[MashUp] Ch 18: Chaos Dragon Blessing!

— — — — — — 

After Kirisu Mafuyu left the house, a familiar system window blinked into Takuma's vision.

[Host has stayed at current lodging for over 24 hours. EXP +1.]

[Housekeeping Template Lv.2 (1/1) EXP full.]

[Skill upgrading…]

[Congratulations, host. You've acquired the god-tier life skill Housekeeping Template Lv.3 (0/1)]

This time, it wasn't his senses being sharpened. It was his very perception taking a leap forward.

If Lv.2 meant grasping the structure and mechanics of things, then Lv.3 was the ability to see the optimal solution to anything.

A tangled mess of yarn? He could instantly pick out the one true thread.

A cup of murky water? He could see how each speck of dust would eventually settle.

Everything in the world laid itself bare to him—always with a shortcut toward perfection.

It was… intoxicating.

...

Late morning.

After finishing a leisurely breakfast and scrubbing the apartment spotless, Takuma finally headed out.

At the convenience store downstairs, the familiar clerk lit up when she saw him—then quickly ducked her head, cheeks burning pink. She fumbled out a question about where he'd been these past few days.

Takuma brushed it off casually, grabbed a bottle of water, and left.

On the curb, he hailed a cab.

The driver leaned out, then froze the moment he saw who it was.

"…Silver-hair kid. You again?"

The man's face twisted into that look people give when they think they've spotted some bizarre street performer.

"You seriously just keep wandering into the mountains empty-handed every day? Be real, you're some kind of thrill-seeking streamer, right? Got a YouTube channel I can sub to?"

Takuma opened the door and slid inside.

"Nope," he said evenly. "Is your name Dopinder btw?"

---

Back to the mountain.

The forest path was the same, but after only a few steps, he stopped.

That coppery, bloody stench from yesterday was several times stronger.

With his Lv.3 vision, he could see the pheromones of decay wafting through the air, markers of a life force collapsing fast.

That green giant lizard…

She was dying.

...

In a clearing tucked between cliffs, Tohru lay sprawled.

Her massive dragon body trembled with shallow breaths. Life flickered in her chest like a candle about to be snuffed.

The sword jammed through her throat stood like her own gravestone, planted early.

She had lasted through the night.

From fury, to humiliation, to panic and fear—until only despair remained.

That evil human had toyed with her.

As the black tide of unconsciousness closed in—

A lazy voice drifted through the trees, along with the snap of a twig.

"Looks like I made it just in time."

"A little later and today's lunch… would've gone from 'mushroom stew' to 'grilled dragon steaks.'"

Tohru jerked her heavy head up. In those golden slit-pupils, a spark of survival flared.

It was him!

He came! He finally came.

Takuma strolled into the clearing, looking her over.

Not like she was some legendary dragon. More like a product waiting to be appraised.

"Well?"

His voice was soft, but the weight in it made even a dragon's scales crawl.

"Figured out what you're willing to trade for your life?"

"I…"

Her voice rasped like dry leaves. But death crushed her pride flat.

"Yes! I have treasures! Piles of gold and gems enough to buy a kingdom! If you—"

"I'm not interested."

He cut her off.

Tohru froze. Despair flickered in those burning eyes.

Wealth that would drive humans mad… meant nothing to him?

Gritting her teeth, she scrambled for another card.

"I have artifacts! Armor forged from the cores of fallen stars! Swords that can tear earth apart! Surely you—"

"Trash."

The single word was ice.

His gaze locked with hers.

"You still don't understand the meaning of this deal. I don't care about your toys."

His lips curved in a faint smirk. "It's you I'm interested in."

Brushing imaginary dust from his pants, he stood and asked coldly. "So… how much longer before you die? I need to calculate."

His tone was casual, like planning a menu.

"Should I haul off a fresh dragon corpse… or wait until you rot into bones, easier to process?"

"I'm not dead yet!"

Tohru roared, a weak, broken sound that landed closer to a sob. Rage and terror churned in her skull, forcing her thoughts to race.

A human…?

Yes, for all his strange power, he was still human.

And what do evil humans like him desire most?

Power.

A desperate, reckless thought blazed across her mind.

"I can give you my blessing!"

Her voice shook, but it was her final, most precious bargaining chip.

"In the name of the Chaos Dragon, I'll grant you half my power!"

Her eyes locked onto his, burning with last-ditch hope.

"You'll surpass human limits! Your body will gain a dragon's stamina! And in the end—"

"You'll wield the strength to slay gods!"

For the first time, Takuma paused.

Seeing that, Tohru pressed harder, her tone slipping into both temptation and venom.

"But this power is cursed. The gods will loathe you for it. No matter where you go, if that world has gods… they'll brand you a heretic to be erased. You'll be hunted by entire pantheons!"

She thought this warning, this curse, would frighten him into giving up and choosing the artifacts instead.

Takuma, however, just stood there in silence.

His thoughts were already elsewhere.

'Hmmm.... Hated by gods? And maybe the system's next mission is to crash in another world… hopefully not Saint Seiya or Record of Ragnarok. If I spawn in and immediately get mobbed by twelve Gold Saints, or gods themselves… that'd be one hell of a bad landing.'

Tohru mistook his silence as fear. A cruel satisfaction stirred in her chest.

Until—

"Deal."

His voice was calm. "I accept the payment."

Tohru's mind blanked.

He… wasn't afraid?

Takuma laid his hand on her forehead.

"Let's begin."

She stared into those bottomless eyes, then closed hers in bitter humiliation.

A torrent of destructive Chaos energy surged out of her, burning into his soul as a searing gold-red brand.

[Ding!]

[Special Skill Acquired: Chaos Dragon (Godslayer) Blessing! ]

When it was done, Tohru sagged.

"That… was half my power…" Her voice was faint as smoke. "Next time, I'll have nothing left to give..." 

Takuma flexed the new power coursing in him, nodded with satisfaction, then walked over to the holy sword still stuck in her neck.

He gripped the hilt.

"Today's payment pleases me. So..."

With a tug, the dragon-slaying sword slid free another third.

"ROOOOAR!"

The cursed pressure on her lessened, and Tohru let out a sound halfway between a groan and a blissful sigh. She felt herself clawed back from death's edge again.

When she thought he'd leave like yesterday—

He lingered, frowning as he eyed her.

"Your condition is terrible."

He looked at her the way a chef might eye a prime cut about to spoil.

"I can't have my 'payment' rotting before the deal closes. So stay put… and wait for me."

And with that, he vanished into the woods.

Tohru lay stunned, her golden eyes full of confusion and unease. The waiting game began anew.

...

Half an hour later.

At a luxury supermarket at the mountain's base, Takuma methodically swept the shelves. Premium Wagyu. Jerk pork. Iberian ham. Dozens of packs, all piled into his cart.

He capped it off with a portable gas stove… and a massive frying pan.

At the register, the cashier's worldview cracked.

She stared at the mountain of meat.

This guy again?! Yesterday he won the lottery jackpot with the "phantom matsutake," and today he's buying out the entire meat section?

What, does he think if he spends a lot, he'll trigger some hidden luck chain event? 

Her inner rant cut off when he calmly handed over a sleek black credit card.

Beep.

Payment approved.

The cashier blinked at the embossed gold letters: {Mafuyu Kirisu.} Clearly a woman's name. Then she looked at Takuma's disgustingly handsome face.

In her head, a string named "logic" snapped.

So that's it…

Not some lottery-blessed chosen one.

A top-tier… sugar baby.

...

Tohru had no idea how much time had passed. Maybe an hour, maybe more.

When she was sure Takuma had abandoned her again—

He reappeared, arms laden with a dozen supermarket bags.

Her jaw dropped.

He… actually came back? With food?

Ignoring her stunned look, Takuma calmly set up the stove, lit it, and heated the pan.

Tohru gave a weak, scornful laugh, trying to muster her dragon pride.

"Human… you don't really think… that pitiful pile of meat will satisfy me? That wouldn't even fill the gap between my teeth."

Takuma didn't argue. He just chuckled, then with a practiced hand, laid a perfect A5 Wagyu slice on the sizzling pan.

Zzzzzzzshhh—

Five minutes later, the air was drenched in a fragrance so rich it rattled the soul.

Tohru's mocking words died in her throat.

.

.

.