Chapter 30. The Field
The Execution Sword swung by the clown severed my left arm.
Blood spurted from the cut.
The severed arm dropped to the ground with a thud.
I clenched my teeth.
I didn’t let out a single groan, but the pain was unbearable.
As expected, my body was still weak.
［Beep!!］
The Medical Mushroom, which had been on standby, rushed over.
With a frantic expression, the mushroom sprayed a pinkish liquid.
The moment the viscous liquid covered the severed area,
Twitch!
The blood and flesh from the wound surged.
From the severed stump, a new arm began to sprout, bulging and growing.
It was slightly slower than when my fingers regenerated.
【Pururu】─Ugh, that must really hurt.
【Mysticism】─😨
The pain subsided.
In an instant, my left arm was restored.
“Hmm.”
Swish, swish!
I swung the newly regrown left arm.
“Not bad.”
【Pururu】─We’re the ones not feeling great.
【Mysticism】─😟
There was no awkwardness.
Even at the severed area, there was no sensation of discomfort.
By the way, I didn’t have to worry about clothes.
I wasn’t wearing a shirt anyway.
“Come to think of it, I think Yumi was just here.”
After calming my flailing arm,
I stared blankly into the air as I spoke.
【Pururu】─Yeah, she barged in all of a sudden.
【Mysticism】─😐
Shortly after Pururu and Mysticism’s messages came up,
【Yumi】─ Mr. Geon···.
【Yumi】─ What on earth is going on?
Yumi belatedly joined the chat.
【Yumi】─I screamed because I was so shocked···.
【Yumi】─What kind of monster cut off your arm? It looks like a tamed one.
【Yumi】─Why on earth did you cut your arm off?
【Yumi】─Doesn’t it hurt? Are you okay?
【Yumi】─You haven’t lost your mind, right? You’re not under any mental stress, are you??
【Pururu】─Ask one question at a time. Stop spamming. ㅡㅡ
Her chat messages were full of concern.
She must’ve been shocked after seeing such a gruesome scene right after entering.
“Lulu, can you explain things to Yumi for me?”
【Pururu】─Why are you making me do it? Am I the broadcast manager or something?
“Well, you’re the highest-ranking among the assistants.”
【Pururu】─True, I am ranked pretty high.
【Yumi】─Isn’t that because you used Geon’s money to level up…?
“So, I’m asking for your help.”
【Pururu】─Alright, as a noble Gold-rank, I’ll explain kindly. Noblesse oblige and all that.
【Yumi】─Please hurry.
【Pururu】─Don’t rush me.
I left the explanation to Pururu.
Turns out, she was surprisingly easy to manage.
***
The Psycho Clown had imbued the severed left arm with a supernatural ability.
It was the same ability I had used on the taxidermy pieces to prevent the detached parts from decaying.
More precisely, it was a power that connected the body part to its original owner from afar, maintaining its vitality.
Thanks to this ability,
The taxidermy pieces were treated as parts of their original owners.
As long as the owner didn’t die, the pieces wouldn’t decay.
Furthermore,
Since the pieces were linked to their original owner, the owner could control them freely with just a thought.
After all, managing one’s own body was natural.
However, there was one restriction placed on all taxidermy pieces:
A limitation that prevented the original owner from moving them freely.
In other words, a kind of paralysis.
“Clown, release the restriction now.”
［Kirik. Understood. I’ll fully open the link.］
The clown lifted the restriction on the ability.
Immediately, a strange sensation washed over me.
It felt like I had two left arms.
I could feel the nerves of the other left arm, the one not attached to my body.
“…Oh. It feels like I have three arms now.”
【Yumi】─So, Mr. Geon, you’re saying you plan to safely tame monsters using the severed arm?
Yumi asked, having heard the detailed explanation from Pururu.
“Yes. By using an arm detached from my body, I can reduce unnecessary combat.”
In exchange for enduring brief pain, I had gained significant safety.
【Pururu】─You’re definitely not normal. Who thinks of such ideas?
【Mysticism】─😰
【Yumi】─No matter how I look at it, Mr. Geon, I think you need counseling.
It seemed she was implying I was crazy.
Of course, I knew this wasn’t a normal idea.
But sometimes, a crazy idea could also be a stroke of genius.
【Pururu】─Geon, are you sure you can tame monsters with that severed arm?
“I don’t know.”
【Pururu】─?
【Yumi】─??
【Mysticism】─😦
I focused my attention on the third arm.
It moved perfectly.
I could even drag it across the ground with my fingers.
“We’ll have to see if it works. If it doesn’t, then there’s nothing I can do.”
【Yumi】─Wait. You cut your arm off without even being sure? Are you really out of your mind?
【Pururu】─Seriously. Stop making us worry. ㅡㅡ
【Yumi】─Please take better care of your body, Mr. Geon. I’m begging you.
【Mysticism】─🤬
“…Okay. I won’t do something like this again.”
Of course, I would, but I offered an apology for now.
After all, I had caused my assistants to worry.
Anyway.
There were two things I needed to check from now on.
First.
Whether I could tame monsters using a body part detached from my body.
Second.
If taming was possible, whether it would still work with limited connections.
If the second method worked,
I’d consider increasing the number of arms freely.
I could assign one arm to each monster and send them out for exploration, essentially automating the taming process.
Of course, I wasn’t too hopeful.
The first method seemed likely to work,
But I had a feeling that the paralyzed arm wouldn’t be able to do it.
If it could, it’d be too much of a cheat.
By the way, the second method wouldn’t work with an arm that was fully connected to my nervous system.
Managing too many arms like that would be too cumbersome.
Unless I had a body with the seal released.
【Pururu】─But Geon, was there a need to cut off the whole arm? You could’ve just cut a hand or a finger, right?
“Since I was going to cut something, it’s better to make a big cut.”
【Pururu】─What a psycho…
【Yumi】─When you return to Earth, you absolutely must see me for counseling. You’re definitely not in your right mind.
【Pururu】─Also, you could’ve used one of the fingers Clown is carrying for the experiment.
“That won’t do. Those fingers are precious to Clown, so I can’t use them for experiments.”
［Kirik. I’m touched.］
【Pururu】─Don’t get emotional. Jeez.
【Pururu】─Sigh. I’ll never understand men.
【Yumi】─Pururu, are you a girl?
Wait, was Pururu a girl?
At first, I had assumed she was female, but as time went on, she started acting more like a guy, so I had changed my guess.
Or maybe she was a guy who thought of himself as a girl, hence the remark?
She always managed to confuse me.
…Forget it. What does gender even matter?
Let’s not dwell on it.
【Pururu】─Gauntlet.
【Yumi】─Don’t call Geon weird nicknames.
【Pururu】─It’s not a nickname. That’s the name Geon used in the other world.
【Yumi】─I guess you’ll need even deeper counseling.
【Mysticism】─😐
【Pururu】─Anyway, Geon, do something about that severed arm on the ground. It’s gross.
I was already planning to.
I used the Medical Mushroom’s liquid to seal the severed part of the arm.
Then I carefully stored it inside the Magma Slime’s body.
“Mr. Rizenova, let’s move on. We’ve rested enough and finished what we needed to do.”
“All right.”
We resumed the exploration after our break.
***
【Yumi】─I’ve been curious for a while, but that Psycho Clown monster speaks really well.
【Pururu】─Apparently, there are a lot of monsters that can talk. Geon said so.
【Yumi】─Really? I thought most monsters couldn’t talk since I haven’t seen any that could be translated.
【Pururu】─Those ones are rare + labyrinth monsters are special. Geon said that most monsters above Grade A can talk. He said so.
“Monsters above Grade A can indeed talk, but their ability to use a structured language isn’t necessarily related to their threat level. There are monsters with high intelligence even if their danger level is low.”
【Yumi】─Hmm. So, are labyrinth monsters less intelligent compared to others?
【Pururu】─It could be that, but it seems more like they just haven’t learned or don’t have the will to learn a proper language. Plus, for monsters like the Dog Spider and Jellyfish, being young might also be a factor. Geon said so.
【Yumi】─Could you tone down the ‘Geon said’ at the end of every sentence? It makes you sound a bit off.
【Pururu】─She said you’re dumb. Geon said so.
【Yumi】─Really?
“I didn’t say that.”
【Yumi】─Phew.
【Mysticism】─🤭
After another hour of exploration with my assistants,
We reached a dead-end after a total of five hours.
Or more accurately, we encountered a large door blocking the path.
【Pururu】─Huh? What’s with the door all of a sudden?
【Yumi】─Wow, that’s a huge door.
【Mysticism】─😦
“There’s a door here too. There was one in Passage No. 4 as well.”
Though its size and shape were different from the door in Passage No. 4.
Moreover,
While the door in Passage No. 4 had an ominous vibe, this one didn’t feel unsettling.
It seemed like an ordinary door, just a really big one.
［Kirik. You must open the door and pass through. The drifters are beyond it.］
The clown tapped the door with the back of his hand as he spoke.
At that, Rizenova approached the clown and placed his hand on the door.
“Stand back. I will open it.”
With Rizenova’s strength, he should be able to open it.
Even with the difficulty toned down, he was still a C-rank individual.
I could probably open it with the buffs from the Jellyfish, but I didn’t feel like dealing with the hassle.
“Haaaap!!!”
Rizenova gathered all his strength and pushed against the door.
【Pururu】─It’s not opening. Judging by the fact it’s not budging, maybe it’s a door you need to pull?
【Yumi】─No, it’s definitely a push door. There’s no handle to pull.
After catching his breath,
Rizenova mustered his strength once more.
This time, he let out an even louder shout.
“Hooop! Haaaap!!!”
Thud─
The door, which had remained motionless, finally began to shift.
Gradually, the door gained momentum, and the gap widened.
Eventually, it seemed to gain its own force and swung open faster.
Rumble─
With a deep resonance, the massive door fully opened.
“It… it’s open!”
Rizenova, panting heavily, raised his head.
And his gaze was fixed on the sight beyond the door.
【Pururu】─??
【Yumi】─Gasp?
【Mysticism】─😦
Under the dazzling sunlight,
An endless field of green stretched out before us, welcoming us.