[CHAPTER START]
00001: You have gained control of the Sunset Mountain in the 8,111th District.
00002:
00003: You may designate separate entry and exit points for the Territory.
00004:
00005: You have been granted the title of 'Pharaoh'.
00006:
00007: Your Strength, Vitality, and Mana stats have each increased by 1.
00008:
00009: You have acquired 30,000 AP.
00010:
00011: As the Dominator of Sunset Mountain, you will receive 13,000 AP every 30 days.
00012:
00013: You have received special rewards for completing the Hidden Zone.
00014:
00015: Reward 1: Random stat increase by 2.
00016:
00017: Reward 2: Sand Flute.
00018:
00019: Reward 3: Two A-Rank Promotion Tickets.
00020:
00021: Please select your desired reward.
00022:
00023: This is exactly as it was in the Original Work.
00024:
00025: In the Original Work, Kang Myungjin had chosen the second special perk. The random stat boost was too much of a gamble, and he knew that simply increasing his stats had its limits.
00026:
00027: Sand Flute
00028:
00029: By playing the flute, you can summon a sandstorm once every three days for ten minutes.
00030:
00031: Rank: A
00032:
00033: This item granted a highly valued ability in large-scale battles, which was precisely why Kang Myungjin had selected it.
00034:
00035: The third special perk was completely irrelevant. At the time of the original playthrough, Kang Myungjin possessed no skills or traits below A-Rank.
00036:
00037: I'll choose the third special perk.
00038:
00039: Without hesitation, I selected the A-Rank Ascension Ticket.
00040:
00041: A-Rank Ascension Ticket
00042:
00043: Can be used on A-Rank or lower traits and skills. Upon use, the trait or skill's rank will increase by one level.
00044:
00045: Rank: A
00046:
00047: Two A-Rank Ascension Tickets lay in my hand.
00048:
00049: Hmm?
00050:
00051: Thud. Thud-thud-thud!
00052:
00053: When I received the special reward, bandits had surrounded me. Distracted by the reward, I'd completely forgotten about their presence.
00054:
00055: I could kill these bastards anytime, so I'd forgotten about them. Should I just wipe them out now?
00056:
00057: There were four bandits, including Ahmad. The Vice Leader and two others must have died in the earlier space.
00058:
00059: "Oppa!!"
00060:
00061: Naked and terrified, Kasha stood beside me. My eyes kept drifting to the womb tattoo on her lower abdomen.
00062:
00063: Ahmad and the bandits wore grim, tense expressions. The bandits were trembling visibly, having witnessed firsthand the power I'd unleashed against Anubis.
00064:
00065: "Get out of the way, Kasha! He's the enemy of our Mud Hand Bandit Gang!"
00066:
00067: "Oppa! Are you crazy?! You saw with your own eyes how strong our darling is!"
00068:
00069: "..."
00070:
00071: Ahmad gritted his teeth. Kasha's words were undeniable.
00072:
00073: I had killed a False God. It was an achievement no mere bandit could easily comprehend. Ahmad knew this too.
00074:
00075: "...There's no choice. We've already crossed the point of no return."
00076:
00077: Ahmad understood that even if he surrendered and fled, he would eventually die by my hand. He probably figured it was better to die fighting.
00078:
00079: As I watched Ahmad, I thought:
00080:
00081: I want to kill him right now... but he's Kasha's older brother.
00082:
00083: Killing him would shatter my relationship with Kasha.
00084:
00085: Of course, Kasha couldn't harm me directly, bound by her attunement. But that only applied to direct attacks. Since I couldn't keep her by my side at all times, I had to avoid creating any grudges.
00086:
00087: Therefore, the only solution I could think of was this:
00088:
00089: "I don't hold any particular grudge against you guys. Targeting the Mud Hand Bandit Gang is just business."
00090:
00091: "...We'll disband the bandit gang. Would that be enough to spare us?"
00092:
00093: "Darling, please just let us go this once. Hmm?"
00094:
00095: Kasha clung to my arm, her voice dripping with coquettishness. I let her stay close as I spoke to Ahmad.
00096:
00097: "Hmm. Since Kasha has asked on your behalf, I have no choice. Ahmad Naqbi, become my subordinate."
00098:
00099: Thud!
00100:
00101: Ahmad immediately dropped to his knees.
00102:
00103: "I, Ahmad Naqbi, will follow Lord Heavenly Demon!"
00104:
00105: His movements were swift. Despite his imposing demeanor, he was ultimately just a bandit. He showed no hesitation in abandoning his pride to save his life.
00106:
00107: The bandits who had been aiming their weapons at me exchanged glances before finally kneeling as well.
00108:
00109: I didn't even glance at the bandits, focusing solely on Ahmad as I spoke.
00110:
00111: "One subordinate is enough."
00112:
00113: "...Yes."
00114:
00115: Ahmad moved. He rose to his feet and swung his sword, its blade gleaming with sword qi, at the bandits.
00116:
00117: "Aaaah! Chief!!"
00118:
00119: "What are you doing?!"
00120:
00121: "Chief!!!"
00122:
00123: The bandits, unable to escape Ahmad, died with anguished screams. Ahmad, brandishing his bloodstained scimitar, knelt before me once more.
00124:
00125: "I have done as you wished."
00126:
00127: "Oppa is now our darling's subordinate? Excellent."
00128:
00129: Kasha wore a satisfied expression, completely unconcerned by the deaths of her bandit followers. It seemed Ahmad was the only one who mattered to her.
00130:
00131: I reached out and touched Ahmad's forehead.
00132:
00133: "I don't trust you. Therefore, I will subjugate you as I did Kasha. Don't bother resisting."
00134:
00135: "...Yes."
00136:
00137: I frowned. I had intended to use Attunement only on women, never imagining I would have to use it on a man.
00138:
00139: Now that I think about it, Attunement (A) only allows me to attune two targets. The thought made me feel a pang of regret, but there was nothing I could do. Kasha had already chosen to stay by my side.
00140:
00141: Life rarely goes as planned.
00142:
00143: Activating Attunement (A).
00144:
00145: Imprinting the mark of Attunement on the target's body.
00146:
00147: The target has submitted to you.
00148:
00149: The mark of Attunement has been successfully imprinted on the target's body.
00150:
00151: Attunement (A) successful.
00152:
00153: A red character meaning "attuned" appeared on Ahmad's forehead the mark of Attunement.
00154:
00155: I had no intention of giving him a pink heart-shaped womb tattoo on his lower abdomen like Kasha's, so I casually imprinted the mark.
00156:
00157: Restriction: Do not reveal anything about me to others.
00158:
00159: "This is a constraint I place upon you. Do not violate it."
00160:
00161: "Yes, I will obey without fail," Ahmad replied. But I remained uneasy. Kasha had won his loyalty with the Blazing Ring (SS), but Ahmad likely harbored deep-seated hatred for me. In short, I couldn't trust him.
00162:
00163: Constraints aren't foolproof. You'll suffer if you try to ignore them, but it's still possible.
00164:
00165: I needed to strengthen the constraint's power. But how?
00166:
00167: By raising the Rank of Attunement (A).
00168:
00169: I used the A-Rank Ascension Ticket.
00170:
00171: Using the A-Rank Ascension Ticket to raise the Rank of Attunement (A).
00172:
00173: The Rank of Attunement (A) has been raised to S-Rank.
00174:
00175: Attunement.
00176:
00177: Attunes the target to the designated owner. However, a mark of attunement must be left on the target's body. If the target possesses exceptional physical strength or mental fortitude, the attunement attempt may fail. Complete subjugation of the target guarantees 100% success.
00178:
00179: The designated owner can track the location of attuned targets. Attuned targets cannot harm the designated owner. The designated owner can impose two constraints on each attuned target, which they must strictly obey.
00180:
00181: Currently available attunement slots: 2/3.
00182:
00183: Type: Skill
00184:
00185: Rank: S
00186:
00187: "Hngh..."
00188:
00189: Kasha suddenly flinched. I easily guessed the reason.
00190:
00191: Currently, Kasha's constraint is heightened physical sensitivity. As the Skill's Rank increased, that sensitivity intensified.
00192:
00193: The number of available attunement slots had increased, and I could now impose two constraints on each target.
00194:
00195: I immediately added a constraint to Ahmad:
00196:
00197: Constraint: Obey my commands.
00198:
00199: "Do you have any commands for me?" Ahmad asked. He could see the constraints placed upon him.
00200:
00201: "I've already told you. Dismantle the Mud Hand Bandit Gang."
00202:
00203: "...Understood. I will kill them all."
00204:
00205: "Kill the stupid and useless ones. Spare the decent ones and bring them here to the 8,111th District. We'll use this place as our hideout."
00206:
00207: "Does Master intend to form a bandit gang?"
00208:
00209: "Don't call me Master. I'll kill you."
00210:
00211: I couldn't tolerate a male calling me Master.
00212:
00213: "...My apologies. Then what should I call you?"
00214:
00215: "Heavenly Demon."
00216:
00217: "Understood, Lord Heavenly Demon."
00218:
00219: "As for the Bandit Gang... I can't call it exactly that, but I plan to create something similar. It might be useless now, but it'll become useful later. The name will be... the Demonic Wind Troupe. Ahmad, you'll be the Troupe Leader."
00220:
00221: "I will act according to Lord Heavenly Demon's will."
00222:
00223: At that moment, Kasha wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek, asking in a coquettish voice, "Darling, what about me?"
00224:
00225: "You'll always be my darling."
00226:
00227: "I want a fancy title too."
00228:
00229: "Then you can be the Qi..."
00230:
00231: I almost suggested she become the Team Leader of the Pleasure Squad, but that didn't seem quite right.
00232:
00233: "How about Troupe Leader of the Hundred Flowers Troupe?"
00234:
00235: "Great! But what do I have to do?"
00236:
00237: "The Hundred Flowers Troupe is an all-female group. You'll gather beautiful and strong women."
00238:
00239: "...Wait a minute. I know you're a lecher, but am I not enough for you?"
00240:
00241: "Do you think you can handle me all by yourself?"
00242:
00243: Kasha fell silent.
00244:
00245: She knew my monstrous stamina. The reality was that she couldn't last even an hour if I truly unleashed myself during sex. Kasha couldn't handle me alone.
00246:
00247: "Haa... I guess I have no choice. Fine."
00248:
00249: Kasha accepted surprisingly easily. In Atlantis, it was common for powerful men to keep multiple women.
00250:
00251: "Lord Heavenly Demon, you mentioned using this place as a hideout, but while it's secluded, the Pyramid's traps, monsters, and limited exits make it unsuitable."
00252:
00253: "I'm the dominator of this territory. We can deactivate the Pyramid's traps. As for the monsters and chambers of false gods, we'll leave them for now and deal with them later. And I can designate separate entrances and exits."
00254:
00255: There was also a secret passage leading outside.
00256:
00257: "This would make an excellent hideout. But what is Lord Heavenly Demon's objective?"
00258:
00259: "Objective? First, we need to build our forces. We need at least a minimum level of power before we can even consider having an objective."
00260:
00261: I didn't have high expectations for Ahmad. Building a force wasn't part of my original plan, and I doubted that any force he created would ever rise above the level of a bandit gang.
00262:
00263: Well, we can always use them as disposable pawns later. Meat shields, perhaps.
00264:
00265: I pulled out an A-Rank Ascension Ticket. I planned to use the remaining one after enhancing it with the Bright Ascension Chart.
00266:
00267: "Should we not even mention Lord Heavenly Demon to our subordinates? To cultivate their loyalty, we need to reveal at least something about you."
00268:
00269: "...Some degree of disclosure should be fine."
00270:
00271: Loyalty is crucial. If my subordinates refuse to obey my orders when I need them as expendable pawns, it will complicate matters for me.
00272:
00273: Restriction: Do not reveal any information I have not authorized.
00274:
00275: And the Hundred Flowers Troupe must obey my commands absolutely. If I give them an order, they will carry it out.
00276:
00277: Afterward, I continued to converse with Ahmad and Kasha on various topics.
00278:
00279: Ahmad, being the chief of the Bandit Gang, proved to be quite shrewd. After all, it would be impossible to establish and lead an organization with mere brute strength and stupidity.
00280:
00281: Kasha, on the other hand, was utterly dim-witted. Aside from her moderate talent for combat, her only redeeming quality was her beauty.
00282:
00283: Though that beauty is her greatest asset.
00284:
00285: Had they not been attractive, Ahmad and Kasha would have met their end at my hands long ago.
00286:
00287: I descended into the hidden underground cave in the 8,111th District.
00288:
00289: Inside the cave lay a vast subterranean lake, its waters cold and crystal clear.
00290:
00291: I stripped off my clothes and dove into the lake.
00292:
00293: Splash!
00294:
00295: The water was refreshingly cool and pristine, a delightful sensation.
00296:
00297: This underground lake harbored no fish-like creatures. The reason was simple: the water was too pure for fish to survive.
00298:
00299: Let's see... there it is.
00300:
00301: I dove deeper, heading toward the lakebed. There, resting on the bottom, was a fist-sized blue gemstone sphere.
00302:
00303: This was the item Kang Myungjin had asked me to retrieve.
00304:
00305: Purification Pearl
00306:
00307: When submerged, it purifies water.
00308:
00309: The time required for purification varies depending on the volume and level of contamination of the water.
00310:
00311: Rank: A
00312:
00313: Some might scoff, thinking this mere trinket deserves only an A-Rank. But Kang Myungjin and I both believe even that rank is far too low, knowing its true capabilities.
00314:
00315: Contaminated water... even if it's water cursed by a god, it purifies it completely. It just takes a while.
00316:
00317: However, its broad definition of "contaminated water" requires careful usage. It treats not only muddy water and poisons as contaminated, but also potions.
00318:
00319: This deserves an SS-Rank. If I enhance it with the Bright Ascension Chart, will Kang Myungjin become suspicious?
00320:
00321: I took the Purification Pearl and ascended above the lake.
[CHAPTER END]