Ch.28Chapter 28. Expendables (3)

# Chapter 28. Consumables (3)

The tribal alliance returned after completing their subjugation.

“Chief, what kind of blessing is it?”

“Is it a blessing only the chief receives?”

The barbarian warriors gathered at Totem 1 for healing were looking at Kanto with curious faces.

“I don’t know. If it’s given, it’s given. Why does it matter what kind of blessing it is or if I’m the only one receiving it?”

Despite his words, the corners of Kanto’s mouth refused to turn downward.

This guy, are you that happy? It’s not that special.

“Hahaha! Chief Lakye, what do you think? I received the blessing before you.”

“Shut your mouth before I kill you.”

“Hahahaha!”

Despite Lakye’s chilling death threat, Kanto’s laughter wouldn’t subside.

He’s overflowing with confidence, probably thinking he was chosen by me. Normally he would have been intimidated.

“What’s going on?”

“Well, the Blue Moss chief is going to receive a blessing. They say it’s a very precious blessing that only one person can receive.”

“Poor chief, always following Malak around, but someone else beat him to it.”

“How sad.”

The barbarian women were whispering at a distance from the altar.

No, ladies. I can hear everything. How can whispers be so audible?

Lakye, whose hearing was better than mine, must have heard too, as his body trembled.

If this drags on, Lakye’s blood pressure will just keep rising.

– Chief Kanto. Come forward and receive my blessing.

“Yes!!!”

Kanto answered loudly and stood before Totem 1 with confident steps.

His shoulders were filled with strength.

[Will you bestow the blessing ‘Berserker’s Spirit’ upon the follower ‘Kanto’?]

Click.

[You have bestowed the blessing ‘Berserker’s Spirit’ upon the follower ‘Kanto’.]

Click.

A god bestowing blessings upon followers with just two clicks.

I can’t help but think this lacks any sense of holiness or reverence.

It’s fortunate that only I can see these buttons and status windows.

“Oh…Oh! I feel power surging!”

Kanto makes a fuss while looking at the warriors.

Why are you feeling power surge when you don’t even know what the blessing is? Is this the placebo effect?

– The blessing I’ve bestowed upon you is ‘Berserker’s Spirit.’ It contains the spirit of one who was called the strongest warrior. He mastered the art of growing stronger in battle. If you never give up and continue fighting even in the most disadvantageous situations, you will continuously grow stronger.

Of course, it’s all nonsense. But this kind of “storytelling” makes it seem more impressive, doesn’t it?

“Berserker’s Spirit! To be able to grow stronger while fighting! This is clearly the greatest blessing! Thank you, Malak!”

Kanto bowed so deeply his head nearly touched the ground, as if performing a kowtow.

– Skip the thanks and test the blessing.

Actually, I want to see it. Skills and blessings are hard to understand just from descriptions.

I need to see exactly how he gets stronger.

“Who will spar with Kanto, son of Find and Ula?!”

“Me.”

“Who will it be!”

Kanto ignored Lakye and turned his head toward the other warriors.

At least he knows his limits.

“Even if you’re the chief, I don’t like your arrogance. I, Dodo, son of Tutu and Lulu, will face you.”

Thwack! Thwack! Thud!

“Argh~!”

“Next!”

The milk-bottle youth was thoroughly beaten and sent flying.

He was no match for Kanto to begin with, so what made him think he could win?

“Boring! All of you with confidence in your skills, come at me!”

Is Kanto drunk? What if he gets beaten like the beaver demon?

“Hmm.”

Several warriors exchanged glances. Then they nodded and approached Kanto.

It was five strong warriors including Denzo and Una.

“The five strongest warriors! This should be sufficient.”

The altar had turned into a sparring ground.

I should turn off the healing totem for now. If healing continues, it will be difficult to gauge the effect of the Berserker’s Spirit.

Since they’re just going to use their fists, there shouldn’t be any problems.

“Hiyah!”

“Yah!”

All five rushed at him at once.

“Kuh!”

At first, he managed to block somehow, but the numerical difference was too much for Kanto to handle, and he kept taking effective hits.

Denzo’s body blows, Una’s surprise attacks, and the other three warriors grabbing and pulling at him.

Kanto had become like a monster being beaten by a group of Power Rangers.

Still, he endured well, probably due to his great physical strength. Proof that those bulging muscles weren’t just for show.

“Uaaaah!”

Kanto, who had become a punching bag, shouted and grabbed one warrior’s arm, throwing him away.

His speed was noticeably faster than before. Is the effect of the blessing starting to work?

“Power! Power is surging!”

As he said this, he shook off Una who was clinging to his left arm.

When someone says power is surging after being thoroughly beaten, they just look like a masochist.

Kanto, now noticeably faster and stronger than before, blocked the attacks of the four and moved forward.

The warrior who had been thrown tried to block his path again, but it was impossible.

“Argh!”

Three warriors tried to subdue Kanto by grabbing him, but instead, all three were lifted and slammed into the ground.

I thought the physical abilities would increase gradually and minimally, but that wasn’t the case.

“Kuk!”

After Berserker Kanto, now more than 1.5 times stronger than usual, kicked Denzo’s shoulder and rendered him unable to fight.

“Kkeuk!”

He then knocked down Una, who was using hit-and-run tactics. He didn’t just knock her down; he punched her in the stomach until she collapsed.

Even if it’s just sparring, is it okay to punch a woman in the stomach?

Maybe it’s because she’s a warrior, not just a woman?

I flinched momentarily, still bound by Earth’s common sense.

Right, for true gender equality, one must treat everyone as warriors regardless of gender. Una is a warrior too, so she must have trained her abs.

The watching barbarians aren’t saying anything either.

“Malak! Did you see! I, Kanto, am perfectly using the blessing you bestowed upon me!”

– Excellent.

“I feel stronger as I fight! My body is still overflowing with power!”

I think I heard someone muttering, “Now would be the time.”

Hey, Kanto. Don’t look that way. You can’t beat him with just that level of blessing.

“Chief Lakye! I challenge you to a duel!”

Please…

“Aaaagh!”

“Stop exaggerating and get up. Let’s see how much stronger you’ve become.”

My friend… know your limits.

***

It’s time to practice the zombie control blessing.

Currently placed in front of the altar are two corpses of worshippers. One was a farmer, and one was a soldier.

These were the ones I asked Paya to prepare.

Although the monsters had mutated, they didn’t look much different from humans on the outside, so I felt disgust, but I could endure it. I’ve seen death many times already.

I first used zombie control on the farmer.

Let’s see… he can get up well and move his hands.

The left eye was damaged so the vision wasn’t clear, but it was usable enough.

Now let’s try the soldier.

Hmm… he doesn’t move well. Feels a bit more burdensome?

What could be the difference?

Weight difference? Not much. Time of death? Should be similar.

Gender is the same so there’s no way to check. Intimacy with the user… that’s nonsense.

Because he was a soldier, his physical abilities were better? That makes some sense.

The soldier’s body was more trained than the farmer’s.

But what does physique have to do with zombie control?

It’s a magical power, so would physical ability matter?

…Suddenly I remembered something I had forgotten.

I’m possessed in a game.

Even if this world isn’t a game, this status window is likely a special privilege given to me by a transcendent being.

It’s a common rule in games that moving stronger entities requires more resources or proficiency.

From what I’ve observed so far, this status window faithfully follows the rules of games.

Could it apply to this zombie control blessing too?

Then even if I get a strong corpse, I won’t be able to control it easily.

I’ll need to use points to raise the blessing level.

– Hmm.

Today’s work is done. Should I attack another village tomorrow?

If I attack with long intervals, demons might notice and prepare, and their vision might spread everywhere. In fact, George had trouble with that.

The snail demon seemed to have gone unnoticed because it was holed up in a remote village, but the two demons I dealt with today had villages within a few kilometers.

I think there were about three places, and I’ll need to subjugate them all.

[CorruptPaladin: Newbies, read through the community posts once.]

[FullPlay: It’s best to leave the cave within three days. The infected are weak anyway.]

[UsingPresidentsPower: If you hadn’t played the game in the first place, you wouldn’t have to suffer…]

[TrustedMonkeyUncle: KimchiManDie, you bastard… surely… you’re not a ‘feminist’?]

I fell asleep watching the bustling community welcoming newbies.

The next day, after defeating three lesser demons with the tribal alliance warriors and scouting the surroundings.

“You ignorant barbarians! Step back! This is the domain of Grand Mage Harry Francis Winston!”

I encountered an unexpected situation.