Published at 20th of August 2026 7:49 am

Chapter 239: The Pressure Of Praise

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Chapter 239: The Pressure Of Praise

Clenching his fists, Seo-jin's knuckles cracked as he stepped out of the treeline. Everything in front of him was ruined. The ground had been burned black, jagged trenches cut through the earth, and deep craters overlapped one another. Here and there, remnants of spent skills still glowed among the destruction. More than anything, there was blood and meat everywhere.

Supressing his presence, a wide smile spread across his face as he watched his children. Every one of them was lost to the rush of combat, completely unaware of anything beyond the sibling trying to kill them.

He was surprised to see Slims just as lost to the chaos. Seo-jin had expected the human to stay out of the worst of it, but he'd been wrong. Slims was in his demon form, his bone repeater firing without pause as he laughed like a maniac. He didn't even seem to care that half his face had been cooked black.

His injuries didn't slow him. Neither did the brood's.

There wasn't a single one of them without a serious wound. Limbs were missing, flesh was burned or split open, yet every one of them moved in ways Seo-jin hadn't seen before. Their reactions were faster, their movements less predictable, and they weren't hesitating when something went wrong. They were learning, and fast.

A mass of limbs slammed into the ground a few meters in front of him, blasting dirt outward as it cratered into the earth. Widow. He started to peer down after her, but she was already climbing back out, so lost to her bloodlust that she didn't even notice him.

[She bigger?]

'Looks like it.'

Since evolving into a Broodspawn, Widow had lost her giant spider form, but what she'd lost in size had been compressed into power. She was a frontline fighter now, so her training focused on hand-to-hand combat and speed. Nearly every clean hit she landed carried enough force to kill, but she still hadn't familiarized herself with her new body enough to take full advantage of it.

She crouched at the lip of the crater, her thighs swelling as her muscles tightened. The moment she released that stored strength, she practically vanished from Seo-jin's view as she launched herself back into the fight.

He caught sight of her raising one leg before driving it like an axe towards Panic who just barely managed to dodge. The impact blew apart the ground, sending another burst of dirt and broken stone across the field.

[She's strong. Really strong. Her Strength isn't as high as Pain's, but with her physiology, her attacks carry more weight. I was worried she lost out with her evolution. I was wrong.]

'Her recovery time suffers. I'll have to get her items that balance that out.'

He'd put a lot of thought into what each of his children lacked, and sparring with them had helped expose the worst of it. Pain lacked awareness and struggled to think once a fight started. He was too bull-headed, too willing to solve every problem by hitting it harder, but watching him handle three of his siblings at once showed he'd taken the training seriously. Not that Seo-jin was surprised.

With Panic, Seo-jin had actually struggled to find a flaw in the Broodspawn. His battle IQ was shockingly high, to the point that watching him fight sometimes made Seo-jin feel lacking. The best weakness he'd managed to find was larger opponents. Panic still lacked the ability to deal massive amounts of damage at once, so pairing him with Tomb was meant to force his second-born to learn how to handle targets that couldn't simply be cut apart.

Snare was where things got harder. Part of Seo-jin wanted to see all his sons dominate the battlefield with tooth and claw, but that wasn't Snare's purpose. His role was to lead, not fight. He was supposed to be guiding his siblings, so finding him lost in the throes of battle irritated Seo-jin a little...until he saw Snare beat the ever-loving shit out of Synapse.

Snare wielded his staff like part of his own body, twisting around Synapse's shots and knocking others aside until he closed the distance and started beating Synapse like a drum.

[You can't blame him for not wanting to miss out. After tomorrow, I doubt he'll get another chance like this.]

He knew the voice was right. After tomorrow, everything was going to change. As long as they survived and won the day, Seo-jin would be establishing his kingdom, and he had no intention of handling the day-to-day bullshit himself. That would be Snare's responsibility. Unless there was a war.

Raising his staff for another blow, Snare jerked from the impact when it came down against something hard instead of soft flesh. Synapse had formed a barrier of bone and meat between them, but before Snare could react, the mass split open to reveal a large crossbow aimed directly at him.

Watching Snare fly through the air with a massive bone bolt buried in his chest brought another smile to Seo-jin's face.

[Might wanna call it. Lucky no one's died yet.]

'A little longer.'

It was surprisingly hard to kill one of his children. You basically had to reduce their health to zero. It sounded simple, but with their ability to heal, that took a lot. It was part of what made them unique. With other lifeforms, even Users, destroying vital organs or removing the head could kill them regardless of how much health remained. The Brood could recover from almost anything as long as they had health left. At least, as long as Seo-jin wasn't the one doing the killing.

He hadn't confirmed it yet. It was more instinct than anything, but somehow he knew that if he destroyed one of their hearts or removed their head himself, they would die regardless of their remaining health. Something he'd have to test later.

He was about to call an end to the training when Tomb suddenly grew to his full size. It seemed the Broodspawn had learned to shift between sizes during combat, shrinking to maneuver before growing again to strike. The giant raised a fist over Bug, but when the Vent Matriarch didn't move, Seo-jin noticed something shifting within the Broodling's body.

Bug's body ruptured, and an uncountable swarm of demonic Vent Bugs poured out to meet Tomb's attack. They no longer resembled oversized pill bugs. Twisted faces had formed across their heads, each mouth packed with razor-sharp teeth. Their bodies had grown slimmer, while the hundreds of tiny legs beneath them had been replaced by clawed fingers that scraped and grabbed at anything within reach.

The impact sent dozens of them flying apart in sprays of their own guts, but the swarm held. Those that survived immediately crawled up Tomb's arm, tearing chunks from his flesh as they climbed. When hundreds began pouring into his mouth, nose, and ears, Seo-jin decided it had gone far enough.

One pulse through the broodlink was all it took.

Within a second, the fighting stopped, and all twelve of his children appeared before him and dropped to their knees, their battered bodies still steaming, bleeding, and healing. Tomb shrunk down to his smallest size as he coughed up chitin and gore, still twelve feet tall, but it was the best his skill could do.

This time, Pain took the lead. Slamming a fist against his chest, he lowered his head.

"At your command, Broodfather."

Something strange had just happened.

Seo-jin had expected Snare to protest, or at least tense at his brother stepping ahead of him. Nothing. He remained kneeling with the others, showing no sign that Pain taking charge bothered him in the slightest.

He'd get to the bottom of that later.

"You have all impressed me. I expected some of you to fall behind, but every one of you has grown beyond my predictions. Pain, Widow, Bug. Rise and step forward."

The three rose together and moved forward without hesitation.

Looking them over in silence, Seo-jin took a moment to consider his words.

"You three stood out among your siblings. You have earned my pride. Pain"

His voice deepened as he called to his son, and the flames leaking from the Broodspawn's body rose in response.

"When I establish my Kingdom, you will become my first General. When that day comes, I will also gift you with a title."

"Thank you, Broodfather!"

Dropping to his knees, Pain slammed his head into the ground hard enough for Seo-jin to feel it.

"Widow."

The Broodfather's daughter straightened. Though she tried to hide it, she was practically beaming. Her cheeks were red, and her fingers fidgeted behind her back until Seo-jin had to look away before he lost to her cuteness. He still thought she'd looked better before. Not that he found her human form ugly; it was just strange seeing so much of Lilid in her.

"You've made your father proud. Choose a reward."

Without hesitation, her black eyes lit up and the smile she'd been fighting finally broke free.

"I wanna hug you whenever I want!"

Auras exploded.

Pure, unfiltered rage flooded through the broodlink, hitting Seo-jin all at once.

"Blasphemy!"

Unable to contain himself, Sin shook with rage. He looked ready to attack, but a single step forward from the Broodfather silenced everyone.

His eyes fixed on his devout son, letting a bit of bloodlust enter his voice.

"I will forgive you this time because you did well today. Speak out of turn like that again, and I will seal your mouth permanently. Am I understood?"

Sin immediately prostrated himself as low as his body allowed, his voice trembling.

"Your undeserving son understands! I am nothing but worthless!"

"Silence. Remain like that for now."

Turning away from his shivering son, Seo-jin let the hardness leave his expression as he faced Widow again.

"Once a day, and you have to think about the situation first. If you embarrass me or abuse the privilege in any way, you lose it. Okay?"

Widow started jumping up and down hard enough to shake the ground. She almost launched herself, but somehow managed to stop and begrudgingly hold herself back.

"Can I...?"

Rolling his eyes, Seo-jin nodded, but before he could blink, her arms were already wrapped around his ribs, her face buried against his chest.

"You've made me so happy. Thanks, Dad."

She whispered the words against him, and they caused his neck to heat up. He patted her head before clearing his throat.

"Alright, that's enough. Get back in line."

He caught the disappointment on her face, but one quick wink was enough to wipe it away. Widow immediately brightened and hopped back into place, sticking her tongue out at her siblings.

"And now you. I'm actually surprised. Seeing you try this hard makes me think you've started to accept your place. As a reward, I've decided to release your daughter. Once Shatterbay is mine, she'll still be kept under watch, but I'll build a place where your children can live comfortably."

Bug stood frozen, her body rigid as conflicting emotions tore through her. On one side, she was the apex of her species, a queen and progenitor of her entire race. He was her captor, the one holding the future of her species hostage. Yet every word of praise from him sent bursts of pleasure and happiness through her. Whether she realized it or not, the Brood inside her had already changed her. This last push was all it took for the fight inside her to finally end. One side had won.

If she was in her right mind, she would be terrified. The corruption was too fast, too powerful. Too final.

She finally moved. Tears ran down her face as she dropped to her knees, and with her chest tight with admiration and pride, she pressed her forehead against the ground.

"Thank you, Broodfather. I swear on my soul that I won't let you down."

[I've changed my answer. It's Bug. Definitely Bug.]

It took him a second, but he quickly realized what the voice meant. The member of the Brood with the most potential. Bug was still only a Broodling, yet she'd managed to block and counter an attack from Tomb. Her growth was explosive. It seemed mixing her bloodline with that of a Broodling had produced massive results, and not just in her attitude.

It only made his urge to establish his kingdom burn hotter. Once someone became one of his subjects, loyalty was practically forced, with even more restrictions placed on those who became Generals. At that point, betrayal became almost impossible.

"All of you, rise."

Without hesitation, they all got to their feet. Sin was almost first.

"Now"

Rolling up his sleeves, Seo-jin motioned toward Slims. He'd already noticed something was off with their newest demon. Ever since he'd gathered them, Slims had stood off to the side with his eyes fixed on the ground.

Which meant he didn't notice Seo-jin looking at him until Law nudged him in the ribs. Slims nearly panicked when he realized everyone was waiting, fumbling as he tried to salute and bow at the same time.

"Sorryuh, yeahI mean, yes, Broodfather!"

Seo-jin squinted at the idiot for a moment, fighting the urge to smack him.

"Are my words of praise not enough for you?"

Now fully panicking, Slims threw up his hands in defense, took a step forward he dropped to his knees.

"Nowait, yes! Shitno, no way! I'm more than satisfied! Couldn't get any more"

"Speak the truth before I rip your tongue out."

Slims slammed his face against the ground again and again, his voice cracking as he nearly started crying.

"I'm so sorry! I don't mean any offense, I swear! I'm justI don't think we have enough strength to defeat the Woons! You, Pain, and Panic are the only true A-ranks. We have no idea how many"

"That's enough. Stop the noise and get back in line."

Slims shot to his feet and went rigid so fast his body bobbed.

"Yes, Broodfather!"

He could feel the killing intent pouring toward Slims from his children, thick enough that even the newest member of the Brood couldn't miss it. He'd been accepted, but that didn't mean they wouldn't kill him if he crossed the line. Slims was learning that now.

Seo-jin let it simmer...

"You're not wrong to feel that way, but if you lie to me again, I will kill you. I expect complete honesty. If I can't trust you, I have no use for you."

Tears had started to gather in Slims' eyes, but he held himself together.

"I promise I will never lie to you again. I'm sorry, Boss."

Something about the word boss made Seo-jin accept Slims' words immediately. He could tell the man meant it. Not that it changed anythingSeo-jin had meant what he'd said too. He had no use for liars.

Looking over the brood, he raised his voice.

"Slims is right. As we are now, I'm not confident we'll succeed. That's why I made a backup plan."

Kneeling, Seo-jin raised a hand, and crimson system light spilled from his palm across the ground. Orange vials began dropping into the glow one after another, piling together with the clink of glass. Green followed, then red, until a couple hundred vials covered the ground in front of him.

Bringing up his panel, he pulled open Panic's profile.

"Snare, you're first. Start drinking."

Experience potions. Seo-jin had figured the time they had left wouldn't be enough, so even if there were consequences in the long run, he'd taken the gamble and bought as many as he could find on the auction. It had cost a small fortune, burning through more than half of his remaining funds, but that didn't matter anymore.

If he died, he wouldn't be able to spend them anyway.

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