3. Body, Equipment, Maintenance

“Is that even possible? Do it properly.”

“Th-that… It’s not something I can just do well….”

The solution mixed with my blood is said to be a special reagent that only reacts to human blood.

The reagent is colorless, but when it touches human blood, it is said to turn the blood black.

“Look, look… It’s still so red….”

“This is driving me crazy.”

It is said that even a single drop of the reagent is enough to turn the entire blood black. Nevertheless, the reason my blood still has a red tint is…

“As expected, it’s mixed with direwolf blood…!”

“Is that even possible? Is it okay for animal blood to enter a human body?”

“Of course not! B-but… there’s an example right here….”

This is a dizzying result. Is this really okay? I haven’t studied much about life sciences, but I know enough that transfusing animal blood into a human is a disaster.

Didn’t they fail to transplant the organs of pigs, which are closest to humans, into humans? This makes me suspicious.

“Have the heart or lungs changed?”

“I haven’t opened it up yet, so I don’t know…”

What do you mean open it up? That’s a scary thing to say.

“Didn’t you check the blood with that circuit or whatever? Do something about it.”

According to Ravi, the difference between an eyeball and blood is significant, and their locations are different, so he doesn’t seem to know. A wolf’s heart? That really makes me dizzy.

“On second thought, it might not be.”

“Huh? Why?”

She questioned my words.

“All the parts that have changed so far were replaced because they were defective. The left eye was unusable, and a lot of blood was lost.”

“Ah, that’s true. Then rest assured! Your lungs and heart are human!”

“Can you be certain?”

“No….”

Damn it.

Anyway, the investigation into the skill’s ability is over. Is my job done now?

“Then I’d like to receive the reward you mentioned.”

“Oh! The reward….”

Ravi hung the flask containing my blood on a stand, then quickly walked into the curtained interior of the shop. She came back out and placed a small leather pouch in my palm.

“Uh, five silver coins! I’m sorry I can’t give you more… But if you come back next time, I’ll give you more! Much more….”

“I don’t know if there will be a next time.”

“We haven’t figured out everything about the skill yet! I want to do more experiments… If I know more, I can give you a bigger reward!”

“Well, alright then.”

Five silver coins? That’s the amount you’d barely earn after fighting all day in the labyrinth. As expected of a born magician, even if she’s poor, she could last three generations.

“Ah, may I ask your name?”

“My name?”

“Yes! Since we’ll be seeing each other often now… Ugh!? N-no, that’s not what I meant!!”

Ravi, all by herself, beating the drum, playing the janggu, breaking the kkwaenggwari, smashing the jing, and even spinning the sangmo.

“Hmm.”

Well, if anything unusual happens again, it’s better to come here.

“In the place where I lived, the surname comes first, and the given name follows.”

“Oh, really? That’s an unusual way.”

She wrote down the information I gave her on a small rectangular piece of paper with a wooden stick fitted with graphite.

“The surname is Yu, the given name is Eon. Together, it’s Yuuon.”

“Yuuon… Is that a, a pseudonym..?”

“It’s my real name.”

“I-I see… I think it’s a clever and wonderful name….”

“I agree.”

Leaving Ravi, who was scratching her head, behind, I left the appraisal office.

“Five silver coins. This should be enough.”

* * * * *

“Did you bring a blanket from the inn?”

“It’s the gambeson you made for me last time….”

The gambeson I was wearing had turned into rags, and the fabric shop owner looked at me with eyebrows raised in a 八 shape.

“Did you grind it against a stone wall? On sharp, splintering rocks?”

“Well… I had a bit of a rough play with a direwolf. I didn’t do anything weird to tear it on purpose….”

“Heh, really.”

It was a thick gambeson made of 16 layers of linen. There are also 20-layer and 32-layer ones, but compared to 8 or 12 layers, it’s quite thick.

If you want to buy a new gambeson, five silver coins won’t be enough. I thought it would be fine if I just patched up the torn parts and wore it. After all, the back, shoulders, and belly were only torn in one or two layers from rolling on the ground.

The right arm is in pretty bad shape, but fabric is expensive relative to its area.

“This sleeve needs to be completely removed and redone. What’s the point of sewing on something that’s been torn up like this?”

“Can’t you just roughly roll it up, put a layer of linen over it? The torn part can act like stuffing inside.”

“Then when that one layer tears, it’ll go back to this state immediately.”

“Oh, right.”

In the end, the owner’s recommendation was this.

“Cut everything below the elbow. The part above is in relatively better condition.”

“Then below that…”

“I’ll attach a new piece, but take care of the elbow. If the stitching comes undone, it’ll be bare arm immediately.”

“Yes, thank you.”

In the end, I handed over a precious silver coin and got the gambeson fixed.

Next is the pouch belt.

“Please make it a bit thicker than last time.”

“You fool. Animal leather is all the same once you remove the fat and tan it. There’s no thicker, but there is tougher.”

“Oh, you’re trying to sell me expensive leather again.”

“Then buy it if you know.”

The pouch belt had been bitten and torn by a direwolf, so I got a new one. I exchanged the belt buckle and bought a wider belt, both top and bottom, and it’s tougher too.

“Wow, mister. If you need an apprentice, please call me. Selling a handful of leather for 40 coins each, this tanner business is really going to make you rich.”

“This one never stops talking. Get lost!”

“Yes, sir.”

In the end, I bought the belt for 40 coins. Considering I haggled it down from 50, I’m satisfied with this.

“Next is the sword.”

The blade and handle of the one-handed sword had filed for divorce. They must not have been getting along.

“This one has a broken tang, so I can’t just reattach the grip.”

“Why are there so many merchants in this labyrinth city? Was it always a merchant city?”

“Hey, I haven’t told you to buy a new one yet.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“We can melt down the forte to make a new tang. The blade will be a bit shorter, though.”

The dwarf blacksmith stretched out his thick fingers to measure the length of the blade and nodded.

“Explain it so I can understand.”

“We’ll melt down the blade near the handle, extend it, and make a new tang.”

“How much shorter will it be?”

“If we make the tang thin, about 5 centimeters. If we make it a bit thicker, around 8 centimeters shorter.”

It’s a one-handed sword barely over 70 centimeters. If it gets 8 centimeters shorter, won’t it just be a long dagger? But what can I do?

“Please, do it well.”

“You rascal. I’m the one asking you. What did this sword do wrong to be treated like this?”

Being a dwarf, he has a strong attachment to the weapons he makes. Aren’t weapons supposed to get hurt instead of people? If it did its job well, it should be praised.

“You prefer stabbing over slashing, don’t you?”

“Can you see that too?”

“Yes. The tip of the blade is more worn than the edge.”

Even though he’s a blacksmith who mass-produces cheap swords, he’s still a dwarf, so he has an eye for swords.

“Come back in two days. I’ll deepen the blood groove to prevent the blade from shortening.”

“Yes. I’ll be back then.”

With that, I handed over two silver coins, heavier than bone and flesh, to the dwarf and stepped outside.

“Somehow, it’s resolved.”

At least I can breathe a sigh of relief. I saved the money I would have spent on healing my body, and I earned five silver coins by testing the skill’s effect. Although I had to give back 3.4 of those silver coins, it was still a bargain.

I thought it was a useless skill, but it has its good points.

“I’m hungry.”

First, let’s head back to the inn. I’ve been too distracted to notice, but my muscles ache, and I haven’t slept properly.

My neck is stiff, and my back is sore, probably because I fell asleep leaning against a tree in the forest. I might as well buy something tasty with the remaining money.

* * * * *

The Flagged Goat Inn. It’s the inn where I’ve settled, and the place where the lady took me in when I first arrived in this world.

It’s only been about a month, so it hasn’t been that long, but a month is more than enough time to grow attached to a place.

Even the goat sign with a flag on its head has become familiar. What kind of goat is a flag bearer anyway?

“A girl I’ve never seen before.”

Since I’ve been staying at the same inn for a month and sleeping here every night unless I’m in the labyrinth, I remember the faces of the people who live around here to some extent.

In front of the Gisu Goat Inn, a girl is holding a broom made of dry twigs, sweeping the stone tiles.

The lady who always sat on the bench in front of the inn, smoking her cigarette, was nowhere to be seen. I wondered if there were any dining guests inside, but that wasn’t the case.

“What’s this? Where did the lady go?”

The lady was nowhere to be found, and the girl in front of me followed me inside and answered in her place.

“Welcome! This is the Gisu Goat Inn!”

“What? Where’s the lady?”

“The lady? Oh, my mom went shopping!”

“What? Mom? Did the lady have a daughter?”

How did such a slender girl come from such a plump lady? Well, body shape isn’t hereditary, I suppose.

“She usually leaves it to me when she goes shopping.”

“Oh my, you’re the guest mom talked about!”

“I haven’t seen you in almost a month. Are you really her daughter? Did you kidnap the lady and take over the place?”

Smack-

“This brat has no filter.”

“Oh my, even a direwolf’s skull would be crushed. When did you arrive?”

“Just now. If you have time, help me sort the vegetables.”

The lady, holding a carrot as big as her daughter’s forearm in her right hand, handed me the basket she was holding in her left hand.

“Lady, can I eat first? I’m really hungry.”

“Sera, go scoop a bucket of food waste from the pit.”

“Oh dear, I’ll eat after I do it. This time I’m paying for the meal, though.”

“Puhut…”