“Damn, I feel great!”

I ate another rat and kept the pleasant feeling go through my body.

I healed quite a bit thanks to my carnivorous diet. A portion of my skin is back with some strands of white hair on my skull. The blades repaired themselves completely and some strand of muscle has started to cover them, starting from the base. I have no idea how my organs were doing since the hole in my abdomen and chest were also gone.

“… I need more food.”

I have been here for a week now, becoming completely accustomed to my current situation. While I was here, I was constantly eating rats and various life forms that were unlucky to meet me. You have no idea what a man would eat when he is hungry.

And the best part was that the curse didn’t work!

Yep, I have been down here for a week, yet the counter didn’t move at all! I didn’t know why and I wasn’t too fond to find it out. If I keep it like that then I wouldn’t feel too bad about it.

I left my physical body and flew away, for something to eat, completely used to going through walls.

There was indeed more rat around me, but I have already marked them, and I was using them for another experiment.

The range of the chain on my chest was ridiculous. I didn’t meet any limitations, yet I have already moved quite a distance.

I floated away looking for other prey. I didn’t need to look further, I already found what I was looking for and even more.

A ball of rat, a rat king, was fighting a pile of green gelatine.

“A slime?”

I was suspecting that slimes were in sewers since they are known for being the cleaners of the fantasy words, but I was greatly disappointed in them. They were slimy, slow, and always full of garbage. The only interesting part of them where their cores that floated in their bodies. It seems like this one hasn’t found anything other to eat, so it tried its luck with a rat.

“Ok, let's try this!”

I detached my two arms and sent them to the two creatures.

Thank God, I couldn’t feel anything in my current state.

My two arms entered their bodies searching for their cores.

Placing a slave mark on the body of a slime was tricky since it managed to make it erased, by simply detaching the contaminated part, before it spread to the entire body, so I needed to be trick.

When I found a big chunk of mana I concentrated and sent my own in it.

“Slave Mark!”

Blue light illuminated both of them before disappearing completely.

[Slave Marks installed.]

[Slaves added to the list.]

[Do you wish to activate the marks?]

“Yes.”

[Marks activated]

The two of them stayed still for a moment before turning their bodies in my direction.

“Follow me!”

I floated back to my body accompanied by my two new friends/meals.

The entrance to my lear was littered with sand and bones, giving a gruesome sight. I wasn’t too keen on tidy ness, plus some rats even came close to it in hope of some food, turning themselves into my slaves.

I brought the two of them in front of the entrance, before calling out two of my own rats.

I have been buffing up thesis’s guys for a while now.

I pointed to the two monsters that I bought.

“Don’t move.” Then I pointed to the other rats. You kill these two and bring them to me.”

When I gave them their orders, I flew back to my body waiting for my food to be served to me.

This method had its ups and downs.

I didn’t receive any Exp and I couldn’t get any stronger. But I could make the rats stronger, helping me in my project.

The sound of fighting soon stopped and the rats returned dragging the bodies of the rat king and the slime.

Fan fact, when you kill a slime their bodies dissolve into liquid, leaving only their core, and some jelly

I took the two bodies and I checked the states of the rats, feeling pleased by the result.

“Just a little more and I can proceed in my plans.

I sent them away so that they could rest, and I continued to eat, leaving the two mana cores for last.

“[Body Physic Manipulation]”

On my abdomen waves went through before it opened up revealing my innards as well as several other cores.

In the guise of a chest, I used my own body as a way to store them as well as for the effect when I put them in.

When I made the rats place them inside I closed it, hearing the voice in my head.

[Cores been placed]

[Mana capacity temporary increased]

[Harmful effects redirected]

My guess was that by doing this, I managed to keep the counter still.

“This makes 5.”

I have already had two slime cores and the king that I have killed. With these, I can be safe for a while.

Time to get stronger.

*****

Nameless Nobody POV:

We were hiding here for days. Ever since that knight girl started to chase us, the business was going poorly. The drug division wants us to boost our sales, but it’s not easy.

With the monster attack that happened two weeks ago, the guards started to patrol more and more in the slums. Not only that, the peoples who defeated that thing are also doing everything they can to make our lives worse.

We were even forced to bring our supplies down here, a place where no man should be.

A rat can grow as big as a horse down here, making this place the final resting place of adventurers who were too confident in their skills.

This and also the labyrinth…

Legends have it that the cities founder made a deal with a wild dungeon. In exchange for the protective barrier that keeps away the monsters surrounding the city, sewage will be sent inside the dungeon as food. Over the centuries the dungeon and the sewers have fused together. Even if it is a contracted dungeon stays a dungeon. Traps, monsters, and treasures could be found here, but only if one venture's sufficiently deep in it, where there is a high chance of losing their way, forever roaming the labyrinth.

Luckily for us, we have some maps that can lead us to the safest parts of the labyrinth where monsters almost newer come up.

Me Troy and two other guys were the ones to keep the stashes this week at the higher levels. The boss was a very meticulous man, he could easily tell if someone took some of it even if it was a little dosage, taking the fun out of the work.

As always, it was calm and quiet down here. From the distance, we could hear the water flowing and the rats mowing.

“Your turn.”

I looked at Troy who tried his best to make a poker face.

“… All in.”

I put my last coins on the table.

The half-troll in front of me smiled like a retarded, revealing his cards.

“Two pairs. I won!”

“Not bad but” I showed him my cards.” Full house.”

This idiot has lost three times now, not realizing that I have been cheating during the entire time.

While he was frowning madly at me, I put away all the money from the table.

“Another round?”

“…Sure. But I need to leek.”

With those merry words, he got up from his seat and went outside the light of the lamp. The rumble of the hidden door could be heard from there, with the noise of water intensifying.

“Hehehe, take your time.”

This dumbass! He forgot the first rule: Always take your valuables with you or hide them somewhere where no one can find them!

His backpack was not far away from me, I only needed to stretch my arms.

“Let’s see what I can found in here.”

Thud!

Something heavy just fell not far away from me outside the light of the lanterns.

I jumped on my feet hearing the noise with my dagger in hand.

“Troy, is that you buddy?”

No answer.

I was ready for an attack when I heard something again.

From the darkness, in front of me, a big number of rats run in my direction. I first thought that they were here to kill me, so I raised my dagger to attack, but they run past my feet with a mad dash disappearing again.

“Hufffff, they were just rats, they gave me a- Ugh!”

My words got stuck in my throat by an invisible force. MY body became cold at a great speed, giving me no time to react. My heartbeat became slower with each beet, to the point I couldn’t feel.

My consciousness was becom-

*****

[60 Exp earned]

[Due to [Harvest] you receive additional 30 Exp]

[Level 9 reached]

“Damn this was… exhilarating! Wow this voice, I like it. Hello, ladies, my name is Chuck are you single? Yeah, I need to remember this one.”

I managed to take over this guy’s body. By accident.

I noticed a big gray guy with his pant down, so I decided to take him out. I cut his head smoothly, but the momentum sent me outside my body and made me traverse the wall to this hidden room. When I saw this guy standing there, curiosity got the better of me and I went inside the body of this person.

It was warm at first, but it became colder at a certain point and he lost his consciousness after a while, giving me the wheels. Even inside this body, the chain that linked me to my body was still coming out of my chest.

“Sigh, I need to find my body.”

I excited this hidey-hole and walked to the sewer beach where my body was. I lifted it and put it on the floor. It was only bones and some strand of muscle, so it wasn’t too hard to lift it.

I dragged it back to the hideout and I returned to the other body. With my keen dark vision, I was able to see its features perfectly. He was big even without a head, had gray skin with bulging muscles under it. Its head was missing, it fell into the water and was already far away now.

With the new body I had, I tried to drag him. But he was too heavy.

“Ugh, stupid body! You are worthless!” I decided to leave it to the rat to bring him to me, giving me time to think about the one I was possessing.

“Should I kill him?”

If I did that then I wouldn’t need to worry about him telling people about me, plus I will get more food. But I could interrogate him to find out what was happening outside.

Yes, let's interrogate him AND kill him after it.

I left his body and I floated over my own.

To make sure he wouldn’t make too much noise I ordered a bunch of my rats to surrender it, cutting off its escape route.

“Hey, wake up!”

I stopped myself from slapping him, not knowing what would have happened to him if I did, leaving me no choice but to wait for him to wake up naturally.

While I waited I searched the place.

It was the size of an office with crates everywhere.

I ordered some rats to open up one of the crats for me.

In it were glass bottles containing a bluish liquid.

“[Appraisal].”

____________________________________________________________________

Glass Bottle:

Description: A bottle made from glass, specialized in holding liquids.

Analysis through Alchemy: Content is made out of 30% alcohol; 40 % distilled water; 25% Chessa hear, 5% unknown material.

Consumption will result in high intoxication; temporary physical enhancement; slight liver, heart, and brain damage; high dependency if ingested regularly.

____________________________________________________________________

“Who, no wonder this thing is kept here! I found a drug stash!”

I opened up the other crates, finding more bottles in them.

“Damn how much those this stuff even worth? If only I could have my old body back, then I could transport this thing and be rich in another city.

Ahhh, I’m getting hungry…

I waited five minutes but, he didn’t wake up.

“…This is ridiculous. You!” I pointed at one of the rats. “Go into his mouth.

The rat obeyed my orders and did that, blocking the man’s gorge.

It didn’t too long he immediately waked up and threw up with the rat.

“Wh-What happened to me?!”

“Morning.”

He turned his head towards me, before screaming like a girl.

“Don’t eat me! I’m no comestible! Help! Someone, help! There is a monster he-

“Shut up.”

I let one of my ghost arms out of my body, piercing its chest.

“Ugh! It hurts!”

“No, it isn’t. [Slave Mark]. “

Blue light started to pour out from within him, right where his heart was.

[Slave Marks installed.]

[Slaves added to the list.]

[Do you wish to activate the marks?]

“Yes.”

[Marks activated]

[Due to the slave’s nature, its mind is linked to [Mind Palace]]

When the light faded, I pulled my hand out.

“Are there others beside you?”

He tried to resist for a brief minute before giving in.

“There are two who are patrolling the area, and another ion who went out to pee.

Good, that means they are in a manageable number.

“Who are you working for?”

“I-I am working for the organization running the city.”

I was right then; this is a hidden stash of products.

“Tell me, what is happening right now on the surface.

“Two weeks ago, the prince and his companions killed the monster at the slums. This resulted in the guards patrolling the whole area. The prince and that saint chick became famous in the entire city, becoming even a part of a hero. The Saint has been preaching in the church ever since while the prince made a guild to support the poor.”

Two weeks? Did I stay here for this long? My sense of time is horrible!

“When will the replacement come?”

“Tomorrow or after that.”

Nice, nice more people to use.

“There I one more thing. Knock yourself out.”

Immediately hearing my order, he bashed his head into the ground.

“… Ok. Then let’s wait for them to arrive.”

While waiting I eat the corps that the rats brought to me.

One hour passed when I heard footsteps approaching.

When they arrived at the closed door I let out two of my hands from my body and I launched them at them when it opened.

My left hand touched one of the guy’s shoulders, while my right was slightly off, landing directly in the other one’s face.

“[Slave Mark]”

[Slave Marks installed.]

[Slaves added to the list.]

[Do you wish to activate the marks?]

“Yes.”

[Marks activated]

[Due to the slave’s nature, its mind is linked to [Mind Palace]]

[Requirements meant!]

[New Job received: Apprentice Slave Master]

[New job skill received: [Lesser Slave Commend]

…Ugh I don’t want that, but thanks.

“Knock each other out.”

They obeyed, hitting each other in the face, then dropping on the floor.

“…I might be going sadistic, but I like this.”

I went to the nearest chair and I made myself comfortable before I activated my next skill.

“[Mind Palace]”

My surroundings changed to an empty space where the mist was used as a footing. Here, my body was human, and I was wearing a three-piece suit. In front of me, three houses emerged from the mist. They were made out of the same black rock with a nametag, placed on heavy wood doors.

Unconsciously I reached one of them when an image appeared in my mind when I touched. The door became transparent letting me see the scenery behind it.

What I saw was a plain with daylight with a person lying in the grass looking calm and happy.

I let go of the door and I touched the one next to it.

This time I saw a bar, not well lit, with only one man drinking alone, looking quite depressed.

“Are these their minds? They are quite simple, though…Maybe like a dream? I need to look into this more.

I looked around, looking for anything else.

“…I should decorate this place.”

It was so frustrating to have an empty mind palace.

I concentrated and the palace from the first time I came here emerged from the mist, only to crumble back into it.

“Shit. Upgrade [Mind Palace] to the max!”

The familiar tablet appeared in front of me

____________________________________________________________________

Leveling up [Mind Palace] to Max Level requires: 167 Skill Pt

Do you wish to continue?

[Yes/ No]

____________________________________________________________________

“Yaaaas!”

____________________________________________________________________

Updating…

Skill [Mind Palace] reached Max level

Calculating…

Skill [Mind Palace] evolved into [Mind Town, LV:1]]

…System has been updated

Remaining Skill PT: 343

____________________________________________________________________

“Hmmm, Let's keep the rest. Maybe when the [Familiar Summoning] is full I will use them.”

I closed the window and I concentrated again. This time things went much more smoothly. The palace emerged and it stayed in its place. Then, feeling that I could continue I added a road connecting the building to the house in front of me. When I was done, I noticed that other houses have emerged as well similar to each other.

"Are thos UghaaAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

A pain that I have never felt before hitting my entire body.

[Core exhausted.]

[Curse active.]

I returned to the real world. As my body became fragmented, I could see some parts burning in white flames.

My physical body was also fuming with the newly regenerated parts slightly burned.

[Curse ended]

[Remining days: 23]

[Redirecting curse to the next core.]

The pain faded away, leaving me in a wreck. My spiritual body has

“T-This was horrible!”

I pulled myself together, still shaking.

“I thought I have kept it locked, yet it seems I only bought time with it. A time that I have wasted on doing nothing."

For the first time in my life, I felt total terror.

I have felt fear before, more than I ever wanted to. The fear of being bullied, the fear of being hurt, the fear of being abandoned.

BY experiencing different kinds of fears I could tell that this one was more primitive and intense than any I have ever felt.

The fear of death…

Unconsciously a smile has appeared on my face, or at least on my spirit's body.

“… Screw this. I had enough.”

All my life I have been a punching bag, taking in every hit the universe could throw at me not saying a word. Now it's high time that I do the punching.

Despite my past, my current situation, I loved living.

“I will live even if I have to kill for it.”

My top priority is to get rid of this curse.

At least I had several options on how to proceed. The first one is to evolve back to a living thing, hopefully getting rid of the curse. Next, there is the saint. I could question her and find a way to get rid of it or I could also kill her. Then there is the book. It has an entire chapter of holy magic in it. And lastly, there is the witch. She seemed to be someone who was the most affected by my words. If I can persuade her to help me, then I wouldn’t have any problem.

“Hmmm, which should I use first?”

No, I need to get stronger before I do any of that.

And I know how to start it.

___________________________________________________________________

Skill list.

Current Skill PT: 343

Select a skill you want to Level up:

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Name: Desmond ˙(Temporary,)

Race: Stranded Spirit

Age: 16

Job: Alchemist; Apprentice Slave Master

LV: 1/30

HP: 560/560

MP: 540/540

STR: 30

VIT: 0

SPD: 20

MRES: 30

Skill PT: 510

Physical attributes: [Dark Vision] [Transparent Body] [Flight] [Intangibility] [Fragmented]

Skills: [Alchemy, LV:5] [Lesser Slave Commend, Lv:1] [Deal Making, LV:3] [Wish Granting, LV:2] [Mapping, LV:1] [ Appraisal,LV:2] [Mind Town, LV:1] [Slave Mark, LV:1] [Familiar Summon, LV:5] [Chained Possession, LV: 1] [Lesser Telekinesis, LV:1]

Passive skills: [Herbology; LV:1] [Sweet Talk, Lv:5] [Speed Healing, LV:1] [Mass Absorption, LV:1] [Midas’s touch]

Resistances: [Poison] [Fire]

Curses: [Iophobia] [Holy Burn]

Unique Skills: [Body Physic Manipulation] [Harvest]

Titles: [Broken Soul] [Novice Summoner] [Heretic] [Cursed Book Owner] [Revenge Driven]

____________________________________________________________________