Chapter 198: Why Didn't I Think of That?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 198: Why Didn't I Think of That?
“T-The winner is... Explorer Aven!”
“Good work.”
When knights spar, it’s only right to give it your all. Of course, if the Knight Lord had actually gone all out, I would’ve been sliced to ribbons in seconds, so he clearly held back.
“I-I can’t believe it... Are all Cobalt-grade explorers this strong?”
“Well... I’m not sure. I’d say I’m a bit above average.”
Come to think of it, wasn’t Father incredibly strong too? I recall him using an Aura Blade. Well, considering his years of experience, an Aura Blade is understandable.
“I see....”
“Lahas! Are you okay!? You’re not hurt, are you!?”
“Yes, Mina. I am unharmed.”
“It’s a shame, but it looks like my husband won. Right, Mina?”
“H-How is that thing a husband!? Anyone can see he’s a monster!”
Mina clung tightly to Lahas’s side, her legs trembling as she pointed a finger at me. I know I look the way I do, but calling a person a monster is a bit much.
Skreeeeek...
Mina’s expression twisted further as she watched Queen Arachne’s Exoskeleton split my skin and coil back into my muscle fibers.
“Ugh...!! Ewwwww!!!! Gross!!!!”
“A-Aven...? Maybe you should try to hide that sort of thing from others....”
Theodora, who had been standing nearby, tried to approach but then spoke from a safe distance.
“Ah, right. The fight was over, so I let my guard down.”
“Skills truly are remarkable... If I may ask, what was that skill you used just now?”
Lahas stood dazed for a moment before regaining his composure and asking about the skill. He was likely referring to the Evil Eye’s Mana Disintegration Ray.
“It’s a bit complicated. Besides, for explorers, information is life.”
“Ah, I see. I understand. And that Aura Blade from before.... That was also a skill, I assume? It was the purest and most intense Aura Blade I have ever seen.”
“Haha... Yes, that’s right. I’ve practiced the sword for a long time, but I’m not at the level where I can manifest an Aura Blade like that on my own.”
“You seemed to have a deep understanding of swordsmanship as well. It seems I was mistaken. I may need to reconsider my view of the explorer profession.”
It seemed Lahas was deeply mistaken. Most explorers were probably exactly what he imagined. I was only different because I’d acquired some very specific skills.
When I said I’d practiced the sword for a long time, I was referring to the time I spent being sliced apart by the Knight Lord in my mental world. Still, since I’d received a passing grade by Hersha’s standards, it counted as practice.
“Mina?”
“W-What....”
“Oh, nothing. It just looks like your face has a lot it wants to say?”
“K-Kh...!”
Theodora stood beside me with her arms crossed, wearing a smirk as she looked at Mina. Mina, still clinging to Lahas, glared back at Theodora.
“Fine! I didn’t really need that piece of junk anyway! It’ll probably run out of power and die in a few days anyway. You keep it!”
“Sure, will do.”
“You’re so annoying, seriously!”
Lahas picked up the petite Mina and carried her away. Lahas certainly has it rough. In the end, wasn’t this whole fight Mina’s idea?
“Dora, did I do something rude?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Lahas looked angry during the duel. I was wondering if I should learn some noble etiquette.”
“Aha, that. Well... you did misunderstand a few things. It’s not a big deal, though.”
To be honest, I didn’t think I’d ever have much reason to mingle with nobles. But being with Theodora meant it happened more often than I expected.
“Now that I think about it... the summer social gathering is coming up soon. It wouldn’t hurt for you to learn a bit.”
“Social gathering?”
“Yeah, in mid-August. It’s nothing grand, just a way for influential families to network.”
I suppose so. I didn’t know much about it, but the Lymain family would likely be invited to all sorts of social events.
* * *
Regardless, a duel is a duel. The prize for my victory was the Frost Core that had been slated for disposal. It was the Mana Core of a Volcanus Deathworm, the 7th Stratum Boss Entity of Hechituk—a cooling mechanism essential for a creature that roams through searing lava.
As long as it has mana, it continuously lowers the surrounding temperature, with its center reaching a staggering state near absolute zero.
I didn’t have an immediate plan for how to use it, but cold is generally lethal to living things. Warm-blooded animals need a way to block the cold, and honestly, at this temperature, it would be fatal even to those that aren't.
“It’s cold.”
“It is.”
“How am I supposed to eat this?”
“Hmm, can’t you just eat it like you usually do?”
Of course I could. The biggest problem was the ten-second delay before it was fully stored. I was worried my stomach wall would suffer frostbite and necrose in the meantime. I wondered if there was a better way.
“Ah, maybe I could try that.”
“Did you think of something?”
The activation mechanism of my skill requires the target to be inside my ‘stomach.’ When I used the Colossal Croco’s mouth, I had lined the roof, cheeks, and floor of the oral cavity with my stomach wall so that the stomach existed simultaneously inside the mouth.
The Colossal Croco’s mouth was large and the Titan Toad’s stomach was flexible, so that hadn't been an issue.
“This is fixed firmly to the ground, right?”
“Yeah. For now.”
The definition of being ‘inside the stomach’ was more ambiguous than I thought. Did I have to surround all six sides—top, bottom, left, right, front, and back—with the stomach wall? I didn't think so.
In the beginning, I had shaped Lizardman bones like a butterfly net and attached the stomach below it, dropping things in like a sack. So, having one side open should be fine.
In that case, I could attach a hemispherical frame to the Megido Serpent’s stomach wall and place the Frost Core ‘inside the stomach’ like an igloo, without it making direct contact.
“It might be gross, so you can look away.”
“Okay, I will.”
Other monsterkin and beastkin working nearby were watching, but I didn't mind if they were curious. Taking care of one's own mental health is a personal responsibility.
Crack, snap...
I considered making a hemispherical skeletal frame, but I already had a suitable bone. The Megido Serpent’s ribs were massive and curved like crescents.
I connected the Megido Serpent’s stomach wall to them, securing it with muscle fibers and tendons so it wouldn't tear.
“Ugh, it’s still freezing.”
Even with about a meter of space between the Frost Core and the Megido Serpent’s stomach wall, it was incredibly cold. I felt like I was going to get frostbite. I had no choice but to circulate warm blood to maintain my temperature.
Woooooom....
As the Frost Core, which had been radiating intense cold, was finally stored, the slight vibrating hum it produced faded away.
“Did it work?”
“Fortunately. But I’m really worried about where to use this.”
It would be great if I could regulate it, but it constantly emits such powerful output. If I tried to use it inside my body like my other Mana Cores, my chest cavity would probably necrose.
The Volcanus Deathworm survives by constantly drinking hot lava as it moves; without this core, its body would be cooked through. I, however, am not like that. Even if I were in a hellish volcanic terrain, I wouldn't exactly want to throw myself into the hottest parts.
“Ah, then... that would work.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“You know what the 6th Stratum of Calax is like, right?”
“Calax’s... Oh, was it the snowfields?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
The 6th Stratum of Calax is the complete opposite of Hechituk. It’s a permafrost zone so cold that your body would freeze solid if you stood still. The Snowfield Troll blood I have also came from Calax’s 6th Stratum.
“There’s the boss entity there, ‘Eldyokul.’”
“I don’t have any info on the 6th Stratum boss. I’ve never even heard that name before. What does it mean?”
“It’s the ancient language of the warriors who lived across the Myers River. I think it means... ‘Fire Glacier’?”
“Fire Glacier... Why would a boss in a snowfield have ‘fire’ in its name?”
Theodora gave a small chuckle and poked my chest with her index finger.
“Think about it. The Volcanus Deathworm has a Frost Core in its body, right? But it lives in a lava zone.”
“True.”
“Eldyokul’s Mana Core has the property of constantly emitting heat. It’s called a ‘Flame Core.’”
“A Flame Core....”
So the 6th strata of Hechituk and Calax were polar opposites.
“Unlike the Frost Core, the Flame Core is useless because there’s no way to utilize it. But wouldn’t it be different if you had a Frost Core?”
“Why is it useless? An energy source that constantly emits heat sounds incredibly useful.”
“A Frost Core is ultimately just cold, so it can be transported in a metal carriage. But there’s no metal that can withstand the heat of a Flame Core.”
“Aha... I see.”
Thinking about it that way, using it in my body wouldn't be easy either. If I were to manifest both a Frost Core and a Flame Core inside me...
“I’d have frostbite on one side and burns on the other.”
“Hmm, I guess it would be difficult....”
“Still, it’s interesting information. I’ll have to look for a way to use it later.”
* * *
“Hmm.”
“What are you thinking about, Yoo Eon?”
“Ravi. If you could handle something incredibly hot and something incredibly cold at the same time, what would you want to do?”
“That question is a bit too abstract... Something hot... and something cold?”
“Yes.”
As I sat in the inn pondering, Ravi waddled over to my side. I ended up sharing my dilemma with her, wondering what kind of answer would come out of that small head of hers.
“Hmm, it’s hard to say since I don’t know exactly how hot or cold they are. Is there a baseline?”
“The cold side constantly lowers the surrounding temperature. If it touches you, you’ll turn into ice instantly.”
“Heek, what is that? That’s a silly setting.”
“The hot side is about as hot as the sun?”
“The sun... is hot, but it’s not that hot, is it?”
“Ah.”
The astronomy of this world had not yet ventured beyond the celestial sphere.
“A hundred times hotter than lava.”
“Isn’t that a bit too much like a primary student’s make-believe...?”
“Just think about it.”
“Hmmmm....”
Ravi tilted her head back and forth as she thought for a moment, then nodded.
“What if you boiled water?”
“Water...?”
“Yes! You need fresh water to drink, right? Rivers aren't always that clean. You could boil the water with the hot side and then create drinkable purified water with the cold side!”
“That’s....”
Ravi was simply talking about a potable water supply, but why hadn't I thought of that?
“Thank you. I’ve got it now.”
“Hehe, really?”
I might just have an industrial revolution happening inside my body.