Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Skill Stone
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"Ian! You're back!"
When I returned to the mansion, Alensia greeted me more enthusiastically than usual. Or was she? Her voice was louder, but her expression hadn't changed.
"Alensia, thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to get healed by Gloria right away and recover."
"Hmph. Don't worry about it. After all, I'm the one receiving treatment from you, aren't I? If something happened to you, it'd be a big problem for me too."
Ah... I hadn't thought of that. From Alensia's position, it might be better if I just stayed here getting treated instead of wandering around fighting.
"I can read your thoughts like an open book. Ian, of course I'm receiving treatment from you, but that's ultimately for my sake. You have your own goal of heading into the Labyrinth, don't you? I have no intention whatsoever of crushing your dreams because of my situation."
"Alensia..."
She's a strong person. If it were me, I'd probably try to keep her here and prevent her from going anywhere until the treatment was done. Sure, we'd agreed to support her Labyrinth activities in the contract... but for her to show this kind of goodwill anyway just proves what a good person she is.
"Follow me, Ian. Don't you want to see the fruits of the trial you overcame?"
"Yes!"
It was just on the 9th floor, but it was the highest-class monster I'd caught so far. Trolls were supposed to have all sorts of uses too, so I followed Alensia with eager anticipation.
Following Alensia, we opened a door in the mansion that had been locked when I first arrived. Inside was a storage room filled with various items. The notable thing was that most of them appeared to be monster byproducts.
"This room stores the spoils from the monsters I've hunted over the years. Some parts are valuable, others not so much. I've installed an anti-decay magic circle inside the warehouse, so nothing stored here will ever rot."
In one corner amid those impressive items sat my share of the spoils.
"I had a butcher I know process it in advance. Even so... the condition isn't great."
My portion consisted of troll blood in a glass jar, butchered meat, and the troll's heart intact. Of course, none of it was in good shape.
The blood had solidified into a jelly-like form due to the poison's effects. The meat was marred with bloody seepage from internal bleeding everywhere, and the heart had a hole punched right through the center.
"......I was happy at first, but what do I even do with this?"
"Troll blood is usually used as potion material. The meat has a strong unique odor, but a skilled chef can turn it into a delicacy with excellent texture. The heart works for potions too, or as material for certain magic tools."
"Will these even sell?"
"They'll fetch far less than a troll's true value. To use them, you'd need to purify the poison first, and the purification cost alone isn't cheap."
I'd been thrilled to get a whole troll, which was supposed to be so valuable... but it wasn't something to celebrate blindly. Of course, I wouldn't have taken it down without the poison, so no regrets there.
As I inspected the byproducts and counted them up, something glinted from the hole in the troll's heart.
'......? What's this?'
I reached in, stuck my fingers into the gap, and rummaged around. Something hard caught on my finger. Pulling it out with force, a dark red lump came free.
"!!!! That's!"
What is it? Could this be a magic stone? I'd heard higher-grade monsters sometimes dropped them. Is this one?
"Alensia, is this a magic stone? Even if it is, they're pretty expensive..."
"Good heavens, a Skill Stone!"
I was shocked by two things right away. First, the word 'Skill Stone'—it sounded ominous and promising all at once—coming from Alensia's mouth.
And second, Alensia's face was filled with astonishment. Her expression can change after all! I'd honestly thought she had facial paralysis!
"Unbelievable—a Skill Stone from just the 9th floor! Even Advanced Adventurers who've cleared past the 30th floor rarely ever get one!"
"Uh... Alensia, I get that you're shocked, but could you explain?"
As I panicked, Alensia quickly composed herself and explained in a tone laced with excitement.
"Ian, you've heard of the Labyrinth's mysteries, right? Things like the Elixir that heals all wounds, demon swords that grant immense power, or items that bestow skills."
"Yes. So, is this...?"
"Most skill-granting items are artifacts that temporarily provide a skill while worn... but a Skill Stone is far rarer. You gain a new skill the instant you consume it."
Gaining a skill just by eating it... After three years of stagnation, I could grasp just how precious this treasure was.
"Skill Stones usually come from ruins in the Labyrinth or rarely from high-tier monsters. Depending on the skill they grant, the minimum price is in platinum coins, and one's even sold for 5,000 platinum. And this from the 9th floor..."
Minimum platinum coins... I rolled the Skill Stone in my hand. The numbers were too huge; it didn't feel real.
"Should I sell it?"
"......No, I strongly recommend against selling it."
I'd thought selling might be best, but Alensia suddenly grew serious.
"Skill Stones from ruins are different... but ones from monsters are said to grant skills related to that monster's traits."
"So this one?"
"From a troll, so probably something regeneration-related."
Jackpot! Everyone only has one life, and considering how rare potions and priests are... this is incredibly valuable, right?
"So it's super precious then?"
"Precious... excessively so."
Ah. Hearing Alensia's grave tone made the seriousness sink in.
"Regeneration abilities are coveted by anyone, not just adventurers—anyone at all. Power-hungry nobles obsessed with their own safety would kill for it. I could protect you for something moderate, but..."
It's too good, so I can't even sell it safely.
I'd heard of secret auctions for such items, but even those weren't safe for something this big. It could be sold through complicated channels, but...
"Why not use it yourself, Ian?"
"Me?"
"Yes. After all, you fought and earned that Skill Stone. And if you plan to push past the mid-layers into the deeper Labyrinth, that skill will give you strength."
I rolled the Skill Stone in my hand, lost in thought. But the deliberation didn't last long.
Alensia had said it before: if I gained enough power to protect her, I could earn a fortune healing patients with ruined mana circuits. Getting stronger would bring the money anyway.
And besides, hadn't I already discovered it? That pleasure surging with each new level of growth.
I popped the Skill Stone into my mouth. It instantly softened from its hardness, turned gaseous, and seeped into my body.
Acquired [Regeneration Lv.1] skill.
[Regeneration Lv.1]: Increases physical regeneration speed.
The moment I gained the skill, a slight warmth spread through my body. I drew my dagger and lightly slashed my hand. The bleeding stopped on its own without any clotting, almost immediately.
The wound didn't heal right away, but it seemed to have enough power to staunch a simple scratch.
"Is that the new skill?"
"Yes. The effect is still weak."
"Recovery methods outside holy magic are extremely rare. Occasionally, beastkin of exceptional bloodlines are born with [Regeneration]. They all become renowned warriors."
As I admired my new skill, Alensia continued with an excited gleam, like she'd just had a great idea.
"Training [Regeneration] might even unlock other resistance skills..."
"I'll go process these byproducts now."
Before Alensia could say more, I quickly gathered the remaining materials and headed out. I had a feeling I'd be stuck listening to resistance training theory all day otherwise.
Honestly, I'd test it someday... Had I been corrupted too?
My first stop was the Alchemist Guild. I'd only ever bought potions there before, but I took the troll blood to the material buyer. The clerk was thrilled at first but grew troubled upon inspecting it.
"This... it's unusable. The poison is too potent. Factoring in purification costs, we wouldn't even break even."
"Can't it be used at all?"
"We could make a potion with it as-is. But the poison would remain in the potion... no, it'd concentrate even more."
After some thought... I paid them to brew a potion from the blood I'd brought. The clerk freaked out, accusing me of trying to poison someone, and refused. I was going to drink it myself.
Kicked out of the Alchemist Guild, I grumbled my way to Miranda's workshop next.
"What? You broke your sword?"
"It didn't break... but while I was passed out, I couldn't wipe off the blood and poison, so it corroded completely."
As Miranda swung her hammer threateningly, asking where I'd sold the sword maintenance lessons, I explained about the troll, and she calmed down quick.
"Ah, that couldn't be helped. Still, looks like you're pretty skilled? Taking down a troll."
"It was more the poison than skill."
"That's skill too. Poison users usually target people... but poison's poison, right? Like my weapons—it can kill humans or monsters alike."
While explaining the troll, I mentioned wanting a new sword. Miranda pondered, then asked for the troll heart.
"It was soaked in poison anyway; the Alchemist Guild wouldn't take it. Give me the heart. I'll make you a new sword with it."
"How do you make a sword from a heart?"
"There's a way to use it as material. So, what'll it be?"
I had no doubts about Miranda's skills, so I handed over the poison-soaked heart and 5 gold coins as a deposit.
"What's with the 5-gold deposit?"
"Weapons using troll materials are usually for Intermediate Adventurers. Yours is in bad shape, so no guarantees, but it'll be worth at least that much."
She suggested I learn some other stuff while I was there, but I declined. I had places to be.
Miranda pouted a bit, then asked me to massage her hands a few times. Thinking it was for skill research, I threw in [Heavenly Touch] for a proper hand massage. Suddenly, she chased me out.
She'd seemed better for a sec—now back to being grumpy?
Carrying the remaining meat, I headed to the Cradle of Taste. If it's ingredients, pros would know best, right?
I'd promised to drop by once a week on weekdays anyway. Fainting had delayed it to today.
".......You're planning to cook with this?"
Showing her the troll meat, Lilian examined it briefly before exploding in anger. The internal veins had burst, filling it with bloody water, and it was packed with poison—she called labeling it an ingredient an insult.
"Sigh... You did come to learn cooking, right?"
"Yes. It's been super useful for actual cooking."
"...? What, did you serve it to a guest or something? 'Useful' even."
I had fed it to a troll, but did that count as a guest?
"Something like that."
"...'Something like'? Anyway, you brought troll meat, so I'll teach you how to cook it. Troll meat stinks badly, making it perfect for learning how to handle strong-odored ingredients."
"Ah, then with what I brought—"
"Put it away right now."
She got mad again. Said leaving food behind was a curse from the heavens.
"....Don't treat that like something edible."