Chapter 83. Merino Ula
I had tamed a total of 125 jellyfish.
It was a number we could easily accommodate in the hideout. However, I didn’t bring them there.
They kept calling me “Daddy” and clinging to me, which was just too much to handle.
So, like the Dog Spiders exploring Passage No. 2,
I left the jellyfish in their original habitat and assigned them to explore Passage No. 3.
And now that I was back at my place—
“Take responsibility for me.”
I was being harassed by a crazy sheep Beastman.
“What exactly are you asking me to take responsibility for?”
“You violated me! So, take responsibility!”
“I’m telling you, I didn’t do anything to you while you were asleep.”
“You liar! You’re such an irresponsible man!”
“…This crazy woman is impossible to talk to.”
“Hooeeeng.”
The sheep Beastman, who seemed to have serious mental issues, was named Merino Ula.
She was a Drifter who had ended up in the labyrinth from another world.
【Pururu】─Wow, we’ve got a real idiot here. The misunderstanding is ridiculous. She’s asking to get killed.
【Mysticism】─😠
【Pururu】─Also, Geon, if she doesn’t drop that disgusting speech, tell her I’m going to chop her horns off.
【Rizenova】─She seems like a beast without intelligence. How about we just turn her into lamb skewers?
【Bubble Bubble】─I’m in favor.
【Yumi】─It might be fine with a monster like the Pig King, but eating a species that looks similar to us… wouldn’t Kang Geon find that pretty uncomfortable?
【Rizenova】─Don’t take it seriously. I was only joking.
【Bubble Bubble】─Oh, it was a joke, huh.
Fortunately, after I kept repeating that I hadn’t laid a finger on her, the suspicion slowly began to fade from Merino Ula’s face.
She made that dumb “hooeeeng” sound again and asked me in a pitiful voice.
“You really didn’t do anything to me?”
“I don’t do weird stuff to defenseless people.”
“…Was I mistaken?”
“Yes. How many times do I have to say it?”
Merino stared at me.
Then, as if embarrassed, she started rubbing her horns with both hands and soon knelt down, pressing her head to the ground.
“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry for doubting you even though you saved me!”
At least she knew how to admit her mistakes.
I sighed and accepted her apology, pulling her up from the ground where she was repeatedly bowing.
“But, Merino.”
“Yes?”
“There are a lot of other people here besides me.”
“So?”
“Why did you suspect only me of being a rapist? I feel kind of bad about that. Let’s hear your reason.”
I was irritated, but at the same time, I was curious.
Do I look like a criminal?
Sure, my body’s a bit bulky, but my face isn’t particularly scary, is it?
I hate to say it, but back when I was in the army, I sometimes heard people say I looked rather delicate if they just looked at my face.
I frowned slightly and stared at Merino.
She fidgeted with her horns again and replied.
“If I were going to be violated, I’d rather it was you. The others aren’t my type. I can’t even imagine being attacked by them.”
“…”
She really was just crazy.
Her answer was absurd, but at least she hadn’t suspected me because I looked like a criminal.
That was a relief.
【Bubble Bubble】─Sigh.
【Bubble Bubble】─It’s obvious she’s been trying to seduce Gauntlet this whole time.
【Yumi】─Exactly. She’s like a sly fox disguised as a sheep.
【Mysticism】─Fox woman! 😡
【Rizenova】─Isn’t the only fox here Melody Fox?
【Pururu】─Rise, shut up.
“So, where is this place?”
“Wow, that took you long enough to ask.”
Anyway, now that we’d cleared up the misunderstanding, we could finally have a normal conversation.
***
Merino Ula.
A human with sheep-like features, a sheep Beastman.
Her home world was called Ovisland.
Apparently, she had been eating grass outside when she suddenly found herself here.
In other words, she had no idea she’d been swept up by a Dark Portal.
【Pururu】─Wow, she’s amazing. She might be the dumbest person in the world at this point.
【Yumi】─She seems even dumber than you, Pururu.
【Mysticism】─🤭
【Bubble Bubble】─Judging by her intelligence, we probably don’t need to worry about her.
【Rizenova】─What do you mean by that?
【Bubble Bubble】─It’s just something.
“Merino, there wasn’t anyone else around while you were eating grass, right?”
I casually shifted to a more informal tone.
Merino didn’t seem to mind and answered.
“That’s right. I was eating grass all by myself.”
So, it seemed like no one else had come through with her.
After that, I explained various things to Merino.
The Dark Portal.
The world of the Ancient Labyrinth.
Explorers and Drifters.
And so on.
I made sure to tell her all the important information so that she could understand and accept the situation.
Merino nodded her head the entire time, listening attentively without questioning anything.
“…I see.”
“Did you get it?”
“…Yes, I got it.”
【Pururu】─That idiot definitely didn’t understand a thing.
【Rizenova】─I agree. She looks like she has no idea what you were talking about.
【Yumi】─It’s clear. She didn’t understand a single word.
I had the same feeling.
But I had no intention of explaining it again.
I didn’t feel like going through the trouble.
“So, what are you drawing?”
Merino’s gaze shifted to the notebook in my hand.
I had been drawing her because I was bored.
“It’s your portrait.”
“Hooeeeng! Are you confessing to me?”
“I’m drawing for fun. Stop misunderstanding.”
“So it’s not a confession? What a shame…”
I kept moving my pen.
Then a question popped into my head, and I glanced at her sideways.
“Oh, right. I forgot to ask, but have you noticed any changes in your body since we met?”
“Changes? What kind of changes?”
“Like, maybe you’ve gotten weaker or something?”
“Weaker? Hmm…”
Merino began touching her body, rubbing her horns, tapping her face, and even groping her chest.
【Pururu】─Why are you touching your chest? ㅅㅂ
【Yumi】─The more I see, the weirder she seems.
“I don’t think anything’s changed. I still feel full of energy, and I don’t feel like I’ve gotten weaker.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure!”
I paused my pen for a moment and looked directly into her eyes.
“Staring at me like that makes me embarrassed. I might get pregnant.”
【Bubble Bubble】─Gauntlet, let’s just get rid of this sheep.
【Mysticism】─She’s a lunatic. 😶
【Pururu】─I’m out of words at this point.
Merino’s current threat level was F-class.
I thought it might have been nerfed.
I had already confirmed through Rise that Drifters’ powers were weakened. But then a question crossed my mind.
Would E-class or F-class also undergo a two-stage nerf?
If they’re already weaker than ordinary people, wouldn’t further weakening make them barely functional? Would they even need to be weakened that much?
Of course, I knew that lower than F-class existed.
For example, Poison Apple’s summons.
I can’t assign a grade to them by my standards, but there is no such thing as G-class. Anything below F-class is just… below F-class.
Anyway.
I felt like my question had been somewhat answered.
“…It seems that the ability of the Explorer only weakens beings down to F-class. Weakening them further would basically turn them into living corpses.”
In other words.
Whether they were D-class, E-class, or F-class.
If weakened by the Explorer, they would all end up as F-class.
And Merino Ula, standing in front of me, was purely F-class.
Since she had said herself that she hadn’t noticed any changes in her strength, it confirmed that her power hadn’t been reduced.
【Pururu】─Wait, so there’s a minimum threshold?
【Mysticism】─😮
【Bubble Bubble】─I thought everyone got nerfed no matter how weak they were?
【Rizenova】─It makes sense. As Gauntlet said, weakening someone beyond F-class would make them unable to move at all.
【Bubble Bubble】─Ah, that’s true.
【Pururu】─Yeah, Poison Apple’s summons were super weak, even weaker than F-class.
【Pururu】─But why were they nerfed below F-class?
“That wasn’t a nerf. It’s just that Poison Apple lacked the ability to summon a proper creature.”
【Pururu】─Oh, so it’s different from the Hedgehog’s summons.
【Yumi】─So, in the end, F-class beings are the only ones benefiting. They don’t get weaker no matter what.
【Mysticism】─E-class only gets nerfed one level, so that’s not bad, but D-class is pitiful. They’re reduced to the same level as actual F-class. 😭
【Pururu】─Haha, from superhuman to ordinary in no time.
【Bubble Bubble】─More importantly, how is Merino F-class? She’s a Beastman, so why is she so weak?
“Not all Beastmen are strong.”
【Rizenova】─She does look rather frail.
While I was talking with the assistants, Merino suddenly pushed her head close to mine.
“What are you all talking about?”
I had already explained about the assistants to her earlier.
“Nothing you need to know.”
“Hooeeeng…”
I picked up my pen again and made a few adjustments to the entry I had written about Merino in the guidebook.
—
■ Merino Ula
– Threat Level: Pure F-class (Likely to lose to Pururu)
– Notable Traits: Drifter
—
“Merino.”
“Yes?”
“Do you have any abilities… actually, never mind. You probably don’t have any.”
“Yes, I do! Don’t underestimate me!”
“You do? What kind of ability?”
“The ability to eat anything!”
【Pururu】─What an idiot.
【Mysticism】─🤔 Is not being picky about food really an ability?
【Yumi】─Well, technically, I suppose it counts…
I stared at Merino coldly.
“…”
“D-Don’t be disappointed! That’s not all! I can also cook anything and make it edible for others! Even things people normally can’t eat, like poison, fire, or smoke! Everything!”
“Don’t lie.”
“I’m telling the truth!!!”
Was it because she was upset that I dismissed her?
Merino looked around frantically, then picked up a small rock from the ground nearby.
“Watch closely! I’ll cook this for you right now!”
I decided to wait and see.