Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Mana Disparity

The cold water slammed onto him like a truck. It couldn't be compared to what showers had been back on Earth. It was more like getting hosed down by the fireman squad. Not a sprinkle, but a high-pressured solid block of water that kept blasting at him. It actually hurt, though not too badly.

Emm hurried to rub the soap all over himself, starting with his hair. He struggled to breathe and basically had to hold his breath to stop the water from entering his mouth.

He got used to the temperature after a minute, and it wasn't as bad as it had been at the start. He scrubbed and scrubbed, then took his clothes off to get to the dirt underneath. Surprisingly, even his underwear wasn't safe from the snake's purple blood. Emm rubbed at his clothes, trying to get as much filth out of them as possible.

The water pressure being so strong had its advantages; by the time the water stopped flowing, Emm felt clean as a whistle. His clothes weren't spotless, but the improvement was still huge.

He noticed tiny rips and holes all across the fabric, though. Stray strings stuck out here and there. Rasha was right: they were breaking apart at a fundamental level. The mana was slowly but surely ruining them, and before long he'd need a replacement.

Emm shivered from the cold and rushed to put his clothes back on. His skin was lightly burning, hurt from the shower. His scalp was the worst off.

In fact… As he concentrated on the sensation, Emm felt it was strangely familiar.

Was it the soap? The Guide mentioned all the food they have is too high for me in mana concentration. So the soap could be too strong as well!

Emm had washed himself thoroughly, so he couldn't imagine any soap still staying on his skin. The strong blast had surely rinsed it all off, but the damage was already done. The shower must've shaved ten or twenty percent off his health bar. Maybe some of that was from the water, too. It was magic after all, so it likely had mana too. Emm just hoped the meat he'd eaten before was enough to bring his health back up.

Emm got outside. He was greeted by the [Water Mage]'s wide, toothless grin.

"Enjoyed the shower?"

"A bit too warm for my liking," Emm retorted.

Emm looked at the buckets of soap. The geezer turned them around, revealing numbers painted on their sides in red. Five, eight, and fifteen. Emm had used the [Level] 5 one, it looked like. He was lucky. Would the old guy even warn him if he tried to use any of the others? Probably, if they were more valuable.

The sun on his skin didn't do much to warm him up. It was still too early on in the morning. He needed to dry off. Emm was sorry that he'd let his fire go out, trying to save wood. If he rushed, maybe he could still salvage it. Or, he'd have to use somebody else's fire. That wouldn't be so bad, either. It would be a good chance to talk with new people.

"You could've warned me about the soap. It stung," Emm said.

The geezer chuckled in response, then took a fat slurp of coffee.

"Oh, youngsters these days," he said after swallowing, "All you do is complain. I didn't know you were so weak!"

He brought the coffee back to his lips. Another fat slurp.

Emm's eyebrow twitched. The noise was clearly exaggerated! It was like he was trying to taunt him.

But he couldn't resist. Emm was almost drooling at the sight. Coffee was one of his favorite things in the world. A daily ritual ever since he'd started high-school. Almost like an old companion. He couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Noble elder, thank you for the shower. I'm sorry to ask, but may I please have a sip of your coffee?" Emm asked.

Emm even bowed his head down in respect. He didn't know this world's customs, but he tried to be as polite as possible. In fact, he probably overdid it. His words sounded stupid even to himself. Noble elder?! No way in hell that I just said that out loud.

The [Water Mage] looked at him, confused.

"Why should I share it with you?"

Emm gulped, then bowed even lower. He tried to be as honest and direct as possible.

"My time here so far has been tough, and I barely escaped death. Twice, actually. Nothing would make my day brighter than having a taste of coffee. I love the beverage with all my heart."

The old man was silent for a few seconds, then spoke.

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"Get up. I will let you try it. But know, it's not quite like the stuff from your world, the otherworlders all complain about it."

Emm's eyes lit up at the offer.

Ask and you shall receive, I guess?

He approached his savior, who handed him the bowl. It was rough to the touch and very warm. Emm brought it to his mouth, then paused. Something worried him.

He said it was expensive. Then…

"What [Level] is it? Is it safe for me to drink?"

The old man patted Emm on the shoulder, smiling innocently.

"Oh, only [Level] 4. Not much mana in it, I drink it for the taste. A small sip should be fine. Even for a weakling like you," he said.

Emm couldn't resist the temptation. The smell, so close to his mouth, was too much.

He drank the coffee. It was hot and bitter, as all coffee should be. Sure, the taste was slightly different than what he was used to, but it was most definitely still coffee. He closed his eyes and savored the sensation, swishing the hot liquid back and forth in his mouth. All his thoughts and worries faded away and for a brief moment, it was as if he was back on Earth.

It took all of Emm's willpower to stop at just one small sip. Reluctantly, he separated the drink from his mouth before he could chug the whole thing down. Emm felt warmer already.

The [Water Mage] snatched the bowl away from him, then sat down on the ground. He leaned back against the wall and stared at Emm expectantly.

"Thank you very much. That was delicious!" Emm hurried to say, struggling to be polite.

The elder burst out in a fit of laughter. It turned into wheezing.

Emm looked at him, confused. The warmth in his belly rapidly got more and more intense.

And then the pain hit him, and he realized what a huge mistake he'd made. He bent over and clutched at his stomach to the sounds of the [Water Mage]'s laughing.

"You fool! How could you ever believe I'd drink some [Level 4] crap! You say you survived death twice today, let's see if the third time's the charm."

Oh, that fucker.

Emm fell down onto all fours, struggling to breathe. His lungs were like liquid fire, and his insides felt like a shrapnel grenade had gone off inside of him. Even a single taste of the beverage was worse than what he'd felt that night after gorging himself on the monster meat. Far worse.

He felt like an idiot.

Why did I believe him for a moment?!

"It was [Level] 10, you buffoon," the old trickster said in between fits of laughter, "Good luck!"

Emm could barely process the words from the stinging pain he felt, but his heart sank at them. Such a huge disparity in mana concentration, or [Levels] was bound to end poorly for him.

His mind raced for solutions. He had to get the liquid out of him, immediately. He crawled towards the buckets next to him and grabbed a small chunk of soap from inside, careful to choose the least powerful variant.

Emm shoved it in his mouth and attempted to swallow it down. The absolutely disgusting taste promptly triggered his body's natural defense mechanism.

He puked on the ground, expelling the deadly contents of his stomach.

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