Evolving into Tentacle Monster Type III granted two new skills.
[Mental Interference]: Inflicts mental damage on a target, effectiveness determined by their mental resilience.
[Healing Tentacle]: A tentacle with healing capabilities, effective only on physical injuries.
Both skills seemed unremarkable, ordinary even. Based solely on their descriptions, the uniqueness of this evolution path wasn't apparent, and the stat boosts were minimal.
Strength: C
Endurance: C → B
Agility: D
Magic: E → D
"The second evolution's improvements, aside from gaining speech, are pretty standard," Muxiao muttered, checking his panel. "But my [Intuition] wouldn't steer me wrong, and the system panel hints that the Type III path is full of mysterious, untapped potential."
[Mental Interference → Mental Suppression, requires 500 evolution points]
[Healing Tentacle → Touch of Healing, requires 500 evolution points]
"Only 500?" Muxiao pondered.
[Evolution Points: 2718/1000]
"Compared to skills like [Intuition], these new skills require fewer points to upgrade. Maybe there's no hierarchy to skills, and they're all powerful post-upgrade. But without [Growth Advancement], I can't upgrade them anyway."
"So, skills do have varying strengths," Muxiao narrowed his eyes, realizing something. "Maybe I don't need to rush another evolution. If I boost my stats to an extreme level—say, all four attributes to S—how would evolution enhance me then?"
With that thought, he decided against evolving again. With his treasure girl around, evolution points weren't an issue. Grinning, he lashed out with his tentacles, piercing a Tomie duplicate with even deadlier precision.
Evolution Points +200
Evolution Points +200
Evolution Points +200
…
Boom!
A gasoline explosion—another 2000 points harvested in a flash. But the main Kawakami Tomie, the treasure girl herself, was in a pitiful state. Though the duplicates born from her wounds and blood were once again burned to ash, her injuries were worse than before.
With such severe wounds, Tomie's spawning couldn't be stopped. Each new Tomie killed worsened her injuries, creating a vicious cycle. But Muxiao didn't care.
Because he had a healing skill.
"How convenient."
Even without it, it wouldn't matter. If Tomie became uncontrollable, he'd just kill them all—she was a menace anyway.
Now, with healing, things were much easier.
"Phew… heh, just a bunch of useless trash. Mere newborn Tomies daring to challenge my status? As expected, I'm the true Tomie, the world's most beloved woman—"
Despite her bloodied, wretched state, Tomie remained arrogantly smug. Hard to believe she'd been cursing hysterically two minutes ago and trembling in fear five minutes before. Her mood swings were lightning-fast.
"I, Kawakami Tomie, am the world's most beautiful woman!"
"Most beautiful?" Muxiao hopped closer, holding up his phone's black screen as a mirror. "Take a look at your face and say that again."
The bloodied, mangled face staring back couldn't be called beautiful, no matter how stunning she once was. Tomie let out a despairing scream.
"Nooo!!"
"This can't be me!! My face! My face!! That damn Muto! That disgusting creep! If not for him, I wouldn't be like this, so ugly and hideous!!"
Her cries dripped with desperation.
"Tomie, it's not just disfigurement. Your duplicates keep spawning endlessly. I've taken out two batches, but as long as those wounds remain, they'll keep coming."
Muxiao spoke with a cheery grin, his youthful, innocent voice oddly menacing in its low tone, creating a charmingly creepy contrast. "Kawakami Tomie, sooner or later, you'll be killed by the Tomies you birth…"
"I… you…"
With her beauty, Tomie had never been threatened. She was always pampered, wined, and dined. Even when men went mad and threatened her, it was about death, not like Muxiao's threat.
For Tomie, her beauty and her duplicates were her Achilles' heel—her mortal enemies!
"I can help you," Muxiao said, his round face sporting a mischievous grin. "Not only can I deal with those Tomies, but I can heal your wounds, stopping their regeneration."
"Including your face," he added, chuckling. "Restoring your former beauty."
"Really?! I knew you could do it! Quick, fix my face now! If you heal me, I can go on a few dates with you…"
A few dates?
What, am I a beggar to you?
"You're negotiating with me?" Muxiao, unlike other men, wasn't swayed by Tomie's charm or reduced to a simp. "Kawakami Tomie, you haven't grasped your position. Kneel."
"What?"
"Kneel and submit to me," Muxiao's voice was cold, emotionless. "Become my slave, my pet."
"What did you say?!" Her voice shot up an octave, her disheveled form trembling with rage. "I'm Kawakami Tomie! The world's most beautiful woman! Dating you is already a huge favor, and you dare demand I become your slave pet?!"
"No, you're no longer the world's most beautiful woman," Muxiao smirked. "You're the ugliest. And soon, your duplicates will steal your identity—"
"Only I can help you. If you refuse," he turned away, "drown here alone. Goodbye."
"Wait!!"
Tomie frantically called out. Seeing he was really leaving, the vain, self-obsessed Tomie—who loved only herself and never others—faltered, her expression shifting. Finally, she knelt before Muxiao in humiliation.
"I… I'm willing…"
"Willing to what?"
"I'm willing… to be your slave, your pet," Tomie said, kneeling humbly. Realizing she couldn't resist this tentacle monster, she didn't hesitate or feign modesty. Instead, she struck a seductive pose. "So, please heal my face, okay~"
"Call me Master—"
"Master… once my face is healed, you can do whatever you want with me. Having the world's most beautiful woman as your pet—every man will envy you."
She's so shameless.
But that was Tomie's nature.
Muxiao lifted her face with a tentacle, emitting a faint healing glow. "Anything I want? Tomie, you said it."
Gulp.
Tomie felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. He's not going to… do something to me, is he?