Chapter 179

Chapter 179

179th episode: Trick And Treat – N // But the moment I turned around. “Ah…?” The next action El took was rather bizarre. The tingling sensation in my lower abdomen was as expected. I must have been anticipating the feeling of something thick penetrating my body. But the sharp pain in the back of my neck was unexpected. “Ugh…?” I was momentarily taken aback, but I quickly realized that El was biting me. Even though I wouldn’t be injured due to my Iron God Armor, I couldn’t help but be a little surprised by the fact itself. My body naturally trembled at the unexpected stimulation, and El’s surprised voice echoed from behind me. “…Ah.” El, who had made a sound, immediately stopped moving.

-Squelch.

I felt something rapidly leaving my lower abdomen. As what had been filling my body emptied, a desolate emptiness greeted me. Could it be that she was more embarrassed than I was? So much so that she forgot to tell me to keep it in. “…What’s wrong?” Turning back to face El, I saw her flustered face. She rolled her bloodshot red eyes a few times and then confessed to me in a barely audible voice. “S-Sorry. My usual habit came out.” “…Habit?” If it was her usual habit, did that mean she was referring to biting me just now? “Drinking blood?” “…Yeah.” El nodded in affirmation and added quietly. “…I used to do this sometimes when I was with Rutian.” “Really…?” She was acting like a real vampire. She wouldn’t go that far just to imitate one. This was probably… “When my lust gets strong, I get a craving for blood. Sometimes it gets so strong that it’s hard to resist.” Looking back, she had been craving blood even in the Altarquin Mountains. Before I thought it was just a concept, there was a craving for blood hidden beneath the surface. “….” A side effect of the Blood Shadow Demonic Art, which steals the inner energy of others. She wasn’t a murderer, but she was literally becoming a vampire. It was a side effect that didn’t exist in the original Blood Shadow Demonic Art. Martial arts crave blood because that’s the only way to replenish inner energy. In a world with abundant natural energy, there are plenty of neutralizers for inner energy, so this side effect only occurs in this world where natural energy is scarce. Just like how I was obsessed with men’s essence. The solution was simple. Inject enough inner energy to quench the thirst. Of course, in this world, it was only simple and easy in words. “…I guess I have no choice.” “Huh?” I had a way. “I’ll help you.” “…What?” El asked back, seemingly flustered. Could it be that she didn’t expect me to offer help? But if she understood my current state, she should be able to guess. El’s martial art had similar tendencies to the Yin Demon Art that I had learned. A martial art of absorption optimized for the use of turbid energy. It wasn’t quite the Great Art of Absorption that could even digest True Origin True Energy, but in the end, its essence was designed to steal and use the energy of others. Structurally, it could be seen as similar to the Yin Demon Art. Moreover, El’s achievement was higher than Emily’s. Originally, I was planning to help Emily, who had reached the realm, first, but perhaps it would be better to use it on her first. I changed my expression and got up from the bed.

-Creak.

Perhaps sensing something ominous in my actions, El asked with a flustered expression. “W-What are you going to do…?” But before answering, I pounced on El, climbing on top of her. “Whoa!?” I straddled El’s soft thighs, completely naked. The soft and smooth skin touched, creating a sensual feeling. Arum was still firmly hardened between her legs, but for the time being, there was no need to try to release it. “L-Layla? What…” To the flustered El, I simply replied. “Energy Transfer through Physical Contact.” // In this world, the cores of monsters have very unique properties. Monster cores permanently emit magical energy. They are practically perpetual motion machines. There is a limit to the total amount of magical energy released per hour, so it cannot be called infinite, but it meets the conditions of a perpetual motion machine in that it emits magical energy for a very long time without any input. If our world had developed science and our knowledge had natural energy, then this world would have the enormous resource of monsters. However, that enormous resource cannot be easily used. Of course, the magical energy emitted by monster cores is like poison to humans. It’s like oil, which is a great resource but cannot be drunk. Therefore, the people of this world have had to use that magical energy in indirect ways. However, if you have mastered martial arts, the story changes a bit. Moreover, having undergone Rebirth, I have completely made the monster core my own. I can use the magical energy from the Doppelganger’s core as if it were my own, so I can supply enough inner energy without having to absorb essence. Therefore, it is entirely possible to transfer inner energy to others like this. “…Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Looking at El, who asked with concern, I gave a wry smile. “As you know, I have a lot of inner energy. So it doesn’t matter if I transfer some to others.” “….” “The problem is, it’s more on your side.” I paused for a moment and continued. “As you know, I’m closer to a monster than a human now. My inner energy might be poisonous to you.” Rebirth is an act that evolves humans. Even if the toxicity was neutralized in the process of evolution, what’s inside me is still the Doppelganger’s core. The toxicity of the magical energy itself has not disappeared, so I can’t be sure how much El’s body can withstand. “You’ll probably be sick for quite a while.” But fortunately, El had an answer to that. “…It’ll be okay.” “Why?” “I’ve drunk monster blood before. I was a little sick then, but I recovered not long after.” “…Really?” That was unexpected information. Even if the method is different from the Yin Demon Art, the Blood Shadow Demonic Art is not a martial art that uses pure inner energy. But the method is quite different from the Yin Demon Art. It’s not for nothing that the Blood Shadow Demonic Art has excellent recovery power in terms of its qi circulation characteristics. It’s not that recovery power increases by mastering the Blood Shadow Demonic Art, but that you can master the Blood Shadow Demonic Art because your recovery power is high. Otherwise, such great power could not come from the same turbid energy. Martial arts also go through a process of survival of the fittest. The Yin Demon Art was created with a focus on adapting to turbid energy, while the Blood Shadow Demonic Art focused on the destructive use of turbid energy and the recovery of internal injuries caused by it. Could that recovery characteristic affect even toxicity? “That’s a relief. Looking at your condition, it seems like you need a lot of inner energy.” Whatever the reason, it was a fortunate thing. Just as people get thirsty when their bodies lack moisture, thirst disappears when inner energy is filled. Injecting inner energy will improve El’s side effects. All that’s needed for treatment is time to recover. “…But how are you going to transfer it?” Looking at El, who asked with curiosity, I smiled faintly. How am I going to transfer it? Of course. // In the dim candlelight, I looked down at El. “….” “….” Under the flickering light, El was kneeling on the floor, looking up at me. Her expression, with her slightly wavering eyes, looked a little unfamiliar. It was a different composition than usual. Usually, I would be in El’s place, but now it was the opposite. A kind of role reversal. Through that composition, I could understand, even if only slightly, the feelings of the men who had served me until now. Certainly, it was a posture that aroused a sense of conquest. When I looked up at them, was this how they felt too? I savored the subtle emotion rising in my heart and stroked El’s black hair. Then, she opened her mouth hesitantly. “Um…” “Why?” “Is this the only way?” “….I don’t know.” I answered ambiguously. Arum, which had been attached to El’s groin, was now attached to my body. Of course, its shape was still the same as that of a male organ. In terms of composition alone, it was as if she was giving me oral sex. But there was a reason for this. “Because you don’t know the Yin Replenishing Yang Nourishing Method. This is probably the best way for now.” “That’s true, but…” Energy Transfer through Physical Contact cannot be done carelessly. The story of touching hands on the back is only possible when it is a martial art of the same lineage. Inner energy is like a liquid, and it does not mix easily unless its properties are similar. Even if they are both demonic arts, the inner energy they contain is vastly different, so recklessly performing Energy Transfer through Physical Contact is an act that does more harm than good. “The Blood Shadow Demonic Art is a martial art for operating the Blood Absorption Great Art. It means that the axis of absorption is formed from the mouth, so this will be the most effective way for you to digest my magical energy.” Even if the same Great Art of Absorption is used, the blood vessels and meridians used are different. She needed a path to neutralize the inner energy once. Due to the characteristic of blood absorption, it was natural that the mouth was the most optimized path. “….So, as a result, I have to suck on yours?” “Just keep it in your mouth. There’s no sensation anyway. There’s no need to lick or caress it carefully.” And, there probably won’t be room for that anyway. Because you’ll have to endure and digest the incoming inner energy. I swallowed those words and grabbed El’s head. “W-Wait a minute.” Then, El made a flustered sound. “Why?” “Just wait a little. I’m not ready yet…” “Okay.” I nodded and pulled El’s head hard. “Ugh!?” With a rough groan, El’s expression hardened. Her mouth was instantly stuffed with something large, and she looked up at me with teary eyes. Was this what it felt like to look down on a tile? The hardened Arum could not perfectly reproduce the feeling because the sensation was not shared, but I could understand what the men felt. Even so, it’s not really my taste. “Things in life always come without warning, right?” “Ugh…” When I said with a playful smile, El made a crying face. I nodded lightly and declared briefly. “Then, I’ll start pouring now.” From now on, it was time to perform Energy Transfer through Physical Contact in earnest. // In the process of Energy Transfer through Physical Contact, there is no movement. El was inhaling the inner energy I was releasing with Arum in her mouth, and I was pouring the inner energy I had gathered in my dantian to her to the limit. We were exchanging inner energy with each other. I had no choice but to focus on other sensations rather than lust. Therefore, our actions continued quite statically. And, that time was not very long either. There was no need for it to be long in the first place. It was not a transfer of True Origin True Energy, but simply a situation of transferring water in a vessel. As much as it could be poured out in an instant, the time we were connected was short. “Pfft….” El, who had a thick thing stuck in her mouth, exhaled as if she was not used to it when it came out. Looking at her, I returned the hardened Arum to its original state. “How do you feel?” “My lower body is hot.” “…No, not that.” When I answered with a wry smile, El laughed playfully. But the content she was talking about was not something to laugh about. “I feel like I’m going to throw up.” She had a pretty bright expression for saying something pessimistic. I pondered her words once in my mind and continued. “I’ll have to see how it goes. If it’s okay, I’ll do it a few more times.” Anyway, my inner energy fills up quickly.

Since I have the Core, my Inner Force recovers over time like a character in an RPG game. If El’s condition progresses well, I’m willing to perform Remote Power Transfer a few more times. …Then, the time when she achieves Rebirth will also be brought forward. As someone who desires that moment, I couldn’t help but look forward to the future progress.