"Meow..." The newly enslaved Mischief Cat looked limp and exhausted, dragging its limbs and tail as it lay there.
It was clear that while becoming a soul slave forced it to obey Pino's commands, it didn't turn the cat into a fully loyal servant.
"Very good. You're my first slave. Let me give you a name… Meowpaws!" Pino folded his arms, looking smugly at his first captured slave.
"Meow..." Meowpaws responded weakly.
"Get some spirit into it! Go get my clothes back!" Pino pointed to the robe hanging up in the tree, which the Mischief Cat had stolen earlier.
Slowly, Meowpaws climbed the tree, retrieved the robe, and descended just as slowly, returning it to Pino, with none of the earlier arrogance it had shown.
Pino had no habit of whipping slaves—damaging them would cost him money for medicine. Far more efficient to push them hard, so he pointed at the stone axe on the ground: "Go chop some wood! If you don't cut ten logs before nightfall, don't even think about sleeping!"
"Meow..." Meowpaws dragged its tail sorrowfully, grasped the stone axe with its humanoid claws, and slowly made its way to a large tree, half-heartedly swinging the axe.
[From Meowpaws' chopping, Exploitation Point +1]
Indeed, with a slave, the Exploitation Points came fast.
The Energetic talent boosted stamina recovery speed, making this "working cat" an ideal laborer. Meanwhile, the Destructive negative talent meant that, even if there was something to destroy, Pino could tire Meowpaws out with endless work, ensuring it didn't have the energy to break anything. The Fickle talent, which made Meowpaws unable to focus on a single task for too long, was inconvenient, but it wasn't a problem. Once Meowpaws grew tired of chopping wood, it could move on to smashing rocks, weeding, gathering fruit, tilling the soil, or digging—there were plenty of other tasks to choose from.
Pino stood behind, unabashedly commenting on Meowpaws' progress, causing the slave to tremble, each comment giving birth to another Exploitation Point.
"Coming to mess with this human... was the biggest mistake of my life, meow..." Meowpaws cried out in despair, tears flowing as it continued chopping wood.
Every ten minutes or so, a drop of bloody Exploitation Point would appear.
Finally, Pino was freed from the exhausting task of chopping wood. He sighed deeply, but even as he took a break, he didn't forget his duties as a Slave Lord. He immediately picked up a sharp stone and began to fashion a primitive sickle, tying it securely to a tree branch with vines.
[Successfully crafted: Primitive Stone Sickle]
[Sharpness: 1]
[Gained Crafting Experience +3]
"First try, success. Looks like my crafting skills are improving." When he had made the stone axe earlier, it had taken several attempts. However, Pino didn't rush to spend his Exploitation Points on upgrading the sickle. These farming tools were temporary; they could be easily replaced with iron tools later.
Now, Pino was off to cut grass—he needed at least a bed to restore his stamina, so he could continue exploiting himself tomorrow. The core of his domain didn't work like in video games, where a task would simply finish with a ding; it required actual effort. Otherwise, crafting could fail. For example, making [Dry Grass] involved hours of sun exposure and a few flips in between. Next came weaving a bedframe from vines, and making a wooden bed took Pino a full three hours, earning him 5 crafting experience points.
The sky gradually darkened as the fading light of the setting sun settled over the newly claimed territory, bringing an end to the day's exhaustion.
Meowpaws, exhausted and at [Stamina 10/100, Hunger 3/50], dragged a heavy axe behind her, panting weakly.
"Meowpaws, come here!" Pino sat on his hay bed, munching on tough black bread and smoked jerky. Always traveling, he made sure to carry his own food.
Sensing the scent of food, Meowpaws bolted toward him, tossing aside her axe. She frequently raided human villages for food, relishing their meals.
"How much wood did you chop?" Pino asked, chewing on a strip of smoked pork.
"Meow... meow... meow..." Meowpaws counted on her claws, showing a '5,' then stared longingly at the jerky in Pino's hand.
"Alright, you're tired. I'll give you an hour off... go find something to eat in the forest, and pick some berries for me while you're at it." Pino thought the black bread would be unbearably dry without some jam.
"Meow?!" Meowpaws was stunned. Was she seriously not being fed after working? And now she had to forage for food herself? From the tone of Pino's voice… it sounded like after she ate, she'd have to go back to chopping trees?
Pino added, "You still have ten stamina left, don't you?"
[3 points of Exploitation Point from Meowpaws]
Pino could barely keep his mouth closed. This was bliss.
No matter how she resisted, the overwhelming force of the soul imprint bound Meowpaws. She could not defy her master's commands. With a dejected sigh, she trudged into the forest, searching for bird nests and squirrels, all while grudgingly gathering berries for the insufferable lord.
During the time Meowpaws spent feeding herself, Pino noticed that the Exploitation Points had reached 10. He turned to Core Pal and asked, "Besides enhancing items, what else can be done?"
[Exploitation Points can be used to repair the core. Every ten points invested gives a chance to awaken memories of the core.]
"Ah, so this is like pulling cards, huh? Let's give it a try!" Pino was obsessed with the thrill of card draws and couldn't resist pulling again.
[Understood]
"Wait! You don't mean there's going to be a 'thanks for participating' message, do you?" Pino suddenly became suspicious and stopped.
[It's possible, as not every repair leads to memory recovery. It's recommended to save some Exploitation Points to upgrade the territory level.]
"Oh, I see. Draw! Wait... you need to create a spinning disc for me, or it won't feel right." Pino added with a grin.
Core Pal, following Pino's request, conjured a brilliant, glowing circular disc, even marking the categories clearly: [Skill Books], [Building Blueprints], [Summons], [Equipment Blueprints], [Item Blueprints].
"Why are all of these blueprints? Can't you just give me something ready-made?" Pino complained.
The core seemed almost ready to snap back: [Look at me—where on me is there anything ready-made? You'll have to dig it out yourself.]
"Alright, let's get this over with!"
With 10 Exploitation Points invested, the prize wheel spun, finally landing on the [Skill Book] category.
[Awaken Skeleton]
[Rank: D]
[Type: Undead Magic]
[A basic spell for necromancers that allows the summoning of the deceased. The quality of the summoned skeleton depends on the residual soul within the body and the strength of the bones.]
[Cost: 10 Mana (or 10 Energy if out of Mana)]
[Skeletons cannot exist indefinitely and require 2 Mana per day to maintain their form.]
Without any specialized skills, Pino didn't mind drawing a mere D-rank spell. Moreover, it was a spell that could increase his labor force.
Damn it, if he had the chance, he'd dig up Lord Richard's ancestors from their grave and put them to work as laborers!
Of course, it was just a thought. Lord Richard's territory was filled with devout followers of the Light God, and burial rites were always overseen by priests. If a priest discovered a necromancer stealing corpses, they'd trace the act back to its source, and Pino's territory would likely be destroyed in ten chapters.
On second thought, there were plenty of dead adventurers in the Hidden Forest. Why focus on the farmer's corpses?
The night forest was alive with the sounds of insects, and nocturnal creatures had already begun to stir. Pino didn't dare light a fire. While a fire could ward off wild beasts, it would also attract more dangerous enemies... like goblin bandits. He simply scattered a circle of lime powder around his wooden bed to keep snakes and insects at bay. Tomorrow, he'd have to figure out how to build a proper house. Sleeping outdoors just didn't feel right—who knew what kind of bugs might crawl in?
With those thoughts, Pino pulled some straw over himself for warmth. At that moment, Meowpaws returned, dragging her exhausted body, holding a handful of wild berries. She worked, and she fed herself—what a good cat.
Completely drained of both stamina and energy, Meowpaws hung limply, nearly collapsing.
"Come on, get in bed," Pino beckoned, gesturing with a finger.
A glint of surprise flashed in Meowpaws' eyes. "Lord... he want me to sleep in his bed... with him?"
[Meowpaws' loyalty to you increased by +5]
"Quickly, sleep. Restore your stamina and energy so you can work tomorrow," Pino said, tossing the words over his shoulder.
[1 Exploitation Point gained from Meowpaws...]