Deadmeat Saga

Chapter 79 – Improvement wave! Claircognizance. Corrupted.

Leaving his room, Gerhart entered the bathroom, which was also Stella's bedroom. Due to her sem-liquid body, beds were unsuitable, so she slept inside a waterproof tub.

At this time, Stella was absent-mindedly gazing out the window, waiting for dawn. She found it very pretty.

"Stella." Gerhart gently called out.

"Master, hello," Stella gently replied, crawling over on her jellified legs.

But halfway over, she suddenly paused. "Master... You smell- Dirty~" Stella's beautiful face melted into an inhumanly lewd and hungry look. Her lips stretched, making a toothless grin that humans cannot perform. Faint slime drool leaked from the corner of her lips. Her rate of movement accelerated by a notch. "Let Stella clean master~ Hehehe~"

"Right. Sexual monster." Gerhart felt annoyed as he smelled a lewd scent filling the air.

His talent made his pet slime girl go into heat. Perhaps he would have indulged in other times, but he didn't have the leisure. At least, not now.

"Stella, STAY!" Gerhart sternly ordered.

The slime girl halted, not moving. She gave Gerhart an aggrieved look, like an abused puppy. "Master, Stella just wants to clean you." She fluently said, perhaps because of her rising intelligence overcoming her racial limitations.

"Sorry, but not now," Gerhart said with a frown and walked over. "Don't move." He ordered and placed a hand on her head.

Without hesitation, Gerhart copied the Pleasant Smell talent.

{Unique Talent - Pleasant Smell: The body always smells good, deodorizes foul smells, and blocks sexual pheromones. When sexually excited, it releases all sexual pheromones, and the scent becomes lewd.}

This talent is a double-edged sword in a sense. It made Gerhart smell good while removing foul smells and blocking sexual pheromones. On the other hand, if sexually excited, he would release his pheromones, and the scent would become lewd. However, he was not afraid of accidentally becoming excited because he had the Mind Fortress talent.

{Unique Talent - Mind Fortress: Drastically improves resistance to all mental effects and resists all temptations.}

With this, he could control himself. Hopefully, that is.

After the talent activated, Gerhart looked at Stella and asked again, "What do you think now? Do I still smell dirty?"

Stella tilted her head, slowly calming down. As a slime, all her body was a sensory organ. Her nose was merely a decoration. After being silent for half a minute, Stella firmly shook her head. "No, master smells clean."

"Hah... Okay. Good." Gerhart sighed in relief. "How do you feel, Stella?"

"Stella feels fine, Master," Stella replied in third person.

"How are you speaking so fluently? And in Youvamorian?" Gerhart curiously asked.

"Stella remembered the years she spent in the brothel. Most spoke Nehanian, but some sisters and customers spoke other languages, including Youvamorian." She replied.

"I see. Stella, how confident are you in controlling your magic?" Gerhart asked.

"Stella is unsure, but Stella is not reckless." Stella confidently replied.

"Hah... Okay. I will take your word for it. Stay still." Gerhart said and reached out his hand.

Half a minute later, he left the bathroom after blessing Stella with ten million points.

Heading downstairs, everyone was already present in the reception hall, with Hope, To-Meri, and Ray geared up.

"Gerhart! We all finished absorbing the energy and are ready to depart." Hope reported.

"However, my lord, I am afraid you gave us too much." Ray sheepishly said. "We couldn't absorb it all."

"Ah." Gerhart turned awkward. He saw that everyone present had the same awkward looks.

Because of the ridiculous amounts of energy he had, he became too generous. With a simple calculation, even five million would be more than enough to evolve all their talents to tier 6 and reach S-grade in all stats and level 60, let alone ten million! Even if they gained all of his aptitudes, it was overkill!

"Can I take back the reminder?" Gerhart warily asked.

"Yes, Gerhart, and it is for the best. A Statue of Conquest can gather the excess energy, but only if it has enough storage. As things stand, the energy inside us is already dissipating into the air and wasted." Hope said with pursed lips.

"I should be more careful next time." Gerhart warily thought and walked to everyone, taking the excess energy from them. He also went upstairs and took eight million from Stella and Havre, just in case.

Although the relative loss wasn't too significant, he noted this event as a valuable lesson for the future. At least, he should be more thoughtful and not squander his energy. He blamed it on becoming stupidly wealthy overnight and forgetting the hard times when he naively thought a hundred thousand was a bonanza.

With that small episode settled, Gerhart checked everyone and-

???

"Right. Everyone has Shroud of Deceit now." Gerhart wanted to facepalm himself.

"Okay, everyone. Let me see your status." Gerhart requested.

"Yes, my lord." The others replied.

Gerhart then analyzed them again and found they had all his talents. Disturbingly enough, Calvin, Ray, and Bertrand also had the sexual aptitudes he had before evolving to the Epitome of Masculinity. Luckily, their bulge was not there, likely because they hid it with Partial Transformation.

"Eh... Forget it. I will treat it as giving them a bonus." Gerhart thought and checked their evolved talents.

Bertrand:

• Elite Butler -> Superior Butler(Can Evolve)
• Elite Pugilist -> Superior Pugilist(Can Evolve)
• Elite Lizard Warrior -> Superior Lizard Warrior(Can Evolve)

Bertrand became even more handsome and refined, and the ebony scales on his body looked more lustrous, but there were no other visual changes.

Calvin:

• Elite Knight -> Superior Knight(Can Evolve)
• Battle Instincts -> Superior Battle Instincts(Can Evolve)
• Born Commander -> Born General(Can Evolve)

Calvin's originally commanding and reliable air went up a notch, and he looked more like a general without a uniform.

Ray:

• Shroud of Deceit -> Veil of Mysteries(Can Evolve)
• Elite Assassin -> Superior Assassin(Can Evolve)
• Dagger Dancer -> Superior Dagger Dancer(Can Evolve)
• Blood Hunter -> Superior Blood Hunter(Can Evolve)

Ray became even more low-key, appearing as if he could blend into any crowd. Anyone in the know would know his sheepish smile was just a cover for his deadly prowess.

Qold:

• Elite Warlock -> Superior Warlock(Can Evolve)
• Serene Mind -> Mind of Clearwater(Can Evolve)
• Favored by Demons(Succubi) -> Adored by Demons(Succubi)(Can Evolve)

Gerhart couldn't spot any differences since she was hiding them. If anything, she seemed calmer. There was also no change in her bloodline concentration, perhaps because the relic deemed it unnecessary. Gerhart also wanted her Mind of Clearwater Talent. It seemed to be able to curb desires.

Ariyana:

• All Smith -> Master of All(Can Evolve)
• Innovative Mind -> Thinktank(Can Evolve)
• Elite Technomancer -> Superior Technomancer(Can Evolve)

Ariyana's great talents improved by a level, and her eyes shone brighter. She also grew a tad taller, likely her body recovering from malnutrition. However, Tinkerers were small to a fault and would grow to 1.2m tall at most.

To-Meri:

• Sexual + Dancing + Scimitar + Elite Feline Warrior + Sacred Prostitute + Minor Auspicious Creature + Blessed of Lady Luck -> Initial Aspect of the Cat Goddess(Can Upgrade)
• Sacred Lucky Feline Bloodline(100%)(New!)

{Unique Talent - Initial Aspect of the Cat Goddess(Can Upgrade): The aspect of the Cat Goddess! The Symbol of all Feline Worship! The scimitar dancer of sacred ritual! The heavenly prostitute of luck and fortune! The temptress coveted by all men!}

{Unique Talent - Sacred Lucky Feline Bloodline(100%): The Female-Catkin-Exclusive bloodline of the Sacred Lucky Felines! It greatly increases Agility, Dexterity, Charm, Luck, and Fortune! Great affinity to Holiness, Healing, Sexuality, Seduction, and Dancing.}

As expected of a god's Chosen, To-Meri's talent was off the charts. She awakened a combined talent and can even upgrade it to tier 7. She also developed a pure bloodline! Although transformed now, she has an air that makes one want to possess her even more. Luckily, Shroud of Deceit hid her energy so she could hide it.

Hope:

• Perfect Intuitive Precognition + Treasure Hunter + Danger Perception + Hostility Detection + ??? -> Initial Claircognizance(Can Upgrade)
• Universe Prophet Mouse Bloodline(100%)

{Unique Talent - Initial Claircognizance(Can Upgrade): The great clairvoyant who sees all possibilities! The one who opens the veil! Prophet of the universe! The All-Knower! The All-Seer! The walker of the best path! Can Upgrade.}

{Unique Talent - Universe Prophet Mouse Bloodline(100%): The great bloodline of the mouse prophet of the universe. Great affinity to the dimensions of Possibility and Time.}

Similarly to To-Meri, Hope developed a compound talent and pure bloodline. And they were related to prophecy from the universe itself! It was an enviable talent to have.

Gerhart guessed that both bloodlines entered a rapid development phase, and the relic took advantage of it. In Hope's case, she didn't have all the necessary talents, but her bloodline likely awakened them on the way. The relic did its magic, developed them, and added them to a partial Claircognizance talent, eventually completing it.

Among everyone, Gerhart felt that Hope's talent was likely the best. Although it had no combat ability, its utility was unquestionable.

"Okay, hide your energy," Gerhart said to everyone.

"Yes, my lord." They hid their energy again.

Gerhart looked at Hope and asked, "How do you feel about our little hunt?"

"I am positive we will find Ma Yang," Hope replied with absolute certainty. But then, her expression darkened, "However, I feel that someone, or something, is assisting Ma Yang, hiding in the shadows. No, perhaps assisting is not the right word. I think it is using him, dragging him into an inescapable abyss worse than death. If not stopped, he would genocide the entire city of Droham, killing tens of thousands of innocents, growing stronger with each kill. By then, the difficulty of stopping him would skyrocket."

"How long?" Gerhart's expression turned ugly.

"At noon, he falls to the abyss. At sundown, Droham City is in ruins. We can stop him in time if we go now." Hope prophesied.

"Then we ride. Now." Gerhart ordered and strode outside.

Hope, To-Meri, and Ray followed him with their weapons and supplies.

Outside, Gerhart saw four warhorses brimming with muscles and energy waiting outside.

"Prr*." [Master.] The four horses lowered their heads in respect.

"They were skinny and untalented draft horses before, right? They could kill the Horse Hegemon in Elkington Forest one-on-one." Gerhart warily thought. "But on second thought, they received a million points each."

Once again, he understood just how extravagant he was in his spending. But for these horses, he didn't regret it. He needed them to move quickly.

"The four of you. I need you to gallop for several hours. Can you do it?" Gerhart asked.

"Neigh* Prr*" [Easily! We are brimming with the power the Master gave us! We can run three days and nights without tiring!]

"Good," Gerhart said and mounted one of them with a trained movement.

Hope, Ray, and To-Meri also mounted the other horses.

"OPEN THE GATE!" Gerhart yelled.

"Yes, my lord!" The two gatekeepers opened the wall gate.

"WE RIDE!" Gerhart called out.

"NEIGH*!" [LIKE THE WIND, BROTHERS!] The horse under Gerhart loudly neighed as it charged first at an incredible speed.

The three others followed Gerhart's lead.

It was then that a scene of four riders traveling through the dirt road, bringing a violent wind wherever they went, was witnessed by some travelers and farmers.

.

.

.

The hours passed, and the noon sun slowly came.

Slash*

"GYA!"

A forest bandit let out a death cry, collapsing on the ground.

Ma Yang relished the feeling of the Heavens rewarding him, improving his chances of survival. However-

"This will attract the head hunters. I must continue fleeing." Ma Yang muttered and was about to continue running when he abruptly swung behind him.

Woosh* Clang*

Ma Yang deflected an arrow aimed at his back. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the party of three pursuers- A warrior, an archer, and an earth magician.

"This is as far as you go, murderer! You will pay for killing Suda!" The warrior snarled, hefting his battle axe and pointing at Ma Yang.

Suda was the scout Ma Yang killed earlier.

"Dulcitius, don't underestimate him!" The archer called out, loading another arrow.

"Mother Earth, guide my hand-" The earth magician was casting his spell.

Ma Yang's expression turned ugly as he realized the severity of his situation. He was tired and injured and had yet to recover from his secret technique. Meanwhile, the three of them were fresh and more powerful than him. Even if he miraculously won the fight, he would not survive the ordeal like last time.

Being a ruthless character to himself and others, Ma Yang didn't hesitate, reaching out to his pocket and fishing out a bone-chilling black stone.

"STOP HIM!" Feeling a dangerous premonition, the archer called out as he shot an arrow, aiming at Ma Yang's arm.

The warrior, understanding the situation was wrong, charged immediately. Meanwhile, the Earth Magician finished his spell.

"Earth Bind!" The magician called out.

Multiple earthen arms shot from the ground, grabbing Ma Yang's legs and arms to immobilize him.

Woosh* Splat*

The archer's arrow was about to hit Ma Yang's hand, but Ma Yang shifted himself, letting the arrow hit the torso instead. The damage was more significant, but Ma Yang could still toss the stone into his mouth!

"KILL HIM! NOW!" The archer called out in horror, his danger sense skyrocketing.

"DIE!" The warrior bellowed, swinging his double axe down on Ma Yang's head.

But-

DANG*

Ma Yang blocked the attack with his sword, tearing the earthen hands apart.

"Ghk! GRR!!!" The warrior used all his strength. However, it was as if he met an indestructible wall.

"Dulcitius! RUN!" The archer called out.

But it was too late.

Clang* Slash* Splat*

"Ah... AHHH!!! MY ARMS!!!" Ma Yang cut off both of Dulcitius's armored arms.

"Noisy." Ma Yang muttered and swung his sword again.

Splat* Plop*

Dulcitius's head fell to the ground.

At the same time, Ma Yang used raw force to break the earthen hands holding him, his veins visibly turning black under his skin.

"GRATIAN! RUN!" The archer yelled as he turned his tail to run.

"No running away for the evildoers." Ma Yang calmly said.

The next moment, he flashed, appearing behind the archer, and swung his sword.

Splat* Plop*

Ma Yang looked away from the corpse of the archer, looking at the final evildoer.

"Y-You evil monster!" Gratian, the magician, yelled in horror as he looked at Ma Yang's face.

Black veins filled his face, his whites turned black, and his pupils became red.

"Monster? I am Ma Yang! I am JUSTICE! I AM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE HEAVENS! ALL MY ENEMIES ARE SINNERS THAT MUST DIE!" Ma Yang yelled and was about to charge at the Earth Magician.

But the next moment, warning bells rang in his mind and immediately dodged.

WOOSH* WOOSH WOOSH* BANG* BANG* BANG*

Three arrows, crashing like meteors on the ground, created visible ditches.

"If I didn't dodge that, I would have died on the spot." Ma Yang grimly thought as he turned to look in the direction of the arrows.

Doo* Doo* Doo* Doo* Doo* Doo* Doo* Doo* Doo* Doo* Doo* Doo*

The sound of galloping could be heard through the forest. And they were approaching at high speed.

Soon, four horsemen appeared.

"Hm... Seems like we were a bit late, hah?" Gerhart muttered as he saw Ma Yang's status.

Name: Ma Yang
Race: Human(Corrupted Otherworlder)
Age: 20
Sex: Male
Level: 60

Skills: (+)

Base Stats:

Secondary Stats: (+)

Talents:

{Unique Talent - Translation(Humans): Can translate all known human languages.}

{Unique Talent - Furious Sword Cultivator: You are the cultivator of the Furious Sword technique, a wrathful technique to smite the sinners of heaven. Drastically increases affinity to swordsmanship and berserker techniques.}

{Unique Talent - Cultivation Prodigy: You are a cultivation prodigy with great sensitivity toward energies. Drastically increases affinity toward Body Forging, Meditation, Temperance, senses, and intuition.}

{Unique Talent - Heaven Rewards the Righteous: The heavens reward those who act righteously! As long as you are righteous in your heart, the heavens shall support you!}

{Unique Talent - Corrupted: Instantly raises the level and stat grade and grants immense power in exchange for the consumer's sanity and lifespan.}

{Unique Talent - Blessing of @$%*!^: The blessing of a corrupt being. Drastically lowers the backlash of the Corrupted status.}