Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Tarros's Tower (9)
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"What the hell is this...?"
I stared at my reflection in the mirror after taking a shower.
"Who the fuck is this guy...?"
It was a face I didn't recognize at all.
No, more shocking than that was what the face actually looked like.
This might sound weird coming from me, but...
"...Isn't he too damn handsome?"
Saying it out loud made me cringe hard. It sounded like something a total narcissist would say, the kind who winks at himself in the mirror every morning.
But even so...
He was handsome enough that it didn't feel out of place.
'Dieting might as well be a lottery jackpot, but...'
This was a huge difference.
My face had definitely been puffy from all the fat before.
But now that it was all gone, my cheeks were slim, and my vague features had sharpened into something striking.
'My nose was this high?'
I examined my reflection from every angle, filled with astonishment.
Then, suddenly, I remembered people's reactions when I'd used Calorie Burn and when I'd returned from the [Bottom].
Especially Emily's and Mary's.
Rafne had actually cried her eyes out because I'd lost so much weight.
Those two had seemed like they couldn't quite meet my eyes.
If my face looked like this, it made perfect sense.
Honestly, even I felt weird locking eyes with my reflection.
'...Anyway, let's get ready first.'
Today was the day we'd take a break and finally conquer Tarros's Tower.
So I dried off and changed clothes.
'What happens when I go back to the academy like this...?'
Even as I dressed, my mind raced uncontrollably.
And what came to mind was life after returning to the academy.
Fat Ken disappears for a while, then comes back looking like a total stranger.
I worried that my changed face might even prevent me from getting in.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After getting ready, I headed down to the inn's first-floor dining hall. At our usual table, only Mary sat there blankly by herself.
She swung her legs idly, staring out the window in a daze.
She must have gotten ready first and come down earliest.
The creaking of the wooden stairs announced my arrival, and Mary turned toward me.
"......Ah. ...U-um."
Spotting me, her eyes widened in surprise before her cheeks flushed, and she shyly bowed her head.
She fiddled with her bangs as she did.
"G-good morning, Ken."
She looked up again and waved at me.
"Yeah, sleep well?"
"...Rafne's sniffling kept me up a bit late, but I'm fine."
"...Haha, I'll tell her to tone it down."
She's still crying, huh.
Rafne had been tearing up a lot ever since I slimmed down.
Probably shock and regret over my drastic change.
'Gotta eat up and get back to normal quick!'
I recalled her clinging to my hand, eyes misty.
Sorry, but I had no intention of packing the weight back on now that I'd finally shed it.
Sure, if everyone preferred the chubby me, I might consider maintaining it.
But the issue was my stats.
Slim Ken was strong enough to rival Siegfried... or maybe even Rafne.
In a place like this, where threats could lurk anywhere—even without Rafne's prophecies—raw power was crucial.
"Had breakfast yet?"
"No, ...I was waiting to eat with you, Ken."
"......Not with the rest of the party?"
"Ah, y-yeah! The party, I mean! ...I misspoke."
She panicked at my casual question, cheeks turning red again.
Then she averted her eyes.
'...Something's definitely different.'
Mary used to blush around me plenty before the weight loss, but not to the point of avoiding eye contact like this.
Now I got it.
The problem wasn't Mary—it was me.
My transformed face.
Honestly, it was starting to feel a bit awkward.
Not just Mary—Emily reacted the same way.
Though with Emily, she babbled and laughed nervously more than dodging my gaze.
Then she'd stare at my face when I looked away.
And it wasn't just friends; random people stared too, making things super awkward.
"...Whoa, check that guy out."
"An adventurer?"
"...With a face like that? Nah, probably some noble here for a commission."
Whispers drifted over.
The early-morning dining hall was quiet, with only a few people besides us—merchants or adventurers with early starts.
Two who looked like adventurers were staring straight at me.
Feeling their eyes, I turned, and they startled when our gazes met.
One blushed and looked down; the other gave a shy smile and a little wave.
I nodded politely and turned back to Mary.
Honestly...
It was overwhelming.
Not just women—guys stared too, for long stretches.
Handsome people must be common in this world, but apparently my face was novel enough to draw lingering looks.
"Um, Ken...?"
"Yeah?"
"What exactly happened in that trap?"
Mary, who'd been fidgeting with her head down, suddenly asked.
Probably trying to break the awkward air while voicing her pent-up curiosity.
"It was just a week, right? To lose this much weight in that time... what did you go through...?"
Her expression darkened as she spoke.
"All that suffering... Sniff."
Tears welled up in her eyes.
"N-no! It wasn't that bad!"
"I'm sorry. ...If I'd been stronger, you could've taken me with you."
She sniffled, blaming herself.
But that was the total opposite of reality.
I hadn't left the party behind because they were weak.
The real issue was the year-long time limit.
I'd told Siegfried and Adrian, but the girls didn't know I'd spent a year in the trap.
I couldn't drag them into that hell for a year just to help with my goal.
"It wasn't suffering that did this."
"Th-then how did you end up like...?"
"Well, it's like..."
How should I explain?
'Truth is, I dieted for a year!' would just make her cry harder.
Then a flash of inspiration.
"A-actually, I have this skill. When certain conditions are met, dieting becomes super effective!"
"...A skill?"
"Yeah! You've seen me slim down before, right?"
Mary nodded faintly.
She'd remember—from the Reaper's Curse incident, when I'd come back from the dead briefly slimmer.
I chalked it up as one of Calorie Burn's effects.
"...You're too kind, Ken."
But she didn't buy my cover story, giving a soft, pitying smile instead.
She gently took my hand.
"...I can tell how much you suffered just from these hands."
"M-Mary...?"
She lifted my hand carefully with both of hers, bringing it to her tear-streaked cheek.
Her soft, warm skin pressed against me.
She lingered, feeling the texture, stroking my roughened palm from a year in the trap.
Her comforting gesture made me smile as I patted her head with my other hand.
She startled slightly, then looked up at me with a gentle smile of her own.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Ken, be careful. Don't leave my side no matter what!"
"Anywhere hurt? Tell me if you're injured!"
"Don't worry about the rear—I'll guard it no matter what."
"Hey, ...I'm pretty strong now, you know?"
Once everyone was ready, we re-entered the tower.
The problem? After falling into that trap once, their overprotectiveness had kicked into overdrive.
Rafne gripped my arm tight, growling at our surroundings, while Emily scanned the other side.
Mary trailed behind, radiating chill.
The positions from our first tower run were gone; we'd climbed to the 10th floor like this.
Siegfried took point ahead, Adrian the rear, staying vigilant.
'...My fault for scaring them.'
I recalled petrifying them to stop them from following into the trap.
A year ago for me, but just a week for them.
Overprotecting the guy who'd barely escaped a sudden trap wasn't unreasonable.
'But I'm seriously strong now.'
If I retested my adventurer rank, S-rank wouldn't be out of the question.
Monsters charging us now? I led, mowing them down in numbers rivaling Rafne.
But they still fretted.
Emily scolded my thoughts right on cue.
"Can't have you pulling some reckless solo stunt again—deal with it!"
Her retort to my pleas that I didn't need babying.
Fair enough—my own karma.
Feeling guilty yet secure, we reached the 10th floor.
"...Let's see."
I checked our position on the 10th-floor map.
Luckily, the path to our goal wasn't tough.
With my boosted stats, nothing here could stop our party anyway.
We arrived smoothly at the destination door.
"It's covered in all this ivy."
Rafne muttered, peering up at the towering wall.
Vines and moss hid it so well it barely looked like a door.
But a clear seam marked the center, with a slot for something.
The one shortcut in this tower, found by the first user to escape [Tarros's Bottom] with the key.
I had Adrian torch all the overgrowth.
Whoosh.
Acrid smoke billowed as the stone door emerged.
It loomed nearly 4 meters tall and wide.
I slotted the hard-won key into the central groove.
Rumble rumble rumble.
It fit perfectly, and the massive stone door ground open slowly, scraping the floor.
"...How the hell did you even find this?"
Emily gawked; I smiled awkwardly and looked away.
"Got info brokers who know... this and that."
I brushed it off, and she didn't press.
Where the info came from wasn't the point anyway.
"Shall we go in?"
"Straight to the 100th floor from here?"
A mana vortex swirled inside the open door.
Confirming it, I turned as Adrian asked.
I nodded to the group.
"Time to take down this tower's boss."
I scanned their tense faces, my expression hardening.
"If anything dangerous happens, I'll signal right away. Run without hesitation."
What we had to beat now was the tower's very purpose.
The legendary ancient dragon Tarros.
Someone from the [Academy of Epiris] had reached Tarros via this shortcut.
But no fight—they'd fled immediately.
Emily, spotting Tarros, got a system message: 'No way I can beat that.'
She couldn't approach further.
That was the systemic wall—the tower was unbeatable in-game.
You had to slay the dragon, but game Emily dodged combat entirely.
And even if she fought, victory seemed impossible.
But now, in reality, we could fight.
The catch? No one had ever battled it, so zero pattern knowledge.
Still, I turned toward the shortcut portal.
Legendary ancient dragon or not, there had to be a way.