The Skill Collector

Looking at the mansion surrounded by high walls.

There were as many as four gatekeepers standing in front of the heavy iron door, so when I looked in "Appraisal," I had excellent skills.

"That's pretty tight security,"

I just spoke to him in a whisper next to his left, and he laughs unexpectedly when he remembers that there is no cuyoli.

We had been acting together for nearly six months, but since I had my left arm regenerated, I started to move alone again.

She's waiting for me at the inn she's based in, I think. If you are keeping your promise.

She wanted to accompany her on the journey, but she is good at combat but not at covert action.

Caution is scattered where I have sold my effective skills, so I get caught up in all the traps and accidentally make noises and destroy things.

I gave Cuyoli the 'sneak feet' for once, so he should be doing some special training by now.

I was breathing when I trained my skills and sharpened my attention to become a partner on the journey, so I decided to show them my accomplishments when I left.

"Well, it wasn't even if you were laughing at it."

He watched the mansion from the shadows, but appeared magnificent and moved to the front of the gate.

The vigilant gatekeepers spear and stick their tips out in the direction of the path.

"Who is it! Do you know this is the home of the great merchant Xcel?"

"Yes, of course. I was a stubborn pedestrian and I call myself a collector. Dear Xcel, could you please take care of me? If you give me your first name, you'll understand."

"He said he was a collector... He's suspicious, but I'll ask your stall. Wait a minute."

Is there anything to get rid of without question?

Observe the gatekeepers with a sales laugh.

Possesses' swordsmanship 'or' mastery '. Some' signs perception 'owners are suitable for watching. Don't be comparable to intermediate adventurers if you're only capable.

You have to play a lot of money when it comes to hiring someone with all these arms.

Is there anything more than being called a big merchant?... I've become a fine man.

The only thing that bothers me is that they're wearing hooded coats and wrapped cloth around their mouths. In other words, skin exposure is the only thing in the eye.

Is it reasonable to assume that you were injured because of your abilities or that you hired adventurers who retired from active duty for some reason?

One of the gatekeepers who disappeared into the mansion ran over and gave me some ear slapping at the gatekeepers who were shocking me.

As soon as I was in a hurry I stretched my spine and lowered my head deeply.

"Excuse me! He said to let your stall pass right away. Come on, come here!

Brilliant leopard.

Two gatekeepers lead us into the other side of the gate. Colorful flowers bloom in the garden, and the branches and leaves of the trees are prepared.

I could see in the corner of my sight that the gardener was still taking care of the flower beds.

A careful observation of the nearby flowers reveals a shape that I have never seen before. I have seen flowers with similar shapes, but they are not so beautiful red.

I do remember that only white existed.

"It's a stunning garden. Seems like a lot of flower varieties I've never seen."

"Yes. This is your prized garden. They're picking up rare grass flowers from all over the place, even if it's just the garden that you can see through the window for your sick daughter."

"Really? You're sweet."

A treasure trove of plants I have yet to see myself crossing the continent for hundreds of years.

This may have utilized plant-based skills, such as' cultivation '.

It is treasured because if it is used by those who farm rather than such a rare skill, the yield will be tens of times higher than normal.

Some of them own it as gardeners...... I was given a peek at the skills of the gardener who is caring for the garden, but there is no 'cultivation'?

I felt my gaze as I was looking at the garden, so I turned my gaze in that direction and I saw a shadow in the room upstairs in the corner.

It's over the lace curtain, so I can see the contours of the thin pieces, but it looks like an adult woman in a dress.

They closed the curtains immediately, so I don't know any more.

"What's wrong, collector?"

"No, because someone was watching from that room right now."

One of the gatekeepers who sees you pointing fingers all the time leaks "Oh".

"This is Master Niya's room, isn't it? They always peek into the garden through the window. He's sick and he shouldn't go outside, and he won't show his face directly in front of us."

Does that mean I haven't been out of the room in a long time?

I wanted to hear a little more about my daughter, but she seems to have arrived.

As prompted by the gatekeeper, enter the white-painted two-story mansion.

Armored figurines lined up sloppily on the walls of the huge hall, decorated with paintings and large pots for nothing.

I can't honestly say I have taste, but it doesn't feel like a rich house that many imagine.

As I followed the neighborhood closely, my legs stopped in front of the deepest door on the ground floor.

Various flora and fauna are carved on the surface of wooden doors, and if you are a commoner, even if you estimate it lightly, you can discern it as something worth living for a year.

"I'll be here. We've brought your roommate and collector."

"Whoa, well! Please come in."

There's a man's voice coming from across the door.

At the end of the open door there was a large space where small private houses could enter softly.

A fat man sitting on a black leather sofa in an indoor with a bright red carpet laying on him rises shaking his cheek meat.

"Ooh, it's been a while, collector. You guys can back off."

The hand of the man holding my hand to wrap it around is slightly sweaty, but let's not worry about it.

"The collector is no different than before."

"You've changed. Seems pretty fuzzy."

"Ha ha, gold and wasted meat seem proportionate. Thanks to you for lending me all that money back then."

He laughs cheerfully as he slaps his swollen belly with bread.

The man in front of me - was it more than twenty years ago that I first met Xcel? Twenty years old back then, he was a businessman there, a simple young man who couldn't even be described as a good business man in flattery.

You seemed to respect me as a senior pedestrian, and at one time you accompanied me on my journey like a pushing apprentice.

He called me "Master, Master" in a nostalgic way, and laughed and got over it no matter how hard it was, he was such a man...

"I miss you. I was still a young man who didn't even know how to do business. The days I asked to teach many times and traveled with them"

"I've just been forced to accompany you, though."

Flowers bloom in old stories remembering those days.

Now that we're talking about recent developments, is it time to ask about it?

"By the way, I heard your daughter was ill and stuck in her room."

"Yes. I was born weak and exhausted..."

"Have you looked into your skills?

"Of course that is. Apparently, it's not the effect of skills, it's a disease that hasn't been figured out yet."

If this is a skill that adversely affects you, you will feel better if you buy it, but it is difficult if the illness causes it.

'Health' is a disease-resistant skill and does not immediately cure the current illness. However, with skills, resistance increases and full healing is faster.

"If you don't mind, may I sell you 'Health' later?

"Thank you for your concern. But I can't do that. My daughter is... incompetent."

"Was it"

He knows I can buy and sell skills because he has traveled with me.

So I also understood the existence of the incompetent and its meaning.

An incompetent person who does not have a skill slot will not gain skills.

I just went on to have an unusual conversation from there for an hour, and decided to cut to the point.

"You know why I visited here today, don't you?

The look that was smiling and loose turns into something more serious.

He seemed to remember them properly, too.

"Of course it is. At that time, I decided to quit the traffickers, put my roots in the land, and live as a merchant. Because in doing so I got a lot of money on terms of selling my skills twenty years later. Was the promised day… today?"

The man stands at the window when he stands up and looks down at the garden.

"I didn't remember the exact date and time, but I understood it was time"

"Then you can sell it as promised."

"Yes, of course. Sell 'Fusion' Skills"

Twenty years ago, he became independent because of the birth of a child.

In doing so, he gave a lot of money on the condition that he would sell his rare skill, Fusion, in twenty years' time.

It has been a great success to this day.

"By the way, did you understand the use of 'fusion'?

"Yeah. I couldn't even activate this skill back then... but I managed to use it."

Cheer disappeared from my voice. Quiet and pale talking.

Is that skill now available? He said he didn't know anything at the time.

The 'fusion' skills have been shown to exist in past literature, but there was no key statement as to what kind of ability they were.

When you were spending time with me, you didn't know the trigger conditions, and the treasure was rotten.

"I noticed activation conditions within various attempts, and I can't fuse inorganic objects with each other first. I'm sure you know I've tried this many times."

"Right. In the sense of the word fusion, we thought about fusing things together and experimenting with it."

"Yes. That was my mistake in the first place. The activation condition of" fusion "is that it is an organism of similar nature. This was the minimum condition."

"Is it an organism…"

"You can also merge the two by touching the subject with your right and left hands."

Looking back, Xcel gripping both hands smiling.

I don't make a good impression. It's a laugh.

"At the beginning, we could only merge almost homogeneous. It was only individuals with less vitality and uncomplicated mental structures."

"Is it a plant"

"Your answer. That's just great, a collector. By combining flowers characterized by the shape of petals with beautiful shades of flowers, it was also possible to produce flowers favoured by 10,000 people. You used to combine fruits to create the best flavors."

Are you saying that the grasshoppers that were never seen growing in the garden were a new breed created by "fusion"?

I sold those fruits and flowers and stuffed them up until they called me a big merchant......

"After many years of fusion and increasing skill levels, we have finally been able to succeed in non-plant fusion for several years."

The grin on his mouth deepens, and the suspicious light dwells in his eyes.

There is no shadow of innocent youth anywhere in its appearance.

"It's funny, this skill. When it comes to fusion, it doesn't mix in exactly the same proportion, it's better to grab it with your right hand. If you grab a kamakiri with your right hand and a chow with your left hand, a creature appears with a chow blade on the back of the kamakiri. That habit was pretty much the same as Kamakiri."

"Can that fusion be used on the same opponent as many times?

"No, it will never be used again by the person who used it once.... Unfortunately"

Creation of new organisms. It's an area where people shouldn't step in, but the ancients repeated similar experiments.

Maybe we shouldn't blame them all.

But you should retrieve it before you have any ambitions that are not commensurate. This skill is too dangerous.

"Sounds like a powerful skill. After you buy it, you might want to experiment carefully or seal it."

"That's a waste." Fusion "is a divine skill that has the potential to be a more powerful skill if only it were to increase its level. You shouldn't let them sleep."

The sight of the pixel, which opens its eyes and speaks, is dangerous. I see a glimpse of madness from my congested eyes.

... I've been aware of the dangers of this skill for a long time. But I broke up without buying my skills, believing in his character.

Time is cruel.

It strikes me as bad as a hunch. It's going to be something I was afraid of.

"Maybe so, but it's up to me to decide that. Well, can you sell 'Fusion'?

"I'm sorry, but again, I refuse"

Xcel, who closed her eyes and exhaled small, is shaking her head left and right with her hands on her forehead.

"Oh, you're not making the same promise"

"I'll give you back your money. But I deserve this skill. And there's still work to be done with this. I'm sorry."

Ring the bell in your hand that was placed on your desk at the same time as apologizing.

The multiple signs I was feeling from across the door slipped into the room.

Ten people wearing hooded coats. Everyone dresses the same as a gatekeeper. It would be a private soldier hired by Xcel.

"Oh, what are you going to do?

"I'll get you and have you feed on my 'fusion'. If I'm as experimental as you, I'm sure I'll level up my skills."

"Stupid thing..."

My madly conceived eyes were cloudy.

I don't think he's anywhere else.

The young man, who laughed innocently and spoke fervently of his dream of becoming a great merchant...

"I thought you knew my strength to some extent."

"Yes, of course it is. The masculine figure who defeated the village's devastating Auga with a dagger is still burning in this eye. Knowing that, I said I would capture you."

Confidence to the point of excess.

I had never been serious in front of Xcel, but still showed unusual strength. Take care not to give me weird greed for myself.

I know you know you're no match for an intermediate adventurer.

"You guys, do it for real. But don't kill me... No, you're the one who can't win if you don't do it with the intention of killing him."

Depending on what Xcel says, the private soldiers take off their coats.

It was an alien soldier there.

who had rocky skin.

Who had bird feathers growing from their backs, and bird claws growing from their hands.

who have two horns stretched out of their heads and their mouths protruding like cattle.

He who has four arms.

Soldiers with other characteristics that are not all kinds of people.

"You blended it with animals and demons."

"Your answer. That's the collector."

He looked at me with the right answer, a full grin, and he slapped his hand and praised Xcel.

It doesn't look bad, can you handle it sparingly?

"Fusing people with animals and demons has been extremely difficult. Because vitality and spirituality were not comparable to plants. That's where I flashed. Then I wish I'd cut my body and heart off. I mean... I just need to make him weak."

You must have weakened your body without torturing or eating, or used the injured or the sick.

"Whoa, don't get me wrong. The soldiers took those who had lost their bodies in battle, those who were dying of illness, and 'fused' them with their consent."

Is the prediction medium?

If you were turned into such a monster without their permission, there's no way you could obey.

If you're about to die, some people naturally want to live even when you look like this.

"The intelligence and skills of leading warriors. Animals and demons can be added to it. Can you beat them like that?

"You can count on it, so come quickly. I will correct your apprentice's thoughts."

"Do it!

Along with the decree of Xcel, the soldiers of the aliens attacked at the same time.

Practicing the regenerated arms is also combined to improve your skills to enhance your martial arts abilities and respond with hand-to-hand karate fists.

Some private soldiers spit like stomach fluids out of their mouths at sharp slaughter beyond people, but they were not enemies.

After a few minutes of kicking, I take a breath and notice that Xcel disappears from the room.

"Did you multiply and run away"

Exploring the signs, I can see you escaping in the opposite direction from this room.

Fly out of the room and follow.

The room where Xcel jumped in just before catching up - was the one where my daughter was curing.

Once inside through the open door, that's a huge space more than a room in Xcel.

It's too big for one daughter to live in. Huge beds are placed in the center of the room.

There was a sweaty xel beside it, and what he was stuck with were thin legs with verses with countless black and short hairs.

It (...) grows eight from the hem of a beautiful brunette woman's dress who smiles gently, with a big swell.

"You blended your daughter with a big spider."

A giant spider demon, as its name suggests, with a body bigger than a person.

Exactly the same as those legs. I have encountered it several times, so there is no mistake.

"Oh, yeah! What's wrong with that! They captured the great spider, the most vital creature in the neighborhood that lived for hundreds of years, and merged it with their daughter in order to save her daughter, who was only sick and waiting to die! That made my daughter so much better!

My daughter stares at Xcel screaming all over her spit.

The person at the time didn't talk about anything, he was just stroking his father's head.

"All the fused experimental subjects had a short life span. That was just a short lifespan for the demon itself! But this guy can make my daughter live longer. Still, if you don't have enough life span, you just need to increase your skill level and fuse it with more demons! I can reborn my daughter more beautiful and stronger! I can't even have a conversation right now, but all of them are set to talk to me like they used to!

It looked more like you were telling yourself what you had done than explaining to me.

Is my daughter keeping her silence because she can no longer speak the language?

Maybe he was heavily influenced by the big spider when he fused. Individual capacity differences were too open, which made a huge difference in the spirit of her daughter.

No, it wasn't that easy, her ego swallowed up by a big spider. Considering......

"I'm not interested in your excuses and aesthetic sense, but let me ask you one question. The Great Spider is a monster that eats people. How was your daughter's meal?

"I've decided that! They fed the slaves they bought for experimentation in fusion and the kids from the neighboring villages they had taken. It's been a lovely little girl's dinner, and they'll be happy with it."

Was it that crazy?

After understanding that my daughter is no longer a person, I continue to surround and raise her.

The need to forgive me, the emotion to put on...... has disappeared.

Apparently, I have to get my reborn left hand dirty.

"I'm sorry, Niya. You haven't had dinner yet. If I get rid of that man, I'll be at dinner as soon as possible...... Hey, what are you doing, Niya? Can you wait till later? Wrap the thread around me...... Hey, what's going on? He's your father. ⁉"

When you turn the hand you were stroking your head into Xcel's arms and shoulders, you start wrapping spider threads stretching out of your palms around your body.

I was in a hurry, but I was already covered in white thread from the neck down.

Her daughter smiled and hoisted her father with two spider legs, her tiny lips ripped to her cheeks and her jaw opened a large mouth that came off gakung... swallowing from her head.

When my daughter strokes her belly satisfied, she closes her eyes and begins to sleep when she says she has me.

He exhaled loudly as he watched the burning mansion.

I don't know if this ending was right.

She is no longer a person. She cannot live alone.

We cannot miss any more of the foolishness of those who were disciples.

The private soldiers chose to die of their own free will. "I'm not going to live with this body. Because it's a short life ahead anyway".

I already took out the people who were trapped in the basement, who were going to be experimental or feeding. I'm going to take you straight to the neighboring village.

Stop walking on your back through the burning mansion and look back one last time.

Staring into my daughter's room, which hasn't collapsed yet, that sight came back to life.

The moment he was eaten by his daughter, he did laugh.

There is no more way to be sure now whether you were losing your sanity or playing madman for your daughter and deluding everything.

But he seemed satisfied. That's all true.

"I can use fusion. I could melt him and be one with my daughter. That's ironic.... Stupid apprentice."

If he had raised the level of 'fusion' and been able to activate it against his daughter again, would he have tried to be one in the same way?

That's what I thought.