Chapter 18: Skip (Physical)
Chapter 18: Skip (Physical)
“Clean!”
As Carla shouted the activation word, a magic circle expanded to surround us.
Only after the traces of our tryst were wiped clean from our bodies did we pull our discarded clothes out of my inventory.
“That ability of yours is truly convenient, Master.”
“Right? It doesn't even compare to a subspace bag.”
For example, let’s say you want to pack ten loaves of bread.
In a typical subspace, those ten loaves would take up the space of ten loaves. That’s only natural, since you put ten loaves in.
But the Inventory is a bit different.
Strangely enough, because the game system is applied to it, identical items can be stacked up to 999 times. This means you can fit 999 loaves into the space of a single loaf.
On top of that, it has an auto-sort function, time stops for items inside, and as far as gold is concerned, you can store an infinite amount.
It’s more convenient than a subspace magical tool in many ways.
When I gave her a simplified explanation, omitting the part about it being a game, Carla stood there with her mouth agape as she dressed.
“Wow… then does this dungeon drop something that good too?”
“Well…”
Knowing what the rewards for the Gepp Dungeon actually were, I couldn't help but pull a complicated face.
The rewards here were essential early-to-mid-game items, but if you asked if they were on par with the Inventory, the answer was no.
Of course, I couldn't tell her that, so I just shrugged.
“Dungeon rewards vary wildly. Besides, this is a place the two of us can clear as long as we’re thoroughly prepared, so it probably won't give us anything that amazing.”
“Mmm… I see…”
Carla pursed her lips, making no effort to hide her disappointment.
I chuckled at the sight and did a final check of my equipment.
Once we stepped out, the exit would likely be surrounded by the guards. We needed to do a bit of acting.
“Carla. Come here.”
“Yes? Is something the matter, Master?”
Carla, who had finished dressing and was checking her accessory-type magical tools, tilted her head and approached me.
She looked as defenseless as a herbivore unaware of the predator before her. I gently stroked her platinum-blonde hair, and then…
“Hah!”
“Hyah?!”
I suddenly began to mess her hair up wildly.
“Take that! And that!”
“Ow! Ouch! That hurts, Master!”
I even gave her hair a few tugs here and there.
To anyone else, it would look like childish bullying, but why would I have any reason to bully Carla at this point?
“Why are you doing this, Master… Please don't pick on me… hic.”
Well, I just found a reason.
Carla, trembling while clutching her disheveled hair, was honestly quite cute.
However, I had messed up her hair for a different reason this time. It was a way to show off our hard work.
An appeal to the others: While you guys were fighting the cultists, we didn't just mess around and run away; we went through all this trouble to clear the dungeon.
In life, if you don't look out for your own credit, no one else will.
“Got it? I wasn't just bullying you; it was a necessary step.”
When I gave her a brief explanation, Carla nodded reluctantly.
“Uuu… Yes. I understand.”
“Good. Now let’s tear your clothes a bit.”
“What?! N-no! This is the first gift you ever bought me, Master! How could you?!”
“I’ll buy you something even better later. Just stay still.”
“B-but… I really shouldn't…”
Though she looked like she was on the verge of tears, she couldn't bring herself to disobey and stood hesitantly before me.
I stared at her in silence for a moment before letting out a long sigh.
“Do you really like these clothes that much?”
“Yes… B-but both I and these clothes belong to you, Master, so you can do whatever you wish… I mean it…”
Despite her words, Carla looked down at her outfit with eyes full of lingering affection.
If she were doing this on purpose, she’d be the slyest fox alive… but based on everything I’d seen so far, that wasn't the case. She was simply at a loss because she truly cherished them.
“…Should we just get some dirt on them instead? Now that I think about it, you’re a mage. It would actually be suspicious if a mage was wearing torn clothes as if they’d been rolling around on the front lines.”
“R-really?”
“Yeah. So go roll around on the ground over there for a bit.”
“Yes! I’ll do that, Master!”
Carla hopped away excitedly. She began to dirty her clothes by falling with clumsy movements onto a patch of ground that hadn't been affected by the Prominence Flare.
I couldn't just stand still either.
In truth, Carla had practically cleared the dungeon on her own… but that was too conspicuous to reveal. So, I had to push the narrative that I fought on the front lines, taking the brunt of the magical aftermath.
I actually did act as a meat shield during the boss fight, anyway.
I spent quite a while rolling around in the nearby ashes and smearing soot on my face.
“Master, Master! I did as you asked! How is it? Do I look like I’ve been through a lot?”
Before I knew it, a grubby Carla had returned, spinning in place as she spoke.
…Why is she still pretty even when she’s covered in dirt?
I stood up, reminding myself that true beauty is immutable.
“That looks good enough. Well done. Now, do me.”
“Huh? Do what? Oh, Master, you already look like someone who just escaped a fire!”
“No, not that. My hair. My hair.”
Just as I had made Carla’s hair a mess, I needed to make mine look disastrous too.
“The problem is, if I do it myself, it’ll lack detail. You do it, Carla.”
When I leaned my head toward her, Carla let out a gasp.
“Me… touch Master’s hair…?”
Her voice was strangely full of anticipation.
Wondering what was up, I glanced up to see Carla breathing heavily with an incredibly excited expression.
“Haa… haa…”
“Carla? You can do it, right? Just make it look like a mess.”
“Make Master a total mess?!”
The phrasing was a bit odd, but since it was technically correct, I nodded.
“You can do it, right?”
“Y-yes! Of course! Absolutely! I’ll ruin it properly, so don't you worry!”
“…….”
I felt uneasy. Extremely uneasy.
But since there was no other way, and believing in the principle of trusting someone once you’ve assigned them a task, I offered my head once more.
Gulp.
After swallowing hard, Carla began to fiddle with my hair with trembling hands.
Rustle, rustle.
Carla’s slender fingers wove through my hair, gently tickling my scalp.
I thought she was being a bit too cautious, but I could feel my hair becoming properly tangled.
What do you know? I was worried for nothing; she was doing a good job.
…Though the fact that her breath was hitting my head so intensely was a bit distracting.
*
After nodding at each other’s thoroughly calculated grubbiness, Carla and I were ready.
“Alright. Shall we head out?”
“Yes, Master.”
I led Carla toward the exit portal that was still shimmering in the air.
Standing before it, I gave Carla a brief rundown of what to expect as she took a light breath.
“As soon as we go through the exit portal, the dungeon will vanish and the reward will appear.”
“Yes. You said it would appear in the air in a translucent form?”
“Right. No one but us, the conquerors, can touch it, but the moment we lay a hand on it, it will take physical form. So don't touch it recklessly.”
“Huh? Why?”
“You’ve heard of magical tools that choose their masters, right?”
“Ah… could it be?”
“Yeah. Sometimes among the blessings bestowed by the gods, there are items that bind to the first person who grasps them. We need to identify it before we touch it.”
“I definitely won't touch it. I’m a good girl who listens to Master.”
Carla shook her head vigorously, tucking her hands behind her back.
I guess I didn't have to worry about her touching it by mistake.
The reason I brought this up to Carla was simple: the reward for the Gepp Dungeon really was a bound equipment item.
I still vividly remembered how much I regretted it when I thoughtlessly touched it with a ranger character during my first clear.
I let out a deep sigh and pulled Carla by the arm.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
Carla and I threw ourselves into the exit portal at the same time.
.
.
.
.
.
My vision shifted instantly with just a single step.
Suddenly, we weren't in the wide-open outdoors anymore, but in a narrow, dark underground passage.
I expected the stereotypical reaction from the guards, like “Who goes there?!” but instead…
“Gwahahaha! Do you really think the likes of you could even lay a finger on me?!”
Instead of the guards, some guy draped in a pitch-black robe was laughing maniacally in front of us.
What the?
The guards were there, of course. They just looked frustrated behind some kind of black barrier.
So… based on the situation, this robe guy set up a barrier to block the guards, and we happened to exit the dungeon right behind him?
“Just stay there and watch quietly! It seems the Great Unity does not wish for me to die here! Hahahaha!”
This guy seemed strangely familiar.
That obnoxious voice, the teeth-mark pattern on his robe, the lines I’d heard dozens of times…
…Lines I’d heard dozens of times?
As soon as that thought clicked, my body moved reflexively.
Vrrr—
A strange hum echoed as the dungeon vanished. At the same time, I reached out toward the small cluster of light that appeared before Carla and me.
Ding!
I pushed the system window that popped up upon claiming the clear reward to the corner of my vision and gripped my hand tight.
He must have noticed our presence from the noise just now and my sudden movement.
Therefore, I had to crush him before he could react.
The translucent dagger instantly took physical form, radiating a sharp aura.
The moment I grasped the dagger, the trait ‘Ordinary Weapon Skill’ activated, making my body feel just a bit more robust.
Gathering the strength that was now slightly greater than an average person’s, I lunged with all my might at the cultist’s back.
“What—?!”
The man was hurriedly turning around… but it was already too late.
Thwack.
“Guh…”
Because I had pierced through his lung, the cultist coughed up blood along with the sound of escaping air.
“H-how…”
“You know what?”
I quickly pulled the dagger out and stabbed again, this time aiming precisely for his heart.
Plunge!
“Agh!”
“Cultists like you are all so talkative, it’s annoying.”
Appearing in an unskippable event cutscene with so many lines…
Think about the player who has to hear the same thing over and over again.
Channeling my resentment from those days, I repeatedly gouged at the man’s wound.
He wasn't dead until the kill notification popped up, so I had to finish him off for good while I had the chance.
Stab! Stab! Stab!
The man, whose back had been turned into a rag in an instant, finally collapsed powerlessly.
It was a swift and silent death, leaving him no room for last words.
Just as a sense of pride for successfully performing a ‘Skip (Physical)’ welled up within me, a clear bell sound rang in my ears.
Ding!
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【Cultist Executive Slain!】
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Only after confirming the system’s declaration of his death did I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.
“Whew…”
Seriously, why did the tutorial boss show up here?
He startled me so much I stabbed him without thinking.