Volume 3, 37: Secret of the Smuu Household
Earlier, when I used my magic spell, it was evidently felt by the maids and the three members of the Smuu household. Knowing that I couldn’t stay here for long, I quickly took out my Blasphemer and knocked the entrance to the ventilation duct open. I turned back and cast freezing magic on the freezer’s door to seal it. Then, immediately after, I went into the duct.
Kuh, it’s hard to crawl in here.
Not just that, this place is freaking narrow!
If I recall, in most games, several protagonists use this ultimate passage to complete missions in different buildings! But why does it hurts so much when I’m the one crawling?
Suddenly, I felt the pain of being the protagonist of a game. Every day, he had to crawl in this slippery passage. It must have been really tough on him.
Although it’s for the sake of killing people or to eavesdrop on others, but as the saying goes, ‘a career open to all talents , without distinction of birth’. As professional assassins or thieves, they must endure the pain that comes with their career.
But, I’m simply a Magician. Although I sneaked in here for the sake of a quest, but, at the very least, you should have made this passage easier to crawl in, right?
However, there’s no point in lamenting any further. After all, even I complain, it won’t be able to stop the people outside from chasing me. If I don’t run now, I won’t be able to make it.
Whatever the case, I don’t even know how I’m squirming inside the ventilation duct. Slowly, I got used to it, and I was somewhat able to move forward.
However, what’s terrible was that I’m not able to look at the direction I’m heading towards in the duct using my mini-map. And I’m not playing any ‘assassination’ type of game, where I will be able to get to my destination just by following a single main path in the duct.
However, I do know the general direction I have to go to. Currently, it’s evident that I will be courting my own death by staying at the upper floors. The best way right now is to head towards the lower floors.
Hence, I quickly used the duct to head towards somewhere where I could head downstairs.
After all, I don’t have to worry about not being able to leave this place, as I have the ability to teleport.
But I’m more interested in the person called Yoei, who lies in the basement.
No matter how I look at it, the key to completing the first part of the quest is to look for that guy.
After moving for a long time, I finally arrived at an intersection. Poking my head forward to take a look, I was momentarily loss for words.
What the hell?
Who the hell was in charge of designing the ventilation duct in this building? Is this long vertical duct supposed to be a joke?
Have you ever considered the feelings of the people who make their living off crawling inside these ventilation ducts?
I couldn’t even see the bottom of the hole. Just how deep is this?
It can’t be a direct passage from the 8th floor to the ground floor, right?
No, does this ventilation duct include access to the basement? If I jump down like this, I will definitely fall to death, right?
But it looks like I don’t have any other choice.
Tapping the ‘Light Step’ skill, with both of my hands placed against the two walls of the duct, I began to slide downwards.
My speed was getting faster by the second! This isn’t a joke at all! This feels like the time I rode a roller-coaster!
But..
This is the first time I’m riding on a type that goes all the way down..
Peng!
With a loud thud, I broke through the bottom layer of the duct, and my body crashed onto the hard floor.
It hurts so much..
Putting aside the level of danger, the fact that my HP bar was almost emptied made me break out into cold sweat.
Looks like I have to research on an advanced version of ‘Light Steps’ in the future. For example, a skill that could let me run on water using ki or something. Otherwise, in the future, if I drop from such a height, even if I don’t die from it, I will definitely be crippled.
And I can’t use Ice Magic currently, for example, using Ice Totem to control my rate of descent. Otherwise, I will definitely be exposed.
Other than earlier when I was in the freezer. After all, the entire room was already filled with ice. Having another block or two wouldn’t make a difference.
I quickly recovered my HP, and then got off the ground.
Looks like this fall did not result into a tragedy. Currently, I’m actually in the basement. Looking at the metal door at the side, I realized I wouldn’t be able to enter this place from anywhere else other than from the ventilation duct.
After all, the lock in place looked pretty high-grade. Without an advanced-grade lockpicking ability, it probably wouldn’t open at all.
Alright, this isn’t time to investigate the doorlock. My current task is to investigate all the things here before someone else enters the place. There might be some information that could help me complete the quest in the basement, after all.
After surveying the entire room, I immediately headed towards the table and kept all the paper documents into my ring. Then, I took a look at the bookshelf at the side. Anything that could be taken, I took all of them. I even took the bookshelf itself.
....
Why do I feel like my current behavior is so familiar? It feels like I did something similar in the past.
Ah, forget it. It’s best to not mind about such things.
While I was taking all the things in the room, suddenly, something at the corner of the room caught my eye.
From the looks of it, it looked like a giant cylinder, and there was a deep green liquid inside it.
More importantly..
Yoei’s name indicated that he was inside!
Oh my god, is this guy already dead? And his body is turned into a specimen? Is this the distorted love of his sister?
No, if he’s actually dead, his name shouldn’t appear at all.. Oh right, didn’t they say he was controlling his doll from a faraway place?
Is that place inside this container?
He spends his time in this container for 365 days a year and 24 hours a day?
historical
Oh my god. And you actually have not turn into a specimen or turn moldy. Unbelievable.
But the color of the liquid was overly dense. I couldn’t see his figure at all. Hence, I’m not able to see his current state.
However, a small book that was placed at the side of the container gave me some clues.
“Human Body Dollification Plan.. What the hell? Is he actually thinking of turning his own body into that of a monster? This isn’t hereditary disease at all. He’s simply crazy, right?”
Quest Information Updated
Investigation on Smuu household’s hereditary disease completed.
2nd Quest: Investigate the Smuu household’s Human Body Modification Plan.
When I saw this notification, I finally heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, the first part of the quest was completed.
But evidently, this was a huge quest. From how I felt since I obtained the quest, this quest made me realize that there are different types of side quests in this world. After completing this quest, I should be able to have a better understanding of the structure of this world.
Hopefully, the rewards at the end are sufficiently large. Otherwise, I would have suffered that fall for nothing.
Seeing that the names in the upper floors were getting closer, I gulped down an entire MP Recovery Potion, and tapped on Flash Movement. In the next second, I appeared in the male toilet in the library.
With great honor, I decided to bestow this male toilet at the Ice Magic section the title of First Transfer Point. Teleport whenever, and wherever, without fail.
Before I left the place, I switched back into my usual attire, and took off my disguise. Then, I walked out of the door.
“Yo, hardworking student. Such a coincidence, huh.”
“Pu!”
The moment I stepped out of the toilet, I was given a shock. Aliyah was actually sitting on a chair next to a bookshelf which was beside the male toilet entrance. At her side, there was a stack of books, and she was looking in my direction.
“You, just what..”
“As long as I wait at your transfer point, I will naturally be able to find you. You weren’t at your room, the restaurant, nor the library. Then, I predict that you’re doing some shady business. And whenever you’re doing something shady, usually, you will directly teleport back here when you’re done, right?”
“Fine, fine. You’re smart, I will admit that. But, I have to say two things. One, I wasn’t doing any shady business, I was doing something related to a quest. Two, if you want to look for me in the future, just drop me a message. What the hell are you doing? Is sitting next to the male toilet entrance that interesting to you?”
“You don’t have to get so worked up~”
Throwing the book on her hand aside, she stood up from her seat.
“Geez, you’re not thinking for the people that are pure at heart at all.”
“Mind your own business.”
“Alright.. Speaking of which, I received a pretty good quest. Want to help me with it?”
“What quest is it?”
“Do you know of human body modifications?”