I've been making do
with cheap dishware for ages now.
I think I’ll use this time to do some shopping.
Are there any places you'd recommend?
Most certainly.
If you’re fine shopping at an old man’s usual haunts,
these are my suggestions.
♪
[GÖRAN] My first recommendation
is the Iida Trading Company.
They have a discerning eye
and an unmatched selection of products.
[IIDA] My goodness.
An A-ranker like you is a rare sight!
I’m thrilled to fulfill your pottery needs!
I’m not exactly sure what I’m looking for,
so I wanted to browse around for a little bit
to see if anything catches my eye.
[IIDA] Well, in that case,
I’m more than happy to show you every delicate wonder
in my carefully curated collection.
If you’ll just follow me.
Scary. A true salesman.
[Iida exclaims]
[GÖRAN] Next, you should drop by
the Severi Workshop.
If you visit the main branch, you'll see new products
that aren't yet available at the other stores.
It's a popular place with many loyal customers.
[MUKOHDA] An auto-cooling cup made with magic stone powder.
Drinking beer from this bad boy
would be delicious.
[GÖRAN] You have to peruse the Dovan Workshop’s wares.
They're famous for their floral ceramics
and have many female fans.
I often go there to purchase gifts
for the women in my life.
[MUKOHDA] I love the high-society look
of their teacups.
These would be perfect for serving tea to visitors.
♪
[MUKOHDA] Now that’s what I call a haul!
Altogether, it cost 168 gold,
but nice dishware can truly enhance
the quality of a meal.
What's up, Fel?
I need a dungeon.
Huh? Why are you changing the plan?
The sea is so close!
The reason we’re going there in the first place is because
you said krakens and sea serpents are tasty.
Yes, that is the truth.
But if asked whether I would like to go to the sea
or down into a dungeon,
I would choose the dungeon to keep myself in shape.
It’s the ocean or bust!
We're going to Berléand like you originally wanted!
No one here shares your cowardly opinion!
Right? Tell him.
You yearn for a dungeon, yes?
[DORA] I’m down for a dungeon crawl!
[SUI] Sui wants to go!
See? Just as I suspected.
[MUKOHDA] What’s with that smug face?
Bringing Dora-chan and Sui into this was a cheap move!
[SUI] Please, Master, Sui wants to fight!
[MUKOHDA] Uh...
[sighs] I guess that’s fine.
But no dungeon, okay?
We’ll swing by the guild and pick up a new quest.
Hm? Why’s that?
Because it took multiple days to prepare enough food
the last time we went to a dungeon.
They require loads of forethought.
Hmm. It's a fair point.
I will begrudgingly accept your suggestion
if you agree to cook delicious meat tonight.
[MUKOHDA] You got it.
[DORA AND SUI] Let’s eat meat! Let’s eat meat!
How goes it?
Are the monsters ready?
Oh, Mukohda.
They’re done, but the guild has a new problem.
Can you wait a little longer for your payment?
It should be a simple transaction
once our hands aren’t so full.
[MUKOHDA] Of course, not an issue at all.
What’s going on?
[HORACE] Nothing good.
♪
[HORACE] An orc settlement appeared
in the forest facing the village.
A ways off the road north of Nijhoff.
High-ranking orc leaders and orc generals
have been spotted in the group.
We believe it's only a matter of time
before an orc king appears.
[GÖRAN] Considering the number of orcs,
we'll need at least six parties
made up of C-rank adventurers or higher.
Unfortunately, most of our go-to teams
are away on other requests.
So even though we’ve convinced
one C-rank party to join the cause,
we’re still painfully short of the numbers we need.
The orcs would clobber them.
Forgive me, but could I please ask you to take on this quest?
We were planning to pick up some new jobs today,
so this actually works out well.
Let me clear it with my team.
What do you think?
We could stand to score some more orc meat,
so I’m on board.
[FEL] An orc settlement?
It seems quite dull. But as you said,
it would be beneficial to all of our stomachs
to gather more meat.
It is fine with me.
[DORA] Yeah, same here.
[SUI] Same for Sui!
[MUKOHDA] Hm.
We’ll do it.
Our guild would be lost without you!
Thank you, sir.
If you come along with me,
we can go check in on the other party
that will be joining you.
[knocking at door]
Still here? Thank you for waiting.
So, what’s happening?
Did you find enough folks for the request?
I would like your group, Shadow Warrior,
to partner with this A-rank adventurer, Mukohda,
and his brave familiars.
The orcs won’t stand a chance against you all.
Understood.
It’s an honor for us to work
with an A-rank adventurer like yourself.
I’m the leader of Shadow Warrior, Alonso.
Pleased to meet you.
Pleased to meet you, too.
Now allow me to introduce my party members,
Clement, Matthias, and Ernest.
A pleasure.
- Hey, hey! - Hm.
Hi, everyone!
[ALONSO] I was suspicious,
but the rumors of your Fenrir familiar are true.
[MUKOHDA] I’ve got Fel, Dora-chan the pixie dragon,
and sweet Sui here is a huge slime.
Thanks to these guys,
I was able to conquer the dungeon in Dolan.
I would trust my familiars with my life.
Wow, so you conquered the Dolan dungeon?
Very reassuring to hear.
[MUKOHDA] They might look a little scary,
but they seem like nice people.
All right, let’s hop to it then.
Göran...
where exactly is the orc settlement?
Well, it’s tucked away deep in the forest,
about a day’s walk from here.
[MUKOHDA] Uh?
It'll take two days just to get there and back?
Wait a sec.
We're planning to leave town tomorrow morning.
Walking will take too long, so I’d like to pitch
a different mode of transportation.
[ALL] Uh?
[all gasp]
[Mukohda chuckles]
[GÖRAN] That is spectacular!
I've never seen a slime like this in my life!
Everybody, please climb aboard!
[all groaning]
[all grunting]
- [MATTHIAS] So high! - [CLEMENT] Save our souls!
We’ll see you, Göran.
Be back soon.
[GÖRAN] I’m counting on you!
[all exclaiming]
[ALONSO] Well, this is a first!
[Alonso grunts]
That slime is as fast as lightning.
[laughs]
Now that we’re here, let’s take down the orcs.
That way. There’s their camp.
[ALONSO] Quite the operation.
[MUKOHDA] Fel, can you sense about how many there are?
[Fel sniffing]
Roughly 200.
Dora, Sui, and I can handle this.
You humans kill any of the orcs that escape.
Is that okay?
This is light work for my familiars.
We’ll hang back and take care of any orcs
that manage to get past them.
[ALL] Uh...
That’s all we need to do?
Of course!
I’m always on the sidelines.
[BOTH] Uh...
We will be done soon.
[DORA] Woo-hoo! I've been hungry for a fight!
[SUI] Sui will try Sui’s best!
[orcs grunting]
[both gasp]
[DORA] Hi-yah!
[orcs grunting]
[ORC] Uh?
[orcs grunting]
It’s no less than a slaughter.
I’ve never felt sympathy for an orc until now.
How brutal.
They’re too powerful. It’s terrifying.
[MUKOHDA] Trust me, fellas, I get it.
[orc yells]
Orc incoming!
[all grunting]
[orc grunts]
[MUKOHDA] I took down
stronger monsters in the dungeon.
I'll be fine.
Just stay calm.
[orc growling]
[yelling]
[orc groans]
[Mukohda panting]
I won!
[Mukohda grunting]
[orc growling]
Stone Bullet! Stone Bullet!
- Stone Bullet! - [orc grunts]
Now!
- [grunts] - [growls]
[yells]
- [panting] - [orc thuds]
[sighs]
[orc grunting]
[MUKOHDA] Was that all of them?
Yeah.
My crew and I mowed down the stragglers.
Then let's meet back up with Fel and the others!
I'll put these orcs in my Item Box for now.
We can decide what to do with them in town.
[ALONSO] Hmm.
[BOTH] Uh...
Their basecamp is a wasteland.
Yeah.
They tore it apart like it was made of twigs.
[MATTHIAS] Normally, we'd have taken more damage on our side.
[ERNEST] Absolutely.
And we’d still be in combat with them right now.
Sorry, it was a quick job.
Hey, let's grab these orcs and head to the guild!
[scoffs] I didn’t even break a sweat.
[DORA] Orcs have got nothing on a dungeon crawl.
[SUI] Sui kicked lots of orc booty!
[all chuckling]
[Mukohda chuckles]
Hungry? Let’s eat before we go back.
[DORA] Mmm...
[MUKOHDA] Here you go!
[ALONSO] Hmm...
I’ve never had a meal like this.
[all gasp]
Huh? What is this delicious patty?
Oh, my goodness.
The sauce goes perfectly with the sweetness
of the meat and the egg!
I’m thankful we took on this request.
This food, it’s delicious!
[ERNEST] Hmm. Hmm.
[Mukohda chuckles]
This is a pretty popular dish where I’m from.
I’m glad you like it as much as I do! Hm?
Isn’t it delectable?
Uh...
It isn’t very polite to gloat, you two.
[insects trilling]
[GÖRAN] I can’t believe you’re done so soon!
Our town would be lost without your bravery.
I’ll never be able to show you enough gratitude.
To be honest, we hardly contributed a thing.
Are you absolutely sure
it’s all right for us to take so much of the reward?
Yes, of course. You guys earned it.
[both chuckle]
That level of strength should be illegal.
I would expect nothing less from the legendary Fenrir.
Fel’s strength is immense. But the little dragon
and the slime are powerful as well.
Mukohda clearly has a knack
for choosing impressive familiars.
[OTHERS] That he does! [laughing]
Speaking of, where are your familiars now?
I told them to wait at our place while we sorted things out.
Now we don’t have to hear about how hungry they are.
Fel was whining
when I tried to send him away.
But he quietly headed back once I told him
I'd increase the amount of cake for dessert.
[FEL] Then it cannot be helped.
[Mukohda chuckles]
[ALONSO] I see.
Well, we shouldn't hold you up.
We’re off to the dungeon in Aveling,
but I hope we meet again.
So long.
[MUKOHDA] Be safe!
[all snoring]
This is the last night I get to use the fancy kitchen.
I should make something extra luxurious.
Now I have plenty to work with.
[SUI] Wow, Master,
Sui has never seen so much salt before.
What kind of food needs all that?
I didn’t know you were awake!
I’m going to prepare a delicious salt bake.
[SUI] What's a salt bake?
Wanna help me and see?
[SUI] Sui’s a good helper!
[Mukohda chuckles]
[MUKOHDA] First, rub crushed garlic into the meat.
Now, add black pepper.
A little goes a long way.
Next,
separate out the egg whites from the yolks.
Make sure your egg whites are in a big bowl.
Add a ton of salt and a couple handfuls of fresh rosemary.
Mix it all up until it’s malleable.
That looks about right.
Now we’ll cover the meat with lightly boiled lettuce.
I've made this dish before,
and it turned out way too salty for me.
Evenly spread the salt mix on a cooking pan
lined with parchment paper.
Place your meat smack on top.
Now cover it with salt.
Take your time with this step.
[SUI] The dinner turned white!
[chuckles] Just trust me.
The salt traps the umami flavor inside the meat.
[Sui gasps]
All that's left is baking it in a preheated oven.
♪
Is it done? Should be.
The meat needs to cool off,
and we still need to make our sauce.
[SUI] So many yummy eggs!
Something tells me you’re going to like this sauce.
[SUI] Yay!
The recipe’s super simple.
Whole grain mustard and egg yolks.
Hey, can you mix it up?
[SUI] Okay.
[MUKOHDA] Awesome, it looks great!
You're such a good kid, Sui!
- [SUI] Good kid! - [chuckles]
Let’s call the others.
It’s time for dinner!
[FEL] Hm?
What is this?
[DORA] Where's the food at?
[clears throat]
Ta-da!
- [Dora exclaims] - [FEL] What the...
[BOTH] Hmm?
[exclaims]
The meat was hiding there all along!
[DORA] Sweet trick!
We used a neat method of preparation
called a salt bake.
Mmm... Smells so good!
Next, cut it into easy-to-eat pieces.
And drizzle with the sauce.
The Bloody Horn-Bull Salt-Bake is ready to go!
[SUI] Master, Sui is dying to try!
Now you can! Ready?
Dig in, gang!
♪
[FEL] Mmm...
The salty flavor compliments the meat nicely!
[DORA] Oh, it's so soft and delicious!
[SUI] The egg sauce is super yummy.
You guys make me want to try it even more!
Oh, wow!
The meat is moist and juicy.
It’s cooked to perfection!
The saltiness is just right, too.
I’m glad that I thought to wrap it in lettuce.
[clattering]
[MUKOHDA] Let's treat ourselves a little tonight.
Fel gets a whole strawberry shortcake.
Dora-chan gets strawberry and banana pudding sundaes,
and Sui gets chocolate cake.
[all exclaiming]
[MUKOHDA] You earned it for all your hard work.
[FEL] That is right.
[DORA] Heck, yeah, pudding!
[SUI] Chocolate cake for Sui? Yay!
[GÖRAN] We never had the chance to reward you
for defeating the evil plants and kyklopes.
The total comes out to 161 gold coins.
Great, thanks!
Are you headed to Berléand after you leave our city?
Yup! That’s the current plan.
[GÖRAN] Have fun.
If the chance ever presents itself,
I do hope you visit us again.
[HORACE] We'll be here waiting!
[MUKOHDA] Thanks! I wish you two well!
[♪ closing theme song playing]
[Mukohda screaming]
Wow, this slime is a speed demon!
Of course! It’s an A-rank adventurer’s familiar.
[SUI] Sui is cool.
- Everybody loves Sui! - [all grunt nervously]
[all yelling]
You need to calm down, slime!
[Ernest gags]
Sorry, Ernest! Hang in there, pal!
[Ernest vomits]