Chapter 8: Chapter Eight – Unique Discoveries

 

 

It took far longer than I thought it would turning the drops in at the guild, and that was a problem.  

There is no question we had earned a ridiculous amount of money, but the problem here was accounting for it.  Since I stored everything whole while we moved quickly at Duster’s pace through the first three floors.  There simply wasn’t enough physical space in the guild’s main dismantling room to release all the contents I hoarded within the Divine Treasury.  To do so, we had to go out back, to a special location.  

Now, it’s no secret that I have an item box.  What is a secret to everyone but my two party members, Myria the guild receptionist who us under the geas of a spirit swear, and Duster the skeleton who I am sure wouldn’t spill my secret to anyone else, is that the skill I have that was upgraded by Kyros during my class change as of yet still has no upper limit to how much can be stored within it.

It’s possible to call it a cheat skill, but only to the level of having unlimited inventory space with restrictions to what can be placed inside.  There are caveats to what the Divine Treasury considers life as;  Orbs of Essence aren’t alive, and seeds from fruit aren’t considered as such either.  I can store things like grass, but only after it has been plucked.  In other words, I can’t just throw a tree into my inventory.  A fallen branch however is no problem.

Going to the large warehouse in the rear of the guild, there was finally enough space to release the beast, so to speak.

I transferred corpse after corpse of Bat-bat, Kobold, Darkwolf (minus the variant), and Nope Rope starting from the back of the warehouse and slowly stepping back.  More than a full quarter of the warehouse was filled, leaving a little space at the top so the bodies weren’t all wedged too tightly.

Then came a few hundred heads of goblinkind, all needing to be cracked open and have their brains taken out for alchemical processing.  This was followed by the body of the variant darkwolf and a small pile of bunnies, both horned and not, in perfect condition enough to be given to a taxidermist.

At first it was just Myria and one dismantler who works for the guild.  That number quickly grew to four dismantlers who were looking rather nervous.

“Isn’t this a bit too much?”  One of them had said.

I had made a small walkable path when removing the bodies so that everything could be accessed easily enough depending on where they wanted to start.  The chief dismantler was eventually called after a while and they began to deliberate about something.

“It’ll take a week at least.”  He said to us as he tugged a darkwolf out of the pile and began inspecting it. “…next to no imperfections…”  he then moved to the kobolds that he dismissed quickly and then towards the nope ropes of which there were a fair amount, “…only the necks are pierced…” over to the pile of Horny Bunnies, “…the same here…” and finally to the variant where he stopped.

“Is there something special about this one, aside from the damage here?”  He was pointing to the obvious hole that fucked over the variant wolf and Duster at the same time.

“It was a variant.”  Teresa answered on our behalf.  “A real tough bastard.”

The chief dismantler was feeling up the body.

“Almost every bone inside is shattered.  What happened for it to be like this?” he inquired.

“It ran into a hammer several times.” She answered with nonchalance.

The chief dismantler huffed.  “Right…,”  Then he talked with his subordinates again for a moment pointing at each pile before returning to talk to us.

“Five percent, and three days.  Trust me, this is a good offer.”  The terms were stated.

Myria had let us know it was indeed a very good offer, and that we should accept it.  In return she’d make sure each kill was counted properly, which saved me the work of turning in proofs of subjugation for everything.

“Any round estimates on what the amount will be?”  I had to ask.

The chief dismantler scratched his short goatee.

“We’re definitely talking in gold here…”

Teresa turned pale.  Well, paler, if that was possible, which, in fact, it was.  “How much gold?”

“Maybe… close to three?  I wish you would have just brought the heads and paws of the Kobolds like you did with the others though.  The whole body is just taking up unnecessary space.  Everything else though is of great quality.”

Teresa began cackling.  “Alurian’s crimson-poxing-rag!”

It was colorful profanity.  Enough to make a few of the monster dismantlers turn their heads when they heard it.  She grabbed hold of Gonzo’s arms and began to dance around in a circle while he appeared entirely confused by the situation.

When she stopped it was right in front of me.  She threw her arms around me and gave me a hug while spinning me around with her as well.

“You’re agreeing to the offer, right, Randell?”

“Yeah.  It’s good with me.”

She was excited to hear my affirmation.  I ended up shaking hands with the chief dismantler and while my future funds were confirmed, there was still a problem with my current funds.

“It will take a while for the tally to come in.  I… can’t authorize any funds until then.  I mean we’ll get to it as soon as possible, but…”

Yeah…  Today’s take home pay was currently zilch.

And to top it off, it was late.  We left the guild warehouse with a work order validated by Myria, so the money was pretty much guaranteed.  Myria said she could probably get the tally done by tomorrow, but it would only really be a fraction of it all.

I could have bought two full days with Kokoro, but that won’t happen for just as long.  I was greatly irritated by both the good and the bad fortune this brought with it.

Furthermore, Teresa also had an issue she needed to talk with me about.

“He did it.  He earned a gold coin, Randell.”

Yes, this was entirely Duster’s credit due to her provocation.

“So, what it was he asked for…?”

She instantly turned from happy to upset.

“There are some matters that need to be taken care of tomorrow.”

“I understand.”

“Gonzo can go with you if you want?” She offered, as a consolation.

I shook my head.

“No, I’ll take the day off as well.  Today wore me out thoroughly and I wouldn’t be in good condition for anything anyway.”

We ended up parting with the promise to meet the day after.  I practically sprinted to the Inn, but I was already too late.  The sun was down, and had been for at least twenty minutes.  Rennifel even seemed a bit irritated that I was this late.  But I was ridiculously sweaty and needed to bathe first.

【Name:  Randell Heart】

【Age: 19】【Sex: Male】

【Class:  Chosen of Alurian】 

【Visible Class:  Acolyte】

【Level:  05】

【To Next Level:  770 EXP】

【Unique Skill:  Wife’s Dowry】

【Chosen Skills: (4) 3 Points Unspent】

【Alurian’s Divine Treasury】

【Alurian’s Heal Lv.1】

【Divine Weaponry Lv.1】

【Grace of the Whirlwind Lv.1】

【Vitamancy Lv.1】

【Status: (10) 15 Points Unspent】

【Power:  5】

【Dexterity: 5+5】

【Vitality: 5+5】

【Mentality: 5】

【Faith: 20】

I had gained the rest of the level in one trip!?  It had to be due to encountering the Variant Darkwolf, I eventually surmised.

In just as few days as levels gained, I was already halfway to a level that took me over two full weeks to reach the first time.  I was honestly and truly power-leveled today!  I was even thirty-nine points of experience into the next level as well.  I assumed it had to be the kill from the Variant that pushed me over the edge, because we didn’t encounter anything else after that fight.

I ended up wearing one of my personal sets of clothes since I had given all of Jung’s that I had borrowed to the Inn’s Missus to launder for me.  I don’t think I was as dashing as usual wearing my own, since I have to admit he had much better taste in clothing than I did.  Even on Earth I was a t-shirt and sweatpants kind of guy, when I didn’t have to dress up in a polo and khakis just to meet some suit I was doing business with.

Two hours.

I had enough large silver for two hours with my wife, and I was sure as hell going to spent it all just to be with her tonight for as long as I could.  I’d probably get at least one large silver tomorrow from the guild after the tally, and then I’ll figure something out for the next day.  After that would be when the Chief Dismantler finishes and I get my cut, which should roughly be a whole gold coin.

It was something the Red Hawks had hoped to one day see shining in the palms of their hands as well.  I’d ask if they’re watching how I'm slowly carrying their dream forward, but this money wasn’t earned by my own hand.

It was all earned by a dead man who was more of one in death than I am in life.  One committed to his wife even after his death.  One who acknowledged his faults in life as well, and…

Well, I don’t know the rest!

His after-story seems to still be unfolding.

Ready to meet my cute wife again after a day apart, I made my way to Alurian’s Bosom, the brothel where she works.  When I arrived, it seems the day was in full swing.

The usual receptionist wasn’t there, nor was the Madame anywhere within view.

“Welcome to Alurian’s Bosom.”  I was greeted by the new receptionist.

“Yes.  I’d like to book two hours with Kokoro.”

“…who?”

“Oh… uh… her business name… I don’t know it.”  I proceeded to describe her and pointed to the room she was usually in.

“Hmm.  Oh, looks like she’s free.  Says here she’s one large silver an hour.”

I had the coins already in my hands.  With the transaction completed, I was told to enjoy my stay.  I fully planned on it.

When I got to the room and knocked on the door.  My cute wife answered it.

“…Dell?”

“Hi.”

She quickly threw her arms around me and embraced me in the tightest hug she could have, which was cute because it wasn’t all that strong.

“I’m happy to see you too!”

“You came…  you came back!”

“Of course I came back.  Why wouldn’t I?”

“Be… because…”

“I have some good news for you, though it’s also sort of not so good news at the same time…”

“Come in, please!”

She dragged me inside and the door closed behind her.  My wife was being incredibly clingy right now and I didn’t hate it.  I also put my arms around her and enjoyed the tender feel of her warm body.

“I… I thought you… might not come back…”

“I have no idea what you’re on about, but you’re my wife.  Of course I’ll come back!  I had a busy and productive day at the office and what I need now is a heaping spoonful of your sugar, babe!”

She stuttered into some laughter, but her hands never let go of me and her face pressed firmly into my chest.

“You… really mean it.  You’re really okay with me being your wife?”

“Didn’t we get married?  Do you want to divorce me now or something?”

“No!  No I don’t!  I…”

“It’s fine, Koko.  Everything’s fine with me.  But are you doing alright?”

“…Do you love me?  Really and truly?”

“Of course!”

“Then it’s fine with me too.  I’m… okay!”

I lifted my hand to pat her head gently while ruffling her soft short shaggy head of hair.  Her thin frame practically trembled at my touch.  It was a very heartwarming moment for me.

“Ah… there’s the real healing~”

“Dell… just… for a while… don’t…”

“Just let me know when I can, okay?”

“Un.”

That time was many minutes later.  It was when she finally stopped holding me so tightly and let me see her cute face again.  She had just a trace of tears around her eyes, but they didn’t streak down.  She clearly tried to hide them by rubbing her face on my shirt.

Even though it wasn’t tightly, she still held onto my clothes at least.  She looked up at me and I had no reason to believe her smile wasn’t true.

“You said you had good news?”

I smiled.

“I had a good day at work.  Gained a full level and earned about a full gold coin.”

“A gold coin…?  Then, you can stay with me all night?”

“That’s… the bad part of the news.  It’s tied up at the moment.  It’s a gold coin worth of materials after being split mind you, but it won’t be given to me until the dismantlers finish the job, which they said was in about three days.  I can only be with you here for two hours tonight, and I’ll definitely figure something out for the next day and hopefully the one after that.   But once I have it in hand, I will definitely stay the whole night with you again!”

“…”

“Koko?”

“Two hours?”

“Is it not enough?”

“It’s not that it’s not enough… that you came back to me is what really matters the most… but… that means that I only have two hours to spend with you, hubby!”

“Then, shall we make the most of it my cute little wifey?”

“You sure like to call me cute all the time.”

“What can I say?  I call it like I see it!”

She pushed me down onto her bed.  Her aggressiveness was also endearing, but I could tell she was pushing herself a little.  Her frail arms were shaking.

I reached up and wrapped her in my arms, pulling her down on top of my body.

“You don’t have to push yourself right away to do that with me, Koko.  I came here because there’s just no where else I want to be, since you aren’t there.”

In order to put her at ease, I talked about my day.  About my two new party members, and about Duster, the Grim Overbone skeleton ex-husband of Teresa who was just full of surprises.  She seemed to find it hilarious that his entire method of communication is only a clack of his jaw, and that in the end, all we can really do is just guess at what he is saying.

“So, this Duster took down a Variant on the third floor all by himself?  How strong is he!?”

“I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure he still hasn’t been showing everything he’s capable of.  He also seems like a decent guy, though a bit of a pervert at times.  Well, I’m sure his wife is just as attractive to him as mine is to me, so it’s only natural to want to show off so he can get a little action even after death.”

“Action?”

“I think his motivation is that he wants to feel his wife’s breasts again.”

“Those must be nice breasts?”

“Mm… I don’t know?  But there’s certainly a nice pair right here, and there’s even a bigger pair a little lower that are fun to grab hold of as well.”

Of course I was talking about her small but firm buttocks.

“Now who’s the pervert.”

“Mm.  There’s a high chance it could be me, but are you really going to blame me when the person who made me like this is laying right on top of me?”

She leaned forward and left a wet kiss on the tip of my nose.  

“So, you’re saying it’s my fault you’re a pervert?”

“Yes.  I’ve read manga before, and it’s clearly understood that there is nothing more lewd in the entire world than a Japanese woman.”

“…is that so?”

“Yes!” I replied confidently, then added an extra couple of words from the bottom of my libido in a hushed tone afterwards. “…I hope.”

She rested her head on my chest, listening to my heartbeat.  At this moment, I felt like I better understood Duster.  I bet he had never shown that side of him to Teresa before, because he was trying to protect her dutifully.  Seeing how she reacted to how much money we made today, it was probably so she didn’t run headfirst into that level of danger and end up stuck when he became unable to save her.  Like how his body was shattered at the end.  Even though he was decapitated and left with nothing but one arm attached to a crushed chest, he still had the will to pick up that heavy hammer and make sure that wolf wouldn’t even be able to breathe on her.

That… even though I am sorely lacking in the strength to do such a thing, is exactly what I feel for this delicate creature resting on top of me.

It’s possible that what I am feeling is what’s known as puppy love.  That it’s influenced by many factors I’m not aware of, but I also don’t care if it is.  I care that unlike Duster and Teresa, that our relationship isn’t a bit standoffish. That if I extend my hand and point to her chest, it’s not a bitter memory that makes her say no instead of allowing me my basic comfort that comes as a privilege of being her husband.

Even if I were a leg man, the fact remains that a woman’s bosom contains all of the hopes and dreams a man would ever have.  The size of his woman’s chest is the size of his ambition!

Well, I’m perfectly fine with my level of ambition right now!  It’s just the right amount of ambition for me.  Nice, soft ambition…

“You really want to do it, don’t you?”

“It’s probably all the hormones raging in my younger body.  I had quite the drive when I was this age back on Earth as well, it’s just regretful that I didn’t have anyone to share it with.”

“Un… but you have me now.  Unless you don’t want me…”

“I most assuredly want you, Koko.”

“Then let me do my job, not as a lady of this place, but as your wife.  My husband worked hard to make time to see me, right?”

I couldn’t disagree.

“Then, let me show you how I feel about you too.”

Some passionate kissing and caressing soon led to us stripping each other, one article of clothing at a time.  It was easy for me, since she only had one article of clothing to begin with.  My vision full of her naked body spurred me into action and I irresponsibly skipped some foreplay, heading straight for the main objective immediately.

Kokoro straddled me and it took no effort for her to accept me inside of her.

This enveloping feeling of heat and moisture sent a ripple of pleasure to my brain.  Her not quite medium bosom proudly thrust out in front of me for my further enjoyment.  Her short, shaggy hair provided the perfect frame to her youthful face, even though physically she was older than me.

My Kokoro was all I needed to be well.

Because my Kokoro had become my source of strength in this new world I awakened in.  I felt grateful to the Goddess who aided me in my desperation against that cruel Goblin Leader who took my companions from me.  That she granted me an artifact that would allow us to be bound to one another.  And I was grateful to Kokoro for accepting a man who failed at finding love the first time, and sharing her own with me.

Though I’m my younger self again by a whole decade, I’m still rather inexperienced in lovemaking.  My shame is that she is able to take me to heaven faster than I want, leaving me with quality issues that I hoped to make up for with quantity.

I was a healthy young man, and I did a ridiculous amount of cardio today.  There was no problem going two… three times in a row.  Though I couldn’t know for sure, she at least presented on the outside an appearance of enjoying our consummating.

While we rested until I was able again, Kokoro said something surprising.

“Dell.”

“Yes, Koko?”

“This… may sound strange… but I think I just gained a level.”

“Yes.  I’d say so.”

She pinched me.

“No, I mean it.  I gained an actual level.  I’ve reached the second level of experience just now.”

“…you did?”

“Yeah.  Also, my unique skill…”

“The one that appeared when we got our tattoos?”

“Un.  It’s changed.”

“How so?”

“I don’t know, but I’ve somehow earned about thirty experience points.”

“Only thirty?”

I took a moment to observe my own status, to see if I had also gained some experience.

 

【Name:  Randell Heart】

【Age: 19】【Sex: Male】

【Class:  Chosen of Alurian】 

【Visible Class:  Acolyte】

【Level:  05】

【To Next Level:  800 EXP】

【Unique Skill:  Wife’s Dowry <Linked>】

【Chosen Skills: (4) 3 Points Unspent】

【Alurian’s Divine Treasury】

【Alurian’s Heal Lv.1】

【Divine Weaponry Lv.1】

【Grace of the Whirlwind Lv.1】

【Vitamancy Lv.1】

【Status: (10) 15 Points Unspent】

【Power:  5】

【Dexterity: 5+5】

【Vitality: 5+5】

【Mentality: 5】

【Faith: 20】

“The text on my unique skill also changed a bit, and as for my experience…”

Wasn’t… it lower?  It was lower, right?  I mean 800 experience is the full amount needed to go from the fifth to the sixth level.  I had lost some points, but exactly how much…  Yeah, it would have been about thirty points.

“I… think you took my experience points.” I said aloud.

“I did?”

“I just made it to the fifth level after the fight with the Variant Darkwolf.  I was sure the experience I needed to level up was in the seven hundreds, but now it’s sitting at the full amount needed.  Eight hundred points.”

“Uwah!  I’m sorry Dell, I didn’t mean to!”

I only laughed.

“It’s fine.  I mean, it’s only thirty points, right?  And you were able to level up because of it?  Isn’t that a good thing?”

“I’m not complaining, but why did this happen?”

“Beats me.  If you leveled up though, does that mean you also have a skill point?”

“Un… actually…”

“Actually… what?”

“I have two skill points, and five status points.”

“Oh, so it’s no different from how a combatant class levels.  Just that non-combatants have more skill points they can earn.”

“No.  I have two skill points, but they are in different locations.”

“What do you mean different locations?”

“I mean, I have the regular pool of non-combatant skills available to me, but there’s also another pool that’s separate from it, and it looks like it uses a different skill point for it.”

“Care to explain?”

“I’m still trying to make sense of it.  But I think the additional skill point is meant to be used as part of my Husband’s Dower unique skill.”

I had no such additional listing of skills.

“Eh?”  She looked shocked for a moment.  “Uso…!”

There went another untranslated Japanese word.

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“D…Dell.”

“Figured it out?”

“U…n.  This… is crazy!”

“What’s wrong?”

She shook her head.

“Everything and at the same time, nothing at all.  Actually, I don’t even know where to begin with this.  I… I’ll need to put it on paper to make sense of it so I can explain it to you, but it’s…”

“It’s what?”

She was shaking.

“I…”

“What is it?”

“Last night after you left…”

I was feeling anxious now with what she was about to say.  It was obvious what she was going to say, but I didn’t know if I wanted to hear her say it.  She also seemed to be arranging her thoughts still, since she hesitated a bit in finishing her sentence.

“Dell, will you trust me?”

“I already trust you.”

“Dell, my body…”

“I already trust you, Koko.”  I said firmly.

“Then… look at your status again, somewhere around where your unique skill is listed and tell me if you see it.”

 

【Name:  Randell Heart】

【Age: 19】【Sex: Male】

【Class:  Chosen of Alurian】 

【Visible Class:  Acolyte】

【Level:  05】

【To Next Level:  800 EXP】

【Unique Skill:  Wife’s Dowry <Linked>】

【Skill Endowment:  Treasure Sense】

【Chosen Skills: (4) 3 Points Unspent】

【Alurian’s Divine Treasury Lv.X】

【Alurian’s Heal Lv.1】

【Divine Weaponry Lv.1】

【Grace of the Whirlwind Lv.1】

【Vitamancy Lv.1】

【Status: (10) 15 Points Unspent】

【Power:  5】

【Dexterity: 5+5】

【Vitality: 5+5】

【Mentality: 5】

【Faith: 20】

 

I saw it.

“Does it say… Treasure Sense?”  She asked me.

“Yeah.”

“Dell…”  She clung tightly to my chest and began to weep.

What could I do but hold her and gently rub her back?

After a few long minutes of that, she began to explain as best she could about the changes her unique skill underwent.

“When I came here, to Labyrinthia, I didn’t have a unique skill.  It wasn’t until we touched that artifact thing that it finally showed up.   Now I have something called Endowment Skills.”

In short, she had a few skills that appeared in her status that somehow affected only us, as a husband and wife.  She began listing some of them and the descriptions.  If what she was saying was true, we would indeed be each other’s source of strength, and at the same time each other’s weakness.

“The first skill is called 【Cherish】 and it…  is why you lost your experience points just now.”

“What does it do?”

“It um… when you make love to me… it passes some of your experience points to me.  In other words, if you earn experience and then we… do it… I can slowly level up.”

“Okay.”

“The second skill and a few more are locked still.  I can see them, but… can’t access them just yet, only the descriptions.  The next one that unlocks is called 【Dedication】 and it allows us to share… our assets.”

“Assets?”

“It means… I can access something you have called Alurian’s Divine Treasury.”

“You get access to my item box?”

“If that’s what it is, then yes.”

“Is it something you can spend a skill point on?”

“No.  It wasn’t selectable from the thing I put my skill point into.  That skill was called 【Endowment】 and it lets me… give you a gift.”

“The Skill you had?”

She nodded.

“But, Dell, that skill wasn’t something I ever had.  According to this, Endowment is a skill I can level up with the points that go to the Husband’s Dower unique skill list I have access to.  I…  I can duplicate a skill someone has and then… give it to you.  But in order to do so… I have to… um…  it has to be done within twenty-four hours.”

 I felt queasy.

She also looked sad.

“So that skill… belonged to someone… else?”

She nodded.

What…

What did I expect?  She’s… working at a brothel.

Even if I deluded myself, I… knew.  I knew I wasn’t her first and that I wouldn’t be her last, and certainly not her only.

“Then there’s one called 【Sanctity】 that is also locked.  That one… allows me to…”

“Koko.” I interrupted her.  “Can… we do it again?”

It was obvious I was asking her to stop explaining for now.

“Un.”

I rolled on top of her and silenced her with my mouth as our lower halves joined again in bliss.  What she did here…

All that mattered to me was that when I was here, she was mine.  She was my cute wife, Satori Kokoro and the only one loving her right now, was me.  Not any memories of another, but me.

I poured every drop of vitality and stamina I had into her, and drowned in the ugly pleasure of the flesh to quell the reality of her life, my life, and what it meant for her and I to be married.  For our souls to be bonded and to walk the same path against our fates.

Her punishment from running away.

My punishment for not dying with my comrades.

We both have our penances to pay.

I made love to her body until my own reached it’s limit.  That no matter what I poured into her, for now not a drop of it would be more experience points.  Then at the end it was her turn to console me.

Because it hurt.

“I’m sorry, Randell.”

The apology was out of place.  It shouldn’t have been her apologizing to me, but me apologizing for not being able to take her from this place.

“Koko… I’m a weak man.  I grew up without a father and because of that I didn’t learn from him what it is to be a good man and a good husband.  But, I still believe my love for you is real, even though I can do nothing for your situation here yet.”

“You’re human, Dell.  And so am I.  I was weak and scared going into the dungeon everyday.  I’m still weak and scared and I’m in a safe place here.  I just need to trade my body and I’ll be kept safe and protected as a Penitent of Alurian.  If you can still be okay with me as your wife, I will listen to your wants and needs and do what I can to help you… to help us be together.  Just us, for the rest of our lives.  Will you trust me?”

“This is the third time now telling you this, Koko.  I trust you.  In all the world, you are the one I trust to heal me.”

“Then, if you can, come back and see me tomorrow.”

“Un.  I’ll bring a lot of experience for you.”

“Work hard for me, and I’ll reward you.”

“I… I love you, Satori Kokoro.”

“Un.  I love you too, Randell Heart.”

Our time was up.  I hadn’t talked with her nearly enough, but that was because of my own insecurity.  Even though I knew, I never once considered what she was going through being here in this place.  That she was still an innocent girl on the inside who believed in true love as I did.  That she had to suffer because she was weak.  Human.  That she wanted to live to see another day just as I did.

A loving kiss and hug, a fond embrace to farewell until tomorrow with her, and then heavy weighted steps that felt like my legs were encased in cement blocks from the knees down led me downstairs.

It led me past the new receptionist I hadn’t seen before today, and it led me through the dark streets illuminated by moonlight back to the Blue Robin Inn.  Back to my room and onto my bed.

I slept the rest of the night away, and when I awoke, I went downstairs and ate breakfast there, all the while reading the Grimoire I had put aside until now to do so.

 

『Greetings, Inheritor!  My name is Hong Feng, and if you are reading this, then you have a deep affinity for both Life and Order.  This is a good thing, because I have much to talk about on both subjects.  I will talk about myself right now so you can better understand me as you learn what I have spent a lifetime learning here in Labyrinthia.

I come from a land in the Eternal East, graced by the gods and blessed with a unique magic.  This magic is akin to what the Eternal East once called Science, and something to which I was considered an expert in my field.

There are many mysteries which confounded me at first.  The one mystery that persists to this day is the phenomena known as Mana.  Mana is present in nearly everything on Labyrinthia, and after a lifetime of observing and theorizing, I believe I can say with some authority that it is one of the things science had hoped to understand the mystery of.

Mana is both an undercurrent and a glue which merges the natural and unnatural order of things together in this world.  In the terms of the Eternal East’s science, it is what we called Dark Matter.』

 

Reading the introductory page, it became clear that this person wasn’t a native to this world.  Or if he was, he was descended from someone who was at least.

I ate as I read, page after page being something of an observation log on everything.  The concept of Mana was being broken down into it’s basic constructs, and how it was tied into constructing molecules from atoms, and then almost instilling a genome into it which instilled an inherent purpose and design.

It was complex to read and understand, even for me who had a college education.  I wasn’t an Ivy League graduate or anything, but I felt I knew a great deal about mathematics, science, and physics.  Yet I was nowhere near the level that Hong Feng was.

Like me, he chose a combatant class, becoming a mage because it was a phenomena which didn’t exist in the “Eternal East” that I’m sure of now, was either China or Taiwan perhaps, sometime in the late nineteen nineties.

It wasn’t until the latter half of the book that I first saw the word Essence appear.

 

『…a vast sum of money was used to fund a project in a country across the waters from the Eternal East.  Called the Human Genome Project, it was an effort to understand every step undergone through evolution to arrive at the beings known and classified as Humanity.  Essence in its condensed form is exactly that.  It could be considered a seed of creation.  Imagine being able to add and remove chains of alleles as desired without the need for chromosomal integrity…』

 

So, in short, the Orbs I have are condensed genetic information used to recreate existing beings, but can be modified somehow?

Fascinated by what was being said about it, there was mention that Essence required a catalyst.

 

『…though I am not religious, I was born into a household that believed in the existence of the God of the lands across the waters from the Eternal East.  It was through that belief which I chose to turn my back on that I found the answer to awaken the condensed Essence.  There was a passage which stated how a certain God took a pile of dust and blew into it, creating mankind.  This is a problem because as a human, we are not God.  However, we do contain the breath of life within us.  It is what powers our bodies and allows the soul to reside within this mortal vessel.  But how to access it?  The answer came from none other than a follower of Grimlock.  For life and death are forever connected, so why should what works for one not also work for the other?...』

 

In it, Hong Feng explains that within the blood, cells absorb oxygen and deliver it to the rest of the body.  Therefore Condensed Essence is no more than a catalyst to enact growth.  

I didn’t get it entirely, but essentially I need to somehow have fresh blood come in contact with the Essence to have it create something?  It has to be fresh blood, but not only that… fresh blood from someone with an affinity for Life, specifically.

There was more to read, but it got increasingly complex and my brain was already throbbing from reading these notes.  I was full after having eaten, and I still needed to stop by the guild to pick up the money earned just from the proofs of subjugation.  I also thought about when I finally obtained my share of the gold coins, that I might stop by Featherly’s again and get the Grimoire she had recommended to me the first time.

In the meantime, I planned on doing some safe experimentation on the first floor.

Given the two Orbs of Essence that I had; Goblinkind and Canus, I would try using Canus first.  While I felt confident in being able to kill a goblin if by some chance it turned on me, I also felt like what happened at the end with the Darkwolf that wanted to live… would somehow be more amicable?

It was just a feeling though.

At the guild, I met with Myria who was happy to see me.

“You look like you’re going to visit the Dungeon today.” She mentioned.  “Teresa and Gonzo already came to collect their share.  Here’s yours…”

It was one large silver, three silver, one large copper and four copper coins.  A very good amount for it just being proofs of subjugation.

“Why not stop by the brothel again and take a break?”

I smiled.

“I went there last night, actually…”

“Oh, so you’re well rested.”

“That should be enough for a whole night, maybe you should indulge yourself?”

“A whole night?  What are you talking about.  This is only enough for an hour.”

“An hour?  Are you picking the top ranker or something!?”

“Huh?  No.  She’s supposed to be one of the new girls who just debuted.”

“Are you sure?  Usually a new girl is like… maybe a silver coin for an hour.”

“A silver… and not a large silver?”

“Like I said, only top rankers cost that much.”

That threw me off.

“What’s her name?” Myria asked curiously.

“Ko… uh… actually, I don’t know her name at the brothel, I just know her actual name.  Maybe I’ll ask her the next time I see her.”

“Was she worth the large silver at least?”

“Without a doubt.”

“Then that’s all that matters.  There’s no point in making money dungeon diving if you don’t spend it on the things that make you happy.”

I agreed with that sentiment.

“Then, if she’s costing you that much, does that mean you are going into the dungeon today?”

I nodded.

“How deep?”

“First floor only, why?”

“Can I ask you to keep an eye out for someone.  They…”

“They what?”

“They survived a wipe.”

Oh, another Party Wipe happened?

“What floor?”

“Second.  Same bastard that did it to the Red Hawks and you.”

“Goblin Leader… huh…”

“Anyway, she was planning on doing the same as you.  Playing it safe on the first floor and hoping to earn enough for something to eat and her lodging fees.  She’s a good girl, but a bit…”

“A bit…?”

“Anyway, you will know her when you see her.  She’s an archer, and her name is Melody.”

“Melody the Archer.  Got it.”

“Be safe in there, Randell!”

“Will do.”

I left the guild, depositing my money into my Divine Treasury and made for the dungeon which was nearby to the north.  I had already eaten, but for safety’s sake I picked up a few skewers from a stall along the way just in case I got hungry.

Skipping the teleportation circle to the lower floors, I entered directly into the first floor.  I didn’t want to show off where there were tons of people so I kept Relenna’s Regret out and basically swept jellies out of the way until I came to a small room with a single Kobold in it which I swiftly stabbed.

Taking the Orb with the Essence of Canus out of my item box, I also took out one of Jung’s daggers as well to draw blood with.

I still wasn’t exactly sure how it worked.

Make a small incision on the underside of my right forearm, not an easy task at all to do, I held the spear with the gored tip between my knees for a moment and did my best to coat the Orb with my blood before following up with a healing spell to seal my self-inflicted wound.

The Orb began to rumble on my palm, and I felt a sensation similar to that time yesterday in the forest when trying to heal the Darkwolf that targeted me.

Was the Orb wanting me to use Alurian’s Heal on it?

I didn’t need further consideration on the matter, I simply did as I felt and then had the sensation to put the orb down on the ground.

When I did so, it began mutating.  It looked like videos of the sun with rings and loops of fire jutting out of it, except they were black tendrils of goop.  It continued for a while, with the orb growing larger and eventually assuming some basic mammalian form.

In a process that took about three minutes before it ended, the final product was a Darkwolf.  I don’t know if it was the same one or not, since I couldn’t really tell any of them apart, but it quickly walked around my legs in a circle a few times, then forced its way through them, causing my spear to fall, and then it settled by sitting on my feet.

I reached down cautiously to pet it.

The Darkwolf’s tail was swaying back and forth.

“Hey there fella… or lady… you aren’t by chance the same one from yesterday, are you?”

The Darkwolf made a compact short howl.

“Oooouu!”

Well, it’s a wolf.  Not like they speak like humans.  Maybe I should train it so it can at least communicate like Duster?

“Okay.  Not sure what that means, but it’s not important right now.  I don’t even know if you understand me, but my name is Randell, and rather than your master, I hope we can be partners.  I have to hunt in this dungeon to make money, but I also don’t want to die.  So how about we both do our best to life, make money, and eat good food?”

“Ouu?”

“Food.  You know…  Food?”

I took out a skewer from my item box and put it before the Darkwolf.  It quickly took the offered stick with meat on it and began munching happily.

“Yeah, that stall has some good food.  One of my former companions turned me on to it.”

I waited for the wolf to finish, which it did rather quickly, and then it stood up on all fours and howled happily.

“Alright.  Do you think you’re up to hunting some relatively easy enemies with me?  If you get hurt I can heal you, I can also use a skill to make you move fast if you want.  We need to work on signals though so I know what you want me to use.”

I wasn’t sure how to train a wolf.

When I was five years old I had a family dog named Rusty.  He was just a tired old mutt, but I got the feeling this one was quite young.

“Would it be alright to give you a name?”

“Ouuu!”

I took that as a yes.

I have a terrible naming sense, but there was always a name I liked.

“Sandy.”

“Ouu!”

“Well, I don’t know if you are a girl or a boy, and the name is suitable for both.”

“Ouu!”

“Alright.  Let’s try something real quick.”

I got down on my hands and knees and stuck out my right hand, slapping the ground three times.

“Can you do that, Sandy?”

“Ou!”

One… two… three!

Great, it can do it.

“Okay, let me show you what that means.”

I put my hands on the wolf and channeled Alurian’s Healing.  It’s tail swished around playfully and it let out a cute kind of howling-bark noise.

“Okay, that’s something that will heal you up if you get hurt.  So if you get hurt, let me know and I’ll fix you up.”

“Ou!”

“Great.  Now can you cross your paws like this?”

I crossed my arms at the wrist so it could see.

“Oouuu!”

It copied me.

“Now, let me show you what that one does.”

I channeled Grace of the Whirlwind into my new Darkwolf companion, Sandy.

“Try running around.”

I began to run.

She followed me, moving like the wind and surpassing me in an instant while in the small room with the dead kobold.

“Great!”  I patted it on the head and down its long furry body.

“I’m not much of an attacker in combat.  I have this spear which I can use to kill things instead of teeth and claws like you do…”

Picked up the spear and stabbed the dead corpse of the Kobold to illustrate what I meant.

“I’m not the best with using it, but I should be able to handle the monsters on this floor without too much of a problem.  Now, there’s my special skill which lets me keep the things I kill.”

I touched the Kobold and stored it in my inventory.

“Whatever I touch has to be dead for it to go inside.  So you don’t have to worry about disappearing inside.  On the other hand, if you bring me something that’s dead, or anything really, I can put it inside and take it out later.”

I removed the Kobold from my item box.

“Now then, there’s a saying that goes:  if you don’t work, you don’t eat!  Shall we work hard and eat a lot?”

The wolf batted the ground with its paws and howled supportively.   In that way, I began the dive on the first floor of the Great Zoma Dungeon with my new animal companion made from its own essence, which I named Sandy.

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