However, much to Ackster's chagrin, Wilma wasn't displeased or annoyed at Ackster's answer.
"I see. That makes sense. Thanks for your honesty, Dean."
She used his fake name with a playful wink. Although she knew his true identity, there was no need to use his real name. It was the name of a dead man, and it would serve no purpose to use it. She could also understand that Ackster didn't want The Hero to catch a whiff of his continued existence.
"So, what's your request?"
Ackster was a little miffed that Wilma took it in stride, but he realized that he wouldn't gain anything by that. He should do the same as Wilma and take it in stride that Wilma hadn't lost out. She was already prepared to do a lot to help him. Ackster asking for a favor was a good thing since it meant he was starting to rely on her more openly instead of her forcing him to rely on her.
"Help me make it stronger."
"You mean…?"
"Yeah. I want to evolve it."
"And you're sure it's possible?"
"There's no reason it shouldn't be."
"Fair enough. Alright. I'll look for ways on how to do that, but I'll need to know a little about the skill first?"
'In for a penny, in for a pound.'
Since he had already told her the name, it wouldn't matter that much if he told her more. Besides, even if anyone found out about the details of Strong Body, there wouldn't be much they could do since there weren't any easily exploitable weaknesses. And, Ackster had also started getting more powerful skills.
He didn't think Limit Breaker and Monster Muncher could quite measure up to Strong Body, at least not in their current ranks, but all of his strength and growth were no longer tied to Strong Body alone.
"My body is better in every way, at least as far as I can tell. My senses are sharper. I'm stronger and faster than I would be without it. My body memorizes movements and learns new things at once. And, as you already know, it increases how quickly I heal. That should be enough, right?"
Wilma stared at Ackster wide-eyed yet again.
"And you want to make it even stronger?!"
Although Wilma's sudden outburst startled Ackster, he played it cool.
"Of course. All those increases are slight. It won't take long until the skill becomes obsolete since my other skills will do more."
"Alright."
Wilma sighed in defeat.
"And I'm guessing you wanted a self-regeneration skill to stack it with Strong Body?"
"Yeah."
"Do you think they'll synchronize?"
"I see no reason why it shouldn't happen."
"Okay. I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks."
Wilma spoke with finality in her voice as if she was concluding their meeting, but she still didn't let go of the ironwood box. Ackster sighed. He had given Wilma what she wanted, so why was she still holding on to the box?
"Dean."
"Yes?"
"Nold, the guy who made this, was batshit insane."
"Okay…?"
"But he was a genius. A crazy genius."
"..."
Ackster didn't bother responding.
"Everything you need to know to get started is inside the box. But there's nothing about Nold himself inside."
"..."
Wilma could tell that Ackster was running out of patience.
"Words won't be enough to describe him, but you'll realize once you start practicing how mad he was."
"..."
"I'm just saying that you shouldn't lose hope. For obvious reasons, the true extent of his secret technique has never been explored, so I can't guarantee that it is actually as great as it's supposed to be. So, if you can't handle it, don't feel like you're forced to continue. Even a little progress has been of great help to those who have retained their sanity."
"..."
"Please be careful."
Wilma looked deep into Ackster's eyes with a serious gaze to convey that she really wanted him to be careful. He didn't have to force it if it wasn't meant to be. And if it was too painful, he could quit at any time. After all, it was entirely possible that nothing but pain and misery awaited him at the end. If he went mad or ended up crippled, he would lose too much. And
"Sure."
Ackster grabbed the box.
Regardless of Wilma's cautioning, he had to try at least. If Nold's Secret Skeleton Refinement Technique delivered what it promised, if the supposed pain was worth it, he would have another reliable pillar of strength to prop him up in his inevitable battle to stop the end of the world.
And considering his opponent was The Hero and how he was already spreading ripples through the world that would inevitably affect the flow of the world and possibly The Hero's growth, Ackster would need every source of strength he could get his hands on.
He left the Guild and headed back to the inn, where Mio waited for him. He couldn't wait to begin reading about how to acquire the skills Wilma had provided. But he was most interested in Nold's Secret Skeleton Refinement Technique due to how Wilma had warned him about it.
His Pain Tolerance was C-rank, and he felt pretty confident in his ability to endure. But if it was enough to make Wilma that wary and bad enough that he hadn't read about it in the original story, C-rank Pain Tolerance probably wasn't enough. If it was, trying to learn it wouldn't have driven people mad.
However, with Strong Body to support his Pain Tolerance, Iron Will, and Clear Mind, Ackster didn't think it was impossible to make at least a little headway. And if it were too hard to the point where he couldn't handle it, he would simply have to find another way to grow stronger. In the first place, Nold's secret technique wasn't something he had planned on, so not being able to use it wasn't necessarily a detriment to his plans, especially if trying to learn it would impede his progress instead.
But, although curious, Ackster had to sleep first.