Chapter 78. Jafan
The name of the vending machine monster was Jafan.
It was a name I had come up with on the fly, just to make it easy to call.
Fortunately, Jafan recognized me as its parent, which made the taming process go smoothly.
Once the taming was complete and I finished recording the monster’s details in the guide.
［A newly born monster, huh…］
Neo Hyeong-seok muttered as he suddenly approached me.
Having self-awareness and access to Min Hyeong-seok’s memories, it seemed his curiosity about the labyrinth monsters was quite strong.
［Neo Hyeong-seok. Don’t approach Gauntlet recklessly.］
［I’m sorry, Master.］
At the command of the Necro Puppet Master, Neo Hyeong-seok drooped his shoulders and backed away.
I told him it was fine and called him back.
He wasn’t the real Min Hyeong-seok anymore, so there wasn’t much reason to hate him now.
Hesitantly, while keeping an eye on the Puppet Master, Min Hyeong-seok returned to my side.
He stared intently at Jafan and spoke.
［The letters on the vending machine… Those aren’t translated characters, they’re just Hangul as it is. And since this is a newly born monster, it’s likely…］
Neo Hyeong-seok stroked his chin.
After thinking for a moment, he continued.
［This… No, it seems to be a monster born from the influence of either Min Hyeong-seok or you, the Explorer. Since Hangul is the writing system used in South Korea, on Earth.］
【Pururu】─Huh??
【Mysticism】─🧐
“Born from our influence? What do you mean by that, exactly?”
［Based on what I’ve seen from Min Hyeong-seok’s memories, sometimes new monsters are born under the influence of the Explorer.］
Neo Hyeong-seok explained further.
In short.
When the Ancient Labyrinth creates new monsters.
It sometimes analyzes the Explorer’s homeworld to do so.
［When it creates monsters under influence, it seems to reflect the races, environments, cultures, technologies, and even imagination from the Explorer’s home world.］
“Imagination?”
［Imagination refers to things like myths or legends, creatures that don’t actually exist but are passed down as tales, or characters from movies, comics, or novels.］
Even the Centaurides didn’t know this information.
Min Hyeong-seok, that guy, had been pretty serious about his exploration.
To the point where he discovered this special information.
“…So you’re saying that Jafan was born with Earth’s vending machines as a motif?”
［Yes. That seems to be the case. If you look over there, you can even see Co–Cola on the shelf.］
【Pururu】─Huh? It’s really there?
【Yumi】─Whoa, I just noticed.
【Mysticism】─😱
Until now, I had thought it was just a drink that looked similar.
But when I checked closely, I saw that the label on the bottle actually had the Co–Cola brand name.
It was indeed a monster born from the influence of Earth.
【Rizenova】─Perhaps a monster influenced by the world of Lumina or Elemencia, where Bubble lives, could be born as well.
【Bubble Bubble】─That might be possible. Even if we aren’t Explorers, we are assistants who help Explorers.
【Bubble Bubble】─Especially since Elemencia is Gauntlet’s second home.
As I listened to Neo Hyeong-seok’s explanation.
A term that had been mentioned before suddenly came to mind—the Labyrinth Development Fund.
The lumps of desire and coins taken as fees.
I had always wondered what they were used for, as it was said they were being used for labyrinth development.
But now, I had a vague idea.
‘So that’s what the Labyrinth Development Fund is used for…’
Expanding this world of the Ancient Labyrinth.
Creating new monsters.
It was probably used for things like that.
The coins I spent purchasing tickets were likely used in a similar way.
‘Then this monster’s birth might have been more influenced by me than by Min Hyeong-seok.’
The Dominant One doesn’t use coins.
There’s no assistant to send him coins, and in the first place, his abilities are fundamentally different from mine.
Even if it was analyzed from Min Hyeong-seok, the reason it was able to fully form was probably thanks to the coins I used.
“Either way, since it’s a monster born from Earth’s influence, I feel a certain connection to it.”
I said as I stroked Jafan’s body.
Jafan trembled slightly, letting out a faint sound.
It seemed like a noise of contentment.
【Rizenova】─Hmph.
【Bubble Bubble】─What’s with that?
【Pururu】─Gross~ That sound is nasty. LOL.
【Yumi】─Is it a pervert?
【Mysticism】─😰
After jotting down the new information I had learned, I called Jafan over to check its abilities.
There’s no way its only ability was to dispense drinks.
It’s an S-class monster, after all.
***
The basic drinks it provided.
No, since it didn’t sell them, it would be more accurate to say they were displayed rather than for sale.
I thought I’d need to insert coins to get a drink, but it just provided them for free.
Anyway, the basic drinks were,
PET bottle cola, soda, canned coffee, water, and so on.
They were the kinds of things you’d typically find in a vending machine on Earth.
And they were just ordinary drinks.
I went ahead and dispensed a large amount of cola and shared it with the monsters.
【Pururu】─I thought the drinks would give some special buff. Disappointing.
【Yumi】─So what’s the difference between this and a regular vending machine?
【Mysticism】─Is that thing really S-class?
【Rizenova】─Providing normal drinks isn’t a bad ability, but it’s underwhelming for something with an S-class threat level.
【Bubble Bubble】─??? Isn’t that ability actually amazing?
As Elise had said.
The ability to create drinks without any conditions was pretty incredible.
A power that could generate liquids infinitely.
If that’s not a cheat ability, what is?
Even just one of these monsters in a world could eliminate the worry of a water shortage.
I decided to check more of Jafan’s abilities.
Just in case it had more to offer.
And, as if to meet my expectations.
It turned out Jafan had another ability besides dispensing drinks from its shelves.
It could infinitely create anything it had personally consumed.
It didn’t need to be a perfect liquid either.
As long as it was something close to a liquid, anything was possible.
［Sss. Sssss.］
［Jafan! Thanks! I’ll eat well!］
After consuming the magma from the Black Magma Slime.
Jafan was soon able to use the power of magma without any issues.
【Yumi】─What?!
【Mysticism】─😱
【Bubble Bubble】─See? I told you it was a cheat ability.
【Pururu】─Whoa, that’s definitely a cheat ability.
【Rizenova】─Ohh… The fact that it can even handle something like magma… impressive.
【Bubble Bubble】─So it doesn’t need to be a perfect liquid, huh.
Just the fact that it could manipulate magma.
That alone ensured it had at least minimal combat abilities.
It truly deserved to be an S-class monster.
Oh, and its body was also incredibly sturdy.
It didn’t even flinch from most attacks.
While it couldn’t withstand the attacks of SS-class monsters, which required the Medical Mushroom to heal it, it could easily fend off attacks from other S-class monsters with its sturdy and resilient defense.
If there was one drawback, though.
It couldn’t move on its own.
When I brought it to the hideout, I had to carry it myself.
【Bubble Bubble】─Of course, its defense is strong. It can’t move from its spot.
【Mysticism】─Let’s give it legs!
【Pururu】─How are you going to give it legs?
【Rizenova】─You could use a Levitation Sphere.
【Yumi】─What’s a Levitation Sphere?
【Rizenova】─It’s a gravity-defying orb. Since Jafan has arms, it could ride on top and control its movement freely.
【Rizenova】─Gauntlet, shall I send you one?
“…That sounds expensive.”
【Rizenova】─It is.
“Then no thanks. I’ll just assign it to the base team instead of the exploration team.”
If the Levitation Sphere was cheap, I would’ve gladly accepted it.
But since even Rize admitted it was a high-end item, I declined.
It would be nice if it had mobility, but it wasn’t a dealbreaker if it didn’t.
I’d rather have the coins to support me than spend money on that.
［Explorer, are you dissatisfied with Jafan’s inability to move?］
Neo Hyeong-seok cautiously interjected, reading the flow of the conversation based on what I’d been saying, even though he couldn’t see the assistants’ chat.
“No, not really, but why?”
［If you are, I thought you might want to consider modifying Jafan’s legs.］
“Modify?
How would you do that?”
［There’s a machine-type monster with the ability to modify bodies. Once tamed, we can ask it for help.］
【Pururu】─There’s a monster like that? This labyrinth has all kinds of crazy monsters.
【Mysticism】─A mechanic! I want to see it!
A machine-type monster with the ability to modify bodies…
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have one.
“Do you know where it is?”
［I have a rough idea. There’s a place a little far from here where machine-type monsters gather. It’s probably there. Shall I guide you?］
“Not now, but guide me later.”
I had no intention of exploring that place for now.
Since it was a bit far from here.
I’d have to set aside a proper day and organize a new expedition team to go check it out.
For today, I planned to enjoy a drink festival with the drinks Jafan provided.
［Daddy! Drink more cola!］
And share the drinks with everyone.
［You guys drink too! Drink lots! Japfaaan!!!］
By the way, there was also beer, but I didn’t drink it at the moment.
Alcohol on an empty stomach is a bit…
***
On the 41st day in the labyrinth.
After a breakfast that included a can of beer.
I used the ticket I bought from the vending machine earlier, the Wandering Merchant Tracking Ticket.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work like a GPS, displaying a map with the Wandering Merchant’s location.
「Move forward.」
It only gave me voice guidance.