Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Emily Epiris (5)
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⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Calorie Burn Time Limit: 15 minutes
I opened my eyes amid the pain, and the first thing I saw was a blue window message.
The name of the skill I'd used and its time limit.
At the same time, I felt power surging through my body.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 📏 Height: 175cm ⚖️ Weight: 70kg ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Using the skill 'Calorie Burn' consumes 40kg of body weight. The consumed weight is converted into physical abilities due to your trait. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The effect of 'Calorie Burn' greatly increases the calories gained from consumed food. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Consume food equivalent to your original body weight within the 15-minute limit. Failure to do so will result in Ken Fine Stein's death. Sensing the malicious intent of the game developers, I stared at the status message.
I immediately understood what kind of skill it was.
Clenching my fist, I felt an immense power unlike anything I'd experienced before.
'This should be enough to take it down.'
I launched myself forward, blocking Emily's path.
"Get back!"
After that, I used the dagger I'd made the day before to defeat the Albino Cyclops Giant.
Monsters of the cyclops giant variety generally have their eye as a weak point. Attacking the eye stuns them immediately, leaving them unable to move for a while.
I planned to decide whether to flee with Emily or finish it off based on how well my attacks landed.
But contrary to my expectations, a single swing cleaved the giant in two, killing it.
'Incredible effect... I've never seen a skill like this anywhere...'
It was probably some gimmick the game devs threw in for fun.
There's no way they'd include a skill that makes you instantly lose weight in a setting where losing weight makes you stronger, otherwise.
'...The problem is.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Time remaining until body weight recovery: 13 minutes 'Damn it, where am I supposed to find food in a forest like this!'
Then, a memory flashed through my mind—Emily from when I played the game.
In the game, her stamina recovery effect was minor, so she wasn't much use in the late game.
But she definitely had food items.
With that, I rushed over to Emily and made my demand.
"...Food."
"...Pardon?"
"Do you have any spare food? ...Anything will do, I'm in a hurry."
Emily promptly pulled out some food at my request.
She seemed kinder than usual, somehow?
Normally, she'd recoil at the thought of touching me or avert her eyes like I was filth if our gazes met.
But that wasn't important right now.
I had no idea how much food I needed to eat from here on.
'The sandwich... it's soaking into my body...!'
I started devouring it as best I could.
Thankfully, Emily kept supplying me with more food as I wolfed it down greedily.
Today, she looked like an angel.
Is this how the people who usually receive her kindness see her?
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Target body weight calorie intake complete. Terminating skill. "Phew, thanks. I was almost in deep trouble, but you saved my life."
I'd come that close to dying.
Patting my newly plump belly, I thanked Emily... Huh?
"...Huh?"
Emily's hollow voice echoed.
Why was she looking at me like that?
Oh, right. Just moments ago, the skill had left me looking gaunt.
Suddenly ballooning up would shock anyone.
I needed to explain the skill properly...
"Ah, no... It's not..."
But Emily's dazed expression darkened, and she began muttering something to herself.
"...No way... My, my first love..."
"Huh? Oh, no need to thank me. We helped each other..."
"No... No, no...! Nooo!!"
Was she that eager to thank me?
Even as I told her it was fine, Emily vehemently denied it.
Then she shot to her feet.
Huh? Didn't her leg hurt?
"......"
She stared down at me as I sat there.
Her eyes weren't the sparkling angelic gaze from before, nor the usual look of disgust.
They were filled with a mix of shame and rage, tears welling up.
As if she might explode with that energy any second.
"Nooooooo━!!"
Emily turned and fled.
"...What was that about?"
Well, whatever. I survived, so that's what matters, right?
Everything worked out fine!
With Emily gone as well, I immediately got to work.
Unexpected gains.
'Emily bailed out of nowhere and threw me off... but thanks to that, all this is mine.'
A tune escaped my lips unbidden.
I picked up the knife I'd made yesterday and began harvesting the Albino Cyclops Giant's corpse.
"Woohoo! This guy's got gems too! Super lucky!"
In this world, gems held value beyond mere money.
Starting from basic mana crystals infused with magic power, the four elemental-colored gems each contained the power of their corresponding spirits.
The gem the Albino Cyclops Giant carried was green.
In other words, an item imbued with the power of wind.
'Judging by the size, it isn't high-grade.'
In the game, items showed their grade right away, but since this was reality, I had to gauge it by size.
Roughly D-rank.
Even so, it could imbue weapons or armor with attributes, making it a great haul for now.
I slipped the gem into the subspatial pouch I'd acquired today.
No weight, but the sensation of it filling up made my heart race.
On top of that, the Albino Cyclops Giant's hide was highly valuable due to its albino trait.
Giant monster hides were thick and tough, perfect for armor or selling.
And the giant's bones.
Honestly, the process of skinning and extracting them was nauseating, but necessary.
'...There was a bone sword recipe too. Maybe give that a shot?'
Boss monster materials had endless uses, none wasted.
Especially at this early stage of the game.
'This one's no good.'
In the game, I could've targeted the weak point for the eye material... but in reality, my knife had pierced and crushed it.
A shame for alchemy use, but unavoidable.
I stuffed all the materials into my fist-sized subspatial pouch.
The weight felt no different from before.
Most of the giant's parts fit in, yet I felt nothing.
"Glad I got this first thing."
The subspatial pouch truly changed everything depending on whether you had one.
Satisfied with my haul, I returned to the dormitory.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Emily Epiris barricaded herself in her room after returning from the perilous adventure.
'...No, ...no, ...this can't be.'
She pulled the blanket over her head and recalled the day's events.
Herself in danger. The one-eyed monster.
And the dashing prince who appeared to save her.
But that prince had been devoured by a pig.
That pig had suddenly donned the prince's skin.
'This can't be... He was my first love.'
Back when the noble tried to drag her away, a knight had helped, but she hadn't understood love then.
Enrolling in the academy, chatting with girls her age, making cool guy friends like Adrian.
That's how Emily had slowly awakened to romance.
And the man who'd truly made her heart flutter.
'Was ...Ken Fine Stein.'
Thinking back, he seemed kinda cute...
'Am I insane?! What am I even thinking...!'
Emily hated fat guys. No, loathed them.
Any man with that build reminded her of the noble who'd tried to take her away.
Staring at her with lust-filled, sticky eyes.
Just remembering made her skin crawl.
That's why Emily was in turmoil.
Even knowing the prince was Ken Fine Stein, her heart had already fluttered—it was fact.
Her trauma rejected him, but her heart kept raging to accept him.
'...He was so cool.'
She recalled him saving her.
'Why doesn't that pig diet!'
And the round belly he patted.
Emily resented him.
If he was gonna slim down and get handsome anyway, why not sooner? None of this would've happened.
No sneering at him, no grimacing or clicking her tongue every time their eyes met.
Everything could've gone smoothly.
"......No."
Emily wrapped herself in the blanket and muttered.
"Right, that never happened."
In the chaos of trauma and first love, she found her own answer.
Denial.
"I never fell for that guy."
Denial of reality.
"That never happened."
And that denial...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Hey, pig. Didn't I tell you to hustle over here in ten minutes?"
"Kyaha! Emily's being so mean. Look at the pig panting."
"Seriously, lose some weight already. When Emily calls, you should come running."
A few days later, on a rainy day.
Emily had her foot on Ken Fine Stein's head.
'Right... I've never liked a guy like this...'
As if to prove her resolve.
She joined the group she usually despised and began bullying Ken Fine Stein.
Ken, who used to get beaten by the group if he didn't comply, thought as her foot pressed his head down.
'...Didn't I save this bitch a few days ago?'
His head spun more from injustice and confusion than the pain.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Emily Epiris's sexual arousal level has increased. "...Ufufu."
And the status window before his eyes only muddled his mind further.