Laying the Traps (2)
"Fire Bolt!"
No time for other thoughts. Jade charged in to save his comrade in peril, scorching one of the orc's arms with fire.
Swing the sword—attack, attack! "Chruk!"
After felling the orc, it was the goblins' turn. He succeeded in prying away the goblin beating on Beth. But as he tried to rescue her...
'Tentacles...'
Dozens of tentacles gripped Beth's thighs tightly. He'd never seen a creature like this before. And now, instant full-body paralysis poison to boot. This could be life-threatening.
"Hang in there even if it hurts, Beth!"
Jade chanted his final Fire Bolt, blasting the tentacles wrapped around her leg.
"Aaagh!"
He succeeded in shaking them all off with the impact, but the scorching heat left severe burns on Beth's thigh... It looked excruciating.
"Can you stand?"
"Ugh... Hic...!"
"Tia!"
Two goblins had Tia surrounded. Trembling in fear, she clutched her mace.
"J-Jade... I..."
'I've gotten too far from Tia!'
The orc was badly wounded and visibly slowed, but the two goblins were still fine.
'Jade, think. Think. Their lives depend on me.'
Magic like Fire Bolt had limited uses, and he was out. Now it was do or die!
"Just hold on a bit longer!"
First, finish the orc!
"Keke, keke."
The two goblins leered at the terrified female, Tia, as they encircled her.
"Kerumu, kerumu."
"Kerumu."
"Wh-what... are they saying...!"
A priestess under glare loses her divine arts. As if they knew that, the goblins leisurely tightened their encirclement. But Tia didn't lose focus and enveloped her body in light.
"Under the sacred light of Seongyul..."
"Kek!"
The approaching goblins swung wildly, but Tia's body was shielded by light. Instead, the goblins were repelled.
'As expected. Tia can hold out!'
Jade knew Tia was braver than anyone in a pinch. If only he were a bit stronger, he could've made her a silver-rank adventurer by now. Even against those cunning goblins, Tia fought fiercely.
"Stay back!"
"Keeik!"
Irritated by the easy prey's resistance, the goblins lunged. But Tia calmly picked them off one by one, swinging her flail. Blunt wounds piled up on the goblins' arms and heads.
"Kruuk!"
Jade gritted his teeth in a contest of strength with the orc.
'Damn. Are these really orcs and goblins?'
The goblins they knew fled at the first casualty, even in groups of ten—no real threat. Orcs were dumb and slow; any adventurer who could fight a bit passed them as a rite of passage.
'But...'
These goblins endured broken arms to cling to Tia, and this orc used its burned arm as a shield, steadily advancing despite his attacks. The pressure was suffocating.
The biggest issue was not knowing where the paralysis flowers hid in this forest. Unable to use space freely, Jade and Tia soon stood back-to-back. Beth was just starting to rise, thigh trembling.
"I... I... you humiliated me... you're all dead...!"
"Chwik!"
The orc kicked Beth down. She toppled awkwardly backward. And then...
"Ah."
Three tentacle flowers bloomed from the ground where her back hit.
Shururuk!
Flooded with paralysis fluid, Beth froze solid again.
"Beth...!"
Jade felt a dizzying vertigo. Not just because the Beth he'd barely saved was immobilized again. He'd thought they were all on equal footing—but no. These orc and goblins...
They knew the meat flowers' locations!
"Tia..."
"Y-yeah...?"
"Can you escape with Beth?"
"No way... Why are you talking like that, voice shaking?"
"You're women!"
Jade was already desperate.
"You know what they'll do if they capture you...!"
"..."
"Beth too... You too... We can't end like this."
"What about you, Jade! You'll die! They just kill males!"
"Better I die than let them defile you."
The encirclement tightened. Beth had no hope of rising. Jade laid his heart bare.
"I'm serious. I want you to succeed. You can reach higher ranks...!"
"No. We'll fight to the end. Who'd accept a priest who abandons her comrades for silver rank?!"
"..."
"..."
He might regret it. Deeply regret failing to let Tia and Beth go, no matter the cost. He might die with bitter remorse.
Yet when a chance appeared, when hope reared its head—why did it feel like a future he could grasp?
"Let's surpass this. This razor-thin line."
"Yeah, Jade...!"
"And together...!"
Thwack!!
The orc's powerful left hook snapped Jade's neck like a cracker.
"Kyaaaaak!!"
Tia's scream echoed through the forest.
Flesh Incarnation
I learned about Praga's trait through Tentacle Sense, but at first, I had no idea what it meant. Not until she got pregnant.
Her belly swelled huge in a single day, turning her into a mother overnight. Praga birthed offspring all night long—creatures utterly unlike humans. I decided to call them tentacle beasts.
Flesh Incarnation was like a bottomless pit: one wrong step, and Praga was trapped forever, symbolizing her fate. Step on it, and it instantly paralyzed the target with fluid.
'Excellent.'
When I realized I could control Flesh Incarnations via Tentacle Sense, I saw hope of escaping outside.
'Let's get out. No point lingering.'
The burial ground would eventually be discovered. If they couldn't find Praga no matter what, they'd try anything. Better to move first—with the Flesh Incarnations.
'You'll obey Daddy, right?'
No answer. Truth be told, they felt less like children and more like extensions of myself. Maybe because I could possess and control them? Watching my worm-like clones wriggle was cute, and they obeyed my signals perfectly. Nice.
Anyway, they were the fruit of my love with Praga. She was so overjoyed she fainted, but 'She's a good mom. Praga.'
Even unconscious, she provided milk for the Incarnations, so the kids grew fast. The fattened worms burrowed into the earth. They dug shallow holes, found spots, and 'bloomed' there.
Shall I hunt that rabbit? Flesh Incarnations are passive tentacle beasts, but tests revealed something special.
'Incredibly stealthy.'
Small animals detect tiny vibrations to survive predators. But that rabbit? Grazing away, oblivious to the Incarnation creeping underfoot.
It strikes lightning-fast when baring fangs—even flies can't escape.
Shwak!
Once the thorn-tentacle pierces, it's over. The paralysis fluid floods in: small animals freeze in 1-2 seconds, deer in 3.
Good. Time to move.
I signaled with Tentacle Sense. The Incarnation swam underground discreetly, following me.
Out of the burial ground, I put distance from the village and scattered Incarnations around. Fattened on Praga's milk, the worms burrowed, ready to bloom.
Just that made me feel secure. Like primitive humans with their crude fences.
Water and fruit nearby—perfect for resting with Praga. Even pursuers? I could respond. They'd come 100%. Humans, after all.
I considered Plan B: fleeing to untouched wilds with Praga. But I'm ignorant of this world. Enemies might not be just humans. Fail the immediate threat, and escape could bring worse.
'At least I fell in a forest.'
City would've been hell. Breed more Incarnations? I had about sixteen subordinates now, but to neutralize the vigilantes, Praga might need to birth more.
Good. Survival means growth and breeding.
Slippery Liquid — Constantly secreted lubricant. Doesn't dry easily, very slippery.
⊢ Digestive Fluid — Tentacle Monster's digestive fluid. Adjustable acidity.
⊢ Aphrodisiac (3x) — Amplifies female sensitivity. Also eases pain. Contamination: 0.3
⊢ Paralysis Fluid — Temporarily immobilizes. Contamination: 0.1
⊢ Nutrient Fluid — Addictive nutrients. Perfect for female tastes. Contamination: 0.3
Tentacle Sense — Detects magic waves through skin. Easily grasps surroundings.
Primitive Tentacle — Basic tentacle. Simple, no frills. Used for binding or striking.
⊢ Tender — Soft protrusion at tip.
⊢ Split Mouth — Mouth splits sideways. Ideal for feeding fluids or suckling milk; grows wrinkled tentacle like a tongue inside.
⊢ Penis Head — For turning females into motherboards. Extremely sensitive.
Contamination: 0.1
My current level is 15. I'd already acquired Paralysis Fluid before the Incarnations hatched, and Nutrient Fluid for nurturing motherboard females—but untested.
Not sure if Praga would eat my body's extract... but 'perfect for female tastes' suggests it'll be good. Feeding her my essence feels oddly erotic.
I'll capture many females ahead, so managing myself is key.
'But leveling's slowed.'
Nutrient intake dropped sharply. Massive gains at first, but as levels rose, so did requirements—same food yields less now.
That's what it means for me now. Need more. More females.
Problem: my current power might not even protect one Praga.
But holding her fills me with unknown strength. I can do it! Chokgoe!
I clenched my tentacles, renewing my resolve—then heard footsteps approaching.
Eh? Not from the village.
'From behind?'
A monster? I tensed my Tentacle Sense.