The Generous Giver (1)

“Cough.”

“Meoww.”

Meowi and I had been lying flat on our backs for 10 minutes, trying to calm our bodies and minds.

Damn it.
It wasn’t just the quantity, but it seemed that with all the clumps of blood, something was coming up from my stomach.
It was more than just being uncomfortable.

‘…Ugh. It feels like I ate a hundred servings of blood sausages.’

In fact, it felt even worse than that.

The Pearl Spitting Tortoise, this bastard.

I wonder what he usually eats. His blood was definitely sticky, and surely his blood cholesterol levels were maxed out.

I could guarantee it.

‘But even so, a boss is a boss, huh?’

To screw us over till the very end…
Indeed, it was a B+ grade rare boss prepared by those GM bastards.

But it was worth it.

The reward for greedily sucking it up was great.

My durability stats had gone up by +2.

Durability was the easiest stat to increase. Anything could raise it, but that didn’t mean it was useless at all.

‘Physical strength and reduced damage intake. Vitality and life force are also affected.’

No matter how good the technique or how powerful the skills were, they were useless if the basic stamina did not support them.

Durability must maintain at least a minimum value.

Especially since our Meowi was a <Guardian> class, the durability stats were even more crucial for her.

I too, if I neglect durability despite the high power of [Flowing Slash], could die from the recoil, so I needed to diligently increase it.

We glanced at each other, then quickly turned our heads away.

To see the sight of the Pearl Spitting Tortoise covered in blood, I felt ashamed, remembering that I had even licked the blood pooled on the floor just a moment ago.

But we couldn’t keep going like this.

I was the first to speak.

“Um, excuse me.”
“Excuse me.”

Ah, we spoke at the same time.

“S-Seha. You go first.”
“No, Meowi, how can I…?”

Let’s yield first. Meowi hesitated for a moment and then timidly approached and sat quietly next to me.

Then she sneakily pushed her head forward.

I was momentarily puzzled, but soon realized what she wanted and gave her a deep smile.

Stroke, stroke.

I carefully stroked her blood-stained hair.

“…Did I do well?”
“Yes.”
“…Hehe.”

Her eyes sparkled with shyness, which was utterly adorable.

“Indeed, you’re the only tank I chose who truly stood out.”
“…Um, Seha.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“Why are you suddenly being this shy?”
“…Really, thank you…”

Tears welled up in Meowi’s eyes.
Beside her, this translucent status window popped up.
Ah, I see. Was she calming herself while continuing to look at that?

She probably couldn’t believe the recorded growth she was achieving.

“It’s too early for you to be like this.”

“…Meow?”

“Look forward to what is to come. I’ll feed you so much that you’ll think of the Pearl Spitting Tortoise as a joke.”

“……”

Meowi stared blankly at me at what I said.
I could see various emotions flickering in his eyes.

Gratitude, regret.
And a hint of doubt.

Why does he know about this?
Why is he making such bold claims?
Why is he helping me, of all people?

All these thoughts swirled for a moment and then vanished.

What remained was only one thing.
Trust and belief in me.

And…

“…Okay!”

It was nothing but the smile of my beloved favorite character.

“…Hmm.”

After washing her face cleanly with water, Meowi looked at the Pearl Spitting Tortoise’s corpse with serious eyes.

The bag prepared next to her was bulging.

It was filled entirely with the by-products of the Pearl Spitting Tortoise, brimming with blood. Yet, the remaining corpse was still massive.

I lifted a scale the size of my palm from the giant tortoise and said,

“This would sell for a lot, right?”

It looked sturdy enough that it would make great armor for our Meowi.

“…I’m not sure about that.”

“Huh?”

“Seha might not know, but the by-products of monsters really depend on their market usage.”

Meowi explained.

While ‘Magic stones’ had various uses, they had a fixed market price.

Other by-products vary greatly depending on social conditions and research results.

“For example, goblins were considered worthless except for their Magic Stone just five years ago. But then, after ‘H Cup’ pharmaceuticals discovered that goblin eyeballs were useful for clinical trials in making fertility pills, they started to pay a high price for it..”

“…Fertility pills?”

Could it be what I was thinking of?

“Yes. The probability is low, but it’s a potion that makes your breasts grow if you consume it. It sells for a very high price at the auction house. Especially the unnies who are late to marry seem desperate to consume more of it.”

Even though I thought this was indeed a desirable company with a great marketing plan, the explanation continued.

“That’s the problem. At least from what I remember, I’ve never heard of a monster called ‘The Pearl Spitting Tortoise’. The turtle-like creatures that appear in the marine field are somewhat similar, but their temperaments seem completely different.”

That would be the case.

Originally, this creature was an invasive species with no basis, released for newbies to catch and boil into a medicinal concoction for their growth.

I wasn’t even sure if there were more of these creatures.

“So I’m wondering if the by-product we’re collecting will indeed be priced…”
“Hey, if drinking its blood increases your stats… wouldn’t it be expensive?”
“…Hmm, that seems likely. Anyway, let’s stop butchering here.”
“But there is still a lot left.”
“We’ve already gathered more than our weight. If we take any more, we might not be able to return, right?”

That was certainly true.

The more I felt the absence of a [Porter] in our party.

‘…If only we had a proper 3★ porter with us…’

We could butcher more and more efficiently, gather more by-products, and gain more money.

But now, it’s just plain greed.

What’s the point of hiring a proper porter without having proper power?

“Now, this is all that’s left.”

Meowi closed the eyes of the severed Pearl Spitting Tortoise.

She clutched the dangling pouch under her chin with her hand.

As if she were ready to slice it with a knife at any moment, she immediately raised her hand.

“Meowi, wait a moment!”
“…Huh?”
“Can you leave this part to me?”
“Meow?”

She stared at me, puzzled by my request.
That area needed caution.
Indeed, the pouch of pearls was the alpha and omega of rewards obtainable from the Pearl Spitting Tortoise.

Depending on how much you know about the <Hidden Piece> concealed there, the number of gains you could make changes entirely.

“Okay. Got it.”

Meowi nodded her head at my words.
It was a look that clearly said she expected me to have some plan in mind when I mentioned it.

Oh, look at those eyes filled with trust in me.
How adorable is that?

If I gradually increase her favorability like this, someday ‘it’ might be possible.

I mean, I’ve shown Meowi numerous expressions of affection (?) in GAL.

“…Hehehe.”
“…Seha, your eyes look strange.”

Hmm, typical Meowi.
She had a keen sense whenever I indulged in mischievous imaginations about her.

It was while I was reassuring Meowi, who was stepping back, with a wave of my hand.

Whooosh!

From afar, the spreading magic made me realize that what I had expected had arrived.

“…Meoww?”

Meowi also turned her head.
What we were looking at was right in the center of the lake.

Like the high and low tides, the water that had surged in was now receding, revealing a small island.

On the island, barely big enough to fit a single house, stood a rather large tree.
It was adorned with several fruits of unusual shapes.

“…That… what is it?”
“Meowi. This is one of the rewards. Let’s go eat.”
“…Meow?”

A moment later.

Having swum to the island, I examined the condition of the tree.

‘It’s well ripened.’

I could feel the concentration of magic in each fruit.
From their color, size, to their hue, they were undoubtedly of the highest quality.

“Divine Tree?”

Meowi tilted her head at the incoming message, then, realizing something, she asked.

“…Could this be what the Pearl Spitting Guardian was guarding?”

“Right. The Pearl Spitting Guardian stayed in this cramped lake all along just to protect this.”

“…So he’s been doing this for hundreds of years?”

“Probably?”

Well, I knew it was just some loosely put-together data setting by the GM, but Meowi seemed to feel something, her eyes slightly filled with pity.

Staring blankly at the fruit, she belatedly realized its identity and showed a surprised reaction.

“S-Seha. Could this possibly be the Heavenly Dragon Fruit?????”

I nodded affirmatively.

[Heavenly Dragon Fruit].

A fruit found in extremely small quantities in dungeons, fields, and trials of the dragon lineage.

It was a rare item that evenly boosted the user’s stats. (Except for holiness.)

At first glance, one might think it was no different from a potion of vitality.
However, the [Heavenly Dragon Fruit] distinguishes itself with profound effects and extreme stability.

Typically, potions of vitality have side effects.
It’s just a matter of how many or how few.
How well these side effects are eliminated and fully absorbed greatly impacts stat growth.

Therefore, no matter how powerful a potion of vitality is, consuming multiple of the same kind is difficult.

In fact, in ‘GAL,’ there were limits on how many potions a character could consume, which was the case for most.

‘…But the Heavenly Dragon Fruit is different.’

This one uniquely had no side effects at all.

As soon as it is eaten, it leads to an increase in abilities, thus holding high value.

Well, the increase is so small that it becomes ineffective once the average ability score exceeds 150,000.

It was also famous as a healing medicine.
It invigorated those who consumed it and corrected their twisted vital energy.

Commonly, if a character afflicted with the debuff known as ‘possession’ was fed this, some improvement was usually seen.

Such a great reward; hence, they must have left this nasty trick until the end.
Anyway, those GM guys are wicked bastards.

“Meowi?”

“Meow?”

Meowi looked at me as if asking why I called her.

“Do you want to choose first?”

“Meowi? J-just pick these fruits?”

“That’s right. Meowi can choose as much as she wants.”

“…As much as I want?”

“Yes, as much as you want.”

Meowi stared blankly at me, then seemed to ponder for a moment.
There were no fewer than 30 fruits.

It was natural to feel a strong desire to take them all.
After about a minute of deliberation, she turned to look at the corpse of the Pearl Spitting Tortoise.

“……”

Soon, as if she had made up her mind, she nodded.

“…Two pieces.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s just take two pieces.”

I looked quite surprised at her words.

“I think… The Pearl Spitting Tortoise would have… uh… probably prepared himself for this.”

Meowi said.

Hunters and monsters.
It was inevitable that they would stake each other’s lives due to their positions.
Therefore, it was only logical to take each other’s lives.

“If you’ve killed someone, you should be prepared to be killed too.”

That was the natural order and rule.

“But I at least want to respect the pride he guarded for hundreds of years…”

Meowi muttered with a serious look in her eyes.
Soon, realizing my gaze, she flustered.

“M-meow! W-well, it’s just my opinion, and… I-I know it’s silly, as a hunter. If Seha wants to, just take it all.”

-Tak.

Instead of an answer, I placed my hand on her head, and she looked up, puzzled.

“No. Meowi, you did a good job!”
“…Meow?”
“If we don’t do as you said… we won’t be able to take even one from here.”
“…Meow?!”

I smiled brightly and stretched Meowi’s cheeks to the side.

“Meow!”

Her choice was right.
This was the final test of the [Garden of the Pearl Spitting Tortoise].
A place that sublimates the old lesson that greed brings disaster into a mechanism.

The [Heavenly Dragon Fruit] could only be picked one per person upon entry.
If touched more than that, including the ones already collected, all fruits instantly rot.

I also had an experience where I tried to take everything in the game and ended up empty-handed.

“…I see.”

Meowi looked at me with a surprised face as I explained.

I picked two fruits and handed one over.

“Shall we eat it right away?”
“…Yes!”

Crunch!

Biting into it, I tasted the sweet juice seeping into my mouth.

And an even sweeter information window flickered before my eyes.