Chapter 20
Chapter 20
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Constellation Gallery EP.19
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Plague? It's an ability that lets you freely handle all poisons and diseases."
"Hold on, all poisons and diseases? Isn't that way too overpowered?"
"...Overpowered?"
"I mean, isn't it excessively good?"
"Is that what you mean? But I'm on your side, Uncle. If it's excessively good, doesn't that make it even better?"
Of course it's good. It's good, but...
Maybe I'm just petty, but it rubs me the wrong way.
Handling poison feels kinda iffy for some reason.
Like I could get poisoned anytime.
"Good. I meant it's too good."
I tried to hide my true feelings.
Tulip then got even more excited and started explaining the skill in detail.
"Right! It can detect and analyze all toxic substances! Convert absorbed poison into your own and store it! Use the stored poison for 'poison attacks'! And also...!"
"Got it."
I placed my hand lightly on Tulip's head.
"That's enough. I get it. You can handle poison, so you can also neutralize it, right?"
"No? I think that's just from Medicine."
"...Really?"
Tulip nodded eagerly, her eyes sparkling.
"Then can you make vaccines? Like flu shots."
"Flu shots?"
"Yeah. Does poison only work after you're poisoned and then you just neutralize it? Can't you prevent it beforehand?"
She pondered for a moment before speaking up.
"To cut to the chase, yes, it's possible!"
"For real?"
The moment I brightened up, Tulip added,
"But preventing all poisons in advance is impossible!"
"Why!"
"Each poison has different mechanisms. Different ways it works, but that's not a problem for me."
"So why, then?"
"Injecting antidotes for every poison beforehand would cause massive side effects. Neutralizing on the spot is best!"
She shrugged and continued her explanation.
"Normal vaccines work by injecting a weakened poison to build antibodies. What do you think happens if you do that for every poison?"
"It ends up becoming a strong poison."
"Exactly! You're smart!"
Tulip looked thrilled.
"And the archers' poison isn't something that reproduces like a flu virus. It's a chemical that acts immediately upon entering the body."
"...You can stop explaining now."
"So there's no time for antibodies to trigger an immune response. It destroys tissue right away."
"You're not even listening to me anymore."
I should never ask why again.
I let out a light sigh and continued.
"So the conclusion is, no, you can't."
"No? That's normally true, but I can do it!"
"Wait... Are you messing with me?"
"Especially for specific poisons like the archers', I can inject the antidote in advance."
"Not listening, la la la."
While I was checking the comments, she summoned medicines and whipped something up.
Just like last time, in that moment where I wondered if I could trust her, a syringe greeted me once more.
"You trust me, right?"
"No."
"You have to."
"If it's poison, make it painless like we agreed."
"Argh! Don't joke like that!"
"I'm serious..."
A moment later, as she pushed the syringe, she paused.
"...Huh? That's weird?"
She touched my arm and tilted her head.
"Why are you making me anxious."
"The needle won't go in."
"Oh, probably 'cause your Vitality went up?"
"No. My intuition says it should go in."
"Your medical opinion?"
"Yes! Like a non-Newtonian fluid!"
"...Non-Newtonian fluid?"
She continued explaining while touching my arm.
"It exists. A substance that's hard against strong impacts but weak against soft pressure. Your body feels like that right now."
She carefully pressed my arm with her finger.
Sure enough, slow pressure made the skin give normally.
"See! Normally, slowly pushing the needle would make it slide in."
"Uh... Tulip."
"Yes?"
"No more explanations from now on."
"..."
"Anyway, since it won't work, nothing we can do. Should've thought of this before raising Vitality."
After pondering my words for a while, she clapped as if solving the final puzzle.
"Then, open your mouth?"
"...My mouth?"
"Yes!"
She grinned brightly, syringe in hand.
Feeling an ominous premonition, I reluctantly opened my mouth.
She immediately jabbed the needle inside!
"Gah! You crazy!"
Without warning, she went full throttle, but the needle tip didn't pierce the skin.
"Ah, really weird?"
"Now what's wrong."
She still looked puzzled.
"The mouth is soft, so I thought it'd definitely go in. Was aiming for the inferior labial artery."
"...No need for those details."
Tulip ignored me and tried jabbing again.
"Weird. Intuition says it should work."
After fiddling in my mouth for a while, her eyes lit up as if realizing something.
"Ah! Got too focused on you, missed the alert! Ah, that's why."
"What is it?"
I asked, feeling a chill.
"No way it's 'vaccines too OP, can't receive them' or some bullshit restriction, right?"
"No, it's that you can't attack party members."
"...Huh?"
My head tilted involuntarily.
"Wait, this isn't an attack. It's treatment, but it's blocked? Were you trying to attack me?"
"Nooo! Stop saying that! Anyway, jabbing with a needle counts as an attack, I guess."
She looked genuinely hurt, not panicked.
Her reaction seemed honest.
"Wait, give me the syringe?"
I took it from Tulip and looked at her.
"Can I stab you with this?"
"Yes! Anywhere's fine."
I grabbed her arm confidently.
And as I tried to inject...
Seeing that alert, my thoughts blanked for a second.
Soon after, my lips split into a grin, laughter bubbling up.
"Uncle? Why? You're scaring me..."
She looked at me anxiously, but I didn't care.
"...You didn't turn zombie, right?"
"Why would zombies laugh."
"They can."
Even as she asked worriedly, I thrilled at the realization.
The party function the constellations mentioned.
This was it.
No doubt.
After getting instructions from Tulip on where to inject and administering it myself.
We headed straight to the mart without delay.
More archers appeared en route, but not as many as the first encounter.
Maybe three or four at most.
Normally, even that number would be highly threatening, but...
"Come on, shoot all you want, you worthless shits."
Not anymore.
I spread my arms dramatically, flashing a cocky grin.
Ka-chak!
I didn't even dodge the incoming arrows.
A few grazed my skin.
But now, it was truly nothing.
No poison seeping through the skin like before, no heavy sinking feeling.
I turned to Tulip and said,
"Antidote's working great."
She clenched her fists, beaming with pride at being helpful.
I turned back to the archers.
"Out of arrows already? Got more?"
They stood there baffled, bows in hand.
Not fleeing.
"Our Tulip needs free arrow farming. Shoot more! No more?!"
Amid the noisy Constellation Gallery.
The archers, out of arrows, just tilted their heads at us.
"Dumbasses."
I hurled the Grave of Ten Thousand Demons at them.
The jet-black blade flew, leaving a dark red trail, but lost power before reaching the distant black archer and fell.
"...Doesn't reach that far."
I paused to think.
It lost power at a similar distance earlier.
Guess my throwing strength is lacking.
I opened the status window to check Strength.
Eventually it'll go up anyway.
"Max out Strength."
Ding!
"Raise it."
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
Suddenly, something exploded inside my body, surging wildly.
A sensation of muscle tissue finely restructuring flowed through my body.
Blood from my heart raced through expanded vessels.
Like a sports car speeding on the autobahn.
"...Oh."
I naturally clenched and unclenched my fist.
Just curling my hand as usual, but I felt muscle fibers tighten taut beneath the skin.
A slight squeeze of my fingers, and a dull crack echoed from the joints.
Just gripping like this, and this much change...
"Wanna give it a shot."
I gripped the Grave of Ten Thousand Demons again.
Hurled it at the distant archer.
Whoosh!
Speed incomparable to before.
Light yet fast, fast yet heavy.
The archer couldn't react; the blade slammed into its head.
No, it pierced clean through and kept going.
Thud! Thud!
Piercing another archer's head behind it, then dissolving into black smoke.
Whoosh-
And back to my hand.
"...Now it's usable."
More than that, when holding the Deadmask Archer...
The strange pattern on the blade glowed a bit brighter than before.
'The light's brighter...?'
Just my imagination?
As if denying it, the Grave of Ten Thousand Demons sent a subtle sensation.
Like something awaiting awakening.
Bzzz- Bzzz-
"Why's this thing whining?"
It quieted instantly.
I swung and threw the sword again.
Perfectly into another head, black smoke rose, and it returned.
I stopped Tulip when she tried to help from the side.
"Too annoying to pick up arrows. Hold off for now."
"Yes!"
Whether because she'd get Gold without acting or just because I said so, she obeyed readily.
"Gold's rolling in sweet."
"What does that mean?"
"Sweet is tasty. Tasty stuff makes you happy. So sweet means Gold's coming in nicely and I'm happy. Got it?"
"Ah..."
I could tell from Tulip's reaction.
She has no clue but just reacted appropriately.
Before long, the mart was near, and I stored the Grave of Ten Thousand Demons in my Inventory.
Tulip looked puzzled at the sight.
"Why store the sword?"
"Might cause unnecessary tension."
She stared at me for a moment, then dropped,
"Uncle..."
"Yeah?"
"You know storing just the sword doesn't make you look safe?"
"...You store your bow too."
"It wasn't about my bow."
"Quiet."