"You should have stopped me."
Patchouli pulled Zeroy upright with her, sighing as she spoke.
She hadn't expected herself to lose control like that.
"…"
Zeroy patted her cheeks, steadying her dizzy state.
"I knew my limits. Before anything truly happened, I would've stopped you."
She shook her head, telling Patchouli not to worry.
"But Patchi… this… won't become an addiction, will it?"
Patchouli had already explained the effects: it did work. Drinking blood gave her energy, suppressing the curse and making her body brimming with vitality.
That was good news.
Albeit the way Patchouli had acted made Zeroy worry she might develop a bloodthirst like a real vampire.
Suppressing the curse was good, but if it came at the cost of reason, that would hardly count as a benefit.
The drawbacks could outweigh the gains.
"As for that…" Patchouli frowned, uncertain. "I didn't add anything like that to the tool…"
She had designed it purely to resist the curse, without enhancing flavor or sensation.
The blood tasted the same as if she were drinking it directly.
At most, the suppression of the curse and influx of life force made her body feel rejuvenated, which in turn might make the taste seem better subjectively.
Even so, not this strongly…
She took out the fangs and examined them again. After confirming several times that there was no problem, she looked at Zeroy.
"Perhaps… it's your blood."
"?"
"In any case, I'll adjust the tool, tone down its sensory effects."
Regardless, she knew the change wouldn't be drastic. After her inspections, she had realized the true cause.
It wasn't the tool—it was the sheer amount of life force she'd absorbed.
She had been too depleted, and Zeroy's blood was too rich.
All she could do was add dampening effects, numbing the senses somewhat.
Otherwise, Zeroy's concern was justified.
She really could become addicted.
To the effect, the sensation, or something else entirely…
In the end, Patchouli gave the tool an official name—Vampire's Bite.
…
After sorting their gains, Zeroy brought Patchouli before the Main God.
They were ready to start the next mission.
Abruptly, then, before they could accept it, a window popped up before them.
[Detected completion of a Pioneering Mission. Reward gained: Breath of Origin *2]
"Uh…"
Zeroy and Patchouli exchanged looks.
"What's a Pioneering Mission?"
"No idea… I've never heard of it." Even as a veteran, Patchouli shook her head.
"Main God, what is a Pioneering Mission?"
Zeroy asked the usually unresponsive entity.
She clearly remembered never having seen such a mission, not even the word.
This time, the Main God answered.
[When a Reincarnator reaches a world not yet registered by the Main God Space, by means outside the Main God's system, it counts as completing a Pioneering Mission.]
[Depending on the world, between 1–5 Breaths of Origin will be awarded.]
"…Tch. So that's how it works."
Zeroy clicked her tongue.
"How about this—you take back the Breaths of Origin, and we pretend I never did the mission?"
[…]
The Main God fell silent again.
It was a pleasant surprise to receive the Breaths, but it also meant she had dragged the Main God into a world it never would have touched, exposing it to Reincarnators' influence.
While she always left wonders in those worlds—warnings to keep others away—she didn't believe that would deter everyone.
Reincarnators came in all kinds.
So far, the Main God Space didn't seem to push people to extremes. Unlike other versions, survival pressure here wasn't unbearable.
In any case, that didn't matter. Some people were twisted to begin with. Given power beyond reason and freed from worldly rules, they needed no pushing.
"Tch…"
When the Main God stayed silent, Zeroy let it drop. No point throwing a tantrum like a child. This being lacked human will or conscience. Even if it agreed, she wouldn't trust it. It would still act behind her back.
Only with strength could she change what she hated.
For now… she would note this down in her little book…
"…"
While holding her grudge, Zeroy decisively used both Breaths of Origin.
One to unlock an enhancement, pushing her into the next tier.
The Space's enhancements refined the individual, elevating their very being.
The most immediate result: Zeroy could now command the power of faith.
Like instinct, like sudden enlightenment.
She also gained clearer understanding of power. For instance, with Patchouli's Little Hell, she could now see its essence, and knew how to grow it into what she desired.
Simply pouring in souls and faith could make it grow. With Patchouli's design, it was destined to.
But now, with new clarity, Zeroy could shorten the time, avoid wasted steps.
The second Breath she couldn't use for enhancements—she lacked enough Points.
Nonetheless, she didn't intend to save it.
She held it in her hand, aiming to raise the level of [Sky Striker Ace].
That said, the conditions weren't met, so nothing happened.
Instead, the Breath resonated with something else—
Little Hell.
When Zeroy gripped it, focusing on her goal of growing stronger, of forging a heaven of shelter and salvation, the Breath reacted.
As her intuition had told her—it was possible.
...
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