Free Web NovelChapter 24: Chapter 24: Pheromone toxin.
[Skill: Obsession (Passive)]
[Grade: Unique]
[Description: Born from an emotion pushed past the threshold of reason, Obsession transforms a single fixation—a person, a goal, or an object—into the bearer’s defining drive. The afflicted gains heightened perception toward anything connected to the object of their fixation; subtle shifts in expression, scent, tone, or intent become impossible to miss.Focus, willpower and physical resilience increase by 300% while acting in pursuit of or in defense of the obsession.]
[Drawback: Mental stability gradually deteriorates the longer the Obsession remains fixed upon its subject.]
A Unique Skill was a type of skill that was entirely innate.
While there were countless magical skills or special skills that could be bestowed upon a creation by a God, a Unique Skill stemmed from the individual’s very nature.
More importantly...
The chances of a Unique Skill awakening within a civilization as primitive as the Magnaris were almost nonexistent.
After all, they still had countless generations ahead of them before the creations of such a world could even begin to awaken something of this caliber.
Thus, the notification announcing the awakening of a Unique Skill within one of his creations startled Roman far more than he had anticipated.
It wasn’t that he had been unaware such a phenomenon existed.
He had simply never expected it to happen in a world this primitive.
His gaze sharpened as it settled upon Gre Ka Chu, who was practically floating on the moon, lost in her own daydreams while absentmindedly releasing her fragrant toxin.
’There were so many paths I had considered to cultivate believers within this world... yet this single Unique Skill has accelerated my plans by an unimaginable amount.’ fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
’If I followed my original plan... I would’ve needed to spend the entirety of my hundred-year lifespan laying the groundwork.’
’But now...’
’I think... I can use Gre Ka Chu somehow.’
Roman’s original plan had always been to cultivate believers before gradually taking authority over Volcano’s world.
To achieve that, he first had to blend into the Magnaris, guide them through hardship and cunning alike, teach them civilization, and only then slowly introduce the concept of Gods.
He couldn’t burden them with the weight of faith too early.
A primitive race would only fear what it couldn’t comprehend.
He had to nurture them carefully, generation after generation, until belief arose naturally, free from rejection or backlash.
It was a slow process.
An agonizingly slow one.
Yet now...
An entirely unexpected path had opened before him.
The girl he had once thought unworthy of becoming even one of his pawns had somehow transformed into a valuable piece capable of shortening that process by fifty...
Perhaps even sixty years.
Roman slowly rose to his feet before making his way toward Gre Ka Chu, his tail lazily swaying behind him.
The closer he came...
The stronger the fragrance became.
It clouded his thoughts ever so slightly, making Gre Ka Chu appear noticeably more beautiful and desirable than before.
It wasn’t the first time Roman had been affected by the pheromones of a female Magnari.
Several of his peers had unknowingly released the same scent after reaching maturity.
The attraction had always been there.
It simply wasn’t strong enough to affect him to any significant degree.
After all...
His own body was still maturing alongside theirs.
Gre Ka Chu’s pheromones, however...
Were different.
Far more intoxicating.
They quietly dulled his senses, blurring reason ever so slightly.
Roman chose not to resist it.
There was no longer any reason to push her away.
Not after she had become something valuable.
Something capable of accelerating his ambitions far beyond his original calculations.
’The effect itself is impressive...’
’Is it because of her Obsession?’
’Or...’
’Is her desire for me simply that overwhelming?’
Roman quietly pondered the possibilities before letting out a faint hiss.
"...Who cares."
His reasoning dulling under the Pheromone toxin.
***
Gre Ka Chu’s heart hammered violently as Gre Ka Go slowly approached her.
’It’s happening...’
’It’s happeninnngggg!!’
’Get a grip on yourself, Gre Ka Chu!’
She quietly huffed before gently closing her eyes.
Rather than retreating...
She surrendered herself completely.
Her breathing gradually grew heavier until she suddenly felt a gentle pinch against her cheek, accompanied by a low, husky whisper.
"Yetero grenaito lee dankniyona, Gre Ka Chu."
(You’ve become quite naughty, haven’t you, Gre Ka Chu?)
Roman placed the woven leaves they used as clothing into her hands before continuing in the same calm voice,
"Entoto tomorrow, yetero netoki gre training."
(Starting tomorrow, your training will become even harsher.)
He walked a few steps and then yelled lightly in a scolding manner."Endo, Domteo deto itro Eka leen soori!" (And, Don’t you ever attempt such a thing again.)
With that, Roman withdrew and calmly walked toward the mouth of the cavern.
As he left, he quietly muttered to himself in the same thoughtful tone Gre Ka Chu had often heard whenever he believed no one was listening.
"...It’s not the right time yet.I can’t indulge in it"
"...She isn’t entirely ready."
Those peculiar words lingered within the silent cavern long after his footsteps had faded.
Gre Ka Chu remained standing there, clutching the clothes tightly against her chest as the meaning behind those words continued to echo throughout her preoccupied mind.
Even though she couldn’t fully understand those peculiar words, Gre Ka Chu instinctively interpreted them as disappointment.
Her heart quietly sank.A quite lingering panic got a hold of her.
’...It was going so well.’
’Then... why?’
’Am I... still not worthy of him?’
’Do I need to become stronger...?’
’More beautiful...?’
’More feminine...?’
One question quickly became another, each answer only giving birth to even more doubts. The thoughts refused to stop, circling endlessly inside her mind until she unconsciously dug her nails against the scales covering her palm. A sharp crack echoed softly through the cavern as one of her nails split instead, unable to leave even the faintest mark upon the newly shed scales.
She barely noticed.
Her mind had already wandered elsewhere.
Slowly lowering her gaze, she looked at the woven garments Gre Ka Go had handed to her moments earlier. They still carried his scent.
Without thinking, she gently lifted them to her face.
A slow breath escaped her lips as she inhaled deeply.
The familiar scent quietly filled her senses, and almost immediately the restlessness within her heart eased, replaced by an indescribable warmth that made her clutch the garments even tighter against herself.
’...Gre Ka Go’s scent...’
’It’s still here...’
’Why...’
’Why does it make me feel like this...?’
Her cheeks gradually reddened as another deep breath escaped her.
’Gre Ka Go...’
’Please... don’t be angry.’
’I...I wasn’t trying to affect you with my Pheromone.’
’So don’t ever come to hate me please’
A single tear fell from her eyes.
’I don’t know what I would become if you did.’
The thought lingered inside her heart for a long while.
She didn’t understand why merely imagining it made her chest ache so painfully.
She only knew she never wanted to experience such a future.
Quietly pressing the garments closer to herself, Gre Ka Chu stood alone inside the silent cavern, absentmindedly breathing in the lingering scent again and again, as though she feared it would disappear the moment she let go.
