Chapter 105: A Normal Reaction
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 105: A Normal Reaction
“Welcome, young master.”
“Yeah. Theodora’s inside, right?”
“She is in her office, as usual.”
Two days later, just as the letter had stated, it was the day Theodora was scheduled to work at her workshop in Calax. I arrived around 2:00 PM, well after lunch, but it seemed they were in the middle of a late meal here.
By now, I was familiar enough with the place to find Theodora’s office without needing guidance from the workshop manager. I knocked on the door and called her name.
“Theodora, are you in there?”
—Aven? The door’s open, come in.
Inside the office was a large, semi-circular wooden desk piled high with papers covered in various notes. A mechanical typewriter clattered away as she sat in her chair, busily processing work.
Beside her was a burrito wrapped in clean paper, looking as though she’d taken a few bites and set it aside. She was so busy she didn't even look up to meet my eyes.
“Busy?”
“No, some work just suddenly cropped up that I need to handle. Can you give me about three minutes?”
“Sure, I’ll just sit here.”
“Okay.”
I picked up the burrito next to Theodora, took a bite, set it back down, and sat in the chair beside her. Theodora, who had been staring at her papers, suddenly shot me a sharp glare.
“What was that? Did you not eat before coming?”
“No, it’s not that. I just wondered if rich people eat different kinds of burritos.”
“Pfft...”
Watching Theodora from the side, I realized she was a truly versatile person. She was wearing glasses, unlike her usual self, though she’d mentioned before that it wasn't because of poor eyesight. I recalled her saying they were a special magic tool.
“Whew, that’s it for now. Let’s go, Aven.”
“Where are we going?”
“Just follow me.”
After finishing her work, she left the office with a stack of documents, handed them to the manager waiting on the first floor, and led me toward the back of the workshop. There stood a rather grand building; judging by the design, it looked like a warehouse.
Sure enough.
“What is all this?”
“Aven, could you come over here for a second?”
“Hmm, what is it?”
Spread across wide wooden planks were various butchered monster carcasses, most of them seemingly tossed there without much post-processing.
“Eat anything you want. Most of these are difficult to sell and would cost money just to dispose of. They all came in today, so you don't have to worry about freshness.”
“For real?”
Unfortunately, old man Muto wasn't around today. Because of that, I wasn't entirely sure which parts belonged to which monsters, but these were the remains of powerful creatures that usually possessed at least one or two high-value parts.
Moreover, the more I ate, the better it was for Theodora. I was saving her disposal costs, so it was a win-win for both of us.
“Ah, do you have a place where you keep bones and cartilage?”
“We do. Let’s go a bit further in.”
Passing the first section and heading deeper, I saw bone fragments shattered into random shapes and piles of cartilage scattered about. Every piece was massive and boasted impressive density.
“Do you need a lot of bones?”
“There’s something I’ve been practicing lately.”
The Encyclopedia of Monster Anatomy I’d received from Ravi. I’d spent the last two days resting comfortably in my inn room, but I hadn't just been idling around. I needed a large quantity of bones to try various things. I’d eaten that Wild Boar whole, but...
Among the parts I currently had stored, the absolute volume of bone was far too low. The only strong bones I’d consumed so far were things like the Ursus femur. It wasn't much. Surprisingly, there weren't many useful parts among the Wild Boar’s bones.
While Wild Boar bones were sturdy enough, that was only when they maintained their original form. If I were to consume a single rib, it wasn't as if I gained a '+1' to a crescent-shaped rib.
There was a specific amount of endosteum and periosteum. Relatively soft and weak bone versus hard and brittle bone. Each part had its own characteristics, and because of that, even if two bones looked the same in volume, there were very few parts that actually fit correctly.
Clatter—
I dumped various bones into my storage, categorized them by type and strength, and then thinned out the ones with the appropriate density and weight.
“Theodora, I’m taking my shirt off for a second.”
“Huh?! Why?!”
“There’s something I want to try.”
A human’s humerus is attached to the scapula. Naturally, the original shape of the scapula is formed to accommodate a single arm bone, but perhaps it was because I’d seen so many grotesque creatures in the anatomy encyclopedia.
I felt like I could protrude a bone that functioned similarly to a scapula from beside my ribs.
“Mmm, okay.”
Feeling with my other hand, it seemed a new type of bone had definitely formed beneath my latissimus dorsi. If I coated it with a periosteum, connected it with high-quality cartilage and matching muscle fibers, then pushed through the skin to connect a new arm bone...
“Ugh...! What?! That’s gross!”
“Look away then.”
Since my skin was a limited resource, a new arm with exposed muscle fibers pushed through my right latissimus dorsi and rose up. I wasn't very used to moving it yet. Just as people are left-handed or right-handed, I figured I’d need to practice hard to use this arm.
Until now, I’d simply used the existing nerves of the body parts I was using and only swapped out the muscles and bones, which made it easy to get a feel for their power and use them skillfully.
The tail was an exception. At most, it was a simple form that moved up, down, left, and right. Since I’d packed the muscle fibers in a straight line, I could usually get the hang of it after about thirty minutes of use.
But a human hand wasn't such a simple organ. Using a new arm would require much more practice.
“Did... did you just grow another arm?!”
“I’m not exactly planning to use it as an arm.”
“Then...?”
“I’m trying to do this.”
According to anatomy, a wing is also a type of arm. It’s a modification where tough membranes exist between elongated fingers, sometimes with feathers growing over them. That was the reason I’d formed a hand first.
Rather than suddenly sprouting wings and flailing about, I wanted to get used to the arm’s form first and then figure out how to fly properly.
Well, it wasn't a problem that would be solved in a day or two.
“Theodora, we’re going into the Labyrinth together, right?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan.”
“Would it be okay if we had one more party member?”
“One more...? Who?”
After retracting the new arm and covering my lat with skin, I tapped Theodora on the shoulder. Only then did she feel safe enough to turn around. Her ears, which had been perked up at the question of adding a party member, lowered slightly.
“There’s an explorer I happened to meet. Same Gold Grade. Her skills... they’re probably not bad.”
“'Probably'? That’s a pretty vague evaluation. Woman? Man?”
“A woman. An archer who uses a great bow.”
“Hmm...”
Theodora seemed to ponder for a moment, then stepped closer, placing a hand on my shoulder and leaning in toward my face.
“Is she pretty?”
“Well, she’s not unattractive.”
“Are you attracted to her as a woman?”
Was I attracted to Rubica as a woman? Hmm... not really. There was a risk I might get eaten if she got too hungry. I was joking, of course, but any such thoughts vanished the moment I shared a meal with her. Not that eating a lot was a bad thing, but...
“No, not at all.”
“Hmph.”
Theodora looked me up and down before suddenly burying her nose in the crook of my neck.
Sniff, sniff.
“Wh-what are you doing, Theodora?”
“Fine. What’s her name?”
“Rubica.”
“Do whatever you want. What about you? Do you think we need one more?”
To be honest, I was torn on this. Part of me wanted to travel alone so I could move at my own pace day or night, but I also recognized that I eventually needed a party to go deeper into the Labyrinth.
No matter how strong an explorer was, they couldn't handle everything alone. Ultimately, the more people you had, the more diverse the party’s capabilities became, making it easier to overcome the various hardships faced within the Labyrinth.
There was a reason Big Clans operated full parties of twelve. Even high-ranking individuals needed many people to reach the deep strata.
“I think it’s not a bad idea. There’s a limit to the materials that make it to the surface, after all.”
“That’s true. At the end of the day, we’re merchants. If it has no commercial value, we don't handle it, and we don't buy materials worth astronomical sums if it means taking too much risk.”
Even if a creature was alive, they didn't seek out materials that lost their value upon death. Cases where items were too heavy or difficult to transport were also rejected. When all factors were considered, only materials that yielded a profit made it to the surface.
The 1st Stratum had a monotonous biome, and there were even ordinary creatures that hadn't been influenced by mana. The 2nd Stratum consisted mostly of things that were already dead, so they were out of the question when considering material value.
If there was a place where I could truly become stronger, it would be from the 3rd Stratum onward. That was where crazy monsters you couldn't even imagine on the surface—things you’d never even seen—were swarming.
I was much stronger than before, but I was still only Gold Grade. Hadn't I just been soundly thrashed by her father, who was Cobalt Grade?
If the experience required to climb from Brass to Gold was 100, then Gold to Platinum was 1,000. They said Platinum to Cobalt was closer to 10,000.
Regardless of the fact that I’d climbed five grades on the surface, as an explorer, I was still a novice. It was a long-winded way of saying that to reach the upper grades, I needed materials from strong monsters inhabiting the deeper Labyrinth, and for that, a party was essential.
“Where is she now?”
“At an inn in the Southwest.”
“What? Are you staying at the same inn?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s a completely different inn. I told her I’d talk to you first before deciding whether to let her join the party.”
“Can we not meet her today?”
She’d told me to come to her inn if I wanted to meet, so she probably hadn't gone into the Labyrinth or anything. We could probably meet her if we went now.
“Then let’s go have a look at her face.”
“If you want.”
* * *
“What is it with the signs for these Southwest inns?”
It was the ‘Winking Kobold’ inn, featuring an impressive sign of a kobold that looked like a slightly oversized guinea pig giving a wink and a thumbs-up. Rubica was supposedly staying here; the kitchen staff in this place must have a very hard time.
“Welcome! Explorer folks. One silver for one room until tomorrow morning. If you want two rooms, it’s three silver.”
“Why is it more expensive for two rooms?”
“Because if I say that, people like you usually give up and just take one room.”
“And what exactly do we look like to you?”
When Theodora asked with her arms crossed, the proprietor crossed his own arms and stared at the two of us intently.
“Hmm, from what I can see, the husband’s going to be henpecked. He’ll spend his whole life catering to his wife.”
“Haha... is that so?”
“Wh-what are you talking about...! I can be very sweet...”
Theodora mumbled beside me, seemingly displeased with being treated like a married woman.
“Anyway, we’re not here to get a room. Is there an explorer named Rubica here?”
“Ah, there is. Indeed! Thanks to that lady, our sales have doubled. Though the kitchen is working themselves to death.”
It seemed she was overworking the kitchen staff here as well. The Winking Kobold was slightly further northwest than the Mounted Goat Inn, meaning land prices and basic costs were higher. Of course, that also meant the quality was better.
She certainly seemed to be making good money. Not that I was staying at the Mounted Goat because I lacked funds, though.
“We’re here to see her. Is she in?”
“I can’t just give out guest information. Give me one silver, and I’ll go upstairs and ask for you.”
“If you’re going upstairs to ask, doesn't that mean she’s here right now?”
At Theodora’s sharp deduction, the man behind the desk let out a dry cough. Eventually, we got Rubica’s location.
“Ahem. Go up to the third floor, last room. It’s the one marked Room 312.”
“Yes, thank you.”
When I knocked on the door of Room 312, a familiar voice came from inside.
—Who is it?
“Rubica? It’s me.”
—Ah! Come in. You’ve arrived early.
Opening the door, I saw Rubica in the same comfortable pajamas as before. She was leaning back against the headboard of the bed, with piles of bread and fruit stacked on the side table.
Eating bread in bed... do the nobles of this world not receive etiquette training? Or maybe Rubica was just the weird one. As Theodora followed me in and scanned the room, Rubica sat up from her reclining position.
“Hmm? You have company?”
“Yes, this is the party member I mentioned before.”
“Ah, a pleasure.”
Rubica swallowed the mouthful of bread she’d been holding, immediately wiped her greasy hands on a handkerchief, and extended a hand to Theodora.
“Rubica Spanya. I am a Gold-grade explorer currently active as an archer. And your name?”
“Theodora Lymain.”
Upon hearing Theodora’s name, Rubica suddenly froze with her hand still extended.
“Lymain, you say...?”
“That’s right. The Lymain family of the Golden Glove Syndicate. I’m the daughter of the Chairwoman, Renart Lymain.”
The right hand she’d extended for a handshake naturally moved upward; Rubica placed her hand over her left breast and dropped to one knee.
“I greet the Lady of Lymain.”
“Get up. I didn't come here for that.”
Now that I thought about it, Theodora was a rich young lady. I guess this was the normal reaction.
“Theodora, should I do that too?”
“Forget it.”
“Suit yourself.”