The next day found them surrounding the table. The monster, Hermit, was atop the table, sending weak signals of hunger through their connection.
"Well? Are you going to eat it?" Temur asked, looking at Jael intently.
Litha was also nodding along with him.
Jael summoned his Codex just to be sure. Last night, they had talked well into the night, and naturally, it touched on the monster, which after reading his newly updated Codex, he wasn't so sure he trusted the spellbook.
It read –> [Unholy Bond: The Hermit– a parasitic undead monster that lives off its host. Consuming it will lead it to try to take the host's body]
Jael scowled. "Why did I have to put it in my mouth? Can't it just...attach to my body?" His stomach rolled and he looked away in disgust.
"Oh stop whinging. That's why you haven't eaten anything this morning. Be quick; if anything happens, then we will be here to assist." Litha said.
Jael looked at how they prepared for the 'assist'; Temur held a sword, and Litha already gathered mana in her hand. But he nodded; there's a lot to do today so he should quit wasting time.
His grandmother taught him the secret to using bitter medicine is not to think about it and try not to smell it. So Jael picked Hermit up, threw his head back, mouth open wide, and then he swallowed.
The monster touched the back of his throat as it went in, and he nearly threw up, but he had another problem to fight immediately. Hermit was trying to take over his body.
The monster that was slow while outside swam like a dolphin inside him. He felt it, like a rat in a sack. It flowed, passing some unknown way upward, and soon it got to his brain, and it was then that the pain began.
Litha and Temur stared at Jael as his stomach grumbled and he smiled sheepishly. "Now, I am the one that is hungry."
Temur snorted out a laugh. "Somehow. That makes perfect sense."
°•●●•°
It's afternoon and they found themselves in the middle of Novice Town. It was a bustling place with a lot of people, tourists, and Climbers, but most people here are new Climbers hoping to take the floor test of 102 before going to 101 where the real test of ascending the Tower began.
The first place Litha took him to was the merchant's guild. It's an open place, a market of sorts where you can sell and buy things, and she sold some monster cores, telling Jael to watch her as she bargain because there's no fixed market.
"See here," she told him after she pointed out which buyer he should approach or not. "Demons are best if you want to sell monster cores; they are very good at bargaining, so you better have your wits about you.
"Dwarves are good weapon sellers. They'll not try to swindle you too. Do you see human sellers? If you want to deal with slightly illegal goods, no questions asked. The Mothari are good for repairs..."
And so she began, teaching him how to sell and buy because, in the Tower, it's a necessity. She showed him around the market, not minding the amount of people. With Temur there to act like a natural bulldozer, they moved almost freely.
Jael enjoyed his time as best as he could; he sold all his monster cores except for two Iron-rank ones for Hermit. Then he bought some stuff, clothes, healing potions, some anti-venom, a magical object that can provide water. Some long-lasting food – because according to Litha– anything might happen, so it's best to have all this in your spatial ring– and more clothes.
Then it was Temur's turn. He led him to his favorite weapon seller. An old grumpy female Dwarves that eyed Jael up and down before she requested for him to bring his right hand. She inspected it and shook her head. "Why do you want a weapon? You have one right here."
She refused to elaborate even when Temur pressed her, but eventually, she sold him some daggers and a sword.
"Old cryptic bat," Litha muttered as they left the place behind. "They like to always talk like that. Just like Temur's Codex. Fortunately, I don't have such problems. Alright then! To the registration center!"