Flesh Golem of the Labyrinth City - Chapter 41



40. *Tti-yo-ong*

“Lecher! Pervert!!! Creep! Attt!!!”

“No, that’s not what it is.”

It’s understandable why she’d think that, but currently, Raya Delbaheim is incredibly embarrassed.

The doctor I had personally requested to help with his recovery said his name is Aven. Raya first discovered Aven on their way back to the surface after the long dive down to the 68th floor.

‘Just what is that…’

A black-haired boy, his whole body stained with blood, was fighting hundreds of orcs alone in the deep forest, without a single light to guide him. Before returning, a messenger from the lower floors had relayed information that an irregular elite boss had appeared on the 10th floor.

Orcs, which usually live in groups of 30 to 100 on average, but according to what the Scarlet Lotus party had heard from a messenger on the 25th floor, the current number of orcs stationed on the 10th floor was a whopping six hundred.

The party quickly realized that this was due to an irregular entity known as the Orc Chieftain, and Raya Delvaheim, the fastest among them, swiftly stepped forward to resolve the anomaly on the 10th floor.

“I’ll go.”

She had a shameful curse skill called Orc Heat, which made her somewhat unsuitable for dealing with orcs, but being part of a large clan wasn’t just for show. Naturally, she had a potion to suppress the curse.

‘Lasts for 24 hours… I should be able to finish off about 800 of them within 2 hours.’

After drinking the potion, she quickly navigated through the labyrinth and reached the 10th floor. She hurriedly searched for the orcs to prevent any damage to the base.

But the scene she encountered was as mentioned before.

‘All these numbers… alone…’

Raya Delvaheim, though a half-elf, had the blood of the long-lived elf race. Having lived a long time and accumulated knowledge, she was well aware of the strong individuals in this labyrinth city.

However, the man she saw for the first time was unfamiliar. Watching from a distance, she couldn’t see his features clearly, but she could tell he had black hair.

‘Black hair…? An unusual man.’

When he emerged from the forest, covered in blood, the Orc Chieftain was already waiting for him at the entrance of the forest.

As he tore off his blood-stained shirt, revealing his upper body, a faintly glowing red skill circuit was glimpsed on his left chest.

‘That’s…!’

The sight of the spear he threw, creating a devastating roar as it pierced the Orc Chieftain’s forehead and shattered his skull, was quite impressive even to Raya.

Then, suddenly, he broke the Orc Chieftain’s ribs, tore open his chest, and sat on top, devouring his entrails. Even Raya, who had seen many unique skills, found this quite eerie.

Having been influenced by her warrior father, she couldn’t help but feel attracted to strong and brave men. Regardless, his performance in battle made her look forward to his future endeavors.

‘He looks severely fatigued. He needs help.’

Thus, the current situation.

* * * * *

“No, come closer. I’m really fine.”

“Kyahoo!”

From noble mtl dot com

Contrary to what one might think of as brave and strong, his skin was pale white, and his appearance was somewhat like that of a nobleman. He always told his subordinates that he disliked authority and that they should treat him comfortably.

‘How, how can he lie so casually on the sofa and tell an unfamiliar woman to come closer…!!’

She was not someone who wished for her authority to diminish to the extent of lying comfortably on the sofa and telling someone to come closer upon their first meeting.

Of course, Yoon was not in a state to tarnish the reputation of the highly esteemed Raya Delvaheim, but rather wanted to prove himself through conversation with her.

‘Do I really have to drag this aching body over there?’

Reluctantly, he dragged his aching body, complaining of muscle pain, and got up from the sofa to approach Raya.

“Ouch. Ouch, it hurts. Ouch, really.”

Wrapped tightly in a white blanket, trembling, he looked like a grain cube inside a pouch. Didn’t they also wrap those in white cloth?

“Phew, here. Look. There’s no problem, right?”

“Gasp..! What is this…?”

“I told you. It’s okay now.”

As I approached her and reached out my hand, Raya showed no reaction, unlike before. Only then did she grab her bright red ears with both hands, tuck them into her hair, and, as if nothing had happened, lifted her head and spoke.

“Ahem! Sit down, Aven. There is something we need to discuss closely.”

“Yes, of course.”

As soon as I let go, her bright red ears popped out through her hair. It couldn’t be helped.

Anyway, having proven myself despite my aching body, it was time to have that conversation. Dragging my aching body, I lay back down on the sofa, and Delvaheim, after a slight hesitation, came and sat in front of me.

I didn’t know the reason at first, but now I think I understand why she kept me here.

After showing such disgrace, if she were to send me straight to the city, who knows what might happen. To protect her dignity and reputation, she might want to silence me.

But harming me would put a crack in the name of the giant clan. Not just a crack, but a thin line like a thread.

“Don’t worry. Delvaheim, in front of me, um, yes. The story that he, well, made a mistake-“

“Y-you!! Are you really going to keep doing this until the end!”

“Ah, yes.. well, let’s just say it didn’t happen.”

“Ugh…!!”

The elf’s characteristic long ears were flapping busily. Do they move when embarrassed?

-Growl

During the conversation, there was a brief silence, and my stomach growled. Delvaheim quickly grabbed his lower abdomen, but the sound came from my stomach.

“Oh, I’m so hungry. I feel like my stomach is going to tear apart.”

“Is this the cost of your silence..!”

“No. Just talking to myself. It’s not like I’m asking for food because of that.. hmm, but can I have some food? I’m hungry.”

Come to think of it, it wouldn’t be too much to ask for a meal. It’s a well-off clan, they should be able to afford a meal for a guest.

Raya glared at me once, then got up from the sofa and approached the end of the long desk unique to the reception room. There was a small golden bell there, and when she flicked it with her finger, even though it made no sound, a servant soon entered the reception room.

“Lady Raya, D-Delvaheim. You called.”

“Prepare a meal. Something simple.”

“Understood.”

The servant in a maid’s uniform moved her eyes busily. She glanced at Ewan and Delvaheim a couple of times, then quickly left the reception room.

The reason was, of course, the posture of the two and the strange atmosphere of the reception room. A guest lying comfortably on the sofa, scratching his belly. In front of him, Raya, who was a high-ranking superior by maid standards, was sitting uncomfortably, watching his every move. Her cheeks were flushed like carrots.

‘Did Delvaheim take a lover..? Such a loafer of a man..?!’

Of course, as a professional maid, she handled it well without a change in expression, but it was hard not to be concerned.

“A-hem! I did not call you for your silence. As I said, I have something important to discuss with you, which is why I called you here.”

“Yes… I see.”

“Please respond properly!”

“No, I’m sick right now. Is it okay to yell at a patient in front of you?”

“Th-that is…!”

Raya, who was momentarily flustered, cleared her throat again, gathered her thoughts to avoid getting caught up in the pace, and then spoke.

“I heard your name is Aven.”

“Yes. It’s an alias, but I’m asking to be called Aven.”

“An alias? May I ask why you hide your real name?”

“My real name doesn’t feel like a real name. It’s Yuwon. Last name Yu, first name Won. Together, Yuwon.”

“So it’s not Unyu?”

“Where I come from, the last name comes first.”

“I see… You’re not lying, are you?”

“Of course not.”

Raya continued the conversation, noting that it was unique.

“It seemed like you acquired a new skill, do you have any idea what it might be?”

“Yes, I suddenly became incredibly strong… Do you know what kind of skill it is?”

“Incredibly strong, huh? It might be a bit different from the skill I’m thinking of.”

“What skill are you expecting?”

Raya pondered for a moment, stroking her chin, then raised her right hand and brushed her left upper chest.

“During the battle on the 10th floor, a red circuit appeared in this area. Were you aware of it?”

“I didn’t know. I wasn’t in my right mind.”

“I see. Previously, I have seen a skill circuit engraved in the same position.”

“What is it?”

“The skill is called ‘Bleeding Berserk.’ It’s a passive skill that increases strength according to the amount of blood loss.”

“Bleeding Berserk…”

A skill that increases strength as the bleeding increases, so such a thing exists. Raya added an explanation about it.

“Does it make a person’s strength two or three times stronger?”

“The increase in strength doesn’t happen to such a large extent. I heard it increases proportionally according to the percentage, taking the body’s original state as the reference point.”

“If you lose 10 percent of your total blood volume, does your strength increase by about 10 percent?”

“That’s correct.”

“Hmm… wait a moment.”

The amount of blood that flows in my body becomes the absolute standard. If I lose 10 percent, my strength increases by 10 percent.

Basically, starting from 10 percent is considered excessive bleeding, and if it exceeds 30 percent, it’s a death sentence. For a normal person, the maximum strength increase that can be obtained with Bleeding Berserk is about 20 percent. Beyond this, severe anemia makes it impossible for even a person with strong mental strength to fight.

The problem is, I’m not like that.

“Then… what happens if you bleed much more than the original amount of blood?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Raya Delvaheim tilted her head and asked my question again.

“If blood is drained from an animal’s body, survival is impossible. You should know that much.”

“What if… there was a skill that constantly generates blood inside the body? If it keeps replenishing no matter how much you lose.”

“If we assume that… the increase in strength would also be significant.”

“Ha ha.”

This is it.

“That’s an unusual question. You must possess a skill related to blood volume.”

“Not exactly, but it’s similar.”

“…That’s surprising. Then, the power you showed on the 10th floor, how much muscle strength increase did you achieve?”

Was it when I was dealing with the orcs on the 10th floor? I’m not sure. But I definitely bled a lot. Most of the dire wolf’s blood was lost due to bleeding, and I fought while drinking the blood of the fallen orcs.

“At least five times…”

“That much..! Amazing!”

“Yes, I’m amazed too.”

This is a huge gain. Five times the strength? Isn’t that crazy? If I have enough blood, it could be even more.

“Wow, then if you get weak, just cut yourself a bit with a knife.”

“It won’t activate through self-harm. That’s the kind of skill it is.”

“Ah.”

That’s a bit disappointing, but still good. From now on, I’ll have to drink a lot of blood.

“Alright, I understand this matter. Next… the main topic.”

“Yes.”

“Join the Meyerbridge Union.”

Beep.