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

Delicious Juice From Maze Coconuts

“Ah, there are monsters here.”

In the room he stepped into, Yuuri spotted a monster he hadn’t seen in the previous rooms and muttered quietly. His gaze was fixed on the large cluster of trees in the center of the room, where the monster had perched itself.

The monster was small. Or rather, it looked unmistakably like a cute little monkey. But unlike an ordinary animal, it had four arms—six limbs in total, counting its legs. The extra arms allowed it to anchor itself with two while using the other two to grasp branches and fruits.

“Ah, those guys are called Four-Arms, and they’re kinda fun!”

“Fun?”

“Yeah.”

Lelei laughed cheerfully. Then, the Four-Arms, who had been chattering boredly until now, suddenly sparkled with excitement. Their eyes gleamed as they spotted people approaching the trees—perhaps for coconuts. Using two arms to steady themselves, they grabbed coconuts from the branches with the other two and hurled them downward.

“Huh?”

Yuuri’s vision was filled with the sight of the Four-Arms gleefully pelting coconuts at the approaching people. The fruits landed at the feet of those who scrambled away in surprise. Yuuri had no idea what was going on. Was this an attack? He started to worry.

But the surprises didn’t end there. While some people fled to the edges of the room in shock, others approached confidently, unfurling a large net between them. The Four-Arms promptly began tossing coconuts straight into it.

After a while, the people—apparently satisfied with their haul—thanked the Four-Arms, tied up the net, and left. Yuuri and a few others remained dumbfounded, while the involved parties (including the tree-dwelling Four-Arms) looked thoroughly pleased.

“…Lelei, what was that?”

“Oh, the Four-Arms here help harvest fruit like that.”

“Huh?”

“Outside, they usually throw nuts to attack, but these guys gather them for you instead! So nice, right?”

“…I mean, sure, they’re nice, but those were some serious fastballs…”

Yuuri’s eyes widened, but he couldn’t blame himself. To the uninitiated, it definitely looked like an attack. Some people were still staring in disbelief—wait, that was supposed to be helpful?! But since everyone else in their group was unfazed, it must’ve been normal here.

As Lelei mentioned, Four-Arms were indeed proper monsters—encounter them outside, and they’d pelt you with nuts. They were relatively timid and rarely left the trees, which was why they attacked intruders from above. But for some reason, this dungeon had tempered that nature, turning them into harvest assistants. Truly, this was the miracle of the Harvest Garden, a gathering dungeon where the Dungeon Master sought harmony with people. Its low difficulty didn’t explain everything.

“Yuuri, want some coconuts?”

“Eh? Ah, yeah. Young ones, if possible. We can drink the juice straight from them.”

“Okay!”

With a smile, Lelei approached the Four-Arms. She stopped just shy of their throwing range and casually called out, “Young ones, please!” Some bystanders looked dubious about her talking to monsters, but the Four-Arms obligingly picked out young coconuts.

Seeing this, Lelei took a step forward. Instantly, the coconuts were hurled at her with monster-enhanced speed. Since she wasn’t holding any tools, the onlookers seemed worried—but Yuuri’s group didn’t bat an eye. Because, well, it was Lelei.

Sure enough, she caught each coconut one-handed while rolling others aside with her free hand, effortlessly collecting them all. Her nimble movements and the Four-Arms’ excited chattering created a bizarrely festive atmosphere.

“…Am I the only one who thought that looked like some kind of circus act?”

“Don’t say it, Yuuri.”

“Yuuri, you mustn’t.”

“Ah, sorry. Lelei just seemed so into it…”

Yuuri’s muttered aside earned him quiet scolding from Kurresh and Ireissia. Some thoughts were better left unsaid—even if they were true.

Lelei returned, arms full of coconuts and grinning brightly. She’d clearly enjoyed her little exchange with the Four-Arms. Among her haul were the young coconuts Yuuri wanted, and she looked thoroughly satisfied.

“Here, Yuuri. Got nothing but young ones!”

“Thanks. Can you pack them?”

“Sure!”

Lelei cheerfully tossed the coconuts into Yuuri’s schoolbag. Meanwhile, Brook—likely bribed with cake—was also receiving coconuts from the Four-Arms. He seemed to prefer ripe ones. The onlookers marveled as he caught them effortlessly, barely moving his arms, though he remained unfazed.

Nearby, Ali rubbed his temples at the sight of two of their group pulling off circus-worthy stunts, while Leopold—having secured coconuts without lifting a finger—looked smug. The man knew how to work a crowd. Meanwhile, Ali, despite his looks, was the responsible, hardworking type. Being the sensible one was tough.

Suddenly, Rooks, who had been waiting at Yuuri’s feet, hopped into the Four-Arms’ range.

“Roo-chan?”

“Kyukyukyuu!”

“Unya?”

“Kyui, kyukyui!”

“Kyaakyaa!”

“Kyuu!”

“…Uh, did they just become friends…?”

Rooks bounced around, chattering with the delighted Four-Arms. Apparently, the monsters were bonding—though no one present could understand them. Yuuri was Rooks’ master, but even he was clueless.

He made a mental note to ask Alor later—the ten-year-old monster tamer in their group could understand all monster speech. For now, he was just glad Rooks seemed happy.

With their coconuts secured, Yuuri’s group continued exploring the dungeon. After gathering ingredients here and there, they arrived at the Safe Zone. Like in other dungeons, monsters avoided this area, and an endless spring provided fresh water. Though notably, unlike other dungeons, there were no ready-to-eat fruits here—because you could harvest them on the way.

“So this is the Safe Zone. Wow, the spring water looks delicious.”

“Not ‘clean,’ but ‘delicious’?”

“Eh? It’s drinking water, right?”

“Well, yeah, but…”

Kurresh grumbled half-heartedly, while Yuuri tilted his head, confused. The water was delicious—this dungeon’s spring was top-tier, the kind that might make the “Famous Water Top 100” list. Some visitors came just to take some home.

“Let’s take a break. You’ve been walking around too, right?”

“Okay! Then I’ll prepare drinks and snacks!”

“No, just rest—…never mind.”

“Eh?”

As Yuuri rummaged through his schoolbag for coconuts, Ali sighed. Unfazed, Yuuri handed a knife to Lelei, who promptly lopped off the tops of the coconuts. The two worked in perfect sync.

Yuuri poured the juice from the young coconuts into a large measuring cup (why did he even have that?) and added some of the tender flesh for sweetness. A quick taste test confirmed it wasn’t too sweet, so he tossed in more flesh for texture. For those who preferred stronger flavors, he sliced citrus fruits for optional add-ins—or just eating as-is.

“Yuuri, what are you…?”

“Eh? Preparing drinks and cookies for the break…”

“…Right.”

Ali gave up, watching Yuuri work like this was perfectly normal. To Yuuri, since Lelei had done most of the harvesting, he wasn’t that tired. Plus, resting in a dungeon’s Safe Zone had him in a picnic mood.

He filled cups with coconut juice, arranged cookies and French toast made from bread crusts on a platter, and looked pleased. Meanwhile, Rooks handled the leftover shells and peels—today’s efficient compost duty.

“If it’s too bland, add some fruit!”

“…You really don’t get the point of resting…”

“Huh?”

As Ali sighed and sipped his drink, the others followed suit, reaching for the snacks. Brook, ever mindful of appearances, ate slowly.

Midway through their break, Yuuri felt a gaze and turned to see a child in a hooded robe covering everything but their hands and feet—like a miniature hermit or a raincoat-clad doll. The robe was gray, their shoes red, and their small hands pale. Only their smiling mouth was visible beneath the deep hood.

“Lost?”

The child shook their head. Not lost? Good enough for Yuuri. Then he noticed them staring at his cup and cookies. Smiling, he pulled out another cup, filled it with leftover juice and flesh, and offered it with a small plate of cookies.

The child looked up in surprise (probably—the hood hid their eyes) before accepting with a tiny “Thank you.” They sat beside Yuuri, sipping and nibbling happily, their little body swaying cutely.

After finishing, the child reached into their robe and dropped something into Yuuri’s palm—a beautifully crafted ice flower, cold but not melting.

“It was… tasty. So.”

“Eh? You didn’t have to give me anything…”

“See you… later.”

“Huh?”

With a soft smile, the child scampered off—toward a newly appeared hole in the wall that definitely hadn’t been there before.

“…Eh?”

The child vanished into the darkness, leaving Yuuri staring at the mysterious passage. No one else had reacted—not Ali beside him, not Brook across from him, not even Rooks.

“…Uh, what was that kid…?”

“…Hah? What’s up, Yuuri?”

“Ali-san, do you see the kid who was just here?”

“Kid?”

Ali looked baffled. Yuuri grimaced—it wasn’t a ghost, since the cup and plate were still there. But why had no one noticed?

Then Brook stared at Yuuri’s hand and sighed heavily.

“Yuuri.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Where’d you get that Frostbloom?”

“…Just now.”

“How?”

“A hooded kid gave it to me after I shared juice and cookies…”

“…Of course they did!”

Yuuri winced. Brook explained: Frostblooms were rare, flower-shaped ice crystals that dissolved into fragrant, sweet water—a luxury item nearly impossible to find outside their origin. And the kid had just handed one over.

Then Yuuri remembered the hole in the wall.

“Kurresh…”

“Yeah? What?”

“So, uh, a new passage—or hidden path?—just appeared over there…”

“WHAAAT?!”

Kurresh, tasked with checking the dungeon map for discrepancies, screamed. His simple job had just gotten complicated.

Yuuri added weakly, “Also, Ali…”

“What now?”

“The kid said ‘see you later’… so, uh…”

“…Meaning we’re supposed to go through that passage?”

“Probably…?”

“You—! You really—!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It wasn’t a red flag, so I thought it was fine!”

As Ali grabbed his head in despair, Yuuri apologized profusely. He hadn’t meant to invite trouble—the kid just seemed like a normal lost child.

“…Hey, Ireissia.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t you think something always happens when Yuuri’s taken somewhere new?”

“…I couldn’t say.”

“Right, sorry. Pointless question.”

With a sigh, Ali gave up. Meanwhile, Ireissia quietly agreed—it did seem that way.

And so, after their break, the group prepared to explore the new (hidden?) passage. Best not to overthink it.