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Chapter 313 – The First Place I Headed To Was…
The vast, rural landscape stretched across the southwest of Ortran.
I landed in the tranquil country town of Domia, in the center of the landscape. Instead of going straight to the Hunter’s Guild or the Mercenary Guild, I went to a shop with a cafeteria-like atmosphere and opened the door.
“Whoa!”
I had arrived at a rather awkward time, somewhere between day and night.
Still, I was drawn to the plate of a middle-aged man eating at a table. A groan escaped me at the sight of what was piled upon it.
It was kind of brown.
Brown, but that was definitely rice!
Plus, it was incredibly long and thin, but it was still rice!
“Huh? Kid, you here on an errand?”
“No way! I’m here to eat!”
“Oh, I see. You’re quite the spirited young man. Well, whatever. Sit wherever you like.”
I sat down as instructed and scanned the place, but I didn’t see a menu.
It was probably similar to “Kaari.”
I’m no newbie to this whole otherworldly thing.
At this point, I wasn’t surprised by the lack of menus or price lists.
“That one. I want that one. Lots of it.”
I placed my order elegantly, staring at the plate in front of the old man.
He held out his hand, so I placed mine on it. He said, “Money,” and, though I didn’t quite understand, I handed over about five gold coins. For some reason, he returned a bunch of gold coins and two sizes of silver coins. Then he fidgeted while waiting.
I could easily panic if I let my guard down, but I’m alone right now.
This is exactly when I need to stay calm.
I considered summoning Felin and Ril, but everyone is working.
I can’t dampen their spirits on purpose.
First, I’ll be the guinea pig. If it’s good, I’ll bring it back to base.
With that thought in mind, I stared intently at the old man shoveling food in front of me. In less than thirty seconds, a plate was slammed down in front of me.
“Extra-large portion. You must be starving, huh?”
“Kuuh~!”
At first glance, it looked like a sloppily piled plate of fried rice.
But it seemed to have been soaked in something; a faint brown soup pooled at the bottom of the plate. Perched atop it was a huge brown chunk, sitting there like a throne.
A few bits of an unidentifiable leaf were scattered about, but otherwise, it was brown everywhere you looked.
The owner seems to have thrown the concept of “eating with your eyes” out the window. Yet, it still looks so delicious that it makes your mouth water uncontrollably.
“Itadakimasu…”
I shoveled the fried-rice-like substance into my mouth with gusto, then broke the crumbly chunk of meat into pieces and tossed it in to combine.
(Mmmph! This is seriously freakin’ delicious!)
What’s going on?
The moment I tasted it, my lips twitched uncontrollably from the deliciousness alone.
Even if you asked me what flavor it is, I wouldn’t know.
It’s a flavor I’ve never tasted before.
It was rich, though, with intensely savory oil saturating my mouth, a strong aroma, and little heat—yet it was still stimulating.
(Ah, thank you, God! Truly, thank you!)
I don’t even know who I’m thanking, but I suddenly grasped the importance of rice, something I’d always taken for granted.
All right, I’ll take this back to base. I opened my mouth while looking at the shop owner.
“I’ll have seconds!”
“Whoa, that’s fast!”
“Ah, no… not exactly. But can I take this dish home?”
“Oh, yeah, we do that. We just need a plate.”
“Got it. I’ll bring one back later!”
After all, my storage only fits regular, small plates.
Actually, maybe a pot would work instead?
Everyone would definitely be thrilled with that.
Thinking about it, the second helping of fried rice made my heart soar once more.
▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽
“Man, I’m so full…!”
“Look, look! I ate too much, and my stomach hurts!”
“If you say so. My stomach’s always in pain. But you forgot to drink after eating so much? That’s impressive.”
“Loki bought an insane amount. It was delicious, so I ate it all.”
The four of us entered the men’s bath on the lower plateau, but everyone had eaten too much of the takeaway fried rice and just lay around in the tub like seals.
Yet this utter exhaustion felt good. For this moment, at least, it washed away my anxiety over my stalled growth.
Plus, thanks to my quiet training, I had taken a small step forward.
“Hey, hey, check this out!”
I stretched my arm skyward and extended black magic from my fingertips toward the moon like a spear.
It was only about 50 cm long and moved slowly, but the tip transformed into a sharp, pointed shape, exactly as I’d envisioned.
“What the hell is that?! It looks like a spear!”
“Oh, it’s the Magic Power Clothing Technique.”
“Huh, is that what you’re using to extend magic power?”
“I’ve been training forever, and I finally learned it today. Everything that extends is pure magic power.”
“To be able to extend it that much so soon after learning it is impressive.”
“Can you extend it further, Zeo?”
“I haven’t used it for that purpose lately, but I could in the past. Since the total amount of magic power greatly affects this skill, even if I tried it now, I could probably only cover my fist.”
“Ah, I see. That sounds like its original purpose.”
Magic Power Clothing Technique Lv1: Envelops materialized magic power around equipped weapons or the body to enhance them. The enhancement value depends on the amount of magic power infused and the skill level. The effect lasts 1 minute. Magic Power Consumption: 5% of the infused magic power.”
The detailed description is as follows, but I can’t shake the image of an old lady using it to grab books.
“Master, isn’t that skill meant for mages to handle close combat?”
“That’s correct, but it can also be used with Body Strengthening. It’s a skill worth learning for Carla, too. You should already have the prerequisite skills.”
“By the way, what are the prerequisite skills?”
“I believe they were Magic Detection, Magic Manipulation, and Dark Magic.”
“Dark Magic? So, it’s about materialization—like turning something semi-solid—right?”
“Exactly. Whether you cover your entire body thinly or concentrate it thickly on specific parts makes a huge difference. Masters can switch between them repeatedly during combat, even dueling with swords using a wooden staff.”
“Hoho!”
“It’s all about how quickly you can channel the necessary magical power to the required areas and shape it as you wish. This skill really shows individual differences in ability.”
As expected of Master Zeo.
He knows things that aren’t even in the detailed explanations. The Demon King’s name isn’t just for show.
“Hmm, I tried covering my whole body for now. How’s that?”
“It’s hard to tell in the bathwater. Get out properly and strike a pose for us.”
“A pose? Well, then…something like this?”
I struck one of those mysterious standing poses you see in famous manga—the kind you’d never achieve in real life—and held it in midair. However, the reactions were all over the place, rendering their opinions useless.
“Whoa!? You’re stark naked, yet you look seriously badass!”
“Ooh, you look strong. Maybe I should try harder too.”
“Hmmm, you understand the principles of presentation. I shall take note.”
Zeo’s reaction, however, feels a bit different.
Well, I can guess why.
Black mist overflowed from my entire body like steam.
This impression is absolutely terrible.
Lodge knows me, so he’s just joking, but most people would normally be terrified and run away.
Still, if I feel it’s necessary, I won’t hesitate.
This ability is even more blatant than magic, but if necessary, I’ll use it to resolve things.
There’s no doubt that this skill suits my all-around position.
It’d be a waste to seal it away just because of others’ eyes.
After that, all that’s left is relentless training to master it completely whenever I have time.
For the journey ahead, I’ll focus on forming that enveloping magical power and increasing its speed.
With these thoughts in mind, I began by focusing my attention on the tips of my fingers and slowly directing the black magical energy enveloping my body.
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