Acquiring Talent in a Dungeon

Chapter 62 - Day 13, 10th Floor Price-Performance Ratio

The moss from Lewin Castle was able to be dried and drank as a tea. According to Mino, the drink used to be exchanged with other regions. Now that the other areas were gone, they ate it to gain as much nutrients as possible.

Anyhow, it wasn’t bad when I drank it. It was like a herbal tea with a slight sweetness. I didn’t like hot drinks like coffee, but it was a taste that I would buy at a cafe.

“....”

I drank it and the sweat on my body dried.

I suddenly felt like it was a waste.

"Your Majesty."

I turned my head and saw Mino. This was her office. She was standing next to the desk while holding a kettle.

"Would you like some more?”

“...Yes.”

Unlike me, Mino had already washed. However, her skin was still damp and I could smell the scent of her body. As I became aware of the smell, I felt something rising inside me again. I hurriedly drank the cup again.

"Ahh, it is too hot...”

Yes. So please drink up.”

I looked at her mouth and neck before suppressing the boiling feeling inside me.

What was this? It felt like something was crying out in my heart.

A little bit more. A little bit more.

It seemed like the body and mind had become one.

It was a natural physiological reason. I could have just explained it as a lot of stress accumulating in the meantime. I was a man and it wasn’t strange for a man to like a woman. But I had Jin Soo-young a few hours ago. It was a few times. Now I couldn’t stop thinking about correcting the mistake that I made before in rejecting Mino. Therefore, I ended up drinking as much tea as possible.

“....”

“....”

Mino looked down with a red face like she knew what I was thinking. Fortunately, it seemed like she wasn’t offended. Anyway, I would investigate this strange feeling after I finished my task. The thing that I was working on...

Pak.

“...!”

Mino retreated with a look of surprise.

[There is an invasion from outsides.]

[You can expel them using the command - Expel.]

The Chinese man had returned on one side of the office. It was the same place that I tore his ticket 12 hours ago.

"Can you go outside? It is dangerous.”

Mino immediately followed my instructions. The Chinese man had recovered to some extent. His HP was 2/3 restored and he was holding a ticket in his hand, as if in preparation to flee. I appeared in front of him and kicked out.

“Ack!”

The ticket fell to the ground. I grabbed the groaning man and placed him on a chair.

“#%······. @#%[email protected]······.”

The Chinese man spat out curses. Even though the sacred creature had eaten his unique talent, he was almost completely recovered as he glared at me.

"It is fun to have a conversation in a language we both know.”

I spoke in English.

“My... My unique talent, how...”

"I ate it."

I made the gestures of eating something.

"Yum yum yum."

"Bullshit.”

He said with an expression that asked me not to joke around.

“That isn’t possible.”

"Isn’t it reality? You can check with your own eyes.”

If he wanted to get it back then he needed to answer my questions. Then I would be able to extract the information I wanted.

“You... I know you killed Yan. Then you don’t have my talent.”

“....”

“Your eyes... Why...?”

I felt something strange. I changed my words.

"I don't know what you are talking about. I have both your talent and Yan’s. I also have two more unique talents.”

In fact, one of them had become the dog’s food.

"That is crazy!”

It was the same reaction. He really didn’t believe it. I had to pay attention to the nuances in his words. It wasn’t the fact that his talent was taken away, but denial that ‘I’ had it.

"Why, are you so envious that you can’t stand? Do you feel envy that I have four unique talents?”

There was something obvious.

China might be different from South Korea. If they made a system that collected explorers quickly like Director Oh guessed, they might have a lot more information than me. And there was a discrepancy between that information and what I knew.

“People... Fool... I know.”

Let’s do a little bit more. Just as I was opening my mouth,

Duguen.

My heart started to beat very quickly.

“...!!”

What?

I took one step back and touched my chest. It wasn’t just my heart running wild.

More violence. Don’t let anyone command you. Become stronger. Train harder.

My own voice was ringing in my head. I was burning with familiar feelings. But there were also some feelings that weren’t boiling over.

Impatience. The emotion that emerged when I was started something and waiting for it to pay off. Regret that the future would be over if things didn’t improve right away. What had I done so far? I had to do something right now.

Right now.

Right now.

Right now.

“Ek...”

The desires for things that couldn’t be done right away constantly rose inside me. It felt like someone who could control my emotions had artificially manipulated me. Now I got it. These impulses were the reason why I kept on thinking about sleeping with those two women over and over. Now it was a dozen times worse than before.

Tak.

I staggered back. The countless impulses were creating errors in my body’s computer, meaning it couldn’t follow any simple orders.

“That... It was true.”

I looked forward.

The Chinese man was looking at me with a disbelieving expression. A new ticket was in his hand. But he didn’t tear it.

"I don’t know why you said those things just now.”

“....”

The Chinese man said, "Heart demons. It is a natural symptom. Yan’s talent and my talent. It is too much for you to take possession of those treasures.”

He brought out a new sword from his inventory.

“Heart demons...?”

“Did you really not know? Hah. So you conversation about the four talents was just nonsense.”

Retreat. I desperately tried to command my body.

He thought I was already caught so the Chinese man walked forward slowly at a leisurely pace. The sword handle turned in his hands.

"If there were four, no three, you wouldn’t even be able to stand like that. Unique talent? It is a special desire that only a small number of those who come in here can have. A human can never keep several of them in a bowl. Let alone... It is hard to suppress just one unique talent.”

Let’s say that his words were true. Why did it only show up now...

"Let alone four...”

Ah. Sacred creature. By the time I realized Underdog, my second talent, the sacred creature had started living in me. Did he take the role of eating my desires?

Now he was sleeping and couldn’t answer. When I thought about it, touching Jin Soo-young... It wasn’t a unique talent but I fed on Jin Soo-young’s desires. Shortly after that, I joined my body with Jin Soo-young. It was my intention to sleep with her, but my thoughts were more severe.

Now that the sacred creature wasn’t eating it, the desires overwhelming me were boiling over.

"Either way, this is a good opportunity."

The Chinese man stood in front of me.

"I had always wondered. Whether I am a vessel who can endure two unique talents. Each person will have a different tolerance.”

“...Kuk.”

I was curious about his words. There was no doubt that I was such a vessel. I faced him.

“Yen can feel relieved.”

He swung the sword. I bit my lip.

Jaaeng!

“Uh?!”

The Chinese man took a few steps back. My fist had hit his sword. I bit my lip harder. Dammit. Get moving.

“...You still have the ability to move that much with two desires.”

I had three, motherfucker.

I raised my fist in a fighting pose.

It was painful but... I forced out every last bit of strength. I was able to move my body somehow as I got used to the pain. It was necessary to concentrate on just the simplest movements but it was getting better.

"Yen will be vexed!”

He rushed forward again.

Jaaeng!Jaaeng!Jaaeng!

It was clear. I saw where the attacks were coming from. The move to stop it. If my body was fine then I could easily knock him out. But despite such obvious attacks, I couldn’t overwhelm him. Was this the feeling of playing on a lagging computer? My body reacted slower than my instructions.

But that was fine. I wouldn’t act hastily.

“Hiyah! Hiiyah Ick!”

Sounds emerged from the Chinese’s mans mouth. There was a difference in strength so I wasn’t the only one feeling impatient. He was impatient to break my defense. As time passed, his breath was becoming heavy with exhaustion.

Me? Unfortunately, I was just frustrated at my movements. The stamina expenditure was zero.

“...Wah... Look...”

I set up my defenses. He never tore his ticket. His ego didn’t allow him to miss making up for his loss. The game was over once he became tired and moved slower than me.

Snap.

But there was a variable.

"Your Majesty!"

The door opened and Mino entered. She might have heard the sound of the sword or noticed something unusual. Mino was looking at me with a deep expression of worry. I managed to control my expression but it was apparent to the Chinese man.

Tak!

The Chinese man jumped towards Mino.

I followed him as well. But these damn legs!

Get moving. Kill that guy. Kill him!

My heart cried out. It wasn’t a direct instruction to anyone.

-Yes.

There was an answer. Something popped out of my chest and cross my vision in an instant. In fact, there was one more thing. I couldn’t connect it. The sacred creature I knew was just a small dog.

Kwajik.

Even though he was short, he was firmly biting the neck of an adult man.

"Ack!"

He swung his head and shook the Chinese man like a doll.

Peeok!

The creature on the ground was far from the appearance of a fearsome beast.

“Ah... Ahh...”

Mino sat down with fright. The origin of her fear didn’t care about Mino. He just looked at the Chinese man who almost stopped breathing and headed towards me with a wagging tail.

-Master!

The dog had a body length of three metres and painted as it saw me.

[‘Sacred Creature: ⦋ ⦌’ materialization complete.]

[The species is unable to be identified.]

[The name is unable to be identified.]

-Me, give me a name.

I didn’t know if the Chinese man’s unique talent would ultimately affect me. But one thing was for sure.

The price-performance ratio of the dog was very good.

[TL Note: This chapter hasn't been edited so sorry about any mistakes. In addition, please read this announcement post regarding ATD. It is very important

Update: Sorry but ATD has been dropped. Please read this announcement post regarding the reason why.