Kays Translations

Chapter 132

“Hmm, hmm…”

『Wild Berry Strawberry Fruit Liquor』
『A unique, selectively bred berry soaked in high-proof grain alcohol』
『Due to its high sugar content and alcohol, the growth of harmful bacteria is suppressed, making it safe to drink』
『A type of wild berry liquor — “Alcohol Content: 48%”』

『Fallen Hydrangea Medicinal Liquor』
『Immature seeds and petals of a highly poisonous flower soaked in grain alcohol』
『Thanks to the combination of high sugar, alcohol, and a purifying medicine, it is safe to drink』
『A kind of elixir with extremely high detoxifying and curse-cleansing effects — “Alcohol Content: 45%”』

『Divine Mandate Liquor of Heavenly Goetze』
『◼◼◼◼◼ steeped together with “Drops of the Blue Sky” and “Tears of the Vermilion Sea” in divine sake』
『Declared dangerous after exceeding the boundaries of [#$%] and therefore sealed—』
『DO NOT DRINK DO NOT DRINK DO NOT DRINK DO NOT DRINK DO NOT DRINK』
『Do not touch』
『Do not touch』
『Put it back』
『Do not look』

“!? W-what the heck is this!?”
“Huh? What happened? Why are you freaking out?”

It happened while I was using 【Observation Eye】 to inspect the bottles on the liquor shelf one by one.
When I examined one particularly beautiful bottle, sealed tightly with chains, a distorted description appeared—one eerily similar to what I’d once seen in that mysterious facility at the deepest part of the artificial dungeon ‘Lindwurm’s Lair’, where humanoid figures were being cultured.

“Hey, Melt… do you know what this bottle is?”
“Eh? That one? It was on this shelf?”
“Yeah, right down here on the bottom row.”
“…That spot should’ve been empty. Are you sure it was really there?”
“Eh… No, I’m positive. Maybe it was being hidden somehow?”

“No way… I’ve lived here all my life and never knew about it… I was always told, ‘Children can’t drink it, this is adult syrup, so Melt must never touch it.’ So I never went near this shelf.”
“I see. So you just avoided this area then.”
“Yeah. So what’s up with that crazy-looking bottle?”

“Well… it’s hard to explain, but… maybe your grandmother was actually some kind of incredible genius.”

I decided to keep it vague. Maybe Melt’s grandmother had actually come this close to uncovering the world’s hidden truth.

When she was trapped in this dungeon, perhaps she’d researched it on her own and, like me, discovered a “mysterious space.”

I can’t shake the feeling that this liquor was created as a result of that… Just a hunch, but maybe she’d even intended to find a way out that didn’t involve defeating the Dungeon Master.

“That’s right! My grandma was a super-genius! She always said if she’d been twenty years younger, she could’ve unified the whole continent!”

“Ha ha… Honestly, that might not have been just a joke.”

Melt laughed as she recalled her grandmother.
Given the Silver Fox tribe’s high ability and above-average knowledge, if she’d wanted, maybe she really could have built her own nation…

“So, have you decided which liquor to take?”
“Let’s just bring them all. From what I checked, none of them have gone bad.”
“Yay! Then when we get back, let’s try them mixed with that sparkling water stuff—what was it called again? Tansansui?”

The sadness she’d been carrying about leaving was gone, completely overwritten by curiosity about the fruit liquor.

“It’s already evening, huh? …Well, let’s go to the village tomorrow instead.”
“Got it. Then let’s make dinner.”
“Sure! Even though it’s my house, can I ask you to cook, Shizuma?”
“Of course. After all, I’m the second-best cook after Seira. Leave it to me.”

My skills have improved nicely, so please enjoy the results.

Status

HP: 5581
Strength: 1901
Magic: 136
Mental Power: 671
Agility: 1755

【Growth Rate: Maximum, Full Reflection】
【Blessing of the Silver Fox】
【Observation Eye】
【Beginner Enchantment Magic】
【Survival Instinct】
【High-Speed Movement】
【Throwing】
【Gourmet】
【Rhythm Step】
【Divine Guidance】 ← New
【Beginner Attack Magic】 ← New
【Beginner Healing Magic】 ← New
【Beginner Night Sky Magic】 ← New
【Performance Lv3】
【Cooking Lv4】
【Crafting Lv1】
【Sewing Lv1】
【Swordsmanship Lv7】 ← Rank Up
【Archery Lv1】
【Martial Arts Lv1】 ← New
【Hunter’s Knowledge Lv1】
【Scholar’s Knowledge Lv1】
【Thief’s Knowledge Lv1】
【Swordsman’s Knowledge Lv5】 ← Rank Up
【Warrior’s Knowledge Lv8】 ← Rank Up
【Mercenary’s Knowledge Lv2】
【Dancer’s Knowledge Lv5】 ← Rank Up
【Saint’s Knowledge Lv2】 ← New
【Brutal Fist Knowledge Lv1】 ← New
【Magic Knowledge Lv2】 ← New
【Astrology Knowledge Lv1】 ← New

『Fusion-compatible items acquired』
『Execute fusion?』

“…Something popped up.”
“What is it? What showed up? A bug? I already sprayed bug repellent, though…”
“Ah, no, no, not that. It’s just me.”
“Oh, so you’re just thinking about something? I’ll go set out the kitchen tools then.”
“Yeah, thanks.”

Looks like this function will combine all the excess skills.
The effects might change, but… I can’t resist my curiosity.

I chose “Execute” from the unfamiliar option on the menu.
And then—

【Divine Eye】
【Beginner Universal Magic】
【Warrior’s High】
【Food Linker】

Some of the passive skills tied to each profession had fused together, producing skill names I had never seen before.

Was this… something the world itself had done? Or was it the result of all the game’s data being fully reflected here, causing some unimplemented feature to suddenly appear?

Could it be that the Dungeon Core had added a new function to my menu?
It did say something like, “Program boost detected”… maybe this was the effect.

【Divine Eye】 (Observation Eye + Divine Guidance)
『Allows you to read information about people and objects』
『Also makes it possible to accurately read surrounding terrain information』
『Additionally, displays multiple new attackable weak points on hostile targets』

【Beginner Universal Magic】 (Beginner Enchantment Magic + Beginner Attack Magic + Beginner Healing Magic + Beginner Night Sky Magic)
『Allows the use of portions of every magic system』

【Warrior’s High】 (High-Speed Movement + Throwing + Rhythm Step)
『Responds to the will to fight by accelerating all movements and improving physical ability』

【Food Linker】 (Gourmet + Survival Instinct)
『After eating, grants a 6-hour regeneration effect and nullifies stamina consumption』
『Additionally, as long as the user is not hungry, they can revive from the brink of death once every 10 minutes』
『Drawback: Each meal must be at least 1 kilogram in weight』

“Amazing… there’s some drawbacks here and there, but…”

The combined versions were, in subtle ways, even stronger than before.
The added weak-point display from 【Divine Eye】 was especially huge.

And to think that 【Gourmet】 and 【Survival Instinct】 could combine.
So now, even I—not just Silent—can nullify death once every ten minutes.

…Though it seems I’ll have to eat at least a kilo each time. Still, I could probably bulk it up with water.

“All right, done! Melt, what do you want for dinner? I brought a ton of ingredients, so I can make anything.”
“Eh!? Then… I want that thing! The dish you mentioned when we were camping—the one you said both children and adults love back in your country!”

Her request was, of course, curry—the dish I had offhandedly mentioned one night while we were gazing into the campfire, which immediately piqued her curiosity.

I’d been remembering the time I made it at summer camp.
This world seems to have something like rice in rare amounts, but since it’s scarce, I’ll serve it with bread instead this time.

“Okay then… time to mix the spices.”

Good thing I stocked up on plenty of local spices back when I was with Seira.
By blending them, I can create curry powder.

That’s the strength of 【Cooking Lv4】—I know exactly what I need.
But this time, I’ll do something different.

“Melt, do you have a mortar and pestle or something for grinding herbs?”
“Oh, I do! And there’s also one of those heavy grinding tools in Grandma’s room. I’ll bring it.”

Melt returned with a tool very much like a yagen (Japanese medicine grinder).
With a heavy thud, she set it on the table.

“So, you’re grinding something? Should I do it?”
“Yeah, you’re probably more used to this kind of work. I’ll leave it to you.”

This time, I deliberately asked Melt to help out with the cooking.
I lined up the whole spices needed for curry powder in front of her—quite a lot, actually. Nineteen kinds in total for today.

“Wow, that’s a lot! Are you making medicine?”
“Nope. Mixed like this, they become the spice base for a really delicious dish.”
“Heeey… Oh, I know this leaf! And some of these I’ve seen in alchemy. Ah, chili peppers! And these… dried fruits, seeds, and herbs, right?”
“It’s a bit of work, but I’ll leave it to you.”

While Melt worked on the spices, I prepped the other ingredients.
This time, I wasn’t making Japanese-style roux curry, but rather an Indian-style curry stewed with vegetables.

Amazing… the entire procedure just came to mind naturally. The power of 【Cooking Lv4】!

The result was a pseudo-Indian curry.
Since I used beef, it would be a blasphemous curry to an Indian, though.

“This is dangerous… it has to be a dish meant to beguile people. Even while I was grinding the powder, the smell was incredible… but once we roasted it, the aroma became overwhelming…!”
“See? It’s good, right?”
“It’s too good! How could people from Shizuma’s world come up with such a blend!? It must have been invented by a genius alchemist!”
“…”

It really was delicious, even if I do say so myself. The only accompaniment was simple round bread, but that was enough.
Melt dipped bread into the curry again and again, devouring it. Silent, saying nothing as usual, just ate steadily.

So he does eat normally. I guess even without orders, he can act on basic instincts like eating.

“That yellow powder… I bet it could sell for a fortune! Would you take it to the Apothecary Guild? Or maybe the Cook’s Guild?”

“It’s probably the Cook’s Guild, right? Next time I’ll bring it in while using Seira’s form. Maybe I can also get some information about rice while I’m at it.”

“Rice… you mean pasta grain? Hopefully you’ll find out which country grows it.”

A warm evening of laughter and chatter passed by.
I thought to myself… it’d be nice if this house could gain a new happy memory.

After dinner, once the dishes were cleaned up and everything stored away, we talked about where to sleep tonight.

“Tonight, Rent-chan and I will sleep together, okay?”
“I’ll leave her in your care.”
“…”
“…Rent, will you sleep next to Melt?”

For some reason, as soon as the idea of sharing a bed with Melt was brought up, Rent shuffled closer to me.
I guess when I’m in Shizuma’s form, some kind of loyalty is at play.

But after I asked her directly, she reluctantly moved over to Melt’s side.

“What about you, Shizuma? Grandma’s room is pretty far from mine—aren’t you scared? Will you be all right?”
“Hey, I’m not a kid, you know. I’ll be fine. Don’t forget, I’m actually older than you.”
“Ehh, really?”

…But I’m taller than you!
Am I really that baby-faced?

The next morning, I woke up in bed to the smell of something good wafting in from outside the room.
After getting ready, I stepped out—

“Good morning, Shizuma. I’m making breakfast for you.”
“Good morning. Smells really nice. What are you cooking?”
“I grilled the mushrooms we picked in the forest yesterday and tossed them with pasta! I’ve learned a little cooking, you know? I can boil dried pasta myself, and I even know which mushrooms go well with it.”
“Wow, not bad, Melt.”

What she served looked somewhat like a mushroom peperoncino.
Thick, plump mushrooms were sliced, grilled to a golden brown, and placed on top, giving off a fragrance I’d never experienced before.

“Mmm! Delicious… Melt, these mushrooms are amazing. They go perfectly with pasta.”
“Right? There might be an even tastier way to cook them, so could you make something with them next time?”
“Of course.”

『Red Porcini Mushroom』
『A very high-class edible mushroom, worth ten times more than ordinary porcini』
『Cooking enhances its texture and releases its rich fragrance and unique flavor』
『Best suited for soups and dishes with little liquid content』

Without thinking, I activated 【Divine Eye】.
Since I’d be in Same’s form when we returned to Lindblum, I figured I might as well gather the info now.
…Man, this thing is pretty expensive.

“Melt, Melt. Let’s gather as many of these mushrooms as we can on our way back.”
“Yeah, we should. They don’t sell them in Lindblum. They’re practically endemic to certain forests only.”

After breakfast, Melt once again left this house behind.
We’d be heading to her village next, and after that straight out of the forest, so it would be a while before she returned.

Noticing that, she stopped at the front door, gazing quietly around the house.

“The last time I left this place, I ran out in a panic. That’s why it feels so strange to just stand here and look around. I remember cramming my things into a bag, throwing protective spells on it, and running through the forest. I was terrified the whole time—what if the Dungeon Master’s presence came back before I made it out?”

“I see… So you couldn’t even say ‘I’ll be back’ that time.”
“Yeah, that’s right. So today… I’ll say it properly.”

With a bright smile, she turned toward the empty house, and shouted cheerfully—

“I’ll be back!!”

Leaving those words behind, she ran outside with me at her side.

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