The Rapid Flow of Time in the Abyss
Time in the Abyss flows rapidly. It has been about two days since I entered the United States, but in the Abyss, 120 days have already passed. Since one hour in reality equals two days and twelve hours in the Abyss, spending just two days in the real world meant that nearly four months had elapsed within that pocket dimension.
"That really doesn't make any sense."
"Tell me about it. If you stay in the Abyss for too long, the time difference with reality makes you feel dizzy."
Cheshire, who had accompanied me to the U.S., was preparing to return to our base at Hyoseon Girls' High School. She gasped in surprise as she saw the parasitic humans, whose numbers had increased significantly. I had explicitly limited their population, but having been left alone for 120 days, their numbers had exploded to an absurd degree.
The only saving grace was that, due to their shared consciousness, the newly born parasitic humans inherited the slave-like obedience of their predecessors. Simply put, the hatchlings followed the same behavioral patterns that the adult parasitic humans deemed absolute. It was fascinating to see them obey me and act so docilely without me even needing to brand them as slaves.
"Hmm... it's a bit of a waste to only raise them in the Abyss, isn't it?"
"Are you thinking of taking them outside?"
"Well, I actually tried, but... they get incredibly anxious when I take them out. They even develop skin inflammation when exposed to sunlight..."
"Sun allergy and agoraphobia, huh... I see, they're creatures specialized for the dark, cramped Abyss. That's fascinating."
"Yeah... it's fascinating, and... a bit of a shame."
Still, it was fortunate that they were useful for the Abyss development project. I taught them agriculture, and they became smart enough to harvest and collect crops on their own. They were a unique species with an incredibly high learning capacity; if I taught one, it would share that information with the others, leading to an absurd phenomenon where teaching ten at once increased efficiency tenfold.
"M-Master... have you arrived..."
"Oh... yeah. Hello. Working hard, are you?"
"Yes... i-it's nothing much. T-then..."
"Oh... right. Keep up the good work..."
Thanks to that ridiculously overpowered racial trait, these bastards had learned to speak Korean in just 120 days. Once the human slaves from Hyoseon Girls' High School that I sent into the Abyss gave them clothes and taught them the language, they performed their own deep learning... and within 120 days, they were capable of holding conversations. They even developed a sense of hygiene... I heard they shower twice a day.
'Wow... what a remarkable evolution.'
Back when they were just screeching "Kieeeek," I saw them as nothing more than beasts or monsters to be slaughtered. But seeing them speak politely, wearing tattered clothes, and hoeing the ground like simple, unpretentious farmers, I suddenly thought that they, too, were people just like me. Even though I had only met them again after a mere two days, for them, I had appeared after 120 days—it was hard to bridge the gap of that time.
'Given their high intelligence... perhaps they are the descendants of those who built a civilization in the ruins of the Abyss?'
They were likely the remnants of a race that fled into the Crimson Zone to escape Henry, who appeared suddenly and committed massacres, and subsequently devolved into these parasitic humans. That seemed plausible. In the distant past, they were truly civilized beings.
"You said they were parasitic humans, but they really are 'human' in the literal sense."
"I know, right... just humans who happened to fall into the Abyss..."
"Pet humans are cute because they stay stupid no matter how much time passes..."
"Haha..."
When Cheshire mentioned pet humans, I suddenly thought of Lily, whom Kekere had devoured. I had bought her a similar one before leaving the black market, but... I felt a bit uneasy about it. After all, she had gulped down the one I had raised with such care...
'Come to think of it, I've been neglecting Kesia and Kekere too much...'
I had sent both Kesia and Kekere to Hellus. I heard that since I fed them both the Endless Impulse, they had become geniuses of sorts, absorbing Hellus's knowledge like a sponge. Kekere, in particular, was said to be exceptionally talented because she already knew how to handle sorcery...
'I should bring Kekere to the Abyss... and use her as a sorcery instructor for the parasitic humans...'
I'll send her down later. For Kekere, who occasionally craves cannibalism, the parasitic humans would be both good food... and potential disciples. As I was lost in such bizarre thoughts, Cheshire looked at the parasitic humans and muttered tentatively.
"If we spend just a month in reality... a tremendous amount of time will pass in here. Is it just my imagination, or does it feel like they might build their own civilization among themselves during that time?"
"Oh... I think so too. I was actually planning to send in people with professional knowledge in specific fields or experts with technical books to teach them. I'll be sending in a large number of Americans too... so they'll learn English as well..."
"That's a little scary... what if they become too smart and... start a rebellion?"
"Ah... I guess I shouldn't make them too smart after all."
If the slaves become too intelligent, that's a problem in itself. They need to be just stupid enough to be easy to work with.
After that, we talked about various things. It was mostly about future plans... I'm thinking of challenging the Forest of Corruption as soon as this business is over. Once I get the bracelet of Nus from Eila, I should be able to enter the Forest of Corruption.
"Then I'll go ahead. You have to come quickly."
"Yes. See you later."
Cheshire headed to Hyoseon Girls' High School first. I intend to finish some remaining work in the U.S. before returning.
Chester, a small city located in the north of Goose Pond Mountain State Park. I am taking a walk with Harin, eating handmade hot dogs made with Chester sausages. Like typical American hot dogs, they were incredibly... heavy. There was so much meat that it felt like it would clog my arteries, and it was salty. They say Americans mostly eat salty food... it didn't really suit my taste.
For the record, I couldn't turn all four thousand or so people into slaves in just two days, and the work of separating the humans for slavery from the humans for offerings wasn't finished either. So, I plan to return to Hyoseon Girls' High School after leaving Erickson with a few tasks. Of course, there was still one thing left to handle before that, so I'm on my way to the city's municipal office in the center of town with Harin, who wanted to go for a walk. The other women had either gone to Hyoseon Girls' High School first... or were still sleeping. They all seemed tired, perhaps because they had played too hard yesterday after occupying the new base.
"Harin, is it tasty?"
"Yes. The meat flavor is incredibly rich, so it's delicious."
Harin took a mouthful of the hot dog. Ever since she became a beast, Harin's appetite has increased significantly... In the past, she had a more haughty image... but now she's just become a good puppy. She even loves meat. Maybe she fits in well with America...
'Sigh... how did Harin become a puppy...'
She returned with her personality changed so much after the meadow where the blue moon rose. Even in the beginning, her personality was a bit erratic and hard to grasp... but she still felt like a woman with a strong competitive spirit. Now, however...
'Maybe it's fortunate that she's become simpler...'
Harin, my first slave and the one who has undergone the most personality changes... She's probably just happy right now because she thinks she's on a walk with me. She even linked her arm with mine after I fed her plenty of hot dogs. It was nice to be able to get affection by luring her with food.
"Huu... Hey, hey, sir... please..."
Just then, a Vietnamese-American man approached me from behind, crying. I turned my head and glared at him slightly. He trembled violently and bowed his head. This man following me and Harin was a drug addict, a human so broken that daily life was impossible for him. That's why I'm taking him to be offered. Of course, offering such a junkie to the evil gods wouldn't earn me any praise, so this isn't an offering for the evil gods.
"We're here, Harin. Let's let go of the arm now."
"Okay! But Master, should I wait here? Or should I go in with you?"
"I'll be back quickly. Wait here while eating your hot dog."
"Okay!"
There was no need to show Harin, who was eating a hot dog, the blood of a junkie. I grabbed the back of the trembling man's neck and entered the municipal office building erected in the center of the Chester camp. I had heard that the idol of the god was in the underground archives there. The idol I obtained after clearing the Forest of the Missing.
I intend to offer this man to the god's idol.
"Now, then."
"He, hey!! Wait a minute!!!"
The Vietnamese-American asked me to wait a moment and then babbled a lot in incoherent English. The important thing is that I couldn't understand a word he was saying. Especially since even standard English was difficult, his pronunciation was so terrible that I couldn't understand a single word except for very simple ones.
"Are you done talking?"
"No... please sir... please... please don't kill me... I, I have children... and my wife..."
The Vietnamese-American was begging with his hands together, tears streaming down his face. I looked at him indifferently. His complexion wasn't good, and... he was already addicted to drugs, so there was no way to use him. Even the Alcids didn't try to infect him, saying his brain was rotten. He seemed to be trying to survive by selling out his family... but before I brought him here, I heard he had already abandoned his family long ago, and he was a crazy piece of trash who even had a history of getting caught by his wife while trying to sell his daughter to a pedophile drug dealer.
"You should have at least done drugs in moderation."
I drew the Ghost-Crying Sword. Yang Ji-sang spoke up, saying it had been a while since I drew it, but I ignored it all. I heard it was about becoming friends with Dodomeki... it seemed to be spending happy days in the sword's eye. A modern Korean ghost having a spiritual union with a medieval Japanese ghost... it was truly soul-sex that transcended generations. How terrible.
-Slash!!!
"Gurgle... gurg..."
The Vietnamese-American, whose name I didn't even know, looked at his own neck and chest, from which blood was spurting out in disbelief, and then collapsed as he was. Soon, the blood flowing from his body soaked into the god's idol, extending the duration of the barrier. The god's idol protects the base only if you feed it human blood every month. Without the god's idol, I probably wouldn't have been able to sleep easily at night because of the ghosts. Furthermore, the zombies surrounding the survivor camp would have been even more active, targeting the humans in the camp. Simply put, you need this to properly establish a survival zone.
"Let's go."
"Okay! Master, hold my hand."
"Sure."
I held Harin's hand and walked down the quiet road. Harin's hand was stained with hot dog sauce, and my hand was stained with the blood of the man I had just killed. Since both were red, it was hard to tell them apart. It was a very sunny day.