When I returned from exploring the dungeon to save the world, I found out that my lover had been stolen, and I was blamed for the failed expedition. Enraged, I quit Japan's strongest party—only for them to self-destruct on their own. - Chapter 36

**“This potion is made from a base of Blue Slime mucus, combined with extracts from Cleanseweed leaves and Revival Root to counteract poisons and paralysis—common issues in many dungeons.

We’ve also added carbonation for a refreshing taste.

It’s priced similarly to regular potions, but it provides not only physical recovery but also poison and paralysis resistance and prevention—a major upgrade!”**

[Live Stream Comments]

: Whoa, that actually sounds amazing.
: Recovery AND status effect removal? Plus prevention? That’s solid.
: Sounds good—unless it tastes awful…
: If Koichi makes a disgusted face, I WILL hold KIJ accountable.
: They wouldn’t have him test it on stream if it tasted bad, right?
: …What if Koichi just has garbage-tier taste buds?
: Didn’t he eat those Orcs from Tokyo Dungeon and LOVE them?!
: Excuse you! Orc meat was DELICIOUS!
: What if he’s just too polite to say it’s bad…?
: I doubt he’d fake it. This man has no filter.

**“That’s NOT true! I’ll say if something is bad!

So, just to confirm—this test is for taste only, right? I’ll take some to Imperial Palace Dungeon later for effect testing.”**

“Exactly. We’re not expecting you to get injured today.”

: Yeah, no sh1t.
: LOL, as if Koichi would need healing.
: Dude cleared Tokyo’s 100th floor AND the Pacific’s 100th floor like it was nothing.
: And he one-shot that giant steel mantis.
: Yeah… if they were hoping for actual damage tests, they called the WRONG guy.

“Alright then, here goes—

Down the hatch!”

Maintaining my “adorable polite mode,” I grabbed the bottle and chugged it like a soda.

The moment it hit my tongue—

A burst of sweetness, a cool sensation, and an exhilaratingly smooth finish.

[Live Stream Comments]

: Koichi…? Why are you silent?!
: Delicious or disgusting?! WHICH IS IT?!
: His face is priceless.
: Holy crap, he’s drinking ALL of it!
: Wait, that means…
: But what about quality issues—
: Shut UP! They’re doing this to PROVE they fixed it!
: Complainers are the worst.

“THIS IS INSANELY GOOD!!!!”

: HE SAID IT.
: CONFIRMED.
: CLIPPING THIS.
: ‘Koichi-kun’ is the BEST.

**“It’s got the perfect level of sweetness, the Blue Slime’s cooling effect is spot on, and the Cleanseweed and Revival Root don’t add any bitterness or weird aftertaste.

Honestly, I’d drink this every night after a bath. It’s that good.”**

: He’s REALLY hyping this up.
: He suddenly turned into a food critic.
: I need this drink in my life.
: I’ll buy a year’s supply just to have a midnight drink with Koichi.
: Okay, calm down, stalker.
: But wait… this is the guy who ate Orc meat like it was gourmet.
: AND LOVED IT.

“Orc meat is delicious, okay?!”

“Thank you, Mr. Okita! That level of praise will make our developers and production teams incredibly happy!”

Even though my food review skills are lacking, Hibino looked genuinely pleased.

“This recovery drink, ‘Celestial,’ will be launching this month. Please look forward to it!”

With flawless PR timing, Hibino made the official announcement.

: They should put Koichi’s ‘angelic smile’ in the ads.
: AGREE.

“That would be embarrassing…”

“We’ll consider it! We’ll be in touch.”

: LOL, PR instincts at max.
: Shut up and take my money.
: Honestly, Koichi’s basically a world-class influencer now.
: Only people still hating on him are that one shady Dungeon Association guy and his family.
: Can we NOT bring them up?
: Yeah, this is Koichi’s stream—focus on HIM.

Still in polite mode, I followed Hibino into the elevator and up to a floor filled with massive testing equipment.

“This place is…?”

**“This is KIJ’s inspection center.

It’s where we analyze powerful weapons and armor, particularly rare dungeon drops.

If an item’s properties can’t be identified through personal appraisal skills or standard association tools, it’s sent here for deeper analysis.”**

[Live Stream Comments]

: WHOA, this is sick.
: So many machines!
: My brain just regressed to childhood…
: WHY.
: Wait, so this place is even better than the Dungeon Association’s testing labs?
: Apparently, they get all the mystery items that even the Association can’t figure out.

A familiar name popped up in the chat.

Hazuki: That’s correct. Items with unknown effects often end up here for analysis.

: Oh, hey, Hazuki!