When night fell, the child grew weaker.
After all, there had been bugs inside the body, and after taking medicine to expel them, it was unlikely that the body would improve right away. In fact, given that the bugs had been parasitizing the body, it wouldn't be strange for a backlash to occur.
The child had also vomited a lot of blood.
I quietly watched the child, thinking that if they were to die, at least I should take their warmth with me.
The child was clutching my sleeve tightly.
So I sat by the child and observed the gazes of the four Harvesters.
First, Gapjae.
I thought there might be some plan when he looked at the former church leader's daughter, but as soon as his shift ended, he moved away from his room to somewhere else.
According to the memories of the four, he headed to one of the ten best places among the factions.
The factions were: Sun, Moon, Mountain, City, Bamboo, Pine, Turtle, Crane, Deer, and Immortality. In short, the names are linked to longevity.
Even within the factions, there are rankings, just like how certain cities in Seoul have their own rankings. What was surprising was that, contrary to expectations, Immortality was ranked the highest, not the Sun.
Why, you ask?
Pharmacy, since ancient times, has been a highly profitable profession. Of course, pharmacy here is often used for other purposes.
It’s even said that humanity's first form of agriculture wasn't crops, but hallucinogens. That says a lot.
Gapjae headed there.
He urgently summoned someone, saying that there was an urgent matter to discuss with the faction leader. And he really did meet with the faction leader.
The faction leader was a middle-aged man.
Gapjae, meeting with him, immediately sold the information he obtained that the former church leader's daughter had arrived early this morning.
The faction leader, upon hearing that, thought for a moment and then asked what he wanted.
Gapjae asked for a special elixir that could grant him access to the forbidden realm, a rare achievement.
The faded man’s memory shines. "How could this be martial arts?!" He seems to be throwing a fit.
Isn’t this just like Eastern fantasy?
But I suppress the memory that arises in my head, thinking it's similar to something like Fengshen Yanyi or other works in the genre.
The faction leader agreed to give it to him, but said he would need to serve as his hands and feet in exchange. Gapjae nodded and accepted.
The faction leader then called for someone and brought forth an elixir with an incredibly unique name. He handed it to Gapjae.
Gapjae received the elixir and examined it carefully. It looked like a piece of meat wrapped in gold foil.
Suddenly, Gapjae shouted in anger, "Isn't this an elixir that will only help me reach the highest level?!"
The faction leader answered that he would give it to him once he completed the next task. With no further words, he dismissed Gapjae.
Gapjae loudly insisted that the elixir would be his once the next task was completed and left. Of course, the faction leader did not respond.
As he returned to his room, surprisingly, a smile appeared on his face.
He murmured to himself that he had gotten what he wanted.
It’s a clever tactic to ask for something hard and receive something easy.
He then went to his room, ate the elixir, and sat in a lotus position. Almost immediately, something flowed into his body from the elixir.
The body’s reaction showed it wasn’t nutrients being absorbed. If it were, it would have flowed through his intestines first. But as soon as it entered his body, an unknown force spread throughout him.
What was surprising was that the purple light that had surrounded him changed to white at the edges. The light grew.
And then it enveloped him.
The sound of his body twisting was followed by an improvement in his physique.
Oh.
An elixir that influences light.
Yes, of course. We’re in a world where one can summon beings like me. But this technique... I was surprised. Such power.
As the light grew, his warmth increased a little.
I envy that.
I can take more warmth from it if I want. But this kind of elixir probably doesn't work better with more quantity. If it could be solved by simply increasing the amount, they’d just produce more, wouldn't they? This suggests that each elixir has a limit.
This world...
I thought it was just a martial arts fantasy world, so I expected the only technique to be one that summons me. But as I explore more of this world, I realize I need to gather more information.
And be cautious not to break this world.
Hehe.
Yes.
It’s truly a wonderful night.
Euncheon and Byeongil are sleeping now, and Jeonyang is currently drunk on the power he’s gained and sparring with the Heavenly Demon.
The location is quite far from the building where he lives.
There, he jumps around almost as if flying, engaged in a duel with the Heavenly Demon.
It’s fascinating.
When he swings his sword, a purple blade of energy flies out.
When he walks strangely, he leaps a great distance in an instant, and when he strikes the ground, the same technique that Byeongil used earlier comes out.
As Jeonyang’s strength grows, the Heavenly Demon’s power seems even more overwhelming.
But something’s strange.
The movements of the Heavenly Demon and Jeonyang are different. They don't share the same root movements, but are completely different.
Come to think of it, it’s said that the Heavenly Demon can’t even use the Heavenly Demon Technique anymore. That means he must know some other martial art.
A term, Gyeohwabeojeon (규화보전), comes to mind from the faded man’s memory, but I left that out since it wasn’t clear.
Though I thought it was martial arts, there’s an element of Taoist immortality in it. So it's not strange if other things are involved. One shouldn’t try to fit this world into knowledge that doesn’t belong to it.
The Heavenly Demon and Jeonyang sparred until just before dawn.
Jeonyang collapsed, and I couldn't see any more, but I’ve gathered a lot of information.
It seems like I can learn a lot from this world.
Morning.
The child who had been groaning in pain all night is now breathing quietly, sleeping peacefully.
"I thought it was a monster, but it’s acting like a person."
I was wondering what to do with the child when suddenly a voice spoke.
Turning my gaze, I saw the Heavenly Demon, still dressed like a cross-dressing man, standing there. Honestly, his outfit was amusing compared to what Jeonyang had seen earlier this morning.
"Is this child yours?"
If I think this child is human, I should make the other person feel that way. I’m planning to claim ownership of the child.
"Yes. Everything in this Heavenly Demon Church is mine. Where, do you think this child is pitiable?"
If I were to lie about the child being pitiable, it would raise suspicion here.
It would seem more plausible to believe that the one who thinks of themselves as a monster actually has human traits, right?
"No. This child can’t even eat properly and doesn’t move well."
The Heavenly Demon leaned against the doorframe.
"For someone like that, you’re treating them quite preciously. And they have something you've never given them."
The Heavenly Demon pointed to the blanket the child was covering. Well, that's true. But that’s not really important.
In reality, the Heavenly Demon isn’t thinking too seriously about this.
"This child has warmth."
I’ll just state the facts.
The Heavenly Demon stared at me intently.
"Imitating a human? How disgusting. Do you want something now?"
Imitating a human. In other words, you mean it looks like a human? Excellent.
Hehe.
Heavenly Demon, then I’ll be greedy.
"This... it’s yours, so I’m keeping it safe. Can I take it?"
At first, the Heavenly Demon seemed to acknowledge my words, but then he looked at the child and me with a questioning expression, followed by a bitter smile.
"Take it. It’s yours."
"Wow, warmth!"
I didn’t say I need human warmth.
He thought that because of his own beliefs, it will be hard to doubt from now on. A monster desiring human warmth.
Does it look that way?
If so, it’s a success. Of course, with everything that’s happened so far, suspicion will continue to linger. But the level of doubt will certainly decrease.
And now, I have a clear hostage.
This person wouldn’t care about having a hostage, but having or not having one makes a big difference, doesn't it?
When the time comes, having a means to control them makes everything much lighter.
"Oh, and the child needs food and a warm blanket. The nameless child is in pain."
With every word I speak, the Heavenly Demon’s gaze softens.
On the other hand, I’m concerned that his disgust is growing, but I’ll gradually adjust that.
At that moment, the child flinched and shivered.
Then, the child stirred in bed.
They looked at me and the Heavenly Demon in turn, startled, trying to get up but then collapsing back into bed.
The child still has no strength.
I grabbed the child and laid them back on the blanket. As I patted the child, the Heavenly Demon, leaning against the pillar near the entrance, asked me.
"Nameless child?"
"They can’t speak."
The Heavenly Demon looked surprised. It seems like he didn’t know the full details of the situation.
Ah.
Seeing the parasites leaving the child’s body now, it seems like it might be dangerous. There are still many things that need to happen before the Heavenly Demon Church becomes chaotic.
Well then, let's teach him what it means to be a Harvester.
I helped the child up.
And then, looking at the child’s swollen face, I asked.
"I will give myself to you. But later, when you finish everything, I’ll take everything you have. How does that sound?"
The Heavenly Demon muttered what seemed like a spell. Technically, he was right—it was a spell, a spell to make the child a Harvester.
The child hesitated. So I made it easier for them to understand.
"If you want to be mine, accept it."
The child slowly nodded.
Yes.
Good.
I made the child a Harvester. The child’s skin turned porcelain-like, cracking, revealing pale skin underneath.
This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēwebnovel.com.
As the previous skin dissolved into dust and vanished, a girl with purple hair sat there, stunned.
I covered the child with a blanket and looked back at the Heavenly Demon. His eyes were wide. Right. It’s not just giving power; it’s also about healing. It’s something you can’t understand unless you experience it.
Now that you know what a Harvester can do, use it well.
"This is three a day. And you can’t use it on the same person again. Be careful."
The Heavenly Demon nodded darkly.
It’s a satisfying morning.