The Berry

"An incantation? What kind of incantation?"

"That much I don't know. But one thing I'm sure of — that blood smell belonged to a human."

A human? Had someone been murdered again, like before?

"Any chance you were mistaken?"

At that, the beastman snorted.

"Not a chance. A canine beastman doesn't misremember a scent."

"Is there anything else you recall? Anything at all?"

The beastman furrowed his brow, digging through his memory, then let out a sudden exclamation.

"Ah! I remember something. There was a big light — and people with red cloth draped over their heads."

"So you didn't see their faces, then? Or their race?"

"They had cloth over their heads. Of course I couldn't tell."

"Honestly, you're writing a novel at this point."

The older man wasn't buying any of it. The wolf beastman looked thoroughly wronged and started bickering right back.

Look at them go. Kind of adorable, really.

There were times when things turned ugly between the races — but friendships like theirs were another kind of charm this other world had to offer.

Back on Earth, humans and other sentient species getting along this well would have been nearly impossible.

I shared a light drink with the two of them, then headed back to the inn and fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up and started climbing toward the eighth floor.

Why do I keep climbing this Tower, anyway?

I hunted monsters out of habit, the way you'd grind through a game. But I was already earning more than enough to live on. Did I really need to keep risking my neck going higher?

The thought crossed my mind now and then. Sure, I wanted to get stronger and shove it in certain people's faces — but I'd already cleared the fifth floor, where only two out of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ten adventurers made it through. Wanting more recognition than that was starting to feel like greed.

I was still turning it over when I realized I'd already arrived on the eighth floor.

It looked no different from the seventh. The only real change was that the Nepenthes now appeared in pairs. One or two didn't make much difference, though. Nepenthes were slow by nature — strip away their vines fast enough and they barely posed a threat.

Deeper in, however, things changed. A new kind of monster started showing up.

A heavy thud rang out as something dropped from a massive tree overhead. It was a grotesque creature with a thick, bloated body — a giant caterpillar. Its flesh was translucent enough that you could see the organs shifting inside. A pair of wicked-looking mandibles jutted from its snout, and countless legs lined its underside. Even so, it moved as slowly as any caterpillar ought to. As long as I didn't get snipped by those jaws or crushed under that bulk, I figured I'd be fine.

At first, anyway.

I approached without much concern — and the moment it saw me, the caterpillar spat something from its mouth.

Whoosh!

I flinched and blocked it with my dagger.

"What the—?! What is this?!"

It was thread. A thick, sticky strand of silk. A second later I felt my body being yanked along the line connecting me to the caterpillar. I tore my gloves off in a hurry — and watched as both gloves and dagger were reeled straight into the creature's maw.

You've got to be kidding me.

A monster that attacked from range. First one I'd ever faced. I pulled a spare dagger from my inventory and equipped it.

Should I just run while I still can?

The caterpillar's next volley of silk erased that thought entirely. Thread kept pouring from its mouth, its body wobbling and squelching with every movement.

"Ugh, this thing is seriously disgusting!!!"

The more it attacked, the more my stubborn streak kicked in. I decided then and there I was going to spill every last one of its guts, and I charged.

I weaved left and right, dodging the flying strands of silk, until the monster was right in front of me. I drove my blade into the caterpillar's soft, yielding flesh.

"Hiyah!!!"

Running the full length of its body, I dragged the dagger from the section resting on the ground all the way to the tip of its tail. The translucent organs inside heaved and spilled out in a wet, glistening rush.

"Ugh… that texture is awful."

It was so soft and squelchy that the sensation of cutting through it made my skin crawl. The caterpillar vanished, leaving only the loot behind — along with the gloves and dagger it had stolen from me.

Fabric material. Soft thread!

"This'd be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠perfect for making sleepwear."

From there I cut down every caterpillar I ran into. One, two, ten — I took them apart with ease. Once I'd passed twenty kills, I leveled up.

Finally — a new skill?

Until now, hitting 10 in a stat had always unlocked something new. I put one point into Strength and one into Magic, full of anticipation.

A new notification appeared.

A Strength reward passive, of all things. What could it be?!

My heart was pounding.

"…"

I was a little disappointed, if I was being honest. I'd been hoping for something power-related. Or a solid defensive skill like Aiham's. Would jump height ever actually come in handy? If I weren't in another world, I'd be sweeping gold medals in the long jump — but in this one, it wasn't exactly a skill that made my mouth water.

"Hah. That's enough for today."

I flicked the liquid off my blade onto the ground. Sticky innards spattered across the dirt.

"Ugh… gross."

My whole body was a mess of caterpillar fluid.

I can't go meet her looking like this.

I headed back to the village.

By the time I came down, the sun was already sinking.

This is bad. I don't have a change of clothes!

I rushed to the clothing shop. The middle-aged owner was just about to lock up for the night.

"Excuse me — are you closed?"

I called out urgently. The shopkeeper looked me up and down, taking in the state of me.

"I was just about to close, but you look like you're in a hurry."

"I am… I don't have any spare clothes right now. I'd really appreciate it if you could help me out. I'll be quick."

He turned the key back and opened the door.

Jingle—

"Come on in."

"Thank you."

Today I was invited to Bartier's house. If I was going, I at least wanted to wear something decent.

"Sorry to ask, but… could you recommend something good for a date?"

"A date, hmm…"

The owner stroked his short-trimmed beard and picked out a white shirt with a drawstring at the center. I couldn't try it on today — my whole body was still sticky with that creature's fluid. I'd just have to pray it looked good on me.

"Thank you. I'll take that one."

I bought a few other pieces as well and stepped outside. One more thing occurred to me.

You can't show up at someone's house empty-handed.

I went straight to the fruit stand, packed several gift-worthy fruits into my inventory — apples, bananas, and a few otherworldly fruits I'd never seen ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠before — and set off.

Now, time to wash this filthy body.

There was a bathhouse here, though it was nothing like the proper ones in Tebe. You climbed into a large wooden tub filled with hot water and scrubbed yourself clean.

Still, better than nothing.

You couldn't expect much from a safe floor of the Tower. But if this wasn't the only safe floor, maybe some of the others had real bathing facilities. I finished washing while daydreaming about soaking in a proper hot spring.

I walked to the restaurant we'd agreed on as our meeting spot. A beautiful purple-haired elf was already waiting for me. I stowed my dagger in my inventory — you couldn't very well show up as a guest wearing a blade like some cutthroat.

"Bartier! Over here."

At the sound of my voice she turned, saw me, and offered a faint smile.

"Ki-seok!"

"Have you been waiting long? I was trying to get here early…"

"Not at all. I just arrived a little ahead of time myself. Shall we go?"

Bartier assured me it was fine and led the way.

Showing up later than a woman to the meeting spot… what an idiot.

We left the village and headed for her house. As she'd said, it wasn't far — about a fifteen-minute walk from the southern entrance. It was a small, unremarkable shack. Living this far from the village must have been a little lonely. Still, she kept a few goats and chickens.

"Please, come in."

I followed her inside. There was a small kitchen, a bed, a dining table, and a few shelves.

"The house is a bit small, isn't it?"

"Not at all. It's wonderful."

I sat down in a chair at the table.

"Just wait a moment. You must be hungry."

Bartier brought out dish after dish and set them on the table.

"This all looks incredible."

There were various vegetable dishes and a stew. She sat across from me and offered a prayer to her god.

"We give thanks for the food and the grace the Lord has bestowed upon us…"

Once she finished, I asked her about it.

"So you have a god you believe in?"

"Of course. I'm not what you'd call devout, but I do have faith."

"I see~"

Huh… I don't think I saw her pray last time.

I started with the stew, the dish that had caught my eye first.

Is this…?

"Is this chicken stew?"

"It is."

"You made this yourself? Being an elf, I honestly didn't expect meat dishes."

It really was delicious chicken stew.

"Is it good?"

Bartier looked straight into my eyes.

"Yes, it's really good. You've got a wonderful ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠touch."

"Actually…"

She twisted her fingers together as she spoke.

"This is my first time."

"What? Your first meat dish and it came out this well?"

"Hehe. I got the recipe from the butcher, to be honest. I don't eat meat myself, so I wouldn't have known otherwise."

Had she slaughtered an animal for the first time… for me?

"So then… the chickens in the yard. Did you… for me…?"

"Ah — no!!"

Bartier yelped in alarm at my words.

"I've never harmed an animal in my life!! The chicken, I… I asked the butcher to…"

"Ah… I'm sorry. I didn't realize that might be offensive. Then why keep the goats and chickens outside…?"

She explained. She milked the goats and collected eggs from the chickens to sell in the village. At her level, she couldn't hunt monsters, so that was the only way to make a living.

"The livestock are my dear friends. I'm grateful for them."

After that we talked about all sorts of things — people we'd met in the Tower, our hobbies, whether anyone kept pets even inside the Tower, stories about Elinor, and my climb through the fifth floor.

"You said the fifth floor was a boss floor, right? What kind of item does it give?"

"This."

I equipped the gloves from my inventory.

"Ah… those look like they smell terrible…"

"Hahaha… The defense rating is pretty solid, though."

Bartier rested her chin in her hand, watching me, then suddenly clapped as if something had occurred to her.

"That's right! You bought fruit earlier, didn't you? Let's have it for dessert."

She went to the kitchen, sliced several kinds of fruit, and brought out some wild berries along with them. Settling back into her seat, she offered me the dessert.

"I picked these berries myself. Please, try some."

"Thank you. Don't mind if I do."

I ate one of the red berries. True to its color, it was tart and sweet — almost exactly like a strawberry from Earth.

"These are really good~ I've seen this berry a lot around here, though… what's it called again…"

Bartier said nothing. She simply smiled.

"W-wait—"

A sudden wave of dizziness hit me. Then the nausea.

"Urgh…"

I spat the red berry back out. Finely chewed pulp spilled from my mouth — and then I heard Bartier's voice.

"What a waste, spitting it out like that."

She picked up another red berry and pushed it into my mouth.

Gulp—

My vision started to spin.

"Ba… Bartier…"

The corners of her mouth were curled upward.

Something… was wrong.

I looked at the berries on the tray and forced out a single word with everything I had left.

"Ex… Extreme…"

Through my wavering vision, what appeared before my eyes was—