The Preparation for the Coming Storm
I had to choose from the items I’d prepared. They were all tricky to decide on. While any of them would be useful, the fact that I could only pick one made me take this seriously. 'The Coffin of Growth... now that I have the Abyss, I don't really need it.' The Abyss was already a place where time flowed rapidly; if there was something I wanted to grow, I could just toss it inside. So, that was unnecessary.
That left the Coffin of Trade and the Coffin of Fusion. 'The Coffin of Trade is good for point acquisition, but... I can command thousands of slaves. Does it make sense to pick it just for a few extra points...?' Every point my slaves earned went straight to me. Because of that, my points were increasing in real-time. After all, I had ordered them to hunt down the unprocessed zombies in the United States.
Eventually, by process of elimination, I had to choose the remaining one: the Coffin of Fusion. It reminded me of that old horror movie, The Fly. If you went in together, you came out merged. If I used this, couldn't I fuse the Parasitic Humans and the Mushroom Humans? If that were possible... it would be insane. A nimble mushroom monster might be born. 'Mixing the Jet-Black Beetle subspecies with my slaves could be fun, too...' If the compatibility was too unbalanced, they’d just melt, so I’d have to experiment with the numerous Parasitic Humans and Parasitic Trees first.
'Come to think of it... didn't the Slaughter Beast have a high tolerance for this kind of thing?' The Slaughter Beast consumes its master to absorb some of their power. In short, the Slaughter Beast is the ultimate master of fusion. Therefore, I figured I could use the Slaughter Beast, Kekere, as the core to fuse all sorts of slaves.
'If that’s possible... I might be able to turn the Slaughter Beast into the ultimate lifeform... the perfect being, Kekere.' I was already excited. To think I could forcibly create the species I wanted... isn't this basically a technique containing the essence of genetic engineering? Since it seemed like it would be quite large, I decided to claim it after leaving the Abyss.
“Alright, shall we head out? Are all three of you going to Korea?”
“Can I go? Then I’m going! It’s so annoying being stuck with that stoic Anna!!”
“Me too! Just like Bella, I’m going to work hard at the ‘ooh-cha ooh-cha’ with Oppa!!”
“Hey! What kind of nonsense are you spouting, you’re embarrassing me!!”
Ella shouted energetically and playfully rubbed her butt against my crotch. Bella then smacked her sister’s back, calling her shameless. Anna, who had been watching the scene from a distance, gulped and muttered, “Uh... um... me too.”
“Sure. So you want to do it too, huh?”
“Uh... that is. Ahem...”
She was pretending not to, even while she was rubbing her hand between my thighs. From what I could see, Anna was completely addicted to sex with me. It was safe to say she was thoroughly pickled. 'This... forget about the Good Gods or whatever... she’s so horny, I don't really need to worry, do I...?'
Yewon, who had been a Saint Maiden, was completely abandoned by the Good Gods, so I was able to coordinate with the Evil Gods and change her class to an Unholy Queen, a member of the Manma-jeon. However, Anna hadn't been abandoned by the Good Gods yet, so I had left her in the U.S., fearing she might betray me. But seeing her reaction now, it seemed like the woman named Anna herself was head over heels for me, regardless of suspicion. Unless the Good Gods directly possessed Anna’s body... I didn't think she would ever betray me.
Still, just in case, I stood up and approached Anna. I placed my hand on her shoulder.
“Anna.”
“Y-yes?”
“You won't betray me, will you? Don't lie. That’s an order.”
“O-of course... why would I... why would I betray you... I don't even have the courage... I don't want to be tortured to death.”
She already knew that if she betrayed me, she would die by my hand, so she said she wouldn't. She must have heard how Roy died through conversations with Helen or the twin sisters. I knew well that fear of me had taken root in her heart. But that was a feeling most of my slaves had.
'If it’s only fear... there’s a high chance she’ll betray me someday.' So, I needed to confirm the other emotion that had taken root in Anna’s heart.
“Anna, what do you think of me? Don't hide it, tell me the truth. Don't lie. This is also an order.”
My orders are absolute. If she tried to refuse... the reaction would be immediate.
“That is... I’m scared, but... I don't hate it... I actually like it... We’ve already been intimate. B-but... you don't really... like me...”
I could clearly understand her thoughts and feelings toward me. It was a distance like a child feeling toward a strict father, combined with a longing to gain affection. 'As expected... she’s completely fallen for me.' Anna sobbed, tears streaming down her face like peas. It seemed she thought I hated her because I had kept her at a distance, calling her a puppet of the Good Gods.
I hugged her. Anna soon stopped crying. Then, she reached out and wrapped her arms around my back.
'A slave craving her master’s affection...' I secretly wondered if this was also a secondary effect of the Slave Brand. When a Slave Brand is imprinted, they become strangely friendly toward me. It seemed Anna had fallen under that influence and ended up liking me.
I lightly kissed the forehead of the teary-eyed Anna. Anna looked up at me, wondering what was happening. I stroked her hair and said, “Let’s go together. To Korea.”
“C-can I really...? You said I was dangerous...”
“It’s not that you’re dangerous... it’s that the Good Gods behind you are dangerous to me.”
“Ah... you don't have to worry about them... ever since I was captured by you... I’ve rarely felt their gaze on me... Maybe... they’ve found a new toy...”
“Is that so? Hmm... I see...”
Looking at how things were going, it seemed they were pouring all their attention into the resurrected Nick... Do the Good Gods know? That while they were pouring water into a bottomless pit, Anna had been completely corrupted by me...
"Hmm... do not be entirely at ease... The surveillance and interference that had been continuous to harm you have all vanished... The Pantheon has concentrated the causality they were diverting elsewhere into a single point. I feel a flow of causality that is not to be taken lightly. My child... be careful. The Savior you meet next time... will be very different from the one before..."
At that moment, Indikron’s warning reached me. As expected, the Pantheon was indeed focusing all its attention on the Savior. Moreover, the fact that Indikron was giving me such a direct warning meant... the opponent was strengthening to a degree that was truly maddening. It seemed the Good Gods were fixing the bottomless pit.
'Thank you... Indikron...' I sent a silent message of gratitude. I also tried to guess where Nicholas might be. It definitely wouldn't be the U.S. I had already reached out there. And since I was holding the Asian side, he wouldn't dare come here unless he had lost his mind...
'Africa must be a wasteland already... There’s no advantage to making that his starting point. Nick gets stronger the more people he saves... So the remaining places are Eurasia, the Middle East... or South America and Europe. He wouldn't have resurrected in Australia... Europe is the most likely candidate.'
There was no way to get to Europe right away. If I prepared properly, I could go by plane or ship, but I didn't think the Good Gods would just sit by and watch me enter Europe. They would interfere in every way possible.
'Maybe it’s better to just wait until he comes...' He was bound to find me eventually. His goal was to kill me and become the 'Sole Being' before the gods. So, I just needed to make the best preparations I could until he came looking for me.
“Then let’s all go back.”
“Okay!”
“Yay!! When I get to Korea, I’ll study Korean really hard!”
“Hehe... yeah. Let’s work hard, Anna?”
“Yeah... I like that...”
And so, Anna and the twins decided to follow me back to Hyoseon Girls' High School. Of course, there was one thing I had to finish before that.
“Wait a second, there’s something I need to do before we go.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“What is it?”
“I’ll show you. Just wait a moment.”
The twins were curious. Anna seemed curious deep down as well.
“Claim Reward. Blacksmith Restoration Blueprint.”
I requested the reward to turn the ruins of the Abyss into the ancient subterranean people’s blacksmith. Then, papers fell from the air. There were three sheets in total. One had a massive furnace drawn on it, and the other two looked like blacksmith buildings.
◈ Effect: Restores the ruins of the Abyss into the ancient subterranean blacksmith. Restores lost subterranean metallurgy. Allows the creation of equipment using rare metals. Parasitic Humans will learn metallurgy.
◈ Usage: Burning the blueprint with fire will generate blacksmith buildings at the center of the Abyss ruins.
The generation site was in the middle of the Abyss ruins... but the tent was built between the Crimson Zone and the Abyss ruins. Therefore, the buildings would be automatically generated in a place further away from here. Moreover, since the farmland development hadn't reached the center of the Abyss yet, there was no problem building it right now.
“Salamander...” I summoned the Salamander for the first time in a long while. Then, I set the blueprint on fire. The paper soon burned away, and the ground began to shake with a small earthquake.
“Kyaaa!!!”
“Earthquake!!!”
“Oh! No!! Aiming Brother!!”
Just then, the effect of the communication potion ended, and the screams of the twins and Anna were heard in American-accented English.
“Uh, calm down... no, wait. Relax!! Relax please!!”
“Uh, o-okay..!”
Not long after, the earthquake stopped, and several massive buildings stood outside the tent. We walked out of the tent to check the blacksmith that had appeared in the ruins.
“Whoa...”
“Holy...”
A furnace of unbelievable size and several buildings for blacksmiths had appeared. The fires were out, but if they were running normally, this place would have looked like a blacksmith of hell.
'I can just tell them to clear the farmland in the ruins later...' I returned to the tent and took a birdcage out of my large magic bag. It was the cage containing the mineral vein seeds I had bought from the poacher in the Black Market. I should plant them now before I leave. That way, the mineral vein would grow nicely while I was away.
“Hey, Aiming Brother. What’s this?”
“You ask what this is? Uh... what do you call mineral vein seeds in English...”
I didn't know what mineral vein was in English. In the end, I just answered as best I could.
“Mine seed?”
“Yes. Mine seed.”
At my answer, Bella and Ella looked puzzled, and Anna nodded as if she understood what it was. Looking at their expressions, they didn't know anything, but it was cute how they pretended to understand.
Anyway, since everyone seemed to understand, let’s plant them. -Wooooooong!!!
As soon as I took the mineral vein seeds out of the tent, the seeds reacted crazily to the water droplets falling from the ceiling. They floated in the air, thrashing about, as if they were about to break the cage and dig into the ground.
“Not yet!! You crazy things!!”
I hurriedly brought the seeds near the center of the Abyss ruins and opened the cage door. -Pwoooooook!!!
As soon as the door opened, the mineral vein seeds dug into the ground. Once again, the ground shook.
“Oh my god!!! Aftershock!!!!”
Bella was terrified and clung to my arm. She had a truly terrified expression. Then, perhaps jealous of her sister clinging to me, Ella also let out an exaggerated scream and clung to me. Anna, who had been watching their spoiled behavior, also quietly approached and grabbed the hem of my clothes. It seemed she didn't have the courage to act out and cling to me like Ella and Bella yet. She had become more mature than before we were intimate.
“Phew... it’s finally over...”
The shaking didn't last long. Seeing the ground, which was always damp, suddenly dry up, I could feel the mineral vein growing vigorously beneath the earth. It even seemed to be absorbing all the water droplets falling in real-time.
“Then, leave this to the Parasitic Humans... and let’s go back. Go home.”
“Yeah!”
“Yup! Aiming Brother!!”
Having finished what I needed to do, we returned to the Crimson Zone. After that, I sent the three of them to Korea first, and before going out, I met with the Seeker for a moment. I had a favor to ask of him.
For reference, the Seeker had been a member of the Manma-jeon from the beginning, and immediately after Sataniel was resurrected, he had completely sided with me. The Seeker’s abilities weren't very suitable for combat, but I heard he was one of Sataniel’s disciples, so he wasn't someone who would betray me. He also said he had finished his long training and was now capable of activity. Perhaps that was why he was constantly carving something with a chisel. It seemed wood carving was his hobby. From the start, the items he sold carried the modifier 'carved by the Seeker of the Abyss himself'...
“Ah, yes. Hello, Seeker.”
[Yes, what brings you here? Do you have a favor to ask?]
“Ah, about that.”
I took out the Abyss Tick egg. I intended to ask the Seeker to take care of this. Since the Seeker was a native of the Abyss, he would know where to plant it so it would grow well.
[This is... an Abyss-born tick... and an egg of a queen at that... They should have gone extinct long ago. May I ask how you obtained it?]
“How should I explain this... I received it as an achievement reward.”
[Ah... a gift from the administrators. Do you wish to entrust it to me?]
“Yes. I was wondering if you could raise it well to contribute to the development of the Abyss.”
[I see... It has become quite lively lately... Leave it to me. I will raise it well.]
“Yes, thank you. I’ll leave it to you.”
The Seeker of the Abyss accepted the tick queen’s egg with his four arms, treating it with great care. I didn't know how valuable it was, but the Seeker would know... seeing how carefully he handled it, it must be an incredible creature.
“Then...”
I finally went outside. It felt like I had spent several dozen hours in the Abyss... but in reality, not even an hour had passed. Now, I had to do what needed to be done outside. I was insanely busy.