Deadmeat Saga

Chapter 43 – Nothing can stop me now!

Sometime later, by evening, Gerhart's group returned to the village while carrying goods. Gerhart saw two female guards at the gates.

"Gerhart." One of the guards stepped forward and saluted.

"You are?" Gerhart asked, not familiar with the two guards.

"I am Asdis, and this is Zora." The female guard respectfully bowed, showing fealty.

"Right... they are the last two watchwomen. I heard their names earlier while hunting, so they are recently converted. Now, all the village watchwomen are under control." Gerhart clenched his fists in excitement.

With the watchwomen under control, he completed one of his main objectives. Also, among the hunters, a third of them were under control.

"Things are progressing well..." Gerhart thought.

"Did the other hunters return?" Gerhart asked.

"Yes. The last group returned about ten minutes ago." Asdis reported.

"Okay. Keep up the good work!" Gerhart said and walked with his group into the village.

Going inside, the group deposited the goods in the warehouse, met with Kasper to report, and separated to wash up and eat dinner. But what Gerhart didn't expect was that he would receive two unexpected guests shortly after returning. They were Cilly and Konstanze, two young and ripe huntresses. One was a 19-year-old warrior, and the other was an 18-year-old archer. Konstanze had a full figure, and Cilly was more lithe, but they were both pretty girls.

"Hi, Gerhart! Cilly and I didn't get to talk to you, so we decided to visit you now. We also brought beer!" Konstanze gave a friendly smile, hefting a keg of beer.

"Konstanze sort of dragged me here... Sorry to disturb you..." Cilly shyly said.

Among the two girls, Gerhart knew Konstanze was under his control, meaning that she wanted to recruit Cilly.

"Well... come in..." Gerhart smirked, welcoming the two girls inside.

What followed could be described in a thousand words, but in short, Konstanze took the lead, and under the visual stimulation and alcohol, Cilly gained the courage to follow suit, sealing her fate.

Cilly Elkington has successfully converted.

And, of course, he gave plenty of attention to the envious mousey later.

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The following day-

In the training field-

Two men were exchanging punches and kicks.

Thud* Thud* Thud*

"Ugh... Damn. You hit much harder than before and feel much tougher. And your technique drastically improved. What happened with you?" Thomas staggered back, shaking his aching arm.

"Dunno, it just happened." Gerhart shrugged.

"Damn late-bloomer." Thomas inwardly cursed.

"Well, I hope this old man can still pose a bit of a challenge for you." Thomas grinned, returning to a fighting position.

And so, Gerhart and Thomas continued to spar. After this spar, Gerhart's confidence to control his strength returned.

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Later, after lunch, Gerhart went to Jull for a checkup.

"Take a deep breath through the nose," Jull instructed while checking Gerhart's pulse.

"Sss..." Gerhart took a deep breath.

"Breath out."

"Shh..." Gerhart breathed out.

"Okay, nothing abnormal. You are as healthy as a bull." Jull said, retracting his listening device.

"Thanks," Gerhart said and got dressed.

"No problem. If you have any problems, come to me." Jull said and went to his desk and started writing.

Gerhart, who finished dressing up, looked at Jull's vulnerable back and then at the window.

Among the villagers, Jull had A-grade Intelligence, B-grade Dexterity, C-grade Perception, and Advanced Medical Talent(Upgradable, Evolvable), making him a potent doctor. Unfortunately, he was weak compared to the other villagers, having only E and F-grade stats and no talent for Aura and Magic, his level being a mere 18. His emotional intelligence was a pitiful I-grade, and he was Asexual and had no apprentice yet, making him a loner and socially awkward. It made him a perfect target, and he was the key to accelerating the village's takeover!

Looking toward the open window, he saw Hope standing there, signaling an okay as she prepared to close it from outside. Turning back to the doctor, he approached him.

Jull, who was writing, noticed a shadow coming from behind.

"Hm? Do you need something else— Thud*."

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Sometime later-

Asher came to Jull's clinic for his new dose. Not wanting to worry his family, he hid his pain from everyone in the village, with only Jull knowing his condition. It forced him to go to Jull every day to receive drugs on the spot, both to help him urinate and with the increasing bone pain in his body preventing him from sleeping. Without these drugs, he would have already committed suicide by running into the forest and fighting until he died.

At least it gave him a few more months to live with dignity. He wanted to live longer, make final arrangements, and die without regrets.

As usual, Jull mixed an herbal drink for him, filled with painkillers and relaxants.

"Here you go, Asher. I added another ingredient to the drink, which should help you sleep better at night." Jull expressionlessly said, giving Asher the cup.

"Thank you, Jull." Asher thanked and downed the unpleasant herbal drink.

After he finished drinking it, he returned the cup. "This is even more disgusting than usual. Can't you make it taste a bit better?" Asher complained.

"If you want, I can add some honey next time, but it might cause a loss of efficacy. You might be screaming at night." Jull warned.

"Bah... Forget it." Asher shook his head and rubbed his aching waist.

"Oh, and Asher, please rest here for a while. I want to check how you react to the medicine. You can rest on the bed." Jull added.

"Yawn*... I could use the nap. Okay." Asher yawned, indeed lacking sleep and tired.

Laying on the bed, Asher closed his eyes and tried to rest. Ten minutes later, he was fast asleep, unable to perceive someone else entering the clinic.

Status: Busted knee caps(Both legs), Stage 4 Prostate Cancer(Approximately 99-119 days to live), Drugged(Pain Relievers, Muscle Relaxants, Sleep Drugs(High Dosage)), Coma.

"Good job, Jull," Gerhart said to the stoic doctor.

"I did as you requested, my lord. I made him sleep. I added twenty drops of Dream Lily extracts, twice the amount I use during heavy surgeries. However, it might be dangerous to Asher if left untreated." Jull bowed.

"I know. Close up and make sure nobody enters," Gerhart ordered.

"Yes," Jull said and closed the clinic, locking the door after himself.

Unlike the rest of the village, Jull's clinic had actual locks in fear of children accidentally eating the dangerous substances inside. This innocent prop worked in Gerhart's favor.

Without wasting time, Gerhart picked a funnel prepared beforehand, sat by Asher's side, put the funnel inside Asher's mouth, cut his wrist with his sword, and let blood flow inside. Asher subconsciously swallowed it.

"Sorry. You treated me well, and I would have loved to convince you peacefully, but I don't have the leisure to risk it." Gerhart apologetically muttered, his eyes shining with silver light.

As if having a bad dream, Asher winced, shaking, but soon, his resistance crumbled. In his weakened state, being unconscious and having consumed Gerhart's blood, he was unable to put up a fight.

After healing his bleeding wrist and removing the funnel, Gerhart converted the unresisting man.

Asher Elkington has converted successfully.

After converting him, Gerhart felt somewhat sluggish. "Although my body recovers quickly, releasing my blood twice is bad for my health..."

He then looked at the sleeping Asher and nodded to himself. "Good. Now- Let's see if I can remove that cancer thingy."

Before he saw it, Gerhart didn't even know cancer existed. He asked Hope, and she explained to him that cancer was a unique disorder that made the flesh rebel against the body. The most commonly known cases are skin cancer, but there are other types, but they are usually left undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. The only sure way is through Status Analysis, but few had the privilege to get analyzed.

However, even though cancer was known to man, no one knew how to cure it. Even the healing of a saint only cured the symptoms and not the disease itself, sometimes making things worse, and the Cure Disease spell and the like were ineffective because it was not a disease. Consuming legendary elixirs and natural treasures strengthened the body and the cancer, making it futile. Using Aura or Magic to destroy a tumor only made things worse, making it spread to the rest of the body, potentially infecting the heart and brain. Perhaps only the gods could cure it.

"If I can cure this... I would be touching god's domain, hah?" Gerhart excitedly muttered.

With that, Gerhart attempted to perform a feat previously thought impossible- To cure cancer.

Afflictions Detected: Cancerous Cells. Accumulated toxins. Drugs. Varying damage to the body. Fatigue. Advanced Cellular Aging.
Cost for full recovery: 58
Initiate full recovery?

"Oh, I see- Wait, what?!" Gerhart suddenly noticed the last part. "It can cure... Aging? Wouldn't that make someone immortal?"

When he thought about the possibility, he couldn't help but shudder. How many people sought longevity? Too many. Either for them or their loved ones. Gerhart, too, wanted to help Mother Roysa live longer. However, Gerhart quickly shook his head.

"No. I mustn't rejuvenate Asher. It would be too obvious. I should also exclude damage to the skin or teeth. However, everything else is fine, including the knees." Gerhart muttered.

With that decided, he excluded aging, scars, and teeth, but allowed the rest to heal. The price to heal Asher drastically lowered to barely 6 points, a tenth of the previous price. It was apparent that rejuvenating his body was much more expensive than healing his cancer. But in Gerhart's eyes, there was barely a difference. They were both ridiculously cheap!

Gerhart watched as black energy seeped inside Asher's body, slowly healing him in ways beyond his comprehension. Soon, Asher's complexion turned rosy and woke up. A hint of confusion was in his eyes, but it soon cleared as he noticed Gerhart.

"My lord..." Asher lowered his head with respect.

"Raise your head. Your position is now a Lord, but you must listen to Hope and Havre's instructions. And pretend nothing happened. Understood?" Gerhart said.

"Yes, I understand." Asher raised his head and said.

"Good. Now, did you notice something different about yourself?" Gerhart playfully asked.

"Different? Eh?" Asher blinked in puzzlement as he checked himself, visually finding no difference.

Suddenly, he noticed minor but increasingly apparent differences. His eyesight and hearing were slightly better, the aching in his bones was gone, and the discomfort in his stomach was gone. Also, he felt energetic, his fatigue nowhere to be found. Even his knee movement felt smoother and painless.

"I-I'm healed? Did you heal me?" Asher looked at Gerhart with wide eyes.

"Yes. Consider this one of many gifts." Gerhart smiled.

Asher's eyes started to tear up. Not many knew how agonizing and frustrating his ailment was. Even the many damages he accumulated over the years, including his busted knees, were mended. It was nothing short of a miracle, a saving grace.

"Thank you. I shall serve to the best of my abilities." Asher said from the bottom of his heart.

"Good. Help me convert this village, and I shall reward you." Gerhart smiled.

"I don't deserve it..." Asher humbly said, but his shaking of excitement betrayed his desire for a reward.

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The next day, Gerhart and Hope went to hunt with the hunters. But this time, their objective was different. They changed from four to three groups and were assigned to hunting and bringing back wild game from the inner forest. They would go back and forth three times before ending.

Perhaps it was a coincidence, but Gerhart stayed with Hauke and Greta again. However, this time, they were with Heiner.

Heiner was a 21-year-old pugilist, and his weapon of choice was a pair of steel gauntlets. He was also the guy with the watery semen. He suffered from Infertility(Low Sperm Count) from his status.

Being four-on-one and not wanting(Or needing) to cuck him for such a flimsy reason, Gerhart and the group initiated a beatdown when they deemed it safe enough.

Thud* Thud* Thud* Thud*

"W-Why!" A bloody Heiner shouted in Indignation.

"It's for your own good," Hauke said with a complicated look, being in the same position two days ago, and smashed his spear shaft on the man's back.

Without being able to put up much of a fight against four equally or more powerful individuals, Heiner eventually fell under Farus's pitying eyes.

Heiner Elkington has converted successfully.

Of course, Gerhart healed his injuries right after. He also tried healing Heiner's infertility problem, but-

Unable to remove affliction. Reason: Condition Genetically Inherent.
Solution: Bless with fertility-enhancing or body-enhancing talents, mending flawed genes.
Cheapest Solution: Initial Healthy Body. Cost: 1.

Gerhart didn't know what genes were, and Hope didn't know as well, but he learned that inherent conditions were incurable unless one changed the foundation of the individual.

With that said, spending one point on this was insignificant for Gerhart, so he spent it without hesitation.

"You should be able to have a child more easily now," Gerhart told the man.

"Thank you, my lord!" Heiner sincerely thanked Gerhart.

Gerhart nodded and looked toward the distance, a smile on his lips.

"I now have the village chief, doctor, watchwomen, and half of the hunters under my thumb. Six more hunters and the initial takeover of the village would be complete." Gerhart thought, a twinkle of ambition in his eyes. "Nothing can stop me now!"

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When they returned with the second catch of the day, Gerhart received a report from Kerry, the watchwoman captain.

"Gerhart, a caravan just arrived. They had two male slaves, and I believe they are guests." Kerry reported.

"... FUCK!"