Eridius stared at Alexander.
Alexander stared at the floor.
Around them, dozens of the very same giant cockroaches that had once raided the café were now calmly working behind the counters.
Some carried trays.
Others cleaned tables.
Several were preparing coffee.
One was even taking an order from a Fixer as though this had been completely normal for years.
Eridius slowly pointed toward them.
[Eridius]: So, Alexander...
A long pause.
[Eridius]: Explain to me how—and, more importantly, why—the giant, ugly, aggressive cockroaches that used to raid this café are now working for us.
Alexander lowered his head slightly.
[Alexander]: ...I may have made a few decisions without consulting you.
Eridius narrowed his eyes.
[Eridius]: Alex, I could've accepted a Sweeper.
A pause.
[Eridius]: Hell, I could've even accepted a Bloodfiend, provided they promised not to eat the customers.
Alexander slowly looked at Kuro.
Then back at Eridius.
[Alexander]: So you do expect Sweepers and Bloodfiends, provided they don't eat the customers.
[Eridius]: That's not the point.
[Alexander]: That explains the one-eyed Bloodfiend lady you brought in.
[Eridius]: Her name is Kuro Heuk-Rang.
He gestured toward her.
[Eridius]: 黒黑狼. 흑흑랑.
A pause.
[Eridius]: It means "Black Black Wolf."
Alexander stared at Kuro.
Then at Eridius.
Then back at Kuro.
[Eridius]: She's my third summon, so technically...
He pointed toward her.
[Eridius]: She's your little sister.
Alexander's expression slowly collapsed.
Kuro stared at him.
Alexander stared back.
[Alexander]: I can accept Alexander von Dufrode li Hulu.
A pause.
[Alexander]: I can even accept whatever ridiculous naming conventions this City has.
He pointed at Kuro.
[Alexander]: But Kuro Heuk-Rang?!
His hands flew into the air.
[Alexander]: You know that literally means Black Black Wolf, right?!
A beat.
[Alexander]: Not one Black.
Another beat.
[Alexander]: Two Blacks!
He pointed accusingly at Eridius.
[Alexander]: And it's a mixture of three different languages!
[Kuro]: I don't see the problem.
Alexander looked at her.
[Alexander]: How are you supposed to get married with a name like that?!
Kuro's expression remained completely flat.
[Kuro]: I wasn't planning to get married.
[Alexander]: That isn't the point!
Eridius scratched his cheek.
[Eridius]: It was originally going to be Hei Seol-Ran.
Alexander went silent.
He slowly looked at Kuro.
Then back at Eridius.
[Alexander]: Somehow, that sounds even more suspicious.
[Eridius]: Hey, don't blame me. My family has a naming problem.
[Alexander]: How bad?
Eridius thought for a moment.
[Eridius]: My uncle's name was worse.
[Alexander]: Worse than Kuro Heuk-Rang?
[Eridius]: Much worse.
A pause.
[Eridius]: I only remember the first three words.
Alexander stared at him.
[Alexander]: You don't remember your own uncle's name?
[Eridius]: I remember the beginning.
[Alexander]: And what was it?
[Eridius]: "Lord Lord Black—"
A pause.
[Eridius]: Then something like twenty more words.
[Eridius]: Then Fallheart.
Alexander slowly rubbed his forehead.
[Alexander]: Your family really has a naming problem.
[Eridius]: We prefer the term "culturally consistent."
[Alexander]: That's worse.
Eridius sighed.
He pointed toward the cockroaches.
[Eridius]: Can we please go back to those?
Alexander immediately nodded.
A pause.
[Alexander]: The cockroaches are considerably easier to explain.
Eridius stared at him.
[Eridius]: Somehow, I doubt that.
Alexander gestured toward the café.
[Alexander]: You bought a Bloodfiend that sees humans as food.
Kuro's single eye twitched.
[Kuro]: I have a name.
Alexander: That wasn't the part you should be offended by.
[Kuro]: It was the part I chose to be offended by.
[Eridius]: She doesn't eat people.
He pointed toward Kuro.
[Eridius]: I made sure of it.
[Eridius]: She only needs one blood bag per month now.
Kuro nodded proudly.
[Kuro]: I am perfectly civilized.
[Alexander]: You drink blood.
[Kuro]: Civilized people drink things all the time.
[Alexander]: That's not helping your argument.
[Kuro]: I also drink tea.
Alexander paused.
[Alexander]: ...That helps slightly.
Eridius smiled.
[Kuro]: I am standing right here.
[Eridius]: Sorry, Kuro.
He looked around.
[Eridius]: Anyway, where's Woods?
[Alexander]: Today is her holiday.
[Alexander]: She went to visit her family.
Eridius blinked.
[Eridius]: ...She has family?
Alexander looked at him.
[Alexander]: Six daughters.
A pause.
[Alexander]: Seven sons.
Another pause.
[Alexander]: The youngest is ten.
Eridius slowly turned toward him.
[Eridius]: She has thirteen children?!
[Eridius]: She never told us that!
[Alexander]: She told me yesterday.
Eridius frowned.
[Eridius]: What exactly are we paying her with again?
Alexander answered immediately.
Silence.
Eridius stared at him.
Kuro stared at him.
Even one of the cockroaches stopped polishing a cup.
[Eridius]: We're paying a mother of thirteen children...
He slowly pointed toward the kitchen.
[Eridius]: ...with potatoes?
[Alexander]: You told her she could work here and we'd pay her in potatoes.
[Eridius]: I was joking!
[Alexander]: She wasn't.
A pause.
[Alexander]: We give her 120 potatoes a week.
Eridius blinked.
[Alexander]: Each potato is worth 10,000 Ahn.
Another blink.
[Alexander]: That's 1.2 million Ahn a week.
Eridius stared.
[Alexander]: She could have twenty gremlins and still survive comfortably.
[Eridius]: Why are potatoes worth that much?!
[Alexander]: Don't ask questions you don't want answers to.
Eridius slowly covered his face.
[Eridius]: Is there anything else I need to know?
[Alexander]: Her first son's name is Lion El Johnson.
Eridius froze.
[Alexander]: Her second is Gileaman.
Eridius's expression somehow became even more exhausted.
[Alexander]: The rest are named after the twenty Emperor's sons from that Warhammer thing you told me about.
Silence.
Eridius stared at him.
[Eridius]: I'm going to ignore the cockroaches.
He pointed toward them.
[Eridius]: But you still have to watch them.
Alexander nodded.
Eridius turned toward Kuro.
[Eridius]: Now, let's meet the important new members.
He pointed at her.
[Eridius]: You already met Kuro. She's my third summon.
Alexander immediately frowned.
[Alexander]: Who's the second?
Both Eridius and Kuro fell silent.
Their expressions changed.
The atmosphere became noticeably heavier.
[Eridius]: He was a legendary pull.
Alexander raised an eyebrow.
[Eridius]: Talents like [Master of All], [One-of-a-Kind Mind], and [Deliverer of Hope].
He sighed.
[Eridius]: A Corp took him less than a second after seeing what he could do.
[Kuro]: They didn't even hesitate.
[Eridius]: They immediately recruited him.
Alexander stared.
[Alexander]: You gave away a legendary summon?
[Eridius]: Because they processed the two official documents approving my Singularity technique from B Corp in an hour.
Alexander blinked.
[Eridius]: They were originally going to take a month.
Alexander slowly stared at him.
[Alexander]: You traded a legendary summon for paperwork.
[Eridius]: Important paperwork.
[Alexander]: That's not better.
Eridius shrugged.
[Eridius]: It was worth it.
Alexander rubbed his temples.
[Alexander]: I don't know whether that was the greatest business decision you've ever made...
A pause.
[Alexander]: ...or the stupidest.
[Eridius]: Both can be true.
Alexander sighed.
[Alexander]: I know your first Singularity is the summoning technique.
He pointed toward Eridius.
[Alexander]: What's the second?
Eridius reached into his inventory.
He pulled out a small packet.
The front displayed a cheerful logo:
[BLOOM AND DOOM SEED CO.]
Alexander stared at it.
Then at Eridius.
Then back at the packet.
[Alexander]: ...What is that?
Eridius held it up proudly.
[Eridius]: The second Singularity.
A pause.
[Eridius]: We will never run out of food again.
Alexander stared at the packet.
[Alexander]: That sentence worries me more than it should.
Eridius opened his System.
[Eridius]: Anyway, I got some new skills and items from the rest of the hundred-pull.
Alexander leaned over.
[Eridius]: Let's see.
[Skills]
[Heavy Bones Lv.6]
[Blade Skills Lv.6]
{Sub-skill: [Swift Blade Lv.3]}
[Lead Stomach Lv.Max]
[Drug & Poison Resistance Lv.8]
[Iron Skin Lv.6]
[Nimble Lv.7]
[Strength Lv.7]
[Presence Concealment Lv.7]
[Mind Lv.7]
[Engineering Lv.4]
[Inhuman Lv.3]
Alexander's eyes briefly lingered on the last skill.
He didn't comment.
Eridius continued.
[Chessboard Master Lv.1]
"Deploy the board. Place your pieces. Begin the game."
{Description: The user manifests a supernatural chessboard and prepares their pieces for battle. Each deployed piece follows the user's commands and possesses abilities determined by its rank. The battlefield itself becomes the board, allowing the user to coordinate his pieces as though playing a living game of chess.}
{Current Deployment Limit — Lv.1}
King ×1
Pawn ×3
Alexander stared at the screen.
[Alexander]: That's actually useful.
[Eridius]: I know.
[Alexander]: And terrifying.
[Eridius]: Also true.
Eridius scrolled.
[Combat Butler Lv.5]
"A gentleman should never need to fight. Unfortunately, a proper butler must be prepared to do so."
{Description: A skill that transforms the user into an exceptionally capable Combat Butler, combining household service with deadly martial prowess. The user possesses the knowledge and physical ability required to protect their master while maintaining impeccable etiquette.}
{Skill Integration:}
[Cooking Lv.4]
[Cleaning Lv.6]
[Iron Legion Fist Fighting Style Lv.4]
[Brewing Master Lv.4]
[Management Lv.4]
{System Note:}
Do not mistake good manners for weakness.
The most dangerous person in the room may be the one politely asking whether you would like sugar with your tea.
Alexander slowly looked at Eridius.
[Alexander]: You became a butler?
[Eridius]: I don't know.
Alexander nodded slowly.
[Alexander]: Somehow, that makes perfect sense.
Eridius continued.
[Yin Yang Twins Lv.2]
"Two halves of one existence. Opposites that conflict, yet can never truly exist apart."
{Description: Summons two connected entities: the Yin Twin and the Yang Twin. Though possessing opposing attributes, the twins share an unbreakable spiritual connection and instinctively cooperate in combat.}
[Alexander]: At least that one makes sense.
[Eridius]: Don't get comfortable.
He scrolled again.
[Kaslana Bloodline Lv.2]
"A bloodline born to fight against the impossible."
{Description: A powerful hereditary bloodline originating from the Kaslana lineage. It grants the bearer extraordinary physical potential, exceptional combat instincts, and a body naturally suited for surviving battles that would kill an ordinary human.}
{Inherited Curse — Kitchen Hazard}
The Kaslana Bloodline possesses an inexplicable and deeply ingrained inability to safely operate within a kitchen.
[Cooking Proficiency: CATASTROPHIC]
Regardless of physical ability, intelligence, combat experience, or common sense, Kaslana bloodline bearers demonstrate an abnormal tendency to:
Burn perfectly edible food.
Destroy cooking equipment.
Cause inexplicable kitchen accidents.
Turn simple recipes into biological hazards.
Somehow make situations worse when attempting to help.
Display absolutely unjustified confidence while cooking.
{Special Restriction — DO NOT ENTER THE KITCHEN}
Upon entering a kitchen with the intention of preparing food:
[WARNING]
[Kaslana detected.]
[Kitchen detected.]
[Probability of property damage: 97.8%.]
[Probability of edible food being produced: 0.3%.]
[Recommendation: Remove Kaslana from kitchen immediately.]
[Warning: The Kaslana Bloodline has no known upper limit.]
[Warning: Individual potential varies enormously.]
[Warning: The existence of Kevin Kaslana proves that this bloodline can produce entities capable of reaching absurd levels of power.]
{System Commentary}
The Kaslana name was never synonymous with peace.
It was synonymous with standing at the end of the world...
...and refusing to kneel.
The Kaslana can fight monsters.
The Kaslana can fight gods.
The Kaslana can stare death in the eyes without hesitation.
But give one a frying pan...
...and pray for the kitchen.
Alexander immediately looked toward the kitchen.
Then back at Eridius.
[Alexander]: You're not allowed in there.
[Eridius]: I wasn't planning to.
Eridius continued scrolling.
[Flashlight Lv.3]
"When darkness comes, someone has to turn on the light."
{Description: A seemingly ordinary flashlight skill that produces a reliable source of illumination. Despite its mundane appearance, the light generated by the skill possesses properties far beyond those of a normal flashlight.}
{System Note:}
It is still a flashlight.
It does not shoot lasers.
It does not grant superpowers.
It simply makes darkness slightly less annoying.
Eridius nodded approvingly.
Alexander stared at him.
[Alexander]: You can summon supernatural soldiers.
[Alexander]: You possess multiple Singularity-level abilities.
[Alexander]: You're becoming increasingly difficult to classify as human.
He pointed at the screen.
[Alexander]: And you're excited about a flashlight.
[Eridius]: Darkness is annoying.
Alexander sighed.
[Alexander]: Fair enough.
Eridius opened his inventory.
[Items]
[Intelligent Up Pill ×10]
[Mimicry Pill]
[Fire Ruby Sword]
Eridius nodded.
[Eridius]: Not bad.
Alexander looked at the Fire Ruby Sword.
[Alexander]: What's the Mimicry Pill?
[Eridius]: Don't know.
[Alexander]: And you're going to take it?
Eridius smiled.
Alexander closed his eyes.
[Alexander]: I already regret asking.
Eridius then opened Kuro's status.
[Kuro Heuk-Rang]
Race: Bloodfiend
Talents: 3/5
[Waiver of Red]
"Hostility leaves a mark for those capable of seeing it."
{Allows the user to perceive hostility as red strings, revealing exactly who the hostility belongs to and who it is directed toward.}
[Aura of Silence]
"Silence is not the absence of sound—it is its suppression."
{Creates an aura that suppresses sound within its range, making movement and communication nearly impossible to detect.}
[Emotionally Dull]
"The heart still feels. It simply struggles to speak."
{Makes the user 50% harder to express emotions, causing her voice, facial expressions, and behavior to appear noticeably subdued.}
[Skills]
[Emotional Generation Lv.8]
[Blood Bank Lv.8]
[String Control Lv.5]
[Waiving Lv.5]
[Blood Shadow Lv.5]
[Emotional Transfer Lv.6]
[Red Gem Eye Lv.1]
[Lady of Blood Lv.1]
[Blood Control Lv.8]
Eridius closed the screen.
He looked at Kuro.
Then at Alexander.
Then back at Kuro.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
[Eridius]: So, Alex...
Alexander raised an eyebrow.
[Eridius]: How do you feel about us?
Alexander stared at him.
[Alexander]: You mean you and Kuro?
Alexander looked toward Kuro.
Kuro looked toward Alexander.
Then both looked back at Eridius.
Alexander sighed.
[Alexander]: ...Do I have to answer honestly?
Alexander crossed his arms.
[Alexander]: I think you two are going to give me a headache.
[Kuro]: I agree.
[Eridius]: That's not very reassuring.
[Alexander]: You asked.
A cockroach silently walked past them carrying a tray of coffee.
Alexander watched it disappear into the crowd.
He sighed.
[Alexander]: And apparently, I'm responsible for all three of you now.
Eridius smiled.
[Kuro]: I don't remember agreeing to that.
Alexander pointed at her.
[Alexander]: Too late.
Kuro blinked.
Eridius laughed.
For a moment, the café felt strangely normal.
Then something exploded in the kitchen.
Everyone froze.
A second later, one of the cockroaches calmly walked out carrying a smoking frying pan.
Alexander slowly looked at Eridius.
[Alexander]: ...You didn't go into the kitchen, did you?
Kuro raised one hand.
[Kuro]: It wasn't me.
Alexander slowly looked toward the cockroaches.
One of them quietly raised its claws.
Alexander sighed.
[Alexander]: I'm going back to my room.
[Chapter End]