The Traitorous Twins
I trudged toward the science lab where Hellus, Hwang Sumin, and the engineer Jung Jiyeon were stationed. Just then, I heard shouts of exertion drifting from the schoolyard.
"Hiyah!"
"More! Swordplay is all about momentum! Put more into it!"
"Uryaaat!!!!"
Phallus, the sturdy male Awakened, and Aram and Eunji were caught in the middle of a training session. Their sword strikes were sharp, and they seemed so focused that I decided not to interrupt, watching them from a distance for a while. They had been swinging their blades for about five minutes straight. Every so often, Phallus would point out a flaw in their form and strike their shoulders or calves with a wooden stick.
"Oh..."
I happened to see Aram take a hit. She flinched, but she didn't react otherwise—it looked like she was used to getting smacked around.
"Hmm..."
Seeing Aram in pain made me a little angry, but... since the person doing the hitting was Phallus, who had been forcibly transformed into a woman, I let it slide. After watching their training for a bit, I turned back toward the science lab.
As I drew closer, I could hear the sounds of Jung Jiyeon tinkering with something. Was she building another turret?
-Creak.
"Welcome..."
As I opened the door, I saw Hwang Sumin stirring a cauldron. She looked at me with dark circles under her eyes, greeting me with a hollow, emotionless expression. She looked like an office worker being exploited by a black-hearted corporation, which made me feel a bit sorry for her. When I visited last time, she had been stirring the pot with gusto, claiming it was easy... but in just a week, she looked completely broken. Had she been stirring that pot for a whole week straight?
"What are you making?"
"Growth... *yawn*... stimulant, they say."
"Is that so?"
"Yes... Hee-sun unnie asked me to make a large batch... *yawn*..."
She stirred the pot with a face that screamed she was dying for sleep. After evolving from a regular Mage to a Witch under Hellus's tutelage, she had become a glorified potion-delivery girl. It seemed Hellus was dumping all his grunt work on her; Hwang Sumin was essentially experiencing the life of a graduate student. Well, she was assigned to be an assistant in the first place, so I just patted her shoulder and told her to keep up the good work. What else could she do? When a professor tells you to jump, you jump.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Oh, this... I'm making a drone. Want to see?"
"What? A drone?"
I examined the bird-shaped mechanical device Jung Jiyeon was building.
"What is this? How did you make this..."
"A 'Drone Production' skill popped up. If you wear these goggles, you can pilot it."
"Wow... that's insane. This is huge."
She had zero combat skills. She had poured everything into production-related skills. Perhaps that was why she had managed to create such an incredible piece of tech using her 'Vision Sharing Goggle' and 'Drone Production' skills.
"This is perfect for scouting the Forest of Corruption... how many more can you make?"
"It takes a lot of circuit boards, wires, and various materials, but Jin-sung oppa had people gather a massive stockpile. I think I can make at least two more. And it takes about three days to build one unit."
"Oh. We have enough time and budget. Pump out as many as you can."
"Understood."
Jung Jiyeon really had an amazing class. Being an engineer, she came up with things I never would have imagined. Plus, since we occupied Hyoseon Girls' High School and looted every building and shop in the vicinity, our material supply was stable, allowing her to experiment with things she couldn't attempt before.
'With scouting drones... and if I bring along that Beast Tamer I caught at the sports center, exploring the Forest of Corruption will be much faster.'
On top of that, I had secured the Insect-Controller guides, so it was perfect. When the time came, I just needed to get Nus's bracelet from Aila.
I encouraged the potion-slave Hwang Sumin and Jung Jiyeon, who was busy living out her dreams, and after giving the Alcide-infected Yoon Ha-jun a smack on the back of the head for no reason, I entered the science prep room attached to the lab.
The prep room was Hellus's private workshop where he conducted his research.
"Ah, you've come. I was just writing something down."
The fact that he continued his work despite my arrival was a sight other slaves couldn't even dream of, but Hellus was the exception. He had proven his worth beyond a doubt. Because of that, I had made the rare decision to treat him as a colleague rather than a subordinate. I couldn't remove his Slave Brand, of course.
Anyway, when I opened the door to the prep room, I saw Hellus sitting at his desk, writing something intently, and a half-finished doll-like figure sitting on the table behind him. He was probably planning to transfer a soul into that. Since Aila was back, I figured we could really accelerate the research.
"It's been a while."
"Yes, I heard you arrived yesterday... but Jin-sung told me to come see you tomorrow. Haha."
Since I had been dragged off by the girls the moment I arrived yesterday to be milked dry, he wouldn't have been able to meet me even if he had heard the news. It seemed Ha Jin-sung had even stationed guards at the entrance of the principal's office, preventing anyone from entering.
"That's why I came myself. There's something I want to show you, old man."
"Yes?"
"Just a moment."
I summoned an Acid Slime into the science lab using the Poacher's delivery system. A service that delivers for a fee of 10,000 coins was just too good.
"This is... hmm... a peculiar scent... a Slime, is it? I used to see them often in the kingdom's sewers back in the day. Oho... I've never seen a yellow one before..."
Hellus was fascinated the moment he saw the slime. He showed immense interest.
"Pretty crazy, right? It melts everything."
"Hoo... that is impressive. A jar containing a slime that melts everything it touches. The jar itself has been specially treated."
Hellus was even more interested in the jar, which hadn't been melted by a slime that supposedly melted everything in the world, than he was in the slime itself. Honestly, I found that a bit interesting too. A jar that couldn't be melted by a creature that melted everything... perhaps the jar was more valuable and impressive than the slime. It meant it could contain anything.
"Hmm?"
Just then, the door to the science lab opened and Aila walked in. She had been excluded from yesterday's orgy, so she had watched with wide eyes as I was being milked. If I were the sadist, Aila was the masochist... so it felt a bit awkward and embarrassing to have her see me being milked by the other women's hands yesterday.
"Oh... Aila... hey?"
"Y-yeah. Hey."
Aila felt awkward too. This wouldn't do. I'd have to call her aside later and set her straight.
"By the way, what is that?"
Aila showed interest in the slime. She must have been at Cheshire's base when I bought it, so this was her first time seeing it.
"It's a slime that melts everything. Pretty crazy, right?"
"Hoo... a jar containing a slime that melts everything... that's an impressive jar."
No, seriously—why were Hellus and Aila both so obsessed with the jar? To me, the slime seemed more impressive...
"Hey, old man. This... do you recognize what this is?"
"Yes? Do you mean the engraved mark, Aila?"
"Yes. The spell formula engraved on the jar. I think... I can decipher this..."
"Hmm. Indeed. Let's transcribe it onto paper."
Aila and Hellus were completely absorbed by the jar. The slime was an afterthought. 'The mindset of master craftsmen... it's a bit hard to understand...'
I stood there looking a bit dumb, so Aila smiled and explained.
"Hehe... if we can copy the spell formula engraved on this jar that can contain anything... we can transfer the slime into it and multiply it, so it's important."
"Yes? Multiplication? I heard that wasn't possible..."
"If you assume something is impossible from the start, your thinking becomes limited."
Aila smiled and stroked my arm. Since she was touching me, I felt good and nodded. Right, both Hellus and Aila were the best craftsmen at our base, so they would surely figure something out. By then, they had started talking in technical jargon I couldn't understand at all, so I left them to their discussion and slipped out of the prep room. It's best not to disturb engineers when they're seriously trying to do something. They might just end up creating something truly incredible.
"Well, I've done what I needed to do..."
I had intended to show the Insect-Queen or the Insect-Black Knight to Hellus, but I figured it was better to hand them over to Hee-sun noona, the Druid, so I gave them to her earlier. Then now...
'I should go to Ella and Bella.'
I grabbed the communication potion Hellus had made from the large bag in the principal's office and headed to the classroom where Ella and Bella were. Both of them were from Nicholas's base. I had plenty of questions for them.
-Clatter.
"Eek...!!"
"Fucking Korean..."
Ella and Bella were sitting in the classroom, shoveling food into their mouths. They must have been starving, as they were eating frantically, but they jumped in surprise when I entered. Wait... "Fucking Korean"?
"Hey, who was the one who just cursed?"
I mean, to start off with a curse right away? Were they out of their minds? This was a bit strange. It was the same with the survivors from yesterday. Did I look like a pushover? No, I was wearing a ring so they couldn't recognize my face... maybe those two were just headstrong.
-Gulp. Gulp.
I drank the communication potion first. Now we could talk.
"I have a few things I'm curious about..."
When I spoke, the twins' eyes widened in shock. To those women, my words must have sounded like fluent English. It was no wonder they were surprised that a guy who had only been using Korean was suddenly speaking English with a native accent.
"Spill everything about your side's military strength. If you tell me everything you know about Nick or his associates, your treatment will change from here on out."
"Really...?"
"Yes. Really. The higher the quality of the information, the better you'll be treated. If you don't know much... hmm... what kind of punishment should I give you..."
"Ah, I'll tell you everything I know! I'll tell you everything about Nicholas's skills, that annoying glasses-wearing Michael's skills, and about the Saintess too..."
"Who is Michael again?"
"Ah, you know. That annoying bastard with the glasses."
The blonde one started chattering away, spilling information. I couldn't memorize all of this just by listening. I needed to write it down somewhere.
"Wait a second. You there! Someone come here! Bring me paper and a pen!"
I ordered a slave to bring me a pen and a notebook. I needed to take some notes. Information to slice and dice Nick and his remnants.