Ttungi Wants to Get Stronger

Ttungi wanted to become stronger.

'For now, I'll leave the medicine as is. Who should I give the rest to?'

There were a whopping nine pills left inside the red jar. It felt strange that such precious elixirs were simply sitting on a warehouse shelf, but perhaps in ancient times an elixir of this caliber was nothing to be shocked about.

'Duplicates have no effect, I can't store them in subspace, and I obviously can't carry them outside...'

It truly seemed like an item deliberately designed to be completely unusable beyond this environment.

'How much it hurt back in my previous life when I took them out and ended up losing all nine.'

I had even carried some out in my mouth, yet the result was the same. The memory of that failure flickered through my mind, bringing with it a faint pang of regret.

Just to be sure, I swept my hand across the other objects on the shelf.

Crackle—

Every unknown item packed tightly together crumbled into dust the moment I touched it.

'If they held even the slightest value, they would have kept their shape.'

Without any lingering attachment, I turned away and returned to Yeonhee with the elixirs.

"Huh? What's that?"

"Clack clack clack!"

When I mimed taking one of the pills from the jar and putting it in my mouth, the faces of Yeonhee and the others shifted from confusion to growing excitement.

"... No way. Th-that's not an elixir, is it?"

Artifacts and elixirs were the lottery tickets of dungeon hunters. The quick-witted Jua asked first, her voice thick with anticipation.

"Clack clack."

"Uh... he, he says it is."

"Oh my!"

"Kyaa! The real thing?"

"So... we're all getting some?"

"Clack clack clack."

As I placed an elixir into each of my chattering companions' hands, they accepted the pills with trembling fingers.

"Can I really eat this?"

"Um... is it okay for me to take one..."

"Aha— so you really can't take it outside."

"Clack clack."

The companions who had been quietly staring at the dark-red elixir all turned to Yeonhee. She gave a big nod, granting permission.

I gestured for everyone to sit, encouraging them to assume stable positions. They followed my lead, settling comfortably before consuming the elixirs. Soon their bodies shuddered once and they began sweating profusely.

An elixir of this potency would naturally take a long time to absorb. At least thirty minutes, I estimated.

'I'm jealous. If I took it while using Mimicry, the effects would hit immediately.'

But I could not transform right now, so there was no helping the delay. I was gradually revealing my skills, yet turning into a human was still too early to disclose. No— it would be best not to reveal it at all if possible.

While the others sat digesting the elixirs, I pondered what to do with the remaining four pills.

I tried again just in case, but the result was the same. As I considered how best to use them, two names rose to mind.

Hyeon Jung-gil and Kang Yeonsu.

They were the most trustworthy hunters I knew, and their abilities were exceptional. Elixirs sometimes drew out unexpected power when taken by someone with a compatible constitution, so it might even help improve Hyeon Jung-gil's worsening condition.

I left two pills inside the jar and returned it to the hidden space. Once the dungeon's balance completely collapsed, the two of them might be able to enter this place.

'A preparation for the future, you could say.'

That left two pills. While I debated, my gaze fell on one particularly cute fellow.

'Hmm... can that one consume it too?'

As Ham Eun-yeong broke into a cold sweat and groaned in discomfort, a mackerel-tabby cat watched her with worried eyes.

'... Hey. Azra.'

(You were told not to shorten my name—)

'Here you go.'

When I tossed the elixir, the cat caught it perfectly with both soft front paws.

(... What is this?)

'You already know what it is. Just eat it to be safe.'

(Are you experimenting on me, you bastard?)

'It's an item that raises mana by three hundred. In my entire life I've never seen anyone suffer side effects from an elixir. Even if you're a demon, it shouldn't be any different.'

A potion engineered so powerful energy would permeate the body naturally. An elixir that had been turned into an artifact and endured long ages while preserving its form.

'It will definitely help. You don't plan to stay in that form forever, do you?'

(......)

Azra stared at the elixir resting on the pink jelly of its paw before pushing it into its mouth.

Gulp—

(Kuhm— Well. Since you want me to eat it that badly, I'll help out just this once.)

'How generous of you.'

(Hmm— Not bad.)

Perhaps because it was no ordinary creature, it showed no sign of distress afterward. The cat lightly leaped down from Eun-yeong's still-suffering body onto the ground.

Swish swish—

It swung its front paw several times in quick succession, then nodded in satisfaction.

(A proud demon repays what it receives. Look forward to it.)

'Sure, sure. Of course you will.'

After giving a half-hearted reply, I observed the cat. No major external changes were visible yet, but I could sense a vast ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠energy slowly spreading outward from the center of its body.

Purr— Purr—

The cat seemed extremely pleased with the elixir's effect; it purred loudly while its tail swayed contentedly from side to side.

'For the last one... should I give it to the black dragon? Castle probably won't work.'

As that thought crossed my mind, Ttungi had already waddled up beside me and was staring intently at the elixir in my hand.

'Shoo— go away. You're not even a combat type.'

There was no way I could give something this valuable to the little torturer. But Ttungi's eyes burned with desire. It set down the bundle on its shoulder and began rummaging through it.

'What are you up to now?'

It dug around for a long time before finally pulling out a pill that looked similar to the elixir and offering it to me.

'Ooh?! Insane!'

The numbers were slightly lower ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠than Gusfawal's Elixir, yet Ttungi had casually handed over an item that boosted stamina by a full two hundred and fifty.

'Is this supposed to be an equivalent exchange? But since the stats are lower than mine, shouldn't you offer something more?'

I was a cold-hearted skeleton, after all. I wanted the math to be exact. When Ttungi heard my thoughts, it shook its head firmly and told me to read the item's description again.

'We're communicating pretty well now.'

Having fought alongside us continuously, Ttungi seemed to have grown. Communication was far smoother than before. I reread the description as instructed and quickly understood what the kobold was trying to say.

'Huh? This... can be taken multiple times?'

Nod—

It was a much higher-grade item than Gusfawal's Elixir, which could only be consumed once.

"Ttung?"

Ttungi wore the smile of a seasoned merchant and asked if I wanted to trade.

'Fine. Let's trade.'

I immediately popped the elixir Ttungi gave me into my mouth.

'My stamina did feel a little short lately. Perfect timing. Ah, wait. What about the ones I put back earlier?'

I asked if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the two elixirs I had returned to the hidden space could also be traded. Ttungi answered.

"Ttung..."

It refused, saying Gusfawal's Elixir no longer held any value for it.

'Can't you trade it for something else in the middle or find another way?'

But the kobold shook its head resolutely. Having eaten the elixir, it soon sprawled out on the floor and fell fast asleep.

Ugh— this guy really does whatever he wants.

'Well, items of this grade probably can't be traded often anyway.'

Considering its strong merchant tendencies, it likely could not do it rather than would not. I rolled the elixir around in my mouth while waiting for ownership to transfer, until the others recovered.

No Hayun was the first to regain herself. As she stretched with a big yawn, the message I had been waiting for finally appeared.

'Nice. When I think about using Meteor, this is the best possible achievement.'

Even though I had obtained it once before, the feeling was still excellent. A ten-percent reduction in mana consumption was genuinely valuable.

Whoosh—

Perhaps because of the elixir's absorption, power surged through my body uncontrollably. As a result, horns sprouted from my forehead and a thick tail stretched out behind me.

No Hayun, now fully conscious, sparkled with interest as she watched my changed appearance.

"Whoa... that's so cool."

She rarely expressed admiration like that, which only proved how striking my new form must look. Honestly, even I would have made the same sound if I saw myself in a mirror.

"The others are still out. Ilwol, did your mana increase too? You can consume elixirs? In that body?"

Hayun stretched her arms toward the ceiling as she asked.

"Clack clack clack."

"Heh... what a strange body."

She was the one who had regained consciousness in under ten minutes after taking an elixir; she was hardly one to talk. Still, having grown up eating only the best since childhood, it made sense that her body absorbed the medicine so efficiently.

Yet No Hayun suddenly began inching closer while watching my reaction, then dropped an unexpected question.

"Ah, that dagger you made before... do you have a slightly bigger version?"

"......"

I focused my senses to confirm that Yeonhee was still deep in meditation before answering.

"Clack clack."

"Oh? You do have a bigger one? Can't you give just one to me?"

I didn't need to ask what she intended to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠use it for. I was simply stunned that she could ask for a tool meant for sexual pleasure so openly and without shame.

'I never considered that a dagger wouldn't be enough for her.'

While I stood frozen, No Hayun suddenly clutched her stomach and burst into laughter.

"Pffft— Ilwol. Talking with you is genuinely fun, you know? I could never have a conversation like this with anyone else."

"......"

Being a skeleton meant there was no sense of embarrassment no matter what topic came up. I pretended to hesitate for a moment, then carefully took out the item I had crafted with great care from my subspace.

"Hup...?! Th-that's..."

No Hayun covered her mouth with both hands when she saw the object shaped like a man's member.

"Th-that, that thing... give it to me. Yeah? Give it! Hurry."

"Clack."

I firmly shook my head and held out my hand.

"Ah— you want to trade?"

"Clack clack clack."

"But I don't have anything to give you right now..."

I wanted to complete the exchange while the opportunity existed. Moments like this were rare. Reading my thoughts, she rummaged through her subspace for a long time. Eventually she pulled out a small statue engraved with a woman.

'Hmm?'