Anemone
I returned to the Nest through the passage.
The anomaly itself had been collapsing, so time had been tight — in the end, a few Penislimes had to be left behind.
Hide well and keep breeding.
I had been planning to release the Nest's lesser creatures soon anyway. Their numbers were swelling so fast the Nest was on the verge of overflowing.
Having successfully subdued the anomaly and made it back, I found Yu-mi waiting to welcome me.
"Y-you've worked hard!"
Thanks, Yu-mi.
"A few of them are missing… Did the anomaly get them…?"
A few did get hit, and there were some I had to leave behind because we ran out of time.
"I guess it wasn't exactly a pushover of an anomaly."
The creature there had been on the verge of violating a woman — meaning its genitals had been exposed. Penislimes vanish the instant they touch a penis, so the few that happened to brush against it had simply died on contact.
Still, the haul was good.
When I had consumed the womb, I had only been level 10. After that, stuffing myself on yin energy through hunting had pushed me up another three levels. Now I was at 16 — meaning this anomaly hunt alone had netted me three more.
Pretty strong anomaly, huh?
It had looked dangerous enough to me, but seeing the actual numbers made it hit home.
Still, I'm the one who won.
I quickly scrubbed the thing from my memory and scanned through the skills and racial traits available for purchase. Six skill points from this outing. The most expensive skill I had ever bought was the Well of Resurrection at five points — which meant I could now afford something even better than that broken resurrection ability.
This fight definitely bulked up my combat power. Survivability, too.
Acceleration through the Wave Emission Core. One hit would kill a human outright and deal critical damage even to an anomaly — and on top of that, I had the Well of Resurrection.
But complacency was a death sentence. I carefully combed through the purchase list, weighing which skills would actually help.
And then, just like last time, I spotted an exclamation mark on Breeding Tentacles.
Oh — a new lesser creature this time?
I was about to check the list with rising anticipation when a question occurred to me. When exactly did these lesser creatures become available to create?
So far, only two kinds.
Penislime and Cognitive Impairment Jellyfish. Penislimes had unlocked the moment I first acquired the Breeding Tentacles trait; the Cognitive Impairment Jellyfish, when I absorbed the womb's yin energy. And now, right after hunting this anomaly, a new lesser creature had unlocked.
So absorbing an anomaly's yin energy lets me create new ones?
A working theory took shape. Absorbing human yin energy had unlocked Penislimes. Absorbing the giant womb's yin energy had unlocked the Cognitive Impairment Jellyfish. Absorbing the yin energy of the anomaly I had just cleared had unlocked a new creature.
I'll know for sure once I absorb the next anomaly's yin energy.
I was just about to check the new lesser creature's information when Yu-mi spoke up.
"Master Tentacle, I'm going to Se-a's place to grab some water. Be right back."
Sure. I'll open the passage.
"Thank you."
Yu-mi crawled out through the passage on all fours. The sway of her hips stirred my lust, but I held it in for now.
I pressed Breeding Tentacles and checked what the new lesser creature was.
◈ A sea anemone born from a woman's yin energy.
◈ Takes a single female body as its host and operates through her.
◈ Condenses the host woman's yin energy and fires it in the form of a laser.
◈ Any woman struck by the laser climaxes.
◈ Splits upon consuming sufficient yin energy.
Slime, jellyfish… and now a sea anemone.
The description alone didn't give me a clear picture of its form. I'd have to create one myself to figure out what it was actually good for.
I was about to pick a suitable body and birth the new lesser creature when Yu-mi's frantic voice came through.
M-Master Tentacle…? There's a guest…?
One of Se-a's friends? Just tell them you're a friend of hers.
N-no… They say they came to see you, Master Tentacle…?
…What?
Came to see me? Who? The Management Bureau?
Alarm bells started clanging in my head. If Se-a's house had been compromised, it meant they already knew she was my spy and had come looking. If Se-a had been caught, I had to assume every scrap of information about me was now in the Bureau's hands.
U-um… but… they say they're from some Association…?
Not the Management Bureau?
No… the Corrupt Exorcist Association, apparently.
Ah… one of the organizations Se-a mentioned.
Se-a was only a low-level administrative employee, but she was still staff at the Management Bureau. She couldn't access classified material, but she had been able to see some information on the Bureau's primary enemies. The two most hostile and dangerous organizations among them: the Corrupt Exorcist Association and the Demon Lord's Army.
Hmm… Ask them why they're here.
Okay… Oh — they say they want to establish friendly relations with you, Master Tentacle?
Friendly relations, huh…
Se-a didn't know the Corrupt Exorcist Association's exact objectives — her clearance hadn't gone that high. But given that they stood opposed to the Management Bureau, they clearly weren't working for the good of human society.
And I, for my part, couldn't care less if human society collapsed. As long as I could keep obtaining women on a regular basis, I was fine.
And they say they want to meet you in person, Master Tentacle.
Talking through a subordinate must not sit well with them. Fine. I'll head out shortly.
The Corrupt Exorcist Association claimed they wanted friendly relations — but there was no telling when that attitude might flip. Minimum precautions were in order.
The anemone first.
Just in case, I decided to implant the creature into a female body before leaving. I drove a tentacle deep into a woman's pussy and condensed yin energy the usual way.
We'll check on you when I get back.
With that whispered promise, I gathered every lesser creature in the Nest and moved to Se-a's house.
I emerged from the bathroom toilet to find Yu-mi waiting.
"Ah, Master Tentacle."
Right. Carry me for now.
"Y-yes!"
Yu-mi pulled me into her lap. She was naked, and the soft give of her breasts pressed against my body.
"Ah…! W-wait a second! Nngh♥! Th-there's a guest here…!"
My tentacles instinctively sought out her erogenous zones. Yu-mi staggered under the pleasure as she carried me out into the living room.
"Hehe… You're cuter than I expected."
A beauty in a red dress, with crimson eyes, was waiting for me there.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Medeia. The Management Bureau and the Corrupt Exorcist Association both call me the Red Woman."
"M-Master Tentacle… I mean, Master says it's nice to meet you too."
To converse with anyone else, I needed to place a Subjugation Brand. That meant the only way to talk to Medeia was through Yu-mi.
"Everyone's been making such a fuss about a Calamity-class anomaly… but you look surprisingly harmless."
"H-harmless…? Master is…? N-no! I don't mean Master is scary or anythinggg!"
"Hehe. You've even got a human side to you."
Yu-mi's cheeky reaction aside — what was this woman's actual goal?
"M-Master wants to know what your purpose is…"
"Purpose? Hmm… I'd say the purpose belongs to that old Association President. I just came to confirm whether a Calamity-class anomaly is something you can actually talk to."
"Master asks what benefits there would be in joining hands with the Association."
"Who knows? Like I said — I came to find out if you have any intelligence. You'll have to hear the details from the President."
For all that, the look in her eyes was anything but ordinary. A searching gaze — the kind a predator levels at its prey. She kept dodging by name-dropping the Association President, but she clearly had a definite purpose of her own.
"Then Master says he'll discuss the details with the Association President, so please provide a means of contact."
"Mmm, fine. But first…"
Yin energy welled up from her. Normally yin energy poured out when a woman climaxed — but there was no sign of orgasm on her.
"I'm starting to wonder if you're really a Calamity-class anomaly at all."
"Master asks what you mean by that."
"A Calamity-class anomaly, carrying only that much yin energy? Are you sure you're the real thing?"
No. Even I didn't think I was a Calamity-class anomaly. The Management Bureau had slapped that label on me just because I'd lucked into killing one — so why was she asking me?
"H-he's asking whether that attitude right now is the Corrupt Exorcist Association's official stance."
"Hehe. I almost forgot about that, didn't I?"
Medeia set an onahole on the table — a scaled-down model that looked like a miniature human. I was about to ask what the hell it was when she continued.
"Inject yin energy into this onahole and you'll be able to speak with the Association President."
"H-he says thank you."
Yu-mi picked up the onahole with a thoroughly disgusted expression. Frankly, I didn't want to grab some used-who-knows-where onahole with my tentacles either.
"That completes the President's errand."
She rose from her seat.
"Honestly, I'd love to test your power right now… but the President asked, so I'll let it slide today."
"L-let it slide today…?"
"You'd better watch yourself from now on. There's a crazy bitch who charges every strong anomaly she sees — and she'll be tailing you."
Blood spread from the tips of her feet in a wet splash, and Medeia slowly sank as if into a swamp, vanishing from sight.
Did I hear that right?
"Sh-she just openly said she's going to target you, Master…"
Crazy bitch.
"That's how I see it too. Is the Corrupt Exorcist Association full of people like her?"
That's what we need to find out from here on.
I reluctantly pressed a tentacle against the onahole I didn't even want to touch.
Time to learn what the Corrupt Exorcist Association really wanted.