The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses-Chapter 210 - The Mystery Lies Here

—

As Will and Shuna were discussing, the petite demon girl, Angie, came wobbling over with a tray in her hands.

Carefully, she climbed a makeshift staircase of stacked boxes at the corner of the table.

Watching her unsteady steps, Will couldn’t help but worry she might drop the tray.

But surprisingly, she seemed quite skilled at this. Despite her shaky movements, the tray remained perfectly balanced, not a single drop spilled.

“Sorry to interrupt, here’s your order.”

“Super Delicious Supreme Sheep Brain!”

A plate of blackened, soft, brain-like matter, with folds resembling the surface of a walnut, was placed in front of Shuna.

“Freshly Baked Butter Bread!”

As for Will’s bread…

It could hardly be called “freshly baked.” Its hard, blackened crust looked like it could peel off in layers, and the butter was nowhere to be seen. The entire thing looked intimidating.

“Your dishes are served! Please enjoy!”

After setting the plates down, She gave them a deep bow.

Her horns, polished to a gleaming shine, caught the light as she bent over.

“Enjoy… enjoy this? Really?”

Will picked up the knife and fork provided. The utensils were surprisingly well-made and immaculately clean.

It made Will wonder if using such fine cutlery for this kind of food was a disservice to the utensils.

“It’s actually pretty good. Don’t let the appearance fool you—the taste is decent.”

Shuna casually scooped a spoonful of the soft brain matter, its texture still clinging to some of the membranes, and held it out toward Will.

“Wait—”

Before Will could mentally prepare himself, she fed him a bite.

But…

It was delicious.

That was Will’s first impression.

Although the flavor wasn’t as refined as the gourmet meals he was used to as a noble—it lacked the meticulous touch to completely remove any gaminess—it carried a surprising warmth, reminiscent of rustic, home-cooked meals from his past life.

“Well… let’s try the bread then…”

Will took a bite of the bread. Though it was a bit hard, it was unexpectedly rich with the aroma of baked butter, bursting with flavor.

“See? Their food only looks unappetizing. Once you try it, it’s actually pretty good.”

Shuna smiled as she took another bite of the sheep brain.

Just as she finished speaking, the little demon from earlier popped her head back up, her horns peeking over the table.

“Th-thank you for enjoying the food! So, um, could you… maybe leave a bigger tip this time? Last time, this lady was defeated three times on the third floor. Could you aim for three defeats on the fourth floor this time?”

“…?”

Will’s face twisted in confusion.

What kind of bizarre request was this?

Did they want them to… act as punching bags?

“Sure, no problem.”

Shuna, seemingly enjoying her meal, scooped another bite into her mouth and agreed to the request without hesitation.

“You actually agreed?!”

Shuna raised a finger to her lips, signaling Will to stay quiet.

“Wonderful! As the boss said, couples are the best customers. The men always try to show off and spend extra money!”

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“……”

Will couldn’t shake the feeling that the “boss” of this place had some seriously questionable business practices.

And…

“Excuse me, but let’s set aside the whole ‘couple’ thing for a moment. Didn’t you notice which one of us is the ‘man’?”

“Huh?!”

Angie looked back and forth between them.

She stared particularly hard at Shuna’s chest.

“Sorry! For demons, recognizing human genders is like humans trying to tell a dog’s gender—it’s impossible without… um… a closer look! At least, that’s what the boss says. I’ve never actually seen a dog.”

At that moment, Will couldn’t help but think that, no matter how much these demons excelled in “customer service,” they were still demons—mischievous little tricksters at heart.

But Shuna… why was she smiling so happily?

She seemed to be enjoying being mistaken for the “man” in the couple…

Wait, what?!

Will felt a sudden chill down his spine, then quickly dismissed it.

No, no, just his imagination. Right?

“But after this, can I meet your empress?”

Angie’s expression turned a bit awkward, her ears twitching up and down.

“We’d love to take you to see her… but Lucifa isn’t in the dungeon right now… Maybe you’ll run into her somewhere else?”

“That’s fine. I have plenty of time.”

After Angie slowly disappeared from view again, Shuna turned to Will.

“But you’re in a bit of a hurry, aren’t you?”

“What’s the deal with this dungeon? What does ‘defeated’ even mean… could it be…”

“Exactly what you’re thinking. Want to give it a try?”

The plates were now empty.

Shuna’s gaze seemed to be hinting that it was time to “pay the tip.”

—

They proceeded like any normal dungeon raid, finding the door to the first floor—which looked more like a small door leading to the restaurant’s kitchen—and then moved on to the second floor.

With a welcoming parade of little demons, they reached the third floor.

And then…

The fourth floor.

The answer Will had been piecing together became increasingly clear.

No…

Rather than finding the answer here, it felt more like connecting the dots from the “early Chapters” of the original story—

Where did the endless resources in dungeons come from?

Why were these valuable resources so generously given to adventurers?

And… what did adventurers mean to the dungeon itself? Why, in the original story, did the empress take every floor and every challenger so seriously?

The answer lay within this “strange” Tenth Demon Castle—

“Excuse me, are you here to pay your ‘bill’?”

Waiting for them on the fourth floor was a little demon holding a hammer made of cotton candy.

Like the other demons, he had small wings and a pointed tail that ended in a heart shape.

But he seemed a bit shy, fidgeting nervously. His purplish-red face didn’t show a blush, but his demeanor made it clear.

As for the hammer…

It looked like a decorative prop from an amusement park, light and completely harmless.

In this regard, it was entirely unlike the dungeons Will had experienced before.

“Y-you can just walk this way, and I’ll be gentle. You won’t feel a thing, I promise.”

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

The cotton candy hammer lightly tapped their heads, releasing a sweet aroma of actual cotton candy.

—

Their strange dungeon adventure ended with the two of them standing outside the dungeon entrance, having “failed the dungeon challenge.”

“Who would’ve thought my first, second… and however many times I’ve ‘failed a dungeon’ would all happen here.”

Shuna stretched lazily, as if she were already used to it.

At the entrance to Tenth Demon Castle, one side was lit by the glowing sign of the dungeon, while the other side faced the quiet streets of the town—where the residents, with no outside visitors or entertainment, went to bed early.

“So, what do you think, smart little Will? After this experience, have you figured something out?”

From the shadows, Will stepped forward.

“They’re… farming combat stats.”

“Exactly. That’s one of the secrets of dungeons, Will. Aren’t you curious? How do dungeons operate? Why do they welcome adventurers to explore them? And where do the rewards they give adventurers come from?”

“It’s because…”

…

“Because they need the energy generated from adventurers’ battles to expand the dungeon downward.”

A voice interrupted their conversation, emerging from the shadows cast by the glowing lights.

It was a girl.