Chapter 67: I Can’t Tell
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 67: I Can’t Tell
“Wait, it was that strong of a monster? Why am I only hearing about this now?”
“Because it’s a monster you only see when a Lich summons it. They don’t just appear normally.”
“Well, I’ll be.”
Wait a second. If there’s an Evil Eye that only appears when a Lich summons it…
“Do Liches appear on the 2nd Stratum?”
“You didn’t know? The boss of the 2nd Stratum is a Lich.”
“Huh.”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t known what the 2nd Stratum boss was. So, it turns out I might actually run into a Lich. Now that I think about it, it makes sense. The 2nd Stratum is crawling with those crazy skeleton bastards. If someone asked where all those things were coming from… the only logical answer would be that there’s a Lich nearby.
“Phew, even the texture feels disgusting. Seriously.”
“Are you done?”
“Yeah. For now, I’ve stored it as a skill. I’m just worried about how on earth I’m supposed to use this.”
It looked like a ridiculously large lump of an eyeball. Perhaps the shrinking magic wore off when it was stored in the skill, because the size I felt was massive. Just as Iris said, it was about a meter…? No, maybe not that big. Including the tentacles, it was a meter; without them, the eyeball itself looked to be about 70cm.
“Hmm, can I actually use this as an eye?”
It was a giant eye-monster that spat out Biodegradation Rays. I could basically think of it as having eaten a much more hideous version of Vel'Koz, but the problem was I didn’t know exactly how my skill would affect it.
When I had implanted the Ursus’s lung or the heart of the Direwolf Alpha into my body, I felt them shrink slightly to fit me. Well, the heart wasn’t actually that big to begin with.
As for the Ursus’s lung, despite its massive size, I definitely felt it change to a size that fit well inside my ribcage. The difference wasn't huge, but it wasn't negligible either.
That said, if I summoned a 70cm eyeball inside my skull and the size didn't adjust, my brain would be crushed instantly.
“This is tricky.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m not sure. I think I have to try it, but there’s some risk involved.”
First, as I always did, I tried summoning the Evil Eye at the tip of my tail.
—Thump!
“Holy mother of…”
Just in case, I cut off the miscellaneous nerve connections to prevent any kind of intrusion into my brain. I left it so I could at least blink the eyelid. I imagined this was exactly what a demon’s eye would look like.
Blood vessels were creepily spread over the white of the eye, and in the center, a purple pupil was sharply slit vertically. Making eye contact with it made me feel incredibly unpleasant for some reason. Even though it was part of my own body now, I felt the urge to punch it.
“It’s not good to make eye contact with an Evil Eye.”
“Why?”
“It can cause paralysis.”
“Doesn’t it just fire rays?”
“That too.”
What a magnificent creature we have here. Still, perhaps because it was my own body now, I didn’t feel any particular paralysis or anything like that. Now, the key was whether this thing would shrink to fit my body like the Ursus’s lung.
“I’ll give it a shot. I’m going to connect the nerves properly this time. If I go berserk, please make sure to stop me.”
“I’ll try.”
“Sigh.”
I emptied my left eye socket and concentrated. After stripping away the Evil Eye’s outer skin, wings, and messy tentacles, leaving only the optic nerve and the eyeball itself, I attempted to connect it to my left socket.
“Oh? I think it worked.”
“Yes. It looks like it.”
Surprisingly, the Evil Eye’s eyeball settled into my socket quite easily. However, there was a problem.
“What is this? I can’t see anything.”
“Nothing at all?”
“Yeah.”
I had definitely connected the optic nerve properly. It didn’t seem like the Evil Eye’s eyeball was damaged, either. My right eye could see perfectly fine, but the left field of vision, where the Evil Eye was connected, was pitch black. Or rather than black… it felt more like gray.
“What, did it fail?”
“It looks like it’s working fine.”
“But I can’t see a thing like this.”
What’s the point of an eye-monster that has nothing but an eye if it can’t even see? Or was it that the Evil Eye’s vision was so different from mine that my brain couldn't process it?
But if that were the case, most of the other things I’d taken with strange vision had worked fine until now. I couldn't figure out why only the Evil Eye was being so difficult.
“Aven, look at me.”
“Hmm? Why?”
Since my left vision wasn't functioning, I relied only on my right eye to look at Iris. By now, I was used to my vision changing—sometimes it was the color-blind vision of a Direwolf, other times it was the eye of an Umbra Valkyrie.
I was accustomed enough to it that seeing through only one eye wasn't particularly difficult.
“I still can’t see anything.”
“I see.”
I felt a bit deflated. I’d discovered that the Evil Eye’s vision showed nothing, but that was a rather disappointing result.
It was strange. If it couldn't see anything, how on earth was it supposed to look at people and fire rays?
“Oh, and by the way.”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any interest in teaching a kid?”
“...Did you have a child?”
“Good grief, of course not. Just a kid I know. Apparently, she made a contract with a Red-Feathered Eagle Owl.”
“A monster contract. It’s been a while since I heard that.”
“I heard she’d be quite useful if she learned some magic.”
“The price?”
“The price, huh.”
This was a bit awkward. I certainly had the ability to pay back my debt to Iris right now, but I didn't feel a particular reason to do so.
To be honest, what did Iris even do when she called me over? She just gave me some strange monster to eat, and I just had to eat it, use it, and write a one-line review.
Iris got the information she wanted, and I got to consume the bodies of expensive and unique monsters. It was a win-win relationship.
“Is there something you want?”
“...There is.”
“Tell me. I’ll do it if I can.”
Iris fell into deep thought. I wondered what she was going to ask for as she stared intently into my eyes.
“I’ll tell you later.”
“Hmm. Then I’ll take that as a yes on the teaching?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll let you know more about the Evil Eye’s vision after I play around with it a bit more. Since I can’t see anything right now anyway.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
“Oh, you mean the paralysis? Yeah, I should be careful.”
I still didn't have a feel for how to fire lasers or anything like that. She said it could cause paralysis, but I wasn't sure about that either.
“Can it even do that without a brain? Maybe it’s just a lie, and people just freeze up because they’re scared.”
Regardless, it was worth a try. Seeing as it was a mysterious shade of gray, it wasn't like it wasn't connected at all.
“Show me your body.”
“Why my body?”
“Just because.”
It’s not like showing her would wear it out.
—Rustle.
I undid a couple of the top buttons of my shirt and took it off. Iris watched silently. Very intently. She stared as if she were trying to solve a great mystery.
“This is a bit embarrassing.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I’m sure you don’t. It’s my body I’m showing, after all.”
“Yes.”
She was a strange person, through and through. That was the end of today’s human experimentation… or not. I now had the obligation to monitor the progress and report back on what functions the Evil Eye’s vision possessed. Man, can’t monsters just see the world normally?
And their appearance, too. Would it kill them to have an eyeball that looked normal? It just had to look like a monster’s.
“I’ll visit again next time. Please take good care of the kid when she comes.”
“I will.”
“I’m counting on you. Well then, see you.”
I opened the door and stepped outside. As I walked down the street, I tried looking at the world through the Evil Eye’s vision several times. The sky was a light gray, and closer objects were a darker shade. It was a crappy field of vision that could only distinguish the distance of objects.
There wasn't any unpleasant feeling of something invading my brain, but it wasn't exactly pleasant either. I could see the shapes of people passing by to some extent, but they felt like they were wriggling, which wasn't very aesthetically pleasing.
“Maybe I should go drop in on Ravi.”
She had mentioned that Ravi was the one who told her about Tresha’s magical talent. Being able to study to one’s heart’s content without the burden of cost at a young age was a very good thing.
Knowing that someone was working hard to earn money and fund your studies could also help strengthen one’s resolve.
I turned my path slightly toward the southwest and headed for the Sateria Appraisal Office, located between the southwest and southeast. As I always felt, the people living in this area somehow looked gloomy and had unpleasant expressions.
The southwest was a place where peaceful, well-to-do people gathered. It was a place where people with gentle personalities lived together and helped each other. In contrast, the southeast was a place where people lived intensely just to rip each other off and scam one another.
The southeast was a 'Great Uncanny Mountain' in a bad way, so they at least looked somewhat like people. But the people in this area between the southeast and the western center were those in the 'Uncanny Valley'—people who lacked the ability to commit crimes but lacked the money to live normally.
‘What’s that?’
As I walked the streets, occasionally switching on the Evil Eye’s vision, something caught my eye in the field of vision that had been nothing but gray.
‘It’s red.’
It was a person. A normal person commonly seen in the southern district, but they appeared slightly red only in the Evil Eye’s vision. When I looked with my original vision, it was just a beggar who looked like he had every reason to hate the world.
“What is this…? A vision that identifies beggars?”
Was the Evil Eye actually a dark hero warning of the dangers of the wealth gap? No way. I saw several other beggars on the street, but only a few specific people were emitting a red light.
There were occasionally people who weren't beggars but appeared red, and there were also beggars who appeared gray.
“I have no idea what the criteria for turning red is.”
As I walked, I soon arrived in front of the Sateria Appraisal Office. As always, it was a charming and atmospheric building.
“Ravi? Are you inside?”
—Yes! Come in!
From inside came the reply from Ravi, the owner of that always clear and ringing voice.
—Creeak.
“Ah, welcome!”
“Ravi, you look busy?”
Ravi, dressed in a rare outfit that made her look like a little witch, greeted me with flasks in both hands.
“I was in the middle of working! I have to make a potion!”
“A potion? What kind?”
“An antidote for Poisonous Nepenthes! An explorer going to the 3rd Stratum came by!”
“The 3rd Stratum, huh.”
“Could you wait just a bit? He said he’d be back for the potion in a few minutes! It’s actually quite interesting, so you can watch if you like!”
“Sure, I’ll do that.”
Ravi was hyper-focused on brewing the potion. It seemed she had a habit of pursing her lips when she concentrated.
Knock, knock, knock—
—Is anyone here?
“Ah, yes! Come in! The potion is almost finished!”
The door opened, and the customer Ravi had mentioned entered. He had a short beard and a somewhat fierce impression. He was an explorer in ordinary gear, with a curved single-edged sword sheathed at his waist.
Our eyes met, but he just gave a slight nod in greeting. Since we weren't acquainted, not ignoring me entirely was a sign of great politeness.
‘Let’s see if he’s a beggar or not.’
I looked at the male explorer’s back through the Evil Eye’s superpower vision that warned of the dangers of the wealth gap.
But…
‘Holy crap.’
At this point, he was a total pauper. A reverse Elon Musk. A reverse Bill Gates. A human shape so saturated in red that it seemed impossible to be any redder filled my vision. I really had no idea what the criteria for the Evil Eye’s red color was.
“Here is the Poisonous Nepenthes antidote! If you get infected, pour about half on the wound first, then take the rest orally to stop the poison from spreading through your body!”
“Yes. I’ll do that.”
The male explorer, who took the potion and turned around, glanced at me. I detected him whispering in a voice so small it wouldn't be heard by others.
“Found you.”