Laios, Marcille, Chilchuck, and Senshi are in a position that isn’t unheard of for people venturing into the dungeon — a member of their party was killed in the dungeon and, at great risk to themselves, they’ve gone back in to revive her using the unique mechanics of the dungeon before all is lost. The part where their fallen party member Falin was eaten and digested by a dragon, forcing them to use some of the slain dragon’s own innards to resurrect her is far less typical. Worse, with Falin gone again there’s no clear path for the group to follow as they debate if they should continue farther into the dungeon or go home.
After the rather grim turn of events in volume 5, where the newly-resurrected Falin/Red dragon is either coerced or compelled by The Lunatic Magician to leave the group and venture farther into the depths of the dungeon, Delicious in Dungeon volume 6 feels like an almost surprising return to the “norm” by comparison. Laios’ group has met up with Shuro and Kabru’s combined group, who were major players in volume 5, and these characters are becoming more and more suspicious by the page. It’s hard to tell where Shuro’s loyalties ultimately lie (aside from Falin he doesn’t appear to have liked anyone in the group and has only a vague reason for even exploring the dungeon) and volume 5 showed us that Kabru has big ambitions and a serious lack of morals about achieving them. Thankfully it appears that they won’t be with the group very often, with one exception, and afterwards Laios’ group is left in roughly the same spot they were before: demoralized, low on energy and supplies, and facing an increasingly desperate situation.
But this is Delicious in Dungeon after all so it’s not all dark and dreary! (And truthfully, this is a series that started off with someone getting eaten so it’s not like this turn of events is unexpected) There’s a lengthy chapter where shapeshifters have infiltrated the group and suddenly there is four of each character to sort out which had an especially hilarious resolution. Although, I do think that the best gag is the very last omake page in Delicious in Dungeon volume 6 where the group ends up watching a soap opera from Marcille’s dreams.
Of course there are the usual jokes about the food but honestly everything the group ate seemed a little tame compared to past volumes, although that was partially since a member of Shuro’s party cooked a rather typical, Japanese-style meal in one of the chapters and this of course reduced time for more wacky meals. I fully expect volume 7 to compensate for this and make up for lost opportunities. After all, as Laios throws at Shuro before the groups separate: “We, who ate three proper meals a day and got our sleep, have been much more serious about this than you are!!”