-----
After Timassa, Jon, and Arthur woke up, they quickly noticed the changes in their bodies.
Their skin had turned pale white, their eyes crimson red, and even their hair had been dyed of a different color except for Arthur, whose blonde hair remained of its original color, albeit while having lost some of its lusters.
After a little explanation, Timassa realized something…
Noah was the one behind the theft of Fernand Firebrand's Blood Core, the one he was carrying around and showing it off everyone like a fool.
Such item was an SSS-Rank Blood Core acquired from the drops of the SSS-Rank Blood Progenitor Boss, which Fernand had gotten his hands into after his older brother, an S-Rank Hunter gifted the item to him so he could grow stronger.
However, instead of using it straight away, he showed it off to everyone and even foolishly left it inside of his room, where Noah sneaked in by the instructions of the voice of the Blood Progenitor into his head and stole it, fusing with it and acquiring the powers of the Blood Progenitor!
"That's right, Timassa, I stole it and made it my power… Now that explanations are over, all of you shall join my creed, my family. I expect gratitude from you, as I have saved your lives and also given you a new strength…" said Noah.
"Kneel before Noah-sama," said Iris.
"K-Kneel?" asked Arthur.
Jon immediately kneeled again with fervent devotion, as Timassa and Arthur doubted it a bit.
Although they had the Subordinate's Royalty Skill, it seemed that they were resisting a bit, mostly because they were not as mentally vulnerable as Jon was.
However, as Arthur started to think about it, Noah did indeed save his life, and he even granted him the greatest wish he always had, getting his legs back.
Timassa was also healed from death's door, which was already amazing, something that not even Arthur's healing Skill could have done so easily and fast.
In the end, Arthur glanced at Timassa, as the two realized that they really did not have any other option…
Noah had already done so much for them, they felt inherently very grateful, and couldn't simply live with such guilt now, they had to serve him as much as they could…
Although these thoughts seemed natural in their minds, the Subordinate's Royalty Skill was already taking effect on their minds, encroaching their thoughts to admire their Progenitor, Noah.
"…Master, we shall now serve you," said Timassa.
"Please, count on us from now on…" said Arthur rather shyly, he still needed to get used to his legs a bit more.
"Good…" said Noah with an eerie smile, as Iris nodded in affirmation at his side with a pleasant smile.
"Now then, we got a big mess in here… If we stay for too long we may attract monsters. Let's drain their blood and steal their belongings for now… Such as these!" said Noah, walking towards the dried corpse of Edmond and grabbing his backpack with a blood tentacle, taking out 12 Cores from it.
"So many cores…" muttered Arthur.
"So they all died…" said Timassa.
"Cores…" said Jon.
"Indeed, we killed them as they were planning to kill us one way or another. As I said earlier, this test seems to have been made to provoke these types of conflicts, the military does not really care much about us, and it could even be said that we are all Guinea pigs for them," said Noah.
"That's… can't be true, right?" asked Arthur.
"It is true. Edmond and his harem were planning to leave us fatally wounded and then that the monsters were to take care of us. Arthur, can't you realize the truth already? We are trash, and we are even seen as eyesores to these people. For the sake of the few cores we collected, they would even be willing to kill us, albeit indirectly…" said Noah.
"That's… but…" muttered Arthur, his mind was still rather confused, but what said Noah slowly began to make sense on his head.
Indeed, even as a crippled and rich person, he was hated a lot, even the sole point of being weaker than the majority made him a target of abuse.
Although Timassa was at his side so he could not be physically wounded, insults and hateful stares were a thing of every day.
"Kill, kill, kill… Is this world just all about killing each other? Even after being… in such an apocalyptic era where we have a common enemy…" muttered Arthur.
"Indeed, I believe that such thoughts had simply intensified. The times had changed, people are starving on the streets, monsters and mutated beasts roam the world, and more dungeon keep appearing, this world is filled with chaos, even with this seemingly order, it still the survival of the fittest world. Or as they like to say, a dog-eat-dog world," said Noah.
"Have I lived in an illusion through the luxury of my family?" wondered Arthur.
"Arthur-sama… Don't say such things…" muttered Timassa.
"No, Timassa, he's right," said Iris.
"You had indeed lived in a tender illusion. Although I believe that even you had already begun to see this world with other eyes as you lost the hope of regaining your legs, haven't you?" asked Noah.
"I see… But even then, isn't this still illegal?" asked Arthur.
"In this world the strong rules the weak, even in this rearranged society where people live in closed Sectors, it still the same. Hunters of high Ranks are even allowed to kill other people as long as they don't leave enough evidence or bystanders to accuse them, the government even encourages such behavior sometimes, against other Sectors, killing the Hunters of other Sectors will help the government of the attacking Sector be able to easily assimilate that area and their resources," said Noah.
"That's… So what do we do with these corpses?" asked Arthur.
"Arthur, Timassa, Jon, do you feel that your throats are a bit sore?" asked Noah.
"Sore? Now that you say it… Yes…" said Arthur.
"Indeed…" said Timassa.
"Hmm…" nodded Jon.
"Then there is a nice buffet here, feel free to drink all these corpses' blood until they end up as dried mummies, they had died, so make sure to honor their lives by making all the use of their corpses. It is the least we could for them!" laughed Noah, as Arthur, Timassa, and Jon doubted a bit.
However, Jon simply waved his head, jumping into the beheaded corpse of a girl and beginning to drink its blood fiercely.
Arthur and Timassa ended up accepting such thirst, as the delicious scent of blood almost seemed intoxicating to their senses, their crimson eyes only gleamed more brightly.
Arthur then started to drink the blood of a corpse, while Timassa, as a Ghoul, gave in to her more beastly instincts, beginning to devour the corpses' flesh, which she found like the most delectable of meats she had ever tasted.
Half an hour passed in this little feast, as only a few carcasses were left, Timassa ate the flesh of two entire corpses in this little time, even her was beginning to doubt if she was really the same as before anymore… Even more, because she felt absolutely no guilt for what she did.
"You are all good feed now, Arthur, you have a Dimensional Storage Ring, right?" asked Noah.
"Yes, this is where we had been storing the Cores," said Arthur.
"Good, how many slots does it have?" asked Noah.
"Around fifty…" said Arthur.
"Alright, put these carcasses inside, it would be better if we simply leave absolutely nothing behind… And oh? Well, look at this…" said Noah with a wicked smile, as he took a strange Ability Core that he found above the corpse of Edmond…
-----