General Knowledge - Slavery:
Being one of the oldest trades, Slavery flourishes in our everyday life. However, how would one enforce it upon a powerful slave, one might wonder? After all, what prevents a lvl 1,000 slave from murdering their lvl 100 master?
Increasingly expensive solutions exist, allowing a master to control their slave without fearing rebellion.
One common sort is a shock choker, activating upon command to torment the slave. Others have a mini-explosive spell etched on it, which viscerally decapitates the slave with a command. However, such a method is crude and barbaric in this day and age, and proves ineffective.
The second method is Mind Control and Hypnotism. Certain magical spells and Monster Girl races have the innate ability to hypnotise a victim, turning them into their thrall. However, such slaves have rigid thought patterns, and there is always the chance of resisting the mind control. Moreover, there are moralistic concerns for the slave's mental well-being, especially temporary Debt Slaves, as well as potential criminal exploitation. It isn't rare for such Monster Girls to unethically kidnap poor, innocent men that they fancy and hypnotize them into their loyal semen producers, even within a city.
But last, but not least, is the method that has proven itself, by far, the most effective... the Lust Crest. It is a special curse of the Succubi, etched on the womb of a female or the scrotum of a male, forcing a slave into compliance through pleasure, libido, and sex.
Once etched, the Lust Crest controls the libido of the target, either muting it or spiking it to crippling levels of ecstasy, turning the slave into nothing but a horny male or female, with their lust directed at whomever the Master points at. Any thought of rebellion or escape would have a backlash, while obeying the master results in a soothing, good feeling.
Moreover, this crest grows with the target's strength, so it becomes increasingly difficult to remove. Even the one who originally etched it might be unable to remove it once it grows enough. It can also form a natural contraceptive, preventing the Slave from bearing unwanted children.
By far, this Lust Crest has proven most effective on Monster Girls, who are a quarter Succubus... however, since only Succubi can place it, it is firmly in Monster Girl control, and humans cannot use it. At most, they can gain ownership of such a slave... For a fee. But once the contract is signed, it is extremely difficult to undo, especially if the slave refuses it.
However, the caveat is that the Master must adequately satiate the Slave. If they fail to do so, the Slave will sexually assault the Master. And the stronger the slave, the more they need... Such a backlash could, and does, sometimes result in the death of the master.
In the unfortunate scenario that the Master dies, the Slave wouldn't be spared, however. The Lust Crest would not only remain, but would also create an unbearable sexual frustration within the slave, causing them to search for a new Master, instinctively seeking the one with the highest quality essence around.
In other words, don't own a vastly stronger slave or too many, or you will regret it.
February 10th, 1775th ME.
On a bright, chilly late winter morning-
Randall left a village, multiple Owl Girls waving to him.
"Bye, Randall!"
"Thank you for the help!"
"Come back to visit us at any time!"
Randall finally left the Owl Girl settlements, his goal achieved.
Progressor lvl 100 -> 144
Body: 48 -> 110
Finesse: 47 -> 108
Mind: 55 -> 112
Common Classes: (New) Snake lvl MAX, (New) Giant Mole lvl MAX, (New) Giant Spider lvl MAX, Owl Girl lvl MAX
Elite Classes: Dire Owl Girl lvl MAX, Rogue lvl MAX, Scout lvl MAX
Progress through Mastery lvl 52 -> 71
Progress through Training lvl 2,097 -> 3,000
Progress through Fornication lvl 1,000 -> 1,837
"Before I knew it, I had already reached the standard of a C-rank adventurer... I would normally be ecstatic, but after receiving the knowledge from Arari, I now know I am barely considered the weakest middle-ranker. Moreover, my improvement rate is slowly decreasing." Randall muttered.
While it might not seem obvious because of Progress Through Training and Progress Through Mastery, Randall's training became increasingly less effective.
Moreover, the looming Hard Limit of lvl 10,000 still capped his abilities. A few years later, his improvement rate would reach a bottleneck, improving at the same crawling speed as when he was 7. The source of this chapter is g.com.
He then looked at his Progressor lvl and sighed.
"The leveling speed is getting slower and slower. At this rate, reaching around lvl 600 and A-rank would be my limit. I wonder if there are more Classes like Commoner that improve EXP gain through training? Or is it unique to Commoner? And maybe there is a better method for training? Perhaps Arari knows?"
Muttering this to himself, Randall headed back to Rabbit Village.
.
.
.
Two hours later-
"You tend to come to me a lot for guidance... I might need to charge you a fee." A legless, pink-haired Rabbit Girl joked, smoking her usual pipe.
"I apologize for disturbing you, Arari." Randall lowered his head.
"It's fine... Anyway, you wish to know about classes like Commoner that have abilities like Adaptability?" Arari inquired.
"Yes! Do you know of any?" Randall eagerly asked.
Arari took a deep puff of smoke, exhaled, and rubbed her chin.
"As far as I know, there is the Jack of All Trades special Classpath, which begins with Commoner. It then advances to Jack of All Trades, Prodigy, Polymath, and finally, Universalist in that order. With that said, it is very unpopular, and you can't be born with it or learn it as a secondary Class. You must start as a Commoner, have lvl 50 Adaptability, and have 3 lvl 50 Secondary Classes to promote to Jack of All Trades.
Most choose a more practical class for their situation, such as Warrior, Merchant, Blacksmith... you name it. After all, Adaptability isn't attractive for those with enough Monster Cores, and it requires a significant AP investment, too. Taking 3 Secondary Classes also dilutes the Primary Class exp. Moreover, the even attribute distribution is horrid! Since I sought strength, I never even considered taking it... But I hear there is a powerful Peak Ancestor who is a lvl 10,000 Universalist, and she is the best craftswoman in the world."
"Now that you mention it, I did hear rumors about Jack of All Trades... But I never met someone with it. Do you know where I can find such people?" Randall asked.
Arari shrugged.
"How should I know? In an entire town, you might not find a single one. And it isn't like people would announce their class to the world."
"Oh..." Randall's shoulders slumped.
Arari smirked.
"If I were to be blunt, your best option would be to train one from scratch."
"Train one... like some pet? Who the hell am I supposed to train? And how?" Randall asked perplexedly.
"Make a Monster Girl your subordinate in exchange for some essence and support, requiring her to go through the Jack of All Trades Class Path and avoid pregnancy. From what you told me, you can't absorb Monster Cores anyway, so giving them all to her is a good workaround for you." Arari explained.
"It's that simple?" Randall had a weird look.
"On the contrary, it is difficult." Arari shook her head. "Most Common Monster Girls are very unambitious... especially those in villages. Believe me, I know. Moreover, even if you find someone ambitious, they're unlikely to choose to become a Jack of All Trades. At least, I wouldn't. After all, they have classes that racially fit them best, and many seek quick power over long-term gains."
"Then where am I supposed to find someone like this?" Randall frowned.
"The Slave Market," Arari said plainly.
"Yes. Small-Fry are sold on the Slave Markets near the ports all the time, usually sent to the Monster Girl Brothels in the Human cities on the mainland. Humans do love to feel superior about themselves despite being the weaker side." Arari shrugged.
"I don't know how I should feel about this..." Randall frowned.
At least, there were very few slaves in Silentrock. He wasn't used to the concept of slavery.
"Oh, don't feel bad about it, Randall. Those girls willingly sold themselves into slavery with the promise that they could serve in human brothels or under male masters. In other words, they are willing slaves. However, they do come with the caveat of using a Lust Crest." Arari warned.
"Lust Crest?" Randall frowned.
"A Succubus's creation to control a target through lust, and it is far more effective and permanent than simply using Essence Drain. It is the only proven way to enslave a Monster Girl... but you would have to keep her satiated for it to work, and she must not be much stronger than you, or you will face a backlash. Monster Girl Brothels sometimes give promotional discounts to help feed their girls if traffic is low... I know, since I once worked as a bouncer at a high-end brothel. Got my smoking habit from there, too." Arari sighed, exhaling smoke.
"Is there really no other way?" Randall reluctantly asked.
"Of course. You can always find a companion... but then ask yourself... Can you trust them enough not to run away with your investment at some point? Or worse, backstab you for benefits? Or would you prefer a willing female slave who would follow you through hell or high water?" Arari asked meaningfully.
"Sigh... Dammit..." Randall sighed.
Arari smirked and puffed a cloud of smoke.
"Now, then... any other questions?" Arari asked.
Randall perked up.
"Yes. My training speed is slowing down... at this rate, I will hit my limit."
Arari thoughtfully nodded.
"Training, hah? Indeed, the stronger you get, the greater the stimulation that you need to train. At some point, you might become too powerful for conventional methods."
"Then what should I do?" Randall frowned.
Arari rubbed her chin.
"Well... first, it is to break your limits. Sprinting at extreme speed, lifting giant boulders, training under increased gravity, fighting tough battles, studying difficult knowledge, resisting excruciating pain or pleasure... All of these methods work.
The second way is to use certain elixirs and natural treasures that help training. For example, drinking Holstaur Milk is highly beneficial for the Body attribute.
As for the final method... you are already using it." Arari smirked.
"... You're gonna say sex, aren't you?" Randall squinted his eyes.
"Close. I meant being sucked clean of your Essence daily while fully exerting yourself. Most don't notice it much, but it is a powerful boon, to be sure. Of course, without a sufficiently strong partner, it wouldn't work." Arari explained.
Randall sighed and slightly bowed to Arari.
"Thank you for your guidance."
"I am happy to help. But what will you do now, I wonder?" Arari asked curiously.
Randall considered this for a moment before answering.
"Is the Slime Village open yet?"