49
Chapter 49
After the situation was somewhat sorted out, we had to go down to the village and call up people to bring down the cocoons.
The spider web was hung so high up, and we weren't in any condition to do it ourselves.
The village people flocked over and brought the cocoons down to the village.
"Dad!!"
Fortunately, there were people still breathing inside the cocoons.
I didn't know what method was used, but most were unconscious; it seemed like some kind of paralyzing poison was used.
That was a relief.
However, we couldn't just rejoice.
"What do I do, honey, *sob*."
"No... No, this is a lie!"
Inside some of the cocoons were corpses that were already mangled beyond recognition.
Their limbs were a broken mess, looking as if they had been crushed by a boulder.
...That boulder the bastard swung around while hunting.
That must be the cause... damn spider bastard.
Eileen and I had both suffered various injuries from this battle.
Eileen had a large bruise spreading across her abdomen, and I was left with large and small cuts all over my body.
But there was something even harder to bear than that.
"Ugh, my arms and legs...."
Muscle pain rushed through my whole body.
The pain came in waves, feeling like I was being torn apart and burned.
I survived, but my body wasn't unscathed.
Because of that, I had to lie still in the inn room with bandages wrapped all over my body.
Since the herb gatherer was also being treated right now, all I could hope for was rest.
"Eileen, are you okay?"
"Yes... Are you okay too, Riv?"
"No, it hurts like hell."
"...Actually, me too."
We grumbled like that, as if comforting each other.
But, I still had one thing to rely on.
Fortunately, that night.
That insurance worked perfectly.
***
'Phew, I really did Level Up.'
After finally falling asleep through the pain, the place I woke up in was, as expected, this Level-up Stage.
As my hazy consciousness cleared and this familiar space unfolded before my eyes, a sigh of relief naturally came out.
If it's like this... it should hurt a bit less tomorrow morning.
If this pain were converted into numerical values right now, I wonder if there would be changes to my strength or stamina stats.
Of course, the thing I'm wishing for the most right now is something else.
'Please, let mana pop up this time.'
It was the same in this battle, and the ones before it.
Every time I fight, the lack of mana is felt to the bone.
Even in situations where there's always water, it's like this.
If I later have to fight in a place lacking water, it'd be embarrassing to even be called a magician.
[You have reached a milestone. Please select a perk.]
A maximum mana card absolutely needs to appear this time.
Though my eyes would definitely go wide if a new magic popped up.
Flash-
With a burst of light, cards appeared before my eyes.
___________________________
[Maximum Strength Increase]
[Maximum Strength Increase]
[Maximum Mana Increase]
___________________________
White, green, green.
"...That's a shame."
They weren't high-grade cards.
Besides-
'Why are there two strengths?'
Although the grades were different, the Card effects overlapped.
Did this system allow duplicates too?
Still, there was no need to think hard about the choice.
Mana over Strength.
Because what I needed most right now was the leeway to use more Spells.
I grabbed the green Mana Card without hesitation.
Swish-
As my fingertips touched the Card, a small but intense light spread from my palm.
'Phew, this will give me a little breathing room with Mana.'
As I let out a light breath.
[You have reached a branching point. Loading the list of enhanceable Skills.]
"...Huh?"
Flash-
'Don't tell me, again?'
With a familiar sound, light spread once more.
Cards slowly floated up.
____________________________
[Blue Magic: Condensation] Enhancement
[Blue Magic: Water Barrier] Enhancement
[Blue Magic: Water Bullet] Enhancement
[Blue Magic: Sea Fog] Enhancement
[Blue Magic: Blue Eye] Enhancement
[Mana Regeneration Increase]
____________________________
The red Cards shone brightly.
"Oh?"
It was the enhancement system I hadn't seen in a while.
Catching the Spider must have been a bigger deal than I thought.
Or maybe my experience points were already almost full.
As expected, the Card lineup consisted of the Magics I possessed, plus one extra.
I remembered there being at least one different option the last time I saw this.
Was that a basic rule of the system?
Since it caught my eye, I read the description.
[Mana Regeneration Increases slightly.]
It was true that Mana was important.
But as for giving up an enhancement to choose this... honestly, I didn't see the merit.
In the first place, the word 'slightly' made me not want to pick it.
'Hmm, what should I enhance.'
Honestly, whatever I chose seemed fine.
Since it was an enhancement, any of them would be beneficial.
The least appealing one was... maybe Condensation?
Enhancing Water Barrier to shore up my defense seemed good, and enhancing Water Bullet to make up for my lack of offensive Magic wasn't bad either.
Or I could enhance Sea Fog or Blue Eye to improve my Utility Magic.
'Since I'm really lacking in offensive Magic.'
After a long deliberation, I decided to enhance Water Bullet.
It was a ranged checking tool, and the only Magic that made me feel like a Magician.
It would be better to make it even slightly stronger while I had the chance.
I placed my hand on the Water Bullet Card.
Red light traveled up my fingertips as the system reacted.
____________________________________________
[Enhancing 'Blue Magic: Water Bullet'.]
One of the following attributes will be applied randomly:
-Power
-Casting Speed
-Maximum Quantity
-Mana Efficiency
-Range
-Additional Effect
___________________________________________
'Please, please...'
I prayed desperately inside.
The light of enhancement seeped into my hand, and the result appeared.
[Enhancing the Additional Effect of 'Blue Magic: Water Bullet'.]
"......Additional Effect?"
I was puzzled for a moment, but the following message soon popped up before my eyes.
[Explosive power has been imbued into 'Blue Magic: Water Bullet'.]
['Blue Magic: Water Bullet' has evolved into 'Blue Magic: Water Bomb'.]
"...Oh?"
This looks way better than I thought.
I couldn't check its Power right away, but it was an enhancement that looked good at a glance.
An explosion, huh. It definitely wouldn't lack in Power at least.
...I'll have to test it when I wake up.
***
As soon as morning came, I headed to the Village's Back Mountain.
It was only right to test it out immediately.
Thanks to the Level Up, my body had somewhat recovered.
My whole body was aching just yesterday, but now I could manage to move around.
I threw a Water Bullet- no, a Water Bomb at a Boulder.
Swoosh! Bang!
The result of the test was...
'Hmm, it's weaker than I thought?'
It did create an explosion. It definitely burst, but it wasn't as much as I expected.
It felt like the explosion radius grew slightly in proportion to the size of the Water Bomb.
To be exact, the radius was about 1.5 times the size of the Water Bomb?
Still-
'This is enough.'
It looked quite useful for keeping one or two enemies in check, or for a surprise attack.
Its direct lethality had also improved, but it might be better used for applying pressure.
But come to think of it, if it had been any stronger, it might have actually been a problem.
If I were to fight indoors, an overly strong explosive power could instead hold me back.
If it exploded in a narrow space, I would be in danger before the enemy.
Its current Power was just right.
Assuming I drew out a Water Bomb to its maximum limit and fired it, it would be enough to take down at least two or three guys at once.
It was quite useful at this level.
Considering I gained a much-needed area-of-effect skill, that alone was a sufficient harvest.
On the way back after finishing the test, the Residents working in the fields caught my eye.
As I passed by, the people bowed their heads one by one and offered their greetings.
I lightly waved my hand and passed by their greetings.
I was on my way to the Village Chief's house.
'He told me to drop by.'
Although I wasn't directly commissioned, the Spider incident was a huge matter that the entire Village knew about.
Yesterday at the Inn, the Village Chief came looking for me and asked me to drop by once my body felt better.
I might as well stop by while I'm out.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Is anyone home?"
As I knocked on the door, I heard some light movement from inside.
Creak.
The door opened, and a young man with brown hair poked his face out.
A hint of exhaustion briefly showed in his eyes, but his expression brightened as soon as he recognized me.
"Who is- Ah, please come in."
He was the Village Chief of this Village.
He had a younger and neater impression than I thought, but there were one or two deep wrinkles around his eyes.
"Are you feeling okay? You looked really unwell when I saw you at the Inn yesterday."
"I'm feeling much better. Thanks to you."
I replied simply as I sat down on a Chair.
The Village Chief hesitated for a moment, then quickly put on a serious face and brought up the main point.
"Although it wasn't an official request... the entire Village owes you a debt for this incident. The Kobold, and the Spider too. It was a threat that none of the village people could handle. Thanks to you, everyone can live safely."
"No, it was something we had to do to survive, too."
"Even so, my conscience won't allow me to just let this pass without a reward."
The Village Chief rummaged through the cabinet behind him and returned with a Pouch of Bronze Coins in his hand.
A clinking sound came from inside the Pouch.
"Eight Silver Coins, and... although it's small, our Herb Gatherer also made some Recovery Potions. They'll be helpful until you're fully healed."
I stared at the Pouch the Village Chief offered for a moment before taking it.
"Thank you. Let me know if you ever need anything else."
"Of course. Thank you so much for what you did. From everyone in the Village."
Seeing the Village Chief bow his head felt a little awkward.
However, it was sincere... and well, I figured I deserved at least that much.
The Village Chief clapped his hands as if he just remembered something.
"Ah! And please stop by the Village Blacksmith before you leave."
"Pardon? What for?"
I tilted my head. Dealing with the Spider happened yesterday, so was there still something left?
"You killed that Spider. Apparently, some pretty useful materials came from its body. When our Village Blacksmith saw them, his eyes lit up and he worked all night. I'm telling you this because the final product was just finished."
"If he worked on it... is it a Weapon?"
"It's a Greaves Equipment. It's not a high-grade Equipment, but he said a pretty useful item came out. He made it using the hard Outer Shell from the creature's legs."
"Greaves?"
"Yes. He called it his masterpiece."
The Village Chief said with a smile. He looked as proud as if he had made it himself.
"Just go and receive it for now. The Blacksmith says it's a pretty good item."
"......Thank you. I'm looking forward to it."
The Village Chief added one last thing.
"I hope it will be of help on your future journey."
I bowed respectfully and left the Village Chief's house.
I got another unexpected reward.
Maybe I'm luckier than I thought.
It was also a fair reward for my hard work.
The Blacksmith was located on the outskirts, at the edge of the Village.
A pillar of smoke was rising into the sky from afar, and following it quickly brought a small Workshop into view.
Everything scattered out front was Farming Tools. I could immediately tell who his customers were.
Sizzle-
Steam rose as a red-hot lump of iron was submerged in water.
The bald man handling the iron looked up and glanced my way. Then, his eyes widened.
"By any chance, are you the one who killed that Spider...?"
"Ah, yes."
"Haha, my goodness. Thank you so much! Thanks to you, the Village was saved. Ah, let me put this down...!"
He hurriedly set down his Hammer and wiped his hands on his Apron before approaching.
Looking closely, the soot on his face and his sweat-drenched forehead left a strong impression. He probably had a straightforward personality too.
"I'm the Blacksmith, Logan. Did you hear from the Village Chief?"
"Yes, he said the Greaves were finished."
"That's right. I didn't actually expect much, but its Outer Shell was surprisingly good. Thanks to that, I worked up a good sweat for the first time in a while."
He carefully brought something out from the workbench inside.
It was a pair of glossy Carapace Greaves that looked like peeled Outer Shells from the Spider's legs.
It had a color close to dark brown, and a Hinge and Fastening Strap were neatly attached without any unnecessary parts.
"These are the Greaves made from the shell of that thing's legs. They don't have a name yet. It's not an incredible piece of Equipment, but... it's sturdy. One of its legs smashed a Village wall while we were moving the carcass, so I guess its durability is proven."
I carefully lifted one to gauge its weight.
"It's lighter than I thought?"
"Probably because it's a spider shell. The durability is good, and it absorbs shocks to some extent. It'll block attacks coming at your feet during combat or the impact of falling on your knees quite well. It'll be very useful for someone who moves around a lot."
"This is great."
Logan smiled proudly and crossed his arms.
"However, there is one thing you need to be careful of."
"What is it?"
"It's weak to fire. Since it's a biological Outer Shell, it can't handle high heat. It's best to keep your distance from flames or heat sources. As long as you keep that in mind, it will be a pretty good companion."
I nodded and accepted the Greaves.
"Thank you, really."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you. It's a small token of gratitude for the person who saved our Village. If you ever get any other materials, please come find me again. I might be able to make something out of them."
I carefully packed the Greaves into my Backpack and bowed my head once more.
I got a pretty decent reward from this commission.