Chapter 77: Intercession (4)

“…Hey, Riru.” “What?” “Is this…necessary?” “Yes. You can’t walk, remember?” “…” Bruh. I swear, it would be better for me to just walk to my death rather than being in this state. Dowd Campbell. A man who had legally reached adulthood quite some time ago… He was currently being piggybacked by a girl who was 10 cm shorter than him. ‘…Fuck it. I don’t even know anymore.’ If someone were to see this, I would be more than ready to die in embarrassment. To divert my mind, I quickly checked on something else. < Gift-Related Character Alert > ▼ Riru Garda [ Curiosity Level 1 ] >>> [ Interest Level 1 ] [ Rewards Available! ] [The favorability level has increased explosively in a short period! ] [ Special Rewards Available! ] “…” I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. It did increase… While I had seen messages mentioning that the skill was conditionally implanted before, even after considering that, it was ridiculous how explosive the magnitude of this increase was. It was normal for the Vessels’ favorability level to quickly increase even if I did something miniscule, but even among those guys, Riru stood out. Excluding Eleanor, whose favorability instantly reached Trust Level 1 since the very start, this was the most explosive increase I had so far. ‘…In a way, I guess it’s a fortunate outcome.’ Riru, who held the Blue Devil within her, was like a powder keg that needed to be handled very carefully. Getting close to her quickly was a very favorable condition since it made ‘managing’ her way easier. As mentioned before, once things went awry, dealing with her, along with the White Devil, would become the most troublesome. Blue Devil. The Devil of Wrath. Some users even half-jokingly remarked that she was scarier than the Grey Devil, the final boss of the entire game. “…” In other words, those remarks were also half-serious. Honestly, the Blue Devil did not give off as threatening a vibe as one might think. When she descended in her ‘true form’ like the Grey Devil did, she wasn’t a particularly crazy existence among the other Devils. Additionally, she wasn’t lurking around looking for an opportunity to devour me like the White Devil did either. In truth, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that her nature was relatively mild compared to other Devils. However, she wasn’t without a problem of her own… It was easy for her to go berserk. This was why they made remarks about her being scarier than the final boss. Unlike other Devils, who were hard to see besides special cases, she would instantly descend into the Material Realm at the slightest hint of something going awry. Moreover, if the Vessel was Riru… “…” While there were various conditions for the Devil within the Vessel to go berserk, most of them were difficult to trigger without external factors. Eleanor would go berserk if her mind became more unstable than usual. Meanwhile, for Yuria, it was being away from the target she was obsessed with for too long. However, the only one who could land an extremely effective blow on Eleanor’s diamond-like mentality was me, and the target Yuria obsessed over was me as well. As long as I didn’t get involved, things wouldn’t get that dangerous with them. However, in the case of the Blue Devil… Her berserk condition was simply ‘getting angry. As seen in the recent situation, if she started crossing the threshold of ‘Wrath’ on her own, then certain signs gradually began to appear. And if she got even more pissed off, she would just say ‘Fuck it’, before going berserk and descending. Even if the Blue Devil became just half as angry as when Eleanor used the ‘Descent – Wrath’ skill, the surroundings would’ve already turned into scorched earth. “…” Unfortunately, the human hosting such a Devil just had to be the woman with anger management issues. She was a ball of anger. There was a good reason why people called her a mad dog. That was also why I didn’t object to getting dragged along by her. Frankly, I could easily deal with this level of injuries using the various Graces that I had learned, but I didn’t want to risk pissing Riru off by refusing her favor. You never knew when, where, or how this person would get angry! “…” Well, that wasn’t the sole reason. If my memories were correct, when I was ‘invited’ to Riru’s house, there was someone I had to meet there. That person would be of great help to my future endeavors. “What are you looking at?” “…Nothing.” ‘Does she have eyes on the back of her head?’ I was silently gazing in Riru’s direction when such a blunt sentence was instantly thrown my way. ‘…Let’s just ignore her and receive my rewards.’ While making a conscious effort not to pay attention to her, I tapped on the window to collect my rewards. System Notification Claiming ‘Riru’s’ Gift Rewards! ] [ ‘Mastery: Iron Man 鐵人’ Received! ] [ Mastery Info ] Mastery: Iron Man 鐵人 Grade: Basic Proficiency: 0% Description: Warriors of the Tribal Alliance repeatedly put themselves in extreme situations to constantly train their ability to react to such situations. It is very risky but effective. [ ■ Endurance to various injuries and pain is increased. Reduces the intensity of pain and allows for easier movement even when severely injured. ] [ ■ Effects are proportional to the Endurance stat. ] “…” It appeared like a Mastery that I could easily accumulate proficiency in had popped out. For someone like me, someone who’d strain my body God knows how many times in the future, it was rain in a drought. If there was anything I was disappointed about, I guess it would be that all the effects were proportional to the Endurance stat. ‘I need to increase my Endurance stat quickly…’ With such thoughts, I moved onto the next window. Since this was a reward for an explosive increase in favorability level over a short period, then, as expected… System Notification [ Received 1 ‘Skill Copy Ticket’. ] [ You can copy 1 of the target’s skills! ] It would be this. I predicted it would come out since I received the same rewards from Yuria and Eleanor. And unlike the Copy Ticket for Eleanor, which I used much later, or for Yuria, which I still hadn’t been able to use yet, Riru had a skill that I could receive immediately. [ Mastery Info ] Mastery: Fighting Arts – Stance 立式 Description: Efficient movements honed for a lifetime by a brawler with gifted insight. It can exert tremendous power even though it has not been fully perfected! [ ■ Receives Strength adjustment in combat when unarmed. ] [ ■ Receives Agility adjustment for evasive movements in combat when unarmed. ] [ ■ Through practice, various movements included in this Fighting art can be unlocked. ] A noteworthy point was that, unlike other Masteries, there was no ‘Proficiency’ associated with this one. This meant it was a technique that had to be learned simply through ‘practice’ without the backup of the system. The reason I needed to get this sooner was because it would take some time for the full potential to be realized. ‘…This is a jackpot.’ The advantages of this Mastery were obvious, so it was more than worth it to invest time into it. After all, this was the exact reason why I pinpointed Riru as a key manpower in Chapter 3. This bizarre feature of significantly increasing combat power when in an ‘unarmed’ state would undoubtedly shine. Moreover, it would be during the most crucial situation of Chapter 3. “…” Of course, to properly train this Mastery… Someone’s help was necessary. Thinking this, I looked down at the back of Riru’s head. ‘…Well.’ The problem was that she would never teach it, considering the backstory of this Mastery. Of course, I had prepared a solution for this. And I plan to use it soon. “…Here we are.” My consciousness, which was sinking into contemplation, was dragged back to reality after hearing Riru’s voice. After leaving Elfante’s academy district and walking through the city for a while, we reached a place so secluded that it was hard to believe that we were still in the same city. At such a place, there was a building that was on the verge of crumbling. A building so shabby that even the ‘supply room’ where Yuria used to stay seemed like a paradise in comparison. It was to the extent that it was doubtful whether a human being could even live in such a place. “…” I felt Riru glancing at me from the side. She probably thought I wouldn’t notice, but I could tell what she was thinking about. ‘After saying that I’d treat him, I brought him to this shabby building. He probably thought that I’m making fun of him.’ She probably thought about something along that line. However, I did not have any intention of doing such a thing. “Nice house.” “…What?” Firstly, I had said this over and over, but there was no need to provoke this person. It was best to maintain courtesy no matter what happened. And secondly… Even putting that aside, there was no reason to mock this space. After all, it was probably a building that she built alone without anyone’s help. That was her country’s ‘tradition’. “It may not be a magnificent building, but I can feel the effort that was put into it. Someone must have worked hard to make it.” “Be quiet.” Riru replied curtly while scratching her head before dragging me into the building. Of course… Despite her manner of speaking, she didn’t seem as unhappy as her words suggested. Immediately after entering the building, Riru cautiously put me down. I stood firmly on both feet, elated by the sensation of my long-lost freedom. “Oh! It’s Big Sis! Big Sis! Guys, Big Sis is here!” “Big Sis! Welcome back!” “Oh! Big Sis brought her boyfriend!” As soon as Riru arrived, a group of children boisterously popped out from the hut. They were probably members of her clan. “He’s not my boyfriend. Don’t bother the guest and go inside.” Riru gestured dismissively, as if they were bothersome. However, despite her apparent annoyance, her face displayed a ‘humane warmth’ that she never showed in school. After all, she only ever showed two kinds of expressions within the academy: expressionless or angry. “Lie down. I’ll go bring the medicine.” With that, Riru brought the kids with her into a bamboo blind that drooped on one side before disappearing. “…” I let out a laugh while glancing around. The reason why I could afford to look around was because I was having the entire living room to myself. This building was maintained with an almost stubborn adherence to the traditions of the Tribal Alliance, exuding their distinct culture. The interior of the huts of Native Americans probably looked similar to this. Amidst this, a particular detail caught my eye. I looked towards the ‘necklaces’ hanging on the walls and the ‘incense’ burning in front of them. “It is to honor those who’ve ascended to the sky.” It was an elderly woman’s voice. When I turned my head, I saw a small woman lying in the shadows, there was a smoking pipe in her mouth. “…” No, calling her ‘small’ was a bit misleading. Her build undoubtedly showed that she originally had a strong physique. However, both her legs and one of her arms were gone. As if someone had cut them off. “A lot of things have happened lately. I’m sorry you had to come to such a messy house, Child.” “Please, don’t be sorry.” I calmly received her words. “I don’t even remember how long it has been since I’ve entered such a warm place.” In this dilapidated home on the verge of crumbling, only the tools for burning incense and those necklaces were remarkably well-preserved. It was clear how much effort was taken to manage them, even at a glance. In essence, it showed what connection they had with the owners of the necklaces during their lifetime. The old woman cackled. “I appreciate your words.” The elderly woman smoothly lifted her body before moving towards me. It was astonishing how such movements were possible in her state. She was supporting her entire body with just one arm. I noticed the scars all over her body. It was the body of a veteran who had overcome countless adversities. I had also been rolling around lately, but my wounds were nothing compared to hers. “Your eyes are full of intelligence. You are a child with a remarkable nature.” The elderly woman scrutinized my face for a while. “That’s why it makes me more curious. Why would you come here?” “…” “There is no way a child like you wouldn’t know where this place is and what has happened to this old woman. So, why?” “…” Was this something one could figure out after merely seeing someone’s eyes? Without exception, all the powerhouses of this world were weird people. I let out a bitter smile before speaking. “I am Dowd Campbell. A nobody with no impressive background to boast about.” I took out the Lion’s Necklace. It was a token from Hatan that was only given to ‘a promising talent’ in the Tribal Alliance. This granted the ‘minimum level of right’ I needed to talk with this person from now on. “It is nice to meet you for the first time, Kasa Garda.” Kasa Garda. Riru Garda’s grandmother. The world’s strongest brawler whose Unarmed Martial Arts rivaled even the Sword Saint of the present era. And the former Chieftain of the Tribal Alliance who had been dethroned due to a ‘coup d’etat’ “I came to talk about your granddaughter.” The elderly woman had a faint smile on her face. “You want to talk about my granddaughter, you say… Well then. What do you wish to say?” I carefully organized what to say. Whenever these moments came, I had always been cursed at for being utterly shit at expressing myself properly. But not this time. As such… This time, I was choosing my words meticulously in order to convey my intentions in the most straightforward way. I had to aim for perfection. “I would like your help in developing an intimate relationship between me and Riru.” “…” “I wish to go all the way within ten days.” “…” No wait. Judging by her reaction, it didn’t seem like this was it. “…May I provide a few more details? I think I misspoke a little.” Fortunately, I managed to add some supplementary explanations before Kasa could split my head apart.