Dungeon Refrigerator 59

Test

Salt

That night, I had a strange dream. 

In the dream, I went home and had dinner with Serai-san, who told me about the meeting details while we ate outside. 

Then, Serai-san asked me for a favor, emphasizing, "Please take care of the travel expenses!" while giving me a massage. 

It was a dream of such a night.

It was what they call a lucid dream. It means being aware that you are dreaming while experiencing the dream. 

In that dream, I was leading an aimless everyday life, and suddenly 

I ascend to the sky as if being sucked up from the ground. "Haa... It feels like I've become a prize in a UFO catcher," I thought, and as I thought that, the altitude increased rapidly, and eventually, I surpassed the clouds, entering a pure white world.

Hmm... It's a white, blank world where I can see nothing.

"Lost one... lost one..."

Then, a voice calling my name echoed in that pure white world. And when I turned toward the voice direction. There was a tiny old man with a white beard floating there.

(Ah...! Could this be an encounter with a god?!)

All the otaku knowledge I've accumulated instantly connected this situation to a common fantasy trope.

But based on my knowledge of fantasy, the gods who appear in situations like this are usually ditzy goddesses or beings that exude a god-like aura. 

However, what appeared before my eyes was a tiny old man, like a prize from a UFO catcher...

"Who's a prize?!"

(Huh...? Could it be that he read my thoughts just now...?)

"Ah, are you a god?"

"Wha... What are ya talkin' about?"

Hmm, it seems like he can't hear well.

"Are... Are you a god?"

"...No way, I'm a god, ya know!"

[Crash!]

For some reason, I felt like I had to fall dramatically, so I fell to my knees.

"Hmm, Lost one... You've truly managed to communicate with the spirits of salt. Your work is truly remarkable!"

But the small god-like old man didn't mention that I had fallen so dramatically. It's quite a bummer.

(However, salt? Ah! Could this be about the voices of the salt grains I heard in the salt sauna.)

"Therefore, I shall grant you a reward... There!"

[Kyuapawawa!]

The self-proclaimed god, floating in the air, held a wooden staff and pointed it toward me, releasing a burst of light that enveloped me.

"T-This is...!?"

"Henceforth, strive diligently... Lost one, be one with salt."

(Even though he has a traditional Japanese appearance, why is he using random English words for the decisive line?)

As I pondered such things, the tiny god shimmered and faded away into the distance of the white world.

.....

Chun Chun.

"Hah...! Was that a d-dream!?"

It was an incredibly realistic dream, down to the smallest details. But it would have been better if it was a dream where I could have been more intimate with Ruu than a tiny old man.

"Naruto, together with salt..."

That's right! If that was supposed to be some revelation.

Current Previous

Level 37 36

Race: Human

Strength         212 200

Endurance 218 201

Intelligence 215 202

Mental Power 240         220

Agility 220         208

Luck 133 103

Dexterity 221 200

Blessings:

[Salt's Blessing]

Skills:

[Strong Acid 1.1]・[Agility]・[Disease Resistance 5]・[Usurpation]・[Mucus 2]・[Space 2]・[Strong Luck 1.3]・[Footwork]・[Meditation]・[Salt 5]

Titles:

[Bug King]・[Saltmate]・[Salty Guy]

When I check my status,  there's a new section called [Blessings], and it includes something called "[Salt's Blessing]." So, was that tiny old man the god of salt?

A new skill, [Salt 5], has been added. Hey, it jumped straight to 5! That's amazing. But alt? ]I'm not quite sure if I should be happy about this or not.

And there's a change in my titles too. [Saltmate] is probably a play on Soulmate, but what's with [Salty Guy]? 

It feels like the title is slightly mocking me.

Well, it's fine. Just because I was sleeping, I received all these things. There's no harm in it.

.....

In the morning, I took Serai-san on my motorcycle to her part-time job.

The soft sensation I felt on my back made my heart flutter from the morning. 

It feels like a refreshing ero. Ahem, I mean, a refreshing feeling. Could this be because of my stabilized mind due to [Meditation]?

And as usual, we have breakfast at our regular fast-food restaurant. 

We sit facing each other at a two-person table, and I begin unwrapping the hamburger package from the breakfast set.

(Oh, speaking of which, what does the skill [Salt] feel like?)

I suddenly think about it. I remove the bun from the hamburger, I concentrate on activating the skill [Salt].

(Lightly. lightly. with a sprinkle.)

[Sprinkle~ (sparkle)]

Oh, there it is! This hamburger from here is already delicious, but I've been wanting a bit more saltiness. Well, it's a skill I received from that god-like old man, so shouldn't be any problems with eating it.

"(Bite... Juwa~)Huh?! It's delicious!!"

What kind of salt is this? It's incredibly tasty. It's not just ordinary salt. It has a strong punch of tangy saltiness followed by a burst of umami.

It's like a salt that would cost a thousand or two thousand yen for just one bag.

"Hey, Master, why are you getting excited like a child? Don't you eat it all the time?"

Serai-san sitting across doesn't know I'm using the skill [Salt] as I hide my fingers with the bun. So, her reaction is understandable.

But salts from the fingertips, huh? Hehehe. It's like I'm some saint. If I were to visit a primitive village deep in the mountains, they might treat me like a saint.

"Hehehe, Serai-san. Let me show you a little magic trick. Can I borrow your hamburger for a moment?"

"Huh? Please don't say that and eat my hamburger..."

"It's okay. It's okay... (Paka... Parara... Paf), there you go, enjoy."

"Huh... Is that it? What kind of magic trick was that? You just opened and closed the hamburger, right?"

"Well, well, just try eating it."

"Mmm? It seems suspicious. If it suddenly becomes extremely spicy or something, I'll be angry, you know? (Paku... Mogumogu)"

Serai-san, who said that while putting the hamburger in her mouth, widened her eyes after a while.

"Mmmmm!! What the heck?! Master, what did you do!?"

"Hahaha, I told you it was a magic trick. So, how is it? It tastes good, right?"

"...It's incredibly delicious! (Mugu mugu) What is this? Did you add salt?!"

"You're right! I received some good salt, so I decided to try using it. But it turned out better than I expected."

Seiki-san, happily munching on the hamburger and marveling at how delicious the burger is, draws curious gazes from the surrounding customers who wonder, "Why is she so excited?" Watching her enjoying the hamburger so appetizingly, I also take a bite of my slightly salted hamburger.

(Juwa~)

An abundant and flavorful meat juice flows into my mouth from the not-that-thick fast-food restaurant hamburger. However, this is a misconception caused by the skill [Salt], which stimulates excessive saliva secretion. But it's also true that the sprinkled salt brings out the savory taste of the meat. These factors lead to the exclamation of "[It's delicious!]".

"Yaaan! It's so delicious! I don't want to go to work anymore!"

No, no, please go to work, Serai-san. I went through the trouble of bringing you here, after all.