Monica

Personal Info

Cool-headed and reserved, preferring to act on her own instincts. Both her parents and master are renowned Explorers.
Which was why when she first started out, her reputation preceded her. Several teams tried to recruit her early on, but those collaborations didn't go too well.
According to reports, Monica's main goal in exploring the Abyss isn't treasure or discovery—it's to hunt down, or to put it more accurately, taste various monsters.
This rather unorthodox motivation has made it difficult for her to settle in one region or stay with a single team for long.

Chronicles

I was a close friend of her parents. After their passing, I took her in.
At the time, I thought she was my responsibility. To shape her into an Explorer as talented as her mother and father. But I never once asked what she wanted.
By the time I realized that mistake... she was already grown.
So now, all I can do is stop getting in her way, stop forcing her to do things she doesn't enjoy just to be stronger.
Like eating those awful so-called training meals. Yes, awful! Hahaha, I used to believe sacrifice was a virtue, that anything could be given up in pursuit of mastery. What a fool!
It was she who made me see that. These days, I'm like her. We're both learning to chase the lives we truly want.
— Monica's Master

I remember that young lady well. She used to be one of my regulars. Every visit was because of food poisoning!
She never cared which monsters were edible and which weren't. Just ate whatever looked interesting, and left me scrambling to figure out the cause of her illness each time.
But she doesn't come by much anymore. Partly because she's learned how to handle the common toxins herself, and partly, well... I'd say her resistance has improved quite a bit! Hahaha!
— A Doctor

Miss Monica is an exceptionally skilled Explorer, though she's a bit lacking in... common sense. And her hobby. Well, it's not exactly strange, just a little worrying.
She wants to taste every kind of monster she comes across, and she usually just roasts them on the spot. From both a flavor and safety standpoint, that's... not ideal.
She’s certainly strong, but if she were to get food poisoning—or something even worse—it could be dangerous, couldn’t it?
— Inellis

Record

During her first team missions, Monica tended to act on her own judgment. She would even delay missions if a particularly "interesting" monster caught her attention.
But ever since she and the team struck a deal—she'd help out in exchange for their aid in finding new monster ingredients—her performance has improved dramatically. Fewer mistakes. Smoother teamwork.
Once that coordination issue was solved, Monica's exceptional combat skills became a major asset to the team.

Over time, as she spent more time with the team—and endured the advances of many of its more eccentric members—Monica seemed far less aloof than before.
She even started initiating casual chats, especially when the topic turned to monsters or cooking.
During these conversations, she revealed a surprising passion for cuisine and explained her obsession with food.
Before she began traveling alone, her meals had always been limited to "training-friendly" food—nutritious but bland.
So when she learned that the Abyss held its own delicacies—that many monsters could be eaten—she set out to chase those flavors and experience every kind of taste she could find.

Anecdote

To thank her teammates for teaching her how to cook, Monica once prepared a dish from a newly discovered monster and invited everyone to try it.
But when they gathered around the cooked creature, no one dared take the first bite.
It wasn't just Monica's still-developing cooking skills that worried them; the fact that the monster's species couldn't even be identified was more than enough reason to hesitate.
Miss Monica, do you remember what this monster looked like?
About this big... four legs, Monica said, gesturing.
The group exchanged uncertain glances and sighed; that description could've fit half the creatures in the Abyss.
Um... Miss Monica, this is edible, right?
Yes. Monica nodded, and seeing that no one else was willing to go first, tore off a chunk of the massive creature and took a bite herself.
All eyes were fixed on her. The only sounds were her chewing and everyone else's uneasy breathing.
So... how does it taste?
At first, a bit salty... then just a faint sweetness, Monica said after thinking for a moment, before going back for another bite.
After watching her eat for a while without any visible ill effects, the others finally relaxed.
Hey, it's actually pretty good!
Yeah! With this texture, it'd make a great braised dish too!
Just as the team began to enjoy the meal, one member suddenly clutched their stomach in pain. "M-My stomach...!"

“Phew... good thing Miss Monica had antidotes ready, or we’d all be in real trouble,”
Still, how come she wasn't affected? We even checked before eating.
Come on, she is Monica. She's eaten every kind of monster there is. You think her stomach's the same as ours? She's probably immune to regular food poisoning by now.
For her to have survived this long in the Abyss... honestly, that's a miracle in itself.