Spoiler Alert!

Suddenly you wake up and feel a sharp sting across your entire body. Looking yourself over, you find yourself badly hurt and bleeding while lying on the grass. Confused and dazed, you clamber to your feet and find yourself staggering through a forest. Where are you now? After what feels like hours, you start to feel faint when you see a young woman in front of you. You see the shock and concern on her face as she rushes towards you, helps you up and takes you to a village…

The New Recruits’ Village has been your home for two years now. In that time, you learned that you have been reborn on an unknown world and that you have a magical ability called the “Forge of Existence”. You’ve been using this unique ability to make a living for yourself as a maker and seller of weapons. You have also taken in a little girl with silver hair and small horns, whom you found out in the cold some time ago. Naming her Yilan, you have allowed her to help out at your shop.

One day, a young woman leading a small group of soldiers comes to your shop. She tells you that she is an inquisitor and heard rumors that a demon came to your shop…

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Because I’m an Uncle who Runs a Weapon Shop ( 因为我是开武器店的大叔, Yīnwèi wǒ shì kāi wǔqì diàn de dàshū) is a web novel, light novel series and manhwa published by SF Light Novels (SF轻小说). The story’s hero, Zhaihe, has been reborn in a fantasy world where a war between humans and demons rages on. With the war currently at a tenuous standstill, the demon king occasionally sends his forces to harass the human kingdoms, who have retaliated by sending expeditionary forces, or rather, adventurers. However, Zhaihe is not one of these heroes. Instead, he has established a business of making and selling weapons to adventurers.

One day, the young inquisitor captain Carona comes to his shop after hearing rumors of a demon living in the New Recruits’ Village. Impressed by the craftsmanship of Carona’s sword, Zhaihe decided to go on a journey to visit the sword’s maker, accompanied by Yilan and Carona. In the course of his travels, Zhaihe learns that his body appeared to be that of Leon, a former hero now blamed for the deaths of 300 soldiers during a failed attack on a demon. Leon was said to have died 2 years ago, curiously coinciding with Zhaihe’s first day in the fantasy world.

Later, Zhaihe barely survives a near-fatal encounter with one of Leon’s former comrades, the hot-tempered Senze. At an inn, the spirit of Leon himself somehow takes control of Zhaihe’s body, much to the distress of his friends. With this new lease on life, Leon immediately attempts to find his former lover, Princess Aria Parkovich. Learning that she is attending a memorial at the city of Acasal, Leon rushes there and has the good fortune to meet Aria just as the memorial ended.

The tearful reunion is interrupted by a dragon attacking the town. With the royal mages unable to fight off the dragon, Leon is forced to take action himself, using his skills and magic to get past the dragon’s armored skin. After the battle, a beautiful woman with pink hair, a thin black tail and curved horns on head floats down from the sky. Recognizing her as Scavelier, the demon commander he once failed to kill, Leon grabs her and launches both of them up into the air in an attempt to kill her while sacrificing himself as well. After preventing the double suicide attempt, Scavelier impales Aria in front of Leon and destroys Acasal with a mere gesture, leaving nothing but a barren wasteland. Declaring to Leon that she loves him, Scavelier takes him up to her castle in the skies above…

Main Characters

Zhaihe (斋和, Zhāihé), a 26-year old male human weapon shop manager. He is an easy-going person who remembers little about previous life, but he is determined and cares deeply for his friends. He has the ability “Forge of Existence”, which allows him to create or change objects at will with the right materials and enough magic. For example, he can almost instantly create a sword out of the raw metal and leather provided. During his travels, Zhaihe learns that his body was once that of Leon, a hero now reviled for his sympathy towards demons, the ages-old enemies of humanity.  Because of this, he is able to use some of Leon’s once-formidable strength in battle, making him a surprisingly competent fighter despite not having much combat experience. Zhaihe’s current goal is to become skilled enough to create magical weapons personalized for their designated owners.

Yilan (伊兰, Yīlán), a young demonkin girl and weapon shop clerk. Like many little girls, she is shy around strangers but she is sweet, responsible and good-natured. Found and named by Zhaihe after she collapsed from hunger on a cold, snowy night at New Recruits’ Village, Yilan now helps her rescuer at his shop, treating him as her surrogate father. Because of human prejudices against demons and their allies, Yilan often has to wear a hat to hide her horns.

Carona, a female human fighter and inquisitor. Disciplined and somewhat gullible, Carona is proud of her skills as a warrior, having graduated as the best student at the Adventurers’ Academy. Her most treasured possession is her sword, which was crafted for her by the Academy headmaster Melice. In exchange for allowing Zhaihe to examine her sword, she fights against him in duel which he wins by using his “Forge of Existence” ability to stop the sword with one bare hand. Impressed by the skill and personalized magic used to create Carona’s sword, Zhaihe resolves to find Melice and learn her weapon crafting skills to improve his own to make more powerful, reliable weapons. Taking a break from her duties, Carona herself joins Zhaihe in his travels to improve her own fighting skills.

Leon, a now-deceased 24-year old male human fighter. Brave, passionate and troubled, Leon is a powerful hero who doubts the righteousness of humans in their war against demons. At age 6, he was orphaned when his parents were executed by inquisitors for giving sanctuary to a demonkin child. At 11, Leon met and rescued his childhood sweetheart, Princess Aria Parkovich, from a bear. Because Aria’s father wouldn’t approve of a marriage to a commoner, Leon vowed to become a famous hero someday.

Eventually, Leon became part of the first expeditionary force, a group of elite adventurers dedicated to fighting demons and their allies. One fateful day, the demon commander Scavelier appeared out of nowhere and the expeditionary force, along with hundreds of soldiers, launched an all-out attack. About to deal the killing blow, Leon met Scavelier’s eyes and saw her sad, tired expression. Hesitating, he swerved and held back his attack, allowing Scavelier to make her escape. 300 soldiers died in that battle and Leon was blamed for the entire fiasco. At 24, he was murdered by his former comrades and publicly declared a traitor. Leon’s spirit still resides in his former body, but he usually remains dormant.

Personal Thoughts

The overall plot of this story is Zhaihe trying to become a better weapon maker and coming to terms with the fact that his body is that of a known traitor to humans. What makes Zhaihe interesting is how he uses responsibility as motivation for his goals. On his first day as a weapon seller, Zhaihe sold his first sword to an adventurer. After learning that the adventurer died because his weapon broke during a fight, Zhaihe devoted himself to becoming better at making weapons so that his future customers can survive. Carona’s sword gives him another reason to become even better at his trade, motivating him to find experts outside his home village.

A more sensitive issue here is how the millennia-long war has fostered blind hatred and racism in humans against demons and vice versa. So far, the word “demon” also seems to include the various non-human races in the fantasy world such as forestkin (dark-skinned equivalents of elves), beastkin and even dragons. It’s particularly bad because there are inquisitors, such as Carona, who roam the kingdoms in search of demonkin in hiding. While humans hate demons for attacking their settlements, demons and their allies hate humans for their relentless expansion into territories not their own. Both humans and demons are suffering for their mutual hatred and yet they are unable to simply stop fighting because the grudges run too deeply. The most tragic victim of this hatred is Leon, who was murdered by his former friends and declared a traitor after he considered the idea that demons were suffering as much as humans.

Moral

Failure is sometimes needed to tell you that you can improve yourself. Never let hatred overcome your life.

Spoiler Alert!

The fight isn’t going well. Despite you and Ranta attacking the monster together, it has managed to dodge or fend off all your attacks. In the confusion, you lose your footing as you trip over a downed Ranta.

As you pick yourself up, you hear a whistle and a sudden thud against wood just inches you.

An arrow?

A short distance away, Yume yelps and cries out, “Sorry!”

You hear Manato shout, “We’ll hit our allies with arrows if this turns into a melee! Use your hand weapons!”

In the corner of your eye, you see Moguzo swing his huge sword at another green-skinned creature, only for it to nimbly dodge the attack and getting the sword lodged in a tree. Shihoru then attempts to cast a Magic Missile, but the creature suddenly attacks her instead! Fortunately, Manato swats it away with his staff.

As you face your own opponent again, exhaustion threatens to overwhelm you as you struggle to stay on your feet.

Next to you, Ranta irritatingly asks, “Aren’t goblins the weakest monsters on Grimgar?!”

“Yeah, they’re supposed to be…”, you say warily.

• 

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Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash (灰と幻想のグリムガル, Hai to Gensō no Gurimugaru) is a light novel series, manga and anime written by Ao Jūmonji (十文字青, Jūmonji Ao). At the beginning, the young Haruhiro and eleven other young men and women wake up in the darkness with no memory of their lives before that moment. Following a light leading them outside, the amnesiac group finds itself at the base of a white, featureless tower overlooking a town nestled in a mountain valley. In the starry night sky above, they see a crimson moon, which all of them find odd for a reason that eludes them.

The group is then directed to the town’s office of the Red Moon Volunteer Army. There, the Red Moon commander Brittany gives them a brief explanation of their predicament: they are now on the world of Grimgar, specifically in the frontier town of Alterna. The wilderness outside Alterna is rife with hostile humanoids and monsters, but the standing Frontier Army is already stretched thin defending the town and the frontier forts. To address the lack of manpower, the Volunteer Army was founded as an Army subdivision to recruit civilians as reservist soldiers. Brittany then offers everyone a job as a Volunteer Army Soldier, so they can fight monsters and sell whatever spoils they acquire.

Haruhiro joins up with five others from the group: Manato, Ranta, Yume, Moguzo and Shihoru. They all agree to form a party with Manato as their leader. A week later, they all complete their novice class training, with Manato as a Priest, Haruhiro as a Thief, Ranta as a Dread Knight, Yume as a Hunter, Moguzo as a Warrior and Shihoru as a Mage.

• 

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Despite initial difficulties, the party eventually learns to work together as one. After experiencing many successes in fighting goblins in a nearby forest, the party moves their hunts to the ruined city of Damuro. Unfortunately, Manato dies after an ambush there and he entrusts responsibility for the group to Haruhiro.

Grieving for their fallen leader and friend, the party nearly fractures as they realize how much Manato had done to keep them all together. After the party comes to terms with their loss, they take on a new Priest named Merry.

Initially distant and traumatized over the loss of her original party, Merry gradually comes to see the party as friends. Returning to Damuro, they avenge Manato by killing the group of goblins responsible for the fateful ambush. Afterwards, the party decides to move their monster hunts to the Cyrene Mine, a cavernous complex now infested with dog-headed kobolds. It was there that three members of Merry’s first party were killed by the infamous giant kobold, Death Spots. After many close calls and a lot of luck, Haruhiro narrowly manages to kill Death Spots and the party claims the reward for its death.

Merry finally gains closure with her past and the party continues its adventures in Grimgar with a newfound understanding of life and death.

Main Characters

Haruhiro, a male human Thief. In the beginning, he is rather awkward and shy, but he steadily becomes more responsible, outgoing and self-assured. After Manato’s death, Haruhiro becomes the new party leader and struggles with keeping the team together at first. He gradually adopts his own leadership style, staying calm under pressure, using foresight to keep the party focused on its goals and being mindful of its needs, such as the investment in Moguzo’s armor. As a Thief, Haruhiro provides melee combat support with skills such as Backstab and the occasional Gleaming Line, which allows a Thief to inflict a deathblow to an enemy.

Manato, a male human Priest. He was a caring, responsible person mindful of those he considers friends and he shared a brotherly bond with Haruhiro. Manato was also charismatic and good at analyzing people, making him a natural leader. As party leader, Manato was the one person everyone can talk to. Using his skills as a Priest, he kept the party in good condition with his Cure spell and acted as support to any struggling party members in combat. Unfortunately, he died when was shot in the back by a goblin, having used up all of his magic for that day and leaving him unable to heal himself.

Ranta, a male human Dread Knight. Abrasive, brash and loud, he is the troublemaker of the party, often trying their patience with his crude comments and impulsive actions. As result, no one in the party particularly likes Ranta, only tolerating him since he pulls his weight in a fight. Ranta doesn’t mind this for most part, but he still cares for the party’s survival. He is the main damage dealer and secondary tank of his party, using Dread Knight skills such as Anger Thrust and Hatred’s Cut to attack and then retreat a short distance using Exhaust.

Yume, a female human Hunter. She is brave, cheerful and energetic, serving as pillar of emotional support for the party, particularly the shy Shihoru. As a Hunter, Yume acts as the party’s archer and wilderness expert. Her aim is horrible at first, forcing her to use close combat skills such as Cross Cut to compensate. As her targeting skills improve, Yume gains access to ranged skills such as Sharp Sight and Star Pierce.

Moguzo, a male human Warrior. Tall and strong, he is a quiet, kind man who enjoys cooking and wood carving in his spare time. As the party’s Warrior, Moguzo is their primary tank, acting as defense for the other party members and as a target for powerful foes to allow the others to attack as a group. He uses the powerful Rage Cleave or Forward Thrust to cut down his enemies or War Cry to paralyze them.

Shihoru, a female human Mage. She is a painfully shy and timid girl with poor self-esteem. As the story progresses, Shihoru gains the confidence to speak up more often. She had a one-sided crush on Manato and was hit particularly hard by his death. In battle, she uses Mage spells with a variety of effects such as Magic Missile, Phantom Sleep and Shadow Bind.

Merry, a female human Priest. Although cold and distant at first glance, is actually mature, responsible and loyal. In her first party, she often used her magic to heal even minor injuries sustained by party members. When they fought against the giant kobold Death Spots deep in the Cyrene Mine, Merry had used up her magic for that day and was unable to heal her dying comrades. Traumatized by that horrific encounter, she now refuses to use her healing magic any more than necessary. Joining Haruhiro’s party soon after Manato’s death, Merry uses her Cure and Heal spells to heal critical injuries during and after battles, but she ignores minor injuries. Unlike Manato, Merry usually stays away from the front lines since Priests are often targeted because of their ability to heal.

Personal Thoughts

The pace of the story is a bit slow, with much of it covering daily struggles such as saving money for expenses, learning to work together with others, planning out strategies, mulling over personal issues and relaxing after work. The backdrop is a high fantasy setting with a novice adventuring party, but these struggles are the same as those we face in order to survive.

The biggest mystery is the fact that all of the Volunteer Soldiers retain no memories from before their arrival on Grimgar. It is most likely that they are from modern-day Japan, judging from the hints occasionally dropped such as Haruhiro attempting to reach for his cellphone and not knowing what a cellphone is a second later. Moguzo once makes a carving that looks like an airplane, only for that idea to disappear from his mind. They seem to remember things on reflex but have no memory of what such things are, like having a word on the tip of a tongue just short of actually saying it! How and why this has happened will have to be answered in due time.

Throughout the story, the heroes have to fight for their very lives on actual battlefields where the situation could get ugly very quickly. Clever use of a skill or a timely split-second decision could often mean the difference between victory and defeat. On the other side, enemies such as goblins and kobolds are fighting just as hard for their own lives, displaying the same determination to survive as the heroes. An act as grievous as taking a life in battle should never be taken for granted, especially where you are just as likely to be killed. The story hits this point home with Manato’s death, which nearly results in the party’s breakup as they struggle with the grief of losing someone dear to them and the fear of being unable to cope without him. Instead of letting that death consume them, the heroes find the willpower to move forward and resolve to use that experience to improve their future choices. Their friendship with each other becomes important here, as they find solidarity with each other and improve their teamwork.

There is quite a bit of philosophizing in the story, but it covers a lot of important issues that we can relate to. What the story of Grimgar teaches us is that our lives are full of challenges and struggles and only we can find the strength within ourselves to carry on. Death is always a possibility and an inevitability, so one must prepare for it, whether it involves preventing it or dealing with the consequences afterwards.

Moral

Life itself is a struggle full of ups and downs, but one must always persist and move forward to survive.

Spoiler Alert!

It is now the middle of July, on a particularly hot summer day at Mitsuyama Village, Japan. Thinking back, your life has become a rather monotonous routine of growing vegetables and coming back home to wash up and relax after the day’s work. In fact, it almost feels like timed clockwork. Every now and then, the routine is broken whenever you deliver your vegetables to Yao the wholesaler or receive a visit from your neighbor, the elderly farmer Tsugio Itou. The rainfall during this year’s summer has been scarce and the vegetables have been growing quickly, so there have been more hardships to deal with than usual.

After coming home, you heat up the bath and wash off the day’s sweat. As you clean yourself up, you suddenly hear a banging noise. Hmm? Is it coming from the front door? Who would come here at this hour? As you approach the front door, it slides open and in staggers an unexpected sight: a beautiful, young girl with blond hair and blue eyes wearing ornate metal armor, like that worn by knights in Europe during the Middle Ages, complete with a sheathed sword at her left hip! Panting, the girl asks you if she could stay in your house for the night. Somehow, you feel as if the clockwork of your monotonous life has just lost a gear, which makes a loud noise as it falls…

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A Case of Living in the Countryside with a Female Knight Who Came to Me (俺んちに来た女騎士と田舎暮らしすることになった件 Orenchi ni kita Onna-kishi to Inakagurashi suru koto ni natta ken) is a light novel series and manga written by Sakuta (裂田). After realizing that she was now trapped on a completely unfamiliar world, the knight Christina von Melvis decided to make the best of her situation and stay with Kanji Saeki, the first person she met in the new world. After listening to Chris’ claims of having just escaped from a brutal battle at somewhere called Mozengate Fort, Kanji contacts his friend Honami Izawa, a civil servant at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for help. Kanji shows Chris the way of life in Mitsuyama, including showing her how to care for vegetable crops, cooking meals and introducing her to modern-day technology. After recovering from her wounds and the initial shock, Chris slowly opens up to Kanji and talks about her home country, the Euride Kingdom, and the existence of magic there. She can even use some magic, such as language translation magic (which enables her to communicate in Japanese) and fire magic, despite not being a mage herself. Meanwhile, the Ministry was unable to confirm Chris’ story since she was physically human in every way, but the fact that she could perform magic that defies the laws of science couldn’t be denied.

Later, a medical team arrives to take Kanji, Chris and a number of Mitsuyama residents to a hospital in Tokyo for quarantine. Honami explains that since Chris could be from another world, she could be carrying viruses or parasites that humans from Earth have no immunity to and vice versa. For the next three weeks, Chris and the others endure days of countless check-ups and blood tests. In the end, everyone is released from the hospital, but Chris had to stay in Tokyo for questioning. Upon his return to Mitsuyama, Kanji finds his fields choked with weeds due to three weeks of neglect, but he is soon able to replant them with new seeds. A month later, Chris returns to Mitsuyama, explaining to Kanji that she’d rather stay with him despite being offered a chance to stay in Tokyo by the government.

Elsewhere, the hero Bartholomeus von Melvis and reinforcements from the capital city were able to defeat the 5,000-strong barbarian horde at Mozengate Fort. A month later, Bart’s sister Christina, who had not been seen since the battle’s end, was declared a deserter by the Euride Kingdom. Refusing to believe that his sister would abandon her duty as a knight, the depressed Bartholomeus spent his nights drinking at a bar until the archmage Louise von Strauss told him that Chris was alive. Far away, but alive! Having examined the site of Chris’ last known location, Louise deduced that Chris must have used the magical teleportation scroll given to her by Louise herself. Also, the magical spirit light connected to Chris’ life is still burning, which meant that she is still alive somewhere. By using the spirit light and the lingering traces of teleportation magic, it might be possible to determine where Chris is now!

Characters

Kanji Saeki (佐伯莞爾 Saeki Kanji), a 32-year old farmer. Honest and kind, Kanji dislikes loud people, including high school girls who have a tendency to cry out “KYAAH!” or “KAWAII…!” all of a sudden. After graduating from university, he worked as a salaryman for a leading company in Tokyo. When his parents died four years ago, Kanji returned to his hometown Mitsuyama Village (三山村). Living alone at his old family home, Kanji now grows vegetables such as eggplants and tomatoes and sells them to a wholesaler. He is also a good cook, often using his own vegetables when making meals.

Christina “Chris” Brünhilde von Melvis, the 18-year old daughter of House Melvis, a noble family of the Euride Kingdom, and the vice-commander of the second company of the Euride Kingdom’s Western Knights. Much like Kanji, Chris is a kind, honest person, but she is also a bad liar and gets flustered easily when embarrassed. In addition to being a skilled fighter, she can use a few basic magic spells such as fire conjuration, healing and language translation. Idolizing her older brother Bartholomeus, Chris began training as a knight at age 12. During a vicious assault on the Mozangate Fort by a barbarian horde, Chris was sent as a messenger to the capital city to request reinforcements but she eventually found herself cornered by orcs at a cliff. Throwing herself off the cliff to avoid capture, she inadvertently activated a powerful teleportation magic scroll that she kept on her person. As a result, she was transported to a strange, new land, specifically Japan on the planet Earth.

Honami Izawa (伊沢穂奈美 Izawa Honami), a civil servant at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As a child, she became interested in fantasy and magic after reading her first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Honami and Kanji attended the same university and they dated for a while, but they grew apart not long after graduation. Secretly an otaku, she could barely contain her excitement when Chris demonstrated actual fantasy-style magic to her. Although privately worried about getting married, Honami sometimes tries to push Kanji and Chris into a romantic relationship.

Bartholomeus Franz von Melvis, the 23-year old son of House Melvis, Chris’ brother and the legendary hero of the Euride Kingdom. Brave and honorable, he secretly nurses a sister complex for Chris, of whom he is extremely protective. Despite winning the battle at Mozengate Fort, Bartholomeus becomes depressed after his sister went missing. He later joins the archmage Louise in her attempts to find and rescue Chris.

Louise Cara von Strauss, a young first-rank royal archmage of the Euride Kingdom. In the past, she was constantly bullied for her short stature and child-like appearance. Even now, Louise gets easily irritated whenever others treat her like a child. Years ago, she was befriended by Chris when she was a student at a local magic school. A powerful, talented mage, Louise was the one who crafted the magical teleportation scroll that sent Chris to Earth.

Personal Thoughts

In a reversal of a traditional isekai situation, someone from a fantasy world gets transported to Japan and experiences the wonders it has to offer. It’s mostly a slice-of-life story, with Kanji’s daily life as a bachelor farmer and Chris coming to terms with being trapped on an unfamiliar world. Along the way, they learn about each other and slowly make new friends as they appear, gradually building an irreplaceable experience for themselves. It’s a reflection of how someone has to live overseas with a foreign culture and lifestyle, adapting quietly and making friends to establish a new home. The story also goes into some detail about how farmers make a living, including constant supervision, use of equipment such as mosquito nets, crop disease and selling produce to a wholesaler. This can be interesting for those who have already experienced the beaten path of Japanese modern culture, such as the hectic city life in Tokyo.

Not much else happens in this story so far unless you consider the possible ramifications of the world learning about the existence of fantasy magic and parallel worlds. There are also hints of something big happening with in-story news reporting unusual events such as gravity well phenomena resulting in electromagnetic pulses, leaving cities without electricity for hours. Only time will tell if Chris has anything to do with this. My guess is that the story will eventually come to the question of whether she will choose to stay on Earth or return to her native world.

Moral

The relationships that you build are often the things most precious to you in life, even if you are far from home.

Spoiler Alert!

About six years ago, a withered old man was discovered in the depths of a mausoleum on an unnamed island (called “The Island” in-story) by local villagers. He claimed that he was King Delgal, the last king of the Golden Kingdom, a legendary realm once known for its fabulous wealth. Continuing his tale, Delgal said that the Kingdom was sunk underground by a mad magician a thousand years ago and that anyone who defeats the magician would inherit the Kingdom as its new King. With that, the old man collapsed and crumbled to dust. Since then, the Island has become a bustling destination for adventurers either hoping to strike it rich or rediscover ancient knowledge once lost to the ages within the underground Kingdom ruins (the dungeon).

During your latest mission within the dungeon, your adventuring team (consisting of yourself, your younger sister Falin, the elf magician Marcille, the halfling rogue Chilchuck, the dwarf warrior Namari and the swordsman Shuro) is ambushed by a huge red dragon. In the midst of the harrowing battle, you are suddenly pushed from behind. Turning around, you are horrified to see Falin held up in the dragon’s jaws and your teammates lying on the ground around you. The last thing you see is Falin screaming “Run…!” and a flash of bright light.

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Delicious in Dungeon (ダンジョン飯 Danjon Meshi) is a manga written and drawn by Ryoko Kui (九井諒子 Kui Ryōko).

The story’s beginning sees the fighter Laios waking up and staring at a clear blue sky. The last thing he remembers was watching his sister Falin cast a spell upon the team from the jaws of a dragon. A moment later, two of his teammates, Marcille and Chilchuck, inform him that most of the team’s belongings were lost in the battle with the dragon and that Namari and Shuro have quit the team. Laios realizes that they must find the red dragon again before Falin gets digested (a red dragon’s digestion cycle lasts about a month if it’s asleep). Now penniless, the team is unable to pay for the equipment, supplies and registration fees needed for the return trip, so Laios proposes a daring solution: hunting the dungeon’s monsters for food! Naturally, both Marcille and Chilchuck are repulsed by the idea, but both are convinced somewhat when Laios shows them a book about cooking monsters that he secretly kept.

After catching a walking mushroom and a giant scorpion in the dungeon’s first level, the team attempts to prepare and cook the monsters to make a hotpot. Suddenly, a strange dwarf runs up to them and claims that’s not the proper way to prepare a dungeon meal! With his guidance, Laios cuts out the scorpion’s entrails and Chilchuck cuts out the edible parts of the walking mushroom. The dwarf also cuts off some algae from the dungeon walls and adds them to the pot.

After the hotpot is finished, Laios, Chilchuck and the dwarf start eating…it’s delicious! Losing a battle with her growling stomach, Marcille eats some as well. At the end of the meal, the dwarf introduces himself as Senshi and he’s been exploring the dungeon and cooking monsters for over ten years. Laios invites him to join the team and he accepts in the hope of someday tasting red dragon meat.

So begins the quest to rescue Falin…and make meals out of the dungeon’s monsters!

Characters

Laios Touden, a 26-year old male human fighter and the leader of his adventuring party. Calm and gentle, Laios has a lifelong desire to try eating monsters. He is quite knowledgeable about various monsters and their behavior, but he lacks social skills and common sense, making him somewhat blunt and tactless when he is with other people. Laios was not really on good terms with anyone in his hometown, including his own parents. The only exception to this was his sister Falin. In his late teens, he left home and signed up as a soldier in a larger town. After realizing that he couldn’t fit in there either, Laios found work as a caravan guard after his discharge. During this time, he stopped at the magic school Falin attended to pay her a brief visit, but she decided to go with him instead. Eventually, they both traveled to the Island, where they spent three years together as adventurers before the encounter with the red dragon.

Marcille, a female elf wizard. Smart, principled and uptight, Marcille is a powerful mage who provides the party’s magical firepower. She gets uncomfortable when dealing things outside her comfort zone, such as eating monsters. Fascinated with dungeon-building, Marcille hopes to one day create a “safe” dungeon where magical materials such as mandrakes can be grown and harvested safely. In the process, she has learned ancient magic spells that are traditionally forbidden. The child of two court wizards, Marcille was a researcher and teaching assistant at the magic school that Falin attended and they soon became close friends. After Falin ran away from the magic school to accompany her brother, Marcille came to the Island at Falin’s invitation four years later. Hoping to gain practical experience in an actual dungeon, she worked as the Touden party’s wizard for a year before they encounter the red dragon.

Chilchuck, a 28-year old male halfling rogue, locksmith and trap expert. Shrewd and practical, Chilchuck prefers to not take on jobs without being paid in advance. Like all halflings, he has excellent hearing and appears to be a child despite his age. Chilchuck has worked with various adventuring teams in the past and has influence with the Island’s local halfling community, acting as an informal leader. When at work, he keeps up a tough front and stays quiet about his private life because he has seen how relationships within an adventuring team can lead to its dissolution. Of all the dungeon’s monsters, Chilchuck particularly hates mimics (crab-like monsters that live in boxes or chests) because they have killed him many times over the course of his adventuring career (resurrection magic is possible within the dungeon).

Senshi, a 46-year old male dwarf dungeon explorer. Stubborn yet passionate, Senshi (meaning “seeker” in the Dwarven language) has lived a mostly solitary life within the dungeon, hunting monsters for food and occasionally travelling to the surface to buy supplies. He is a very skilled cook and survivalist, seeing the dungeon as a delicate ecosystem not unlike a forest and never taking more than what he needs for survival. He also dislikes magic, which puts him at odds with Marcille sometimes. Unlike most dwarfs, Senshi has no interest or talent for blacksmithing or mining. In the past, Senshi formed a friendship with the orcs who lived within the dungeon and he still sometimes trades with them.

Falin Touden, a 23-year old female human magician. Like her brother Laios, Falin is calm, gentle and is fascinated with monsters, but she is also considerate, kind and self-sacrificing. She has an affinity for spirits and is a magician who is particularly skilled at casting healing and protection spells. During her time at the magic school, Falin displayed an astounding talent for magic that impressed even her teachers. One such event was when she created a massive amount of spiritual energy within a miniature dungeon experiment, which eventually led to her close friendship with Marcille. After the battle with the red dragon, Laios and his friends decide to return to the dungeon quickly in order to retrieve Falin’s remains before they are digested, making her eventual resurrection impossible.

Personal Thoughts

The overall problem that the heroes face here is the fight against societal bias and prejudice. In the story of Delicious in Dungeon, almost everyone holds the conventional belief that eating monsters of any sort is unhygienic, despite the fact that they have never even tried it once! Cows and pigs were proven safe to eat after proper preparation, so why not certain monsters like basilisks (human-sized chickens with the tails of snakes), mimics, giant bats and giant frogs? More exotic creatures such as treasure bugs (insects camouflaged to look like gold coins and jewels) and living armor (mollusk-like monsters that grow armor-like shells to form a hive creature that looks like a suit of armor) can surprisingly be made into food as well. What society considers taboo could actually be hidden innovative ideas that could open up new options and experiences for us if taken into consideration with proper preparation.

The problem with societal bias goes a step further when we learn that Marcille’s knowledge of ancient spells is illegal in conventional society and magic guilds. Why are such spells illegal? For starters, some of these spells involve the manipulation of blood and souls, which could possibly lead to the mix-up of humanoids with monsters in body and soul. It does sound risky and dangerous, but think about how such magic could prove beneficial. More research and experimentation could lead to an improvement in healing magic or more effective resurrection spells. In an extreme case, perhaps even longevity or immortality (though that in itself is another issue)! Yet, we see people who have never used magic before or are ignorant about magic in general denounce this as “dark magic” without a second thought. Is a weapon evil because it killed someone? Or is it the person using the weapon?

Ms. Ryoko Kui has gone to considerable lengths to demonstrate the preparation of various monster cuisines in her story, creating a lovingly detailed cooking experience within that is both expressive and masterful. She has also made the dungeon setting into an entirely new world of its own, complete with different monsters with their own unique behavioral traits, devious traps, a ruined castle surrounded by a labyrinthine town and a community of orcs living within the dungeon, away from the adventurers who would harm them. Together, this all creates a captivating story.

Moral

Just because society declares an idea taboo or wrong, doesn’t mean it should never be explored. With careful preparation, such ideas could bring benefits never considered before.

Spoiler Alert!

It has been half a year since your parents and your older brother died in a terrible accident. On top of continuing your studies at high school, you’ve been dealing with greedy relatives and unscrupulous strangers hoping to cheat you of your family’s money. One day, while visiting a clifftop viewing point at a beach, a group of suspicious young men invite you to a party. After you refuse, they get insistent and one of them grabs your arm. Noticing the bystanders nearby walking away, you kick the man in the groin, causing him to double up in pain. His friends are enraged at this and one of them violently pushes you against the fence…which breaks as you fall backwards. As you fall towards the ocean below, you realize that you don’t want to die…you don’t…want…to die…

You wake up in the middle of a forest…what? Weren’t you at a beach just now? You wander for a couple of days before you faint again as you come across a dirt road…

Waking up in a small bedroom, you see a little girl with silver hair come in and hug you tightly. She’s talking to you but it doesn’t sound like Japanese…or any other language you’ve heard of. After a while, you realize that her name is Collette. She takes you out of the house and you see that you are in a village of small wooden houses surrounded by a wooden fence, beyond which is a familiar-looking forest. Curiously, there are no street lights, telephone poles, phone booths or any other modern-day appliances.

Three days later, you accompany Collette into the forest to help her gather herbs and plants. While doing this, you and Collette are eventually stalked by a pack of wolves. You help Collette climb a tree to get her to safety while you run away to distract the wolves. You soon trip and find yourself turning around to behold a terrifying sight: a wolf with its wide-open jaws filled with fangs pouncing on you! Closing your eyes tightly, terror overcomes you as you think about your mother, your father and finally your older brother…

Opening your eyes again, you find yourself in…your brother’s room at home?

Saving 80,000 Gold Coins in Another World for my Retirement (老後に備えて異世界で８万枚の金貨を貯めます Rougo ni Sonaete Isekai de 8-manmai no Kinka wo Tamemasu) is a web novel, light novel series and manga written by FUNA. After the death of her family, the 18-year old high school student Mitsuha Yamano somehow acquires the ability to teleport between modern-day Earth and a fantasy world from a mysterious entity with no name. The entity also grants her the ability to instantly understand and use the language of anyone she interacts with. After rescuing Collette using a military-grade slingshot and knives from her brother’s room to kill the wolves, Mitsuha gets the idea to set up a business of selling modern-day goods in the medieval-era fantasy world with the goal of earning two billion yen to ensure a comfortable retirement. Back on Earth, she uses her new abilities to instantly learn English and conduct research on various topics needed for survival. After this, she teleports herself to the base of the mercenary group, “Wolf’s Fang”, in order to make arrangements to learn combat skills, purchase weapons (especially guns!) and establish a partnership to allow her to trade the fantasy world’s gold coins for Earth currency. To earn two billion yen and account for currency exchange fees on Earth, Mitsuha works out that she must earn a total of 80,000 gold coins.

Mitsuha then returns to the fantasy world to visit the country home of the local aristocrat, Earl Klaus Bozes, in order to acquire funding and permission to establish a shop at the local kingdom’s capital city. Pretending to be a former noble from a faraway land, Mitsuha quickly befriends the Bozes family and trades them several unusual items such as a Swiss army knife and a fine pearl necklace (a priceless treasure in the fantasy world according to Klaus’ wife). She soon establishes the “General Store Mitsuha” and stocks it with various convenience goods from Earth such as shampoo, peeler knives, hourglasses, snacks and souvenir brooches. Mitsuha also sets up a sideline consultation service so that customers may receive her advice on any issue for a fee, which is relatively simple with her access to the Internet on Earth!

General Store Mitsuha swiftly gains a reputation for its unusual goods and services, which often seemed miraculous to the fantasy world locals. In addition to selling Earth items, Mitsuha plans the debut party of a Viscount’s daughter (on their 15th birthday, all noble ladies have a debut party as their public introduction to high society), accompanies a group of mercenaries on a hunting mission and enables the restaurant “Paradise Pavilion” to thrive despite a hostile takeover attempt by a rival restaurant chain. She even saves a princess from being kidnapped and uses her teleportation to bring the Wolf’s Fang (soldiers, weapons, equipment and vehicles!) to defend the capital from an invasion by a hostile neighboring country.

Characters

Mitsuha Yamano (山野光波 Yamano Mitsuha), an 18-year old high school student from modern-day Japan. Despite being in her late teenage years, she is 152 cm (barely 5 feet) tall and looks younger than she really is, resulting in many people mistaking her for a child. A passing cosmic entity that had been observing the Earth found itself drawn to Mitsuha’s panic over her impending death by falling, resulting in Mitsuha somehow gaining a limited version of the entity’s ability to travel across different worlds. Meeting the entity itself, Mitsuha gained two more abilities: instant language comprehension and gradual regeneration from any physical injury that would otherwise weaken or scar her permanently, such as the loss of a limb. Using her abilities to set up a business to sell simple, inexpensive goods from Earth, Mitsuha is constantly on the lookout for profit opportunities in the fantasy world, but she is compassionate and protective to those she considers her friends. On the other hand, she can be rather ruthless when dealing with enemies, sometimes even thinking of them as monsters.

Captain, the so-far unnamed commander of the mercenary group “Wolf’s Fang” on Earth. While the story does not say where the base of Wolf’s Fang is located, most of the mercenaries appear to be Caucasians. After researching various private military contractors, Mitsuha decided that Wolf’s Fang seemed relatively trustworthy and remote enough to make contact with. Captain personally trains Mitsuha in the use of modern military weapons, particularly knives and handguns, and later takes on her request to hire Wolf’s Fang to defend a city in the fantasy world.

Princess Sabine, the youngest daughter of the King. Mitsuha meets her when she comes to the General Store Mitsuha to do some shopping after learning about the shop from the palace maids. A group of men attempt to kidnap Sabine, but are stopped by Mitsuha, who followed the princess out of concern. While she is sweet and innocent, Sabine has occasionally displayed a selfish, manipulative side whenever it comes to getting what she wants. She quickly grows attached to Mitsuha, treating her like a favorite big sister even though she already has two older sisters in the royal family.

Personal Thoughts

Mitsuha’s ability to freely teleport between Earth and the fantasy world and her use of modern-day technology takes away much of the story’s thrill. Still, it is fun to watch how the people of the medieval-style fantasy world view her goods and knowledge as miraculous or even magical! Something as negligible to us as modern shampoo becomes a treasure to those who never had shiny, healthy hair in the entire lives. The business concept of supply and demand is taken to fantastical lengths as Mitsuha creates a unique market in the fantasy world that no one else can match, resulting in her becoming known as a miracle worker as she gains more customers for her business. This goes a step further when she teleports Wolf’s Fang to the fantasy world and back to Earth again, demonstrating that she could be almost unstoppable with her access to modern-day weapons. Greedier people would likely use such teleportation to steal anything they want without leaving a trace or conquer the less-advanced fantasy world.

Unusually for an isekai character, Mitsuha isn’t seen with any close companions. While she has several friends, Mitsuha often keeps to herself in order to conceal her teleportation ability, which could be abused if the wrong people knew about it! She is a practical businesswoman who hoards her abilities, secrets and goods to maximize her profits, much like how entrepreneurs run their businesses in our world. However, Mitsuha still cares for those she considers her friends and does what she can to help them, even if there is no monetary gain for such. As a result, she encourages customer loyalty and repeat business for her shop.

Curiously, no magic has been demonstrated in this story and no wizards are seen. Most of the “magic” comes from the goods and technology that Mitsuha brings with her, in order to emphasize how “magical” our own lives are!

Moral

While it is good to earn money to make a comfortable life for yourself, it is also important to remember and care for your family and friends.