Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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>Translator: Vine
>Chapter: 60
>Chapter Title: A Gag Resident's Normal Meal
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Angsho was a man who was kind to slaves. So kind, in fact, that it made one wonder, ‘Is this for real?’ Countless slaves were either wary of or moved by his gentle words and smiles, a rare sight in the arena.
Those who were initially cautious would, over time, open their hearts to Angsho, ready to give him their all. Around that time, Angsho would make his move.
With ambiguous words, he’d get his target into the palm of his hand and slowly brainwash them. *Aren’t you suspicious of the one you love? Isn’t that person the beginning of all your misfortune?*
The slaves were people who had already hit rock bottom. In other words, they were people who considered themselves the most miserable in the world.
That was why Angsho’s temptations worked so well. Angsho would place the foolish slaves in the palm of his hand and watch their downfall as if he were a god.
When a slave, having harmed their loved one with their own hands, returned to Angsho and begged for salvation, only then would he hammer it into their head that everything he said was a lie, and that they were, in the end, a murderer who had killed someone precious to them.
Ten out of ten slaves who went through that experience committed suicide, so Angsho’s vile reputation did not spread easily.
Angsho, the trash of the century who had toyed with tens, hundreds of slaves.
Even for him, a master of playing with slaves, Rian was a type of person he had never met before.
“If you wish, you may have the food packed to take with you when you leave.”
“Thank you!”
He returned kindness with kindness and a smile with a smile. It was an uprightness unseen in the slave arena. Angsho immediately realized why Totogen and Bansuk were so obsessed with Rian.
‘A product like this is hard to come by.’
Slaves who had fallen to the depths were often already mentally broken. Tormenting them was no fun; they would only squirm like living corpses without showing any interesting reactions.
The more mentally sound a slave was, the more fun it was to break them. That was why Totogen liked those with clear minds that hadn't shattered, and Bansuk liked those with strong mental fortitude who could be played with for a long time.
Rian satisfied both conditions.
‘Ah, this is going to be truly fun this time.’
He had expected Rian to be easy to conquer due to his simple nature, but upon further thought, it occurred to him that Rian might be more difficult to break than other slaves.
‘It’s easier to worm your way in when there are cracks in the mind.’
A mind had to be reasonably healthy to accept his kind approach. But if it was too healthy, it would block all his whispers. An easy-looking but difficult man.
That was Angsho’s conclusion about Rian.
Whatever Angsho was thinking, Rian had absolutely no interest.
‘I wonder what Iris would like?’
Rian’s mind was filled only with thoughts of the food he would take home.
‘If there are leftovers, I can just eat them, so should I just ask them to pack everything here? Ah, but would that be hard to carry?’
First impressions are crucial. An image etched into the mind for the first time does not easily change unless met with a shocking stimulus. That was why Angsho had prepared a meal that could rival any noble family’s, a feast that looked like it would break the table legs.
Some slaves would even be overwhelmed by the sight of the splendid dishes crowding the table. But to Rian, it was just another tasty meal.
In the Gag World, after all, you could whip up a meal of this caliber anytime you rolled up your sleeves and put your mind to it.
The meal, shared by two people with entirely different thoughts, came to an end as the plates became empty.
“Huh?”
Angsho let out a short gasp and stared at the table. The mountain of magnificent food had completely vanished. What was more frightening was Rian’s appearance.
“*Hic*, that was a great meal.”
Rian was sprawled out on a half-sunken chair, his belly swollen larger than his own body, a blissful expression on his face.
‘Wh-what is that? Was he not human? A chimera?’
Faced with such an unrealistic scene, Angsho failed to even manage his expression, staring blankly at Rian’s belly. Rian patted his stomach and said.
“That was a really wonderful meal.”
“Ah… how did you eat all that…?”
“It was so delicious, I guess I just lost myself and ate it all.”
Rian smiled shyly and scratched the back of his head. Just like his bizarrely swollen belly, his cheeks had also puffed up, causing Angsho to tremble slightly.
‘How did he gain weight in that short amount of time?’
Questioning it wouldn’t solve anything. Just as Angsho was about to directly ask, “What in the world happened to your stomach?”
“Here, I’ve packed it for you.”
“Oh! Thank you!”
Angsho’s maid appeared and offered Rian a seven-tiered lunch box. It was a long-standing rule to immediately hand over the food a slave requested once the meal was over.
Giving a gift to a slave who was full and relaxed was an easy way to win their favor.
“Well then, may I be excused?”
“Ah, yes. Y-you may go.”
Angsho answered Rian’s question reflexively. The habit of sending a slave back without making any requests after the first meal was so ingrained that he had spoken without thinking.
“Thank you so much for the meal!”
“Farewell.”
Rian began to squeeze his belly, which was wider than the doorway, pushing it in. His massive body compressed with surprising ease and passed through the door.
Left alone in the empty dining hall, Angsho slumped in his chair like a robot with a few screws loose, letting out a groan. “Haa…” After staring blankly for a long while, he soon straightened his posture.
With a serious expression, Angsho cast aside his casual thoughts and brought Totogen and Bansuk to mind.
‘To be honest, their tastes are unsettling, but… it’s not like they lack ability.’
If they had been incompetent, he wouldn’t have associated with them at all.
‘If those two failed time and time again, there must be a reason.’
Angsho muttered with a hardened face.
“I’ll have to… look for information.”
While Angsho was scrambling to find a way to torment Rian, Rian had arrived in front of the elevator, lunch box in hand.
***
“Oof…? What do I do now…?”
My voice came out muffled from all the weight I’d put on. Unable to fit into the elevator because of my belly fat, I sighed, took a sharp breath in, and then let it out in a long exhale.
“Fwoooooooosh! Hah, there we go.”
My swollen body instantly returned to its original state. I rubbed my now-smooth belly a few times and got on the elevator.
‘I hope Iris likes it.’
The elevator arrived while I was humming to myself. I carefully hugged the lunch box and headed for the room where Iris would be waiting.
*Click.*
“Iris! Big Brother’s home!”
As I entered the room with a bright smile, Iris came running and threw herself into my arms. I quickly lifted the lunch box high to protect it. Iris rubbed her soft cheek against my chest.
“Are you hungry?”
“...My tummy’s rumbling.”
As if the scent of the lunch box was overwhelming, Iris’s cheeks flushed faintly as she mumbled her reply. I smiled brightly and headed to the living room with her.
I spread out the seven-tiered lunch box on the living room table and placed a fork in Iris’s hand.
“Here, time to eat.”
“…What about you… Big Brother Rian?”
*Kuhuk.*
I barely managed to stop myself from clutching my heart. Ever since I had come back covered in blood, Iris had been so diligent about calling me ‘Big Brother.’
I felt like shouting to the whole neighborhood, “My child has grown up!”
“I already ate, so you eat a lot.”
“…”
I had eaten so much that my stomach felt bloated, and it was hard to even breathe. Iris hesitated as if she had something to say, but in the end, she just replied with a small “Okay.”
Iris poked a delicious-looking piece of seasoned meat with her fork and brought it to her lips.
“…!”
Her eyes, widening like a startled rabbit, and her pursed lips were etched into my vision.
‘Ugh, so cute!’
Her dramatic change in expression, like a baby tasting a sweet dessert for the first time, made me smile automatically.
“*Nom, nom!*”
“Eat slowly.”
My heart ached seeing the girl who used to only eat what I fed her now eating on her own with a fork, however clumsily. Feeling my eyes grow moist, I wiped away the tears while Iris was distracted by the food.
“Big Brother…”
“Hm?”
Iris, who had been eating nonstop, suddenly paused and stared intently at me.
*Poke.*
Iris’s fork mercilessly stabbed a tender piece of meat. Then, she lifted the fork and brought it to my mouth.
“This is good. You… eat.”
“No, it’s okay.”
I felt like I would spew rainbows if I ate even one more bite, so I waved my hands frantically. But Iris seemed to have no intention of backing down, pushing the fork closer.
“Ah!”
Since I couldn’t actually spew rainbows, I took the fork from Iris. Her grip was still clumsy, so it was easy to take. Holding the handle, I popped the meat into Iris’s mouth, which was open in surprise.
“Huh?”
Iris began to chew reflexively, her eyes wide.
“Just watching you eat makes me full, Iris.”
At my words, Iris stared intently at my face before slowly bowing her head.
‘Uh… was that line too cheesy?’