It was an old man who showed up.

　He was an old man who was even smaller than Emily, who was 130 centimeters tall.
　The image I saw looked like an old man of a dwarf tribe or some such tribe.

　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one.

'It's been hundreds of years since a human has been here.
Are you Arsenic?
How true. If you can call it that so soon, will there still be memories of us on earth?

　I knew right away that the old man = Arsenic, lord of the dungeon, because of the Aulum thing before, but I decided to keep that under wraps.
　Now I have more important things to worry about than that.

You're going to die?
That's right. On a human scale, I'd say ...... is a month away.
What can I do to stop it?
Humans can't do that.
Just tell me how to stop it.

　When I pressed hard, Arsenic looked up at me with a surprised look on his face.
　It's the eyes that stare at me, as if they're searching for my true intentions.

　He stared at me like that for a while, and then said in a calm tone of voice: "Well, you're right, I said it.

Well, it doesn't hurt me to say it. I'm not going to lose anything by saying that. We need the fruit of life to prolong the life of the spirits in our dungeon.
Fruit of life?
You don't know, do you?　It's supposed to be a phantom fruit that humans will never be able to touch. This is a legendary white substance that increases the sparkle of the soul and life force of ordinary people just by touching it.
Just by touching it, ...... life force is increased ......?
Well, you know, to a man...
I'll be there in a minute.

　I headed back the way I'd come and got out.
　In one fell swoop, I ran up the stairs and returned to my friends waiting on the 30th floor of Arsenic, where blood was raining down.

'Mr. Yoda!'
How's it going, Lyota?
I don't have time for bad explanations. Alice, find the next Absolute Rock, we need to go down again.
Okay, I'm on it!

　Alice nodded instantly, her fists clenched and motivated.

　I turned myself around and started running.
　Leaving my friends behind, I ran up the dungeon.

　I jumped out of Arsenic and ran across the city of Cyclo and into Nihonium.
　Nihonium, the first basement floor.

　As usual, it was a skeleton paradise with no adventurers there.

'Put on the porch--Repetition!

　I put on the items and ran through the dungeon using my strongest roundabout magic.
　As I ran through the familiar basement floor, the porch was filled with HP seeds.

　A substitute that increases life force just by touching it, something humans can't possibly get their hands on.

　Maybe it should be ...... this.
　I left the dungeon with the pouch and returned to Arsenic in a straight line.

　Thirty floors below ground, Celeste was waiting for me there.

'Lyota-san, over here!

　Celeste, who was waiting for me, led me on.
　A few twists and turns led to Absolute Rock, where Emily and three others were surrounding me.

'Thanks guys,'

　Then my friends smiled and moved away from their keeper, Absolute Rock.
　I held up my hand and used the repetition - but I was floored.

　It's the phenomenon of not having enough MP.
　I pull out my gun and fire a series of infinite recovery rounds at myself like a syringe.
　After recovering all the MPs, I shot Repetition.

　As expected of a rare monster at the lowest level, the one shot of the Repetition made me dizzy again, and I was out of MP.
　But I was able to clear the way.
　The first time, I struggled with it, but I defeated it once, so I was able to kill it instantly by Repetition.

'Yoda-san is amazing.
You're the only person in the world who can do this, aren't you, Lyota?
Low level, cocky.
Eve should be able to say that line without blushing.
'What?　Eve, you're not saying--

　My distant friends were yapping at me, but I went through with it for now.
　I made sure the porch was there and went down the stairs.

　There was an Absolute Rock golem.
　This one was also tricky, but I killed it instantly with a Repetition from Infinite Recovery Bullet as well.

　And then, I come back to Arsenic again.

''Nah--''

　Arsenic is astonished, wide-eyed and astonished.

'You're here again ......?　The chances of a human being being being able to get here in a row is not in a million million million. Whoever you are, young man--
I don't care about that. I'll tell you what the fruit of life is.
What?

　Arsenic looks at the pouch presented to him and its contents.
　At first, he is stunned, but then his expression changes in a flash.

It's the fruit of life!　And in such large quantities!
So that's what I'm thinking.
"Who the hell are you ......?
'That's fine too, just eat this anyway. Come to think of it, I didn't ask you about the quantity, is that enough?　I'll bring you more if there aren't enough.
Oh, oh, ...... is enough. ......

　Arsenic looks as if he's been pinched by a fox.
　He still looks like he doesn't quite understand what happened, but gradually his interest is absorbed by the HP seed - the fruit of life.

　I took a seed from the pouch - a seed that only I could get my hands on until now - and put it in my mouth.

　I munch it and swallow it.
　The old man's body lit up.

'...... i.'
Huh?
I'm alive again. ........................

　The last exhale was incredibly long.
　It seemed like a gas (,) that had accumulated from all the things I've been forced to endure and forced to do.


You've changed your character, old man.
You don't have a choice!　I haven't eaten in a thousand years, yum!

　Not that much, I mean, how did you live for a thousand years without drinking or eating, did you eat haze like a hermit?
　...... No, you're dying now because you didn't eat it.

　Arsenic munched on the seeds.
　Each time he ate, his body lit up and his life force increased so much that even I could see it.

　.......

"Grandpa, just wait a little longer.

　I said and went up again, leaving the old man devouring the seeds like a rodent.

　　　　　☆

　He returned to Arsenic's space again with his basket.
　After sweeping the seeds away, the old man burped with a gleeful look on his face.

'Oh young man, you're here again.'

　The old man greeted me with a big smile.

"You are saved, young man. Now I can live with myself.
Yeah, I guess so. The blood stopped raining.
Hmm. It'll keep you alive for another 200 years.
That much?

　Now that wasn't much. I just did a quick round of Nifonium.
　It's only a tenth of the amount needed to gain one rank in status.
　That's 200 years.

Thank you.
No need to thank me, but what about this one?
What about this one?
Here.

　I thrust the basket in front of the old man.
　He opens the lid to reveal the contents.
　Inside were all the dishes Emily had put so much effort into making.

　I left my grandfather outside and let Emily prepare the food.

　As soon as I open the basket, a warmth spreads through the space.
　Emily's food, an amazing dish that sprinkles kindness and warmth all around us just by being there.

　It reached my grandfather, who was not a human being.
　Onigiri, sandwiches and side dishes such as hamburgers, which were easy to eat. Emily's thoughtfulness was evident.

　At first the old man was scornful, but as soon as he put it in his mouth.



　The reaction was a bit too exaggerated for me to react, but I'm glad to see that they were pleased.
　An old man trapped in this place and unable to eat properly, a spirit forced to live like that.
　I thought I would continue to bring him food from time to time.

　And.
　The unprecedented news that Arsenic's death was prevented by the Ryota Family's efforts.
　The news, along with the addition of the option of a permanent moon breeding (monster doubling) state, quickly spread among adventurers.