Chapter 39
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: I'll Take Responsibility....
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I'll take responsibility....
I'm currently in a very precarious situation.
"Even if we let that slide for me, how dare you lay hands on my lady...! My lady! We must behead this shameless pervert right now!"
[Calm down, Karin. It's not too late to do that after hearing his excuse.]
"In that case, we can behead him after hearing the excuse?"
[That depends... on what Benefactor says.]
"......"
Because of that massive bombshell Alter lobbed and ran away from.
One wrong word, and my head was going to roll.
'Come on, think, Benefactor...! Find a way out of this mess...!! A way to turn this around for the better...!!!'
But the more I thought about it, the worse it got.
A way to survive after groping the breasts and asses of two top-tier beauties—who were also high-floor Climbers—in the capital.
Did something like that even exist?
'...No.'
Ah... Lulu, Arin. Looks like Dad's journey ends here.
Live long and happy lives without me, okay?
With that, steeling myself to become Benefactor the Severed as Karin's katana loomed.
I was mentally sending a telepathic last will and testament to my two daughters.
Ding-!
[Skill 'Clarity of Mind' automatically activates.]
['Still Waters' state applied. Mind clears, and all negative emotions vanish.]
"...Ah."
The newly acquired Clarity of Mind (S) skill activated automatically.
All the cluttered thoughts filling my head vanished in an instant, letting me think straight again.
[So, Benefactor. Any last words?]
With my mind clearer than ever, I pondered for a moment.
And suddenly, a thought struck me.
'Honestly, is it that big a deal?'
Any guy might do that sometimes.
And honestly, weren't those two pretty ladies at least a little at fault too? The words that slipped out were...
"I think it's perfectly normal for a real man to want to grope pretty women's breasts and asses. And I'm ridiculously handsome, right? So honestly, women should love it when I touch them, no?"
[???]
"You...! Shameless pervert bastard...!! My lady! I'll behead him right now—!!! This guy's the enemy of all women—!!!"
...A statement that could spark massive social backlash.
If it got uploaded to NewTube as a video, it'd easily hit a million views—total garbage tier.
And the two women's reactions were...
[W-Wait, Karin! Something's off here. Let me look into it, so back off for a sec.]
"My lady...? Don't tell me that kind of man is your type...?"
[It's not like that!]
"My lady. I don't know how handsome he has to be for you to defend trash talk like that, but personality matters more than looks. At least, I wouldn't date a guy like that."
[I said it's not like that!]
[You wouldn't know, Karin, but Benefactor's a total nerd normally—he doesn't talk like that! This has to be some kind of influence!]
Karin glared at me with utter contempt, calling me the enemy of women and ready to strike.
But the PhD sensed something off about my behavior, held her back, and created some distance.
Soon, she approached me and said,
[Benefactor! Open your status window right now!]
"Got it."
[Synthesis (EX)] [Emerald Cauldron (SS+)] [Pure Flame (S+)] [Auto Harvest (C)] [Fighting Spirit (B+)] [Potion Amplification (A+)] [Contempt for the Weak (A)] [Clarity of Mind (S)] [Fighting Spirit Explosion (B)]
[Handsome (A)] [Marrow Cleansing (S)] [Alpha Male? (A+)] [Orc Axe Art (A-)] [Orc Fist Art (B)]
[How'd you rack up even more stuff in the short time I wasn't looking...? Hold on.]
[Benefactor! What's this Alpha Male? (A+)? Where the hell did you get a trait like that?!]
"Beats me? First time seeing it myself. Let me check the notification."
.
.
.
[You possess 'Bravery (A)' and a skill in the same lineage, 'Composure (B)'.]
[The two skills resonate!]
[The two skills merge into a new skill!]
[Innate disposition influences the new skill!]
[Acquired skill 'Alpha Male? (A+)'.]
.
.
.
"That's what it says. Anyway, PhD. Since I already groped your breasts, how about taking it to the next step? You're the only one for me, really..."
[Benefactor. Deactivate that trait right now.]
"...Huh? Traits can be deactivated?"
[Some can, some can't... Anyway! I'll explain later, but if you don't want to get kicked out of my house, deactivate it now!]
"Fine, fine. But even your angry face isn't half bad..."
[Deactivating skill 'Alpha Male? (A+)'.]
"...Eh?"
...What the hell.
What the hell did I just do...?
Did I really... spew that garbage and try to flirt with the PhD and Karin?
No... No way...
This isn't... This isn't me...!!!
.
.
.
[Skill 'Clarity of Mind' automatically activates.]
['Still Waters' state applied. Mind clears, and all negative emotions vanish.]
.
.
.
"...I'm sorry, PhD. It wasn't on purpose..."
[There we go. That's more like you, Benefactor.]
[But Benefactor? It wasn't on purpose, sure, but shouldn't you take responsibility for what's already happened?]
"What kind of responsibility...?"
[I'm fine. I got that potion gift last time, and I know you're not the type to pull this. We'll call it an accident.]
[I'll let it slide this once. Like you said, wanting to grope pretty girls' breasts is natural instinct... Why am I even explaining this...?]
[Anyway, I'll let it go, so forget about it.]
"...Thank you."
[Sure. But you know it's different with Karin, right? Can't just let groping her slide.]
"...Yes."
Just as the PhD said.
She and I had known each other for a bit, and she knew I wasn't that kind of guy, so she accepted it as an accident.
But not Karin.
This wasn't just brushing against a woman's butt on first meeting—I'd gripped hers so hard her flesh bulged between my fingers...
No way to talk that off nicely anymore.
"...How should I take responsibility?"
[If I tell Karin to forget it, she'll hold back and comply.]
[But if you stick around here, you'll run into her often, and she'll pretend it's fine while seeing you as a woman's enemy or street thug.]
"......Yeah."
[So only one option. If you can't smooth it over, make her owe you such a huge favor she treats this like nothing.]
"A favor?"
[Yeah. Like... fixing Karin's eyes with your potions. Or making one to ease her penalty.]
[Honestly thought it impossible so I didn't mention it, but seeing your potions, maybe you can.]
[What do you say? Your call.]
No, it's not even a choice...
[FYI, Karin's the idiot type who'll give you her liver, gall bladder, anything if you do her a solid. Best way to go.]
[Could even recruit her to your side this way. She suspects you're an Alchemist from the ranking alert after you showed up.]
...With you putting it like that.
Do I even have the option to say no right now?
"...I'll make it as fast as I can."
So, to clean up the mess I'd already made, me groveling was set in stone.
At that moment, I made one vow in my heart.
'You're so dead, Alter.'
For screwing me over, I'd brew a potion from a female Goblin and force it down Alter's throat soon enough.
Find a decent recipe when I had time later.
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[Karin, what just happened was an accident from a new trait. Don't hate Benefactor too much.]
"I'm truly sorry. I wasn't in my right mind and offended you."
"...If my lady insists that much, I'll accept your apology. But no second chances."
"...Understood."
[Anyway. He'll pay proper compensation soon, so look forward to it.]
"...Got it."
With that, the unpleasant incident with Karin wrapped up, and we each headed to our homes.
I hated the idea of tiptoeing around her every time we met from now on.
So I resolved to whip up a penalty removal—or at least alleviation—potion ASAP.
Of course, first things first.
"Gotta handle business."
Check the pending rewards first.
.
.
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[Distributing 'Alchemist' Ranking 1st reward.]
[Acquired 'Alchemist'-exclusive reward 'Skill Synthesis Card'.]
[Skill Synthesis Card]
A card that synthesizes your skills to create a new one.
[Effect]: Select skills to synthesize (up to 3) and open to acquire a higher skill.
※ Result influenced by Dexterity, materials, and selected skill grades.
"A white card?"
A brand-new reward type.
A card to synthesize owned skills into a superior one.
Fitting for an Alchemist-exclusive reward—like synthesizing skills as ingredients. Felt familiar.
In that sense...
"Was wondering what to do with Contempt for the Weak. Perfect for this."
Merging it with my alchemy staples was risky—not knowing the outcome.
But tossing the useless Contempt for the Weak with Fighting Spirit and Fighting Spirit Explosion? Worth a shot.
All high-grade combat types—solid synergy potential...
-!!!
"Feeling it."
...My Alchemist intuition screamed yes.
No way I'd lose out trying this.
[Select skills to use as synthesis materials.]
〖Contempt for the Weak (A)〗 / 〖Fighting Spirit (B+)〗 / 〖Fighting Spirit Explosion (B)〗
Trusting my gut, I selected the skills.
[Proceed with synthesis?]
[YES][NO]
Hitting [YES] and proceeding.
Moments later.
[Synthesizing skills.]
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.
.
Flash-!
[Skill synthesis complete.]
The white card glowed brilliantly, turning silver.
Soon, an orc-face emblem appeared, and the completion notice popped up.
Like with random skill cards before, I opened it to claim the new skill.
[Acquired skill 'Orc Lord's Fighting Spirit (S-)'.]
"Orc Lord...?"
Not just any orc—specifically Orc Lord. Definitely no ordinary skill...
"...Can my heart even handle this?"
Looks promising, but regular Fighting Spirit was already tough. Using this might actually make my heart explode.