Chapter 114: Taking Care Of A Whole Demon Tribe
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Ding!
[Character [Isaac] is eligible for a [Super Growth Package Gift (C Rank Privilege)]!]
[Unlockable Abilities]: [Cheerful Aura (B)] [Beasts Friend (A)] [Healing Touch (S)] [???] […]
[Overall Description]: [Isaac is a young Low-Ranking Demon boy from the Ruined Demonic Realm. Although he lacks combat abilities, he has an innate talent for taming beasts and healing others with his touch, while also having a surprisingly inspiring aura.]
[His childish innocence has manifested itself in surprising abilities, born from his desire to help his sister and everyone else survive in, perhaps, the last village of Demons left in the Ruined Demonic Realm.]
[Although much younger, like his sister, the boy has a surprisingly fearless and tenacious attitude and will fight and cry for his friends and those he loves.]
[Package Cost]: [5000 Plot Points]
Oh, his package is much cheaper! And he has a lot of interesting abilities to unlock. Well, if he has such good potential and it is cheap to unlock, why shouldn’t I help him out?
“Hey Isaac, do you want to help your sis from now on?”
“I do! I want to help in anything I can."
He furrowed his eyebrows while pouting a bit, as if I were looking down on him.
“Good, then stand still.”
“Eh?”
Ding!
[You’ve exchanged 5000 Plot Points, and you’ve purchased the [Super Growth Package Gift (C Rank Privilege)]!]
[You’ve used the [Super Growth Package Gift (C Rank Privilege)] on [Character]: [Isaac]!]
[His Innate Skills And Talents Have Awakened!]
[He learned the [Cheerful Aura (B)] [Beasts Friend (A)] [Healing Touch (S)] Innate Skills!]
[All Of His Stats Have Increased!]
[Character]: [Isaac] has developed a [Demonic Heart Core: Tier 1: Rank 1]!]
[You Have Become [Character]: [Isaac] Sponsor!]
[You Can Now Grant More Privileges To Your Sponsored Incarnation.]
FLASH!
Just like when I gave a Privilege to Inferna, Isaac’s body glowed brightly; he seemed to slightly get taller, but nothing too noticeable; he was still growing up, unlike his young adult sister.
He gained a few gold-colored tattoos across his hands, unlike Inferna’s black tattoos across her now muscular arms. Could these tattoos be manifestations of Demons abilities?
I guess every kind of race has its own way of manifesting their abilities across their bodies. Humans also get physical changes, usually hair color or eye color change, and their physique gets buffier.
“J-Just what happened?!” Isaac wondered, looking at himself. “My hands are gold?!”
“Anna, you…? He had the talent for that too?!” Inferna was shocked, as she quickly smiled happily, hugging her brother and lifting him off the floor. “My little Isaac! You’re a talented one! You’ve Awakened!”
“M-Me?! I Awakened?!” Isaac gasped in shock.
It took a little while, but as I taught the Cooking Skill to Inferna while we prepared food for everyone using some more medicine added to the mix, I explained to her that her brother had awakened, and Isaac had to also listen to everything carefully.
“Amazing, so he can heal others with his hands! Is that why he had developed a golden-colored demonic stigma in his hands?” She wondered. “Incredible! And he could tame beasts… even better!”
Demonic Stigmas were the Manifestation of Abilities in the Demon Race. Usually, the more tattoos a Demon had across their bodies, the more abilities they had. The tattoos would grow all over their skin and develop radiant colors.
Usually, high-ranking demons have intimidating, beast-shaped tattoos across their bodies, and their ability to channel abilities through Demonic Stigmas is much more potent than with human Innate Skills.
This was because they could fuel their Demonic Stigmas with Demonic Energy, further increasing the power and effects of their Abilities.
“Am I that talented?” Wondered Isaac. “W-Well, I’ll do my best either way! Thanks a lot, big sis Anna! Also, when is the food ready?”
“Hahaha! It’s soon to be ready; calm down your appetite, little guy.” I giggled, giving him a head pat.
“Don’t be such a brat now, Isaac!” Inferna sighed. “Now- Oh?”
Ding!
[Character]: [Inferna] has learned the [Cooking (D): Lv1] Innate Skill!]
[Number of Skills she can learn through the [Jack of all Trades (B)] Skill: 2/10]
“And done! It looks like you learned the cooking skill.” I smiled proudly.
“I felt a bit dizzy, yeah- Oh, and this Stigma’s growing a bit.” Inferna showed me her back, which resembled a huge, purple-colored tree.
It was the Stigma of the [Jack of all Trades] Skill, it had ten branches, and two were already occupied with symbols; the first symbol resembled a boiling kettle, Alchemy, and the second resembled a plate filled with food, Cooking.
“But are you sure Cooking is going to be useful? I can already cook normally…” She wondered.
“Yeah, it will be! Once I’m gone, you’ll have to use whatever food is available; if you use the Cooking Skill, your food will become naturally more nutritious even if the ingredients aren’t the best.” I said. “It’ll keep people healthy and strong even if you feed them some mushroom soup with dried grass.”
“R-Right… I didn’t think about that in such a way.” Inferna rubbed her chin.
“Now, let’s have a meal together; I’m honestly starving myself!” I laughed, and we joined in on a huge wooden table, where everyone started eating as we served them.
The atmosphere, which was gloomy and hopeless before, gained a beautiful atmosphere of life and joy, something the people of this world had long forgotten.
We made a simple stew with a lot of potatoes, screaming roots, purified Flare Wasp meatballs, and lots of carrots and tomatoes, which is what I carried in my inventory.
“I never thought that the Flare Wasps would taste this good; they’re so tender…”
“Are these potatoes and carrots? They taste a bit different from what I remember them, but it’s so good!”
“What is this red and juicy fruit? It’s so sweet!”
“Seriously, she has done so much for us; she’s even feeding us... How will we ever repay her for all her benevolence?”
As the folks talked and had their fun, I analyzed the food. And indeed, the Flare Wasps had a lot of meat inside; despite looking like a hideous insect, they were the only reliable source of proteins in this wasteland.
They were poisonous, but if purified using poison absorption magic, which is common in demons, or miracle magic, their tender white meat, once boiled, can be used for many preparations.
It tasted like crab, and I was able to eat it as long as I didn't remind myself that they looked like huge and disgusting wasps... Ugh.
“About that, I do have a lot to talk about with everyone here…” I said. “I can’t stay here forever. I’ve only arrived in this World for around ten hours now, and in two and a half days, I’ll have to forcefully go back to my world. I’m sorry, but I can’t stay.”
“I-I see…”
“It’s understandable…”
“Our world is in ruins… There’s little for you to find here.”
“But why did you come, Lady Anna?”
“It was a mission given to me by… someone important. I originally came here to slay Blednica, but my priorities have changed a bit now that I’ve met everyone here. Before I defeat her and go away, I want to make sure everyone here will survive even when I’m gone.” I smiled back at everyone.
“B-But how?”
“Even if she’s gone, the Blood Thralls might remain."
“And who knows what other beasts are out there?"
“Maybe even now, we’re just lucky to live a few more days, weeks, or months.”
“Don’t be so depressive now.” I sighed. “Come on, cheer up. I’ll train your warriors into fine fighters, and I’ll make everyone else a bit useful at least.”
“How?” Wondered Inferna. “Are you going to give sponsorships to everyone?”
“…I can’t do that; I don’t have enough points.” I laughed. “But I’ll do the second-best thing I can. Impart you with materials, knowledge, and strength. First, with Inferna, we’ll make a big group with anybody capable of fighting; even if you have no talent, if you can move, run, and grab a weapon, you’ll join us.”
“The second group I’ll make is with little Isaac; this will be a group dedicated to first aid, cooking, alchemy, and crafting!” I said it with a smile. “I don’t know if I will be able to make a big change... But I want everyone here to at least trust me; even if what I help you with might be very little, it could be of some help!”
“This…”
“Well…”
“She’s so eager."
“It honestly makes me feel bad if I reject her offer!”
“But can we…?”
“Everyone, trust her.” Inferna smiled. “With my new strength, we’ll do this! No matter what!”
“After all, I don’t know what Blednica will do when I go fight her; she could send more Blood Knights, and in that time, you’ll have to protect yourselves.” I sighed. “Inferna will be your champion, Isaac your main healer, but everyone else can’t just hide and cower anymore. I’ve heard that you Demons used to be a race of pride and strength; I want to see if I can do anything to help all of you find that strength and pride you once held."
“T-That’s… right.”
“Why not?”
“We don’t have anything to lose at this point…”
“Might as well!”
“Yeah! Let’s show ''em’!”
“We Demons ain’t going to cower in fear anymore!” Inferna roared. “We will defend our homes, and we will fight for our children!”
“OOOOOOHHH!!!”
With Inferna’s incredible charisma and my speech, which also had all my Charm Stat added to it, we were able to inspire the masses to a tremendous level.
Ding!
[Thanks to your high Affinity and Favorability with the Demons, the [Angelic Eyes (D Rank Privilege)] and [Little Sister’s Cheerful Rally (E Rank Privilege)] Privileges have taken effect at the same time! Your Charismatic Speech has inspired the hearts of the many Demons!]
[The Effect of {The Pride of Demons} Buff has been activated. All Demons that have heard your speech will receive a boost to their Talent Growth and Ability Development of +1000% for the next 7 Days!]
[However, to keep this buff active, they must never lose trust in you.]
That’s an insane buff. Alright, we better not lose their trust now.
However, that wasn’t all—something that I didn’t expect to pop up as well.
Ding!
[A New {Special Quest} has been generated: {The Demons’ Last Stand}
[Rank: S]
[You’ve done it now; you’ve inspired the people who had given up on everything to fight back against their oppressors. Even if they won’t confront Blednica themselves, at the very least, they wish to protect their new home and their loved ones.]
[Not only must you help every single able-bodied person at least awaken a single innate ability within the next two days, but you must also help them survive against Blednica’s army, who will attack the village once you enter her castle and confront her.]
[Raise their strength, utility, and skills, and help the last Demons fight back. To complete this Quest, you must not only help them grow but also defeat Blednica while they fight and survive.]
[Completion Rewards]: [???]
[Failure Penalty]: [Favorability With Demons -10000]
[Time Condition]: [Remaining Time]
[If you cannot complete the quest within the remaining time, it will be considered a Failure.]
[The Vampire Countess: Blednica] has decided to close herself in her castle and wait for you to either leave or confront her, although she’s quite confident in the security of her castle, so a special key will be needed to enter it.]
[Whenever you confront her and enter her castle, Blednica will immediately summon the rest of her Blood Knights to eradicate the villagers while she distracts you.]
[For now, however, she is patiently awaiting your next move…]
I guess this was to be expected, but still, I’m impressed. This hasn’t happened before. Do Quests trigger when I interact with the world’s inhabitants? The previous Dungeon only had a single inhabitant, and once his quest was done, there were no more to interact with to this extent.
Maybe my own words and decisions triggered this Quest, I could have just ignored these people and moved on… Yet I didn’t. And now, I am being rewarded with an equally challenging Quest, that’ll also bring the best rewards if I do it right.
Perhaps it is S Rank because it includes defeating Blednica, who is likely an S Rank threat herself. Alright, I guess there’s no helping it now; let’s do this.
And I’ve got the perfect training regime prepared for this.
“Alright, now, let’s quickly make the two armies!”
The demons of all colors and sizes quickly started walking everywhere. Inferna stood on one side, and Isaac on the other. All those that could move, run, and hold a weapon moved to Inferna’s side; the rest moved to Isaac’s side.
There were around 102 people, including Inferna and Isaac. 41 people stepped in to be trained as fighters. There were around 12 babies that couldn’t do anything; they were babies, and the rest were elderly or young kids like Isaac, as well as the mothers who took care of the children.
“Alright, 41 fighters is not bad at all!” I smiled. “The rest looks alright too. Fine, let’s begin. Fighters, follow me. Isaac, touch everyone else’s chest with your Healing Touch.”
“Eh? But what will that do?” He wondered.
“Don’t worry and do it; it’ll help them awaken something special.” I smiled.
Isaac’s Healing Touch didn’t simply heal a person’s wounds when he touched them gently. It had the innate ability to transfer its own Demonic Energy into their bodies.
Another factor that made this strategy of mine possible was this! Isaac’s S Rank Innate Ability was surprisingly the greatest trump card.
Meanwhile, we moved to the surface with everyone else, and using the hundreds of available materials I had inside my Inventory, such as metal ingots and broken weapons Hilda gifted to me at my request, I used the Crafting Skill to give everyone spears, big shields, and armor.
It took a little while, but the results were satisfactory; everyone was well armed, and the equipment, because it was mass-produced, was at best C-rank, but it sufficed for now.
Ding!
[The [Crafting (E): Lv4] Skill Level has increased! Its Rank has increased to D Rank!]
[Character]: [Inferna] has learned the [Crafting (D): Lv1] Innate Skill!]
[Number of Skills she can learn through the [Jack of all Trades (B)] Skill: 3/10]
Naturally, Inferna also did some little crafting herself, until the Skill naturally emerged in her tattoo, resembling a hammer. She gained the ability to combine materials like I can, although it costs her Demonic Energy to do it, of which she has a limited amount that restores itself slowly.
“What do we do now?” A young spear-wielding man asked. “We’ve got armor and weapons, but... most of us don’t know how to fight.”
“You know why I gave everyone spears?” I smiled. “It’s because we’ve got a Spear Master here.” I glanced at Inferna.
“E-Eh? Me?!” Inferna wondered.
“Your Jack of All Trades skill not only lets you learn skills, but it can also allow you to impart a single skill you already know to others; even the S Rank skill you have will be inherited by someone who understands the concept well, although weakened to B Rank, or C Rank,” I explained.
And, of course, Inferna was also the second pillar of this operation! These two siblings were literally made for this Quest. I knew that it wouldn’t be impossible from the get-go; there’s always a way, even as hard to find as it is.
[Jack of All Trades] not only allows her to learn ten skills below B Rank that other people can teach her, but she can impart any of her skills to others, only once per person, except Jack of all Trades, of course.
So... I want everyone here to learn the Demonic Spear Mastery Skill!
And we’ll do it the hard way, too.
I gently cut through my hand, letting out a lot of blood.
We were currently standing outside the village, near the Miasmic River.
My fresh blood let out a sweet, coppery scent.
The groans and shrieks of beasts started to echo around our group as the Demons started to cower, their armor making sounds as their bodies trembled.
“D-Don’t tell me…”
“N-No way!”
“You are calling them all here?!”
“Isn’t this a bit too extreme for a training regime?!”
"We might as well get rid of them while we can! One less problem once Blednica sends her troops, right?” I smiled back at everyone as over fifty Blood Thralls showed up from the woods. “Don’t worry, if you get hurt, Isaac will heal you later~”
“GROOOAARR!”
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