Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: A Day in the Life of the Little Leviathan
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Two legendary-grade items in my hand.
【Petite Veronica's Scale】, and... 【Petite Veronica's Fang】.
“…….”
I alternated between looking at the glittering scale on my palm and the moist fang.
Just looking at the effects, the name “legendary” was well deserved...
The problem was the way it had been handed over.
Legendary? More like tacky to the point of being downright bizarre.
“Why? Aren't they cute? They're gifts from petite me!”
Veronica planted her hands on her hips and nodded shamelessly.
That expression of hers was so infuriating, like she was saying, “Praise me.”
Thud.
The pillow tucked under my arm dropped to the floor, and Veronica let out a gasp as she scrambled to pick it up.
That just made her even more infuriating.
[The word “cute” feels totally irrelevant here.]
“Are you saying you're dissatisfied with my gift right now?”
[No, I love how brutal they are.]
Of course... I meant I loved how brutal the effects were.
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
【Petite Veronica's Scale】
Rank: Legendary
A small and precious scale from Veronica!
Sparkling is standard!
Usefulness... who knows, maybe?
: “Reflects” magic.
Don't underestimate it just because it's small!
This petite scale will protect you!
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
A scale ripped from Veronica's tail.
The description was... totally unhinged, but the effect was brutally real.
“Unconditionally reflects” magic.
No conditions. Absolute reflection.
And the other gift beside it.
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
【Petite Veronica's Fang】
Rank: Legendary
A small and cute fang.
But don't be fooled by the cuteness!
It could kill you if it bites! For real!
: “Ignores” all of the target's defenses.
Veronica smiles petite today too, baring her fangs!
Small and adorable, but its power is legendary in itself!
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
“Ignores” all of the target's defenses.
“......Atchoo.”
I stared at the two pieces in my hand and imagined.
What masterpiece would be born if I forged these into a dagger?
My heart raced.
Honestly, I wanted to run to Nakwol right now and beg Uncle Fergon to make me a dagger.
“…….”
But why Fergon of all people?
Obvious.
No blacksmith I knew could compare.
I never dreamed he'd be captured by Moonlight, but...
As far as I knew, in the world of Akarjang, no one matched Fergon as a blacksmith.
“You like them because they're brutal?”
[Yes.]
“Hmm... so that's your taste?”
Veronica, as usual, interpreting my words however she liked.
She snorted and turned away, lazily swishing her tail side to side.
I could tell from her expression without her saying it.
Like she was saying, “Of course I'm the best.”
“But you know...”
Whoosh.
Veronica suddenly stepped right in front of me.
“You owe me now, right?”
[?]
“I don't give my scales and fangs to just anyone. So don't forget this favor for the rest of your life and stay loyal.”
Not to just anyone...
She'd yanked them out and handed them over like it was nothing, and now this?
No warning before giving them, either—just bragging after the fact.
[Dean.]
“What.”
[Do fangs grow back, by any chance?]
“Yeah? They do.”
[Then the ones you just gave me are extras, right?]
“...Well, yeah, something like that.”
What.
So she'd given me spares and acted like it was a huge deal.
“You really have no sense. Acting all casual after receiving these precious petite series items.”
Was she seriously saying that...
No, her face was full of mischief but somehow sincere too.
A dragon with no boundaries between teasing and truth.
Veronica was always joking while being dead serious at the same time.
Shff.
In the end, I stored the Petite Veronica series in my inventory.
Right on the outer edge for easy access.
Then...
“Hey.”
[Yes.]
“Every time I see it, I wonder—is that magic or what?”
Veronica shot a glance at my inventory and spat it out.
I paused to think.
Sure... calling my inventory “magic” was a bit of a stretch.
No mana cost, no mana usage.
If anything... it was closer to a “unique ability.”
[It's my unique ability(理能).]
“It's not that ‘理’—it's ‘異,’ you idiot.”
Veronica wagged her finger, pointing out the typo.
...People can make mistakes sometimes.
She calls herself a dragon but hits me with savage burns like that.
[It's my unique ability(異能).]
“Hmm......”
Veronica's eyes narrowed meaningfully.
...And for some reason, I got a bad feeling.
“...Can people fit in there too?”
[?]
“If you're not sure, let's just try.”
With those words, Veronica strode toward me.
“Sounds fun.”
...Her face said she really wanted to be the lab rat.
I broke out in cold sweat and waved my hands frantically.
Put a person in my inventory?
I'd never tried it, and I had no intention of doing so.
...Especially not with Veronica as the subject.
***
Whoosh...!
Several threads converged, tracing a clear path...
They flowed exactly along the route I'd envisioned.
“…….”
I was silently repeating the motions in the personal training room at the dorm.
It was questionable whether to even call it training.
I wasn't sure myself if this helped with “growth” or if it was just self-consolation.
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
[ Adel ]
Limit Break: ★★☆☆☆
Attributes
: 「Abyss」
: 「Space」
: 「Phantasmal」
: 「Nothingness」
Stats
: Physique: 15 (D)
: Strength: 5 (F)
: Intelligence: 29 (B)
: Mentality: 32 (A)
: Mana: ■ ()
Talents
: 【All talents are fixed to ‘lowest’ due to the ‘Stigma.’】
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
A status window that made me sigh every time I saw it.
Talents fixed to “lowest,” stats only rose through achievements or lucky breaks.
‘......Sigh.’
I swallowed a sigh and shoved the status window far away.
Then I regulated my mana again and focused on my fingertips.
Shff.
I stood up briefly and picked the lightest-looking dagger from the weapons lined up on the wall.
‘Hmm......’
The weight felt just right.
Not too heavy... not too light either. Perfect balance.
‘Let's see...’
I activated the training room devices, and several targets appeared in the air.
I struck a rough pose... and threw the dagger with all my might.
Whoosh!
I reached out toward the flying dagger.
Mana aligned to my will, embracing the 「Phantasmal」 attribute...
───────!!
The single dagger multiplied into ten.
Ting! Ting ting!
The targets toppled one by one, each with a different sound.
Only one dagger on the floor.
...But ten targets down.
‘So that's how it works.’
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
【Fragment of Lust】
I thank the gods for granting me an unyielding soul.
: Receives infinite love from spirits.
: Dreams blend with reality, turning illusions into truth.
This child wanted to be loved.
Even after being rejected, abandoned, ignored.
That child waited for someone's embrace to the end.
Even if that love was false, even if that embrace was an illusion.
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
Overlays “reality” onto the concept of “illusion.”
A phantasm born from the Phantasmal attribute.
But 【Fragment of Lust】 turns that phantasm into “reality” for an instant.
“…….”
A hollow chuckle escaped me.
Even within the talent labeled “lowest”...
Even shackled by stats that wouldn't grow...
I was somehow getting stronger.
Proud of myself, I guess.
Whoosh.
I shook out my hand and headed to the kitchen.
What canned food should I try today...
With that trivial but quietly happy dilemma, I prepared to end my day.
***
Leviathan's day begins differently from everyone else's.
[Morning, Levi.]
“Mng.”
[Morning, Behi.]
“Grng.”
After a long day in the cradle, when Adel pushes open the dorm door.
Only then does Leviathan open its eyes.
“…….”
And the next moment.
Adel strides straight to the kitchen...
And predictably pulls out a can.
Pretends to deliberate which one, but there's no real criteria.
Whichever catches her hand, roughly.
“...Grng.”
Thud.
Adel sets one can each in front of Leviathan and Bahamut.
Leviathan lifts the lid and sniffs the familiar scent.
“…….”
Then Adel grabs a spoon, opens the lid, and shoves it straight into her mouth.
No change in her eyes.
No taste, no aroma, no emotion—just mechanically mouthful after mouthful.
...Does she really have no sense of taste?
Otherwise, how could she eat something this delicious so tastelessly?
...Stupid human.
No emotions? Or did she swallow those too?
“...Hmph.”
Leviathan huffed unnecessarily and bit into the canned food.
She didn't say it, but inside she was grumbling, “Why does this stupid human eat the same damn thing every day?”
...Adel polished off one can in no time and shut herself in the training room for hours.
She didn't emerge until much later.
Only after washing up did she finally lie down in bed.
[Good night.]
“Mng.”
“...Grng.”
The room light went out.
Adel's soft breathing reached Leviathan's ears.
Plop.
Leviathan, in its little Leviathan form, stuck a fin out of the tank.
And then.
Ssshh...
Its body rippled like waves on the shore, soon shifting into human shape.
“Euuuchaa....”
Her bare feet touched the floor with a soft squish.
Leviathan stretched languidly and looked down at Adel lying in bed.
“Hmm......”
...This stupid human still didn't know.
The stronger Adel's power grew, the longer Leviathan could maintain her human form.
She'd probably brush it off even if she noticed.
That's just how this stupid human was.
Plop.
Leviathan carefully lay down beside Adel.
And... blankly stared at that masked sleeping face.
“…….”
Why was it?
Gazing blankly at that face stirred a familiar longing from somewhere.
─【Levi!】
In forgotten memories.
...No, in a fragment of shattered memories, someone calling her name.
Before her ego had even formed, when she couldn't define what she was.
The voice of a certain woman calling her name.
“…….”
Plop plop.
Leviathan tugged idly at a strand of Adel's hair.
What the hell was this stupid human's deal?
―【No one can ever understand our existence.】
This idiot who appeared out of nowhere, freed her on a whim, and handled her however she pleased.
...And yet, she didn't hate it.
―【But if there is one who can understand us... would that be salvation?】
What kind of guy was this...
To make a dragon like her...
...An invincible, supreme being like her feel this longing.
―【But if there's only one such existence....】
Her master was one of a kind.
―【It would be our salvation....】
Only one.
...That woman alone.
―【But to that child, it would be a disaster.】
Zzt—
“...Eut.”
...Just thinking of that name brought splitting pain to Leviathan's head.
Chaotic memories swirled... stabbing pains pierced her skull.
“......Stupid human.”
But why?
―“Levi.”
―【Levi.】
When this stupid human called her name...
For a split second, they overlapped.
With “that master” who had called her name.
“…….”
Plop plop.
Irritated for no reason, Leviathan yanked harder on Adel's hair.
Time passed like that... and the world outside the window began to brighten.
“...Grng.”
Bahamut woke first and stared incredulously at Leviathan lying next to Adel.
“...Baa—”
Leviathan sat up and stuck her tongue out at Bahamut...
Poof!
And reverted to little Leviathan form.
Plop... plop...
She arduously climbed the desk and plopped back into the tank! Ripples spread gently.
Rustle...
As the bright morning sunlight filtered into the room, Adel rose.
That stupid human casually left the room to start her day.
And Leviathan...
Waited for that stupid master again, bringing her day to an end.