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Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 5 - Chapter 6




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Extra: A Change of Clothing 
Paladin, Ray Starling 
Ten days had passed in Dendro since the incident started by a certain bastard in a lab coat. 
Rook, Marie, and I were still staying here in Gideon, busy either sparring or fulfilling guild quests. 
The need for repairs in the city had created a demand for building materials, and Shu’s obliterating Jeand Grasslands had turned it into a habitat for strong monsters which needed to be culled. Such quests were so MMO-like that they reminded me that Dendro was, indeed, a VRMMO. 
As for the sparring... though I rarely came out as the victor, I’d learned quite a lot. 
My opponents had included Marie, Shu, Xunyu, Figaro, and even the other local duel rankers. Though they’d allowed me to use consumable warding accessories, my victories had still been few and far between, which was a clear testament to just how strong they were. 
Thankfully, all our duels had taken place within the arena barriers, so all the items used and accessories lost had come back to us once the battle was done. With the Lifesaving Brooch and the other stuff I’d used having a combined cost of about 10,000,000 lir, I’d never appreciated the restorative functions of the arenas as much as I did now. 
10,000,000 lir — in other words, ten times more than we’d received for killing Gardranda. It was a great fortune no matter how you looked at it, and it was in no way an amount I could have used when I’d started out. But the current state of my finances allowed me this luxury. After all, I’d recently had two great bursts of income. 
First, there was the money I’d won by betting the reward for the Gouz-Maise Gang on Figaro. The 60,000,000 I’d put in had been multiplied by 1.2, giving me 72,000,000. Cleaning up after the mess made by a certain bastard in a lab coat had made the reward come a few days late, but it had come nonetheless. 
Then there was the reward from Count Gideon. 
He’d presented great amounts of money to all the Masters that’d fought in Franklin’s game. The newbies who’d escaped the central arena and those who’d already been outside had received especially large portions. 
Sadly, Marie hadn’t been among the recipients, since only our inner circle knew that she was the Superior Killer, but she’d made her share of the Count’s money by doing other work for him. 
Naturally, Shu was rewarded with the greatest sum of us all. 
“With this and the drops from the Suicide Series, I made back enough fur a tenth of the ammo I used,” he told me. 
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the total cost. 
That aside, the subject of our rewards wouldn’t be complete without the story of how Rook used his, and my involvement in it. 
It had happened two days ago... 
 
As I sat around, thinking of what to do with the copious amount of money I’d received from Count Gideon and through betting, Rook walked up to me. 
“Ray, can I ask for your help with something?” Rook asked. 
“Hm?” I said. “Well, this is unusual. It’s rare for you to ask for something.” 
“Perhaps,” he admitted. “But this is something I just can’t do by myself. It’s related to my job change...” 
For a while now, Rook had wanted to switch to being a Lost Heart — the pimp grouping’s high-rank job. It had three conditions: having reached level 50 as a Pimp, the sum total stats of all underlings being above a certain point, and at least 1,000,000 lir earned through Pimp work. 
Rook had already cleared the first two, but the third one was proving to be an issue. He probably could’ve gotten the money when he’d done the modeling quest, but he’d chosen Marilyn and her carriage instead of a monetary reward, so it didn’t count for the condition. 
Because of his inability to move on to Lost Heart, after he’d maxed out Pimp during Franklin’s Game, he’d switched to Tamer and leveled up his Monster Strengthening skill. 
And I guess he’s now found a way to solve the problem, I thought. 
“You have an idea for how to switch to Lost Heart?” I asked. 
“Yes.” He nodded as he reached into his inventory and took out a coin pouch. “Could you give me a job and use this money as my reward?” 
“...Ohh, I get it,” I said. 
Earning 1,000,000 lir through honest Pimp work would likely take lots of time and effort. But if you prepared the necessary money and had a third party give you the job, you’d clear the condition as if it were no big deal. 
I’m guessing this option became available thanks to Gideon’s reward, I thought. 
“This bag has 1,000,000 lir for my reward and 1,000,000 lir for the Pimp guild’s charges — a total of 2,000,000 lir. Use it to give me a job,” Rook said. 
“Yeah, sur— Wait, the Pimp guild takes half the money?!” 
Holy shit, what a kickback! 
“I can’t really fault them,” said Rook. “The Pimp guild must pay lots of taxes to continue being an official guild. There are some Pimps who don’t like that and do pimping on their own... but that’s a crime here in the kingdom.” 
...So the Pimp job is a gray zone in and of itself, I thought. 
Apparently, the merchant grouping’s Slave Dealers were handled in a similar manner — work through a highly-taxed guild was legal, while freelance slave dealing wasn’t. The kingdom was somewhat... no, very strict about this. 
Anyway, I took the money, went to the Pimp guild, and gave Rook a job. 
It didn’t matter what I requested, but I’d remembered seeing an elephant stand on a ball while watching the morning news, so I’d nonchalantly written down that I wanted to see Marilyn do the same. 
It went without saying that I’d come to deeply regret not giving them an easier task. 
They had taken quite some time just finding a ball large enough for a triceratops-sized creature to stand on, and then they had to spend an entire day and night training her to be able to do it. Naturally, I was really sorry about all this. 
Still, her success had made her fulfill the request, and Rook had cleared the condition, letting him become a Lost Heart. 
Also, a short while after my request, a rumor had spread throughout the city that “some rich weirdo paid 1,000,000 lir to a guy just to see a monster step on a ball,” creating a sort-of “ball-stepping boom” among Gideon’s Pimps and Tamers. 
 
Now, back to my circumstances. 
The money I’d won in the bet and the Count’s reward had given me some leeway in spending, allowing me to buy lots of various equipment. I’d started by giving Shu the accessories I’d broken during my first quest, and then bought myself a Lifesaving Brooch and other items, among which was a simple prosthetic arm. 
It could be best described as a hook that a generic pirate would wear. It didn’t connect to my nerves or anything, and it was much like a long glove that I wore on what remained of my lost arm. I could use MP to make the hook tighten, but I couldn’t fine-tune it, and the lack of fingers made it impossible to use as a normal hand. 
Some would question the tightening function’s usefulness, but the answer to that was simple: holding a horse’s reins. According to Alejandro, the man who’d sold it to me, these prosthetic arms had been developed for knights and nobles who’d lost their arms, but who still wanted to ride their horses. As the proud owner of Silver, I greatly appreciated that function’s existence. 
There was the problem in that it limited my left side to only being able to hold the reins, making it a blind spot in horseback battles. And its shape didn’t allow me to equip the left Miasmaflame Bracer, either. But there was no use in minding that right now. 
Apparently, Legendaria and Huang He had high-quality magic prosthetics, while Dryfe was highly advanced in the mechanical side of the spectrum. However, all such prosthetics were custom-made specifically for the customers, so you couldn’t find them anywhere on the market, which went doubly so here in the kingdom. I couldn’t waste time trying to get what wasn’t available here, so this prosthetic arm was more than enough, especially since I’d likely find a way to heal my arm sooner or later. 
Still, I couldn’t help but note that those surrounding me — mainly Nemesis — looked at me as if they had something to say. 
Well, the hook’s pretty pirate-like. It probably stands out, I thought. 
Anyway, with the leeway in my finances, I could allow myself to roll the gacha in Alejandro’s shop. Specifically, one 100,000 lir roll per day. Honestly, I had the money for it and was up for more rolls, but Nemesis just wouldn’t have it. 
“That’s all I will allow. Roll any more, and I’ll eat food that costs as much money as you spend,” she’d said, making me back down immediately. With how spacious her stomach was now, that threat sounded all too real. 
That aside, the gacha had yet to give me any capsules above C rank. Unsurprisingly, Bs and above were considerably rarer than the ones below, meaning that Rook and I had been very lucky to land an X and an S on the same day. Still, I felt that it was high time the gacha blessed me with a B or an A. 
With that thought in mind, I came to Alejandro’s place, did my shopping, and stood before the gacha to make my daily roll. 
“...Let me ask you something, Ray,” said Nemesis. “The fortune in your hands allows you to buy most of the things you require, no? What compels you to roll the gacha?” 
“It’s the unknown,” I replied. 
“...I’d prefer it if you didn’t try to make it sound so cool.” 
Was it wrong to find something attractive simply because you didn’t know what it will give you? 
Anyway, it was my turn, so I threw in today’s 100,000 lir and made my roll, which gave me... 
“...An ‘A’?” 
The capsule was marked with a letter denoting the second highest level of rarity — not quite a jackpot, but close enough. However, my excitement was drowned out by my confusion at the capsule. 
The S one that Rook had received had looked like a rainbow-colored mineral, while, aside from the obvious rarity, the X capsule I’d gotten Silver from had looked perfectly normal. But I definitely couldn’t say the same for the capsule now in my hands. 
It was black in color, the “A” on it was blood-red, and, for reasons unknown, the letter was written in a “melted” font. Not only that, but the capsule’s surface was covered in lines much like blood vessels. To top it all off, it had letters on it saying, “WARNING: Please don’t open when children are nearby.” 
...What the hell? was just about all I could think about it. 
“What you hold in hand is a wealth coffer of hex and malediction,” said a voice coming from my side. 
I looked away from the capsule and towards the source, where I saw a girl wearing gothic-looking dress armor. 
“Oh, Juliet,” I said. She was an acquaintance of mine. 
Juliet the Black Raven was one of Figaro’s fellow duelists, and the fourth in the kingdom’s duel rankings. She was one of the two Masters who had fought in the semi event before the Clash of the Superiors. I had come to know her through Figaro and sparred with her several times now. 
Despite appearances, she was very easy to get along with, and since she was younger than me IRL, I could talk to her with no reservations to speak of. 
“Heh heh heh,” she chuckled in a curious manner. “We haven’t been in one another’s presence since our last immortal battle two nights ago, Light and Dark-Wielding Hero Clad in Violet and Crimson.” 
Sure, she talks a bit strangely and uses one of my weird nicknames, but she’s an okay person, anyway. 
“Oh, yeah, I haven’t seen you since our sparring match two days ago,” I said. “So, do you know something about this capsule?” 
“Verily. The coffer seals a maledicted artifact soaked in blood and tainted by grudge. The mark of rarity speaks volumes about the treasure’s power, but alas, that power might prove to be a double-edged blade that gnaws at the wielder’s heart.” 
Mhm... 
Basically, she was saying that “There’s a cursed item inside. The A means that it’s something good, but it also means that the curse is powerful, as well.” 
“Mh...” Nemesis looked at me in silence. 
“When balance thrives, the one to suffer the malediction will be the wielder alone,” Juliet added. “But when the stars of ill omen shine bright in the heavens, the calamity will fall upon those environing them, as well. Never banish this memory to oblivion, lest you bring about a new tragedy.” 
I see. 
She was saying that “Normally, the curse only affects the one equipping the item, but it might sometimes extend to the people around you, so be careful.” 
“Mhh...” Nemesis continued quietly looking at me. 
“All right,” I said. “Then I guess I’ll go open this somewhere with no people around. Thanks for the warning.” 
“Heh heh heh,” Juliet chuckled. “My advice needs no gratitude. But if you so desire, O Light and Dark-Wielding Hero Clad in Violet and Crimson, we may partake in yet another immortal battle.” 
“Sure, let’s spar again sometime.” 
With that, Juliet and I parted ways. 

All right, so I’ll go open this where there aren’t people around, and... 
“...Might I ask you something?” Nemesis said with an indefinable expression on her face, finally breaking her silence. 
“What is it?” I asked. 
“How can you talk to her so smoothly?” 
“What? Juliet? Sure, her gear is a bit scary, but she’s a good, approachable girl.” 
“That’s not what I... Oh, never mind. If you don’t get it, I won’t push it.” 
...What’s with her? I wondered. 
Anyway, we moved to the usual place: Nex Plains. Ever since I’d gotten Gardranda, this seemed to have become my go-to testing area for new items. 
Upon confirming that there were no people within 100 meters of me, I opened the cursed capsule. 
Inside, I found upper body armor called “CBR Armor,” where “CBR” stood for “Cursed Bloody Regeneration.” 
It was a piece of light armor that was blood-red in color and generally looked very sinister. 
It gave +200 to defense, making it even tougher than Gardranda — the hardest piece of equipment in my arsenal. 
Additionally, it came with a level 3 skill called “Bloody Regeneration,” which restored three HP per second. That didn’t seem like much, but it was completely passive and didn’t use a bit of my MP or SP. 
Though not as unbalanced and broken as a special reward, CBR Armor was definitely a decent piece of equipment. However, it was called “Cursed” for a reason. 
The item said: 
CBR Armor 
Armor mass-produced by a wicked alchemist. 
Provides the user with regenerative abilities born of the grudge seeped into the steel through the blood of the victims. 
This unstable source of power afflicts the wearer with various curses. 
Curses: Bleeding, Doom, Weakness. 
I was all too familiar with the effects of the debuffs named. 
“Well, this thing sure doesn’t have a pleasant background,” I said. “And wearing it makes you bleed out, renders you immobile, and cuts your stats by half... Basically, this is just a damn blood bag generator.” 
I can’t use this at all, I thought. The decent positives don’t make up for the insane negatives. What the hell was the guy thinking when mass-producing these? 
Not only that, but it had a total level requirement of only 50, most likely to make it equipable so that it could curse as many people as possible, and if that wasn’t kindness nobody wanted, I didn’t know what was. 
What do I even do with this...? Can I sell it...? I don’t think I’m getting my 100,000 lir back, though. 
“A Dark Knight could probably wear it without a problem,” I said. 
Jobs from the dark knight grouping, like Juliet’s Fallen Knight, had a skill that weakened the negative effects of cursed items. 
Because of that, this armor would’ve been good for a Dark Knight, but I happen to be a Paladin. 
“Eh?” Nemesis released a confused-sounding voice. 
“Eh?” I responded the same way, confused by her confusion. 
“...Oh, right,” she said. “You are a Paladin.” 
“You shouldn’t forget your partner’s job,” I said. 
“Well, your battle style and clothing are a far cry from ‘Paladin-like...’ And to think you used to shine so bright.” She put her hand over her mouth, so I couldn’t make out much of what she was muttering. 
But man, whoever thought that an armor that gives you Bleeding and Weakness was a good idea... Hm? 
“Isn’t that one fewer curse than before?” I asked. 
I still had the armor’s description window open, and it felt like the text there had changed a bit. 
The three debuffs became two, didn’t th—? Oh, it dropped again. 
Now it was just Bleeding, but soon enough, that one disappeared, as well. Not only that, but the skill level on Bloody Regeneration had dropped from 3 to 1. 
It now said: 
BR Armor 
Armor mass-produced by a wicked alchemist. 
Provides the user with regenerative abilities born of the grudge seeped into the steel through the blood of the victims. 
It used to afflict the wearer with various curses, but they vanished when the grudge was dispersed. This weakened the armor’s regenerative abilities. 
Even its name and background were different. 
“...Why?” I asked. 
“How curious,” said Nemesis. 
Why had the grudge just gone and “dispersed”? Had it gotten sucked out or something? 
“Ah,” Nemesis and I simultaneously exclaimed and looked at my feet... towards my Grudge-soaked Greaves — an item that could absorb and store the surrounding grudge. 
Unlike Gardranda, who I’d talked to while out cold, it didn’t appear to have any remnants of consciousness, but I couldn’t help but feel that it felt satisfied and well-fed. 
Apparently, it had absorbed the grudge from the CBR Armor. 
“...I had no idea you could be used like this,” I said. 
The curses had been caused by the grudge, and with it gone, they’d vanished, as well. As a result, the unusable CBR Armor had become the usable — if slightly weakened — BR Armor. It was definitely better than the armor I was wearing just to fill the slot, so I didn’t hesitate to put it on. 
“Hey, it looks spiky, but it’s actually pretty easy to move in,” I said. 
I quickly took a liking to it. With the good defense value and Bloody Regeneration, I had no reason not to use it. 
“Mh...” Nemesis looked directly at me, clearly wanting to say something. 
“What?” 
“...Nothing. You’ve made your choice, and I won’t say anything against it.” 
“Hm?” 
Nemesis wasn’t as articulate as usual today. 
“Is something troubling you?” I asked. 
“I’d be lying if I said ‘no,’ but it’s not something I can tell you,” she replied. 
I could only assume that it was some girl thing, so I had no business pushing her any further. 
“Fine by me,” I said. “Let’s get something to eat.” 
“...Very well.” 
And so, elated thanks to my new gear, Nemesis and I returned back to Gideon. 
 
Dryfe Imperium, Triangle of Wisdom headquarters 
That day, a certain man in a lab coat — namely, the Giga Professor, Mr. Franklin — was checking the footage filmed by the spy monsters he’d sent to Gideon’s surroundings. 
He’d been gathering information this way for a while now, but things had changed recently. 
Following Franklin’s Game, Gideon had become filled with skilled counterespionage personnel, making it impossible for Franklin’s spy monsters to enter the city. Because of this, nowadays, he was only sending monsters to the city’s surroundings. 
Of course, Franklin had no intention of executing any more plots in Gideon, but the city was the main haunt of the one he considered to be his archenemy, and he wanted to observe him to the best of his ability. This loathsome person happened to appear on one of his monster’s footages as Franklin was casually eyeing them. 
In the Nex Plains, he opened a capsule he’d gotten from a gacha machine, received a cursed piece of armor, spent some time thinking about something, then equipped it and returned to Gideon. 
Upon seeing that, Franklin began to ponder. 
“That appearance...” 
A demonic bracer on his right hand. 
A gnarled hook instead of his left. 
A pair of boots fashioned from the dead. 
Clad in armor rife with curses. 
“...He honestly looks more like a Hell General than our actual Hell General.” 
Ray’s fashion sense was staggeringly heinous, but the boy was completely oblivious to it. 
Franklin was aware that someone who constantly wore a lab coat wasn’t all that much better, but even he felt like there was a thing or two to say about Ray’s appearance. 
“Did no one tell him about this?” Franklin mumbled as he looked at the archenemy in his monitor with a hint of pity in his eyes. 
Franklin’s question was nothing but reasonable, and the answer to it was, “No. No one told him.” 
Ray was surrounded by people such as Shu, who was always in an animal costume; Rook, a guy in a Slime coat; Marie, who wore a suit despite being in a fantasy world; Figaro, who only cared about stats and wore a mishmash of gear because of it; Xunyu, who had prosthetic arms and legs far too long for anyone; and Juliet, who wore a highly-adolescent set of gothic dress armor. 
Other Masters weren’t all that different, so tians tended to simply ignore it, thinking something like, “Well, he’s a Master, so...” 
There was no one who could tell Ray about the state of his fashion, as anyone wanting to do so would be rendered incapable of doing so when they simply looked at themselves. 
And so, spurred by their silence, Ray’s fashion took a turn toward the dark side.
 





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