Splash!
The moment Morel was shredded by [Dismember] and a fountain of blood erupted.
I turned my back.
Flutter—.
My black cape billowing behind me.
Not because of some badass reason like 'A real man doesn't look back at explosions.'
Crunch, splat!
It was just because I didn't want to get splattered with Morel's chunks of flesh and blood spraying everywhere.
Only after Morel had heroically met his end did I turn to face the front.
It was a complete mess.
Blood everywhere, and what used to be Morel soaked the floor in puddles.
'Ugh....'
I'm not squeamish, but this was a bit much.
Even in the game, it hadn't been rendered this realistically.
And here's the crazy part.
'If I'd unleashed [Dismember] before the 30 seconds were up, he would've regenerated even from that state.'
The guy's survivability was straight out of a cockroach's playbook.
Good thing I'd taken him out quick.
'Man, it's seriously strong.'
My ultimate move, [Dismember], created by amplifying [Magic Blade Slash] with [Unstable Amplification].
A spell that unleashes dozens of slashes, boasting insane power even in the game.
Seeing it in real life made the destructive force hit even harder.
'Of course, I have to use it carefully.'
The penalty for [Dismember].
The slash's cooldown, originally 1 second, jumps to a whopping 24 hours.
So it was only for dire situations.
And....
'I fought a battle and my Sloth actually went up.'
I thought it over as I checked the post-battle points settlement.
I'd been secretly worried the system might block fights as "diligent" behavior.
That's why I'd stocked up on a few dozen extra Sloth points before heading out.
But it was all for nothing.
I'd even gained points.
'Guess it's all about the method.'
Recalling the moments I'd earned Sloth in that last fight...
It was when I'd cut off the opponent's dialogue, and when I'd blatantly chugged a potion mid-battle.
'From now on, when I fight, I should put on a lazy act as much as possible.'
Plus, in that fight, I'd taken out Morel so efficiently that my Sloth hadn't dipped.
But if I'd gone all out, sweating buckets, it might've counted as diligent.
So the smart move is to avoid fights where I have to give my all just to win.
That was my plan anyway.
My life is precious.
I factored this new info into my future plans and crossed the corridor.
'Aw, gross.'
Carefully tiptoeing to avoid stepping in blood and flesh chunks.
After circling Morel's underground lab completely, unfortunately, there were no survivors.
Just scattered skeletons here and there, and the body of one man who'd apparently been sacrificed to Morel just before.
"..."
I paused for a moment of silence, praying for the departed.
At least by taking out that bastard Morel quickly, no more victims would show up. That was a relief.
After that, I started farming items based on my game knowledge.
First up: Morel's research notes.
[Item]
[Incomplete Tome of Flesh Magic (Heroic)]
A book stained with madness over immortality. It appears unfinished.
Description: The magic tome of the flesh mage Morel. Reading it grants incomplete knowledge of flesh magic.
(Intelligence C or higher required to learn)
It contained every bit of research Morel had accumulated over decades.
I might never need to learn disgusting flesh magic, but it's never bad to prepare for the worst.
Plus, leaving it here could let it fall into the wrong hands, so I might as well take it for safekeeping.
And then.
In a warehouse deep in the lab, I found my second trophy.
A stone covered in densely packed geometric ancient script.
It emitted a faint glow.
[Rune]
[Regeneration Rune (Heroic)]
May the great light look upon you kindly.
Description: An ancient rune that grants its owner continuous health recovery.
The Regeneration Rune.
Likely something Morel had acquired during his immortality and eternal life research.
A solid rune that granted regeneration upon acquisition.
In the game, it was implemented as quick health recovery.
Not the overpowered kind that could fix being bisected like Morel's flesh magic, of course.
For reference, runes are a different concept from skills or items—ancient mysteries in the lore.
Once acquired, they bind permanently to the owner. With the original owner Morel dead, this rune was ready for a new master.
I reached out to the glowing rune.
Rune magic seeped into my palm, spreading a warm energy through my body.
[Acquired Regeneration Rune.]
For a test, I lightly scratched my forearm with a sharp stone nearby.
The wound closed without a trace almost instantly as blood welled up.
"Ooh."
It healed minor scratches in a flash.
What about losing a limb?
It'd probably take time, but it seemed possible.
Tch, but testing that....
Anyway, next were assorted magic materials from common to rare grades, and a bit of gold.
I swept them all into my subspace pouch without leaving anything behind.
'Farming's not bad.'
Satisfied, I left the lab and headed to the surface.
***
Clatter, clack.
Having completed the first task of the weekend, I rode a carriage toward the heart of Ether City.
My dungeon raid appointment with Artel and Karen was tomorrow, Sunday.
I still had a day left.
So while I was in Ether City anyway, I figured I'd visit one of the game's locations.
Clatter!
Then the road got bumpy, and the carriage jolted hard.
My stomach lurched along with it.
'...Worst ride ever.'
The carriage, the game's taxi equivalent.
I'd taken one coming here too, but this awful ride was still hard to get used to.
'Might need to find another way to travel.'
My trait made fast travel tough.
I couldn't run; I had to always go at a leisurely pace.
Like some Joseon-era nobleman.
It ate up too much time.
Carriages helped, but they were uncomfortable, and sometimes I needed to go where they didn't run, so I needed a better option.
'I have a few ideas....'
I'd grab one if the chance came up.
"We've arrived."
As I mulled it over, the coachman's voice rang out.
I paid the fare and stepped down.
"New robes for sale! Top quality!"
"Longswords, shields, magic rings, health potions—cheap, cheap, pick and choose~"
Unlike the quiet, eerie outskirts of Ether City, the central district buzzed with energy.
Magic shops, weapon stores, alchemy workshops, restaurants—crowds everywhere.
But the place I headed was a shabby shop in the farthest, dimmest corner of the street.
The sign's letters were half-erased, and the show window's glass was caked in dust, obscuring the inside.
It didn't fit the vibrant cityscape at all.
'Arcana's Curio Shop.'
My destination.
Ding-a-ling.
Pushing open the creaky door, the interior was even more rundown.
An old man with a grumpy face sat dozing in a rocking chair behind the counter, glancing at me briefly.
"Bring anything you wanna buy over here."
He said it without so much as a greeting.
With the rundown exterior, interior, and unfriendly owner, no wonder there were no customers.
'Doesn't matter....'
Game convention.
Hidden treasures are in places like this.
'Let's test my luck.'
This shop actually sold rare items cheap, low probability.
A must-visit spot in the game.
Of course, bad luck meant jackpots bust.
I scanned the shelves for anything worthwhile.
'Hmm. Nothing jumping out.'
No luck.
As I rummaged reluctantly, an old book tucked in the corner caught my eye.
A black, worn hardcover.
The cover read [The Tale of the Seven Devils].
As I picked it up and examined it with interest, the owner grumbled.
"I'm telling you upfront, it's not a magic tome or anything. Just an old fairy tale book. Don't get your hopes up."
But an info window only I could see floated before me.
[Item]
[The Tale of the Seven Devils (Common)]
Once upon a time, there were seven devils...
Description: A book containing legends of the seven devils.
A plain common-grade item.
But the weird thing? I'd never seen it in countless playthroughs of [Stella Academia].
'Did I just miss it?'
Something felt off, so I decided to buy it.
Dirt cheap. No refunds, though.
Malicious stock, apparently.
I tucked the book into my subspace pouch and left the shop.
Now back to the academy for some solid rest before the dungeon raid.
Ugh, I'm beat.
Always sleeping, but out doing stuff for once and it's exhausting.
***
The next day.
In front of the academy's main gate.
Ten minutes left until my dungeon raid appointment with Jiron.
Artel had arrived early and sat on a bench.
As always, her expressionless face was buried in a thick magic theory book.
But unlike usual, she kept losing focus.
Every passerby made her glance up, wondering if it was Jiron, only to look away disappointed and return to her book.
That's when it happened.
"Hello there!"
She looked up at the cheerful voice. Karen, in training clothes, approached with a bright smile.
"You're Artel from the Magic Department, right? I'm Karen Stark from the Swordsmanship Department."
Artel gave a curt nod in greeting and turned back to her book.
Blatant dismissal.
But Karen plopped down beside her without a care.
"What a great day today! Perfect for sword training!"
"...."
"But instead of training, I'm heading to a dungeon with a friend! So I'm waiting here."
"...?"
Dungeon.
At the word, Artel's eyebrow twitched faintly.
She slowly closed her book and turned to look at Karen.
"By the way, what are you doing here, Artel? Waiting for someone?"
'No way... is she the other person Jiron mentioned?'
Artel's gaze sharpened.