38. What the hell, crazy

“What, was that it?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying.”

I heard the situation explained. It seems that someone from the Meyerbridge Union, who was returning, found and rescued me, and I lost consciousness and ended up here.

Fortunately, they said it’s not about money. Surprisingly, most of the people who enter the main building’s inpatient room are quite important people. It’s not a hospital that does business with the general public, but a treatment center for executives.

‘Then why did I come in?’

I’m certainly not an important person, and I have no connection with the Meyerbridge Union Clan. I vaguely remember someone approaching me and talking to me just before I collapsed from exhaustion on the 10th floor.

My eyes were too tired and my mind too hazy to remember their appearance at all. This nurse lady also doesn’t know who rescued me.

“But where are all my clothes? And what is this outfit?”

“Oh, you were completely soaked in blood. We had to change you for treatment…”

“Who did it?”

“Um, I did…”

“Oh, I see.”

Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s a relief that it wasn’t a man who changed me. The outfit has a typical patient gown feel with a slight bluish tint.

My physical condition isn’t bad. Of course, my original body must be in terrible shape, but I’ve swapped my muscles with those of an orc chieftain.

That orc chieftain sat around all day, trying to look tough, and then his head exploded. Naturally, his muscles have no fatigue. He turned out to be quite helpful, unintentionally.

“Anyway, what should I do now?”

“Oh! Right. I need to report that you’ve woken up. Please wait a moment.”

“Okay.”

The nurse hurriedly left the room with a file in her hand. So, she was chatting with me instead of reporting my condition. What a laid-back workplace.

I took off my top to check my body. Obviously, if I used my original muscles, I wouldn’t even be able to stand on my own two feet.

“Was my body always like this?”

I’ve been very busy since coming to this world. I can’t say I never took a day off, but I helped out at the inn while my body recovered after going to the labyrinth.

I also repaired equipment and restocked supplies. Then, once my body recovered, I went back to the labyrinth, repeating the cycle.

“What? It’s night?”

I didn’t realize it because the blinds were down, but it was night outside. The room was so bright that I didn’t notice.

“Hmm.”

I feel like my body has grown a bit. I’m currently recovering by circulating Ursus’s blood, but considering my condition right after waking up, I still have a long way to go. It seems I’ll have to use the orc chieftain’s muscles for a while.

And the most curious thing is the skill. Just before I collapsed, an explorer approached me and said it seemed like I had acquired a new skill. I was out of my mind, so I wasn’t sure, but now that I think about it, it seems certain.

‘There’s no way my strength could be that strong.’

The orc’s muscles aren’t of the same high-quality muscle fibers as the direwolf leader or Ursus. They just have big bodies and muscles that attach well, so they’re strong, but you can’t say the quality of their muscles is high.

Nevertheless, the sensation of throwing the spear at the orc chieftain’s head at the end… it must be the effect of a new skill.

What kind of skill did I acquire to produce such strong power?

“Damn it. Did I finally get it, the cheat skill..!”

Two months after falling into this other world. Did I finally get the cheat skill? My heart is pounding, I can’t hide my excitement.

“Whew..!”

There’s no mirror in the room, but I felt a surge of strength in my body and struck a pose, acting like a fool.

“Oh shit. I’ve just become a monster.”

My muscles assert themselves vividly. This is it. This is it.

“Oh, and….”

I’m not exactly sure, but I used Umbra Valkyrie’s eyeball for almost over an hour. At a certain point, the feeling that it was hard to use Umbra Valkyrie’s eyeball disappeared.

Did my body adapt because a crisis was approaching? Or was it just that my whole body was in pain, so a little overload on my head didn’t matter? Anyway, using Umbra Valkyrie’s eyeball for a long time is definitely a good thing for me.

To be honest, it’s a fraudulent performance. The ability to identify the opponent’s weaknesses, or the weaknesses of magic or structures, is amazing. Should I call it Iris’s scheme? I got the eyeball unintentionally, but still.

It’s definitely a good thing for me.

—Knock knock

“Come in.”

I heard a knock on the wooden door. The person who came in was a man with brown hair wearing glasses. He had a rough beard and looked old, wearing a white coat, so he seemed to be a doctor or something similar.

And behind him were the nurse I just met and another nurse I had never seen before.

“You’ve woken up. And you’re even standing properly.”

“Yes, it seems so.”

The attending physician took off his glasses and hung them on his gown, then approached me as if he had seen something truly fascinating.

“Due to the excessive strain on your muscles, we couldn’t use healing magic recklessly. We tried to rely as much as possible on natural regenerative power and treat you in a way that wouldn’t burden your body…”

“Is that so.”

“Yes. It’s amazing that you’ve recovered so cleanly. Would it be alright to conduct a simple examination?”

“Go ahead.”

At those words, a nurse I had never seen before approached from behind and sat me down in a chair, extending her right hand. A faint orange glow appeared at the tip of her right middle finger and slowly floated towards my body.

*Ping*

“This is… how…”

“Is there something wrong with my body?”

“No… it’s just… huh…?”

The nurse, who had seemed so composed, was now visibly flustered, tilting her head repeatedly as she examined my body. After a long while, she finally spoke.

“Your muscles… have they been… recreated…?”

“Ah, well… something like that. It’s the ability of a skill.”

“Then that makes sense. The muscles that had suddenly collapsed have all returned to their original state… no, they’re in a completely different state than before.”

The attending physician scribbled something down with great interest from behind, and after finishing the examination, he asked a few questions.

“It’s not a super recovery ability, is it?”

“No. It’s not that kind of thing.”

“So it doesn’t matter how much your body gets damaged?”

“I don’t really know.”

“I see. According to the laws of the Labyrinth City, except for a few exceptions, we cannot assess an explorer’s skills without their consent-“

“It’s Aven. Please call me Aven.”

“Ah, yes. We cannot assess Aven’s skills without permission. According to Delvaheim, it seems that a new skill has been imprinted on you, but for the aforementioned reasons, we have not been able to confirm it yet.”

Was there such a law?

“Why is that?”

“Well, judging by your reaction, it seems you don’t have any curse skills.”

“Ah, I see.”

Indeed, it would be problematic to assess skills without permission if there might be curse skills. There are many types of curse skills that are embarrassing to talk about.

“Our job here is done. Our mission was to help you recover.”

“So, can I leave now?”

“After your recovery, Delvaheim said he would like to meet you.”

Delvaheim. That’s the name I just heard. Contextually, it seems to be the name of the person who rescued me, but I couldn’t see what they looked like because I was in bad shape.

Since I received help, I should at least thank them. It was lucky that they happened to pass by.

“Hmm…”

Meyerbridge Union, huh.

‘Ah, that’s because the return of the Scarlet Lotus Party, which is the second party of the Meyerbridge Union Clan, is scheduled for this evening.’

No way. Could it be?

“Is that Delvaheim from the second party…?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Raya Delvaheim, the deputy leader of the Scarlet Lotus Party.”

“Uh-oh.”

Shit. What the hell did I say?

‘If you’re here to steal my food, fuck off.’

Motherfucker.

“So… are you by any chance very angry?”

“Whom are you referring to? Lord Delbaheim, you mean?”

“Yes….”

“No, he didn’t seem so. He rarely shows any change in his emotions. You must have committed some kind of discourtesy.”

“I think I did.”

“You’ll be alright. Lord Delbaheim doesn’t even bat an eye at most things.”

He really *shouldn’t*. He’s at least a Palladium-grade explorer. Even if I was in a mentally and physically weakened state, telling him to fuck off to his face is a bit much, isn’t it?

Well, after hearing those words, he still rescued me, brought me above ground, and even got me treatment, so I guess he might be a good person.

“Whew, well that’s a relief….”

“The recovery of your equipment is complete. I’ve put it in that drawer, but its condition is quite poor, so I’ve arranged for some suitable clothing. Change as you like and then follow us.”

The attending physician gestured toward the nurse waiting behind him. It was the same person I met first.

“Wouldn’t it be impolite to just leave without seeing him?”

“Ah… it’s not mandatory. However, these kinds of meetings usually lead to good news, so I recommend you meet him.”

“Yes. I will.”

The three of them left the ward. I hurriedly opened the drawer to check my clothes, and yep, they’re not something anyone could wear. They’re practically rags.

“New clothes are… ah, this must be it.”

A plain white shirt and black pants. Strangely, the clothes are modern compared to the lifestyle. At a glance, you can tell they are of better quality than the ones I used to wear.

“The pouch is here.”

The pouch was roughly thrown into the flower bed, but it has been picked up again. I am truly grateful.

“Hey, where did my egg go?”

But the egg that was inside is gone. To be precise, the container wrapped in cloth that held the egg is missing. Did I drop it while taking out the jerky? What a shame.

Having finished changing clothes, I went outside. The nurse who had been waiting at the door told me to follow her, and I followed her out of the treatment center building to another building located within the large premises.

‘This is… the northeastern clan building.’

The buildings lined up here have a similar feel to when I came to the northeast to find the magic tool shop. After walking for about three minutes, we entered a grand building, went up to the second floor from the lobby, and stood in front of a large door.

“This is Sir Raya Delvaheim’s private room. You don’t seem like that kind of person, but… you know you shouldn’t act rudely, right?”

“Yes. Thank you for the advice.”

I want to open this door right now and bow deeply. It’s only natural to be polite.

The nurse who guided me gave a simple nod and quickly disappeared. Left alone in front of the door, I feel a bit nervous. No, I’m really nervous.

‘Damn it. Why did I swear in front of someone I don’t know?’

I lifted the door knocker shaped like a white flower and knocked lightly, and a voice came from inside. It’s the voice of the woman I heard in a daze.

—Come in.

Phew, let’s do this well. Palladium? It could be higher. Anyway, they say the leader of the clan’s party is in charge. No emotional changes, nothing, just apologize.

—Creak

With a bit of force, I pushed the door, and the huge door, about three meters tall, slowly opened, revealing the inside.

“Welcome.”

“Yes, yes…”

White hair, white skin. Eyes with a hint of blue. As I had heard, an expressionless face, and then…

‘An elf.’

The characteristic long ears of an elf.

She, who had been sitting, slowly rose from her chair and approached me. At that moment.

—Thud!

Suddenly, as if her legs gave out, she collapsed onto the floor. And on the wooden floor where she sat,

Fssshhh…

“What.”

“Huh.”

Transparent water, warm steam rising from it, began to seep out.

“Uh..?”

Her cheeks flushed red, she looked up at me with a bewildered face.

“Why all of a sudden..!”

With a truly aggrieved expression, she said, on the verge of tears.

“Wh-why did the orc arousal skill…!”

“No.”

What the hell.