Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: To the World of Dreams
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As Siegfried vanished in a flash of light, the women rushed to my side.
In the chaos, only Hwa-yeong, who should have been at the main gate, was missing.
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"He was like a storm, wasn't he? But... was that thing really human?"
"I think it was... probably?"
I nodded dumbly at Eun-ji's words.
With that colossal presence gone in an instant, I felt a strange emptiness.
"His aura was no joke. He's a human who could probably go toe-to-toe with an Archangel."
I wasn't sure just how strong an Archangel was, but given that Mer, our strongest member in terms of pure combat ability, was trembling just from his presence, I could easily imagine the scale of Siegfried's power.
"Unnie, you couldn't have fought him?"
"Yeah... Honestly, even if all of us attacked him at once... we wouldn't have lasted a minute against that monster."
"Haa... Crazy..."
A-rum, who had been listening to our conversation, let out a groan at Mer's words.
If what Mer said was true, even if we all ganged up on him, we probably couldn't have left a single scratch on him.
"For now... let's go back to the supermarket," I said.
"Yes."
I needed to get back to the supermarket, chug the Naga Raja's juice gift set, and then try to talk to Yang Ji-sang's soul, which was trapped in the Ghostly Blade.
Maybe, just maybe, I could use not just a part of Yang Ji-sang's ability, but all of it.
"Hey! Jin-seong!"
"Yes, hyung-nim!"
"Over there. Those are all your new subordinates. With Jin-woo... and Su-min, you too."
"Yes..."
"You three are in charge of managing them."
"Understood!"
After handing over all the Non-Awakened and Awakened to Ha Jin-seong, I called over Moon Geun-oh.
"Hey, Moon Geun-oh."
"Y-Yes! Did you call for me?!"
"These three are your new bosses now. Got it?"
"Oh, ho! Yes! Of course!"
"Introduce yourself to these three later. Take the slaves and move all the useful items left in the church to the supermarket. We're on a timer, so don't mess this up. Even if you can't move everything, get back to the supermarket before the sun sets."
"Yes, yes!"
Under Moon Geun-oh's guidance, Ha Jin-seong and the other two led the other slaves toward the church's food storage. They'll work hard to move things before the sun sets.
The Non-Awakened can get carts or wheelbarrows to move the goods, while the Awakened protect them from zombies. Honestly, at Ha Jin-seong's and Hwang Su-min's level, they can kill Special Zombies without breaking a sweat.
As long as they don't get tangled up with Evolved or Named zombies, they'll be fine. For that reason, Kang Eun-jeong, who was wearing that ominous choker, decided to return to the supermarket with me.
"Me too?"
"Yeah. You're so damn unlucky, I can't have you causing a massacre among the slaves."
"No... Forget that... This choker... How much longer do I have to wear it? Because of this... bad things keep happening..."
"Endure it a little longer. Just until a special event happens."
"How am I supposed to know when that is..."
"So what? Just wear it. In return, I'll stop making you serve as a fleshlight."
"R-Really...? Okay... But don't glare at me like that, it's scary."
Kang Eun-jeong... or rather, Kang Chan-seok, had become somewhat feminine in a short time. The thought that there was a bald head under that pretty face was terrifying.
'It seems her mind is being pulled toward the body's tendency... Does everyone become more feminine if they get TS?'
I want to get a few more TS injections. Since I figure it's a kind of drug, I should be able to get some if I visit the drug dealer.
"By the way, with all these new people... will one Undine be enough to wash them all?"
I was wondering if Hee-seon noona would have to fill all the remaining spirit slots with Undines.
Well, the number of people has increased quite a bit.
"Unnie. It'll be a bit tough with just one, right?"
"Yeah... I can contract two more... I wish another Undine would come out."
Even if they're slaves, we can't not wash them. Without a doctor, if they catch some weird disease, it's game over.
As I worried about water, Ye-won offered a suggestion.
"Later, we should bring water tanks from empty buildings and put them on the supermarket's roof. That way, we can collect rainwater when it rains..."
"I wish it would rain. Or snow."
"But oppa, isn't rainwater dirty?"
"Is it? Wouldn't boiling it be fine?"
We had that conversation as we returned to the supermarket.
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The sun went down, and night fell.
The supermarket was bustling with people again.
[C-Contract!! Let's make a contract!]
"Hold on a second."
I spoke with Moon Ji-sang.
This guy, just as I suspected, had been captured after wandering around as a spiritual entity using his skill.
"So, you can use your full ability now?"
[It's not the full ability... just a part... But if my ego remains, I can use more of my power.]
"Hmm..."
Yang Ji-sang was desperate.
He said the sword was about to take all of his consciousness, and if that happened, he'd only be able to use one of his skills at random. But if his ego was awake, he could use up to three skills.
"Alright. Let's make a contract."
[Th-Thank you... I will serve you well...]
And so, I formed a slave contract with Yang Ji-sang. With this, I can now use three of his skills.
One is 'Evil Spirit Generation'. As the name implies, it turns the target you've killed into an evil spirit. However, using this makes Human Sacrifice impossible.
The second is 'Evil Spirit Possession'. It allows him to possess an object, a zombie, or a person with the evil spirit he created. It's difficult to possess a person, and possessing an object is useless since there's no ego, so it just attacks everyone. He said possessing a zombie is the best option. There's no limit to the number, but he gets a headache if he possesses too many.
The third is 'Somber Command'. It's a skill that allows him to give simple commands to zombies he has possessed. Things like 'protect someone' or 'patrol together'.
I can now use only the best, most useful skills.
"Oppa! Let's eat!"
"Uh, just a sec."
After that, we had a simple dinner. It was all frozen food.
The weather is cool, so we've been keeping the frozen food outside, but with spring just around the corner, it'll all rot and go to waste, so we've been eating as much of it as possible before it spoils. It'd be a waste to throw it away.
With more people around, there are more mouths to feed, so it's unlikely we'll have to throw away spoiled food. Of course, the supermarket's food supply will run out faster.
'Farming... I guess we'll have to farm, right?'
Farming is an essential part of the apocalypse. Once we've eaten all the canned and preserved food, all that's left is to start farming.
Moreover, among the Non-Awakened we captured, there are guys from the Hyangwoo Association who are skilled at farming, making the idea feel even more realistic.
'Besides, we have Hee-seon noona, the Druid...'
If Hee-seon noona's level goes up and her farmer traits get stronger, a bountiful harvest is all but guaranteed. Of course, the process of getting to that point will be tough.
'Make a garden on the roof... Hmm...'
If we're going to seriously start farming, the supermarket needs to be a safer location. But it feels like we get raided by stronger zombies almost every week... Could we really farm properly in a situation like that?
If the rooftop garden we painstakingly set up gets smashed to pieces every week and the surroundings are littered with zombie corpses, our morale would probably break.
And gathering fertilizer, soil, and other agricultural products from nearby places would be a hassle in itself.
Maybe it would be better to leave Seoul, the city center, and move to the suburbs.
Go down to a quiet rural village, clear out the zombie grandpas and grandmas, and settle down there.
'For now, we have plenty of food at the supermarket... but we should start preparing, right?'
I have no idea how much land we'd need to grow enough crops to feed about fifty people for a year.
It feels like we'll have to undergo a great migration. There's no point in staying in Seoul. The electricity is cut off, the gas is cut off, and the high population density means there are swarms of zombies...
Both the countryside and the city have their infrastructure completely wrecked, but the danger level is overwhelmingly higher in the city.
I should discuss this with the group soon. How about we pack all the necessary supplies and just go somewhere like Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm? We could eat our fill of mutton.
'For now, let's consume these things first...'
I decided to drink the Naga Raja's blood essence, tears, and marrow in sequence.
As much as my women like me, this is something I have to consume quietly by myself. I can't share this.
I felt a bit guilty about eating it alone, so I went to the edge of the roof to avoid my women's eyes.
"Alright, let's see how well I can eat this..."
I opened the capsule containing the Naga Raja's blood essence.
Hoo...
A bloody smell wafted up. I held my nose and gulped it down.
"Ugh... Ugh... Ugh... It's so fishy..."
The blood essence was just as foul as it smelled.
I almost threw up, so I quickly covered my mouth. I couldn't afford to spit out this precious stuff.
"Mmm..."
I didn't feel any changes in my body...
"Oh... Ooh..."
As soon as the blood essence was absorbed, my blood gradually grew warmer.
Like when I ate the red orb and my body felt warm... It felt like the blood flowing through my body itself was getting hotter.
'Is this why I don't get sick easily?'
I feel a surge of vitality. I even felt like I could go without sleep for three days and still be fine.
My stamina stat hasn't changed yet, but I've definitely become healthier in ways that aren't visible.
'This performance is insane...'
Next, I drank the Naga Raja's tears. There was no foul smell this time.
"Ugh... Salty..."
But since they're tears, they're salty. So salty it felt like my tongue was getting sucked in.
It felt like drinking seawater.
"Ugh... Ugh..."
I held the tears in my mouth and barely swallowed them. Then, I felt a slight change in the mana flowing through my body.
It's hard to describe, but it felt like it was flowing faster inside my body. And the mana felt... purer? A sensation of refreshment.
I could even feel people's movements and the flow of air more precisely.
The rumors about heightened intuitive senses were true.
Sniff, sniff...
My other senses, including my nose, also got better.
"Ugh... The stench..."
I'm not sure about the other senses, but my enhanced sense of smell isn't a good thing.
The whole neighborhood is full of zombies and rotting corpses, so with my better sense of smell, it feels like I'm inhaling all the stench from far away.
I thought I had gotten used to the smell of rotting corpses, but my newly enhanced senses brought it all back. I frowned while covering my nose.
'Damn it... I really have to get out of here...'
There are too many corpses in the city. No one is cleaning them up.
I drank the last remaining white liquid, the Naga Raja's marrow.
"Ugh... Bitter... So bitter... Heek..."
It was so bitter I wanted to scrape my tongue out.
The Naga Raja's essence... foul, salty, and bitter... The taste was truly the worst.
A taste I never want to experience again. The Black Serpent's inner core just melted in my mouth...
'No change this time?'
I drank the marrow, but I didn't feel anything...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
You have inherited the blood, mana, and muscles of the Seven-Headed Golden Serpent!!! The Black Serpent's inner core is reacting!!! The Black Serpent's twisted inner core is reacting!!! Some conditions have been met. Your body is evolving into a Half-Demon!!!
📜 NEW QUEST 📜
Achievement Unlocked!
📍 Name: 'Molting One'
⚔ STATUS ⚔
Please choose your reward.
Crrk... Crack... Grrk...
"Guh... Guuuhk!!!"
An excruciating pain as my bones and muscles twisted. My body was changing from its very foundation.
Unable to withstand the horrific pain, I grabbed the rooftop railing, drool dripping from my mouth, and collapsed.
"Huh? Oppa, you were here... Oppa? Oppa!!! Ah, shit!!! What did this crazy bastard eat this time?!"
Eun-ji rushed over and supported me as I lay there, trembling.
"Guh... Ugh... Eun-ji...!!! It... hurts like hell...!!!"
"What!!! You crazy bastard!!! If you're going to eat something, don't do it by yourself in secret!!! Just once!!! Ah, seriously!!!"
Eun-ji was visibly, genuinely annoyed.
An annoyance born of worry.
Well... I have been hiding and eating a lot of things. I almost died doing it, too...
But I felt bad trying to eat it all by myself...
"Who's going to steal it and eat it?! Just!!! Tell us before you eat something!!!"
"Ugh... S-Sorry... Ah... Gguuuhk!!!"
As I struggled to breathe, she quickly stripped off my clothes.
My face was probably flushed red, my capillaries bulging.
In fact, the pain was driving me insane. How should I describe it? It felt like Kashnax's tentacles were wringing and twisting my entire body.
"Hah... Hah... Wh-What is this...! M-My muscles are writhing!!!"
"Unnie? Eun-ji unnie, what's wrong! What's happening?!"
"A-A-rum!! Oppa!! He's acting weird!!!"
When A-rum called out from a distance, Eun-ji, who had been horrified by my body, quickly gathered the other women.
"Heok!!!"
At Eun-ji's scream, Hee-seon noona, who had rushed over first, gasped and looked down at my body.
What kind of sight could make her make that kind of expression?
I don't know. It just hurts like hell.
"Heok!!! What is this!!! Oppa, are you okay?!! Eun-ji unnie, move aside for a second..!"
Hwa-yeong pushed Eun-ji aside slightly and placed her hand on my chest.
Then she closed her eyes and began to focus intently on my heartbeat.
"Just what... did you eat...?"
"I don't know... Uh... This medicine bottle..."
"Wasn't that from the big guy earlier?"
"Big guy? What are you talking about?"
"Ah, you must not have seen him... It was..."
I writhed in pain for a while longer, enduring their worried anger.
Luckily, the pain didn't last long.
Gradually, my body returned to normal.
"Hah... Hah..."
"Are you okay now?"
"Uh... Yeah... Uh, sorry."
"Haa... I'm going crazy... Oppa... A little... Please... Why do you always eat in secret...?"
"Ahem... Sorry."
I awkwardly hugged Eun-ji tightly.
"Haa... I was worried."
"Sorry, Mer. I'm sorry for making you all worry."
Mer lifted me up in a princess carry. I was quite embarrassed, but my whole body was limp, so I couldn't get away.
Then, Ha-rin grabbed my hand and massaged it while speaking in an slightly angry voice.
"Master. If you suddenly die... my world would truly go dark... Please, restrain yourself a little..."
I think Ha-rin massaged my hand last time I collapsed too. It feels good.
"That's right. Last time, you ate some inner core or something and almost choked to death... It was terrifying."
Eun-ji was talking about the time I ate the Black Serpent's twisted inner core by myself and almost choked.
"Yeah. Back then, Hwa-yeong said some poison had spread and drew my blood. It was a complete mess."
Ha-rin laughed and agreed with Eun-ji.
"What's that story? Tell me, too."
Hee-seon noona asked, very curious.
A-rum and A-ram were also curious, as they weren't there at the time.
Mer looked down at me and warned me not to just eat anything I find.
"I'm sorry..."
I have nothing to say. I'm like a scavenger, eating anything that's good for the body... But I couldn't help it.
With eight women clinging to me at the age of thirty, I had a compulsion that I needed to be in good shape to handle them all.
'Of course, I'm already plenty good enough...'
It feels good to pound them until they pass out and beg for mercy.
'Come to think of it, I bought some youth pack from the drug dealer...'
I should try a pack with Hee-seon noona later. The other girls are in their twenties, so they might be fine, but Hee-seon noona and I are over thirty, so getting five years younger would be nice.
'Speaking of which, I need to take the blue pill too...'
Looking back, I also bought a pill from the drug dealer that supposedly takes you to the world of dreams for a special encounter. It smells like a special event.
"Alright, we'll take turns keeping watch, so the master should get some good rest tonight."
"Thanks, Mer. Uh, but before you go, can you grab the blue pill from my bag?"
"A pill...?"
When I asked Mer for the pill quietly, Eun-ji, who had been eavesdropping, narrowed her eyes and rummaged through the bag faster than Mer, finding the blue pill.
"Hmm... The blue pill that turns away?"
"Yeah. Eun-ji, that's..."
"Oppa. If you eat this... and almost choke again, what are we supposed to do?"
"Uh... That. Since I'm going to sleep anyway... It's efficient to take it and sleep..."
"... Oppa... Even if I tell you not to, you're going to eat it anyway, right?"
"That's... true."
It's something I have to take eventually. Besides, I don't know what event might happen, so I should be the one to take it.
If it's a good event, it's a jackpot, and if it's a dangerous or bad event, it's better for me, the one with the highest luck and protected by evil gods, to take it.
For these reasons, I firmly stated that I had to take it, and Eun-ji made a face like she was about to cry, but ultimately handed me the blue pill that turns away.
"Tonight... I'll be watching over you all night."
"Wait. Eun-ji unnie. I'll watch. You should sleep first. You're tired."
"No, Hwa-yeong. It's okay. I'll watch."
A subtle tension between Eun-ji and Hwa-yeong...
Then, A-rum cleared her throat and interjected.
"Why don't we all just watch together?"
"Should we?"
Then Ha-rin, who had been pushed back by the two's aura, quickly agreed and nodded.
"That's a good idea."
"I agree."
"Me too!"
Mer, Hee-seon noona, and Ye-won also agreed.
Then A-ram, who had been watching the situation, raised her hand slightly.
"Uh... I'm really tired..."
She had been struggling to kill the possessed demons since yesterday evening.
The other women smiled and told her to go to sleep.
It was a lecherous smile, as if they had just eliminated a competitor.
"Yaaawn..."
A-ram, oblivious to this, lay down next to me and immediately fell asleep.
"She's sleeping right next to me..."
"Move her."
"Yes."
A-ram was moved to a corner spot in an instant.
Their eyes were scary... It was like the tension between lionesses targeting a male lion...
"Oppa, you must wake up safely. We'll be waiting. Mwah."
"Huh? Yeah. Okay."
I swallowed the pill in a daze, receiving their goodnight kisses.
Sleepiness gradually washed over me...
Watching the smiles of the seven women laughing brightly as I fell asleep... I slowly drifted off.
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"Oppa? Oppa?"
Eun-ji whispered into Jo-jun's ear, calling his name several times.
However, Jo-jun showed no signs of waking up. Seeing this, she kissed his cheek and giggled.
"Hoo... Really... I'm so worried..."
Hwa-yeong, worried about the sleeping Jo-jun, gently stroked his chest.
"After drinking that stuff earlier... doesn't our Jun look a bit more handsome?"
"That's right... His face and muscles... are even cooler..."
Ha-rin, who had been fiddling with Jo-jun's hand, agreed with Hee-seon's words as she stroked his thigh.
"So, what's the order?"
At A-rum's direct question, Eun-ji subtly tried to unbuckle Jo-jun's belt and take off his pants.
"Ahem. Uh, I should be first..."
Mer quickly slapped Eun-ji's hand away and intervened.
"Wait. Shouldn't we respect our elders in this case?"
"Th-That's right...!"
The oldest one here is Mer. The next is Kang Hee-seon.
Kang Hee-seon strongly supported Mer's opinion. That way, even if she wasn't first, she would at least be second.
"U-Uh... I was the first slave, though..."
Ha-rin voiced her opinion, but it was ignored.
Then Ye-won, the shyest among the harem members, patted Ha-rin's shoulder.
"I have an Yin Mark too. I should be first."
Hwa-yeong lowered her pants slightly to reveal her Yin Mark, and Mer-Here clenched her fist with a frown.
"You all are pretty persistent. This won't do. Let's settle this with a duel. It's time to sort out the hierarchy."
"W-Wait...! Who wins if you fight with Mer unnie!"
"Then how about we just do rock-paper-scissors fairly?"
"Rock... paper... what? What's that?"
"Huh? Unnie, they don't have rock-paper-scissors in heaven?"
"In heaven... only honorable duels..."
"Loser is last! Rock-paper-scissors!"
"Wait! Loser is last?! What is that?!"
"Okay, Mer unnie is out."
"What!!! A duel!!!"
A deadly battle of nerves raged between the women, who were emitting a seductive scent while Jo-jun was asleep.
A-ram, who knew nothing and was fast asleep, was smiling as if she were having a good dream.