Chapter 125

I reached out my hand to touch it.

The pungent smell of the sea enveloped the surroundings, and hundreds of tentacles turned toward me in unison.

Just before I touched the tentacles…

“Roasted Chestnut.”

A large hand reaching out from behind pressed down on my forearm.

I tilted my head back.

A 3-meter-tall man standing behind me looked down and said.

“No.”

Why?

“You cannot digest something that size.”

I can eat it.

His blue eyes curved into a round shape.

“A young god, yet so greedy. Even though you are still so small.”

He tried to dissuade me, saying that even ■■■■ couldn’t fully digest it.

I was displeased by the way they spoke to me, as if I were a small child.

I am not a child.

Upon hearing my words, Dominic immediately burst out laughing.

His smiling eyes seemed to be gazing at something truly young and tiny.

I softened slightly.

It was because I knew what kind of being Dominic was.

In his presence, everything would surely seem merely childish.

“Let’s see. Shall we do this?”

Dominic remained behind me, wrapping his arms around both of my shoulders.

I looked at the thing I had momentarily forgotten.

Located at my feet, it continued to extend its tentacles toward me.

However, as if blocked by something, it repeatedly slipped away mid-air.

Its squirming movements were disgusting.

As I watched it, a question suddenly struck me.

Why did I want to eat that?

I simply wanted to punish the one who coveted my subordinate.

It was something I could have done without necessarily eating it.

But my thoughts did not continue.

A gentle voice, like an ecstatic dream, tickled my ears.

“That thing is neither small, nor weak, nor benevolent. It is a suitable being for you to deal with, Roasted Chestnut.”

He encouraged me, saying that I could handle it if I just learned a little trick, and that it was possible because I possessed strong subordinates.

“Once you’ve played with it to your heart’s content, I’ll cut it into pieces you can eat.”

I don’t want to be in pain like with ■■■■.

“It won’t hurt this time.”

Really?

“Because it will help cool you down. Digesting ■■■■ will be easier.”

…….

“I promise.”

In that case, it seemed like it would be fine. I nodded slightly.

Dominic moved his fingers lightly. He laughed as he playfully tapped me.

“Once you’ve digested it all, you’ll be able to take your first steps.”

Then, he covered my eyes with one hand. A huge hand seemed to engulf my entire face.

“Let’s go back. There is no benefit in staying in a place like this any longer.”

In the pitch-black darkness, I heard a call.

It was a mass of corrupted sound, mixed with grotesque, distorted syllables.

It was calling me.

It tried to call my name several times, but it was futile.

Neither Roasted Chestnut nor Little Lamb are names that hold my true essence.

Leaving the discordant noise behind, I slipped outside.

As soon as I opened my eyes, the dream scattered.

No matter how hard I tried to hold onto it, it slipped through my grasp like grains of sand, leaving nothing behind.

I felt my eyes burning.

They were probably glittering with gold again.

“The Octopus Tentacle has approached Roasted Chestnut.”

The Pudding Slime was guarding my bedside.

In a half-dazed state, I asked.

“Did it enter my dream…?”

“It is common for a god to dwell in a dream.”

Dominic added the advice that it would be best not to try to recall the dream.

He meant that although I had successfully chased away Octopus Tentacle, if I remembered the dream, the severed connection might be re-established.

I slowly sat up.

And I waited until the heat in my throbbing eyes subsided.

A god interfering with the human mind.

I thought it was peculiar ever since I watched the religious broadcasts here, but I never expected it to approach me in this way.

I could guess why Octopus Tentacle were able to enter my dream.

Unlike before, I had drunk three bottles of Neo in a row.

It seemed that had an effect in some way, allowing Octopus Tentacle to find me.

I didn’t remember the dream clearly.

But… the feeling of enjoyment remained.

It was the joy of finally finding something I had been searching for all along.

I rubbed my eyes with my hand and flinched at the dry, crumbly blood.

It was because I had fallen asleep looking grimy.

I got up thinking I needed to wash up quickly, but I heard footsteps outside.

I hadn’t closed the door properly earlier because I had practically rolled in.

The footsteps I heard were heading precisely toward the medical officer’s quarters.

As someone whose head had been smashed just a few hours ago, I couldn’t help but feel wary.

I clutched the iron pipe I had carefully kept under the bed.

This time, I intended to smash his head myself.

Holding the pipe and widening my eyes, I parted my lips and said, "Uh."

"Lieutenant Won?"

It wasn’t an intruder; it was Won Taebeom.

I had sent a message to Kwak Hanmuk asking him to explain the general situation to CEO Cha.

I also asked him to send Lieutenant Won to the medical officer’s quarters if possible.

However, I didn’t expect him to come all the way here right away.

As I was putting down the iron pipe, I realized something was off.

Won Taebeom was standing stiffly in the doorway, looking down at me.

‘Is it because I’m dirty?’

I was a mess. My face and clothes were soaked with blood from the head injury I sustained earlier.

It even seemed like the smell of cigarettes had permeated me, as the Chief of Security had smoked so much.

As I cautiously sniffed my sleeve, Won Taebeom spoke in a stiff voice.

"Report the situation, Trainee Han."

I quickly assumed a respectful posture.

I wasn’t entirely sure, but I stood there looking as soldier-like as I could, and answered.

"There was a conflict with the Chief of Security."

I reported that he had kidnapped me to turn me into a prison guard, and that I had escaped by betraying CEO Cha.

"Why didn’t you treat yourself?"

“I’m fully recovered.”

I replied that I had been forced to drink Neo by the Chief of Security, but resolved the issue by using the antidote I had on hand.

Of course, I hadn’t touched a single drop of the antidote, but Won Taebeom had no way of knowing the truth.

Just as I was about to explain why I had called him over…

Something very embarrassing happened.

Grumble.

My hunger had exceeded its limits and triggered a warning.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten anything since the cereal yesterday morning.

“Lieutenant Won… I’m really sorry, but…”

I spoke, feeling my ears burn with embarrassment.

“Do you have any leftover food? If so, could you give me just a little?”

Won Taebeom looked at me with disbelief.

I would try to hold out if I could, but since starving too much leads to a bad ending, I needed to eat right now.

Fortunately, Won Taebeom immediately took some food out of his inventory and gave it to me.

“Thank you!”

I bowed politely and accepted the food.

It was none other than a peanut butter jelly sandwich.

Having eaten nothing but expired cereal for the past few days, I took the time to savor the taste of heaven.

I devoured it with gusto, but my eating speed gradually slowed.

It was because I could feel Won Taebeom staring at me intently.

I might have eaten too greedily. I chewed the sandwich as quietly as possible.

After finishing, I gently brushed the bread crumbs off my lips with my hand.

“Trainee Han.”

“Yes?”

I jumped in surprise, as if I had committed a crime, but he spoke with a sigh.

“Please go wash up first. We will discuss the operation after that.”

“Uh, but…”

“It is an order.”

“Yes.”

Actually, since I really wanted to wash up, I was extremely happy about Won Taebeom’s order.

I quickly took a shower in the small bathroom attached to the medical officer’s quarters.

After changing my clothes, I felt like I had been reborn.

I put on the slime I had left outside for a moment and hurried back to Won Taebeom.

Won Taebeom spoke curtly.

“Dry your hair.”

“Yes.”

Water droplets kept rolling down my wet hair.

I was in such a hurry that I had only roughly rubbed it with a towel, leaving my hair looking like wet seaweed.

Following my superior’s order, I took out another dry towel and vigorously shook my hair.

Won Taebeom waited patiently for me.

When I finally faced him again, Won Taebeom had a complicated look in his eyes.

I wondered if I had been too arrogant, unbefitting of a trainee, once again.

I was taking a moment to reflect when he called out to me.

“Trainee Han. How have you been with your meals?”

“I ate cereal in small portions. But yesterday morning, I ran out of food… I survived thanks to you, Lieutenant Won.”

“…….”

After a long silence, he handed me five energy bars.

“If any food-related problems arise in the future, consult your superior immediately. Understood?”

“Yes.”

I quietly accepted them and put them in my inventory.

Feeling like a rich man, I began to think seriously about the operation.

My original plan was a ‘prison rebellion centered on creatures.’

Set a date to overturn the prison all at once, pour in Neo to turn the guards into scraps, and then feed them to the creatures.

This was the standard strategy for the True Ending.

I had already discussed this with Orca and hidden Creature No. 1 underground.

I asked Kwak Hanmuk and CEO Cha to complete quests to maximize their respective guard and warden abilities.

I had assigned the underground maze to Je Hyun-oh, but since the situation had changed drastically, I had to shift my focus.

The new operation I devised was a ‘prison rebellion exploiting the Chief of Security’s coup.’

Thinking hard, I asked Won Taebeom.

"Lieutenant Won, have you completed the cleric quest?"

"Yes. I have raised the ability to level 3."

The cleric’s ability is brainwashing.

One can use brainwashing on a target of their choosing to turn them into a fanatic.

Human inmates who become fanatics see a massive increase in labor productivity, while creatures see a massive increase in Neo production.

It is an ability that encapsulates the effects of religious broadcasting.

As the level increases, the duration of the brainwashing effect grows; at level 3, it lasted about two days.

I nodded and checked something else.

"Did you notice any anomalies on the schedule?"

"The mission assigned to today’s cleric schedule was to brainwash the medic."

This crazy octopus tentacle.

I expected it to reach out to the cleric first, and sure enough, that was the case.

“The missions of everyone else have all changed as well. What is going on?”

“Well… the god here wants me.”

Since Won Taebeom’s role was that of a cleric, it was difficult to lie about this part.

When I spoke honestly, his eyes narrowed.

“Are you saying that a being called ‘God’ actually exists?”

“You can just think of him as the boss.”

It was actually quite similar.

I cursed Octopus Tentacle inwardly as I recalled my weekly schedule, which had become quite bizarre.

At this rate, no matter what plan I devised, it was bound to fail because of the missions.

Failing the same mission twice would result in a bad ending.

Even if I managed to get away with a mission failure today, if the exact same mission was assigned tomorrow, I would be helpless against it.

In the end, Octopus Tentacle was targeting me.

After pondering a solution, I came up with a plausible plan.

I mean, a really good way to stop the tyranny of the Octopus Tentacle and reduce the Chief of Security’s suspicion level to zero.

However, there is something I want to ask Dominic…

I opened my lips without thinking.

“Dominic-ssi.”

Gasp.

I flinched, startled by the voice I had just spoken.

The moment I thought I wanted to talk to Dominic, a strange voice suddenly came out.

When I flinched, Won Taebeom looked at me with a puzzled expression.

Dominic smiled and reassured me.

“It’s fine. Your eyes haven’t changed; they’re still the same. You can handle everyday conversations comfortably now, so you don’t need to worry.”

He nuzzled against me, as if finding me endearing.

“Lowly creatures can’t hear you, so speak with peace of mind.”

Won Taebeom across from me certainly didn’t notice my voice.

It felt somewhat like the whisper function often used in online games.

Using a strange but useful voice, I cautiously asked Dominic.

“Does Octopus Tentacle need to make a contract to take me as its subordinate?”

“Yes. Taking a god as a subordinate is quite tricky.”

“Then it would be alright if I praised Octopus Tentacle for a few days, right?”

Dominic, realizing what I was trying to do, replied as if speaking to a troublemaker.

“Roasted Chestnut, really… I must not take my eyes off you.”

In any case, it meant it was fine.

I came to a conclusion.

“Lieutenant Won.”

“Speak.”

“Please brainwash me.”

To become a fanatic of Octopus Tentacle.

T/N Can you guys let me know if you received the notification? My test email didn’t get it, but it says it sent. Also, feel free to comment any other recommendations, I know some would like dark mode and font adjustment options, which I will be adding some time this week!