Download App
29.26% Extra's Survival Manual: I get 10x Weight daily until Explode?! / Chapter 24: Chapter 24 - Slaves Who Can Manipulate Metals

Chapter 24: Chapter 24 - Slaves Who Can Manipulate Metals

"Come forward," Vorila commanded without hesitation, gesturing to the individual standing behind him.

Their weary appearance and isolated demeanor made it painfully clear that they were slaves.

As instructed, a man in his thirties stepped forward with his head bowed.

Fatigue clouded his eyes, and his emaciated body bore the unmistakable signs of malnutrition — a telling indication of his status as a slave.

Beside him stood a young girl, likely around 18 or 19, her face marked by burns that had ravaged her skin.

The cloth she used to cover her face made it evident that only her eyes were visible, further shrouding her in an aura of despair.

Both of them approached and bowed to the child before them, paying little mind to the disparity in their ages.

In their eyes, they were merely slaves, subservient to a noble man.

"This is number 165, and this is his daughter, 166," Vorila said matter-of-factly, feeling dismayed at the thought of having to part with so many gold coins just to acquire these particular slaves.

He had no choice but to adhere to the whims of this naive child, who seemed blissfully unaware of the impending tragedy that loomed over them.

Once Vorila received that contract back, he would have no qualms about devastating the entire territory and leaving its inhabitants to starve.

It had all begun when Count Vinlig forcefully made him sign an unfair contract.

If the merchants were to perish, Vinlig would witness firsthand the consequences of his territory stripped of its economic lifeblood, especially when he dared to oppose someone from the powerful merchant association.

For the time being, however, Vorila was compelled to heed the child's desires, as he had procured these slaves possessing a unique skill: the ability to manipulate metal.

They might well hold the key to unlocking the safe where the Count had concealed his contract.

"What are their real names?" Lucian inquired, directing his gaze toward the two individuals and noting the dehumanizing labels they had been assigned—numbers 165 and 166.

In this world, where slavery was sanctioned, it was common for an owner to bestow names upon their slaves.

Often, these names were arbitrary, reflecting the owner's indifference to the lives of those they subjugated.

Yet, despite their plight, these individuals were human beings with thoughts and feelings, deserving of recognition and dignity—atleast to feel gratefulness and attachment to their master.

A true human experience requires a rich array of emotions, which they have been denied for far too long, only if someone wants them to feel more aligned with themselves.

Lucian, embodying the innocence of a child, pretended to be curious about their names.

'So naive, aren't you?' Vorila mused silently, unable to suppress a smirk at the child's innocence.

What did it matter who had named these slaves?

In the end, they were merely property to him.

Encouraged by his innocence, he raised his hand and declared, "Slaves don't have names, young master."

"Is that true? Well, then I'll call you Jordan and you Jully. Would that be alright?"

Lucian tilted his head, gesturing towards the slaves standing beside Vorila, his face adorned with an expression of pure innocence.

He understood that fostering loyalty in someone often began with instilling hope—a hope they believed was forever lost to them.

"Young master, you shouldn't speak to these things like—" Vorila sighed, resting his arms on the sofa.

He acknowledged the child's naivety and wanted to caution him against naming slaves, as it might lead them to think too highly of themselves.

However, he was cut off mid-sentence.

"Did you bring the slave seals?" Lucian interjected, directing his attention to Vorila.

He inquired about the single slave seal he had specifically requested; they were priced at a hefty 100 gold coins each, particularly for ones of high quality.

The cheaper alternatives, costing a mere 10 to 20 coins, were not the type he desired.

"Yes, here it is. But why do you want a slave seal? Don't you trust me?" Vorila asked, pulling out a sheet of paper alongside a black ink stick.

He placed it on the table, puzzled by the child's motivation for requesting a slave seal.

Even Vorila understood that to unlock the metal safe, one would require individuals skilled in manipulating metal.

But what role did the slave seal play in this scenario?

A small chuckle escaped Vorila's lips as he pondered the absurdity of it all.

He found humor in the idea that the child might be contemplating enslaving these people, unaware that they could not change owners until their current master died or issued a command.

It hardly mattered in Vorila's case, as he had already instructed these slaves to eliminate the child once they managed to break open the safe, a plan born from his deep-seated grievances.

If it meant sacrificing a few worthless pawns, what harm was there in using them to rid himself of the child, the very source of his suffering?

To put things into perspective, it was common for monsters to be sold for six or seven gold coins, while Vorila was engaging in transactions that hardly netted him more than 1.

After factoring in labor card and tax expenses, he was left with just a few silver coins—a rather pitiable sum for each monster sold.

All of this stemmed from that one day when this little pig—seated right in front of him—had carelessly thrown a silver coin into his mouth.

Vorila had neither found himself at death's door, nor had the seemingly kind Count taken the opportunity to bind him with an unfair contract.

So, using those slaves as a means to kill that child—or at the very least, to wound him—provided Vorila with a sense of vindication.

This time, he decided to overlook the reason behind Lucian's inquiry regarding the slave seal.

To him, the child's demise was inevitable, and following that, he envisioned the territory falling into famine as merchants ceased their trade here.

"No, Gorilla, I just wanted to see how this works," Lucian replied, shaking his head.

He lifted the black chalk in his hand, appearing just like normal chalk, while utilizing the other hand to hold the paper.

A star-like design adorned the paper, inscribed with writing that was alien to him, prompting him to ask for clarification.

"By the way, how do you use this?" Lucian asked, tilting the paper curiously to decipher its meaning.

'This foolish child,' Vorila thought, a wave of irritation washing over him.

Yet, observing the child's genuine enthusiasm and focus on the paper, he took a deep breath to steady himself and began explaining the mechanics of the slave seal.


next chapter

Chapter 25: Chapter 25 - Jully; 1st Sword

'Jully?' It was the first time she had heard someone refer to her by her name.

As she stood there, her eyes fixed on the child they had been assigned to kill once their task was complete.

Positioned behind Vorila and at her father's side, the young woman gazed straight ahead at a healthy child who, at first glance, appeared much like other noblemen's offspring.

His plump figure indicated that he was raised in comfort, likely indulging in lavish meals while characteristically tormenting and abusing their slaves.

Not that she believed any child from a noble family could be innocent; she had witnessed far too many instances to perceive them otherwise.

They were nothing short of little demons, leading her to scar her own face in the hopes of appearing grotesque and unappealing to such children.

She couldn't understand the genuine smile on his face when he talked about giving them a name.

Having seen numerous children, even at the tender ages of ten or eleven, attempt to use her as a plaything, she was acutely aware of the predatory nature that festered in their hearts.

Her own mother had been sacrificed to a nobleman for her beauty, a sacrifice that filled her with dread, believing she too might meet a similar fate.

In a desperate act of survival, she fled from that place, burning her own body in the process.

Lacking any formidable abilities, she had contemplated how to better utilize her body and learn to defend herself, yet each thought felt futile.

Her sole talent lay in her ability to manipulate metals, which was not as powerful as it might seem.

It allowed her to manipulate only one kilogram of metal, but there was a cooldown of one month.

It was painfully evident that even if she were to forge a sword and attempt to wield it, she would remain defenseless for another month thereafter.

With no one to train her or treat her as a fellow human, having been born into slavery, she had witnessed enough horrors to extinguish any will she might have had for retaliation or revenge for her mother's fate.

'No, they're all the same.'

She closed her eyes, fully aware that despite his youthful appearance, this child was a demon in the making, even for merely contemplating the ownership of a slave at such a tender age.

She recognized that the path he was on would undoubtedly lead him to become a devil like the others, taking pleasure in cruelty and destruction.

So, she resolved to follow her master's orders and carry out the assassination of that child.

After all, he was a nobleman, and killing him could potentially offer her life a new purpose, a means to achieve revenge, even if it was at the behest of yet another noble.

Given his status, she had ample justification to eliminate him before he became a monster.

Upon her arrival, she had witnessed their territory, already ravaged by relentless snow, devoid of any vegetation.

For her, living in this barren place meant certain death.

He couldn't even extend the decency of providing his people with adequate food or sufficient crops, much less offer a single loaf of bread to his slaves.

Rather than starve, just like their prior master who had denied them even a crumb, forcing them to forage for grass and weeds, it seemed wiser to execute her mission and end this child's life.

She wanted to survive and live.

And she would live even at the cost of killing someone.

'Is it done already?' she thought as she noticed the merchant had finished explaining the intricacies of the slave seal to the young child.

She doubted the boy would remember any of it, as it was likely just a fleeting curiosity that he would soon forget.

"I see, so you're saying we need to embed this drawing onto the back of the slave and then drop a single drop of blood onto this paper, right?"

Lucian gazed intently at the drawing, struggling to make sense of the complex symbols interspersed within the star-like shape.

The small inscriptions at the center only added to the confusion, making it difficult to discern their meaning.

"Yes, that's correct, but it's not something a normal human can accomplish. We need mages who are knowledgeable in that ancient language," Vorila replied to the child with earnestness.

He quietly communicated through subtle gestures, emphasizing that due to the confusing language and its designs, replicating it and placing it on the slave's body was impossible without an expert like mages who were able to write these runes.

For without understanding the meanings behind those symbols, the task was impossible.

"Huh? But isn't this just copying and pasting these exact shapes?" Lucian tilted his head, his confusion evident as he looked at Vorila.

He couldn't understand why a mage was necessary when it seemed so simple to him.

"Copy?"

Vorila blinked in surprise at the child's insight.

It was clear that Lucian was no ordinary four-year-old; his intelligence shone through as he articulated his thoughts.

Rather than perplexing himself with the complexity of the task, Vorila merely nodded.

"Yes, you could say that, but only if you'd be able to do it." He refrained from mentioning how challenging it would be to accurately replicate those intricate scripts.

A single misstroke could result in failure.

Even mages need so much concentration and focus.

"Hm, I understand," Lucian remarked, skimming through the document while observing the body language of all three individuals present: the merchant and his two slaves.

He sensed their intentions—he was aware they planned to kill him once their task was complete.

Not because he could read minds, but rather, through experience, he understood the thought processes of people like them.

After all, Lucian had led this man to believe he was using Lucian for years, making this man busy in his own dream world until Lucian was at least strong enough to move and write on his own.

In the end, he was literally a 4-year-old child right now, with a weight of already more than 24 kg.

All this time was needed for him to become accustomed to training regularly and to adjust himself to this world, understanding it, learning its language, and gaining all the knowledge he could while laying low.

Additionally, he needed to write down every bit of memory he had from those couples inside his survival manual. Being busy with other tasks, it was possible for him to forget those memories, even a small bit of information, which made him rest for three years since his birth.

Now that he had developed a solid foundation and strengthened his body to at least move like a normal child, he instructed the merchant to procure a slave seal.

"But how does someone become a slave? Do they need to consent, or can they be forced into it?" Lucian posed one final question, eager to understand the conditions that governed enslavement.

After all, he wanted his first slave to be a fat, wealthy gorilla merchant.


Load failed, please RETRY

Gifts

Gift -- Gift received

    Weekly Power Status

    Batch unlock chapters

    Table of Contents

    Display Options

    Background

    Font

    Size

    Chapter comments

    Write a review Reading Status: C24
    Fail to post. Please try again
    • Writing Quality
    • Stability of Updates
    • Story Development
    • Character Design
    • World Background

    The total score 0.0

    Review posted successfully! Read more reviews
    Vote with Power Stone
    Rank 200+ Power Ranking
    Stone 0 Power Stone
    Report inappropriate content
    error Tip

    Report abuse

    Paragraph comments

    Login

    tip Paragraph comment

    Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.

    Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.

    GOT IT