Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 35
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 35
‘Since I’m alone now, I might as well take it easy.’
There were so many things I could do in this labyrinth.
I didn’t just mean leisurely fishing, but things that could genuinely help me build a solid foundation.
First, mana training.
The mana inside the labyrinth was even denser than the Asteri family’s exclusive training ground.
That probably meant this was the most mana-dense location in the entire empire.
‘Though using it as a regular training ground would be a bit dangerous.’
A mana training ground had two requirements.
First, it must be rich in mana.
Second, the mana must be stable.
This place was overflowing with mana, but it wasn’t stable.
Put simply, it was like a stormy sea.
An ordinary mage training here would probably struggle considerably.
If they weren’t careful, they might even get swept up by the wildly churning mana and sustain internal injuries.
But Lion was different.
Because he was the master of the labyrinth, the mana behaved docilely solely for him, and even if powerful mana did rage, his Mana Circle was so massively large that the chance of injury was low.
So, if he pushed himself a bit here, he could probably accumulate a tremendous amount of mana before leaving.
But…
“There’s no need to push myself.”
Lion decided to move at his own pace.
No matter how many good things raged around him, trying to grab them all would only tear his pockets.
Besides, he could come and go from this labyrinth as freely as his own home from now on.
There was another reason.
This body.
Even if he didn’t feel it physically, it had definitely been through a lot.
‘This frail body had even fainted, after all.’
What worried his family most was his body, too.
“Brother. You absolutely must not overexert yourself.”
‘I need to take care of my body first.’
For at least three days or so, his priority was to look after himself without overdoing it so he wouldn’t develop any ailments.
Lion took out a water bottle enchanted with Warming Magic and a cup from his bag.
Drip, drip.
The steaming tea gave off a subtle fragrance.
Slurp!
It felt so nice as the warm tea heated his insides.
“Alright. Let’s take it easy. Nice and easy.”
Fortunately, fishing was something he had done in his previous life.
Even if it was just an indoor fishing spot he went to for a company bonding event!
He firmly packed the bait, threaded it carefully onto the hook so it wouldn’t come loose, and cast the float out with a relaxed, lazy swing.
The fish weren’t biting easily.
Still, he was at least catching something.
[Crucian Carp (★)]
[Minnow (★)]
Even though the fishing rod’s durability was supposedly worn down by over 90 percent, there was no durability consumed at all.
“Good, as long as things keep going like this.”
At least he wouldn’t starve to death.
As a bit more time passed like that…
Tug!
The line of the fishing rod he’d set up by the lake was pulled in a strange way.
“Oh.”
This one feels a bit different?
Lion grabbed the rod and waited.
At some point, the line pulled taut!
Gulp!
Swallowing dryly, Lion reeled in the line while pulling his body back slightly.
It was a bit different from the fish he’d caught so far. The sheer force of it suggested it was a fairly sizable one.
Only after wrestling with it for quite a long time did the silhouette of a rather thick fish rise from the depths to just below the surface, creating large ripples on the lake as it flailed.
Then, with a whoosh! As he reeled the line in further…!
[You caught a Labyrinth Carp (★★)!]
- A carp that can only be caught within the labyrinth. Unlike a common carp, it has no fine bones and no muddy smell, giving it excellent flavor.
- It has no toxins or parasites. The scales are soft, too! Just perfect for nourishing the body.
- It’s on the larger side even among carp!
[Usage - Cooking, Alchemy]
[☞ Click to view the Recipe.]
Flop, flop.
He had caught a fish just under a meter in size!
In this small spot, considering it was a lake!
Lion’s mouth fell slightly open at the completely unexpected catch.
Above all…
‘The, the fight it put up was no joke, huh?’
The sensation itself was entirely different from reeling in a small fish.
Was this why everyone dreamed of going out to sea and catching a big one?
He felt the forgotten charm of fishing resurfacing.
‘Though honestly, it hadn’t been this exciting before.’
He hadn’t gone of his own accord, and at the time, there was the pressure of having to catch fish.
Back then, he was impatient about everything, always thinking he had to produce results in any situation.
But not now.
He simply cast his rod, sat in his chair, and if he caught something, he caught it. If not, it didn’t matter.
After emptying his mind and fishing like that, the joy was even greater.
[By understanding the true taste of fishing, you awaken a new talent!]
[New Talent: Fishing]
[Fishing Proficiency has become Apprentice Lv.1.]
Lion placed the still-flopping Labyrinth Carp into a bucket.
“This carp is dinner tonight.”
As luck would have it, the carp he caught was said to be delicious and nourishing.
It was perfect for his frail body.
‘First, I should set up a place where I can cook.’
Lion immediately took various items out of his inventory and set up a simple kitchen.
Cups, dishes, a cutting board. Even a small shelf and blankets.
‘I’d prepared these in case Rickshel caught a cold.’
Thanks to that, he had something to cover up with while sleeping.
“Ah, I should take out the alchemy equipment, too.”
It was a relief that he’d packed so many daily necessities in his inventory while wandering around Mimir Forest.
And…
“The free gift.”
Lion took out the free gift he’d received when purchasing a product from the Shilling Shop.
It happened to be a flint.
[Magic Flint]
- Makes starting fires easier.
- Useless in the modern era, but who knows, you might need it.
“Thanks to this, I can light a fire.”
Lion stacked the dry firewood he’d left in a corner of his inventory and lit a campfire.
Flare!
Fortunately, the fire caught quickly.
As the sun was setting, it worked perfectly as a decent light source, too.
“I’ve got dry firewood for a while, so there’s no worry about a fire source…”
Still, it wasn’t enough to last a month.
When the sun rose, he’d have to chop down some wood or straw and gather more kindling.
“I’ll worry about that tomorrow.”
First, he had to fill his stomach, so he’d start with cleaning the fish.
Lion took the carp out of the bucket and placed it on a wooden cutting board.
He’d thought of the dinner menu the moment he caught it.
‘At times like this, it’s got to be primitive grilling.’
It was a dish everyone dreamed of at least once while camping!
Just simply grilling it on a skewer.
For some reason, even if it was the same grilled fish, it always felt tastier when skewered.
Holding the skewer and picking the meat off, or sliding the meat right off, was another part of the fun.
First, Lion slit the belly of the dead carp and scooped out all the innards.
[Labyrinth Carp Innards]
- Cannot be used as food, but are perfect as an alchemy ingredient.
- The gallbladder, in particular, contains a small amount of the Labyrinth’s mana. Be careful not to let the ingredient spoil.
[Usage - Alchemy]
[☞ Click to view the Recipe.]
‘Let’s put it in a jar first.’
Without discarding the fish innards, he transferred them to an alchemy jar, and the jar began to heat up on its own.
After pouring in the alchemical solution, Lion returned and thrust a long skewer through the well-cleaned fish.
But…
“Hmm.”
Something was flimsy.
First of all, it didn’t seem secure, and the thick parts clearly wouldn’t cook well.
“In that case…”
Lion twisted the cleaned carp in a zigzag pattern and skewered it.
It was much more stable this way.
“Just in case, I’ll stick one more in.”
When he did the same thing, it looked pretty decent.
Lion immediately positioned the carp’s head downward, planted the skewer near the hearth, and sprinkled salt on it appropriately.
This way, the fat would drain out nicely while the juices stayed trapped inside, making the outside crispy and the inside juicy.
Since it was food gently cooking over a campfire, he could now spend his time leisurely doing other things.
“Heave-ho.”
Lion got up and arranged a spot to lie down.
Since there happened to be a huge tree right next to him, he could lean against it.
He cleared away the stones embedded in the ground with his hoe, laid one blanket down, and used another as a cover…
“Not bad, huh?”
It wasn’t a luxurious bed or a warm room, but it was surprisingly romantic and pleasant.
Moreover, thanks to his incredible formal attire set, he didn’t even feel the cold, heat, or humidity—it was quite comfortable.
“Well, shall I try lying down?”
Lion lay down comfortably.
It certainly wasn’t the soft, bouncy bed of a cozy room.
But he thought that for camping out in the wild like this, it was quite an impressive level.
“No, snap out of it.”
Even if it was safe, he wasn’t staying just a day or two, but a rather long time.
A month.
He had to plan diligently so the later part would be easier.
“Yeah. When am I ever gonna experience this again?”
After all, being romantic took diligence.
Around the time Lion had gotten back up and was continuing to tidy up his surroundings, after spending his time leisurely, the savory smell of grilled fish drifted over.
It seemed to be done.
Lion went outside and picked up the fish skewered on the stick.
[Grilled Labyrinth Carp (★)]
- A grilled carp slow-roasted over a gentle fire to bring out its maximum flavor. However, due to the primitive cooking method, its gourmet satisfaction is low.
- Upon consumption, provides fullness and, with a low probability, you might obtain something special…
[※Caution※ Cannot be taken outside the Labyrinth.]
“It’s my first time seeing a warning message like that.”
Did this mean the Labyrinth’s delicacies could only be enjoyed inside the Labyrinth?
He didn’t know what ‘something special’ was, but it didn’t seem bad.
And the probability seemed low, anyway.
Anyhow, the appearance of the finished grilled carp was quite superb.
The outer scales, perhaps because of the oil from the fish itself, were grilled to a crisp, golden brown like tempura, and the flesh visible through the slightly split belly clearly looked soft and tender.
And above all…
This unique savory aroma of grilled fish that stimulated hunger.
It was a rather annoying smell when you weren’t hungry, but when you were, this smell drove you crazy.
A desire surged to immediately scoop a large piece of fish onto a bowl of hot white rice and place a piece of fresh, red kimchi right on top.
Of course, he had neither rice nor kimchi now, but grilled skewers had their own charm, so it was fine.
“They said it had few fine bones, so I wonder how true that is.”
An ordinary carp is usually too muddy and full of fine bones to just grill and eat, but this Labyrinth Carp seemed to be built differently.
Well, he’d know once he tried it.
Without hesitation, Lion took a bite of the giant grilled carp.
Crisp!
The skin tore away with a crispy sound, just like fried chicken, and the juicy flesh inside filled his mouth.
“…!”