120
Chapter 120
Shortly after she was freed from all her curses.
Fox's level rose drastically.
She went from level 35 to level 50, an increase of a whopping 15 levels.
It was extremely surprising, but not completely out of nowhere.
Among the countless curses, I had seen quite a few with names that suggested they were blocking Fox's growth.
The Curse of the Star at the top was also said to be the kind of curse that suppressed power.
I used the Analysis Module to pull up Fox's information.
Everyone with me confirmed Fox's rapid growth and their jaws dropped in shock.
They all agreed that even if all the curses were gone, a Level Up of that magnitude didn't make any sense.
Their reactions were entirely justified.
Because even if it wasn't weird, it was still unbelievable.
Of course, I was only surprised at first, and now I just accepted the situation for what it was.
Good things are good, right?
It wasn't a bad thing, and our Fox had become even more reliable.
"Hehehe, meat is delicious."
Fox herself, however, didn't care much about her level going up.
She was completely focused on devouring the meat.
Ailee calmed her surprised heart and stared intently at her.
Then, she carefully called out to Fox.
"...Baby Fox, no one is going to steal it from you, so eat slowly. You'll get indigestion at this rate."
"I want to eat slowly, but it's so delicious that I can't!"
Munch, munch.
Fox answered while chewing with her mouth full of meat.
Her cheeks were completely stuffed.
I continued to use the Food Printer to hand Fox more meat.
I couldn't let the flow break.
"It must be so good that she keeps crying and laughing... Is this the first time you've eaten meat in your life?"
"No! I tried to eat it many times in the past! But it tasted rotten, so I spat it all out!"
"Ah, right... there was a curse that prevented you from eating meat. Anyway, this is your first time properly eating meat, then?"
"Right! This is my first time eating proper meat! It's delicious!"
The conversation between Ailee and Fox.
Vampire, who had been listening from the side, expressed her doubts.
"First time eating proper meat? How strange, you shouldn't have had the curse preventing you from eating meat since birth."
"I didn't have a chance to eat meat when I was really young. My family... no, my kin didn't give me any food, so I grew up eating the grass on the ground! I lived in a place where a lot of grass grew, so I never starved!"
"......."
"Hehehe! It's delicious, it's very delicious!! I'm going to eat a lot of meat from now on! Nobody try to stop me!"
Once again.
Deep pity lingered in everyone's eyes as they looked at Fox.
Our poor Fox.
Eat to your heart's content until your stomach bursts.
I'll make you as many delicious dishes as you want.
"Hehehe! Hehehe! Hehehehe!"
But wasn't the Curse of Delirium definitely removed?
She's still quite frantic.
Not only that, but several curses that could have affected her personality were all removed, yet her personality seemed the same.
Well, for me, it's actually a good thing that Fox hasn't changed.
Because it would feel alienating if she suddenly changed.
And honestly, I was also relieved that there wasn't an intelligence-lowering curse among the detected curses.
I couldn't imagine a calm and smart Fox, after all.
Deep down, I hoped our Fox would stay pure and foolish like this.
Of course, even if her personality completely changed or her intelligence increased, Fox is still Fox, so I wouldn't ever think of abandoning her.
"Right, I need to eat the cotton too!"
Fox even ate the cotton she was holding in her hand.
Now that she ate the cotton, her necrotic internal organs should return to normal.
The Vaccine said it couldn't be cured, but...
That probably just meant it was impossible to cure using the Vaccine's power.
It should be curable through methods other than the Vaccine.
"Whoa? Something in my stomach gurgled and then settled down. And I suddenly feel healthier. The pain I felt every day is gone."
So she had been feeling pain all this time.
It seemed she had been suffering alone without telling us.
Anyway, it was just as expected.
Seeing her reaction, it seemed her necrotic internal organs were healed.
Thank goodness, what a relief.
***
Ailee.
Vampire.
And even Jjokkomi.
The Doll Tribe Virus was detected in everyone.
Since there were no other Viruses, I didn't proceed with the Vaccine treatment.
Just in case, I did ask everyone about it.
I asked for everyone's opinion along the lines of: 'There's something called the Doll Tribe Virus. It's not a harmful Virus, but if left unremoved, there is a possibility of Evolution into the Doll Tribe. If you don't like leaving that possibility open, I will remove it for you. What would you like to do?'
Because if they didn't want it, it was only right to remove it.
"Woong, woooong, woong."
Tosuni answered without even hesitating.
She expressed her intention to continue her Evolution into the Doll Tribe.
"Kku-o? Why would I kick away the chance to become part of the same Doll Tribe as Dongsaeng-Oppa?"
"I want to become part of the Doll Tribe too, yong! I think it would be really cool to become a Yong Doll, yong!"
Jjokkomi and Little Yellow Dragon.
Both of them also rather wanted to join the Doll Tribe.
"I don't think you need to remove it. It's not that I want to join the Doll Tribe, but... it's not like I hate the idea either. It wouldn't be a bad thing to become the same tribe as our baby."
After a bit of thought, Ailee also decided not to remove the Doll Tribe Virus.
"Can't you give me more meat?"
Fox didn't seem to have any thoughts on the matter.
I could just take that to mean it didn't need to be removed.
Finally, only Vampire was left.
Vampire took an unusually long time to deliberate.
"Hmm... It's not an unconditional Evolution into the Doll Tribe, so... I don't think there will be any problems if we don't go out of our way to remove it. If I do become part of the Doll Tribe later on, I suppose that would be fate as well."
After some thought, Vampire answered.
It might have been my imagination, but it seemed like Vampire also secretly wanted to join the Doll Tribe.
"More importantly, Teddy Bear, was there no one who carried a Virus named Mutant?"
"Gom-gom."
I gave a light nod to Vampire's sudden question.
I hadn't seen a Virus named Mutant.
"A regular Mutant isn't a Virus, but becoming part of the Doll Tribe is treated as a Virus... The Doll Tribe is definitely not an ordinary tribe, it seems."
"Gom-gom? Gom-gom-gom."
No, the Doll Tribe is also a normal Mutant.
Because the Doll Tribe Virus was not detected in pure Doll Tribe members like myself and Princess Doll.
I even added these additional words.
"The Doll Tribe Virus wasn't detected in you two? Why is that?"
"Gom-gom-gom, gom-gom-gom-gom."
Because the Doll Tribe probably isn't a tribe born from a Virus.
To be exact, those who are born as Doll Tribe are just Mutants, and I suspect that pure Doll Tribe members have a trait that unconsciously spreads the Doll Tribe Virus to nearby targets so they become part of the same tribe.
"......That is a reasonably valid guess. Because nothing else can explain why the Doll Tribe Virus wasn't detected only in you pure Doll Tribe members."
"Gom-gom."
"But... do you happen to have a guess on the condition for the Virus to spread?"
"Gom...."
I let out a low groan.
Because I hadn't thought about the conditions.
Hmm.
First off, the Doll Tribe Virus, which we assume leaked from us, doesn't spread to random targets. If it spread to just anyone, the Slaves would have also been infected with the Doll Tribe Virus.
Just earlier, while asking everyone if they wanted to remove the Doll Tribe Virus and waiting for their answers, Chunja, Chunsik, and Chunsam—the three Slaves—also finished their examinations, and the Doll Tribe Virus was not detected in them.
Is it because we haven't been together for long?
I can confidently say that's not the case.
It was definitely unrelated.
Because Tosuni also didn't spend that much time with me before her Evolution into the Doll Tribe.
So, spending a long time with pure Doll Tribe members shouldn't be the infection condition.
If so.
The reason for getting infected by the Doll Tribe Virus is....
Hmmm...... Ah?
Suddenly, a guess came to mind.
"Gom-gom, gom-gom-gom-gom-gom?"
Could it be that the Virus only spreads to targets that the pure Doll Tribe have opened their hearts to?
Or maybe targets they trust, or have affection for.
"The Virus only spreads to targets you've opened your heart to...?"
"Gom-gom-gom, gom-gom."
For now, that was the only guess I could come up with.
And I thought it might just be the right answer.
Well, it doesn't matter even if it isn't the right answer.
Why does the spread condition matter?
Let's just stop caring. The Vaccine examination time is over anyway, so let's just laze around and eat some food.
After finishing the conversation like that.
While I was busy lazing around, lying on the soft floor.
[Result calculated.]
[I also guess that the spread condition you guessed earlier is correct.]
Helper popped up a notification belatedly.
Don't chime in late, punk.
***
A few days passed, and Tosun's Mom visited our Dungeon for the first time in a while.
"Woooong. Our Son-in-law Bear, you look even more handsome than the last time I saw you, yong. I've felt this for a while now, but your growth really is ridiculously fast, yong."
"Gom-gom-gom."
It's all thanks to Fox.
"Uhuhoom. You're so modest."
"Hehehe! Gom-jjang is full of cotton, so he's cot-modest!"
It wasn't modesty at all.
Because if it weren't for Fox's Buff, I really wouldn't have grown this much.
Anyway, Tosun's Mom stopped by our Dungeon today to visit the Lake with us.
I had asked her through Tosuni.
I told her I was going to a place called the Lake to meet a friend, and since it might be dangerous, I asked if she could come with us.
Fortunately, she readily accepted.
I heard through Tosuni that she agreed to go with us without a moment's hesitation.
Not long after Tosun's Mom arrived at the Dungeon.
"Greetings, ribbit."
"Kkyuaaak! We came to pick you up!"
The Frog who would guide us to the Lake arrived.
Along with a cute Red Panda by his side.
I heard he was banned from going out, but it seems his grounding was finally lifted.
But why did he bother coming?
One Frog was more than enough for a guide.
"The Master of the Lake is looking forward to this a lot, ribbit."
"She is busy dressing up right now!"
There was no reason to delay.
We decided to head straight to the Lake.
The members of the Delegation were as follows.
Me, Tosuni, and Little Yellow Dragon.
The representative of the Rabbit Dungeon, Tosun's Mom.
The representative of the Vampire Castle, Vampire.
I had no intention of bringing the Fake Dolls and Toy Soldiers.
I also decided to leave Jjokkomi, Princess Doll, Ailee, and Fox behind in the Dungeon.
I left Fox behind on purpose.
Because I needed to leave behind at least one powerhouse to keep the Dungeon safe.
Tosun's Mom was enough for an escort.
"Gom-gom."
Let's go.
I gestured for the Delegation members standing behind me to follow.
As we walked out of the Dungeon, we saw a massive Giant Centipede about the size of a bus waiting right in front of us.
It didn't attack.
It wasn't on guard, either.
I felt like I had caught a glimpse of it among the many Lake monsters that came to the last festival.
It was one whose information I hadn't bothered to check.
By the looks of it, it didn't seem like an escort, so did they bring it as a means of transportation?
[Giant Centipede lv.99]
┗Pw.99
┗Rnk.Normal
[Domain: Centipede]
┗Rank - Normal