The Convenience of a Slave
"It's convenient to have a slave." Chomp chomp chomp... "Freshwater fish really is bland."
Slaves were certainly useful. They handled tasks I would otherwise have to do myself. But they had their limitations too.
"Should I buy some seasonings? Nom nom."
"Go ahead."
Their knowledge of food and basic hygiene was lacking.
"You should wash the dishes after using them, at the very least."
"We'll just use them again next time, so isn't it fine to leave them?"
"When your master tells you to do something, you do it."
"Yes~!"
"And wipe the food off your clothes. Clean your mouth too."
"Hmm... It'll just get dirty again soon anyway."
"If you don't stay clean, I won't sleep with you."
"Eek!"
Syucali vanished faster than light.
Syucali is satisfied with the present because of our nights together.
Syucali had a stronger libido than she appeared. Then again, women in this world valued physical intimacy enough to commission prostitutes. They used it to change their mood, relieve stress, and move forward into tomorrow. It seemed somewhat savage, but in a monster-filled world like this, it was the easiest way to obtain pleasure.
"I've finished washing, Kang Seo-ja-nim."
"I didn't say we were doing it now."
"B-but... Please give me the chance to serve you."
"Do you see me as your master, or as a sex toy?"
"I'm just a lowly slave!"
Syucali was growing more and more attached to me. Like a woman truly enchanted by an incubus.
Haa...
Sometimes I wondered if I really was an incubus. But I pushed the thought aside and removed my pants.
"Thank you, Kang Seo-ja-nim."
"I'm only doing this because I have to."
Physical intimacy with me restored fatigue. No matter how monstrous a woman's abilities were, marching with heavy loads, fighting, and setting up camp would leave anyone exhausted. If they stayed perfectly fine afterward, they'd be machines, not people.
"Yes, Kang Seo-ja-nim♡"
Syucali crawled between my legs and reached out with both hands.
For a while, only Syucali's moans could be heard by the campfire. She bared her naked body, sat in my lap, and showed me her back while her breasts swayed heavily.
"Haa... Slurp... chu♡"
She turned her head to the side and pressed a submissive kiss against me. This was the first time we'd done it outdoors. Embracing a heated woman while the cold night air brushed against us—it wasn't a bad experience. And I would have to get used to this. We would be leaving villages behind often from now on.
"I'm going to sleep."
"Don't worry. Even if it costs me my life, I'll protect you."
After we finished, I entered the tent and fell into a deep sleep.
"Haa... That felt so good..."
Because we had been intimate, all of Syucali's fatigue and stamina had been restored. Even as she sat alone staring blankly at the campfire, her expression was one of pure happiness.
Chirp chirp... Chirp chirp...
"Hmm..."
I opened my eyes inside the tent. Fortunately, Syucali wasn't there when I woke. I got up and stepped outside.
"You're awake?"
"Any attacks?"
"No, it was strangely quiet."
"I see..."
Our first night camping outdoors had been a success. Aside from the cold when waking up, that is.
"A rabbit got caught in the trap. Want some?"
"...You didn't sleep at all?"
"Well... After being held by you, Kang Seo-ja-nim, my mind feels clearer than if I'd slept. So I'm fine."
It was clear that intimacy with me reduced not only fatigue and aided recovery, but also the need for sleep. Thinking back, Syucali—who had originally tried to train me—hadn't gotten proper rest since then and had stayed awake.
"You really are an incubus, aren't you?"
"I already told you I'm not. You're getting bolder."
"Hehe."
Syucali kept laughing, clearly enjoying herself. I walked over and sat beside her.
"It's warm."
"Here."
Syucali handed me a piece of rabbit meat skewered on a stick.
"Chomp... chomp... Tough and gamey."
"Sometimes you seem like a noble, Kang Seo-ja-nim. You care so much about cleanliness and food. Does the black-haired clan have noble families too?"
"Nobles..."
The sudden mention of nobility caught me off guard. I shook my head.
"The Jinju Kang clan. They were called yangban in the past, but that's nothing like nobility."
"Yangban? That's an unusual class."
As we traveled together, conversations about my past and Syucali's naturally arose.
"What kind of life did you live?"
"I was an orphan. From a young age, I did whatever it took to survive on my own."
I learned the story of how Syucali became an adventurer and walked the path of a thief. Since she was now a slave, she couldn't refuse and revealed the hidden history of her life. To survive, she had done every kind of insane thing—serving food, delivering messages, killing, hunting, kidnapping. Starting from when everyone in her first adventurer party died, to kidnapping me and ending up as a slave herself. Her hands were stained with blood and desperation, all for the sake of survival.
"So you're not afraid of becoming a slave?"
"Of course I'm afraid. But I know it's easier to just accept the present."
"You have a more girlish heart than I expected."
"I thought about it all night. There's no way to escape, so I have to adapt."
"Choosing the safest option is only natural."
"That's right. But... do you have a goal, Kang Seo-ja-nim?"
"A goal..."
My goal was to return to my original world. But right now, I couldn't see even a single clue. So, just as Syucali had said, there was only one goal for the present: grow strong enough to return to my original world.
First, make full use of this incubus-like ability I gained after falling into this world. Use it actively to increase my own power.
Second, accumulate funds. Even people in this world were social creatures, so with enough money, I could buy and sell whatever I wanted—even people.
Third, build and grow a faction. Slavery existed in this world. It was possible to brand someone with a slave mark and force absolute obedience. Syucali's attitude had done a complete 180 after receiving hers. I would grow my power in the same way, increasing the number of slaves one by one. Then, once I found a way back to my original world, I would use the power and faction I had built to return.
That was as far as my plans went for now. Details would change and flesh out later.
"Did you wash up?"
"Yes, Kang Seo-ja-nim!"
"I'll take you before we leave."
"Thank you♥"
For now, the present mattered most. The future was too uncertain to dwell on. I wanted to eliminate variables one by one.
Creak!
"Haaang~♥"
Syucali didn't avoid my touch. After receiving the slave mark, she had already been ready to be tamed by me. She offered her body and heart naturally.
"If you like it that much, then move yourself, slave."
"Yes, yes♥"
There were no smartphones or computers in this world. Without any entertainment, the only thing to do after waking up in the morning was start the day pleasantly with sex.
"Haaang~!"
It wasn't just me—other women felt the same way.
Gluck... gluck...
Syucali's Stamina has increased by 4.
"Hmm?"
"Huaa... aa... Thank you...♥"
After embracing Syucali, a message appeared saying her stats had increased. The strange part was that it was her stats rising, not mine.
Don't tell me... once there's nothing left to take, it starts raising the target's stats instead?
This gave me another thought.
If that's the case, selling Syucali would be a loss.
Someone who knew their limits and stayed in the village. If Syucali, who had already reached her peak, could grow again...
"Good. I'll experiment with you a bit more."
"Aah...♥"
Maybe I could create monsters like Helga myself.
Syucali's Strength has increased by 6.
Syucali's Stamina has increased by 8.
Syucali's Agility has increased by 3.
After restoring Syucali through our morning intimacy, we set off. Leaving the campsite behind, we continued walking. Along the way, we encountered more goblins and wolves than before. The farther we got from the village, the less our surroundings differed from a monster habitat.
"It's harder to reach the destination than it is to hunt the monsters listed on the request form."
"Honestly, I don't like it either, but I want to prove to you that I'm useful, Kang Seo-ja-nim."
Syucali answered while shaking monster blood off her dagger.
"It's a shame to leave the monster corpses behind."
"I'd love to harvest everything from everything we've killed so far, but the weight would be too much."
"Still, if anything's left when we finish the request and head back, we should at least pick some up."
"It'll all be gone by then. Animals or other adventurers will show up and not even leave a drop of blood."
Traveling with Syucali felt like the fog on the map was gradually clearing. Surviving for so long was proof of her deep knowledge and understanding of this world. She answered most of my questions. Thanks to her, I learned this place was Tygon Territory and that public order wasn't particularly good.
"So this is where the weak get their blood sucked dry."
"I prefer being the snake's head. If you're skilled and lucky, you can end up like this..."
"Like this?"
"Becoming an incubus's slave."
"You're out of your mind."
Listening to Syucali's unfunny joke, we arrived at the bridge mentioned in the request.
"It's bigger than I thought..."
"It said giant variant snake, so I expected it, but it's even larger than I imagined. At this size, we should ask for more gold."
From the request form, I'd pictured a snake guarding the bridge. But the variant snake was wrapped around the entire bridge like some massive tree vine. Still, with Syucali's stats increased, I felt she could handle it easily enough.