episode_0138

We immediately began constructing the Black Flame Dragon’s five-stage transformation combined mecha.

“How big should it be?” “Obviously huge!” “So roughly the size of the combined robots from those Super Sentai shows?” “Yeah!” “Should we use steel as the main material?” “Steel?” “Using rare metals would cost way too much.”

If we were just building a small model kit, we could splurge on expensive rare metals without issue. Both Dark and I have plenty of money.

But.

If it’s a giant robot, that’s a different story.

Filling an apartment-sized mech with rare metals would bankrupt both of us.

‘If the Black Flame Dragon mech were the ultimate weapon capable of defeating the Demon King, maybe it’d be worth it, but…’

There are countless ways to kill the Demon King.

The Black Flame Dragon mech is just a hobby project for me and Dark.

No way I’m dumping my entire fortune into this.

“But if we just use steel, it won’t look cool enough…” “I said main material.” “?” “The secondary material will be this.”

THUD!

Dark pulled out a massive pile of black metal from subspace.

“Black Blood Steel?! Where’d you get this?!” “Looted it from a Dark Mage base.”

I briefly recalled the past.

The massive black steel gate we’d found in the secret Dark Mage hideout—even the Hero’s party needed 10–20 minutes of relentless attacking to break through it.

The best option was having Ria smash it.

But.

Back then, Ria was still pretending to be a crybaby and avoiding combat.

So I used her like a battering ram instead.

Like smashing through a castle wall with a log.

I bashed the steel gate open with Ria’s head.

…At that explanation, Dark gave me a dumbfounded look.

“With her head? Didn’t the party say anything?” “Of course they did.”

Serena yelled, “What the hell are you doing to my daughter?!” and bit my hand.

Looking back, even that’s a fond memory.

“You’re gonna get divine punishment for real one day.” “Nah. Serena and I are friends.”

Something like that wouldn’t warrant divine wrath.

‘Honestly, I’m more scared of other things.’

The Hero’s party once invaded my dream.

Marianne brought Ria, Alice, Sophia, and Serena into my dreamscape.

At the time, I thought it was just a dream.

So.

I indulged in some… adult activities.

‘Not full-on sex, but…’

I groped and played around in all sorts of lewd ways.

With Ria.

With Alice.

With Sophia.

And.

With Serena.

‘That’s the problem.’

If she’d hated it, Serena would’ve stayed out of it.

But.

Dream-Serena barged into the harem orgy and said, “Don’t leave me out!”

I didn’t drag her in.

She willingly joined and enjoyed the 18+ event.

What does that mean?

‘She sees me as a man.’

So then?

What happens after we defeat the Demon King?

‘She’ll eat me alive in bed.’

This is terrifying.

Marianne: 1.

Hero: 1.

Hero’s party: 4.

Total: 6.

That alone is nightmare fuel—but now the Goddess is joining too?!

SEVEN wives?!

Damn…

Wouldn’t that mean getting drained dry nonstop for a week straight until I die?!

Just thinking about it gave me chills.

‘If I don’t boost my stamina before fighting the Demon King, I might actually die.’

Of course.

I won’t literally die.

If I collapse in bed, Ria will just resurrect me.

‘That’s what makes it scarier.’

Even if I die from overexertion, they’ll keep reviving me and sucking me dry.

Isn’t that basically hell?

An eternity of suffering with no escape.

So.

Stamina training isn’t optional—it’s mandatory.

Seven wives?

If I can dominate all of them in a single day with enhanced stamina, the rest of my life will be peaceful.

If that’s possible, it’s no longer hell.

It’d be a reward.

The ultimate alpha-male life, where I can enjoy seven beautiful wives—including my best girl—whenever I want.

…With that in mind, I explained the Black Flame Dragon mecha’s construction.

“The base frame will be steel, with Black Blood Steel thinly layered over it.”

A method akin to painting—Black Blood Steel, forged through dark magic, is absurdly durable and difficult to process.

But Dark could handle it.

He’s a mage powerful enough to subdue every criminal in the city.

Plus, we have RPG foresight.

At this point, not being able to process it would be weirder.

Still.

This wasn’t a one-day job.

So I decided:

Today, we’d build the basic steel frame of the Black Flame Dragon mecha.

The rest—coating it with Black Blood Steel—could be left to Dark.

‘He’ll handle it.’

Processing the steel would take time, but painting it was simple enough—I could just leave it to him.

Then.

Once it was finished, I’d admire the completed Black Flame Dragon mecha.

…That was the plan—until:

“Ta-dah!” “?” “Done processing!”

Dark had liquified all the Black Blood Steel.

Huh?!

That’s supposed to be absurdly difficult to work with!

He processed it that easily?!

What the hell?!

“…Why?” “No, it’s just… too fast…” “Aha! You’re shocked because I’m way more capable than you thought?” “Uh… yeah, but… how?” “Just crushed it with magic pressure.” “?” “Like smelting iron—if it doesn’t melt at 1,000°C, use 2,000°C! Overwhelm it with brute force!” “That works?” “Yep!” “You melted a metal that took the Hero’s party 10–20 minutes to break… in seconds?” “Yep!” “Who the hell even possessed you?!”

The possessor is a veteran RPG prophecy player.

No matter what body they inhabit, they can grow powerful through hidden items and trials.

But.

Being strong enough to melt Black Blood Steel in seconds isn’t easy.

Even a max-level Hero party with legendary gear couldn’t do it.

Only cheat-enhanced Ria might pull it off—no one else.

This metal was crafted through Dark Mage human sacrifice—its defensive capabilities border on legendary.

And Dark melted it with pure magic?!

Damn…

Not even dragons could do that.

So I had to ask:

Who the hell is Dark possessing?

“That curious?” “Extremely.” “Perfect timing—the Hero’s party’s here. Wanna hear?”

The Hero’s party had arrived.

I’d called them for extra help to speed things up.

“Who are you possessing that you’d wait for them?” “Seemed more fun this way.” “Fun?” “Yep!” “What fun?”

That was Alice.

Hearing our conversation from afar, she barged in, eyes gleaming with excitement.

“The body I possessed has deep ties to Alice.” “?” “Nice to meet you. I’m Test Subject No. 31.” “No. 31?” “A possessor inhabiting the corpse of Test Subject No. 31, who died from mana overload. Think of it like Kain’s situation.” “Oh… so you’re just in No. 31’s body?” “Correct.” “We are connected, but I’ve never even spoken to No. 31.” “Right. We’re not friends or anything.” “Then what’s the connection?” “Hmm…”

Dark explained lightly.

Test Subject No. 30: Varosque.

A failed specimen—physically strong enough to host a god, but mana was pitiful.

Test Subject No. 32: Alice.

A success—physically god-tier, with balanced mana infusion.

Between them?

What was Test Subject No. 31?

The answer:

A physically god-tier specimen who died instantly from mana overload—another failure.

Using No. 31’s data, the fanatics calculated the ideal mana capacity and perfected Alice.

Thus, success.

Occasional mana surges aside, she doesn’t die from it—so she counts.

From this alone, Alice seems the strongest test subject.

Stats-wise, No. 31 was superior—but they died instantly from mana overload, making them a failure.

But.

What if you could control mana overload with cursed rings?

The hierarchy shifts.

The true strongest would be Test Subject No. 31.

Physically equal to Alice—with god-surpassing mana capacity.

That said,

they weren’t stronger than the Goddess of Light, Serena.

Not all gods are equal—there are supreme and lowest-tier deities.

No. 31 barely surpassed the lowest-tier divine mana capacity.

But.

A god is still a god.

In sheer mana, No. 31 eclipsed dragons and even the World Tree.

Not enough to surpass Serena—but among mortals, they were unmatched.

Hearing this, Alice grinned.

“We are connected.” “Right?” “A test subject even stronger than me… My heart’s racing… Can you teach me?” “Of course.” “Really?!” “Watch and learn, junior! Unlike you, who foolishly seals your power, this senior perfected mana control—able to fight at 100% output!” “Wow!… So can you beat Ria?!” “Obviously!”

Dark sincerely believed he could win.

Ria’s cheating power was indeed absurd—but it was borrowed from Serena.

Naturally, it had limits.

Fighting a god with equal divine power could bypass cheat immunity.

“Then fight Ria first.” “Gladly!”

Dark confidently unleashed his ultimate move.

But.

That confidence didn’t last.

“Huh?”

Ria took the hit—completely unfazed.

WHAM!

“Guhk?!”

Meanwhile,

Dark got one-shot KO’d by a single punch.

Total time elapsed: three seconds.

A brutally one-sided stomp.