Chapter 101: Shadow Tentacles! (33)

「……」

He hesitated, raised his finger, and gently grasped the semi-translucent tentacle, shaking it up and down.

Cool, with slight elasticity.

Hmm.

Case solved—it’s this!

It’s you, you damn tentacle monster, just now sneaking up behind me!

「Nenasha, are you really hiding inside my shadow right now?」

【「Of course~ not. How could I hide in a place like that? I’ve always been inside your soul; manipulating shadows is merely a form of expression.」】

【「I can do even more—like…」】

The shadow tentacle melted, slipped free from his hand, swayed triumphantly, then shifted into the shape of a palm, a blade, and an axe before instantly returning to its original form.

【「As for the materials I need…」】

The shadow tentacle slid downward, groped along Herbert’s leg, and finally slipped into his pant pocket.

!!?

「Wait, what are you doing? You… hmm?」

Before Herbert could pull away, the tentacle rummaged thoroughly inside his pocket and pulled out a glistening, crisp, tender leaf.

This leaf was one Herbert had idly plucked from a vine chair when visiting Svan Ni , then absentmindedly shoved into his pocket.

【「This will do nicely.」】

Herbert: ?

【「Hmm, why were you nervous just now? I felt your heartbeat quicken.」】

「Nothing. Mind your own business.」

【「Oh~」】

Herbert wore a determined expression, ignoring the divine voyeurism, staring intently at the leaf as if he’d discovered a new continent.

「You’re saying this is a monster material?」

【「Yes~ Didn’t you notice?」】

「…Actually, I didn’t.」

Herbert raised his hand to take the leaf from the tentacle, but as soon as he thought of it, the tentacle automatically delivered the leaf into his palm.

「Huh?」

Herbert suddenly realized something and tried issuing a command to the tentacle.

Indeed, no words were needed—merely forming the thought in his mind caused the tentacle to respond instantly.

Its movements were agile, fluid, without the slightest hesitation, as if it were an extension of his own limb.

It felt as if Herbert had gained a third arm!

Thinking this, the tentacle’s tip transformed into a palm, moving its fingers in sync with his thoughts.

But… why does this thing look familiar?

Let me think…

The palm moved back and forth, then finally triggered Herbert’s memory.

Yes.

Invisible Hand!

Hmm, since I can see it now, you’re the Visible Hand!

Alright, now I can go play a knockoff version of the Sin of Sloth’s Archbishop…

Nenasha didn’t notice Herbert’s cosplay thoughts; she beamed: 【「Happy? Hehe, this is a small power I can grant you now.」】

【「As long as you wish, this shadow tentacle can become your third hand—do anything you want.」】

【「Right now, it only manifests high-tier power, but in the future, it can grow stronger—thicker, more powerful.」】

【「By the way, I can control others—but this one is entirely yours. I won’t steal back control.」】

After Nenasha finished speaking, five pitch-black shadow tentacles emerged from the shadows and thrust themselves directly before Herbert’s face—one nearly shoved itself into his mouth.

In the dimly lit room, a handsome, well-featured boy faced five thick, black, writhing tentacles… the scene was undeniably overwhelming.

To be honest, if anyone else saw this moment, they’d likely start imagining all sorts of things.

But Herbert’s attention wasn’t on those potentially blurred tentacles—he was staring intently at the leaf.

Why did Nenasha say this leaf was a monster material?

Could that tree actually be a plant monster?

Finally, he spotted an anomaly at the leaf’s stem.

Instead of plant fibers at the broken end, there were extremely fine, muscle-like textures.

「This isn’t a leaf—it’s… flesh?」

【「Yes.」】

「So it’s not ‘it’—but ‘her’?」

Herbert narrowed his eyes; the situation was unfolding beyond his expectations.

The great tree that formed the treehouse wasn’t planted by Svan Ni from seeds, nor transplanted from outside.

It was grown from her own flesh?

【「Exactly! Just as you thought—that great tree isn’t a tree at all, but a flesh construct of hers.」】

【「In a sense, the entire tree is her body. Every time you enter the treehouse, you’re entering her body~」】

Ssshh—

What kind of Saya no Uta is this!?

【「Hah…」】

Nenasha, too, felt a pang of awe—but while Herbert was shocked, She was marveling:

【「That little one’s research into flesh modification is already on par with some flesh-based abominations.」】

【「If her research advances further, she may one day fully transform that entire flesh-tree into her true body.」】

「Do I really have to eat it?」

Herbert instinctively resisted.

【「Good~ There’s nothing to fear.」】

Nenasha smiled soothingly: 【「Besides, I sense it might grant you some quite useful abilities!」】

【「Especially in flesh modification—that’s exactly what you need most right now, isn’t it?」】

Herbert sighed and nodded reluctantly.

That was indeed the ability he needed most right now.

【「So, open your mouth~」】

Herbert stared at the leaf, eyebrows twitching, feeling a strangely unsettling sensation—as if he’d become a cannibal…

But then he reconsidered: he’d already eaten scales, blood, and hair—what was one more leaf?

There was no turning back now!

「…I really owe you.」

Herbert sighed, then opened his mouth and bit down on the leaf.

Pfft.

As his teeth crushed the leaf, instead of the crisp snap of biting vegetables, he felt a strange, chewy texture like dried beef jerky.

Crunchy, crunching.

But the taste wasn’t unpleasant—no metallic or bloody aftertaste, only a faint, clean herbal fragrance.

Gulp.

「This vegetarian meat—no, this meat dish—is maybe a three out of ten… at most five…」

As Herbert was evaluating the flavor, his consciousness suddenly plunged into darkness.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in another world.

「Where is this…」

Unlike previous times, Herbert felt no change in his body—he remained his original form.

But unsettlingly, he now stood within a bizarre world composed entirely of crimson flesh.

Beneath his feet, the ground breathed and pulsed.

Turning his head, he saw flesh-formed flowers opening crimson eyes toward him.

The entire world was alive!

「What the hell kind of place is this…」

Today’s third update. Been sick for several days.

Counting up, I’ve added eleven updates in nine days (if counting four thousand words per day, that’s fifteen).

During the new book phase, I’ve been updating more frequently, but I’ve been advised to hold back—I’ll temporarily stockpile drafts and resume heavy updates after the official launch.

After launch, I plan to update 6,000 words daily as base, plus 4,000 bonus words—totaling 10,000 words daily until all bonus chapters are repaid. (Or maybe keep going until I collapse.)

Estimated bonus: one extra chapter per 100 first-subscription points; 1,500 first-subscriptions = 15 bonus chapters; 2,000 = 20 bonus chapters, and so on.

I’m burning myself to light the way for everyone.

Go go go!

……

The current month's alliance leader bonus update (3/3), current month's monthly vote bonus update (6/7)





(End of Chapter)