Sekh shook her head and looked around, pensively staring at the odd ruins when I asked if she knew where we were. “When I was brought to the dungeon, I was already temporarily sealed within a crystal. I don’t see anything that looks like an entrance, though.” 

I asked if the teleporter would have brought us outside since the dungeon was a closed circuit.  

Sekh shook her head as we walked forward, our eyes staring at the extended struggle between nature and civilization, and nature was clearly winning. “In a dungeon, there is a clearly defined entrance leading to a room called the lobby. It’s a safe zone. It’s also where the teleporter at the end of a dungeon spits you out. And we aren’t standing in one.” She remained in deep thought as the feeling of stone beneath our toes turned to soft, warm grass.  

We continued walking in a straight line since we didn’t have a better idea of where to go. The sights of bare stone and carved pillars had been completely replaced by greenery like trees, grass, vines, and a sea of leaves. I had never been there, but it felt like we were trekking around the deep jungles that used to be so prevalent in the Caribbean Islands. Nothing odd happened for about thirty minutes, but then Sekh’s ears wiggled. After coming to a complete halt, she reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me back behind her. 

If she heard something, why didn’t I? Wait? I hear it now. Is that an animal? 

Quietly, we waited. From the distance, I narrowed my eyes and spotted a brown-furred beast asleep on its back just past where the forest came to an end. 

[Lesser Forest Boar – Lv. 1] 

“If the monsters around here are this weak, then odds are good there should be a town or village nearby…” she murmured under her breath.  

“If your dungeon hadn’t ever been conquered before, I presume it was in a place full of dangerous beasts?” I asked.  

Sekh nodded. “Dungeons rarely ever stay the same way for long. When one closes, the lack of dungeon mana means there won’t be any new monsters to replace dead ones. Monsters can spontaneously spawn if there is enough raw mana in an area. The strength and type of mana determines the level and type of monster produced. Some monsters can breed with each other. Goblins, for example, can forcibly reproduce through parasitic means by forcing their victim to receive their larvae.” Sekh’s explanation was helpful, but I was more focused on trying out my Chimera abilities in combat for the first time 

The furry beast was too busy scratching its back after waking up to notice my approach. Sekh and I emerged into a clearing, leaving the forest behind us as it felt like the humidity dropped by a good bit. The creature was alert and ready. It rolled over to its four legs and huffed, aiming its ivory-colored tusks towards me. I didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing this fight, other than the remaining boars around us, because the road was devoid of people. 

We drew our respective weapons, and Sekh’s hand started to glow black. Under her breath, she cursed and canceled [Black Fire]. She couldn’t wrap it around wood without scorching it. 

I took a quiet breath to steady my nerves while holding my spear. I was a bit nervous before this first battle, but I didn’t feel any anxiety about being ready to kill the boar. The goblin had been humanoid, and Amos’s warriors actively begged me to seal Sekh, but I still ended their pathetic lives. After all I’ve been through, I couldn’t hesitate for another second, not if I wanted to get my revenge. The experience from the boar wouldn’t help, but I could add its strength to my own. 

Sekh looked to me for instruction, but I didn’t have anything to say. The moment I turned my head to shake it, the boar rushed forward in a mad dash. Sekh immediately pushed me away, then threw herself out of danger. We both recovered, but I remained on one knee and took careful aim with my spear raised. In the activity log, [Deadeye] became active. Instantly, my stance altered itself. 

I flung the spear, and it struck the boar in the neck, draining its HP by a good 44%. It loudly squealed in anguish. In the activity log, there was a notice that the boar was affected with the bleeding status—it would continuously lose HP—and a small icon of a bloody teardrop appeared underneath its floating name. Sekh came running in with her mace held high, and she brought it down so hard upon the beast’s side that she knocked the stout bovine onto its belly. 

Sekh’s mace broke from the attack, the spiky head lodged deep within its side while acting like a tumorous cancer of pain and despair.  

Yet the foe was barely alive with 3% of its HP left. Sekh formed a fist and wrapped it with black flames, content with straddling the boar and launching a flurry of fiery punches towards its snouts. I rushed up and retrieved my spear, then ended my opponent’s suffering with a thrust to the head.  

New Title: [Boar Slayer (I)] 

And there it— Wait… I didn’t level up from the first kill? And what’s that feeling... Why am I starving... I’m...drooling?  

When my hand touched the boar’s bloody fur, a notification appeared in my sight. 

 Would you like to use [Assimilation] on Lesser Forest Boar? 

When I thought of an affirmative response, a set of instructions filled my mind. Crimson blood poured onto my fingers as I tore into the boar. When I managed to get a big enough hole, I reached in and ripped off a chunk of meat before stuffing it into my mouth. Despite being raw and covered in blood, it was one of the best things I’d ever tasted. I tasted a savory sweetness on my tongue, and there was a nutty, almost fruity aftertaste. Without really thinking about it, I tore off more chunks and continued to devour the raw meat. 

Sekh joined in, using her nails to cut open a larger incision. For every piece of meat she handed to me, she scorched one for herself with her flames to sate her growling stomach. 

“I’m sorry, Master. I didn’t mean to destroy your gift to me,” she said with her mouth full. 

Yeah, it has been a long time since she’s had anything to eat. She’s cute when she’s smiling like that... 

“Don’t worry about it,” I replied. “It’s something I can easily replace.” 

“About that... I’d like to use my fists and flames for the time being.” 

“That makes sense. They’re far stronger than what I can make with [Nature’s Workshop].” 

You’ve assimilated Lesser Forest Boar. 

Those words flashed me by as I swallowed one more mouthful. It wasn’t much, but I felt… stronger. 

Even if it didn’t grant me any SP, I still took the boar’s power for myself. 

It was tangible proof I could survive in this world. That I could get around this 0-Star curse. 

Ah, but I was soaked in blood. There was probably a lake or stream nearby. If not, I could wipe myself clean with some of the clothes we had brought. There wasn’t any use in doing that now because I had more prey to hunt. 

While I was in a daze over finally gaining some strength, Sekh was kneeling and rummaging through the boar’s mutilated corpse. She was searching in its empty abdominal cavity when she suddenly smiled and pulled out a cloudy crystal about the size of a golf ball. She held it out to me, completely ignoring how we were both soaked in blood. 

She explained that what she held was called a core, and every monster had one. It was akin to a second heart, where most of a monster’s magical abilities and skills drew their power from. Cores could be sold for money or used to create or enchant equipment with beneficial effects. 

If I had the rest of [Hermes Trismegistus] initialized, that core would’ve been automatically collected.  

“Normally, we’d sell them to the guild, but a boar core like this won’t get us much. The bigger and clearer they are, the more they’re worth. Though some can be entirely one color, and those are worth a good bit, too.” 

“Then let’s save them,” I told her. We stood up while she plopped it in the bag on her back. We turned to face down the road near us. I couldn’t see anything that looked like a village or town but did see those boars I’d spotted earlier. 

Well, I’ll have to think of something.  

I took one look at my bloodied self and sighed. Staining myself with crimson wasn’t the way forward if I wanted to remain incognito. After briefly walking into the forest in search of a pond, I heard rushing water. Sekh and I jogged in that direction. 

A babbling brook gently danced by us. The water was so crystal clear that the dirt and rocks were entirely visible in its calm flow. The sun blessed it with its warm rays. Before I knew it, I had stripped naked. The squelching blood soaked the leaves and grass, leaving a gross crimson mark on the tops of my tits.  

Sekh mentioned she would wash my clothes, so she did that downstream while I slipped in. It was about knee deep, so the refreshing coolness was so pleasant that I found myself lightly moaning. I kneeled and splashed some water up to my chest, covering about half of my cock in the process. 

That…was a strange feeling, but it was one I enjoyed. I wiped every part of my body, including the entirety of my cock, until I was as clean as I could without soap.  

“Wow! That looks dangerous.” A voice rang out from nowhere. Sekh and I froze in our tracks.  

We both looked around to spot this intruder. I stood up and felt something touching me.  

I hastily looked down and spotted an unknown pixie-like creature. She looked up at me with her tiny eyes while a hand remained firmly on my shaft. She pushed it back and forth, watching it swing like a clock pendulum. “Something this big could kill a lesser girl, but it’s just too small for me. I think I can take it,” she said while grinning. 

---

Sekh reacted fast, but I was quicker. Raw instinct flowed into my mind, granting me the secrets of [Chimeric Transfiguration]. Before I knew it, my penis had transfigured into the head of the boar I’d assimilated and tried to devour the fairy alive.  

What the fuck?! Why did that feel so…normal? And that yellow bar dropped by 10%, and it’s slowly draining. 

The fairy flew back, barely missing death by milliseconds.  

“Heh...” she nervously chuckled. “Maybe it can hurt me? WHA!!” While the fairy was distracted, Sekh came up from behind and smacked her down, her body landing with a sickening snap. Wounded and disoriented, she didn’t know what hit her when I summoned Reina’s gun and shot a bullet. The 9mm round pierced her back and cut her in half. Her little guts and blood soiled the ground. 

Sekh rapidly handed me my clothes and pointed to my cock. 

Yeah, she didn’t need to speak to get the point across. I somehow returned my penis to normal but couldn’t do much more than that when a spark of dark energy flashed nearby. It left behind a fairy with black hair and a void-like dress. Her wings were the color of darkness, yet crimson energy pulsed within them like arteries. 

“Okay... Maybe I can’t take it,” said the same pixie I had killed. “It’s small, but it’s dangerous. Keep that thing on a leash, yeah?” 

Without hesitating, I pulled the trigger a second time, shooting the intruder in the stomach and blowing her to bits. Blood exploded out, covering the emerald-green grass with proof of her demise. A bit of her internal fat and guts spattered a particular slice of verdant, dying it the color of gore. 

“HEY!!! Why the hell did you do that??!!” In a flash of dark light, the same fairy I had just killed twice reappeared, looking none the worse for wear. Her clenched fists grabbed the hem of her dress, and her body shook with indomitable rage. 

Bang!!! 

I sent another bullet her way, draining more of my mana as I became tired and out of breath, and watched as she died a third time. Like a bad itch, though, the flying pest reappeared. I killed her again, and again, and again. Her crimson blood and tiny organs coated a rather large area—especially when compared to her tiny stature. When she suddenly materialized again, she went off like a firecracker.  

“Goddamn it! Are you finally finished? Stop fucking killing me, alright?! Is that too much to ask for? I’m too goddamn cute for you to keep killing me! For fuck’s sake!! Can I talk, please? Just for a fucking minute?! I have something to say!”  

I narrowed my eyes and kept the gun trained on her body while trying to catch my breath. “Speak. Say what you want and hope I like it. If not...” I looked at Sekh. She nodded while activating [Black Fire] around her nails. 

This seemingly immortal fairy hovered in front of my gun. She stared into my eyes, fully aware of the wary Dark Lord nearby. If I gave the command, she’d rip the fairy’s head off. “I’m no fan of long introductions, so I’ll get to it. I am the Conduit of the TDL Training System. TDL is short for Transcendent Dark Lord, mind you. So, the full name is the Transcendent Dark Lord Training System,” spoke the black-dressed fairy. 

That seemed incredibly farfetched. When I focused on this fairy, I realized she was telling the truth because TDL Training System was her name. Even her level had it. 

“TDL? Tadle? Tidle? Toodle? Tilde? Condy? Yeah, Tilde. It’s easier to say,” I said. “Now speak. Explain this Training System.” I had my gun pointing at her little body, but she flew up and straddled the barrel. It must’ve been warm on her thighs because she quivered and bit her lips. Sekh had no idea what this ‘Training System’ was. 

Conduit...? It sounds so familiar... 

“If you give me a chance, I will. Oh, I know I’m sexy and mature, but you need to listen to the words coming from my mouth, Future Master! And don’t fucking shoot me again, okay?” 

Sexy and mature? I didn’t see that, but the foul-mouthed fairy started explaining. “Fine. You know what a map is, right? The Training System has a skill called [Map]. You can search for whatever you want wherever you’ve been. Want to find someone? Just search their name and hope they’re in an area you’ve been to. Find them on the map? Slap a waypoint on them and never lose track of them. Want to analyze them? Use [Analysis]. Or—” 

“Or I can use [Radar] or [Storage], right? Yeah, the training system is really called [Hermes Trismegistus].” Yeah, it was all coming back to me. I had those weird skills that needed to be initialized.  

Tilde narrowed her eyes and looked downtrodden. “Really? You had to go there? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to do this whole lecture? I finally had my chance to put into action what I've practiced for a long time, and you take it away from me? Oh, the humanity...” She spoke in a monotone voice of depression. She leaned to the side and fell off, tumbling through the air until she smacked into the ground in a bloody red paste. 

“Did you really have to kill yourself again?” I asked when Tilde materialized for what felt like the 1,000th time.  

“YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT I DID! This was my one shot! My one opportunity that I couldn’t blow! You’re despicable, Future Master...” Tilde crossed her arms and turned around, her wings fluttering rapidly to keep her hovering. 

“Master, can you trust her?” Sekh asked. 

“I think I can. She’s knowledgeable about [Hermes Trismegistus], and she doesn’t seem surprised that I know about it.” 

“Oh? Is that the Dark Lord of Tyranny? Huh, it’s been like a thousand years, right? Don’t know how you convinced her to enslave herself, but that’s some damn fine work. Oh, I was alive back when you were slaughtering the world. I didn’t have anything to do with your defeat, however. I spent most of your final months living it up on an island to the south after tricking some sad sap into pampering me.” 

“Wait, you’re that old? Never mind.” I went back and forth with Tilde about how Sekh wasn’t my slave. It was a conversation that lasted way too long. Eventually, she sighed, fluttered her wings, and flew to my head, touching it with her own. 

“What are you doing?” I asked.  

“I’m searching through your memories before we get on with the ritual. Shit, your life isn’t enviable, is it? Beaten, raped, abused, slapped, punched, and violated? Hung up naked to dry... And betrayed? It’s no wonder you didn’t just off yourself.  Ah, so you saw the words in the void? Wait, void... You’re really telling me you were in there and you didn’t go insane? [Wrath, Flames of Inexhaustible Indignation]? Who gave it to you...? That would explain why you didn’t become one with the winds after nearly losing yourself. You were literally too angry to die. Oh, okay. That's how you met that monster.” 

I snatched the fairy with my free hand and nearly squeezed the life from her. A second later, she stared into the barrel of my gun. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t blow your brains out and see how many times it takes until you stay dead.” This little flying pest violated my memories! 

Tilde remained silent and muttered to herself. She didn’t even register the immediate threat. Tilde finally looked up and flashed a smile, pushing the gun away with all her strength. “Hmm... You’re going to be an interesting one... Look, I want to come with you and help you on your journey to kill Meruria. You can probably accomplish that with [Chimeric Mastery]. Hell, Big Tits of Tyranny over there would be a fine ally, but I’ll be the belle of the ball! Without me, you won’t be able to use [Hermes Trismegistus] to its fullest extent. Tell me what I must do, and I’ll proudly do it.” 

“You won’t read my mind or thoughts without express permission. Do nothing to harm us, whether by action or inaction.” 

Tilde cracked a smile and saluted me. “Yes, Future Master! I heard your demands, and I promise to abide by them. I should say this before we get started with the ritual. You’re actually the first person to be blessed by me in 11 gazillion bazillion trillion million billion years. Feel free to kiss my feet to show your thanks.” Tilde changed her tune after I transfigured my penis. She screamed and hid behind Sekh for safety, only barely peeking out her head. 

“Yeah... I’ll get started... Oh, one more thing. Becoming your Conduit will intertwine our life force. Not memories or thoughts, though. I will respect you on that unless you want me to pick at your mind. My ex-boyfriends tell me I’m really good with my hands, hehehe...” 

Sekh grasped Tilde and stared daggers into her eyes while flashing her sharp canines. She growled a warning against doing anything stupid to put me in danger. 

“Yeah... Fine... Whatever. I promise, Tyrannical Tits, that I won’t do anything stupid... You can let me go now!” Sekh waited a few extra seconds before sighing in frustration and loosening her grip. She walked over to me while Tilde kneeled and chanted. 

Error! [Scholar’s Tongue] cannot translate Tilde’s speech. 

“Are you sure about this?” Sekh asked. Truthfully? I wasn’t, but the advantages of acquiring the rest of the skills locked within [Hermes Trismegistus] were something I couldn’t deny. Besides, these skills were different from the others, I think. If so, then Tilde had a connection with the system. When I told Sekh and compared Tilde to an admin on a computer, she said she trusted my judgment but didn’t know what a computer was. 

That’s right… Maybe I’ll talk a bit with Sekh about my world. She might be curious about it. 

Soon enough, the air started to crackle and vibrate as Holy Mana swirled from my left hand. Its counterpart, Dark Mana, gathered in my right. As if they had come alive, the two balls of energy floated into the air, then swirled around my body. The wind produced nearly knocked Tilde over, but her wings fluttered to keep her upright. Water from the stream began to cascade together and formed a miniature tornado, which sucked in the hundreds of falling leaves and uprooted grassy blades. 

The fairy continued her words without a single pause. Eventually, the water funnels exploded, sending down thousands of droplets, leaves, and grass. Through the misty water vapor, I saw a hundred little rainbows spring into existence. 

The two circling sparks of energy gathered overhead, slammed into each other, and exploded, showering me with gray particles, which probably reflected my dual nature. When they touched my skin, I felt a slight sizzle, almost like a burn, but that uncomfortableness faded away in a hurry. 

New Title: ************ ****** **** ******** ******** 

Tilde raised her head and smiled, her crimson-infused wings fluttering just a bit. “Master, I’ll forever remain by your side. I have waited eons to be called to action, and like hell will I ever disappoint you! Whatever you ask of me, I will accomplish it.” After she spoke, she launched off the ground and flew to my shoulders, where she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “The whole song and dance with the water and stuff was a declaration to the world that they better watch out. I would have made it stronger, but we’re kinda close to Ria. Oh, that’s a village nearby.” 

I asked about the unreadable title, and Tilde said it would become unscrambled the more I progressed through her training system. “Besides, you’re a 0-Star. Titles are useless to you, so just ignore them, yeah? Pretend it doesn’t exist.” 

“Master...” Sekh seemed restless and frowned a little. “I... I’ll pledge my loyalty to you as well!” 

Was she jealous? Of Tilde? Really? That’s kind of adorable... I rubbed her head and smiled. 

“I, Sekh, the Dark Lord of Tyranny, hereby declare my undying loyalty towards my Master. I will be the blade of vengeance to rend reality from its clutches, should you desire. Those who wish to see harm befall you will die at my hands, and I will present you the heads of those who betrayed you...” The nails on her hands glowed a fierce black. It was like she was waiting for me to give a command. 

“Prove it,” I said. Sekh’s arms clasped around my neck. The nocturnal flames on her nails dissipated the moment before we connected.  Our lips touched, and her tongue made way for mine to investigate her mouth. We swapped saliva for well over a minute, and I greedily devoured whatever I could. When we finally separated, her face was warm and flushed, and the thick strands of spit proved our lips were comfortable with each other. We remained hugging for a little bit longer before separating, but we still held hands.