Chapter 540 - 5 Don’t...

Don’t attack me.

Don’t betray me.

Don’t self-harm.

Don’t lie.

Don’t run away.

Don’t tell anyone about me.

These were the commands I had in mind after acquiring the Subordination Skill. I was about to take them to a more secluded place to start the interrogation, but they were so out of it from the alcohol that I slapped them hard across the face. They startled and began to assess the situation.

"What is this..."

"Hey, you guys. Why were you bullying Thomas in the beginner hunting grounds?"

"We were just doing it for fun. That guy is so serious, it’s fun to mess with him."

"Have you done anything else bad?"

"We ambushed some adventurers who were on their last legs a while ago. They were such an eyesore, we were planning to take care of them someday, and we got lucky. Heup..."

He covered his mouth, but it was already too late. The sight of him unable to feel embarrassed by the words coming out against his will was quite a spectacle.

Besides that, he also blurted out all the confirmed information, such as his job and characteristics, so it was safe to say that all the commands were being applied reliably.

The subordinated people were Willy, the C-Rank spearman who was the leader of this party, and Alfred, the D-Rank priest. After listening to them, it was clear that they were bad adventurers.

"Okay, what time did you agree to meet tomorrow?"

"We drank a little too much today... On days like this, we usually meet around 1 PM tomorrow. Please, just spare us once. If you need anything, I’ll give you anything!"

Their expressions turned grim. They must be feeling a mix of emotions at the absolute command they couldn’t refuse.

"Okay, go in and get some rest for now. And tomorrow at 12:30 PM, bring money and anything that can be turned into money. Except for the equipment you need to use tomorrow, anything else that’s valuable, like equipment, accessories, etc., is fine. You don’t have to bring anything that’s not worth much or is too bulky. And when you join the others, act as usual, and bring sleeping pills too."

"Yes? Okay. But why the sleeping pills..."

"I’ll tell you tomorrow."

"Yes... I’m sorry, but can’t you just let us off the hook? What did we do wrong to deserve this? Is it because of Thomas, that guy?"

"That’s none of your business, it’s my decision. I just feel like it."

I sent the two guys home. Watching them return with a deflated look, I thought, ’Serves you right,’ and Terry himself headed to the inn to relieve the day’s fatigue.

After spending every day on the streets, in shantytowns, alleys, or abandoned houses, sleeping in a warm bed with blankets for the first time made him realize that this was what happiness was.

The next day, at exactly 12:30 PM, I arrived at the place where they always agreed to meet on time. The guys were holding something in their hands, but there wasn’t much that could be turned into money.

"You’re not hiding anything, are you?"

"We like to drink, so we couldn’t save much."

I knew they couldn’t lie because they were under the Subordination Skill, but I still asked out of frustration. I thought they were guys who had been rolling around in this world for a while, but they had spent almost everything on entertainment. I emphasized the sleeping pills they had and continued.

"Act as usual, and depending on the situation, lure them to the tavern and slip it into their drinks. When they’re all asleep, bring them to that place yesterday, got it?"

"Please, I beg you..."

"Don’t talk back to me."

He wanted to say more, but he couldn’t get the words out. Watching them frustrated made me feel good.

Among the things I got, I wore the useful ones and sold off everything else. Even though there wasn’t much, it was far more than the money I had saved up until now.

’I should buy armor with this and get a better weapon.’

The crappy longsword was getting dull quickly, so I was thinking of replacing it anyway. After buying decent equipment at the weapon shop, I used the Detection Skill and walked around the city.

I had plans for today, so I was conserving my stamina in case of anything. Thanks to the Mana trait, I could use the Detection Skill more than usual.

I searched every corner of the city, hoping to find another overpowered Skill like Subordination, but there wasn’t anything worth getting.

What was unique was that there were also traits related to appearance. But at least for me right now, it was a completely useless trait, so I wasn’t interested.

When it was time, they entered the tavern. Fortunately, they were guys who originally liked to drink, so they didn’t seem to be too suspicious.

"Hey Willy, you drank so much yesterday, and you’re drinking again today? You’re getting worse and worse these days, you bastard."

"Uh, just today, let’s just drink today. Okay?"

"Kuhahaha, that’s right, did you see Alfred tripping over a rock earlier? I guess he drank too much yesterday?"

I told them to act naturally, but was it because their unconscious psychology was working? It seemed like the command wasn’t being 100% fulfilled.

Before long, his companions’ eyelids drooped, and all conversation stopped. I carried them one by one and brought them to a secluded alley where no one passed by and subordinated them.

Fortunately, the number of people was exactly five.

C-Rank Spearman Willy, C-Rank Swordsman Peter, D-Rank Swordsman Marco, D-Rank Fire Mage Sophia, D-Rank Priest Alfred. This was the power of the five subordinated people.

Among them, the Fire Mage was a woman and Peter’s girlfriend, and I thought it was a pretty well-balanced combination.

Subordination [Willy] Trait: Strength (B), Skill: None

Subordination [Peter] Trait: Swordsmanship (C), Skill: None

Subordination [Marco] Trait: Swordsmanship (D), Skill: None

Subordination [Sophia] Trait: Fire Magic (C), Skill: Fire Magic (C)

Subordination [Alfred] Trait: White Magic (E), Skill: White Magic (D)

I took only the most efficient traits and Skills from them. In the case of stolen Skills, they start from E-Rank, but in the case of the subordinated person’s Skill, it was possible to use the Skill at the same Rank as it was, regardless of the Rank, because it was borrowing the ability.

While I was experimenting with this and that, the guys started to wake up one by one.

"What’s going on!? Why am I here..."

"Nice to meet you, soldiers. I am your leader from now on."

"What!? Are you crazy? Who are you?"

"It’s hard to understand with words. I’ll show you directly. Don’t move from now on."

I kicked the guy who talked back in the leg with all my might and slapped him across the face. The guys who couldn’t resist and just had to get hit finally realized that something was wrong and had serious expressions on their faces.

After assessing the situation, they felt fear at the irresistible power and began to beg.

"I’m sorry for everything! Please, just spare me once!"

"Shut up, tell me all the bad things you’ve done."

Some had forcibly raped women, and some had killed people because they wanted their belongings or just because they were annoying. They were worse than I thought. I couldn’t let them off.

"But why are you taking around a D-Rank Swordsman? I can understand the Priest for healing and balance, but that guy seems a little lacking to be in your group."

"That’s... he’s my old friend. And traits and Skills aren’t everything. Even though he lacks traits, he’s been learning swordsmanship since he was young, so he’s basically good at swordsmanship and has good stamina, so he has abilities close to C-Rank."

There were also stories of adventurers who reached A-Rank even though they had C-Rank traits. Well, it wouldn’t make sense if everything was determined only by Rank.

Basically, if you have Skills and traits in a state where your abilities support you, it creates a synergy effect. It’s just that people like Terry, who have nothing, receive that effect too strongly and it gets filled in.

But in his case, the fact that he got a low Rank even though he had been training since he was young could only be said to be really unlucky.

"By the way, do any of the people you know use Mind Magic, Black Magic, or Non-Attribute Magic?"

"Why are you asking that?"

"Why else! I have a use for it."

"I know one person. But his ability is a paltry E-Rank, so he doesn’t live as an adventurer and just runs a small store inherited from his parents. He’s not worth worrying about..."

"Is that so? Okay. I’ll put that guy on hold for now."

If he was an adventurer, it would be okay to take him to the forest and get rid of him, but if he was a regular person, it would be a little difficult. If friends called him out and he didn’t come back, a report might be filed.

Even though I killed a guy with the Subordination Skill in the village a while ago, it seemed like the security had become a little stricter because of that.

And I wasn’t thinking of killing one of them to get their abilities. They were all useful in their own way, and if I killed one of them now, the morale would likely drop significantly.

Even if I gave the command ’Fight hard with all your might,’ if a situation arose where a fellow comrade died, they would definitely not be able to hunt properly due to unconscious anxiety.

"Bring all the things that can be turned into money to the inn where I am, and hunt from tomorrow. Give me all the spoils you get from hunting."

I told the guys the location of the inn and sent them back. They must be feeling complicated, being very upset but having no choice but to follow.

"Sophia. Let’s go together."

"Yes..."

Her boyfriend, Peter, had an angry expression on his face. He must have guessed what Terry was going to do to Sophia. I laughed at that guy and took Sophia into the inn.