Chapter 44

This skill orb came out of the D-can after I put on the band-aid.

"If you can lick this to the end without biting it, you can learn a skill."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I discovered it by chance."

"…Could it be that the candy I got in the Stone Stage dungeon…? I kind of bit it a little."

"No, that was just a regular candy. Whether or not you learn a recovery spell is a gamble, but the chances are high. It came out after I put on the band-aid."

There is a causal relationship between the skill orbs that come out of the D-can and the skills you can learn.

I learned it after putting on the band-aid.

Even if it's not a recovery spell, I think it's a skill related to first aid.

Recovery spells are very valuable.

"For example, if you heat it with fire, a fire stone comes out. If you sprinkle sugar on it, a Dungeon Drop comes out. Well, there are some where the causal relationship is unclear. For example, the Hellfire spell I can use—"

"Isn't that the spell you used when Ayame was saved?"

"Yeah. It came out when I opened two other D-cans… but I don't know why it's the Hellfire spell."

"Hmm, maybe it's Cerberus?"

"Cerberus? The one with three heads?"

"Right. Cerberus is apparently in the dungeon too. It's known as the gatekeeper of hell."

…The gatekeeper of hell, three heads.

The third eye of the black D-can.

It feels a bit forced.

"But why doesn't Taichiro use this if it's a candy that can teach a recovery spell?"

"Well, I thought about using it, but if I use it, something inconvenient happens."

But I can't learn this.

I'll need a recovery spell when the enemies get stronger.

When I'm forced into life-or-death battles.

At that time, my trump card is the hellfire, but using it consumes all my magic power. If I use it, I can't use a recovery spell. If I use a recovery spell, I can't use the hellfire.

That's why I couldn't use this skill orb.

"This skill orb came from the D-can I got from Uzou, and I don't really want to talk about it much to anyone other than Milk."

"Indeed, if skill orbs really exist, it would cause a panic. People might buy up all the D-cans."

"That's part of it, but Ayame and Hime think I'm strong and accept me as a companion. If they found out that my strength comes from a skill orb, they might be disappointed."

"I don't think they would… but are you saying it's okay for me to think whatever I want?"

"Yeah. I guess it's okay for Milk to think whatever she wants?"

"That's kind of annoying."

"What are you talking about? We used to take baths together when we were kids. We know everything about each other, even the embarrassing stuff. This is nothing to be embarrassed about."

I said this and gave a thumbs up.

"You're the second woman after my mom who knows my weak spots!"

"Taichiro…"

"Conversely, I know a lot of embarrassing things about you too. For example, when you stayed at my place, you forgot to put the toilet seat down—"

"How can you remember that! Forget it!"

"I won't forget. So, go ahead and let out a little complaint. Hearing it won't lower my opinion of you at all. You're still you. And use the recovery spell you learned from the skill orb to help me."

"…Okay."

Milk nodded.

Then, she trusted me and put the skill orb in her mouth.

"Absolutely don't bite it. Lick it without biting."

Milk nodded.

Hime and Ayame just came out of the changing room.

I took out a Dungeon Drop,

"Do you want to suck on a candy, Hime and Ayame? It's a regular Dungeon Drop."

"I was just craving something sweet. I'll take one."

"Me too."

"Don't bite it. Candy can cause cavities if you bite it."

I gave them regular candies and licked one myself.

Ah, I thought it was coffee-flavored, but it's cola-flavored.

"Still, it's true, isn't it? People from Osaka carry candies with them all the time. And they call each other with honorifics. Do you have candies, Ayame?"

"Um… throat candies."

Ayame shyly took out a bag of throat candies from her bag.

She really carries them around.

"Here, if you want."

She handed out individually wrapped candies to everyone.

Then, we started moving, licking the candies.

Milk didn't talk much. She was probably concentrating on not biting it.

"By the way, Taichiro. You met Ako, right? Did she say anything?"

"She said thanks and that it's better to maintain weapons regularly. She also said it's good to find a blacksmith."

"Blacksmiths are necessary. I've been looking for one, but they're hard to find."

"Is that so?"

"Blacksmiths are usually Awakened. First, it's rare for someone to learn blacksmithing skills later. There aren't many of them. The biggest problem with the number of blacksmiths is that it's dangerous. Awakened blacksmiths are usually attack-focused with very low defense and agility. While it's manageable at first, by the time you reach the tenth floor, even in a safe area, you can break a bone with one hit, or even die if you're unlucky."

"That… I don't want to be one."

"Awakened mages are also said to have low defense, but since they use long-range spells, it's not as dangerous. However, blacksmiths don't have that luxury, so they are indeed dangerous."

Ayame continued Hime's explanation.

There are a lot of things to consider.

Just then, Milk suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me.

"Sorry, wait a moment! I have something to do."

It seems Milk learned a skill.

But what's going on?

Did she fail to learn a recovery spell?

I followed her, thinking that.

"Taichiro… I learned a skill."

"Really? What did you learn? Not a recovery spell?"

"…Hm."

"Hm?"

"…I learned a skill called Drug Magic."

If I heard correctly, Milk said "Drug Magic."

Not recovery, but drugs?

"Is there such a skill?"

"I know all the skills that are publicly available on the internet, but I've never heard of this. It's probably a unique skill."

"Ah, a unique skill, huh."

Skills from D-cans are often exceptional.

The skills I learned from D-cans are:

PD Generation, Detailed Appraisal, Hellfire Spell, Inventory, Super Strength, and Throwing Stones.

Of these, only Super Strength and Throwing Stones have information on the internet.

That's 4 out of 6—2 out of 3 are unique skills.

Thinking about it, the probability of learning a straightforward recovery spell was low.

I forgot to tell Milk this.

"Ah… what kind of magic can you use with Drug Magic?"

"Right now, I can use Recovery Gun… it's a spell that shoots potion-like water guns. Hey, how should I explain this to everyone?"

"Something like, 'I got a unique skill when I leveled up! It's the recovery spell I've been wishing for! Please be nice to me!'"

"Is this a recovery spell?! Is it really a recovery spell?!"

I averted my gaze.

Because, Drug Magic just sounds kind of off.

Recovery potions are fine, but if it includes anesthetics, sleeping pills, narcotics, and explosives, it's just… what kind of magic is that?

I might have created a dangerous young mage.