Chapter 29: Feeling Good
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 29: Feeling Good
“A-Are you okay...?”
“Oh, yes. I’m fine.”
I eventually managed to force all the bones down. The Direwolf’s esophagus seemed to be doing its job; I could feel the sizable chunks of bone sliding down my throat.
Fortunately, I didn't sustain any injuries and successfully finished the femur. My throat felt a bit scratchy, but...
‘I can just swap the esophagus out.’
Now that the Direwolf’s esophagus had served its purpose, I could simply change it back.
“Ahem. Ah, ah. Much better.”
When I had swapped the esophagus, my voice had come out sounding strange and strained. It was only natural, considering the organ is attached to the vocal apparatus.
“How is it?! Do you think you can swap the bones now?!”
“I’ll have to give it a try.”
The bone I had just consumed was a femur—the thigh bone that connects the hip to the knee. Come to think of it, the femur is probably the part of the human body that needs replacing the least.
Human femurs are already incredibly strong and rarely break. They don't typically take direct impacts in combat, so swapping them wouldn't offer a significant tactical advantage.
Of course, that was a concern for later. Right now, the most pressing issue wasn't combat utility, but whether the bone displacement was even possible.
“Whew...”
I focused my mind, activating the skill with a different sensation than before. Not the thigh muscles, but the bone supporting them from within.
Swap the bone.
“Hmm...”
I felt it instinctively. Rather than replacing an entire bone as a single unit, it felt more efficient to use the Ursus femur I’d consumed to modify other bones.
By eating the bone, I hadn't just gained 'Ursus Femur x1' as a resource. Instead, it felt as though I now possessed several grams of marrow, several grams of dense cortical bone, several grams of cancellous bone, and so on.
Even a single bone was divided into its constituent parts. This would work.
“Replace the cortical bone of my right forearm with that of the Ursus femur.”
The human forearm contains two parallel bones: the radius and the ulna. Since they share the load, each bone is relatively thin and weak.
My left arm had been the one that snapped last time. If I could replace the cortical layer of my radius and ulna with that of an Ursus, they would likely become incredibly durable.
“Ssshh...”
I closed my eyes and concentrated. I could feel the two bones in my right forearm. I stripped away the human cortical and cancellous bone and replaced them with the Ursus material.
“W-Well? Did it work?!”
“Yes. It’s a success.”
It worked perfectly. Of course, the internal structure of the radius and ulna, as well as the epiphyses connected to the cartilage, were too complex to swap entirely, but the reinforcement was successful.
“That’s incredible! This proves two things at once!”
“Two things?”
“Yes! Since you swapped a leg bone for arm bones... it probably means the original location of the muscle or bone doesn't matter!”
“That... makes sense.”
Some muscles are large but lack explosive power, while others are small but incredibly strong. If I could utilize that...
“Ravi. Give me one of those bones on the table.”
“Oh, here.”
It was one of the Direwolf bones Ravi had gathered for me to eat. I didn't know which part it was or how old it was, but it didn't matter.
‘Replace the internal muscles of my palm with masseter muscles.’
A Direwolf’s bite force is terrifying, reaching up to 300kg. What if I put those jaw muscles into my palms? Of course, the internal muscles of the palm don't contribute much to grip strength on their own. The most important factors are the ligaments and tendons.
Fortunately, I had some very powerful tendons on hand.
‘I have Ursus tendons and ligaments.’
That Ursus guy... he really is the gift that keeps on giving.
Crackle—
“Gasp?! How did you...!”
When I applied a bit of pressure to the Direwolf bone in my hand, it crumbled like a cracker.
Clatter—
“Ow, my palm hurts.”
The skin on my palm wasn't tough enough to withstand the sharp bone fragments, but that didn't matter much.
‘If it’s all going to disappear in my stomach anyway, eating a little fur shouldn't hurt.’
From now on, I should do something about their tough hides as well. As for the aesthetic issues of my skin turning into animal pelt, I’d let my future self worry about that.
Alternatively, I could swap to an animal hide right before taking a hit, then switch back to human skin once the danger passed. Just like how my throat felt fine after I swapped the Direwolf’s esophagus back to a human one.
“Ravi. What’s next?”
“Ah, ummm... Bone marrow! Marrow produces blood! If we swap the marrow, will the blood produced afterward change too? This might be a long-term experiment!”
“I see.”
Ravi scanned the papers on her desk and circled the items we had successfully clarified in this session.
“This is a massive achievement! Truly amazing!”
Ravi sat at her desk, scribbling away happily with a quill. Her face was bright with genuine joy. I was pleased too; I’d never turn down an opportunity to get stronger.
* * *
“I’ll be back later.”
“Please come by often! We still have so many experiments left to do!”
“You seem quite eager to see me.”
“T-That’s only because of the skill research! Get home safely!”
Ravi slammed the door shut. Was she still holding a grudge over the Ursus head incident? Regardless, this was a great harvest. Bones are the most vital organs for maintaining a human’s shape. As long as I could become sturdier, I didn't care what it took.
“It’s getting late.”
One trip to the guild for Ursus bones, another for the Direwolf esophagus. After two round trips between the appraisal office and the guild, quite a bit of time had passed. The sun was almost down.
I needed to get back to the inn and help out.
“Hm? What’s this?”
I was practicing my skills by swapping parts of my body here and there on the way back when I realized I was being followed.
‘Someone’s tailing me? I haven't done anything to earn an enemy yet.’
To check if I was the target, I stopped for a moment. The person behind me stopped as well. Their tailing skills... were like someone who had never followed anyone in their life. They were just hiding poorly and following from a distance.
Should I act like I noticed? Or should I just ignore it?
‘They don't feel particularly strong.’
I could tell from the presence they gave off. Just an ordinary person. I ignored them and kept walking until I reached the inn.
“I’m back.”
“Welcome back!”
The sun had set, but it was only around 7:00 PM, so it wasn't too crowded yet. Auntie was back in the kitchen, and there were about seven customers—one table of four and one table of three.
‘And one more.’
The person who had been tailing me boldly pushed open the inn door and walked in. Curious to see what they looked like, I gently pressed down on Sera’s shoulder as she started to stand up, keeping her in her seat. I stepped out from behind the desk and walked toward the entrance.
“Welcome... Hm?”
Well, look who it is. It was the rookie female explorer I’d met in the labyrinth and again at the Sateria Appraisal Office.
‘Was her name Tresha?’
She looked incredibly shocked, as if she hadn't expected me to come right to the door.
“Y-You work here...?!”
“Yeah. Something like that.”
I wasn't sure if 'work' was the right word. I just helped out when I had time; I wasn't exactly an employee. I didn't get paid, nor did I intend to.
Tresha stood awkwardly at the entrance, her eyes darting around. Did she have business with me?
“Are you a customer? Or a stalker?”
“A-A stalker?!”
“You’ve been following me for a while. What are you up to?”
Was she holding a grudge because I didn't walk them to the portal in the labyrinth? That would be pretty petty. You’re supposed to handle the labyrinth on your own. Besides, didn't they have a party?
“N-No! We just happened to be going the same way!”
“The same way and to the same destination?”
“That was also a coincidence...!”
“Hmm. Well, then you’re a customer. Come on in.”
If she claimed to be a customer, there was nothing I could do. I wasn't the owner, and I couldn't just kick people out on a whim.
I stepped aside to clear the path. Tresha shot me a glance before scurrying inside and taking a seat.
“If you’re alone, sit at the counter, not at a table.”
“O-Okay...”
It wouldn't have mattered as much if it were a man, but sitting at a round table was an implicit agreement to share it with others. She clearly didn't know that.
I straightened my clothes and went to the kitchen to check in with Auntie. It was about to get very busy between 8:00 and 11:00 PM.
I had a customer who clearly had business with me, but I couldn't neglect my duties. Not that they were actually my duties, but still.
“Yoo Eon, who is that? You two were talking at the door.”
“I’m not sure. I ran into her once in the labyrinth, but she was following me from a distance just now.”
Sera followed me into the kitchen as I went to pick up some food. I told her the truth—that I didn't really know her.
“Hmph...”
Wait, what was with that look on Sera’s face?
“What’s with the face, Sera?”
“Are you even aware?”
“Um, aware of what?”
Sera puffed out her cheeks and reached out to poke the tip of my nose.
“Dummy.”
“Right... I’m a dummy.”
First the sexy appeal, and now she was going for cute?
“Haha, what was that about?”
I didn't know what it was, but it felt good.