Chapter 27: The Front is Better
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 27: The Front is Better
“That’s so mean! You’re too much! It’s a crime! A literal violation of the law!”
“I said I was sorry.”
“An apology doesn't fix the massive trauma you caused! It was a shock! A literal heart attack!”
“Right, right...”
In the middle of the street, Ravi was waving four goat skewers—two in each hand—and screaming at the top of her lungs. I had bought them for her as a peace offering, but now that she was full and energized, she seemed even angrier than before.
“I understand. I’ve clearly left you with an indelible scar, Ravi.”
“Y-you really have!”
“Since you probably don't even want to look at my face, I’ll head to a different appraisal office to finish identifying the unidentified skill.”
“Eh?! What?! Wait a minute?!”
“Thank you for everything. Goodbye.”
As I spun around to walk away, Ravi quickly shifted all the skewers to her left hand and grabbed my arm with her free right hand.
“N-no! It’s not that bad!”
“Then?”
“I mean... I was a little mad! But I’m okay now!”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes! I’m not mad anymore!”
“Hmm. Still, I think I’ll go to another appraiser.”
At those words, Ravi looked as if she’d been struck by lightning. Her jaw dropped, and she spoke with teary eyes.
“N-no! Why?! I said I’m not mad!”
“Even if you’ve calmed down for now, you must be deeply disappointed in me. You wouldn't want to research the skills of someone like that.”
“That’s not true! I’m not disappointed! It doesn't matter at all...!”
“Really?”
“Yes! R-really! I want to identify the skill! I want to research it!”
“Well, if you say so. But since you probably don't want to face a criminal, let’s just communicate through letters.”
“No, no, no!!”
* * *
“Th-thank you for letting me research your skill...”
“Yes. I look forward to working with you.”
In any case, the conclusion was that I had to eat the bone. Whether I crushed it, ground it in a blender, or sliced it with a knife, I had to break it into small pieces to consume it. Of course, I didn't actually have a blender.
“And I can't afford to miss any part of it.”
Muscles are essentially a collection of small organs—bundles of muscle fibers gathered together.
But with bone, I had to consume everything, including the internal marrow and other components that serve different functions. Furthermore, in the process of cutting or crushing the bone, gaps could be created by lost bone dust or microscopic fragments.
Given the flexibility of my skill, other bone material might fill those gaps, but if different parts of a single bone had varying levels of density, the weaker sections would inevitably take more impact, accumulate fatigue faster, and break easily.
“So, this is the method you chose?”
“Yes!”
It was a tobacco cutter—a large, levered blade. Bones are hard, but this tool was designed to slice through tough materials. It was a heavy-duty version used in butcher shops to cut meat and bone. It would result in far less loss than simply smashing the bone to bits.
“First time I’ve ever been asked to just slice a bone like this. So, you’re really going to eat this?”
“Yes.”
“Making soup, I assume?”
“No. I’m going to eat the bone as it is.”
The butcher shop lady looked at me with an expression that clearly said, 'What kind of nonsense is this?' Even I thought it was a bit of a ridiculous request. Still, since I’d paid, she began slicing the bone into thin wafers as requested.
They were about 0.5 centimeters thick. They looked a bit like the thin slices of pickled radish served with wraps, except these were hard and filled with yellowish-red marrow. Each piece was about the size of my palm; the Direwolf Alpha’s femur was quite substantial.
Since they were too wide to fit down my throat, I had them halved again into a swallowable size.
“Hardly any bone dust lost. Perfect.”
“Yeah, well. If I’m gonna make a living doing this, I gotta be this good.”
Ravi, who had been watching from the side, looked at the bone slices on the table.
“Ugh... You’re really going to eat that...?”
“You’re the one who told me to eat it, Ravi.”
“Th-that was for the sake of research...!”
Ravi picked up a thinly sliced piece of bone, brought it to her nose, and winced. I was the one who actually had to eat it, yet she was the one making a face.
“You should have one too, Ravi.”
“Wait?! M-me?!”
“Yes. It’s only fair.”
“B-but that’s because of your skill...!”
“I didn't think you were the type to play favorites.”
“I, uh...”
“I’m joking. Let’s head back to the appraisal office.”
“Seriously!!”
I placed the sliced bone in a metal bowl and brought it back to the office. No parts were lost; it was as perfect as it could be.
“The pieces are small, but the cut edges are a bit sharp. We need to make sure your esophagus doesn't get injured...”
“Do you have a good idea?”
“Hmm! Wait a second!”
Did Ravi have a plan? She told me to wait and ran behind the curtain, returning with something in her hand.
“What’s this?”
“These are Grace Thicket petals! They have an analgesic effect.”
“And what do you plan to do with a painkiller?”
“With this... wouldn't it be okay even if your esophagus gets a few scratches?”
“No.”
I was trying to figure out how to eat this without getting hurt, but Ravi was basically telling me to just get injured and endure the pain.
“B-but isn't it fine even if your esophagus gets scratched...?”
“Why? Let’s hear your reasoning.”
If the inside of my throat got cut, it would hurt every time I tried to eat. Ravi might not look it, but she was surprisingly callous about other people's pain. How spiteful.
“I mean... won't it just heal?”
“It won't. My healing speed might be fast thanks to the Direwolf Alpha’s mana, but I haven't acquired another creature's esophagus yet...”
Wait.
“That’ll work. Ravi.”
“Yes? What will?”
“If I’m worried about my esophagus getting hurt, I just need to eat the esophagus of something with a tough one.”
“Huh... wait, what?”
It was a stroke of genius. When those Direwolf bastards saw a corpse, they crunched through the bones and swallowed them whole. Their esophagi had to be incredibly tough.
I’d have to think more about the exact anatomical range of an 'esophagus,' but it was definitely worth a try.
“Ravi. Come to the Labyrinth with me.”
“What?! The Labyrinth?!”
At my words, Ravi jumped in surprise and shook her head vigorously.
“N-no! I can't go!”
“I’m not telling you to go alone. I’m saying we should go together.”
“That’s not the problem! What if I go in there and... and get some weird skill?!”
“Haha, Ravi. Are you really an appraiser? You make it sound like you get a skill just by taking a stroll in the Labyrinth.”
Normally, you have to spend at least a month inside the Labyrinth to acquire a skill. I was a very special case; a novice who hadn't even reached the 10th Floor wouldn't just walk in and out with a skill.
On average, people get their first skill around their twelfth dive. Getting one on the second dive was practically a miracle.
“I-I know that, but... almost no appraisers ever go into the Labyrinth...!”
Was it like how doctors supposedly never eat the 'Top 10 Unhealthiest Foods'? Since appraisers knew exactly how many horrible skills could be found in the Labyrinth, I suppose their hesitation made sense.
“You’re overthinking it, Ravi. You won't get a skill.”
“But...”
“Let’s just go in, grab one Direwolf, and come right back out.”
* * *
“Oh, welcome back.”
“It’s been a while. You weren't here a few hours ago.”
“I was out on field duty. I only just got back.”
Returning to the guild, I found Dahlia at her post. I hadn't seen her earlier, but I guess guild receptionists have to do field work too. Sounds exhausting.
“I see. One Iron Grade, one Lead Grade. Is the 3rd Floor a reasonable goal?”
“Lead Grade... and this person is...?”
Dahlia turned her gaze toward Ravi, who was standing beside me.
“I-I’m an appraiser!”
“An appraiser... I see. Understood.”
People who held appraiser licenses from the Academy in northeastern Calax or other cities were permitted to enter the Labyrinth without a separate Explorer’s Plate.
After all, the reason for issuing Explorer’s Plates wasn't to measure combat ability, but to verify one's identity. It was only natural for Labyrinth novices to be unable to fight since they lacked skills.
“Have you already acquired another skill?”
“Not quite. I’m just looking into the skill I got last time.”
“Aha. I see.”
Dahlia handed me the Labyrinth entry form. I signed it quickly and headed toward the portal.
“Y-you’re sure I won't get a skill, right?!”
“Ravi. If you say things like that inside the guild, people will throw rocks at you. A novice getting a skill? Not a chance.”
* * *
“Whoa...”
“You said this was your first time in the Labyrinth, right?”
“Yes...! Seeing it in person is so different from what I imagined.”
Ravi’s eyes were wide like a child at an amusement park for the first time. She spun around, taking in her surroundings. Of course, since this was the 1st Floor, there wasn't much to see besides a vast, open grassland.
“What exactly did you imagine?”
“Nothing specific, but... I thought it would be scarier and more intimidating.”
“It’s only the 1st Floor. It’s not time for the scary stuff to show up yet.”
Direwolves started appearing from the 2nd Floor, so we needed to head down.
“Ravi. Which do you prefer, front or back?”
“Wh-wh-wh-wh-what are you talking about—?!”
She suddenly started jumping up and down, squawking in protest. Her face turned so red that you couldn't tell where her cheeks ended and her hair began. She really was fun to tease.
“No, I mean, at your walking speed, we won't reach the 2nd Floor until early next year. I’m asking if you’d rather be carried on my back or in my arms.”
“Ah... no... seriously! You have to be clearer!”
“Right. But what on earth were you thinking?”
“Well, I...”
Ravi looked down, hiding her face behind a handful of her hair as she mumbled.
“The... the front, please...”
“The front is better, then.”
And so, we cleared the 1st Floor. I picked Ravi up in a bridal carry and moved swiftly toward the 2nd Floor.