24. That’s Nothing

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

Worried that it might make a sound, she carried the log on her shoulder and gently placed it far away.

Until now, when I ate raw things to use as a medium for skills, I usually fell asleep immediately after consumption. So, I never felt what was happening in my stomach while I was asleep.

“Hmm, yeah yeah. Rubica, get ready.”

I don’t know exactly, but this also seemed to depend on my will. It seemed that I could distinguish between things I ate to use skills and things I didn’t by my will.

Even the first time I used a skill. Even while putting a grilled steak in my mouth, I thought all day about wanting to use the skill. In the end, somehow that steak was ‘stored’ somewhere under the influence of my skill.

And the raw things I consumed with the intention of using the skill usually felt like they disappeared from my stomach shortly after.

It was as if a hole had been punched somewhere in my stomach, but I didn’t feel it in detail. It was just that the bloated sensation and the bloody smell rising up my esophagus had stopped. Most of it happened within a minute.

So, steadily, by the end, I had been sitting for such a long time that I could barely taste or smell the blood as I dealt with Ursus’s corpse.

And the most important harvest.

“I’ve got jaws that can chew through stone.”

Of course, chewing and swallowing food for hours on end is no easy task. After about 30 minutes, I was already feeling so fatigued that my jaw muscles wouldn’t obey.

In the end, the method I chose was to consume Ursus’s masseter muscles. I was so surprised that I couldn’t even close my mouth or close my eyes as I tore off the skin from Ursus’s face and delicately cut and ate all the muscles attached to the lower jaw.

The masseter muscles are among the strongest muscles in almost all creatures, given their volume. It was a bit difficult since it was my first time replacing the muscles located in the face, but if you stay up all night trying, it’s not impossible.

So, I ended up with a part of the powerful bite force that came from Ursus’s massive head. I reached a level where I could chew and swallow muscles without much effort.

From 1 AM until almost 8 AM, I consumed all the necessary organs from Ursus’s body. Mostly muscles, but also the liver, heart, lungs, and other internal organs.

“I really feel like a monster.”

With the semi-skeletonized Ursus beside me, I replaced all the muscles in my body with his. Of course, since my body is smaller than his, there were some parts left unused.

Ursus’s strength is indeed tremendous. I also drank his blood to gain magical power. But that doesn’t mean I always have the same magical power as Ursus.

The amount of blood that can enter my body is ultimately limited. Assuming my original body state is at 100 percent, if for some reason my blood volume drops below 100 percent due to injury or bleeding, the ability automatically activates.

My body reacts and instinctively takes the stored blood and injects it into my veins to restore 100 percent.

Of course, I can also manually remove the human blood circulating in my body and replace it with Ursus’s blood. But I can’t circulate all the blood from Ursus’s body in mine, so the final amount of magical power is less than Ursus’s.

“Phew, a strong man even during the day.”

Ursus’s muscles are slightly different in quality from those of a direwolf. While a direwolf’s muscles prioritize agility, Ursus’s muscles are a bit heavier and produce greater strength. For running, the direwolf’s muscles would be better.

My body is full of energy, but my head is a bit tired. After about three hours, I entered a semi-sleep state, repeatedly eating and digesting Ursus’s corpse.

“Oh, Reese. You’re awake.”

Returning to the cave, I found Rhys munching on some dried rations in front of the fire, his large robe wrapped around him.

“Munch… Thanks for keeping watch, Ewan… I think I saw you exercising with a log in your sleep… Must have been mistaken.”

No need to tell him the truth.

“Uh, yes. How’s your condition?”

“Sleeping outside is always the same. A bit stiff, but I slept long, so I’m not in bad shape.”

Though startled, Rhys, who was relatively less fatigued, woke up first. Garond had moved the luggage and victims deeper into the cave alone, and he was on high alert, armor on, even as he woke up.

Isolde, needless to say, had been chasing Ursus.

But it’s about time to wake up. Should I wake them up from their sleep?

* * * * *

“Wow, did you really eat all of this?”

“Yes. It was all work that turned into blood and flesh.”

There was no abstract metaphor. It literally turned into blood and flesh.

The skeleton of Ursus, the equipment of the victimized explorers, and other items that could withstand rough handling were all wrapped in Ursus’s skin like a bundle and moved to the portal.

Having gained enough strength not to need Garond’s help, I had less need to use others’ bodies. Just having woken up, my efficiency wasn’t great.

I wanted to get to the surface quickly, so I carried it alone towards the portal.

“I wish the fifth floor was closer.”

“Oh, now that I think about it, you’re right.”

I had forgotten. This was the sixth floor, so I had to go down to the fifth floor first before going back up to the surface. Arriving at the sixth-floor portal early in the morning, the weary guard looked at me with wide eyes.

“Th-thank you for your hard work! Are you going up to the fifth floor?”

“Yes.”

Even the guards have their own experience. At a glance, they can instantly determine whether a person’s rank is high or low. In one hand, he held the blood-dripping head of Ursus, and in the other, a leather bundle filled with so many items that one would wonder what was inside.

The guard thought, at the very least, he must be of platinum rank.

“Have a pleasant return!!”

“Thank you for your service.”

“Not at all!!”

Of course, Yuwon himself didn’t know such things. He just thought that the guards on the 6th floor were particularly disciplined.

Fortunately, the place where he landed after taking the portal to the 5th floor was close to the portal. It took about 20 minutes to walk there.

“Are you returning to the surface?”

“Yes.”

Seeing another highly disciplined guard, Yuwon thought, ‘There must have been a recent inspection.’

When he returned to the surface, heavily laden with luggage, the guild staff waiting there were greatly surprised to see the party.

“Are these… goblin victims?”

“Yes. Please escort them to the cathedral.”

“Three female victims… confirmed. Thank you for the rescue.”

As they entered the building, the murmuring sounds became distinctly audible. After setting down the luggage, it wasn’t long before a senior guide came running, pushing up his glasses with his index finger as he looked at me.

It was the senior female employee who had placed her arm on Dahlia’s head while eating that pie.

“You’ve caused quite a stir.”

“Is it serious?”

“Not too serious. I just wanted to say thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you.”

“First, you can take a rest, or you can write the report on the subjugation first.”

“I’ll take a rest. Do you need these Ursus bone fragments or the skull?”

“There are plenty of people willing to buy them.”

Together with the party members who had ensured minimal cleanliness, I entered the room located on the second floor of the guild. What happened inside the labyrinth, what monsters we caught, and how the contributions were divided.

Generally, we are split into pairs and asked similar questions by different guild staff. If our testimonies match, they are accepted as truth, recorded, and points are awarded.

These points are necessary for promotion and help in receiving certain requests that require a specific score.

Of course, the senior guide quickly realized that our party had experienced an unusual situation and took me alone into a room, while the remaining three went into separate rooms to finish their testimonies.

“Did you get a good skill?”

“It’s good, but it’s a bit tricky.”

“There must be conditions.”

“I have to eat raw meat.”

“How much?”

“There isn’t a specific amount. The more I eat, the more I get. I think I ate about 200kg.”

Senior guide Katrina took a sip of tea after smelling its aroma and then spoke.

“200kg of raw meat and a solo subjugation of Ursus. That’s nothing. It means you get stronger very easily.”

“Is that so.”

I thought it was quite a difficult and challenging condition.

Reading my expression, Katrina crossed her legs and spoke as if it was ridiculous.

“There is even a skill that makes you stronger by the weight of the dung you excrete. The effect disappears once you excrete it.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not something to apologize for, but rather something to be grateful for, having gained a good skill.”

“But aren’t you going to ask me anything?”

“I can tell just by looking. You can hear what happened from those three over there, so don’t worry.”

“Yes…”

Strength equal to the weight of the dung eaten? What a truly dreadful skill.

Afterwards, they roughly decided on how to dispose of the explorer’s equipment they brought back, or the remaining bits of Ursus’s corpse. They left the place. The three who went into the other room seemed to be taking a bit longer; they hadn’t come out even after waiting for about ten minutes.

“Guess I should head to the appraisal office this time.”

The changes in the body were enormous. Let’s stop by Ravi’s place for a moment to report the progress.