Who Is the World’s Strongest Appraiser? ~Living in Another World With Satisfying Meals~

Here We Are, The Harvest Dungeon!

“Listen up. Don’t wander off on your own, got it?”

“Yes.”

“And don’t touch stuff randomly.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t get in other explorers’ way either.”

“I won’t.”

With an utterly serious expression, Ali issued his warnings, and Yuuri listened just as earnestly. Passersby couldn’t help but smile at the sight—Ali, with his intimidating face, lecturing like a parent to a child, and Yuuri nodding along diligently. But the two of them were dead serious.

Yuuri was currently near the entrance of the Harvest Garden, a gathering-type dungeon located about fifteen minutes from the royal capital, Drahein. This dungeon had a low difficulty level, and the monsters that appeared were relatively harmless, so even ordinary citizens came here to gather ingredients. Plus, kingdom officials manned the entrance, keeping track of comings and goings and locking it up tight at night.

…Huh? No, it’s not a supermarket. It’s a dungeon. It just happens to offer mostly food ingredients and medicinal herbs, making it beneficial for regular folks. Since civilians enter, they shut it down from late night to early morning to prevent any accidents.

Let me say it again. It’s not a supermarket.

“Even if the difficulty’s low, a dungeon’s still a dungeon. Monsters do appear.”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, regular folks come here to gather ingredients, but you stick with the group.”

“…Yes?”

“I said, stick. With. The. Group.”

“…Understood.”

Ali’s dead-serious tone made Yuuri nod obediently. He knew he couldn’t even wield a weapon properly, so he had no choice but to agree. …Though he did wonder why he couldn’t go off alone when regular people were gathering ingredients just fine. And hey, Roo’s here too, right?

But from Ali’s perspective, no matter how low the difficulty, a dungeon was still a dungeon. Plus, this one always had people inside—including plenty of civilians. If Yuuri were let loose here, who knew what might happen? …Even if he didn’t mean to, Yuuri had a knack for accidentally causing trouble. No denying that.

Watching their exchange were the other party members who’d come along this time: Brock, Lelei, Kurresh, and Ireissia. Ali was the leader and Yuuri’s minder, while Brock was backup and Yuuri’s guard. Kurresh had been asked by the Adventurer’s Guild to compare the dungeon’s layout to existing maps, checking for changes. Ireissia was here for combat training, since this dungeon’s difficulty suited her.

As for Lelei? “I’m off today, and this sounded fun! I’ll help gather stuff!” She’d tagged along on a whim, curious about Yuuri’s first dungeon dive. Though Ali had warned her not to cause trouble, no one objected, so she joined cheerfully.

“Anyway, don’t wait until something happens. Tell us if you’re gonna do anything.”

“Understood.”

“And Rooks, do not leave his side.”

“Kyukyuu!”

The slime bounced eagerly, its usually cute eyes now sharp with determination. Rooks was oddly fired up—probably thrilled to be entrusted with guarding his master in a dungeon.

With the pre-dungeon warnings out of the way, the group finally stepped into the Harvest Garden. …The officials monitoring the entrance had watched their exchange with wry smiles. Little did they know, this harmless-looking boy was a walking disaster waiting to happen.

Not that Yuuri meant to cause trouble. He just… accidentally said or did things without thinking. No ill intent. Absolutely none.

“Wow… So this is a dungeon.”

“Just so you know, the place you got lost in before was a dungeon too.”

“But this one’s brighter, cleaner, and way more relaxing!”

“Who ‘relaxes’ in a dungeon?!”

Ali flicked Yuuri’s forehead, but Yuuri didn’t mind. He was too excited. This dungeon was full of ingredients—vegetables, fruits, medicinal herbs, probably even spices. He was practically bouncing like a kid on a field trip.

Honestly, it felt less like a dungeon and more like an orchard or farm. His head swiveled eagerly, a grin plastered on his face. Seeing how happy he was, Ali sighed, and the others watched with amused smiles. The chaperone’s job was never easy.

The Harvest Garden was beginner-friendly in another way too: no complex traps. In other dungeons, you might step on a hidden switch mid-step—classic game or manga stuff—but here? Nothing like that. Just a rotating lineup of wonderful ingredients.

“Hey, Ali-san?”

“What?”

“Why’s this dungeon open to the public? Normally, dungeons are dangerous, right?”

“It’s under the kingdom’s management, and… well, the Dungeon Master’s tastes.”

“Huh?”

“The Dungeon Master’s tastes.”

Yuuri blinked at the blunt reply. A Dungeon Master was, as the name implied, the ruler of a dungeon. Every dungeon had one, along with its core. Both had to be destroyed for a dungeon to vanish—otherwise, it’d regenerate.

Dungeon Masters and cores were linked but not inseparable. Destroy the core, and the Master could repair it over time. Kill the Master, and the core would summon a new one. Total annihilation required eliminating both.

Each Dungeon Master had their own quirks. The one in the stone dungeon Yuuri had first been dumped in? Standard fare—monsters, traps, the works. This one, though? Special.

“Never met ‘em myself, but word is, this Dungeon Master likes crowds. Said it’s more fun that way.”

“…What?”

“They can’t leave the dungeon, but they don’t wanna harm people either. So instead, they offer ingredients and ask folks to visit often.”

“…………”

Yuuri mulled it over. He didn’t know much about Dungeon Master behavior, but since no one corrected Ali, this must be common knowledge. Weird Dungeon Master, huh?

Finally, Yuuri nodded. With his usual sunny smile, he shared his thoughts—completely unfazed by Ali’s skeptical look.

“This Dungeon Master’s just lonely, huh?”

“…………Guess so.”

“…Classic Yuuri.”

“…Never changes, does he?”

Ali’s distant mutter drew a chuckle from Lelei and an exasperated sigh from Kurresh. Brock, ever stoic, shrugged. Ireissia smiled awkwardly. Yuuri’s airheadedness remained unmatched.

Well, regardless, the Dungeon Master’s will shaped the dungeon. Thanks to their friendly approach, the Harvest Garden stayed open to the public.

Simple layout, no traps—useless for adventurer training, but perfect for gathering. The Adventurer’s Guild even had constant fetch quests posted for it.

“Kurre, show me the map. Don’t wanna get lost.”

“Not like you’ll need it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. This dungeon’s impossible to get lost in.”

“?”

“Here, look.”

Yuuri tilted his head but checked the map. Sure enough, getting lost seemed unlikely. The layout was basically a straight path: a big room at the entrance (where they were now), with branching paths leading outward. But…

“All the paths just dead-end, huh?”

“Yep.”

“So if you get lost, just backtrack?”

“Pretty much.”

“That’s so user-friendly…”

“Which is why it’s useless for training.”

Kurresh’s laugh made Yuuri nod. The central room led to multiple paths, each with a few connected rooms—all linear, all dead-ends. The deepest rooms were even safe zones.

And then Yuuri noticed the signs above each path: Root Vegetables,Leafy Greens, Fruits, Nuts, Herbs, Mushrooms, etc. Some were very off.

…No, it’s not a supermarket. Just… dungeon signage. Since Dungeon Masters shape their dungeons, this was just this one’s quirk.

“Kurre.”

“Yeah?”

“Do dungeons normally have signs like this?”

“Hell no.”

“Thought so~.”

Yuuri sighed. This place felt more like an attraction than a dungeon. Civilians strolled around with baskets and bags like it was nothing. …Meanwhile, Yuuri’s group looked like adventurers—because, difficulty aside, a dungeon was still a dungeon.

Oh, and monsters did exist here—just weak, skittish ones that left you alone if unprovoked.

Except in one place: the path straight ahead, leading to the Dungeon Core. Stronger, aggressive monsters lurked there, with soldiers standing guard to check entrants.

And yes, there was a sign: Dungeon Core. With a bonus note: “Warning: Stronger monsters ahead.” So extra.

“Do ingredients spawn down there too?”

“Yep.”

“What kind?”

“Any kind.”

“…Huh?”

“Rare stuff too, but the drop rate’s low. Not worth the risk for civilians or gatherers.”

“Ah, so it’s like a gacha?”

“How’d you—”

Yuuri nodded to himself, while Ali exhaled tiredly. Yuuri’s mind had gone straight to loot boxes—random drops, rare items if you’re lucky.

“So, Yuuri, what’re you gathering?”

“Nothing specific, just wanna look around!”

“Then let’s hit all the paths! This place isn’t big—we can cover it!”

“Someone’s eager.”

“If we find good stuff, you’ll cook something tasty, right?”

“Yup!”

“Then of course I’m eager!”

Lelei’s grin was blinding. Her honesty was refreshing, if a bit much. Kurresh, busy comparing the map to the actual layout, muttered about her carefree attitude.

Then Yuuri noticed something in Ireissia’s hand—a weapon he hadn’t seen before. The serene, delicate beauty usually wore a sundress, but today she had a poncho-like cape over it, with a small magic bag slung beneath.

Fine. All fine.

Until Yuuri saw what she was holding.

“…Ireis, why’s your weapon a scythe…?”

Ireissia tilted her head. To her, this was normal. To Yuuri? A massive tonal whiplash. A gentle, sundress-wearing maiden wielding a reaper’s scythe?

The others didn’t bat an eye. Yuuri’s brain, however, short-circuited.

Ireissia swung the scythe effortlessly—whoosh—proving she knew how to use it. Ali added that her height helped with long weapons.

But still. Graceful lady + giant scythe = cognitive dissonance.

Yet Yuuri, ever adaptable, shrugged it off. If she was happy, who was he to judge?

…Or maybe he just cared more about the dungeon’s ingredients.

“Let’s move. Call out before gathering anything.”

“Got it!”

With Ali’s final reminder, Yuuri cheerfully agreed. His trusty schoolbag—now a bottomless magic pouch—was ready. Today, he’d gather to his heart’s content.

And so began Yuuri’s very first dungeon ingredient hunt.