Trait Hoarder

Castle of the Inexplicable – Part 2

The guard captain exploded in anger.

“Do you even know what that is?! Regin, stop! It could be poison! You can’t trust humans!”

“Hmm… Well, the thing is…”

The troll glanced at me, then at the sign I had set up.

I could see his pupils darting back and forth, reading the text.

“Honestly, I don’t think this human would bother poisoning me now. Especially not right in front of our castle.”

“So, you’re going to drink it?”

“No reason not to.”

A wave of concerned and wary eyes fell upon him.

“This is definitely suspicious…”

“An immunosuppressant? Nothing beats the Medical Tower’s immunosuppressants.”

“But I am kind of curious.”

“What? Why?”

“Aren’t you? Why would someone this strong come here alone and start doing all this?”

“Well…”

Pop!

The troll uncapped the vial.

A faint blue mist spilled out like dry ice smoke.

He flared his nostrils.

“There’s something that’s been bothering me.”

“What is it?”

“Captain, you know how bad my sinusitis is. Even my troll regeneration couldn’t fix it, and you’ve always made fun of me for it. Saying I must be an ogre-blooded weakling instead of a real troll.”

“I did, yeah.”

“But the moment I smelled this, my nose completely cleared up.”

With that, he tilted the vial and drank.

Only a single drop of liquid was inside.

Drip.

It slid straight down his throat.

I could see it.

The medicine, pumped by his heart, spreading through his arteries and veins, reaching every corner of his body.

And then—his internal imbalance was effortlessly corrected.

“Huh?”

The troll stiffened.

The guard captain shot up in a panic.

“What is it?! Poison?! A virus?! I told you not to drink it!”

“Captain! Captain… Captain!”

“What?! What’s happening?! Your heart—your heart’s still beating, right?! I’ll go get the Medical Elder right now, just hold on!”

“My body feels amazing!”

“…What?”

“My body—it feels so light!”

The troll looked down at his hands in disbelief.

He clenched his fist.

Then, he swung his spear through the air.

Shh! Shhhk!

The sharp sound of it cutting through wind was completely different from before.

At the tip, cold mana flared like an arrowhead.

Even at a glance, it was obvious—his movements were on a completely different level from when he had attacked me earlier.

I nodded to myself.

‘His mana balance has been corrected.’

The immune conflict between his human and inhuman cells—

It also affected the flow of mana.

A natural and inevitable disruption.

That he had managed to become a high-level Transcendent despite it was impressive, but it also meant he came from an incredibly powerful bloodline.

That troll wasn’t just some average descendant.

At the very least, he was the heir of a Troll Hero or Troll Warlord.

Suddenly, the troll lifted his armor and checked under his armpit.

His eyes went wide.

“My skin condition is gone!”

“Huh? Are you serious?”

“You’ve had that your entire life!”

“It’s gone! Completely! My elbows, my arms, my shoulders—”

“What the—”

“Hey! Your face cleared up too!”

“For real?! Even the Medical Tower’s special ointments never worked!”

The troll looked at his reflection on the blade of his spear, then jumped up and down in excitement.

By now, others started gathering.

They were still hesitant, just observing for now.

Especially the guard captain, who was staring daggers at me.

She still didn’t trust me.

Well, whatever.

I grabbed a handful of extra vials and tossed them out.

Every inhuman around me caught one.

“Huh?”

“W-What’s this?”

“Hey, what the hell?!”

Even the guard captain had caught one.

She yelped in protest but clutched it carefully—despite all her complaints, that reaction was kind of cute.

“It’s a free sample. Try it.”

I said, looking around at the gathered inhumans.

The guard captain’s veins bulged in frustration.

“How do you expect us to trust a human?!”

“Then give it back.”

I stepped closer and held out my hand.

She opened and closed her mouth, but didn’t move to return it.

Despite her words, she clearly didn’t want to let it go.

Of course.

The guard captain also suffered from an autoimmune disease.

In fact, curing her was originally part of the Castle of the Inexplicable’s entry questline.

“Can I really drink this?”

“Screw it, I’ll just try.”

An asura downed his vial.

One of the two guards who had been on the wall earlier.

He seemed close to the troll, so he must have trusted his judgment.

“Uh…?”

The moment the potion went down, something changed.

The asura looked down at his lower abdomen in horror.

“H-Holy shit—I haven’t had this signal in over a month—”

Then, he suddenly bolted toward the castle wall.

Ah.

Right.

Biological functions are important.

If you mess with those, it could literally be a life-or-death situation.

“Screw it! I’ll risk it!”

“If I die, wipe my laptop clean!”

“This smells… really good…”

One by one, they started drinking.

Not everyone had immediate results.

It was natural.

Their conditions varied.

For some, it was their skin.

For others, their organs.

Some had issues with their muscles and joints.

“…Hmm.”

The guard captain’s face grew more conflicted.

She could see it more clearly than anyone.

With Spirit Vision.

That this potion wasn’t poison, wasn’t malicious—

And that for their kind, it was an absolute miracle.

“…Fine. I’ll drink it.”

She uncapped the vial and tilted it into her mouth.

The moment the liquid touched her tongue—

Her entire body jolted as if struck by lightning.

I smirked, watching her.

‘How’s the taste?’

I could see it.

The crystallized mana deposits forming at her joints.

One by one, melting away.

Was it because of her contract with an ice spirit?

Crystalline mana deposits, similar to gout nodules, had accumulated in her body for decades.

Living with that must have been agonizing.

Painful enough to make her wish for death.

It had held her back, limiting her power to less than half its potential.

And yet, she had still managed to reach Level 7 and wield strength on par with others of her rank. That alone was impressive.

“Haa…”

The guard captain let out a long sigh.

Then, her eyes sparkled as she looked at me.

She sheathed her sword, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and gave me a deep, formal bow.

“I failed to recognize my benefactor. I sincerely apologize. And I am deeply grateful for your kindness.”

Finally figured it out, huh?

Since she was showing proper courtesy, I responded in kind.

“It’s fine. As long as you understand that I mean you no harm, that’s enough.”

“It’s just… we’ve suffered too much at the hands of humans. Ten years ago, a large-scale group of hunters attacked us. Over a hundred residents died. I’m sorry.”

“It’s really fine.”

The guard captain signaled with her hand.

The intercept cannons, which had been aimed at me, slowly turned away.

Not that they would have done much to me anyway, but still, it had been a bit annoying.

Feeling the tension ease, I smiled slightly.

“But, benefactor…”

The guard captain called out to me again.

“I would love to invite you inside our city, but that’s not possible.”

“I know. That’s up to the Elders’ Council, right?”

“You really know a lot about our city. Yes, that’s correct. We three captains hold no real authority. Our power is limited solely to protecting the city. Only the Elders’ Council has the right to allow outsiders in.”

“Tell them I’ll wait. They can take their time.”

“My apologies, but you’ll likely have to wait a long time. A very long time.”

The Elders’ Council of the Castle of the Inexplicable was infamous for its sluggishness.

It made sense.

They were all from long-lived bloodlines.

Maybe not quite immortal, but they could easily live for several centuries.

Of course, I had no intention of just waiting idly.

“My apologies for the trouble!”

One of the guards hesitantly approached the guard captain.

“Captain, is it okay if we buy some of the medicine?”

“…Well, I suppose that’s fine. But we’ll need to inspect each vial thoroughly.”

“There you go again with your paranoia.”

“No wonder all the guys run away from you.”

“Shut up!”

A few more inhumans stepped forward, interested in purchasing the medicine.

I exchanged the potions for a fair price.

In return, I received various rare materials, special products of the Castle of the Inexplicable.

Magical alloy coins—currency imbued with magic—were also acceptable.

Mages paid high prices for those.

The magic infused within them was so advanced that just researching them could deepen one’s knowledge of space-time magic.

Still, there was no rush of customers.

The inhumans of the Castle of the Inexplicable were deeply wary of humans.

Even though they themselves were technically human.

I couldn’t blame them.

They weren’t just discriminated against—they were hunted as rare trophies and experimental subjects.

Even so, I couldn’t just sit around wasting time.

[Dragon’s Roar] [Giant’s Strength] [Mana Soul]

[Thor’s Cultivation Technique] [Mana Explosion] [Deep Breath]

I activated Giant’s Strength, enlarging my body.

Using my massive frame like a resonating chamber, I took a deep breath.

Then, I unleashed a powerful Dragon’s Roar forward.

[IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS FOR SALE! SPECIAL FORMULA FOR INHUMAN BLOODLINES!]

It felt like I had become a street vendor.

Oh well.

If I thought about what I could gain from hunting Great Beasts, this was nothing.

Neither Episode 7 nor Episode 4 had arrived yet.

A dragon was waiting for me.

And it carried the final missing piece of the Dragon Knight trait—the [Bond] trait.

[IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS…]

[IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS…]

I didn’t stop. I roared again and again.

The iridescent castle walls reacted.

Magical glyphs surfaced, nullifying the force and authority behind my voice.

Had I spoken with malice or killing intent, a counterattack would have been immediate.

But since my words carried only information, the walls simply neutralized the power in my roar without further retaliation.

Inside, however, things would be different.

Dragon’s Roar was a superior form of Dragon Speech.

And the Castle of the Inexplicable was filled with inhumans who carried the ancient blood of dragons.

Would they really fail to recognize my call?

At the very least, curiosity would stir.

After all, what kind of fool was shouting through their city’s magical barrier?

“Benefactor, you can’t do this here.”

The guard captain appeared, looking troubled.

To shield herself from the Dragon’s Roar, she had covered her head with her ice spirit, shaping it into a helmet.

I glanced at her, then let out another roar.

[IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS FOR SALE! SPECIAL FORMULA FOR INHUMAN BLOODLINES!]

Remember?

Dragon’s Roar could condense an entire sentence into a single syllable.

It wasn’t just a sentence—I could squeeze in an entire speech.

At this point, I was unleashing dozens of syllables per second, bombarding the area like a machine gun of noise pollution.

“…Ha.”

The guard captain gave me a you’ve got to be kidding me look.

Above her head, her ice spirit kept shifting forms.

From a helmet to a crown, then to a visor, then back to a helmet.

“If you keep this up, you’ll seriously anger the Grand Elders. I’m warning you because I respect you, Benefactor. No matter how powerful you are, you cannot withstand the wrath of the Grand Elders.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

The Grand Elders of the Castle of the Inexplicable were Level 8 beings.

But for certain reasons, they were bound to this place.

They were maintaining some kind of seal.

Which meant they couldn’t just charge out and beat me up.

“Oh dear.”

“Well, this is awkward.”

“Um… Could you please stop? Noise pollution is a form of violence too, you know.”

Even the nine-tailed fox, who had fainted earlier, stepped forward and spoke.

She, too, had taken the immunosuppressant I provided.

Her expression was filled with discomfort, yet she couldn’t do anything about it.

She had no grounds to forcibly drive me away.

She lacked the power and the justification.

In the end, only the Elders’ Council could decide what happened next.

“What is all this commotion?!”

Finally, a reluctant elder emerged.

Creaaak! The massive, closed gate swung open, and a gigantic shadow slithered out.

It wasn’t bipedal—it walked on four legs.

It wasn’t human in form.

Imagine a massive lizard with ferocious scales, razor-sharp horns protruding from its head in pairs—

In this world, such creatures were commonly called Drakes.

The Drake Elder glared at me.

“Who in the world are you?!”

“[What else? A person.]”

“You…!”

A Drake that doesn’t speak Dragon Speech, huh?

I tossed a vial of medicine toward it.

“[Go ahead, have a taste.]”

“Hmph!”

The Drake caught the vial midair with a telekinetic spell—

Then snorted.

Its magic control wavered ever so slightly, as if it was tempted to throw the vial away out of spite.

Tch.

These guys were just overgrown chihuahuas with wings.

So, I swelled my body.

[Dragon’s Roar] [Giant’s Strength] [Mana Soul]

[One-Man Army] [Master of the Blade] [Mars Swordsmanship]

I equipped every high-tier trait that amplified my presence and locked eyes with the Drake.

“[Surely, you’re not going to throw it away?]”

“…Uhm.”

The Drake hesitated.

It had seen everything from inside.

How I single-handedly took down three squads of soldiers.

Without killing a single one.

Subduing was far more difficult than killing.

Considering that, the Castle of the Inexplicable had no reason to attack me recklessly.

No matter how strong their three Level 8 Elders were, making an enemy of someone like me would be a huge risk.

“…Hmph.”

With a groan, the Drake brought the vial closer to its eye.

It uncapped it and carefully observed.

Despite its fierce appearance, the Drake was actually a mage.

Specifically, it had a Pharmacist Trait—one I had given up on acquiring myself.

With magic analysis, it could instantly verify the immunosuppressant’s effects.

“…Hah!”

A voice, deep and resonant, burst forth from the Drake’s throat.

For the first time, it spoke flawless English.

“Just how was this made? This is truly astonishing! I have never seen an immunosuppressant this exceptional! It surpasses even the new medicine I dedicated my life to creating… And it works on all inhuman bloodlines? This is a revolution!”

At least it didn’t try to downplay the value.

The Drake turned its gaze toward my cloth sign and asked,

“So, you’re selling this?”

Finally ready to talk, huh?

As a mage and pharmacist, its psychological defenses had crumbled in the face of a true miracle drug.

“That’s right.”

I stopped using Dragon’s Roar and returned to my normal voice.

“If the conditions are right, I won’t just sell you the ones I’ve made—I also have two truckloads of raw ingredients stored on my aircraft. I can even hand over the recipe.”

“Hmph…!”

The Drake cleared its throat.

Its eyes burned with desire.

Every citizen of the Castle of the Inexplicable suffered from autoimmune diseases.

Transcendents could manage, but children were another story.

With this miracle cure, their 30% infant mortality rate could be drastically reduced.

I could see the realization in its gaze.

For a brief moment, the Drake’s eyes flashed.

It must have contacted the other Elders via magic communication.

Then, as if nothing had happened, it turned back to me.

“And what conditions do you require? Let’s hear them first.”

“It’s simple. I need hunting support.”

“Hunting? What could you possibly need help hunting?”

“There is something.”

I pointed slightly behind the Castle of the Inexplicable.

The Drake’s face immediately hardened.

“The creature I seek is the Arctic Sovereign.

The ruler of these frozen lands.

A Level 8 Great Beast.”

–TL Notes–

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