Chapter 146
Chapter 146
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: Cliché-Filled Wandering Swordsman
-----------------------------------------------------------------
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The fairy was so mortified at being caught pleasuring herself that she bared her teeth and shrieked threats at me. But honestly, it was just hilarious—far from scary.
'Grind her up and I'd get a whopping 100 Magic stat boost... but she's too fascinating to just pulverize.'
She seemed a bit slow on the uptake, but the fact that she could hold a conversation meant she was an intelligent being. And intelligent beings were prime slave material, right? There had to be some reason for that.
'Those wings are shedding what looks like fairy dust—straight-up crafting material. Better hold off on grinding her for now...'
Time to toss her to Hellus, our base's official alchemist grandpa. With his high-end alchemy slave skills, he'd figure out how to make use of her.
If she turned out utterly useless... well, then she'd end up in the blender with the veggies we'd been growing in the yard.
"Juuun. What're you doing over there...? Come heeere..."
"Ah, just a sec. This thing was up to something weird. Checking it out."
Sorry to her, but a masturbating fairy was every bit as captivating as that glow-in-the-dark dinosaur under the blankets.
"Huh? What's that...? Oh... a fairy..."
I scooped up the fairy, who was frantically covering herself and shooting me dirty looks out of embarrassment, and headed over to Cheshire.
"Huh? Why's that thing...?"
Cheshire was utterly spent after our two-hour marathon, melted like mochi on the bed. She stretched a finger toward the fairy in its cage and asked.
"Oh, this one? She was listening to us going at it and started touching herself."
"For real? Hey, kid. What's your name?"
True to her breeder roots with her pet humans, she took an immediate interest in the tiny fairy.
"Hmph! No way! I'm not telling you! I hate you guys!"
But the fairy showed zero intention of spilling her name. Pretty bold for a critter that'd crumple if I shook the cage.
"Oh my... she's got some fire."
"Right? Should I just plop her on the table... and we go another round?"
"Yeah... sounds good!"
I set the fairy's cage next to the terrarium where our pet humans were dancing around, then Cheshire and I shifted into a 69, lapping and sucking at each other's privates.
*Slurp slurp. Smooch...*
"Haah..."
A quick sidelong glance showed the fairy sticking out her tongue, convinced we'd lost interest. She dove right back into her solo session, totally engrossed...
"Slurp. Cheshire..."
"Mhm... I see it too... She's really into it... Doesn't even notice us watching... just fiddling away..."
"Heh... I figured she was some dumb beast when they said to grind her... What the hell is she?"
"Some kind of intelligent creature, maybe?"
"Yeah... pretty amazing."
As Cheshire and I kept staring, the fairy noticed the sucking sounds had stopped. She cracked open her eyes—and locked gazes with us.
"Kyaaah!! You—you guys!! Why'd you stop?! Quit staring at me!!! You pervy creeps!! You like watching? Huh?! Pisses me off!!"
"Hmm... quite the mouth on her."
"She's talking way more fluently than before..."
"That kid... she's growing in real time. Picking up knowledge from our conversation... absorbing it instantly."
"Whoa..."
"Probably no advanced beings like us in her habitat. No knowledge to absorb before."
"So now that she's met intelligent beings like us... she's evolving on the fly."
"Exactly. Her language comprehension and learning speed are off the charts. Fascinating..."
Cheshire began inspecting the fairy from every angle. No wonder the poacher wanted her to take over the shop—she was a total biology buff.
"Hm... and she's speaking two languages simultaneously... and we both understand her perfectly..."
"What do you mean?"
"You know how you and I shouldn't be able to communicate normally, right?"
"Uh..."
I spoke Korean... Cheshire spoke some unknown tongue. Normally, we wouldn't understand each other. Same for peddlers, jewelers—all NPCs in this game.
But thanks to the system, we chatted effortlessly. Without it, we'd be lost in translation. Yet this fairy—not an NPC or slave trader's stock—could communicate too.
"She's a real-time interpreter."
"Yep. And her words convey perfect meaning to both of us simultaneously... That's borderline divine power."
Picture a Korean and a Japanese chatting. Fairy butts in with a greeting: Korean hears "Annyeong," Japanese hears "Konnichiwa." That's what she meant—simultaneous translation.
"Beyond the system's scope... First time I've seen anything like it. Racial trait? Or unique to her? Wonder why a kid like that was wandering lost..."
Even Cheshire was stunned. This lost fairy was a bigger deal than I'd thought. Might even outshine Mer in languages—she mastered human tongues perfectly, but this one auto-learned from a few exchanges.
'How to make use of her...'
I pondered the lost fairy's potential. Like all those foreigners—Chinese, Japanese—in the Missing Persons' Forest, the Terror Labyrinth ahead would be crawling with them.
'Fifteen teams of three...'
Even if teams coordinated comms internally, cross-team talk? No guarantee. Enter the fairy: perfect foreign liaison tool.
'But she's no obedient pet... Gotta tame her. Bribe or torture into slavery.'
Issue was branding this tiny thing in the cage. My thumb wouldn't quite reach... almost like it was designed that way...
'Can't let her out or she'll teleport the handler to some random spot and bolt... Have to do it caged.'
Key was her durability... Shake too hard for "torture," and she'd smash into the bars and die. Then only option's the blender. Proceed with caution.
'Later, then... Persuade her. Promise to send her home... Might work?'
Maybe Hee-sun Noona, the forest keeper, could sway her.
"Anyway, toss her in the bag and let's head out?"
"Sure!"
I wanted to mull her fate more, but it was time to meet the slave trader and head home. I shoved the cage into my bag and zipped it.
"Ngh... Jjuun..."
"Yeah?"
"Hehe... nothing."
Cheshire quickly dressed and hugged me from behind as I pulled on my pants. She nuzzled my back, inhaling deeply.
"Mmm... fully recharged on Jun energy... I'm good now. Can wait again."
"Cheshire..."
I turned and pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Next time... wanna check out the underground floors together?"
"Underground...?"
"Yeah. Let's raid the basement."
"But... you're still too weak, Jun... You'd die for sure..."
"Can't keep drifting aimlessly forever. Gotta get you out of here, Cheshire."
"Jun..."
Black market allows one extra—bring Demon Slayer Aram over, crash at Cheshire's base a week, tackle underground. Buy a slave, make it a four-man party.
Clear the basement fast to free her. Next week's investment in Cheshire.
"Okay... got it... Let's give it a shot..."
"Great. We'll definitely reclaim your soul shards."
We kissed. Then headed to the circus tent, site of the ongoing pity party.
Time to buy a slave and go home.
"Haa... Why won't you grant my humble request...?"
The slave trader, after three visits with Cheshire, wore utter despair. Already dour, now even more so.
His obsession with enslaving me soured my mood.
"Cut the crap and show me the goods. We're busy!"
"Shut it, Cheshire... If not for you... that cultist would've been mine ages ago..."
The clown was broken now, openly lusting after me without shame. I scowled. Shadow mask hid it, thankfully...
"Getting courted by a guy just makes me wanna puke."
"Haa... Not courtship. Collector passion... Whatever. Talking's pointless—makes me the fool. Damn rejects... Follow me."
After glaring at Cheshire, my retching broke the standoff. He shook his head, admitting defeat to our duo.
He led us underground. Still a cesspit—no maintenance, cells full of rotting corpses everywhere.
And that Korean woman who'd sold her kid to a demon? Stone cold dead.
"What? Feeling pity?"
"Nah. None for a bitch who'd sell her own kid."
"Heh heh heh. Exactly..."
The clown laughed—a rare sight. Not joyful, though. More like a reflex from sating his sadism a bit.
"Today's menu..."
Nude men and women lined up before us.
At his command, they introduced themselves in turn.
The red-haired hunk called himself "Roy, Knight of the Red Rose." His super gay voice, mannerisms... even his look at me screamed nope. Pass.
Next up: a scrawny-looking barbarian.
"I am Uraltan!! Chieftain of the Blue Goat Tribe!! Love meat and booze! Fight real good!!"
"Thirty grand. Total coward Uraltan. Starve him of meat, he'll eat human flesh. Whaddya think."
No meat for me, let alone sharing with a wuss... I snapped irritably.
"Next."
"Fine... You, introduce yourself quick."
"Yessir... I am... a swamp scavenger... who loves raw food..."
"Haa... fucking... talks so sloooow."
"Slow mover, top-tier cleaner. Thirty-four grand toad. Thoughts?"
Third: a sluggish female toad humanoid. This psycho clown messing with me? Payback for mocking his advances? Or the Cheshire tag-team? Every offering had glaring flaws.
"None tickle your fancy, eh? Come solo next time. I'll show you gems... Dragon hunter slaves... Great sages... Saint's pussy supposed to be extra tight... Deal?"
"Pass. Know you'd pull some shit. Next time with Cheshire too. Always with Cheshire!"
"Hmph. Stubborn heretic. Last one! Introduce."
"Understood."
The fourth slave: "One-Armed, One-Eyed Swordsman."
Long-haired ponytail guy with a pro killer vibe bowed slightly and stated his name.
"I am Paulus. As you see, a worthless wandering swordsman. Take me in... and I pledge this wretched body in eternal loyalty."
"Just ten grand. Dunno if he'll swordfight worth a damn. Like it? Hate it? Choose or leave, cultist."
A measly ten-coin one-armed, one-eyed swordsman...
'Whoa... this guy's...'
Cliché-wise... he's gotta be ridiculously strong.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇