Traveler: Derek Walker 33
←Skills→
◆Root SkillSoul Mastery 1Lv (SSS-grade)
↳Understand the essence of souls and wield it.
◇Branch SkillEctoplasm 1Lv (SSS-grade)
↳Imbue your body or weapon with soul-striking power. Grants 100% penetration and weakens the target's recovery by 50%.
◆Root SkillUltimate Sword Mastery 1Lv (SSS-grade)
↳Attain the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
◇Branch SkillSlash of River 1Lv (S-grade)
↳Crush your target with a mighty sword strike. Grants 300% penetration. Excess penetration inflicts additional damage.
◆Root SkillUltimate Mentality 1Lv (SSS-grade)
↳Achieve enlightenment.
◇Branch SkillImmune Mind Master Lv (SS-grade)
↳Grants immunity to all mental attacks SS-grade and below.
←Skills→
Lilac carefully reviewed the information that appeared before her eyes. She didn't know exactly what it all meant, but she had a rough idea. The skill details were perfectly etched into her mind. And at the same time, a notification window appeared for Walker as well.
[You have acquired the title 'Need More Power?'. As a reward, the Link Skill System is unlocked.]
[The Link Skill System allows you to share one skill with a managed slave. The master and slave can each share one of their skills. The shared skill is set randomly and cannot be changed once set. The level of the skill used by the recipient follows the level of the sharer's skill. Using the Link Skill System costs 10,000 credits each time.]
Walker checked out the new system unlocked for him.
'A system to share skills with slaves? Sounds pretty good... but it's kinda iffy.'
You couldn't choose the skill you wanted, and 10,000 credits was a hefty price. It was a burdensome amount for now.
'But Lilac's skills are probably all SSS-grade. If I use the Link Skill System on her right now, I'll definitely get one SSS-grade skill! Lilac might get lucky and snag one of my SSS-grade skills too. That explains the high cost.'
To use the Link Skill System, he first needed to make Lilac his slave. The way to enslave someone was to grant them a defeat orgasm. It was something Walker was most confident in.
Even after accepting two constraints, Lilac didn't let go of the amethyst. Her target for revenge was the Bastrey Count. She knew full well that no ordinary power could bring him down. Consumed by rage, Lilac steeled herself like firewood feeding a bonfire that burned her very soul and took the next step.
'One more time!'
She swallowed hard and checked the next constraint.
=====
Please select one constraint.
1. Slaughter's Constraint
Kill one human per day.
●Reward: Intelligence and Luck +300 each. Intelligence and Agility growth rates +300%.
2. Pain's Constraint
Constantly feel pain equivalent to a second-degree burn. Cannot be removed by debuff cancellation skills SS-grade or below. Debuff refreshes every hour.
●Reward: Strength, Agility, Intelligence, Luck +200 each. All stat growth rates +200%.
3. Hatred's Constraint
Kill your most beloved with your own hands.
●Reward: Enhances all possessed SSS-grade skills.
=====
"......"
Three constraints appeared before her eyes. Two were ones she'd seen before. And the last one...
'Kill? Me? With these hands? Delphy?'
Her most beloved was, without question, her twin sister Delphy. Could she really kill Delphy with her own hands?
The thought of Delphy's death made her rage-fueled mind cool slightly.
'I was starting to feel like a monster...'
Lilac's advance halted there. None of the options were ones she could choose. She had no lingering regrets about giving up. As she abandoned the choice, the amethyst's glow faded.
Walker realized she'd given up on the constraint.
"Tough conditions, huh."
"......It says to kill my sister."
"I see."
From Walker's perspective, it was a constraint he'd half-expected. The first one wouldn't have been out of place either.
'Wait, if Lilac kills her sister and I revive her with my skill...?'
The loophole crossed his mind, but he shook his head. Would an SSS-grade item allow such a trick? And even if she revived, the trauma of killing her sister would likely backfire on Lilac. No need for more risks when he'd already scored an amazing resource.
Lilac handed the amethyst back to Walker. He stored it in his inventory.
Lilac still couldn't quite believe her new power. She definitely felt stronger. Her increased strength and agility were tangible in her body. And the new skills—she felt like she could use them if she focused her mind. Of course, mastering them would take time.
'My body knows how.'
Lilac marveled more at the power she'd gained than the price she'd paid. She had been an utterly ordinary girl. Pretty face aside, she had nothing special compared to others. It felt surreal that such otherworldly power had been granted to her.
Lilac knelt before Walker once more. She bowed her head respectfully and said,
"Thank you so much for helping with my revenge. I have no intention of going back on my word."
"Lilac... "
Maisie looked at Lilac with a pained expression. Lilac turned to her sister and smiled brightly. It wasn't forced—it was genuine.
"Sis. Thank you for protecting us sisters all this time. Even in death, I'll never forget your grace."
"But... I ultimately failed to protect Delphy."
Maisie hung her head. At the end of her gaze, Delphy—limbs severed—was breathing steadily in sleep.
Lilac shook her head. Delphy's tragedy wasn't Maisie's fault. It was all the Bastrey Count's doing.
Lilac's eyes sparkled as she said,
"I'll serve under him. Not for anyone else. For myself... for my revenge."
With that, she kissed her unconscious sister's forehead. The scene looked utterly sacred.
Walker eyed the naked Lilac, drooling.
'She's not just a fucktoy. She's an SSS-grade skill container. This trip was a total jackpot.'
He pondered how to enjoy the two sisters deliciously.
"......Fine. I'll come too."
In the end, Maisie decided to follow Walker as well. Walker nodded. He'd long noted her leadership skills. With her, handling the other gladiator girls would be easier.
"Pick up the gold coins and get in the carriage. We're leaving right away."
*-*-*
I returned to Coolong Territory as fast as possible. The moment I got back, I had my hands full satisfying the pent-up Luna, Lienna, and Greia.
On the way back in the carriage, I fucked all the gladiator girls except Lilac and Delphy. Quite a few were virgins, so the first-time bonuses were generous. Major gains.
-Nngiiiit~♥ Who knew sex felt this good!
-Haaang~♬ I've wasted half my life~!
Sex was fun regardless of first-time bonuses. Especially Maisie's pussy—it was top-tier. Her body knew exactly how to please a man. And it was virgin territory too.
"Hnguuut~! Hngut~! Hnng~!"
Unlike the other girls, Maisie held back her moans. She was restrained even in moving her bloodied lower half. The total opposite of the other girls, who flirted like they'd rip out their livers to win my favor.
I fucked all the other girls, including Maisie, but saved Lilac and Delphy for last—like a final feast.
I wanted to fuck Lilac quick for the Link Skill and enslave her, but her mental state was too unstable right now. So I held back my urges. With so many women around, it wasn't hard.
'Lilac will become my knight rivaling Luna, so better to give her only good memories.'
She'd gained insane power from the constraints' rewards. She was reborn a prodigy.
I considered using the constraints on the other girls too, but held off. They'd surely get ones they couldn't handle. The ones Lilac accepted were ones no sane person would take. Plus, pushing freshly escaped hell-gladiators too hard could backfire.
Right now, caring for the girls' mental states came first. Unlike the composed first day, they were growing flustered as time passed. The item's effects were potent.
Lilac couldn't wear any clothes. We ran tests on the way back to Coolong—anything she recognized as clothing slipped off the moment she put it on. Even a cloak draped for cover fell away automatically.
'Makes sense. If it weren't such a powerful curse, it wouldn't grant such immense power in return.'
In the end, she spent the whole trip holed up in the carriage with her sister.
For reference, Delphy regained consciousness after a few days. She was devastated at first by her body's state, but her sisters' warm comfort helped her recover quickly.
Delphy was innately cheerful. She was now lively beyond belief for a girl without limbs.
"Hehehe... Prince~♥"
Delphy, snuggled into my plump belly, rubbed her face against it and said. Harsh to say about a girl, but with her limbs chopped short, she looked like a little bug.
The first person Delphy sought upon waking was her sister, then me. She called me "Prince."
"Hmph. Even I think pretending to be a prince with this face is a stretch."
"Heehee... You're my prince."
"You go out looking for knights and come back with all sorts of weird shit."
Greia said flatly. This was her office. Dark circles under her eyes, she flipped through papers on her desk.
"With the guildmaster actually doing work, I've been buried in paperwork. Contracts pouring in from everywhere. Especially that Snow Sugar—it's peak popularity. Good advertising, huh?"
"Heh. Yeah. Seeing you this worn out makes me proud."
"Bad taste. Anyway, guildmaster approvals I've sorted here. All 10-gold-plus contracts or ventures. Oh! Merchant guild emblem change too. Some designs—pick what you like."
"Got it. I'll handle by end of day."
"Ugh. I'm crashing for a bit. Haven't slept properly. Clear your night—it's my turn."
"Lienna said the same. 3P tonight."
"Ugh... Fine by me, but with her? I get kinda queasy around highborn types. Like I have to match her pace, y'know?"
"I'll be a count soon too. And you're Walker Merchant Guild's manager, right? Have some confidence."
"You're different. Feels like you'd be the same even as emperor. Anyway, I'm off to bed. Uuugh~ So sleepy...!"
Greia waved lazily and headed to her bedroom. Watching her, Delphy looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
"Prince! This castle's full of pretty big sisters. Like a real palace! Pretty sisters everywhere, pretty decorations too!"
"Sharp one. Yeah. Aside from a few servants, this main castle is all beauties. I made it that way. Heh."
"Wow! Am I one of those beauties too?"
Delphy asked with a pure smile. Obvious question. Of course she was.
"Naturally."
"Wow~! Then, Prince... could you grant me one wish?"
I wasn't sure how the conversation led here, but that's what Delphy said.
"I'll hear it out first."
My positive reply made her face bloom like a flower.
Wonder what she wants?
"The power Sis got... can I get it too?"
Delphy smiled as she spoke. But her eyes weren't smiling at all. It felt like looking at Lilac. Rage burned fiercely in her pupils.
Lilac and Delphy were identical twins, differing only in hair and eye color.
'Well, she's had both arms and legs hacked off. Her rage probably matches her sister's.'