Read Novel Full Chapter 251: Fatal Attraction
Chapter 251: Fatal Attraction
Vale wriggled under the covers in excitement.
’Man. I love being Emergent!’
To unlock an impressive ability and achieve a simple yet profound increase in strength.
’It feels amazing!’
Next on Vale’s list, before he explored the rest of the changes to the system and dungeon, he had one more Trait to look at.
[Fatal Attraction] - [The haunting allure of beauty makes one forget their own necessities — your presence so arresting, so overwhelmingly captivating, that those who perceive it begin to neglect the most fundamental act of life.]
’That...’
Vale could tell it was another passive Trait. Thankfully, it was one he could deactivate without repercussions, because...
’The fundamental act of life? That would be breathing, no?’
Flesh Constructs absolutely needed to breathe for oxygen, and Aether Constructs needed to intake Aether — even Insensate ones needed to ’breathe’.
Therefore, it meant people became so captivated by his beauty that they would forget to do just that.
’How insidious.’
It didn’t seem like Greed was affected at all. Probably because of her Rank. Salome seemed unaffected as well.
’But what about those a great deal weaker than me?’
What would a mundane human experience in his presence? Would they just... die? Without him having to do anything?
’I did want an ability that would help in battle against multiple opponents.’
But, this? All it did was make him stronger against the weak! Not even! It made him an absolute menace to them for simply existing!
Was beauty truly a sin?!
Vale sighed.
’But it’s something at least.’
Added together with [Charm] and [Lust], even if he faced an opponent of his own Rank, the poor fool had little counterplay.
’I wonder if it works on beasts...’
The ones without intelligence — like the Horned Rabbits which once populated the gorge.
Vale shivered.
’On second thought, I hope not!’
That would mean beasts lusted after him!
Vale didn’t even want to imagine the day an animal tried to woo him. It may just give him the justification to cull all beasts in the Scar.
’But at least it’s simple to understand...’
Vale was over the periphrastic descriptions he usually dealt with, as well as the ones which were simply confusing, like Diable’s.
’Ah, I didn’t even get to see her abilities in action.’
Speaking of his Legion...
’I wonder how much stronger they got?’
It most likely wasn’t an astronomical amount, but Vale thought back to the chameleon he faced, the one who was most likely Envy’s Warrior.
That warrior’s strength was on par with his at the time, maybe even greater. It had to wade through his entire force, including Ximena, before it reached him. Even then, it gave him quite a fight.
Sure, that warrior seemed to have leveled up, possessing an ability, but it was also a display of an Emergent Warrior’s strength.
Therefore...
’I have over a hundred Nascent Vice running around?!’
Maybe not exactly, but that was quite a frightening prospect. Sure, they weren’t on the level of an Emergent, but if Vale’s conjecture was correct, they could easily thwart a threat like Jaune’s party.
Not without consequence, of course; however, there was no way they would have been able to win before.
In fact...
’I see.’
Vale was beyond confused when he was told some people of the world farmed dungeons as a resource, seeing as most challengers would either be killed or kill the Master; however, he felt with a second floor, he could turn the entire first floor into a place for defense, populate it with warriors, and leave it at that — focusing development on the second floor.
’A symbiotic relationship?’
It seemed humans could gain something from killing his warriors — from what greed said about Aether cannons; they had a method and reason to harvest the Aether. While from the humans, his warriors would gain fighting experience, levels, as well as any gear from challengers.
Powerful warriors would arise from the masses.
What it amounted to was...
’Do I really want to use the warriors like that?’
Would that be the action of a man who developed a Trait like [World Without Witness]?
’Of course not.’
However...
It’s not like he would be giving his warriors a death sentence. Actually, they would probably relish the combat, since most of their time was spent training or resting.
It was something Vale knew, but combat was the entire reason for their existence. They existed to fight and die.
Sure, the Workers, he, and his Champions felt sad when a warrior died, but the warriors?
’They seem proud of their fallen comrades. Like they’ve accomplished their sworn duty.’
While it was his personality and selfish request to spare them harm, it was also selfish to deny them their purpose in life.
’I’ll think about it...’
It’s not like it was a guarantee any would dare use his dungeon like that, anyway. It was a Vice, and Vice usually got treated less like a resource, more like an enemy, from what Wrath told him.
Such a tough decision could wait until later. Not only when he knew more about being Emergent but also not the day he woke up Emergent!
In any case...
There were two more thing he could look at from the comfort of his bed: ’Legion’ and ’Store’. Well, he didn’t really need to look at the Legion page, but he’d feel better seeing all their names and knowing they were safe.
♥︎♥︎♥︎
Champions:
[Salome] [Ximena] [Mias] [Awilix]
♡♡♡
Workers: [134]
Warriors: [73]
Archers: [49]
Mages: [2]
♡♡♡
Affiliated:
[Toy] [Sivian]
♥︎♥︎♥︎
Vale’s lips curved upward, a spark of delight dancing in his eyes as a broad smile spread across his face.
’All accounted for... wait.’
Vale noticed something odd.
’134 workers?’
A worker had died.
’What?! How?!’
There were many ways it could happen. As for the most likely possibility...
’A Worker got killed on an excursion.’
They were needed to transport dead bodies of game after all. If anyone else did it, the body would be consumed by the dungeon.
Vale felt guilty at this realization.
It wasn’t exactly a well-kept secret that a parent had a favorite. And of the imps, Vale’s ’children’, those whom he named were a little more important to him than the nameless ones. Therefore, he never sent the named ones on these missions.
Which meant it couldn’t have been Larry, Marvel, or any from that group.
’Tch.’
Vale clicked his tongue in annoyance at his current line of thought. At the same time, he didn’t take it back. He wasn’t going to lie to himself and say he cherished all his subjects equally.
Vale sighed, in a slightly worse mood, as he summoned the next page.
’Store.’
♥︎♥︎♥︎
Recruitment:
Champion: [40 Satisfaction]
Worker: [1 Aether]
Warrior: [10 Aether]
Archer: [15 Aether]
Mage: [100 Aether]
Random: [25 Aether]
Items:
N-Mystery Box: [5 Aether]
C-Mystery Box: [10 Aether]
R-Mystery Box: [20 Aether]
SR-Mystery Box: [150 Aether]
SSR-Mystery Box: [750 Aether]
???: [1000 Aether]
♥︎♥︎♥︎
’The hell!’
What was that price increase?!
Vale was somewhat expectant to see new Mystery Box tiers for purchase, but that insane jump, really?!
Thankfully, the others stayed at the same price, but...
’I can’t even get Aether from Nascent shards anymore!’
Vale sighed, but he also slightly understood.
From the higher-ranked Items he had, it was clear the usefulness was exponential as rank rose. Still, Vale was a little more than upset at the high price.
How was he supposed to gamble if he didn’t have enough to gamble?!
Thankfully, other than Items, everything else stayed exactly the same price.
Having finished what he could manage from his bed, Vale unceremoniously rolled off and landed on the floor with a thud. He picked himself up and made his way to the Dungeon Core room.
Well, old Dungeon Core room.
On his way, he passed a few Workers transporting materials who all cheered when they spotted him.
"Baddduh!"
"Baduh!"
A few of the brave ones even went over and hugged his legs.
Vale patted their heads.
’It seems I worried the little guys and gals.’
Eventually, he made it. There he found the device Salome had told him about. The mounted crystal orb.
Vale looked around, noticing Caluma’s crown still hung above the entrance.
A faint smile touched his lips as he took it and slid it into [Nexus of Beginnings], then he took out the bike and a few other Items, and put the [Throne of Lust] in there as well.
With that done, Vale cautiously approached the orb and laid his hand on it. After feeding it a little Aether, Vale felt a familiar feeling — the feeling of when he first entered the Council of Vice.
In the next moment, Vale’s location changed...
He was standing on a field of grass.
"Oh! Dumbass, why did you have to show up now?"
’Awilix?’
Vale’s eyes widened as he looked at the cat. The cat whose golden flare had been stripped from her eyes. A solemn look on her face, as if she’d been...
’Crying?’
Vale felt he must be imagining it.
There was no way someone like Awilix would cry.
But any thought of Awilix was soon drowned out by curiosity.
He expected to see another cave, but...
"Outside?"
Awilix rolled in the grass, facing away.
"Wow! Congratulations, Vale! How smart you are..."
’Is she still holding a grudge?’
Awilix had been sidelined from the fight against Level 11. Even though all their preparations became meaningless, Awilix seemed to be still upset that she was excluded from the original plan.
But his current goal wasn’t to deal with a feisty and salty cat; it was to explore the second floor of his dungeon. An act he thought was just going to be looking around an open area of a cave...
’What’s with all those crystals?’