Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Build a Strong Bond with your Slaves
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“I've finished learning all the skills...”
“Wow! You worked hard, Oppa.”
“Hoo... Now I can relax a little, Master.”
“Thanks. I would've been in big trouble if it weren't for you two.”
That wasn't just empty words. If they hadn't held my hand, I shudder to think what would have happened.
‘Now, I can't even imagine a life without Eun-ji and Ha-rin... So I need to level up their skills quickly too... I have to get my achievement rewards as well...’
Of course, it's not urgent right now. Before learning skills and getting achievement rewards, I need to wash up first. The dried, rotten blood is sticking to me, and it's disgusting.
“Hmm... What about her?”
I walked over to Kang Hwa-yeong, who was muttering to herself in a daze.
“Hey. Are you okay?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. Haha. Yes. I'm okay. I'm okay. No problems at all. I'm okay.”
Her condition looks pretty serious... She doesn't look okay at all. She keeps repeating the same words, and her pupils staring blankly into space look quite precarious.
“Hey. Tell me your exact symptoms. Don't suffer alone.”
“Haha.. I, I, I really. I'm really okay...”
She naturally canceled the command again.
What's with this girl? Should I just kill her now?
If I don't command her strongly enough, she doesn't listen well.
‘It's also unsettling that she wasn't this weird before...’
She seemed a bit shy and timid, but she wasn't the type to awkwardly laugh or try to drink blood like a maniac. To be so deeply affected by her class... that's a bit scary.
It means that if I had picked a weird class like this, I could have ended up in this crazy state.
“Hey. Don't be a pain and just tell me quickly. What's the problem?”
“Uh... I... That... Blood... Blood...”
“Blood?”
Haa... This is driving me crazy. So she wants to drink blood after all...
I quietly listened to Hwa-yeong's stuttering but earnest attempt to speak. It was frustrating enough to make me die, but I endured it to the end.
“That's a bit.. constantly... I, I'm sorry. Huk... Blood. Gulp... Blood... I want... hic... Ah, I shouldn't be like this... I'm weird, aren't I? Hahaha.... Huk... Hahaha.”
Her words were as jumbled as an addict's. Her emotions seemed all mixed up too. She was rambling, but other than the fact she wanted blood, it was hard to understand.
“You want blood, right? Isn't that right?”
“Ah.. Gulp... Yes. Blood. Blood... Please... Just a sip...”
Her two red eyes, which had been wandering aimlessly, finally focused on me.
A gaze tainted with madness. Those two eyes that seem to be craving something.
She wants blood. And desperately so.
‘She looks quite pretty, but her actions are totally crazy...’
She blatantly cancels my light commands.
Watching her repeatedly show signs of anxiety, unable to handle herself, I wondered if I could really handle this blood-crazy woman. If I can't handle her, wouldn't it be better to just kill and sacrifice her now?
“Hahaha... Just a sip... Just one bite... I want it. Blood... Haa.. Fresh.. I want fresh...”
This girl is completely lost it!
‘The fact that her race changed the moment she awakened as a Carnivore Vampire, and her class is quite unique. Judging by her face or her uniqueness, it's a waste to kill her here. How can I handle this girl?’
Actually, the way to handle her is simple.
“Want some blood?”
“Gulp... Yes... Yes! P, please give it to me...! M, Master. Please... Just one bite... No, one sip... Just one sip is enough... Please..!!!! Please!!! Blood!!! Blood!!!”
“Shut up!”
“Hic.. Yes.. I. I'll be quiet. I'll be quiet and good. I can stay still and behave.”
I just need to give her the blood she so desperately wants.
Thinking about it, there seems to be no other way than to control her with blood.
“Open your mouth.”
I used a ceremonial dagger, a drop item from a special zombie, to make a small cut on my palm.
A small cut like this can be healed in no time using Surging Flesh, so this much bleeding is fine.
Drip... Drip, drip...
I squeezed my fist and dripped the blood into her mouth.
“Haa... Haa.. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp... Master... Lick... It's sweet... It's so... sweet... delicious...”
Hwa-yeong, who had been on her knees, caught the falling blood in her mouth and gradually stood up, then grabbed my hand and licked the blood.
Her bright red tongue ran up my wrist, licking the wound and savoring the blood.
Like sucking out the essence. Ravenously. Yet, she was careful with her tongue so it wouldn't hurt.
She drank the blood flowing from my wound for a long time, as if she was being drawn in.
The pain from the wound and the soft sensation of Hwa-yeong's tongue mixed together, giving me a strange ticklish and warm feeling.
“Oppa... Is it okay to just leave her like that?”
“I feel really uneasy, Master.”
The two women, who had been quietly watching me and Hwa-yeong from behind, expressed their concern.
I was thinking of stopping the bleeding soon anyway. If I let her drink too much from the start, she might get spoiled.
“That's enough.”
“Hut..!? Haa.. J, just a moment... Master. If I can just have a little more... I really...”
“Hey. You said just a sip. Now you're changing your story? Don't you want blood anymore? You might not get to drink it ever again.”
“Ah, no. That's not it. M, Master.. I'm sorry. Master, I'm sorry. I was wrong. Just once. Please forgive me just this once. Please.”
At my single word, Kang Hwa-yeong trembled in fear and bowed her head to the floor, begging. She didn't even know what she was saying, just repeatedly saying she was sorry and that she wouldn't do it again.
There was no pride or self-esteem left. The sight of her begging pathetically was like watching a drug addict's downfall, which was a bit funny. A woman who was fine just yesterday became a creature that can't live without blood.
‘Thinking about it... If I starve her for a few days in this state and send her hunting humans, wouldn't she fight like crazy? For blood, she wouldn't show any mercy. The fact that she's a Vampire of Massacre suggests she's a class specialized for slaughter.’
It seems I could definitely make her go on an artificial rampage by making her bloodthirsty. Of course, that would be after leveling her up. Anyway, now that I've realized I can tame her with blood, my future policy is set.
“And don't lie. If you don't listen to me properly, I won't give you any blood. No dinner. Got it?”
“Yes! I understand. I'm good at understanding! I'll listen well to what Master says. So... please... please...”
This crazy bitch might be easy to handle. I can make her do anything with blood as collateral.
“Good. You have to behave well.”
“Kuhuk... Yes...! I really... I'll really listen well..!”
I treated the cut on my palm and gently stroked Hwa-yeong's head.
“Is that really okay...”
Ha-rin's eyes were full of discomfort.
She might be sensing something from Hwa-yeong, who is now a vampire.
Even when I learned Abyss Observation and was about to pass out alone, Ha-rin was the first to notice my abnormality.
Is this the instinct of a Barbarian, a savage?
“Do you feel something?”
“Hmm... It's just. Since the moment she changed like that... when our eyes meet, I keep getting goosebumps. It might just be my imagination.”
Ha-rin only said that she felt a vague sense of anxiety. It seemed she wasn't sure if the intuition she was feeling was reliable or not.
“For now, she's a hidden class like us. Let's try using her until it works out. If it really doesn't work... we can think about killing or doing something about her then. What do you think?”
“I'm for it.”
“I... um... yes.”
Eun-ji didn't show any signs of rejection, so she agreed right away, and Ha-rin also reluctantly nodded her head in the end.
Eun-ji and Ha-rin are the only humans I can trust and rely on right now, so I plan to listen to their opinions for the most part. If Ha-rin had refused to the end, I might have thought differently about Hwa-yeong's treatment.
For someone like Hwa-yeong, even I think her condition isn't normal, so I would have just discarded or killed her if necessary.
‘Of course, I should taste her first before that...’
Thanks to the Slave Mark's effect, even if she resists, she ends up having to follow my commands unconditionally.
And even without using the skill's effect to give a coercive command, if I offer blood, she looks like she'd take off her clothes and hang herself right now.
“First, let's go wash up. Hwa-yeong, get up too.”
“Yes..!”
Hwa-yeong got up from her spot with a somewhat listless voice. Her red eyes kept chasing the hand that was wounded, which was a bit creepy.
“Ah, before we go, I should buy all the items first.”
I was planning to take Eun-ji, Ha-rin, and even Hwa-yeong down to wash, but I just realized I hadn't bought all the items from the Peddler yet.
‘I know this Peddler's appearance condition, but what's the exit condition?’
The Peddler was still sitting in the same spot, gazing into empty space.
He's a funny guy with a strangely detached expression.
“Excuse me, when are you leaving?”
Even though he's an NPC, he has enough intelligence to have a normal conversation. It's just that he doesn't respond well to conversation.
“When all the items are sold, or before the date passes. I'll be sitting right here. So, young man. Are you going to buy something?”
“Yes... Let's see...”
The remaining items are 'TS Injection', 'Salamander Summon Scroll', and 'Blue Dream Eyemask'. A total of 3 items are left.
Maybe because I've killed so many zombies, I can buy all three right away.
‘Coins are still being supplied in real-time...’
Downstairs, Ha Jin-sung and the slaves are fighting well, as coins are still being acquired, albeit in small amounts.
“I'll buy everything.”
“Hahaha! Thank you! Thanks to you, I can go home early!”
The Peddler laughed heartily and greeted me, then disappeared in a flash of light just like when he arrived.
Seeing that refreshing smile at the end, it seems his favorability has increased a bit.
‘If I buy all the items, his mood improves significantly... I should remember that.’
I should remember that the Peddler likes it when his stall sells out because he can get off work early.
If his favorability increases, maybe he'll give me a quest or increase the number of items he sells.
“Hmm... But what about this injection...”
The Salamander Summon Scroll and the sleeping eyemask are useful items, but I don't know where to use this TS Injection.
‘Turn Ha Jin-sung into a woman...? No. There's no need to make him a woman. A Ha Jin-sung who's become a woman... just the thought makes me want to vomit.’
I'll just keep it for now. There might be a time to use it someday. There's no one in our group I want to TS right now. If there's ever someone I absolutely want to TS and send to ruin, I'll use it then.
“I wonder how this summon scroll works...”
As I slightly opened the red cover, a message appeared.
📜 NEW QUEST 📜
[Would you like to learn Salamander Summon?]
“Oh...!”
Of course. I have to 'devour' this kind of thing unconditionally.
“Learn it.”
⚔ STATUS ⚔
You have learned Salamander Summon.
Salamander Summon: Summons a small flame lizard. During the summon, 10 Mana cannot be used.
It means that out of my 245 mana, 10 will be constantly used as a summoning maintenance cost.
So, while the Salamander is summoned, my max mana stat becomes 235. The 10 is continuously used by the Salamander.
‘Fortunately, since I have a lot of mana, it's not much of a burden.’
I got a lighter and portable burner that uses mana as fuel.
“Salamander Summon.”
Whoosh..!
A red flame flickered and soon took the form of a small lizard.
“Wow! Oppa, what's that?”
“It's a Salamander.”
“Master, this guy must be hot to the touch, right?”
“Uh... I guess so? Let me touch it.”
Thinking that if I get burned, I can heal it with Surging Flesh, I brought my hand to the Salamander wriggling on the ground.
It seemed to recognize its master and quietly accepted my touch.
“It's warm?”
“Wow! Oppa! Me too! Let me touch it too!”
“Just a sec...”
It's clearly made of fire, but it has mass and can be held. It's a strange sensation, holding a fire feels like caressing a flickering silk bundle.
“Here. Touch it gently. It might only be warm to me because I'm the master.”
“Okay! Then...”
Eun-ji brought her hand to the Salamander's head, and the Salamander quietly accepted her touch.
“It's so tame.”
“This is amazing... Ha-rin, you try too.”
“Yes...”
Ha-rin seemed a bit scared to touch fire and hesitantly reached out her hand.
“Wow... It feels so smooth...”
“Right? It's amazing. Hey, Hwa-yeong, what about you?”
“Huh? Ah. Uh. Yes!”
Oops. It's better not to talk to her.
She's not even looking at the Salamander, just staring at the back of my neck.
If she hadn't learned the Slave Mark, she would have tried to bite my neck by now.
“Then let's really go wash up now. Let's check on the kids downstairs too.”
Grrrgle.
“It's about time we ate too.”
“I agree.”
We have plenty of ingredients.
I plan to cook and eat a lot of fish and meat, as we need to consume the things with the shortest shelf life first.
“Let's go down then!”
We went down to the lower floors.
The supermarket's B1 is the food section, 1F is clothing, 2F is electronics, toys, and other miscellaneous goods. From 3F up is the parking lot.
There were quite a few cars parked in the parking lot. But without the keys, they're useless. We managed to drag a few over with barricades, but as you can see, they were useless against large zombies like War Boys.
It seemed Ha Jin-sung and the slaves had been hunting zombies from 4F upwards. Not a single zombie remained.
Thanks to that, the four of us could wash up comfortably in the restroom. We found buckets and bath supplies in the supermarket, poured water on each other's bodies, and washed. We also naturally picked out clothes to change into.
‘It's a relief that we have the Salamander... And it's lucky that water and electricity are still working.’
Unfortunately, hot water didn't come out, only lukewarm water trickled. So I brought a pot, filled it with water, and used the Salamander to heat it up.
‘Water isn't a problem even if it rains or snows... but what about electricity? Should I find a generator? All the frozen food will spoil without electricity... If I just leave it outside, will it freeze?’
The fact that electricity could go out at any time was the most unsettling. If all electronics, including the refrigerator, stop, it would cause all sorts of problems. For one, heating would become difficult immediately.
“Haha!”
“Ah, Unnie!”
At that moment, Ha-rin and Eun-ji, who were playfully fighting with shampoo, caught my eye.
“Hehe.”
Seeing their bright and clear appearance, my stifled heart felt a little lighter. It was a sight that evoked a sense of innocence.
“Hwa-yeong.”
“Yes! Master!”
Hwa-yeong was soaping her body and staring blankly at me. She still looked dull in some ways.
“Wash up quickly. I'll give you blood in a bit.”
“Ah! Yes!”
At the mention of blood, her expression regained its will to live. Is she this happy just to get blood?
‘There's no need to give her my blood. There are two useless non-Awakened. They'll be Hwa-yeong's food from now on.’
Using the non-Awakened Gu Ji-hwan and Kim Do-kyung as blood bags would be perfect.
They're not even Awakened, so they should at least do something like that. If they don't like it, they could face a future of being human sacrifices. Wouldn't it be much more beneficial to become this beautiful vampire's emergency ration and blood bag than to die?
That's when it happened.
“Big Brother! I've checked everything!”
Ha Jin-sung called me from outside the restroom. I quickly rinsed off the soap suds on my body, wrapped a towel loosely around my waist, and went out.
“Good, you all worked hard.”
Now I'm thinking of having the slaves clean the rooftop.
The corpses are already starting to attract flies and all sorts of bugs.
If we leave the corpses as they are, a plague is bound to break out.
I'd like to gather them in a corner of the rooftop and burn them all with immolation, but that would attract a huge amount of aggro from the surroundings, and survivors might gather at the supermarket...
‘Hmm... Maybe it's better to lure them that way?’
Anyway, I was planning to go outside and hunt survivors. I need manpower right now, whether to use them as slaves or as offerings for human sacrifice. Moreover, I just realized anew that I need labor for cleaning and miscellaneous tasks, so I wish I had a bit more workforce.
Last night, it was unavoidable that I had to give up on all the non-Awakened, but that couldn't be helped.
‘Alright, it's better to lure the survivors nearby to this place and capture them.’
Even if hostile ones come, if I use guerrilla tactics while controlling the slaves inside the supermarket, I can handle them relatively easily. With my current mana pool, I can even fight while mass-producing slaves in real-time. Dragging them into a chaotic battle and sacrificing them to human sacrifice also seems like a good method.
“First, move all the corpses in the supermarket to the rooftop and gather them in one place. Then find some oil, pour it, and set it on fire. Burn it all.”
We'll make a campfire out of the corpses. It's a beacon to show that there are survivors, and a lure to attract other survivors. Zombies might react to the smoke, but if I have enough mana, I can summon tentacles without limit, so there's no big worry. With my current power, I can handle dozens of special zombies without issue.
And I think survivors would react more violently to the smoke than zombies.
“Yes, understood!”
“After you're done, wash up, eat, and bring bleach and cleaning supplies to clean the rooftop.”
“Yes!”
For the next 3 hours, Ha Jin-sung and the slaves moved the corpses and burned them, then spent another 5 hours cleaning the rooftop.
In the meantime, I, Eun-ji, Ha-rin, and Hwa-yeong, who had one foot in my slave harem, grilled and ate meat. We gathered all the meat that hadn't spoiled yet and grilled it. I was planning to grill a bunch and share it with the other slaves. They worked hard cleaning the rooftop, so it's a kind of reward. Meat grilled by the Master. They should be grateful to the point of tears.
“Hmm. You eat meat well too, not just blood?”
“Yes! Haha.. Still... I still want blood...”
Hwa-yeong had just devoured a lot of blood from Gu Ji-hwan and Kim Do-kyung.
Their faces have turned quite pale, but it's nothing I need to worry about.
Anyway, after consuming a proper amount of blood, Hwa-yeong's reason had returned to the point where she could hold a decent conversation. Of course, her craving for blood still remained.
From my perspective, it seems she would have to suck someone dry until they die to be satisfied.
“Man, I'm full.”
“Haa~am...”
“Should we get some sleep for now?”
“Yes...!”
I set an alarm for 5 hours later and decided to take a nap in a tent in the mountaineering gear section.
Since we're handling the actual combat, we should rest when we have the time. It's too tiring to go on without sleep. I don't even have the energy to fool around. If I forced a physical relationship, I'd probably pass out mid-act.
“Snore..”
Eun-ji and Ha-rin quickly fell asleep with their heads on my arms.
Hwa-yeong was sleeping a bit further away, curled up like a shrimp.
I decided to choose my achievement rewards while savoring the scent of Eun-ji and Ha-rin.
I want to sleep right now, but I should finish what I have to do first.
“Let's see...”
Last night, I achieved a whopping 6 achievements.
First, after eating the Black Serpent's Inner Core and my mana increased by 200, I got some achievements.
In order: 'Black Serpent's Inner Core', 'A Gamble with My Life', and 'Mana User'.
Next, after performing a human sacrifice and encountering Kashnax, I got these achievements.
'Encounter with the Unknown', 'The Unforgivable', and 'Kashnax's Follower'.
‘Let's start by picking the rewards for the Black Serpent's Inner Core achievement step by step.’
⚔ STATUS ⚔
Select a reward.
1. Black Serpent's Fang
2. Black Serpent's Egg
3. Black Serpent's Twisted Inner Core
First, the Black Serpent's Fang...
⚔ ITEM ⚔
Black Serpent's Fang
Can instantly kill the target it stabs. Can only be used once.
It's an incredible item. It can kill whoever it stabs, no matter who they are.
But it has a fatal flaw: it can only be used once.
‘If someone like me, who survived eating the Black Serpent's Inner Core, picks this and stabs me... I'd die instantly.’
Imagining myself being hit by it, it's truly a great item, but... let's check the other rewards first.
⚔ ITEM ⚔
Black Serpent's Egg
Can tame a young Black Serpent.
‘Tame a Black Serpent... Is it like a summon? Before that, where would I use a hatched Black Serpent?’
I'm not sure. It's not a useful type of summon like the Salamander for daily life, but probably a type that gives direct help in battle.
‘A Black Serpent... It would suit Eun-ji well if I gave it to her.’
If I raise it to maturity, it seems like it would become extremely useful.
The problem is the last reward... Is this really a reward?
⚔ ITEM ⚔
Black Serpent's Twisted Inner Core
If consumed, Mana increases by 500. There is a 55% chance of instant death.
‘That's insane. 55%... If I eat it, I'm basically dead.’
I'd rather use it as poison.
Even if it increases my mana by 500, I don't want it. Who in their right mind would choose this when there's a higher-than-even chance of instant death?
‘So it's either the fang or the egg...’
I don't know what to choose.
This dilemma is giving me choice paralysis.
‘Haa...’
My head is throbbing.
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