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Chapter 12

‘That might be likely...’

Veno pings and highlights outside, then mutters.

‘You were experimenting with your new skill, did you not?’

Ah, right. How I slew that rat.

‘You had released all that poison on the monster trail. It is possible that something or someone walked into it and succumbed to it.’

That’s ridiculous... How do people even earn experience points in this world?

‘With some exceptions, the quintessence of the defeated cannot be earned if one is too far away...’

As our discussion goes on, the rowdiness outside dies down.

I stand stealthily by the window side and peer out.

On display outside of the inn was the corpse of the Rose Grey Swordhorn I saw before I went to bed.

It’s become a spectacle and there are quite some people surrounding it. Some adventurers are tipping and throwing money in.

Moreover, there seems to be merchants discussing some kind of trade.

“It seemed like it’s been weakened, so we decided to capture it alive. We’ve done alright, hey?”

“Thank you so much for tonight!”

“Casualties were minimal too.”

“We’d be rich if this happened all the time!”

The adventurer who captured the Rose Grey Swordhorn brought it to the merchant who seems to be the requester.

No way, don’t tell me...

‘... that is what it seems like. It would be a safe to believe that the Rose Grey Swordhorn was weakened by the poison you threw down.’

It’d make sense that I leveled up so much.

But even then, is the concentrated swamp toxin really that powerful?

‘Do not make light of poison. Furthermore, Rose Grey Swordhorns are not monsters from the swamp and they have not resistance against it. The poison must have circulated in its system, weakening it, and then the adventurers captured it.’

I don’t know whether to consider myself lucky or not.

Well, seeing how I doused the monster’s path with poison, it’s quite likely that it was afflicted by an abnormal status.

How does everything seem to work out for me? That, in turn, makes me even more anxious.

‘Consider it an unexpected godsend. By the way, shall we snatch the corpse of the Rose Grey Swordhorn before they cut it up?’

Give me a break. They’re obviously going to go crazy looking for whoever stole it!

‘Aye... In my prime, I would not bat an eye, but it is dangerous to do so now. Not only are we in hiding, it is also not something with which we should get involved. Forgive my mistake.’

Why did you even suggest doing it?

‘Aye. It seemed like as if they were to dress the monster and sell the meat. Since it was poisoned by you, I was merely wondering if it would be fit for weaker humans to feed upon.’

Gah! Wouldn’t that be disastrous?

It’d be no joke if I were to wipe out the entire village in a night.

‘Hence that is why I suggested to snatch the corpse... Oh, the village apothecary noticed the meat has been tainted and is preparing some sort of agent to neutralize it. That girl is coming over here.’

Arleaf is? Maybe I should play it cool and go say hi to her.

What should I do?

... I’d look pretty suspicious if I did that.

Like, she found me unfazed by both the poisonous swamp and the miasma.

If I appeared in front of a powerful monster that had been poisoned, it’d stand out way too much.

It would probably be better if I said I was fast asleep and didn’t know a thing about it. Just to be safe.

‘After all, we are being hunted. That girl had been so kind to us. We should not get her involved in this and bring her any more trouble. You should understand better than anyone.’

I can’t say I really feel the same too, but I know you’re right.

Well, we gotta do every little bit to raise our chances of survival...

That’s how we get to live another day.

With that, I stole some of the adventurers’ experience points and went back to sleep.

The next morning, after a good amount of sleep, I wake up feeling ready to take on the world.

... I’d like to believe that it isn’t because I soaked in so much poison yesterday.

I set off from the inn for breakfast... is it going to be tough steak and vegetable scraps soup again?

I don’t know if I even have a choice. Can’t my meals rank up just a little bit?

“You gon’ be stayin’ here today too?”

“Uhh, yes, tonight too, please.”

“You got it.”

I hand over the money to stay another night.

It really helps me that it’s cheap, but how much longer will I have the money to stay here?

“Oh, there’s a cold spreadin’ around these parts lately, so you best take care of yourself, Cohgray.”

“Understood, ma’am.”

A cold, eh? ... don’t wanna catch one of those. I’ll be extra careful.

‘I could make you a vaccine. Though I am interested in whether you will catch a cold or not.’

How dare you treat me like a guinea pig?!

Ah, whatever... the plan today is to advance my class at the dungeon.

When I was a student, I gamed quite a bit. I had even played quite a few tabletop RPGs and MMOs. So, to find out that I can actually change and advance jobs, it really widens my horizons.

‘Aye... it is like recreation of your parallel world. Tabletop... hmm. After this ordeal is over, it might not be so bad to try my hand at it too.’

Veno mutters to himself after peering into my memories.

I’d love for him to stop spying on my memories so much.

‘I am just bored.’

Yeah, sure.

‘Speaking of which, I have almost finished processing the pelt of the Midnight Blue Wolf that you had defeated yesterday. I have yet to properly tan it, but after that, you should have a product to sell. It might also be a good idea to fashion it into a bag for you to use.’

He’s sure accomplished lots in the meantime.

You’re bored even after such a challenging activity?

‘It is hard living as a dragon without knowing a few ways to kill time.’

He said that with what seems to be smugness.

That’s fine.

However... Veno, you ate all of the meat from the Midnight Blue Wolf, right?

You didn’t gnaw on the leather too because of your oral fixation, did you?

‘Would you not stop treating me with such disdain!’

Seems like I hit the bull’s-eye on that one. Is the Midnight Blue Wolf pelt really alright being soaked in your spit?

‘You... perchance, you know not of the procedures of processing pelt? No, judging by your knowledge, it seems like you believe that pelt is instantly transformed into fur or leather just by stripping it off the flesh.’

Huh, you mean it isn’t?

Well, all the experience I’ve had of processing pelt is anything that was in a game, so there would be quite a high chance that I’m wrong.

‘Is it not obvious that you are incorrect? First, strip the skin off the flesh and thoroughly clean it. Since poison has a sterilization effect, I mixed some water from the swamp with marphina and applied it to the skin. I then consume the meat left on the skin and dry the skin out.’

I can only imagine Veno sucking the moisture out from the skin with his mouth.

‘Then, after moderately drying it out, I apply a mixture of swamp toxin and rock salt to the skin. It is imperative to take some time so that the ingredients get familiar with the pelt. Currently, I am at this stage.’

I feel as if he’s a pro at this complicated process, but even then, it seems like it is a lot of work to make some fur or hide.

Even though it’s completely automated for me, it’s quite the bother for Veno.

‘If we supply ourselves with some tools or drugs, I shall be able to create an even finer final product. It would not hurt to keep it in mind.’

Even if you put it that way...

But anyway, if you use all that poison to treat the skin, won’t there be any ill effects on the person equipping it?

‘It shall be fine as long as we store some well water with storage magic so that we can clean the skin.’

Is that true?

Veno’s lecture of hide tanning distracted us from our original train of thought.

After all that, we arrive at the town hall to find adventurers sporadically gathering here.

As I thought, the request postings refresh everyday in the morning.

Now then, is there nothing that I can do to earn some money while avoiding the lot from the who are chasing us?

It would make sense to look at requests I can fulfill while I’m on my way to or at the swamp.

Does Arleaf take requests from here too?

While that thought is in my head, I looked for Arleaf... but she is nowhere to be seen.

Well, that’s okay... I’m sure I’ll get to see her somewhere or other.

I accept a request for poisonous herbs.

Not medicinal herbs, mind you, but poisonous ones. That’s kinda sad somehow.

Since in a game, they’d start you off with a gathering quest for the safer herbs.

Nevertheless, if I know what I’m looking for, I’m sure I’ll complete it in no time. That, and they specified an amount this time...

‘I am still able to hold a lot more with my storage magic. We should gather all that we can, so it would be easier for us in the future.’

Well, as long as we can use them all before they go bad, it wouldn’t hurt to do so.

Our objective for the day is to advance my class... I’m at the stage where I should learn more about my surroundings and some common knowledge of this world.

Since I have a clear picture of my goal, I walked towards the swamp of poison, just as I did yesterday.

It was easier getting here today than yesterday.

Not only do I already have three times the experience I had, just as importantly, I’ve also familiarized myself with the way there.

I encountered the same vines, mosquitos, and beetles, but they are no match for me anymore.

My sword feels lighter and the enemies seem weaker. Maybe it’s because I’ve simply levelled up.

That’s what they call experience, huh?

I quickly arrived at the swamp of poison, and Midnight Blue Wolves... are not around?

If there were, though, I could always show them how I fight—escaping to the swamp.

And moreover, I’ll blast them with poison stronger than what I could make last time.

It’s just that, well... thanks to my Poison Absorption, the swamp is as comfortable as flowing hot springs.

I’ll just pop in for a quick bath before I go home today too.

I’m self-aware that I’m really testing my luck with this parallel world, but it’s not like I’m doing anything immoral.

‘Indeed... you can replenish your reserves of swamp toxin as well. You are not doing anything unscrupulous.’

While picking anything that might be useful, I make my way to the dungeon, the one that I went to with Arleaf yesterday.

I find the dank, musty room I was looking for.

I check out the dilapidated stone altar in here.

Hmm? There’s some kind of symbol or statue made of stone that’s been smashed. Is it just me or does it kinda look like a dragon?

‘Either way it may be, I am not sure.’

I thought it’d be a statue of Mother Mary or something like that.

‘There are those who place religious symbols like that as well. Such is the difference between different sects of the church.’

Incidentally, which denomination do the guys who are chasing you belong to?

‘They are of the Teachings of the Sacred Yggdrasil... it is a faith that originates from a tree that a gang of elves worshipped. It was a joint task force between that and the Church of Saint Oevarl. That country has two concurrent religions in play.’

The Teachings of the Sacred Yggdrasil, huh?

Hmm... there too are world trees in the world? How fantastical.

‘Heh... there is naught left but pitiable remains of what the elves have exploited.’

Is it just my imagination or does it seem like Veno is ridiculing them?

‘It might seem that way because I am. Elves are the picture of haughtiness. They hogged the blessings of the forest while they ostracized the other races.’

From what I’ve read in the classics, that’s certainly how they’re portrayed as.

Moreover, it’s the translation of “elves” that Veno is talking about, so they’re not even the elves of fiction from Earth.

So that’s how the elves of this world are.

‘Aye. While they sing their songs with the forest, they monopolized the blessings of the world tree. As they anticipated the end of the world tree, they shifted the responsibility to the future generation and wrested power from the sapling. In the end, the world tree withered, and they lost their home. For that, they blamed other races and instigated wars. That is how things ended up how they are currently. They truly are a foolish people.’

What the hell?

A religion like that survives ‘til today?

‘A small fraction of them took tender care of the sapling that narrowly survived. The remnants of that tribe live amongst humans. They grandly spread their religion so that they may survive another day.’

Ah, so the righteous bunch healed the tree, and this is where we are now.

I’d glad that there are people who aren’t complete garbage in this universe.

‘... it would have been fine to just wipe out this world.’

Since they’re the guys who are after us, Veno doesn’t hold back.

But because they’re also coming after my head as if it’s fair, they can’t be a good bunch either.

I’m sure there’s all kinds of people though.

‘It matters not whichever it may be. What matters now is having them let us use their religious symbol.’

Well, you’ve got a point.

It’s not like I care much about their personal history.