READ NOVEL ONLINE chapter 43 - Divine Cat Mii-chan Gifts Nero
43 Divine Cat Mii-chan Gifts Nero.
The dwarf uncle is collapsed by the mouth of the defeated Avelant Lizard.
Even in death, he doesn’t let go of his weapon—what a warrior’s spirit. But… he’s not dead, right?
Seeing the human lady healing his legs with recovery skills, it seems he’s still alive. Should I help? But I’m not keen on mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for a man, so I pour mineral water over the dwarf uncle’s face. Splash, splash.
Cough, cough, sputter! “W-What’s going on?!”
It seems he’s regained consciousness. I also give mineral water to Müller-san and the cat beastman for them to drink.
“What… is this?”
“No way, could it be…?”
“It’s a beginner’s universal antidote and beginner’s potion.”
Everyone here is stunned. I pour the remaining mineral water over the dwarf uncle’s feet as well. Splash, splash.
“How many did you use?”
Aside from the one I drank, it’s a total of three bottles. Though Sumire drinks more than five bottles a day.
“Is this three bottles’ worth?”
“Seriously…?”
“Today’s earnings might be all for nothing…”
“I messed up…”
“Everyone! What are you saying? Without Nero-kun, we could have been completely wiped out! Shouldn’t we first be thanking him?”
The elf lady, holding Mii-chan, scolds everyone. They do have their own potions prepared, but it seems they only had a few beginner’s universal antidotes. In this case, a poison antidote would have sufficed, but I didn’t bring any since Mii-chan’s mineral water is enough. They say it’s better to be over-prepared…
“Y-You’re right… I’m sorry. Nero-kun, thank you for saving our comrades.”
“Yes, indeed. All things are valuable because we’re alive. Young man, I appreciate it.”
“Sorry… You really saved us.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“We’re grateful.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to charge you.”
Well, it didn’t actually cost anything. Though it does make me feel a bit worn out…
“That’s not acceptable! Admitting that would mean lowering our pride as hunters and the value of our lives. In the unspoken agreement among hunters, a life debt must be repaid with a life. Hunters take pride in their own lives.”
“In that case, wouldn’t it be okay to repay a life debt with a life?”
Eh!? To be told something like that so suddenly… We’ve only just met…”
“Nero-kun, so bold!”
“Not what I expected. Maybe he’s a wolf in disguise…”
“Ahem! Nero-kun, such things should… be discussed elsewhere, okay?”
“You’re young.”
“It’s fine, isn’t it?”
Huh? What are they talking about? I won’t understand the meaning of what I said until much later…
“Mii…”
Mii-chan, why are you giving me that look?
“F-For now, should we finish exploring this room?”
Everyone agrees and starts collecting the scattered items.
“However, this one was unusually strong.”
“Indeed. It’s true that it was a formidable opponent, but to be pushed to this extent…”
I feel like I’ve heard something similar before somewhere…
“Let’s store this.”
“Wait a minute!”
“What’s wrong, Nero-kun?”
“Please let me investigate a bit.”
I check the body of the Avelant Lizard thoroughly. Upon searching every nook, I find something: a ring embedded in one of the spikes at the tip of its tail. After removing and appraising it, it turns out to be an AF (Artifact) — a Ring of Physical Enhancement, which slightly boosts the wearer’s physical abilities.
“It’s an AF.”
“「「「……」」」”
“Yes! We found it!”
“Incredible! An AF is a first for us!”
“My dream home…”
“Mii~”
“What’s up, Mii-chan? Did you find something else you like?”
Mii-chan brings a ring that she’s found in her mouth. I appraise the ring, and it turns out to be a Ring of Resistance, which occasionally prevents abnormal status conditions.
“Oh, looks like I found another AF. This one was brought by Mii-chan…”
“「「……」」”
“Yes!”
“This isn’t a dream, right? If it is, I hope it never ends.”
“My dream home is even closer now…”
I hand over the rings to the elf lady for reappraisal. The Ring of Physical Enhancement shows a 20% boost, while the Ring of Resistance has the same appraisal results as before.
“I’d like to ask you all something. I’m thinking of giving one of these rings to Nero-kun.”
“Indeed. He’s done enough to deserve it.”
“I agree.”
“「「「……」」」”
Seriously? That’s way too cool!
“Nero-kun, choose whichever you like.”
“Are you sure?”
“Considering the cost of our lives, it’s still not enough. Hahaha!”
In that case… I’ll go with the Ring of Resistance, since it seems to be Mii-chan’s favorite.
“I’ll take the Ring of Resistance, please.”
“Understood.”
“Look, Mii-chan, you got a present!”
For some reason, Mii-chan refuses to take it and keeps tapping my hand. Could it be…?
“Are you giving this to me?”
“Mii~”
A surprise gift from Mii-chan! Thank you, Mii-chan! As a token of my gratitude, let’s have a little kiss! I’ll equip it right away.
“How enviable…”
Huh? Did I hear something?
“Phew. Is it over?”
“That was quite a lot.”
“Such a big haul!”
“Big haul ♪ Big haul ♪”
“Big haul ♪ Big haul ♪”
“This is promising. I haven’t checked yet, but I think there were several platinum coins from Deimer.”
“「「「Seriously!」」」”
Deimer’s platinum coins are of even higher value than gold coins and are no longer in circulation. They were used in the ancient Deimer Empire, which used valuable metals for their coins. After the empire fell, many of these coins were melted down. However, some remain and are used as currency above gold coins. There are even higher-value coins, but you rarely get to see them. Such coins are typically used for large transactions by nations or commercial guilds, so they don’t have much practical use for individuals.
By the way, Deimer’s platinum coins are managed by commercial guilds and their value fluctuates. Right now, they’re worth about 2 million Ret each.
Since everyone is full and exhausted, let’s quickly find the return route. Honestly, I’m beat.
We managed to get out of the dungeon around the third bell and a half. We didn’t find a way down, so it’s likely located in the central, unexplored section. Next time, we’ll focus on exploring that area.
“I’m thinking of taking a break tomorrow. Today was quite eventful.”
Indeed, since the dwarf guy got injured, it might be best to observe him for a day.
“As for me? A little alcohol will disinfect anything.”
“Even so, we need to organize today’s haul. We can’t fit any more in.”
“「「「Ohー」」」”
Of course, after hunting so many Rock Lizards, and with the Avellant Lizard too, it’s only natural.
For me, having a promise with Zelgad helps out. It was something I was unsure about, so it’s a bonus to get to walk with Sumire too.
“Mii~”
Supplement: The phrase “a life for a life” can vary slightly, but it’s often used as a proposal phrase among hunters. Nero won’t realize its full meaning for quite a while. It seems like the maidenly Mii-chan might have had an inkling about it.