## Chapter 148 – A Challenging Starting Point
In the end, the discussion from that day had long since fizzled out.
Ranie, who had rushed over in a frenzy upon seeing Vivian being violated by the tentacles, also began to strangle the tentacles…
While prioritizing Ranie’s injuries by covering her entire body with slippery, viscous mucus to heal her wounds, he ultimately indulged in pleasure, making her pant for quite some time before the ordeal came to an end.
But at least one important fact had become clear.
‘The females in the lair are getting stronger.’
It was unclear what this was for, or whether it was related to the original Enick’s ecology.
It meant that the females were gaining value as combatants, not just as a source of nutrients.
‘In reality, there aren’t any proper combatants in here…’
Chao Nan’s Enick was a massive, well-developed adult Enick, so each member of the hive was a deadly combatant.
Various monsters coexisting with the Enick, swarms of flying hive members filling the sky.
Giant Kernel Worms emerging from the ground, crushing people with their heavy bodies, and Torutura spider variants the size of bulls pouring out from within, roaming the battlefield like cavalry.
In addition to these, various hive members with diverse characteristics adapted to their environment, each one a deadly weapon.
‘But in our lair?’
Right now, they were too busy concealing their identity to be of any use, and the concept of actual combatants was practically nonexistent.
If the giant Kernel Worm was misused and their identity was exposed, they would have to eliminate all witnesses, even if it meant creating chaos everywhere.
Many of the spiders had not yet undergone significant mutations, and while he remembered seeing Parastata fighting alongside flying monsters, at least for now, they were all non-combatants.
‘Then we need at least a minimal number of combat personnel.
At least someone who can protect me right now…’
And especially considering the location where he currently was, the royal capital of the Groden Kingdom, the heart of the human residential area.
Considering the environment of Saint Flansina Academy, located in the center of it all, his most important asset was obvious.
With the Kernel Worm, the underground was already his domain.
But the surface was occupied by humans, so the hive members who had to move around above ground were always loitering on the fourth basement floor, or just digging tunnels.
‘People… I need people…
Humans… demi-humans… or something equivalent…
Beings who can mingle without raising suspicion and freely interact with the outside world…’
Perhaps Vivian had been aiming for this when she said those things to him.
‘If we train the females, who have only been used as nutrient vending machines…
Through proper education…’
Increasing the number of women was essential anyway.
The main body needed to grow, and more importantly, the nutrients to keep these individuals alive and healthy couldn’t just be obtained by digging in the ground.
So, what if they could act as excellent fighters, spies, and operatives on the outside, and then return to the lair and provide him with nutrients as pleasure-intoxicated females, achieving a win-win situation?
‘I can do it… maybe…’
A strong loyalty forged by the pleasure of the female body, which they could never forget or escape once they had tasted it. And based on what he had seen so far, agents with significantly enhanced strength, regenerative abilities, and intelligence capable of improvisation and judgment that easily surpassed the level of monsters would be born.
‘Enick adapts to the environment and changes into various forms, right?
In this environment, I need to employ an adaptation method that suits it…?
This is a hit… I have to do it…!!’
Just as other Enicks in the monster zone formed legions mainly composed of common monster groups and hive members, he, living in the human zone, would conversely form a legion mainly composed of readily available human or demi-human females.
That was his solution to the current situation, hinted at by Vivian and conceived in this way.
‘Now that it’s come to this, I’m getting nervous again…
I guess I’ll have even more work to do…?
I have to… of course… of course…’
But just as he finished the Enick MK.2 lair interior and realized that his thought that he would have nothing to do for a while was a mistake, he had to gradually suppress his aching head.
‘Being the president of Enick Corporation isn’t as easy as I thought…’
Was this what the burden of leadership felt like?
Having to make decisions and act on his own felt a bit hesitant at times.
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At the same time, a short, curly-haired girl sitting on the bed looking out the window, and a long, black-haired girl carefully folding a pile of laundry she had brought in.
The two girls, having returned from the social gathering, were immersed in their peaceful daily lives, continuing their days with small joys as always.
“Ah… it’s raining…”
“It is… they say it’s going to rain for days…
More than that… it’s been a while since it rained, hasn’t it?
It’s quite atmospheric, how about a walk in the rain today?”
But that day, Yui, who had arrived late, didn’t know everything that had happened in that place.
There had been a rather significant accident, and she had only heard the facts that others knew.
Because Carla, the person involved and the one who knew the reason most clearly, didn’t seem to be telling even her closest friend everything.
Yui, who had no words to offer her when she showed such sad eyes, was trying to cheer her up by deliberately making up things.
“Hmm… should we? Hehe…!!
A new cafe opened on Brandon Street, how about there?
This time, let’s eat something other than tea!!
Yui always only drinks tea…!!”
“Ahaha… that’s just a characteristic of Chao Xing people.
It’s also a side effect of genetic manipulation, but it’s not a big problem…
The body becomes sensitive to eating and drinking…
So I tend to drink specially treated tea to reduce the burden.”
“Ehh!! But you drink a lot of alcohol…!!”
“That’s why I always drink Chao Xing rice wine, right?
Those are all specially treated too.”
“Wow…!! Is that so…?”
“Oh my… didn’t you know?
Speaking of which, how about a drink today…?
I’ll prepare something delicious, how about it?”
Seeing Carla’s expression, happy to learn new facts, brighten up again, Yui’s expression also regained a smile.
Although they had spent a short time together, they thought they knew each other better than anyone else, so the fact that there were still things they didn’t know about each other was a bit awkward.
Perhaps that’s why Carla, watching Yui’s smile, which she couldn’t help but smile brighter, was also teasing her.
“Ugh… Yui, your eyes are lecherous…
If I get drunk today, I might be in danger… Hehe…!!”
“Ohoho… Carla usually clings to me a lot when she’s drunk…
Actually, I don’t do anything in these situations?
That’s why Carla is always sleeping in my bed when we drink.”
“Eek…!! Do I really…?
Do I say nonsense or sleep talk…?”
“It was cute, so I’ll let it slide.”
“Aang!! What should I do!! Forget it, Yui!!
It doesn’t matter what I said!!”
“Hehe!! Ah~
It’s too precious to forget~”
– Knock knock
While the two were bustling and talking for a while, a sudden knock on the door made Yui, who had walked to the door with a smile, slowly open the dormitory entrance.
“Who is it?”
“Just came to check up on you?
I heard you’ve been crying every day.”
But the person who appeared beyond the door was someone she couldn’t have imagined.
“Why are you here…”
“You should be grateful that I, of all people, came to check up on you.
What’s the problem? Here, a little something.”
“Ah…”
Yui, receiving the bundle that the opponent with an unforgettable, arrogant, and unique voice roughly handed over, let out a small scream of surprise.
“That’s quite high-end stuff, you know?
Ah, but for the Kazunomiya’s young lady, it’s probably nothing?”
“You…”
Slightly untying the bundle, Yui’s eyes widened as she discovered expensive medicinal herbs and snacks that made her gasp.
And at that very moment, Carla on the bed, hearing the noise, was about to peek her head out to see what was happening at the entrance.
“Hmm? You’re not crying now?
You were crying as if some family member had died.
Were Arachnella and scrap metal that scary?”
“Why are you…”
The woman, giving a rotten smile in front of Carla, who had a bewildered expression.
Dang Hyeryung naturally entered without even being told to come in by the owner of the room, pulled out a chair, sat down, and crossed her legs.
She gently tucked her black hair, shimmering like Yui’s, behind her ear, and stared intently at Carla with her black eyes, as dark as black pearls, absorbing even the light.
“I told you? I came to check up on you.”
“So… why are you…?”
“Isn’t it good to worry from now on since we’re going to be family? ‘Young Lady’?”
“Wh- what…? Why am I a young lady?
What family…? What are you talking about…!?”
“I heard that my husband’s younger sister is hurting, so I came to see her?”
“Eeeeeek!!”
Carla’s voice, as if shocked by her incomprehensible words, rose as if to pierce the sky, causing Hyeryung to frown and cover her ears as if it were noisy.
“Ah, it’s noisy… why are you so surprised?
Are you a scaredy-cat? Should I prescribe you some Cheongmyeonghwan?
I’ve already set my sights on your brother, so it’s only natural that he becomes my husband.
It’s not that hard to understand, it’s very obvious, right?”
Antonio, who had now graduated from the academy and returned to the Barmhausen’s main family, and this arrogant and strange woman in front of her were a couple?
Of course, during the special evaluation period, she had seen them working together quite well in the same group, but Carla had only thought of it as a temporary partnership.
Above all, Carla, who thought that anyone who wanted to take her beloved brother away would have to defeat her first, was trying to shout while tightly gripping the blanket under her trembling hands, but…
“Wh- what’s natural…?
Who’s giving you my brother?
Who… who’s deciding that…!?
Hiek!! G- get away…!!”
Carla was gradually pushed back and horrified by Hyeryung’s actions, who continued to lean her face towards Carla, who was sitting on the bed.
But what was the current situation?
Not only was it a sudden visit without an appointment, but she was causing all sorts of trouble and saying things she couldn’t understand.
“Wait a minute…!! Carla doesn’t like it!!
Even if you’re the daughter of a noble family, you should know how to keep your distance?”
It was the moment when Yui, unable to tolerate Hyeryung’s actions any longer, tried to stop her.
“I think it’s not the Kazunomiya’s young lady’s place to interfere in other people’s family matters?
I refuse meddlers who unnecessarily interfere and muddy the waters.
So, I have a proposal for our Young Lady… how about it?”
Then, Hyeryung, shooting back at Yui, slyly raised one knee on the bedside and crawled towards Carla, who was leaning against the wall, like a cat.
Her expression, which seemed to contain a strange sense of anticipation, had a slightly creepy smile with only her mouth smiling.
“It’s not difficult…
It’s a ‘family-like’… thing…?”
