Chapter 14: Skill Practice
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 14: Skill Practice
“Hiyah!”
The hair all over my body stood on end, signaling danger as if I had sensed an incoming attack.
Thwack—
“Gasp! You caught it!”
Ravi’s full-force staff swing—which possessed the physical attack power of a preschooler—was easily intercepted.
While the amount of impact and speed are somewhat related, this was a light attack delivered by a light body swinging a light staff. Even catching it with my bare palm, I felt next to nothing.
“Do you want to try a few more times?”
“H-here...? I can’t have the flasks breaking...”
“Then follow me outside for a moment.”
“U-um... you should probably put some clothes on first...”
“Oh, right.”
I eventually got dressed and stepped out onto the wide street. The road was a bit darker than the interior, which had been bright with lamp light. Ravi spoke up, sounding flustered.
“Just now! You did it again!”
“Huh? Did what?”
“Your pupils! I’m telling you, they stretched thin!”
“Well, yeah. I suppose they would.”
There were streetlights here and there, but the street wasn't particularly bright. However, the vision in my left eye was remarkably clear.
Even when Ravi swung her staff, my body had reacted first due to a sensation I was experiencing for the first time.
No, it wasn't entirely unfamiliar. It was like that feeling right before you get flicked on the forehead during a penalty bet. That sensation where the muscles around the impact point scream at you to dodge immediately.
“Amazing...! To think you have the senses of a wolf!”
“Hey, don't say it like that. It sounds weird.”
“T-then... the senses of a predator...?”
“That still sounds a bit off.”
Regardless, I understood the general effect. Was it sensory perception? I wasn't sure if that was the right term. The senses of a canine—specifically, a wild canine that hadn't undergone domestication—were blooming throughout my body.
“Does it have something to do with the moon...?”
Looking up at the moon in the sky, I felt... something.
What was this? This feeling.
“Ugh. Why is my throat so itchy?”
“Y-your throat...? Could it be that you want to howl...?”
“Howl? You mean that thing wolves do at night?”
“Y-yes...”
“Come on now. How can you treat a person like a damn dog?”
“W-what did I even do?!”
Ravi stomped the bottom of the staff she held in both hands against the ground, barking back at me.
“Fine, fine. I get it. So you’re saying it’s because of the Direwolf’s mana?”
“Well, that’s the most likely explanation.”
To check for changes in the circuit, I went back inside the appraisal office and lay down on the cot.
It smells like baby powder.
As I lay face down with my shirt off, I felt Ravi’s fingers brush past the back of my head and trace down my spine.
“The activation circuits are... the skill is connected much more densely and strongly than before. Something must have changed, right?”
“Well, this afternoon, my limbs were pulverized, so I chewed on the raw muscle of a Direwolf Alpha.”
“Wh-what?! What on earth are you talking about?!”
Ravi listened to my explanation for a while, and as soon as I finished, she spread her small, maple-leaf-like hands wide and smacked my back.
Slap! Slap!
“You’re crazy, absolutely crazy! You can’t do things like that!”
“Why not? I survived. I even got stronger.”
“S-still! Skills aren't omnipotent!”
“You said it was an unidentified skill. How do you know if it’s omnipotent or not?”
“That’s... true, but...”
Ravi nodded as she examined the circuits here and there, just as I had described.
“It certainly looks like the muscles of the Direwolf Alpha have replaced the injured areas.”
“So, am I going to stay like this forever?”
“In my opinion... as time passes, the Direwolf muscles will likely disappear and be replaced by human muscle.”
“Hmm.”
While I felt relieved, there was also a slight sense of regret. If I could maintain this state, I felt like I could even reach the 10th Floor.
According to Ravi, as my original muscles healed, they would displace the Direwolf muscles and return my body to its original state. She explained that they had only changed due to the skill’s influence because I was injured.
“However... I don't think the organs you... consumed... will disappear.”
“Why is that?”
“There are parts of the circuit similar to other skills that use a Stack Method. In other words... they’re stored. Through a magical process, they’re being kept somewhere. All those raw things you ate!”
“Hmm, I see.”
She really was a Scholar with a wealth of knowledge. She might seem a bit silly, but she was smart in these matters.
“Actually, I also ate the Direwolf Alpha’s lungs and heart.”
“Ugh... I see...”
“The muscles changed to the wolf’s, but the oxygen supply is lacking, so I can’t use them properly. Should I just crush my own lungs and heart then?”
“S-stop saying such stupid things! Honestly...! Just lie back down for a second!”
Following Ravi’s instructions, I lay face down on the cot. She brought over a book and began alternating between studying it and peering intently at my circuits.
I had no idea what she was doing, but for about an hour, she sat there quietly, looking back and forth between my back and the book.
Flip, flip.
“Ravi? Did you find anything out?”
“I think I’m getting it. Just a little more.”
Her academic passion was impressive. It would have been even better if she wasn't using my back as a table to write on.
Finally, after another ten minutes, Ravi spoke up.
“Haaaaah...!”
“What is it, Ravi?”
“Yoo Eon! Get up!”
“Right.”
As I sat up from the cot, the various loose sheets of paper that had been on my back tumbled down. Ravi didn't care, though; she grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the appraisal office.
“Ravi, my shirt.”
“You’ll be fine without it! Now, let’s try it! Hand, transform!”
“Excuse me...?”
“Hurry!”
Ravi grabbed my right forearm with both hands and shook it up and down excitedly.
“I figured it out! This skill isn't just about replacing injured parts with things you’ve eaten!”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s a skill that allows you to use the organs you’ve consumed at will!”
“Hmm, and it took you an hour to figure that out?”
“This is actually a massive discovery, you know!”
Come to think of it, the first time I used the skill, my right forearm had turned into a steak. I had used it according to my will.
“Wait! Why are you only telling me this now?!”
“I’m sorry. So, what exactly do I need to do?”
According to Ravi’s explanation, the parts of my body currently replaced by Direwolf Alpha muscle had changed based on instinct.
The desire to heal an injured area is the most basic ‘will’ possessed by all living creatures. Her main point was that the skill responded to my will and automatically used the stored parts on the injured areas.
If I used the skill with conscious intent, I would be able to use the organs stored in my skill even if I wasn't injured.
“You said you turned your right forearm into a steak last time, right?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Think like you did then! But with a much clearer image! I can’t recommend the heart or lungs because I’m honestly worried about the side effects. Instead, how about you try thinking: ‘I will change my entire right forearm into Direwolf muscle’?”
“I’ll give it a try.”
“Mm! Good.”
But I didn't think it would happen right this second. I could see the strength fading from Ravi’s eyes; I had woken her up at one in the morning and she’d been listening to me for nearly two hours.
“I’ll come back another time when I have a chance.”
“Huh..? You’re not going to do it right now?”
“Ravi, you look really sleepy. Go get some rest.”
“Well... I suppose I am.”
Only then did she seem to realize how tired she was. She let out a long, deep yawn and rubbed her eyes. Seriously, how old was she? Minors shouldn't be working night shifts.
“Then, if you succeed, make sure to come and tell me!”
“I will.”
After putting on my shirt and checking my overall condition, I asked Ravi as I left the appraisal office.
“No payment this time?”
“Ah, well... that is... the incentive pay hasn't come in yet...”
“Hmm, fine. You’re taking care of yourself, right?”
“Hehe, o-of course... Are you worried about me?”
“Yeah. I am.”
Given her appearance, if someone who looked like such a kid worked herself to death or died of starvation, it would weigh heavily on my conscience. Especially since there was no such thing as labor laws in this world.
“Children should go to bed early.”
“I-I’m not a child, you know?!”
“I see. Then are you an adult?”
“An adult?! Well... it’s a bit early to call me an adult...”
“Hmm.”
Then what was she?
Regardless, I needed to get some proper sleep at the inn tonight. I wasn't incredibly sleepy because of the Direwolf’s mana, but I felt like I could sleep if I lay down. My body was exhausted.
And I’d have to practice the skill, too.
“Go inside and rest. I feel bad for waking you up.”
“It’s okay. If anything else unusual happens, you have to come to me! And... if you’re okay with it, other beasts’...”
“Beasts’?”
“Ah, no. It’s a bit much to ask for that. Get back safely! I’m going in!”
“Right.”
* * *
When I returned to the inn late at night, the door was locked. I knew where the landlady hid the key, so I just let myself in.
Creak—
“Ah... you’re back? Where have you been?”
A half-asleep Sera came out to greet me in her pajamas. Man, she was really defenseless.
“I went to see an appraiser I know. I wasn't feeling well.”
“Are you really sick somewhere?”
“No, come to think of it, I’m not unwell. If anything, I’d say I’m better.”
Perhaps because I had received the blood of the nocturnal Direwolf, my body was overflowing with energy. The fact that I didn't feel like collapsing from exhaustion even at night was likely due to that influence.
“Is it related to a skill?”
“You knew?”
“No, not exactly. But this is a Labyrinth City. If something strange happens to your body, it’s usually a skill.”
“I suppose so. Why aren't you asleep yet?”
At my words, Sera crossed her arms and squinted her half-open eyes even more. Since Sera didn't have much body fat, her two largest lumps of fat were pressed together, asserting their presence quite strongly through her pajamas.
I didn't know where to look.
“Hmph. It’s not that. You should say thank you since I waited up for you!”
“Is that so? Thanks, Sera. I feel bad that you couldn't sleep because of me.”
“It’s fine. I don't have work in the morning, so I can sleep in.”
I grabbed the shoulders of Sera, who looked like she would collapse the moment she hit the bed, turned her around, and guided her to her room. From what I heard, the small bedroom next to the landlady’s room was Sera’s.
I considered carrying her there, but that would be sexual harassment. It wasn't like we’d known each other that long.
Since I wasn't particularly sleepy, I decided I should practice my skill for now. I’d just sleep during the day. The inn was busier at night anyway. There were only about ten rooms for guests to sleep in, but there were many customers who came just for meals.
I should probably consider it a blessing that I’d become nocturnal.
“Whew, let’s loosen up a bit.”