'Tsk, what a hassle.'
Bianca clicked her tongue, smiling at Rian, who watched her with a puzzled expression.
'I never imagined a man would turn back after seeing the Highest Level.'
Until now, every slave who had witnessed the Highest Level had begged to become her disciple. The power of the Highest Level looked far too sweet.
Yet Rian claimed he would return to his place without a moment's hesitation. Bianca realized it instantly: if she let him go, she would never be able to bring him to the Highest Level.
'The opportunity is now.'
If he stayed here long, he would eventually hear the rumors—the ones about how every disciple of hers went missing without exception.
He wouldn't find out until he neared the Highest Level, but once he did, it would be a matter of time.
If he were an incomplete powerhouse like Iris, she could buy time, but Rian was already a complete powerhouse. Reaching the vicinity of the Highest Level would take an instant.
Bianca licked her lips and spoke.
"Then, do you want to check the armory before you go? I have a weapon Iris could use, and I want to give it to you."
"Ah, then I'd be grateful!"
As expected, Rian was easily swayed when it came to his sister, Iris.
"You said you had to leave quickly, so let's go."
"Yes!"
Bianca walked ahead, thinking.
'Stupid bastard. Showing your weakness is how you get caught.'
Bianca sneered at Rian and opened the armory door. A magic circle, invisible to ordinary eyes, was engraved on the floor—a circle designed to strengthen the power of shadows.
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'Well, then.'
She turned around, her lips curling into a grotesque shape. Rian looked at her with an innocent face.
"I'll eat well."
"Yes?"
Riiip.
The floor turned pitch black and split in half. The moment Rian's gaze dropped, a shadow monster surged up from the floor.
Crunch!
Like a crocodile lurking in a swamp, Rian was swallowed by the shadow in an instant.
"Kyahahaha! You idiot!"
Bianca burst into laughter, watching Rian being chewed and swallowed before he could even blink. She enjoyed this moment most of all—the moment a powerhouse who could have left a mark on history vanished in vain to become a part of her.
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"Still, don't be too sad. You're becoming a beautiful part of me!"
Crack!
With the sound of his head being swallowed, Rian was consumed, leaving no trace behind.
'Ah, I wonder what ability I'll gain this time?'
She looked at the sword leaning against the wall with an ecstatic expression.
'The one I used last time was about the length of a dagger, right?'
€p>
She picked up a sword that was too short to be a longsword and too long to be a dagger, smirking.
'Shall I test it out in the training hall?'
Thinking she would stretch her body for the first time in a while, she exited the room. Or rather, she tried to.
Bam!
The moment she tried to leave, her pinky toe hit the corner of the door as if by destiny. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a minor impact, but today, her toe was crushed, and a shocking wave of pain surged through her.
"Kkeueuk, kehek...!"
Along with the pain, blood gushed from her mouth. Bianca's eyes began to shake wildly.
"Th, keheuk... what is this?"
She had only stubbed her pinky toe, yet blood was gushing out. This was impossible.
"Wh, what on earth is this...?"
Bianca, who had turned pale at the massive amount of blood—something she had never seen since becoming a powerhouse—stumbled backward.
Clatter!
p>
"Ah!"
As she stumbled back, she hit the display stand. Weapons rolled across the floor. The sound of sharp steel clattering brought her to her senses.
'Y, yes. It must be because I swallowed such a strong powerhouse.'
She tried to swallow her anxiety and put the fallen swords back. The moment she took a step forward, she stepped on the tip of a sword; it slid, and she fell backward.
"Uh...?"
The fallen weapons were placed dangerously in the direction she was falling, as if they had conspired to be there.
Puk!
The blade of a sword, curved in an L-shape, pierced through the sole of Bianca's foot and poked out the top.
"Kyaaaaaa!"
She screamed and collapsed to the side. The handle stuck in her foot shook, knocking over another display case. A massive iron lump the size of an orc's head fell onto her.
"Wait... kkeut!"
Clang. The iron lump struck her head, and a nosebleed sprayed out. She couldn't understand this situation; with her tongue lolling out, she barely managed to force her rolling eyes to stay put.
'What, what on earth is happening?'
A series of incomprehensible situations; she was just about to go insane.
Bam! Crash! Thud!
"Kkeueok, kkeuk... kkeuaack!"
Like a staged performance, Bianca was torn to shreds, stepping on or getting hit by the weapons. She rolled around the armory and was thrown out of the room.
"Heok, keheuk..."
She gasped for air, having sustained worse injuries than when she fought the champion.
'I, I'm going to die like this!'
€p>
She staggered to her feet. She could feel the pool of blood flowing from her body.
'Wait... what is this...?'
Her gaze shifted from the pool of blood at her feet to the armory. The inside was covered in blood, as if ten people had been murdered. It made no sense for her to be standing there perfectly fine.
€p>
"What is it...? What on earth is happening?"
Having swallowed the Gag Filter along with Rian, Bianca could not understand the situation.
It was no big deal to Rian, who was used to the Gag Filter, but to Bianca, every reaction happening to her body was incomprehensible. Incomprehension was synonymous with terror.
"F, first, treatment... I have to get treatment!"
She shouted and staggered toward the living room. It was filled with a peaceful air, as if nothing had happened.
But even that tranquility felt like terror. It felt like something was about to happen.
"Before something strange happens, quickly, as quickly as possible, I must treat..."
Gag World specialty: If you voice your worries, they truly happen.
Whoosh!
No sooner had she finished speaking than a tremendous sound echoed.
Thwack!
"Kkeueok..."
A spear flew in from outside the window, piercing through her stomach. It happened in an instant.
"Kkeuk, kkeueut... ah... I don't want to die, I don't want to die."
p>
Bianca screamed, picking up the blood and organs that had spilled out when her stomach was pierced. Then, it spoke. The organ.
"Ah, crazy! Why are you touching my body without gloves?"
A piece of an organ that resembled Bianca's facial features looked at her and spat out curses. Bianca stared at her own organ with a blank face.
"There's a piece over there too! Pick it up quickly!"
"No, if we work hard to handle things inside the body, shouldn't the body owner protect the organs well? How are you managing things to get a hole in your stomach? I'm going to get compensated for all of this!"
"If you're going to bandage that, can you use the top-grade stuff? I'm a bit sensitive."
Bianca's mind went blank at the arrogant voice.
'What is this? Why am I not dead? And what is talking right now? An organ? An organ is talking? How? More importantly, shouldn't I be dead if it's outside the body? How is it talking? Where did the mouth come from?'
As incomprehensible situations occurred in succession, Bianca's brain creaked like a broken machine. Rather than spending energy trying to understand, her brain wisely concluded the situation.
'A dream, it's a dream, right?'
Otherwise, there was no way an organ could talk and she could breathe normally despite her stomach being pierced.
'Yes, it must be that...'
Before she could even finish her sentence.
"Bianca-ssi?"
"...?!"
A familiar voice was heard. Bianca's gaze scanned her surroundings rapidly.
"Bianca-ssi, when can I get out?"
"Wh, where are you speaking from?!"
No matter how much she looked around, the owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen, and Bianca's voice began to tremble.
"Yes? Why, from inside your stomach, Bianca-ssi."
"What...?"
Her gaze turned toward her stomach.
"Did you eat chicken yesterday? It's melting in there."
From her solar plexus area, a voice was coming out. And it was the voice of Rian, whom she had eaten.