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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Blessing
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"Water."
"Yes, Master."
When I said I was thirsty, Densi opened the canteen and respectfully poured water into my mouth with both hands.
As you can see, a day had already passed since Densi became my slave.
[Nam Su-jin LV.5]
[Free Points: 5]
[Currently Bound Slave: Densi (LV.7)]
The moment I gripped the leash Densi handed me, a change appeared in my Status Window.
"Currently Bound Slave: Densi." It was an indication that Densi was bound to me.
I had no idea how it worked.
But if it was reflected in the Status Window, it seemed far more reliable than the shoddy verbal contracts and flimsy trust between explorers.
Although Densi was initially just Barbarian #1, desperate to have her way with me, she had now controlled her lust-filled loins, understood her place and position, and become my loyal servant.
Indeed, I was pleased that the etiquette training (physical) had worked quite well.
"Time."
"The current time is 23:11."
"Sleep."
"Here's your pillow."
Densi knelt and patted her thigh.
Cancel that. Her mind, still full of lust and mischief, remained unchanged.
"Stop your tricks, you wench. I'm going to sleep, so you go stand guard."
"Aw, come on. Just once, for a slave's job satisfaction. It'll be soft and comfy."
"Huh. What kind of 'job' is being a slave?"
"That sounds like a very insensitive remark about slave rights."
"Did you treat Deluna like this too?"
"Isn't she already dead? Isn't it fine to treat her however I want?"
"No, that's not what I meant... Haa. Never mind."
"Heh heh."
Seeing Densi snicker made my head throb. Maybe I shouldn't have taken her in.
'…No. Still, considering the future, this is the right move.'
I had once again painfully realized that there was no one to trust in this Labyrinth City.
After accepting Densi as a slave yesterday, I heard a rough outline of her past.
Her story about being an orphan, then a slave.
I figured I needed to know what had happened to her before I could trust her or do anything else.
Her expression when she spoke was quite serious, so it didn't seem like a lie.
– "Big Brother. If you trust her, I'll follow along, but she was part of a slave hunting group, so we should be careful..."
– "Densi. Paw."
– "Yup."
– "...Are you okay? You didn't hit your head too hard when you got struck, did you?"
Jeremy, who had been wary even after hearing the rough circumstances, started worrying about Densi instead, when Densi showed a dog-like obedience, kneeling and holding my hand at a single command.
At least I had gained a minimum level of trust as a party member.
– "Deluna, my former master, that wench, was a mage who led a party belonging to an outlaw clan called 'Bloods.' Her main tasks were slave hunting and new recruit training..."
Following that, I heard about all the evil deeds Deluna had committed.
A string of criminal records was listed: looting, murder, slave hunting, and so on.
That's why there was something I couldn't understand even more.
'Deluna, that wench, was brazenly sitting in the Explorer's Guild.'
Damn it. Those bastards in the Explorer's Guild.
I had a bad feeling ever since they took 20 silver coins for an ID tag and didn't even properly verify identities.
– "The Explorer's Guild building has a special blessing that prohibits entry to 'Branded Ones,' so you don't need to worry too much."
Could that statement possibly mean that if you're not a criminal on the level of a 'Branded One,' they'll tolerate you to some extent?
'Are things so bad that they're shaking hands with criminals, or are they simply incompetent?'
For now, I couldn't know for sure. But as someone who had just become an explorer, I earnestly hoped it was the latter.
'If it was just incompetence this one time, then fine, but if the Explorer's Guild is a hotbed of criminals, then there's truly no hope...'
Considering the worst-case scenario, I thought it was fortunate that the party just disbanded in the first place.
Because if I had taken in a criminal party member like Deluna, things could have gotten even worse in that already hopeless situation.
I had just mindlessly nodded when they said they'd match me with party members, but now, I don't think I can ever do that again.
'I need trustworthy companions who can continue exploring with me.'
No matter how careful you are, if you get hit in the back of the head just once, it's over. That's how dangerous betrayal is.
There's a reason they say you should betray the betrayer of the betrayer of the betrayer of the betrayer.
How do you prevent betrayal?
The most fundamental way is to find trustworthy party members.
But it's also the most difficult way.
"...Why are you suddenly staring so intently? Is something wrong? Do you perhaps want to punch me? Are you annoyed and want to hit me? I'm ready. Come at me anytime."
From that perspective, Densi (slave) was a highly efficient tool.
Because as long as I gave orders, there was no chance of getting a knife in the back.
Sometimes her actions were a bit eccentric, but I didn't feel the need to suppress her too much.
In the rigid Labyrinth, having a mood-maker like her was actually a positive factor for mental health.
And most importantly.
"…!"
This one, she's definitely useful.
[Densi Lv.7]
[HP:(2) Strength:(4) Agility:(9+0) Wisdom:(1+0) Technique:(1)]
[Current Blessings and Curses Densi Possesses: 1]
[◆ Blessing of Wind]
– Hearing is highly developed. Affinity with wind spirits greatly increases.
– Upon maximum condition fulfillment: Agility +15, Wisdom +5 (Wind Spirits collected so far: 0)
Densi, who had been subtly pushing her lower abdomen towards my fist, suddenly perked her ears, then peeked her head out beyond the goblin wall.
"...Ugh. Seven, no, eight Goblins...? They're coming from behind."
About 20 seconds after Densi said that, Goblins entered my perception range. I was wearing the great helm.
Exactly eight. Her accuracy was quite high.
In the Labyrinth, 20 seconds was an incredibly long time.
If you could know the enemy's number and location and have time to prepare during that period, there was no need to explain how advantageous that would make the situation.
'She built a goblin wall as if it were natural from our first encounter; turns out it was possible because of her good hearing?'
Thinking back, I was inside the goblin wall even when Densi nearly raped me.
Briefly reminiscing about the past, I gripped my axe.
***
Sufficient force was accompanied by sufficient preparation.
We easily dealt with the eight Goblins without a single injury.
"Die! Die, you bastards!"
Thud! Thud!
Jeremy, whose eyes had rolled back at the sight of the Goblins, butchered their corpses.
"...That man's head seems a bit off."
"He'd make a good friend. You two would get along well."
"Why would you say something so creepy...!"
Densi and I watched, then collected the goblin ears and put them into our backpacks.
Maybe it was because we came from deep within the first floor, but even without settling in one place to hunt, a considerable number of goblin ears had accumulated.
"..."
Among the goblin ears, a human ear was visible.
I quietly pulled on the ear, revealing the head of what used to be a person.
[Deluna LV. 10]
[Current Blessings and Curses Deluna Possesses: 2]
[◆ Blessing of the Dull Mage]
– Gains an additional level of wisdom befitting a dull mage.
One piece of good news. The Status Window also worked on corpses.
[◆ Curse of the 98261st Puppet]
– Deluna has become the 98261st puppet.
One piece of ominous news. The curse she possessed had a really disturbing phrase written on it. Fuck. Ninety thousand? Is that even possible?
'Puppet…'
During my orphanage days, I occasionally had the chance to watch puppet shows.
I used to find it quite fascinating when performers, who came to put on shows for money, tied strings to their fingers and connected them to puppets, making several puppets move with various actions with just a single hand gesture.
– "Do you know who's above me? Huh?! Do you know?!"
Deluna's words, as she struggled just before death, came to mind.
Was it just my imagination, or did Deluna's head suddenly look less like a human head and more like a mannequin's, or a doll's?
"Densi. How large is the Bloods clan?"
"Their work is dirty, but their scale isn't that big. At best, they can barely compete with a mid-sized clan...?"
98261st. That's a number that could never come from a mid-sized clan.
"Then this one's cur—"
Still, since she was her former master, I was about to ask if she knew anything about her curse, but I quickly shut my mouth.
'Only I have the Status Window.'
Generally, the only way to check for Blessings or Curses in this world is to seek the power of the temple.
While explorers with outstanding talent or veteran explorers might instinctively realize the Blessings and Curses they've gained, that's a story limited to a talented few.
The vast majority of ordinary explorers make an effort to visit the temple after every trip into the Labyrinth, even paying money, to confirm the Blessings and Curses they might have received.
Because depending on what Blessing or Curse they receive, their future life could change in an instant.
Anyway, what's important right now is the fact that no one, except for the temple, can confirm another person's Blessings and Curses.
If they asked, 'How did you know that?!', I'd have no answer.
'…Let's just keep the Status Window a secret.'
There's no need to go around boasting about having a good ability. It's the perfect kind of ability to be exploited and abused.
'Just enough. I only need to use it as needed.'
"Curse? What curse are you talking about?"
"Nothing."
Swallowing my discomfort, I put Deluna's head back into the backpack.
***
"Es-escape portal!!!"
Jeremy, looking like a beggar, cheered at the sight of a white light in the distance.
After the battle with the slave hunters, we advanced for about two more days and successfully reached the escape portal.
The original party's goal was to stay in this area and hunt Goblins.
Although survival became the immediate goal after the party broke apart, Jeremy's level increased, and Densi joined, roughly reinforcing the party's strength.
I did have a desire to continue hunting according to our original goal, but.
"...Anya's decomposition rate is faster than I thought."
Because the beloved head of Jeremy, the girlfriend-head-collecting Goblin Slayer, was on the verge of rotting, we decided to just leave the Labyrinth.
"Next time we go into the Labyrinth, we might as well try the second floor."
Considering we'd had two hellish incidents, we arrived quite smoothly.
"Look forward to it. The second floor is my turf. Traps start appearing there, so I'll be much more useful."
Densi subtly... or rather, openly appealed for her usefulness.
I just let her. It was certainly true that the pace of our Labyrinth exploration had gotten on track since Densi joined the party.
"Alright. Good work."
"..."
When I gave a moderate word of praise, Densi, who was behind me, suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, enveloped in silence.
*Snap!*
When I tugged the leash, Densi's body flinched.
"Come on. Let's go."
"...Yes..."
Leading Densi, whose voice had become strangely sticky and whose steps had slowed, I stood before the escape portal, and a question arose.
"Does holding the leash count as being part of the same party?"
"Probably. Parties sometimes drag slaves into the Labyrinth..."
"Why?"
"Well, for simple sexual release... or using them as bait... they're used quite a lot."
Thinking about it, the Beastkin party I met last time also had a slave with them. So that's what they were used for.
"Just hold hands."
"..."
"Yes, Big Brother."
Densi and Jeremy took my hands.
Both last time and this time, every time I entered and exited the Labyrinth, I gained a strange realization.
A realization that seemed to engrave how fucked up this world was.
Monsters are fucked up, and explorers are even more fucked up.
But there's nothing for it. I'm the one who's lacking.
All I have to do is become strong enough to calmly overcome any shitty things that come my way.
'Still, the harvest wasn't bad.'
The goods and armaments the slave hunters had, the bounty for killing criminals (though I don't know if I'll get it), the Goblin subjugation reward, and most importantly.
'Two party members.'
One guy and one wench.
'Although one's a girlfriend-head-collecting Goblin Slayer, and the other's a hyper-sensitive perverted masochist slave ranger...'
For now, I should focus on the fact that I've found companions I can at least minimally trust.
*Vwoom—*
We passed through the portal and exited the Labyrinth.
It was fucked up being with you, Labyrinth, see you next week.
***
An unpleasant floating sensation swept through my body.
When I slowly opened my eyes, the unfamiliar yet welcome scenery of the Labyrinth City came into view.
I checked my body, but there was nothing wrong anywhere.
I didn't feel anything special. Even when I brought up the Status Window, there were no new Blessings or Curses.
It was a bit disappointing. If I gained a good Blessing, I could become stronger faster.
Still, I felt relieved that I hadn't received a Curse, and as I went to check on my party members.
"...Huh..."
Densi's dumbfounded voice was heard. The number of Blessings in her Status Window had increased to two.
Densi had gained a Blessing on this Labyrinth trip.
But Densi's gaze wasn't directed at herself. Instead, her horrified eyes were fixed on my right.
Jeremy was to my right.
A strange sense of foreboding suddenly enveloped me.
'Among curses, there are those that turn you into a monster or drive a person completely insane.'
I often heard news in taverns about people who had received curses and gone mad, committing massacres immediately after exiting the Labyrinth.
I first gripped Jeremy's hand tightly.
It was a human hand. Not a monster's hand. Even by touch, Jeremy was in human form.
'Is it the latter case?'
But cases of going mentally insane wouldn't show immediately... So why was Densi so shocked?
Preparing to draw my axe amidst the ominous feeling, I shifted my gaze to the right.
And then, dumbfounded, I let go of Jeremy's—no, *what used to be* Jeremy's—hand.
"...? Wh-why are you all looking at me like that? Big Brother, is something wrong with me...?"
"Wh-who are you?"
"Huh? It's me, Big Brother! Did you forget me in such a short time?!"
The person pointed at herself with a shocked expression and shouted.
Her voice was thin and high-pitched. It wasn't low to begin with, but now it was almost like a woman's voice.
It was natural, if you thought about it.
From a woman's throat, a woman's voice emerges.
[Jeremy (♀) LV.2]
[Current Blessings and Curses Jeremy Possesses: 1]
[◆ Blessing of Male Rejection, Female Acceptance] NEW!!
– All males were once females. Shed the male skin and metamorphose into a female.
– Females must wear clothes befitting a female. Worn armaments transform to suit a female.
– Level-up efficiency increases in proportion to the size of the lost male genitalia.
– Lost 2cm of male genitalia, increasing level-up efficiency by 20%.
Because her body was now female.
"...Huh?"
Jeremy (♀) also finally felt something was amiss and lowered her gaze.
She probably couldn't see the floor. Because of her chest.
".........Ah."
He—no, *she*—opened her mouth briefly, then rolled her eyes back and fainted. She couldn't withstand the mental shock.
I looked at Jeremy, who would now live as a female, and thought.
'This kind of thing... is a Blessing...? Not a Curse?'
Two party members.
One guy and one wench had turned into two wenches.
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