Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Constellation Gallery EP.9
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"...Ha, fuck."
After arriving at the hospital and finding thread and a needle.
It had probably been about thirty minutes since I'd started sewing up my wound by myself.
This goddamn pain never gets any easier to handle.
The problem was having to do it with one hand.
I wasn't skilled at sewing to begin with, and in my rush, the result was predictably ugly.
Every time I stabbed the needle into the wound, intense pain surged through my entire body.
The agony felt like it was pounding at my heart.
Each time the curved needle pierced through flesh, my senses sharpened excruciatingly.
So this is what it feels like to stitch yourself up raw without anesthesia.
No wonder surgeons say they can't even imagine operating without it.
But compared to the shock of chugging that potion, this pain was little more than a tickle.
Maybe that's why. Even as I plunged the needle into living flesh over and over, not a hint of hesitation arose.
'It's not just the difference in pain levels... it's gotta be...'
'Feels less like watching Constellations and more like a bunch of NEETs.'
Watching the NEETs—no, gallery-ing while suturing felt kinda like knitting while a video played in the background?
Anyway, I tied the final knot while skimming their bullshit.
'Pretty sloppy.'
If my condition worsened, I'd use a potion. For now, it was manageable.
Apart from the throbbing wound, battle fatigue, and the heavy pull of sleep if I closed my eyes.
I let out a sigh, still holding the surgical needle and thread.
Eventually, there'd come a time when wasting time stitching like this would be the real loss. But for now...
'Store in Inventory.'
As I stared at the items in my hand and thought it, they faded away smoothly from above my palm.
The needle and thread had safely entered my Inventory.
I brushed off my butt and stood up.
'Where haven't I checked yet?'
Even though I'd swept through once already, there might still be useful stuff scattered around.
Especially meds—the more the better.
The issue was that most were hard to identify... Still, I needed to check the unchecked floors.
I headed up the stairs to the upper floor.
Then, a familiar groan reached my ears.
I stopped immediately and looked toward the sound.
'Another Ghoul?'
I definitely hadn't seen any on the way up.
Do they spawn randomly?
'Body's tired, what a pain...'
Like wanting to spray Bug Repellent when you've got spare time in a Pokémon game.
But this wasn't a game.
Survival was on the line.
'Still, gotta farm Gold when I can.'
I gripped the frying pan firmly.
Its familiar weight locked me into combat mode.
I quickly subdued the Ghouls.
As they hit the floor, 10 Gold notifications popped up before my eyes.
'Not much, but at this rate, potions are essential.'
Hunting Ghouls had become routine, sure.
But the physical fatigue as a human was real.
If nonstop combat continued, my current stamina-limited body would get wrecked for sure.
Even now, my arms were tingling.
Swinging the pan dozens of times had started dulling my senses.
'Can't just leave Gold on the table, though.'
That single thought kept me moving, but I was starting to feel the stamina drain acutely.
'I've killed dozens already—leveling up is real, right?'
Level grinding, all that talk—is it all bullshit?
Does "stats don't rise easily" mean this?
Or do I need thousands of Ghouls for one level?
Is that why guns exist?
Such shitty thoughts piled up until suddenly.
The werewolf from earlier came to mind.
In the Constellation Gallery, right after becoming an Incarnation, even with full stats boosted, there was talk of early-game limit breaks or whatever.
'So there is a definite way to raise them.'
How?
Do you need a contract first to raise stats?
Even so, it couldn't just be hunting.
From the gallery vibe earlier, that werewolf had rushed straight to me right after contracting.
'I've killed nearly 70, felt no level change, but no way he killed hundreds in that short time.'
His power was plenty capable, sure.
But even roaring to lure them, only about 60 gathered. No way he farmed hundreds while running around that fast.
So the answer was obvious.
'Status Window.'
The eye-catching part was the [+] marks.
'Knew it.'
No stat points visible, but pressing those raises them, obviously.
Vitality was lagging most, so let's bump that first.
'500 Gold?'
10 Gold per Ghoul.
So about 50 kills per stat point?
"Well, investment you gotta make to survive anyway."
Spent 500 Gold on Vitality.
Status showed Vitality at 4.
'Hmm... no real feel yet.'
Potion wiped fatigue clean, but this? Nothing like that.
Still, first day—better double up just in case.
"Vitality is national power."
Tried raising Vitality again, but the Gold cost had changed.
"...What?"
Early game and leveling's already this brutal?
Aren't newbies supposed to level from one snail kill?
Fuck, 1500 Gold for just two levels.
Without First Hunter Gold bonus, it'd take 150 Ghouls for +2 stats.
And that's without spending elsewhere.
"Ha... shit."
Grumbled but invested anyway.
The moment the system alert popped, my body lightened.
The heavy arms and accumulated fatigue from moments ago vanished.
Not perfectly, but like stamina had partially recovered.
'Bigger difference than I thought?'
Hopefully Strength or Agility don't demand 2000 Gold now.
Need to check when I have spare.
Good—Strength, Agility, Intelligence all 500 Gold first time.
Intelligence probably isn't just smarts.
'In a world with skills and such, that's definitely Magic Power related.'
Curiosity satisfied for now.
Put out the Vitality fire—invest in rest situationally.
I dusted my hands roughly and resumed scouting the hospital.
Then stepped into the inpatient ward.
"......"
The sight made me grimace.
Blood trails down the walls, floor soaked in congealed stains.
Furniture overturned, beds with torn sheets and drag marks from something heavy.
Even inside a hospital, huh.
I sighed, clicked my tongue, and moved forward.
'Guess nowhere's a safe zone.'
Then, a slight movement from one bed caught my eye.
I halted and peered over.
A girl who looked like a high schooler was curled up on the bed.
Hunched tight, no blanket, eyes squeezed shut, body trembling.
'No way... playing dead?'
Slightly quivering fingertips.
Shoulders twitching from extreme tension.
'This low-rent play dead actually worked?'
Maybe since it's the early event phase the Constellations mentioned, even this worked on dumb Ghouls.
Seemed effective regardless.
As I thought that, she cracked her eyes to peek—and our gazes met.
Her eyes flew wide.
"Ah, ah...!"
"Calm down. You can tell I'm not a monster..."
"Mister, behind you...!"
Behind me?
I turned in confusion.
A blade was already at my nose.