Chapter 19

018. Roar! Hell yeah!

Wearing the Gauntlet of Balance, I opened my stats.

My heart was pounding as I checked my stats. Just what had Wolfram’s stats increased?

With shining eyes, I scanned the stat window and was able to confirm what had increased.

【Wolfram von Loewen格林】

【?T】

【Status:

Strength: 4

Dexterity: 6 + 3 (1)

Vitality: 2

Magic: 3

Willpower: 4】

【Skills:

Royal Bloodline.】

I’ve become a dexterity lump, Wolfram!

“......”

I squeezed my eyes shut and took a few deep breaths.

Well, it’s fine. It’s better than increasing Willpower. Willpower has effects like ‘resistance’ and ‘critical’ after all.

Even if Strength had increased to 7, with low Vitality, it wouldn’t make much of a difference. Magic 6? Forget it. Aila’s base is 19 and Eve’s is 22, what can I do with a 6?

So, Dexterity 9 is a huge help at this point. I have to think that way. Plus, with the Mix Beans effect, I can invest +1, and Dexterity 10 is a whole different ball game from 9.

But, I couldn’t help but cry out inside.

So I did.

“Damn it.”

This isn’t showing up.

Vitality, just increase!

***

“I’ve picked a lot.”

Nefte pulled the cart and brought back a lot of leaves, and Rudyka cheered upon seeing them.

“Wolfram! Is this the spicy herb Nefte brought?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm? Why are you so gloomy, my lord?”

“I don’t know. After Rudyka found it and I put on the gauntlet, I felt depressed.”

“?”

Nefte tilted her head at Rudyka’s two-dimensional way of speaking, and I explained what had happened.

Nefte looked at me with pity in her eyes after hearing my story.

“A person with stats below 10 actually exists.”

“......”

You too, huh.

“Anyway, which stat increased for you, my lord?”

“Dexterity increased.”

“Oh, Dexterity! Rudyka’s Dexterity is high too! It’s 22!”

“Dexterity... I don’t think mine is that low. I remember it being around 14, but indeed, Rudyka-senpai is different.”

“Can’t you check immediately?”

“Huh? Yes, we need to get an appraisal at the temple to check. They appraise everything, including skills and stats, about twice a year.”

I nodded at Nefte’s explanation. That’s how it works.

I gained another piece of information.

“So, what are you going to do with these spicy herbs? Are there more to gather?”

“No, there aren’t.”

“Then are you going back down?”

“That’s the plan. Let’s get ready.”

“Wolfram. Wolfram. Rudyka asks.”

“What is it?”

“So, when can Rudyka eat something spicy?”

I thought about it for a moment.

“Next Wednesday, I’ll have some free time. Come then.”

“......Oh, today. No, how about tomorrow? Rudyka will help.”

“Ha. So you underestimated this Wolfram von Loewen too.”

“......?”

“Tomorrow, I’ll have muscle pain. Don’t come.”

“Oh.”

Nefte, don’t say “Oh” like that. You’ll get in trouble.

And Rudyka, don’t look at me with those world-weary eyes.

I swear, I’ll definitely have muscle pain tomorrow and won’t be able to do anything.

“......So, Wolfram, you get muscle pain even though you didn’t do anything strenuous?”

Rudyka’s innocent violence strikes Wolfram for no reason!

“Ah, then, my lord, how about making it today?”

“Today?”

“Yes. Muscle pain always comes after you sleep. If we make it now, it should be fine, right?”

“......”

That’s reasonable. Are you a genius?

“If we go back to the convenience store and start making it, it will take quite a while. I’ll prepare the recipe on the way. Nefte, pull the cart.”

“T, then... Wolfram!”

“Hmph. I’ll help.”

I nodded, and Rudyka’s eyes lit up, while Nefte’s expression darkened slightly.

“Considering the time it will take to pull the cart at night, return it, and get back to the knight academy...”

“Nighttime surcharge. I’ll add 20,000 rin.”

“Swift. Safe. Accurate. Reliable. That is my creed and motto.”

Isn’t she the Knight of Creed?

Anyway, I paid Nefte. She had pulled the cart with me, acted as a tank, gathered materials, and helped me return safely. I think she earned her pay.

“Then let’s start cooking. Rudyka, do you have any requests?”

“Spicy!”

I expected that.

“I see. It will take about an hour to prepare.”

“Fine!”

I smiled and began the preparations. First, I picked up a handful of the herbs.

“So, this is the herb I picked today.”

“Yes.”

“So, this is the herb I picked carefully without damaging the roots.”

“......?”

“If you need someone who can work this reliably in the future, just contact me anytime.”

“I will.”

“I can provide even more reliable service without going through the knight academy.”

Where did the Knight of Creed go?

Anyway, I’ll put Nefte’s self-promotion aside.

The red herb in front of me. Hongcho is an herb for resisting sleep.

If the Sleeping Mountains induce a sleep status, then the self-growing herbs are for resisting sleep. That’s a balanced approach, right?

“Then, before we start cooking, I’d like some help.”

“......Hmm. If we help at this late hour, when will we return?”

While Nefte was thinking, Rudyka spoke up.

“I understand! Rudyka will eat. Wolfram will help.”

Rudyka answered clearly, and Nefte’s pupils widened.

“Ugh, ugh... No, I’ll help. This is also part of the after-service. The spirit of chivalry.”

That’s an easy-to-understand spirit of chivalry.

“Then I’ll give you your tasks.”

Nefte kneaded the flour and put it in the refrigerator, while Rudyka started slicing the Hongcho.

As we worked smoothly, naturally, we chatted.

“By the way, Rudyka-senpai.”

“Did you call me? Nefte.”

“Yes. Can I ask a question?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Why do you speak like that?”

A tight, direct question.

But I was actually curious. Why does Rudyka speak like that?

“I’m from the Hotshan Shadow family in the south. I’m still not used to the central language.”

“I see. The south has a completely different language. I’m from a rural area in the east.”

“I see.”

“Can I ask another question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why are you so obsessed with spicy food? You’re the only one who has eaten that hellishly spicy soup from the library, along with Prince Wolfram.”

Is that considered spicy? Are you serious?

But the words Rudyka spoke afterward erased my complaints and hardened my expression.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Rudyka lost his sense of taste due to extreme training.”

“Huh?”

“All my nerves are dead. Pain is also faint. That’s why Rudyka is the best at assassination. That’s why I’m the strongest heir of the Hotshan Shadow family.”

The air turned cold at her casual words.

Rudyka has excessively high Dexterity and Willpower. In other words, in any situation, he is ‘agile’ and ‘precise,’ and his movements never become ‘sluggish.’

When you think about it, it’s strange. Combat in this world is different from a game. Humans should stop moving when they bleed and fear pain, but Rudyka’s combat style is exactly the same as in a game.

“So, for Rudyka to feel the taste, he has to rely on the faint pain.”

“I, I see.”

“And it will disappear if I get stronger. So, Rudyka wants to enjoy this now.”

That’s the reason.

“I see. Then I’ll show you my true self.”

“Wolfram?”

“Stop cooking for a moment. I have something to do.”

“Huh? Okay.”

I stopped them, opened the status window, and manipulated the tabs.

I originally planned to distribute the points, but I thought it would be better to do it when my body was a bit more normal. But I decided to trust myself.

【Distribute 1 point to Dexterity.】

【Dexterity is now 10. You have learned the Basic Dexterity Skill.】

【A bonus is added to the completion of all ‘crafting.’】

【A positive effect is added to all ‘actions.’】

【All ‘action speeds’ are slightly increased.】

【Which additional skill would you like to learn?】

【Quick Sword/Quick Bow/High-Speed Incantation/Rolling】

【Weapon Crafting/Armor Crafting/Magical Crafting/Accessory Crafting/Potion Making/Cooking】

【Please choose one.】

First, I’ll exclude all attack skills. They’re useless. I’ll die before I can use them.

Weapon and armor crafting? Can I even hold a hammer?

Magical Crafting. That’s too expensive. And all three have advanced skills later.

For a non-combat ending with low other stats, the essential skill to max out is Potion Making.

But Accessory Crafting and Cooking are also valuable.

And I’m Wolfram. A veteran of this game.

A veteran who, even when rolling back, kicks monsters with his feet and picks up legendary items before getting up.

“Huff. Huff...”

“Prince Wolfram? Do you need to use the bathroom?”

“Shh. He seems to be concentrating intensely.”

Despite the noisy surroundings, my mind was calm.

This is important.

Can I naturally perform an action I’ve done over five hundred times with my body?

And will this world accept me?

First, I pressed the skill to learn.

【You have chosen ‘Potion Making.’ Are you sure?】

【Yes/No.】

Then I canceled it.

【Please choose again.】

【You have chosen ‘Potion Making.’】

【Yes/No.】

I repeated this, slowly loosening my body and finding the timing. According to my calculations, this timing is less than 0.1 seconds, and I must execute it perfectly.

Cancel, choose, cancel, choose, cancel.

And touch the two skills to learn simultaneously!

【You have chosen ‘Potion Making.’】

【You have chosen ‘Accessory Crafting.’】

“......Done.”

I shivered.

This is it. This is it. This is the Skill Acquisition Cancel, or ‘Skill Cancel’ for short.

By canceling endlessly and then touching two skills at the right timing, both skills can be learned simultaneously, a bug exploit.

And I’m a veteran.

So.

【You have chosen ‘Cooking.’】

【Yes/No.】

The three-skill acquisition using the Skill Cancel, which fails one out of three times even in reality.

【You have learned ‘Potion Making.’】

【You have learned ‘Accessory Crafting.’】

【You have learned ‘Cooking.’】

This world accepted my veteran play.

***

Immediately after, I took charge of the cooking.

The skill learned at Dexterity 10 is only a basic skill at level 1, so it doesn’t have a huge effect, but it’s definitely different.

What I see, feel, and do is completely different.

“Nefte, if you’re going to eat, make a separate dough with just one Hongcho.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Rudyka, when the broth starts boiling, fish out the Hongcho, shake it off, and finely chop it to mix with the seasoning.”

“Ah, got it!”

“Rip the dough roughly and boil it together. Serve it in separate bowls and distribute the Hongcho salad individually.”

In fact, I had decided on the dish as soon as we came down.

The spicy taste Rudyka wants. And the dishes I’ve made. Combining them to create a perfect harmony at this moment.

For example.

After a mountain hike, the body is tired, and vitality is low.

It’s a chilly night.

At that moment, wouldn’t a Korean want a refreshing, spicy broth?

A bowl of homemade sujebi with plenty of sliced green chili peppers and a broth made from anchovy stock.

Top it with spicy and sour pickled peppers.

A bowl of this would make you sweat profusely, and an intense heat would rise from deep within your body, that kind of taste.

“This is it. This taste. This is the taste... I, I wanted to eat.”

Rudyka started crying.

“Roar! Hell yeah!”

Nefte left a single exclamation in a labor boss vibe.

A bowl of spicy kalguksu after a mountain hike

I can’t resist that.