76. Erosion (2)
76. Erosion (2)
"Viviant-nim's Unique Ability is the Status Window, right? Like the ones in comics or anime!"
Viviant couldn't answer Lea's question right in front of her.
She just couldn't snap out of it, faced with a Lea who was completely different from the one she'd imagined.
'Has Lea-nim also been... e, eroded? If so, since when? But Lea-nim said that monster was her child. So does that mean that monster was born from Lea-nim, just like how Gwen gave birth to Stacey? But—'
"Viviant-nim? What are you thinking so hard about? You're ignoring what I said?"
Lea, who hated being ignored more than anything in the world, grabbed Viviant's lower face hard with her hand.
"Mmph—!"
"Viviant-nim. From now on, if you don't answer me, I won't be able to be nice either. Got it? If you understand, blink slowly twice."
Kkumppuk. Kkumppuk.
"Good. I'll ask again. Viviant-nim's Unique Ability is the Status Window, right?"
"Y-Yes... yes..."
"Ha... finally."
The moment Lea found a human with the Status Window—the Unique Ability she'd wanted more than anything since coming to this world—she felt pleasure for the first time.
Her lips curled up, dopamine exploded in her head, and an excitement she'd never felt before surged through her.
Viviant could only tremble at the sight of Lea like this.
She had no idea if this was the real Lea or if erosion had turned her into this.
The Lea right in front of her looked crazier than any madman she'd ever seen.
No, she might not even qualify as a person anymore.
Eyes corrupted black, glowing red pupils.
Lips that had been cherry-like now blackened, sharp teeth that no human could have.
The hand reaching toward her wasn't human—it was a monstrous thing she couldn't even define, stroking her face.
The warm, motherly feel from their handshake before was completely gone.
It felt like countless tiny bugs crawling over her skin, utterly horrifying.
"Viviant-nim. No matter how you look at me, I'm not a total bad guy, so before we go over there, I'll grant you one little request. Oh, but no 'I want to escape from here' or 'I want to run away' stuff like that."
Lea decided to grant one small request for Viviant, who would live in the Museum for the rest of her life from now on.
But Viviant's head was still a total mess.
It couldn't be helped—too much had happened to her in just 2-3 hours.
The deaths of the Captain and Holy Knights she'd lived with for five years since coming to this other world.
The horrific pain of her hand being cut off, nearly dying to a monster.
And now...
Viviant shifted her gaze to where Lea was pointing.
A woman embedded in the wall, living a life worse than livestock.
All her limbs sealed, her face devoured by tentacles, even her mouth stuffed with one.
The tentacle in her mouth kept wriggling, transferring something.
She could tell that something was a device to keep the woman from dying.
That wasn't a person or even livestock.
It was utterly gruesome.
And right next to that gruesome sight was an obviously new spot.
Realizing that was where she had to go, Viviant's brain couldn't take it, and she passed out again.
==
"Ugh..."
This is bad.
I scratched my face watching Viviant keep passing out.
I'd thought her mental strength would be solid since she was a Saintess candidate from another world.
But her mind seemed weaker than a kid's.
She just drops like a fly.
If I stuck her in the Museum like this, she'd probably die soon without lasting long.
Even with a Centipede Creature inside, before erosion could take her brain, she'd shatter mentally from just entering the Museum and go berserk.
As long as she doesn't die, she could use her Unique Ability, but I didn't want to gamble with a Status Window human.
Ugh... what to do?
Narim wasn't this fragile.
Now she's become an indispensable part of our Colony.
Honestly, I didn't expect my kids to love Narim this much.
Dagos, Evolute, Gluttony.
All the Overlords adore Narim's food.
I'd thought Creatures just ate to fill their bellies.
I figured as long as the kids were fed, that was it—but no, they love tasty stuff.
A little thought would've told me that.
Among living things, they crave humans most, prefer mana-filled humans even more, and of human parts, they love brains best.
That alone shows Creatures can taste and care about flavor.
So Narim's Unique Ability has influenced my kids a ton.
Thanks to it, Narim can cook humans tastier than any other lifeform.
"Anyway, gotta do what needs doing."
Putting in the Centipede Creature is non-negotiable.
Originally, I planned to shove it in and straight to the Museum to use the Status Window right away, but looks like I gotta babysit her until erosion finishes.
Shashashashashashak.
The Centipede Creature appeared after hearing my order through the Hive Mind.
Sorry to say it, but I'm still kinda creeped out by the Centipede kids.
That... sound they make moving? Gives me chills all over.
Dozens of legs scuttling at once—shashak. Goosebumps everywhere.
Of course, their performance is top-tier, better than any kid.
They burrow into ears or noses, latch onto brains and spines, control them, then slowly erode.
Shashak.
The Centipede kid climbed my leg onto my body.
Creepy, but I don't hate 'em.
Thanks to the Queen's consciousness, all my kids feel like my children—like looking at an ugly but beloved kid?
I stroked the kid that would go into Viviant's brain, then reached toward the passed-out Viviant.
The kid raced along my hand from my body and burrowed straight into Viviant's ear.
Eww...
I can watch hundreds of tiny Ners devour a human without flinching now, but a Centipede going in through the ear? Super gory.
"Uh?"
Passed-out Viviant woke up as the Centipede tried entering her ear.
Even awake, Viviant got ignored—the big body started squeezing into her ear.
"Ughkek?"
Viviant's face twisted.
Human ears aren't built for free passage to the brain.
Tympanic membrane first, then obstacles galore.
Luckily, she won't feel the pain.
Why? Already dosed with potent anesthetic from Gluttony during transport.
Strong stuff, too.
"Ugrrrrrgh! Ek!? Oooohk!?"
Viviant started convulsing.
The Centipede was already halfway in.
"Wh-what... is th-this—"
Centipede's over 20cm, so 10cm in already.
Probably reached the brain by now.
"N-no! No! P-please take it... out of my head!! I'll do anything! P-please! A... ak!?"
Eyes rolling back, face distorting from pain and pleasure as the Centipede forced its way into her brain.
That haughty, beautiful face from first sight crumbled in an instant.
Ahegao-like expression, screaming in agony and ecstasy as her brain got eroded.
I almost teared up seeing Viviant like that.
To use the Status Window Unique Ability long-term, she has to go through this.
Tentacles forcing brain control might mask pain with pleasure, but the brain would still give out eventually.
Centipedes are different.
More precise and meticulous than any kid.
Sadly, even they cause pain when forcibly activating Unique Abilities by messing with the brain.
"My... headgh! It's... weird. Ah. Ah. St-stop. Stoooopgh. Geeek."
Centipede fully in.
Now lodged in her brain and spine.
I stroked Viviant's head as her body convulsed, leaking fluids and piss from pain and pleasure nonstop.
To ease her stress a bit.
Viviant is precious beyond anyone right now.
Amber? Yui? Precious too, but Viviant with the Status Window is top priority.
No way she'd die.
For life.
A human who'd show me the Status Window in the Museum forever.
I stroked Viviant sincerely.
"Just endure a little. Once your brain's fully eroded, I'll let you live in pleasure forever."
"Ugrrrgh! Ek!? Oooohk!?"