Chapter 3: Body, Equipment, Maintenance
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 3: Body, Equipment, Maintenance
“No, does that even make sense? Try a bit harder, will you?”
“Th-That… That’s not really something I can control just by trying harder….”
The solution she had mixed with my blood was a special reagent that supposedly only reacted to human blood. The reagent itself was colorless, but it was said to turn black upon contact with a human’s.
“L-Look… there’s still so much red left….”
“This is driving me crazy.”
Apparently, a single drop of the reagent should have been enough to turn the entire sample black. Despite that, the reason my blood still retained its red hue was…
“I-It really is mixed with Direwolf blood…!”
“No, seriously, is that even possible? Is it okay for animal blood to be inside a human?”
“Of course not! B-But… the living proof is right here….”
The results were enough to make my head spin. Was I really going to be okay? I hadn't studied medicine or anything, but even I knew that giving a human an animal blood transfusion was a recipe for disaster.
Hell, hadn't I heard somewhere that they failed to transplant pig organs into humans, and those are the most compatible? At this point, I was starting to get suspicious.
“Did my heart or lungs change too, by any chance?”
“I haven't opened you up yet, so I wouldn't know...”
Wait, opened me up? She looked innocent enough, but she said some terrifying things.
“No, I mean, you checked the blood with that circuit thing or whatever. Can’t you do something like that?”
According to Ravi, there was a huge difference between an eyeball and blood, and since the locations were different, she wasn't sure. A wolf’s heart? The thought alone made me dizzy.
“Thinking about it more carefully, I don’t think so.”
“Huh? Why?”
She looked at me, puzzled.
“Everything that’s changed so far was because the original part was damaged. My left eye was useless, and I’d lost a lot of blood.”
“Aha, that makes sense. Then don’t worry! Your lungs and heart are human!”
“Can you say that for sure?”
“No….”
Why, you little—
Anyway, the investigation into the Skill’s nature was over. Was my job here done?
“Then, I’d like to receive that ‘compensation’ you mentioned.”
“Ah! The payment….”
Ravi hung the flask containing my blood on a rack and scurried into the back of the shop behind a curtain. She returned shortly and placed a small leather pouch in my palm.
“I-It’s five silver coins! I’m sorry I couldn’t give you more... Instead, if you come back next time, I’ll give you much, much more…!”
“I don’t know if I’ll have a reason to come back.”
“I haven't figured out everything about the Skill yet! I want to try all sorts of experiments... If I can understand it more clearly, I can give you even more compensation!”
“Well, fine. I’ll keep that in mind for now.”
Five silver coins? That was an amount I’d have to fight all day in the Labyrinth to earn. I guess being a born Mage meant that even if she was ‘poor,’ she still had some wealth stashed away.
“Ah, could I get your name?”
“My name?”
“Yes! Since we’ll be seeing each other often…. Eek!? I-I didn’t mean it like that!!”
Ravi was a one-woman show, playing the drums, the gongs, and spinning her hat all by herself.
“Hmm.”
Well, whatever. If anything else weird happened, it would be better to come here.
“Where I’m from, the surname comes first and the given name comes last.”
“Oh, really? That’s a unique way of doing it.”
She took a piece of wood with graphite stuck in it and wrote down the information I gave her on a small square piece of paper.
“The surname is Yoo, and the name is Eon. Together, it’s Yoo Eon.”
“Yoo Eon… Is-Is that a pseudonym?”
“It’s my true name.”
“I-I see... I think it’s a very witty and cool name….”
“I agree.”
Leaving the blushing Ravi behind, I stepped out of the Appraisal Office.
“Five silver coins. This should be enough.”
* * *
“Did you bring me a blanket from some inn?”
“This is the gambeson you made for me last time….”
Seeing the tattered state of the gambeson I was wearing, the tailor’s eyebrows shot up into the shape of the character for ‘eight’ as he stared at me.
“Did you grind this against a stone wall? On sharp, jagged rocks?”
“Well... I played a bit rough with a Direwolf. It’s not like I tore it on purpose….”
“Hah, unbelievable.”
It was a thick gambeson made of sixteen layers of linen. I knew there were twenty-layer and thirty-two-layer versions, but compared to the eight or twelve-layer ones, this was on the thicker side.
Five silver coins wouldn't even come close to buying a new one. I figured I could just patch up the torn parts and keep wearing it. After all, the back, shoulders, and stomach were only torn through a layer or two from rolling on the ground.
The right arm was in pretty bad shape, but since fabric was priced by surface area, it shouldn't be too bad.
“I’ll have to rip off the entire sleeve and redo it. What’s the point of stitching something torn this messily?”
“Can’t you just stuff the loose bits back in and cover it with a layer of linen? Treat the torn parts like stuffing.”
“Then as soon as that one layer tears, it’ll go right back to this state.”
“Ah, right.”
In the end, the owner made his recommendation.
“I have to cut everything off below the elbow. The state above that is at least salvageable.”
“Then below that...”
“I’ll attach a new piece, but make sure you protect your elbows. If the stitching rips, you’ll be down to your bare arm immediately.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
In the end, I handed over one precious silver coin and got the gambeson fixed.
Next was the pouch belt.
“I’d like one a bit thicker than the last one, please.”
“Listen, kid. Once you scrape off the fat and tan the hide, animal leather is all pretty much the same. I don’t have anything thicker, but I have something tougher.”
“Oh, here we go again, trying to sell me the expensive leather.”
“If you know, then buy it.”
Since the Direwolf had bitten through and snapped my old pouch belt, I had to get a new one. I swapped the buckle and bought a wider belt that was indeed much tougher.
“Wow, old man. If you ever need an apprentice, be sure to call me. Selling a handful of leather for 40 bronze coins... being a tanner must be a shortcut to getting rich.”
“The mouth on this kid. Just get out of here!”
“Yes, yes.”
I ended up buying the belt for 40 bronze coins. Since I’d haggled him down from 50, I was satisfied.
“Next is the sword.”
The blade and the handle of my one-handed sword had filed for divorce. I guess they weren't getting along.
“The tang is snapped, so I can’t just reattach the grip.”
“Geez, why are there so many salesmen in this Labyrinth City? Is this a city of commerce or something?”
“Hold your horses, I didn't say you had to buy a new one yet.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
“I can melt down the forte to extend the tang. The blade will get a bit shorter, though.”
The dwarf blacksmith stretched out his thick fingers to measure the length of the blade and nodded.
“Speak so I can understand you.”
“I’m saying I’ll melt the part of the blade near the handle to lengthen it and reshape the tang.”
“How much shorter will it get?”
“If I make the tang thin, five centimeters. If I make it a bit sturdier, about eight centimeters.”
It was a one-handed sword that barely exceeded 70cm. If it got 8cm shorter, wouldn't it just be a long dagger? But what choice did I have?
“Please do it. Do a good job.”
“Kid, I should be the one asking you that. What did this sword ever do to you to deserve being treated like this?”
Being a dwarf, he seemed to have a deep attachment to the weapons he made. But isn't a weapon meant to take the damage in place of its wielder? If it did its job well, it should be praised.
“You thrust more than you slash.”
“You can tell just by looking?”
“Aye. The tip is more damaged than the edge.”
He was a blacksmith who sold cheap swords in bulk, but being a dwarf, he certainly had an eye for blades.
“Come back in two days. I’ll deepen the fuller to try and keep the blade from getting too short.”
“Yes. See you then.”
I handed over two silver coins—which felt heavier than my own flesh and bone—to the dwarf and stepped outside.
“Well, I managed to sort things out somehow.”
I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. I’d saved the money I would have spent on medical treatment, and I’d even earned five silver coins by letting someone study my Skill. Even though I’d spat back out 3.4 of them, it was a bargain.
I’d thought it was a shitty Skill, but it surprisingly had its perks.
“I’m hungry.”
Time to head back to the inn. I’d been too distracted to notice, but my muscles were aching and I hadn't slept properly.
Maybe because I’d fallen asleep leaning against a tree in the forest, my neck felt stiff and my back was sore. I might as well use the remaining money to buy a decent meal.
* * *
The Mounted Goat Inn. This was the inn where I’d settled, and it was run by an Auntie who had taken me in the day I fell into this world.
It had only been about a month, so it wasn't that long, but a month is more than enough time for a person to grow attached. Even that sign of a goat with a flag stuck in its head was starting to look endearing. What kind of goat is a standard-bearer anyway?
I haven't seen that girl before.
Since I’d stayed at the same inn for a month and always slept here unless I was spending the night in the Labyrinth, I recognized most of the people living nearby.
In front of the Mounted Goat Inn, a young girl was holding a broom made of dried twigs, sweeping the stone tiles.
Auntie, who usually sat on the bench out front puffing away on a cigarette, was nowhere to be seen. I wondered if there were customers inside for a meal, but that didn't seem to be the case either.
“What the? Where’d Auntie go?”
Auntie was gone, and the girl who had been sweeping followed me inside to answer.
“Welcome! This is the Mounted Goat Inn!”
“What? Where’s Auntie?”
“Auntie? Oh, Mom went out to get groceries!”
“Huh? Mom? Auntie had a daughter?”
How did such a slender girl come from such a… substantial Auntie? Well, I guess body type isn't always hereditary.
“She usually leaves me in charge when she goes shopping.”
“Oh my, you must be that guest Mom was talking about!”
“I haven't seen you once in the past month. Are you really her daughter? You didn't kidnap Auntie, dump her somewhere, and take over the place, did you?”
Whack!
“This brat and his big mouth.”
“Gah! That could’ve cracked a Direwolf’s skull. When did you get here?”
“Just now. If you have time, help me sort these vegetables.”
Auntie, who was holding a carrot the size of the daughter’s forearm in her right hand, handed me the basket she was carrying in her left.
“Auntie, can’t I eat first? I’m starving.”
“Sera. Go fetch a bucket of food scraps from the pit.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll do it and then eat. I’m actually paying for my meal this time, you know.”
“Pfft….”