Rupegia

Chapter 172: Psyche Up – Part 1

Brutal. I love it, but I also hate it. I pity The Four because they were given the easier start in Rupegia while I was forced to go through my fated trials first, so I'm already past the "harsh but actually quite abusive training montage because, for some reason, teachers can't just be straight with you and need to give dumb, contrived tests to torture you to 'push you past your limits' or some other cliche bullshit."

I mean, people aren't dogs. If you tell them you made them suffer for no practical reason and only to "teach them a lesson," they might start to resent you. Negative reinforcement training has been shown time and time and time and time and time again that it's incredibly fucking ineffective, so why would you waste the precious training time of the hero on inefficient training techniques?

Yeah, yeah, you have to give them the taste of failure to prepare them for the pain of a real fight, but does it have to be so cruel? Do you need to ruin your relationship with that person and betray their trust? Aren't you just giving them trauma with such rough and uncaring methods? Shouldn't a more delicate and less harmful approach be more efficient at helping someone grow?

The problem is that I'm building a straw man to argue with. These stories either preach the philosophy that "suffering builds character" or "no pain, no gain," so they don't care about efficient teaching. To make the reader feel like the protagonist's OP-ness is earned, a price must be paid, and it needs to be through blood and tears.

Yeah, yeah, power fantasies. Nothing like a pathetic protagonist who trains really hard. Like, harder than anyone sane would train. Harder than it's healthy to (which teaches young men to not have self-control and do recklessly stupid shit because that's how boys become men or some other macho shit). And then everyone starts to think he's cool, and he also starts to act cool, but the suffering never ends, and he has to almost kill himself with every battle to amp up the tension because the antagonists somehow perfectly match the protagonist in power. And that forces the protagonist to do something drastic to win, which creates even more tension, but you know that he's going to win anyway because he's the hero! So-…

Wait a second…

N-no, I'm not like them! I'm definitely not a shounen protagonist!

I'm… I'm a seinen protagonist…

Then I drop onto the bed and stare at the ceiling, mindbroken at my own admission.

You know, there are those moments where I'm like, "haha, I'm a protagonist in a novel," and then there are the moments where I'm like, "holy shit, I'm really the protagonist in a novel." And this one is the latter.

"That was all on you, Wolfy. I didn't even try to banter," Roxanne chimes in through [Bind].

And I just blurt out, so demoralized that I don't care about what comes out of my mouth, "Yes, yes, it's my fault. I keep forgetting that my whole life is just a cliché and that the Overseer is an author having fun writing an obscenely erotic novel dripping with cum and lewd fluids."

I can't avoid the cliche because I am the cliche.

Then I ignore Ciel's complaints about my blasphemy because even Bastico offered to turn our lives into a novel, so I know that I'm at least partially right.

But what was I even thinking about before I launched into this rant, anyway?

It wasn't about anything particularly important, so I just continue making more proximity fuse golems.

The afternoon goes on for an excruciatingly long time as my mana organ gets more and more taxed, which piles onto the boredom and stress, making me really irritated. The dragon in me wants excitement, while the human in me wants stimulation, but both only get more factory work as I try to squeeze out as many golems as I can.

Eventually, the irritation becomes too much, so I decide to take a break to meditate and relax. Letting my imagination run wild is always a comforting thing to do, and that's what I'll focus on for this session.

Both the human and the dragon have different fantasies they like to think about, so I let the two daydream as much as they want. But then I start to notice that there are actually three dudes inside me… I mean, three personalities… that phrasing was kind of gay. Anyway, I have three fantasies running wild within my mind: the "human," who's sweet and gentle; the "dragon," who's energetic and lewd; and the "fusion," which is calm, cool, collected, and wise. And it's exactly that last one that makes me curious.

But wait, it's not actually the "fusion" that's "new." It's the "human" that's becoming a separate part of the "true me." My internal monologue is clearly the voice of the "fusion," or "true me," but now I feel like there's the "sweet old me" along with the "Symbol of Might" inside my head, both occasionally telling me their feelings, needs, and desires.

Wereanimals see no need to differentiate their "true selves" from their "human side," so this is something new for all of us, but it feels pretty "natural" to me.

Indeed, I feel… balanced, stable.

Even though my three identities are all whining about their tiredness, listening to them makes them feel validated, which brings a surprising amount of comfort. It's like I feel happy about myself, about who I am.

I've reached enlightenment.

I open my eyes and stare at my humanized hand. The Jaleowzeh enchantment is still active, but now it feels "natural," as if I'm not forcing myself to act like a human. It's almost as if I actually have transformed into a human.

I'm almost there!

Inspiration comes from the most curious of places. The stress from creating an endless number of golems pushed me into meditation, which gave me the opportunity to grow further as a weredragon.

I suddenly stand up, ready to fight, ready to take over the world as the draconic conqueror or create a philosopher's stone as the human researcher.

But then the motivation instantly goes away the moment I think about creating another proximity fuse golem.

Uuuuuugh~…!

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and the end of my factory work eventually comes.

"Golems… you all need to learn how to create golems, too," I mumble as I stare at the ceiling, too tired to move right now.

"Very well, Master. We shall attempt it," Jarn obediently agrees with a gentle nod, the most emotion she can show since her face is a mask of steel… well, elven wood "steel."

"May you guide us in how to re-prioritize our training?" Suzy requests.

And I shrug. "Sure. This isn't something high-priority since it'll take quite a while until any of you can do it, but better late than never."

Then I finally recover enough energy to leave for the bath.

Everyone's tired, so today's menu is slow and loving fucking. Hana and Roxanne are a bit horny after the session of intense training and sadism, respectively, so I give them the Cock while everyone else is temporarily satisfied with just the tentacles. Except for Ciel, who's addicted to them, so she gets two orgasms while I only have enough time to give everyone else a single one.

Urmeie is also too tired to tease us, so she has a private bath. It's very convenient that she gives us time to ourselves, but I'm starting to get conflicted about it since she's gradually becoming a true member of the harem.

Anyway, Kaatohe is also playing the role of a diplomat quite well, so I reward her with a good amount of cum inside her womb, her favorite. She even cums from my cum, and then she doesn't let Aoi do any cleanup to maximize the pleasure she feels, which annoys the thirsty dragon a bit, but she lets it slide.

And Caterina just watches the orgy with an unreadable expression, but my lewd senses are tingling, and with each day, Hana gets closer to the promised land.

"You Ryders are quite mean," Urmeie remarks as we sit for dinner.

"Well, yes, but why?" Yunia immediately replies with a casual tone.

The bear Princess grunts and shakes her head softly, then gives us a complicated expression, "You all purposely destroyed the confidence of the Realm Travelers. The group pairings may have been random, but you certainly used your telepathy to make sure the Travelers suffered painful losses."

"I shall neither confirm nor deny that," our elven Queen gracefully [Dodge]s.

"Misery builds character…" I slowly remark, struggling not to giggle at my own inside joke, which just makes Urmeie confused, but I know better than to explain a meme to her, and she seems to realize I'm just joking.

For the evening, we drink Eia as I fuck the rest of the thirstier wives. Urmeie also follows us, so Caterina has someone non-lewd to talk to, though the ursine Princess seems to like to make the Punisher uncomfortable by bringing the conversation back to my Cock and how good I fuck. This is a great opportunity for Hana, who comes to save her lover and make herself look good in the process, so Urmeie is forgiven for her teasing.

I can't stop thinking about [Golemancy], though. I got lucky with that partially amnesiac golem, and he's almost good enough for me to start the baby golem army. Having memories of my time back on Earth is an acceptable risk since the important bits are my Gift and any information that ill-intended villains could get on the people close to me. Other dangerous things are the layout of our castle, the people in charge, the rotation of the guards, and a myriad of other little details that could be used against my family.

Klein and Azador got targeted because of their closeness to us, and they're much more vulnerable than the wives and I are, so I won't risk losing another close retainer. Alki-Alki already showed himself to be insane and evil enough to kill others just to hurt us, so we shouldn't expect anything less.

But if we could create our own endless army of golems to protect us, there would be much less to fear, and that's why I'm so eager to continue working on the golems. I'm so close that I can almost taste them!

"It's never not incredible to see you deep in thought about research while you casually make a woman cum," Alissa wryly remarks as Lina quivers under me on all fours. My foxy slut is lying on her belly beside us on the bed, her fluffy tail and legs swaying happily as she watches us.

"I find it… hot…" my gloomy little girl whispers as she catches her breath.

I hug her lithe body and move her narrow waist up and down along my thick length. "Remember that I know you girls so well that I can just let my tentacles loose, and they make you cum all on their own," I huskily state, then grunt as I cum inside Lina's tight little womb.

"I know, and I love it," the orange slut replies with the biggest smile.

Today is the 3rd, Ne, day of Water. It's a stereotypical Ne-day as it starts with a light rain that tickles everyone's ears, but especially Alissa's. As for my Cock, it's Ciel's turn to receive the honor of waking me up, and she knows what I like, so the first thing I see as I open my eyes is the blessed sight of my Cock buried in her huge tits as she sucks on the head.

For the cherry on the cake, I give her a facial so that Lina is forced to lick it clean, drawing giggles from the chocolate angel. And this is exactly what I need to start off this wonderful morning, which will remain wonderful since today will be a rest day for all of us.

My "Sanity" increased by 1 (now 16+4), but nobody else had a level up because they were focused on training their teamwork instead of their combat skills. But the important thing is that this "Stat" gain really shows that my enlightenment yesterday is the right thing for my psyche, so I'll continue on this path of differentiating between the three personalities inside me.

During breakfast, everyone notices how Ciel's skin looks shinier than usual, and it isn't because of her bright mood, which makes the girls suspicious.

Then Yunia comes up with an explanation for this phenomenon, "His cum might've cleaned away the impurities from her skin, allowing for our skin care products to become more effective."

"That makes too much sense," I casually hum with a snort and take a sip. Today I chose not-earl-gray so that I won't get tired of coffee, but also because I can pair it with different sweets, keeping things fresh.

"But I like swallowing; I don't want to waste it by spreading it on my skin," Aoi suddenly remarks worriedly.

"Spread it on your scales," Lina quietly corrects.

"Isn't Wolfy obsessed with his shiny scales? Wouldn't that be enough to convince you to try it?" Alissa kindly encourages our little dragon.

"Hmm… growth or scales…?" the innocent, scaly beauty hums as she taps her chin with a claw.

"Split the cum?" Roxanne suggests with a thin, raised eyebrow.

"Make him cum twice?" Hana gives the more attractive solution.

And Aoi stops her tapping, then turns her double-colored eyes to me, silently asking if that'd be alright.

"We're reaching a point that we might have to start scheduling appointments with my Cock," I caution them.

"Well, it's about time you split yourself and made more Cocks for each of us," our pale succubus follows Hana's spirit.

"Yeah, give us all our personal Wolfys," Alissa playfully joins in with a cheeky grin.

"I knew that you were all lascivious, but Gods all-seeing, I'm still impressed," Caterina quietly remarks and sighs.

"You get used to it," Kaatohe casually replies.

Our men have started their joint exercise with the Sky Landers, but there's no need for our presence, so we spend our morning doing our mana circulation training under a covered veranda to protect us from the rain while still enjoying the green scenery. But although we're in "rest mode," our men will be ready for battle a couple of days from now, so we need to start to mentally prepare ourselves for it.

I'm already feeling a small difference from my "Sanity" gain as I even dare to make a hundred more proximity fuses, though I go slowly to not strain my still-sensitive mana organ. I also use the extra time to finish mapping the boundaries of the "amnesia" part of a golem's brain, and the result is rather interesting.

The part itself is like a worm: long, tubular, and slightly coiled. And when I mess it up on both sides of the brain, the amnesia effect for the golem is almost complete. He still remembers some of my earliest memories in Rupegia, but his recollection is very blurry and full of little mistakes, and the latter makes me even more curious.

The changes I made in his brain were basically a scrambling of the "soul structure," so it's exciting to see that it also has an effect of scrambling the memories, though the most prominent effect is simply memory loss. That can be explained by thinking of memories as structures themselves, so if they're completely scrambled, they become unrecognizable white noise, but, through sheer luck, a very small percentage becomes fake memories.

If I were to expand upon this side-effect, I could possibly create any memory I want, which could be used to teach the golems things or give them experiences that originally belonged to someone else. This would expedite any training they'd need to become soldiers.

And the idea of being able to create killer bots at will is a bit frightening.

There's also the ethical implications of doing that. The Chuckys are already going against my ideal of not being a cruel and heartless God like the God of Destruction is with his monsters, so I need to put more effort into making happy golems. Though, an army of zealous and cheerful killer bots sounds worse, for some reason.

"Master, have I become a golem?" the little doll suddenly asks, stunning me with his question.

"What do you mean? You are a golem. I made you as a golem," I cautiously explain.

But he tilts his head and seems to "look" away in thought, even though he has no eyes. "You're… me? No… I'm you," he mumbles confusedly.

And I narrow my eyes in suspicion. "What?"

Then he turns his little cloth head towards me again as he comes to a realization, "You have my face. No, I had your face. I'm your copy."

I slowly nod, still suspicious of him, and calmly explain, "That's… yes, you're my copy. This is how summoning works; it's the summoner's mind inside a magical body. And [Golemancy] is a more permanent version of summoning magic."

"[Golemancy]…?" -He cutely touches his mouth with his stub of an arm as he ponders- "Yes, I remember that. But Master, why do you have scales and claws? We didn't look like that."

Right. All the other golems had my most recent memories, so they knew why they were created and why I became a weredragon, but not this one. But wait… how would a golem without my memories of Rupegia react? He'd certainly become very confused, and maybe even aggressive.

I decide to tell him the truth and observe his reaction, "I removed most of your recent memories, so there's a lot that you don't know. But know that it has already been a long time since I started researching [Golemancy]."

He slowly nods his head in understanding. "Then I'm an 'advanced' golem?"

"Quite so. You're almost perfect for my purposes," I prudently hum.

"I'm happy to be of use, Master," he states with a bow, his tone actually sounding slightly excited.

Then we drop the box of emallanat over him and activate the enchantments on the table, which promptly tear him apart and kill him.

"A golem that doesn't know its purpose from birth could be quite dangerous," I quietly state, a bit unnerved by the golem.

The Chuckys already happened once, so I won't let a bad "Charisma" roll create another one. The golems need to be ready to serve from the moment they're born so there's no room for misunderstanding, which increases the difficulty of the "baby golem army" project because now I also need to implant memories in the golems so that they'll know their purpose.

"If we create factory-like conditions," Ted suddenly begins through [Bind] because she's overseeing the joint exercise.

"Where every new birth is always the same," Suzy follows up.

"Then we can minimize the risk of rebellion," Jarn finishes.

And I rub my chin with a padded claw as I ponder, soothed by their words, "Hmm… yes, perhaps I was being too hasty. I just fear that I might accidentally create Terminators."

But then I get creeped out by the thought of the new golems asking the exact same questions, so I decide to let the OG golems handle the initiation.