The rest of the group gathered around Elliot, drawn in by his quiet authority. Kumoko might have been the powerhouse on paper, but when it came to actual leadership, the calm, steady presence of Elliot was what they all instinctively turned to.
Kumoko didn't mind; she had her own ideas about things, but she wasn't comfortable telling people what to do. That was a job for Elliot.
As the days turned into weeks, their strange little party grew stronger. With new skills came new questions.
"These abilities… they affect your mind, don't they?" Emilia was the first to ask. Her voice was still soft, but a newfound confidence, born from her growing power, allowed her to speak up.
"They do," Elliot confirmed, his gaze shifting to the infant cradled in Mera's arms. "The skills of the Seven Sins and Seven Virtues can push people to extremes. Take Sophia's [Ruler of Envy]. If she lets that skill grow unchecked, it could twist her into a true yandere, driven mad with jealousy if someone so much as touches something, or someone, she considers hers."
All eyes darted nervously to Sophia. A yandere? No wonder she's been acting stranger and stranger, even as a baby.
"Hmph! As if this I would be controlled by some silly skill!" Sophia shot Elliot a defiant glare from her swaddling clothes, though the effect was somewhat lost.
The others just felt a headache coming on. The baby had absolutely no self-awareness of her own looming yandere potential.
"In any case, it's not a good thing. We need to make sure you don't let any envy-related skills level up too much," Elliot said, taking a deep breath.
The Seven Sins and Seven Virtues all had game-breaking effects, but their side effects were just as severe.
He knew from the original story that a high-level [Ruler of Envy] was part of why Sophia would later become so rebellious, even defying Kumoko's orders.
Her jealousy would burn so hot that a simple command like "don't kill the other reincarnators" would trigger it, leading her to mercilessly torture them instead.
Gaining power from that skill just wasn't worth the cost.
"Envy is at least somewhat manageable," he continued. "But Pride, Wrath, and Greed… those are especially dangerous. Even the lower-tier skills from those lines are best left untouched."
Kumoko pouted. You might as well just say my name at this point.
"What about Gluttony, Lust, and Sloth?" Sophia asked, her infant mind surprisingly sharp.
"[Gluttony] is the root of skills like your basic [Satiation]," Elliot explained. "For most, it just means you eat a lot and get fat. But a high-level Gluttony skill makes you see everything as food. You'd eat trees, dirt, garbage… until your stomach literally explodes. The current Demon Lord has [Ruler of Gluttony], but she only uses its power in battle."
"Sloth forces your enemies into a state of rest, draining their HP, MP, and SP, but it also makes the user incredibly lazy. As for Lust… well, you're a baby. I don't think it's a problem for you yet."
"Of course not!" Sophia huffed, indignant that Elliot had even phrased it as a question.
She had no idea that when she grew up, her vampiric nature would make her… incredibly thirsty.
When a vampire's urges hit, not even a True Ancestor could resist the desire for blood.
The future Sophia would end up draining half the boys in her class, getting the class president wrongly accused in the process.
Speaking of which, the class president was another incredibly powerful reincarnator.
In fact, out of all of them, besides the one who turned into a chicken and got eaten, Kumoko had started as the weakest.
Many of the other reincarnators were born with such immense power that even Potimas felt threatened and killed them on sight.
Elliot went on to explain the various pitfalls of the Sins and Virtues. Ruler of Pride made you desperate for EXP, pushing you to grow stronger until you surpassed your limits and self-destructed.
Ruler of Wrath gave a massive power boost, letting you cast skills by consuming HP instead of MP, but it also made you lose your mind, turning you into a berserker who would inevitably be ganged up on and killed.
Ruler of Temperance allowed you to reincarnate with your memories, but with each life, your soul would grow more rigid, your personality more stubborn, until you were incapable of change.
Ruler of Charity let you give your skills to others, but being too generous, you'd end up giving away your eyes, your blood, your heart, and your brain until you were nothing but a dried-up husk.
As he spoke, Mera fell into deep thought. He imagined his young miss facing these terrifying Rulers one day.
How could he possibly fight them to protect her? And his young miss herself possessed [Ruler of Envy].
He didn't know what irreversible changes that skill would bring upon her. He was deeply worried.
Just then, Kumoko threw a bucket of cold water on his thoughts. "Mera, you don't need to worry about it. Ruler abilities aren't easy to get. Just go back to sleep."
Hearing this, Mera's face turned grim. He… he wasn't trying to get a Ruler ability for himself! Though it was true he couldn't, her words still stung.
Seeing Mera's long, suffering face, Kumoko felt a familiar annoyance. He always looked so burdened, as if the whole world owed him money.
What she didn't know was that Mera had his own secret struggle. He was a vampire now. Unlike Sophia, the True Ancestor, he was a subordinate.
He needed to drink human blood to survive. But for this entire time, he hadn't had a single drop. He was constantly thirsty, constantly hungry, which was why his complexion was so poor.
Monster blood could quench his physical thirst, but it couldn't satisfy the deep, instinctual craving for blood that gnawed at his soul.
….
Later that night, after Elliot's lecture, the camp fell silent. Sophia, being a one-or-two-year-old baby, needed at least twelve hours of sleep a day. She fell into a deep slumber almost instantly.
Hearing the soft, even breathing of the others, Mera quietly slipped away from the group and headed towards a nearby village.
He was too hungry. The craving for blood was driving him, like a gaming addict drawn to an internet cafe.
Human blood! He needed to drink human blood!
His target was a lone female adventurer. Mera wasn't sure why he chose her, but he could almost smell the vibrant, healthy blood flowing through her veins.
She was a picture of health, with strong legs and powerful arms. It was this vitality that drew him in. Vampires were picky eaters; they were very particular about who they turned into their kin.
The ideal candidate was healthy, strong, and free of any hidden diseases or defects. Only then could they become a perfect subordinate.
The female adventurer was no slouch either. She sensed Mera tailing her, but, apparently confident in her own strength, she deliberately led him into a dark, narrow alley.
"Hmph! I can't believe you actually dared to follow me." She saw Mera's gaunt, almost deathly appearance and judged that she could easily defeat him.
She threw a powerful roundhouse kick at him.
Mera, much lighter than her, was sent flying by the blow. But thanks to his new vampire physiology, the damage quickly healed.
Hunger drove him past all reason. He lunged at the woman.
After a brief, desperate struggle, Mera finally overpowered her. His hand clamped around her throat, his sharp nails digging into her flesh.
This woman… she was a delicious, magnificent feast! Unable to hold back any longer, Mera was about to drink his fill!
But when he saw the raw fear in her eyes, Mera's resolve faltered. He was once human too. He couldn't bring himself to kill one of his own kind.
That slight hesitation was all she needed. She kicked him hard in the stomach, and as he doubled over, she scrambled away and vanished into the night.
"I still can't do it…" Mera sighed, defeated. Why couldn't he just kill her? If it were a quick slash with a sword, maybe he could. But to drink a human's blood… he just couldn't bring himself to do it.
Stumbling out of the alley, he looked up and froze. A familiar figure was standing there.
"L-Lord Elliot…" Mera stammered, his heart sinking.
Standing before him was, of course, Elliot, who had followed him. In the original story, Mera was an incredibly loyal assistant, almost incapable of betrayal.
Such a person was definitely worth cultivating.
"I… I…" Mera couldn't find the words. He never thought he'd be caught sneaking off to hunt.
He felt immense regret, cursing himself for being so careless.
If he was kicked out of the group now, what would happen to the young miss?! Even at this moment, his first thought was of Sophia.
Elliot sighed and spoke softly. "Mera, you don't necessarily have to drink human blood."
"What!?" Mera was clearly stunned, his voice filled with disbelief.
Wasn't it only the True Ancestor who didn't need to drink blood? As a subordinate, drinking blood was his instinct! Could it be... Lord Elliot has a way? A glimmer of hope sparked in Mera's eyes.
….
For some time now, Mera had been tormented by his vampiric instincts. He had to drink blood.
If he didn't, the primal urge would just keep building until it reached a breaking point and exploded uncontrollably.
At that point, he would lose his sanity and become a true blood-crazed monster.
And now, Lord Elliot was telling him that he might not have to drink blood. How could he not be ecstatic?!
But if an ordinary subordinate could survive without blood, wouldn't that make him just like the Vampire True Ancestor?
….
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