Chapter 21: Mushrooms and an Apology

What was that?

Marlow was completely dazed, not understanding what the Elf meant.

Previously engaged in a heated battle with the bees, she hadn’t paid much attention to the changes on Lumina’s side.

It sounded like a new skill the Elf had obtained. She casually pulled up the other’s System Panel to see if there were any new changes to the familiar interface and content.

There was indeed something new.

**[Pain Mitigation Lv 2]: Slightly reduces the impact caused by pain.**

Because the Elf did not have the ability to obtain skills by eating like she did, this skill could only have been obtained automatically after gaining enough experience, just like the Staff Strike she possessed.

‘Dammit, the Proficiency Mechanism has betrayed me.’

If Marlow had a body, she would definitely be breaking out in a cold sweat and feeling incredibly guilty right now.

It was just like being caught bad-mouthing someone behind their back by the person themselves.

Furthermore, she had gone a step further; the bad things she did had been discovered by the Elf. Even though it was an accidental result, making someone experience various forms of “torture” still made her feel quite guilty.

She wasn’t some perverted sadist who enjoyed torturing others for pleasure.

Originally, she thought that if the Elf didn’t find out, she would just pretend it didn’t exist, but since the other party had already noticed, she had to state her position.

“This is a skill that can alleviate the sensation of pain. It will be very useful when injured, allowing those who cannot focus due to pain to barely continue casting spells.”

Without waiting for the Mushroom Miss to speak, Lumina explained to herself. After a brief explanation, she suddenly changed the subject.

“Practice is one of the methods to master a skill. After becoming proficient in a certain ability to a certain extent, it is possible to obtain a skill. However, I have never practiced adapting to pain… So Marlow, what exactly did you do while you were using my body?”

“I’m sorry!”

“Eh?”

An expression of astonishment appeared on the face of the Elf who had received the apology.

Her question was actually just out of curiosity, without a hint of blame or anger.

If there were emotions, they were there; after all, she had endured a lot of pain for no reason. But she had never thought about expressing them to the mushroom. Firstly, the other party was her savior, and secondly, she didn’t quite dare to complain.

That was the Marlow who threatened to grow little mushrooms on her, after all.

Because of this, the fact that Marlow would apologize to her was even more unbelievable.

“At the time, I wasn’t sure if you were still alive, so I was a bit… bold when using your body. Actually, I can’t be blamed entirely for this. Your body’s recovery ability is very strong, making it suitable for a playstyle that trades injury for injury. It would be a pity not to use such a talent.”

Her tone carried a hint of regret, mourning the fact that the Elf could not utilize her own advantages. However, in the end, she still explained somewhat awkwardly.

“Regardless, it caused a negative impact on you. I am truly sorry for that.”

‘I don’t think it’s a pity at all…’ Lumina thought. She was someone who was very afraid of pain. She couldn’t stomach this kind of talent; it was better off wasted.

“Cough, Marlow, you really are quite human.”

‘Hmm? Is that really not a jab at me?’

If she hadn’t felt that there was truly no malice from the Elf, she would have thought the other party was being black-hearted and retaliating for her joke about the swing.

“Haha, is that so?”

She could only respond with a strained laugh.

“But you don’t need to apologize to me,” Lumina’s soft voice said seriously. “If it weren’t for your help, I would have died at the hands of that Wolf-shaped Magic Creature long ago. I have always remembered this kindness.”

As she said this, she suddenly realized that Mushroom Miss had not intended to save her in a subjective sense. All of this seemed more like a result of a series of accidents…

Marlow needed her body, so she saved her after she was killed by the magic creature. But because she hadn’t died completely, she woke up again after being stimulated by several injuries.

Regardless of the reason, the fact that Marlow saved her was indisputable.

“It’s good that you remember. Don’t go questioning your savior’s words so casually in the future. Since I saved you, I wouldn’t deliberately send you to your death.”

Since the Elf had put it that way, she naturally accepted the identity of the savior.

She hadn’t even thought about this aspect before. In fact, if she had known that the Elf would wake up because of the stimulation of pain, she wouldn’t have used that death-defying playstyle.

People are selfish, and she was no exception.

However, there was no medicine for regret in this world. There was no need to feel remorse for things that had already happened, not to mention that the little Elf was quite interesting. Maintaining the current state was fine.

It would be even better if she could give the Elf a Unified Will skill as well.

Hearing this, Lumina remembered the past when she had misunderstood that Mushroom Miss wanted to harm her.

The little Elf felt a bit ashamed. After all, judging by the results, facts had proven that Marlow was right. Instead, it was her who felt like a bit of an ungrateful white-eyed wolf.

After leaving the Labyrinth, she would stop thinking about purifying Marlow for now.

She nodded, but still couldn’t help asking curiously, “So, what kind of things did you actually experience?”

Researching and summarizing convenient methods to obtain a certain skill was a perennial topic for adventurers.

Lumina was also keen on this, not only because of the high rewards but also because of her responsibility as an adventurer.

It was precisely because of the experiences summarized by these predecessors that the Adventurer’s Association flourished as it did today. If she had the ability, she should also pass on this responsibility.

“It’s actually nothing. Let me think. Having my throat bitten open, being suffocated by a Slime, having a lung pierced, and having my skin extensively corroded by acid…”

The smile on the Elf’s face froze.

‘This is called nothing?!’

If her hearing hadn’t been so good, she would have thought she had misheard, thinking it was some menu of various tortures for death row prisoners in a prison.

Lumina thought to herself that she was afraid of pain, but the pain she felt before waking up had even left a psychological shadow on her, to the point where she had an extraordinary fear of death.

She had always thought it was because of her cowardly nature and lack of strength, but looking at it now, it was clearly Marlow who had given her too much “intensity.”

Lumina remembered that because she was particularly afraid, she had been extremely resistant to Marlow’s proposal to deal with the bees. Later, her resistant attitude had even drawn a very nasty threat from her.

Clearly, the culprit was Mushroom Miss. If it hadn’t been for these “projects” she experienced, she might not have felt that death was so terrifying, nor would she have resisted hunting the bees.

Although it was a bit of a stretch, she still felt very aggrieved by this.

‘After leaving the Labyrinth, I won’t be in a rush to find a way to purify Mushroom Miss.’

The Elf thought secretly. She should find a way to transfer her into some creature or object—the kind of vessel that feels things strongly but can’t resist—and then properly settle the score.

Marlow felt a sudden chill from behind, as if someone were plotting against her.

She shuddered and promised the Elf, who had suddenly gone silent, “I didn’t know before, but from now on, I will absolutely never do such a thing again.”

Lumina nodded subconsciously, but she quickly reacted. Now that she was in control of her body, as long as she didn’t give Marlow an opening, how could she possibly engage in such suicidal behavior?

Thus, she wore a polite smile. “Thank you.”