Chapter 163: So Terrifying
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 163: So Terrifying
“Hehehe.”
“What’s with you? It’s creepy.”
“It’s delicious! The soup is seasoned perfectly today!”
“And here I thought you said it was bland every single day.”
Father seemed incredibly satisfied with Auntie Marta now that she had returned to her original appearance. Come to think of it, I suppose anyone would be in a good mood if their wife suddenly became beautiful.
“So, Ravi. You were the one who deactivated the skill?”
“Ah, yes. Auntie asked me to last night…”
* * *
“So, your name is Ravi, was it?”
“Yes! That’s right.”
As usual, Ravi Sateria had been cooped up in her cramped appraisal office—which felt more like a display cage in an illegal pet shop—before rushing over to the Mounted Goat Inn because she was starving. Since she usually lived the life of a beggar, brewing tea from weeds she found on the street or eating at the cheapest, crudest diners whenever she scraped some money together, she was a frequent guest here.
“I heard you were an appraiser.”
“Mhm, that’s right! I once had as many as fifty visitors in a single month! This is so yummy.”
Ravi chattered away with her mouth full of food. Regardless of her appearance, she was indeed an appraiser, and since Marta herself had retired from the front lines of exploration nearly twenty years ago, it had been just as long since she’d had her last curse skill removed.
Her mana circuits would be stabilized by now, so Marta was certain that even an appraiser with questionable skills would be able to deactivate it. That was when Ravi Sateria, who had become a regular, caught her eye.
“Could you deactivate a curse skill for me?”
“Oh? You have a curse skill?!”
To Ravi, she just looked like an ordinary innkeeper, so it was surprising to hear she had a curse skill. She wondered if the woman had gone into the Labyrinth to pick herbs or something.
“What kind of curse skill is it?”
“It’s the Obesity Skill.”
“Hmm.”
Ravi stopped chewing for a moment and stole a subtle glance at Marta.
Wait... isn't she just... naturally heavy?
Ravi was an appraiser, not a mage. While she had some knowledge of magic, she didn't know any spells that could fundamentally alter a person's physique.
“Ah, um. Are you sure it’s the Obesity Skill?”
“You’re thinking something very rude right now, aren't you?”
“I’m sorry!”
Regardless, Ravi considered herself a talented appraiser. Checking for the presence of a skill was as simple as examining the circuits, so once she finished her meal, she followed Marta into her room.
To her surprise, the Obesity Skill really was there. But what shocked her even more was that Marta’s mana circuits weren't those of someone who just popped into the Labyrinth to pick herbs.
It looked like she had worked as an explorer for at least five or six years. It made sense, considering she possessed several combat skills with decent performance.
“Whoa... were you an explorer...?”
“Can you remove the skill?”
“Ah, absolutely! I even brought my staff just in case!”
Ravi gripped the end of her staff short, like a pencil, and began deactivating the skill. She wondered what Auntie’s original form looked like. Judging by how stable the skill circuits were, it seemed she had acquired the Obesity Skill a very long time ago.
If she had wanted to remove it, she could have done so over a decade ago.
With various idle thoughts crossing her mind, Ravi Sateria easily erased the skill.
“It’s done! Now, for the physical changes to take effect, you need to drink something called a Reconstruction Potion.”
“Yes, I know.”
“But I didn't bring any with me... I can make it at the appraisal office, though! Could you wait just a bit?”
After deactivating a skill that alters one's physique, like the Obesity Skill, one simply has to drink a potent mana potion that reconstructs the body and wait.
The process usually involved some pain, and in the case of removing the Obesity Skill, there were often side effects like muscle loss or becoming severely emaciated upon returning to one's original form.
“It’s fine. I have one. Could you step out for a moment? My clothes might... slip off.”
“Oh! Right! Understood!”
Ravi stepped out, feeling accomplished. She was curious to see what Marta would look like. As she waited and chatted with Tresha, it wasn't long before she heard the sound of Marta’s bedroom door opening.
“Wh-whoa...”
* * *
“Sister Sera was out grocery shopping at the time. You should have seen her reaction, Yoo Eon!”
“I can imagine.”
Fortunately, Auntie Marta, who was strict about self-care, didn't seem to suffer any of the typical aftereffects of holding the Obesity Skill for twenty years. Father was grinning from ear to ear every time he looked at her, though his expression would occasionally turn grave.
“Marta, you didn't... find another man, did you?”
“I did, actually.”
“Don't be like that...! I'll come back with a junk attached soon, I swear...!”
“Forget it. Just eat your food.”
It was a conversation between a young girl sad about her lack of a phallus and a beauty who had been under a wicked curse for a long time. I couldn't understand it at all.
“Sera, have you ever seen Auntie like this before?”
“No... it’s my first time too...”
If even Sera, who was twenty, had never seen her like this, it really had been a long time.
“There was a reason Sister Sera is so pretty. And...”
Tresha, who was standing nearby, looked back and forth between Auntie and Sera’s immense maternal traits before letting out a deep sigh.
“Tch... genetics are so unfair.”
“Tr-Tresha, you can still grow more... maybe?”
Sera’s consolation didn't help. From what Tresha remembered, her own mother wasn't built like that.
“Anyway, I’m sorry for the late return. Some things happened in the Labyrinth.”
“That’s right! We didn't come back empty-handed! Look forward to it, Marta!”
For someone saying that, Father’s hands were very much empty. Of course, he was referring to the Bear Fish I was carrying.
“Sera, I’ll borrow the kitchen for a moment. No one’s had breakfast yet, right?”
“Not yet. Our last customer just left.”
“That’s good, then.”
I still had enough Bear Fish for about seven servings, plus a little extra. I wasn't exactly a gourmet chef, but I knew how to control the heat and sprinkle some salt and pepper. If I could grill it satisfactorily over a campfire, there was no reason I couldn't do it in a kitchen with a frying pan and a proper hearth.
I prepared four plates of Bear Fish steak, each portion generous enough to cover Sera’s small face. I didn't tell them exactly what it was, but Auntie seemed to have a rough idea. Looking at the fatty white fish steaks that smelled delicious, Tresha, Ravi, and Sera all stared at their plates with wide eyes.
“Whoa... what is this...?”
“It’ll be delicious. Give it a try.”
The result was a massive hit. Since the freshness was top-notch, the meat was bound to be delicious as long as it wasn't burnt. Father sat next to Auntie and kept pestering her about how it tasted, eventually coaxing a rare compliment out of her.
* * *
“What the hell is this?”
“It’s the shield you gave me last time. I told you about it, didn't I?”
It had been a while since I’d seen the Dwarf Blacksmith. I had told him that I’d probably wreck his masterpiece—the 100% rare metal shield—within a month, and asked him to melt it down later to make me a proper one.
“Just... what on earth were you fighting...?”
“A Megido Serpent. It was an irregular entity that crawled out of the lake and turned the 30th Floor into a complete mess.”
“A Megido Serpent...! You—you’re lying!”
“Why would I lie?”
The shield was a bizarre creation made from a titanium base mixed with the ultra-light rare metal Zephyrite and Verdantium, which had self-repairing properties. Its weight was absurd, but in terms of durability, it should have been in the top 1% of all shields in the world.
“To think the Verdantium’s recovery couldn't keep up... this is unbelievable.”
Since it had been left alone for decades after being made, the mana contained within the rare metals should have been highly concentrated. Surprisingly, even after using up all that mana, the shield was covered in so many deep gouges and scars.
“It was a very good shield. I would have died without it.”
That was a bit of an exaggeration, but it had certainly helped. The lake water spat out by the Megido Serpent was mixed with rare metal ores; if my body had taken the hit from that high-pressure water combined with high-hardness metal... I probably would have struggled to recover.
“Ugh... you brat...”
The "failure" of a shield he’d made in his youthful arrogance had been put to good use by someone else. The blacksmith groaned, his brow furrowed, but as he turned around with the shield in his hands, he clenched his fist and shed a silent tear.
“You... what kind of shield do you want me to make?”
“I’d like a tower shield large enough to cover my entire body. Or at least two-thirds of it.”
“I’ll have to use some high-quality wood, then.”
Verdantium was effective because of its self-healing properties, but it was incredibly heavy. That was why the shield had been so heavy despite being mixed with the ultra-light Zephyrite. The titanium base also played a part.
Since the basic construction of a shield involved a metal and leather handle, a wooden body, and a metal rim, the blacksmith was saying he’d need wood sturdy enough to support the weight of the Verdantium rim.
“Is it possible to make it entirely out of metal like this one?”
“You’ve finally lost your mind. This one only covers your upper body and it weighs this much. To cover your massive frame, it would have to be at least six times heavier.”
“Hmm, I guess so.”
Of course, weight wasn't the only issue. The biggest problem with making a full rare metal tower shield was the lack of materials and funds.
“Besides, I don't have that much metal. Do you think minerals just grow on trees?”
“Well, minerals do come from the ground.”
“It’s a figure of speech, you brat!”
I thought for a moment about how to supplement the minerals, and then something came to mind.
“Old man, do you want to use this too? It’s not enough to make the whole thing, though.”
It was Draconium, the biological metal I’d received from Iris. The scales were quite thick, so there was a decent amount. I figured it could be used as a supplement.
“Th-this...! Isn't this Draconium?!”
“Yeah. That’s what I was told.”
“It is...! Draconium! Judging by the shape... these are nose scales...!”
“Is that... a good thing?”
“You fool! Nose scales are considered the absolute best! To think I’d get to work with these, ha!”
He was so excited he started dancing. Even while holding the heavy metal, he hopped around; those bulging arm muscles weren't just for show.
“This will definitely help... but it’s still not enough. I can only make one about this size.”
The blacksmith gave me a rough estimate, but the width was slightly less than what I wanted. I wondered if there was a way to get more funds.
“Let’s see what I have... Ah, old man, do you know how to use this?”
It was the check with no amount written on it that I’d received from Theodora. It was a simple slip of paper with the date, location, and the seal of the Lymain family. The blacksmith took it from my hand with a confused look, then his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
“Wh-where did you steal this?!”
“I didn't steal it. I was given it directly.”
“This is a Deposit Authentication Check!”
As it turned out, this piece of paper was like a card that allowed the holder to use funds deposited in a specific account. How convenient.
“The issuer is Lymain... Kid, just who the hell are you...?”
“Oh, you know. Just... did some stuff. Anyway, can we do it with that?”
“With this, I can make anything, you brat!”
“But we don't even know how much is in there.”
“You idiot. A Deposit Authentication Check can only be issued for accounts with at least 300 gold coins deposited.”
“Holy crap.”
The blacksmith grinned and nodded.
“Come by when you have time.”
“Why? Can't you just use that?”
“Do you think I can use this on my own? The people who handle money aren't that careless. You have to be there to authorize it.”
“Are we going to buy materials?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Sigh, alright. Let’s go buy materials when I have some free time.”
* * *
After finishing my business with the blacksmith, I decided to go buy materials later. Theodora and Delbaheim were busy with the Calax Birth Festival. Ravi, of course, had nothing to do, and I’d heard from Tresha that Iris was rarely away from her shop.
“That’s surprising. I thought she was a literal homebody. I guess she can leave the shop building.”
I spent some time idly staring at the inn’s ceiling, sitting in a half-tilted chair. Outside, the sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in hues of orange and red.
What was that dream?
I had definitely dreamed something after eating the Megido Serpent, but it was hazy and I couldn't quite remember it. As is the nature of dreams, the details had blurred over time.
“Phew, this is frustrating.”
I needed to practice using the Megido Serpent’s body, but it was too large to try out here. And I’d just gotten back this morning, so I didn't want to head back into the Labyrinth just yet.
As I was killing time, Father suddenly came out of his room and approached me.
“Young man. Let’s talk.”
“Ah, Father. What is it?”
Father glanced around, and after confirming the dining area was empty, he whispered softly in my ear.
“Is it possible... to use your skill to make a junk?”
“...Excuse me?”
He scratched his head and continued with his absurd request. I had no idea what he was talking about.
“You know, that skill. You can make extra arms grow and all that, right...?”
“I can, but...”
“Could you do that for me... I mean... you must have eaten at least one Orc by now. If you have a spare junk lying around...”
“Woof! Woof! Bark! Grrr... Bark bark!!!”
“Whoa! Why are you suddenly barking like a dog?!”
Father was so startled by my "barking" that he fell backward. He landed hard on his rear on the wooden floor and looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“Yes! That’s exactly it, Father!”
“Th-that...?”
“If you’re going to talk dog-shit, I have no choice but to respond in dog-speak.”
“Ugh...”
Since he was already down, Father just sat there on the floor, pounding the ground in frustration.
“This can't be happening...”
The curse of the Labyrinth was truly terrifying.