Guide to tamming vilanesses

After collecting everything they needed, Shin and his two succubi left the crystal palace and returned to their makeshift shelter.

Remaining near the palace any longer would only increase the risk. The giant flowers were unpredictable, and although the palace contained countless priceless treasures, entering the dungeon itself simply wasn’t worth it.

There were safer and far more efficient ways to become stronger. The forest was filled with useful resources.

For now, his priority was preparing the materials he had gathered.

Once they reached camp, Shin immediately set up a small alchemical workstation beneath the shelter.

"What are you making?" Mora asked.

"A monster repellent."

He remained focused, but the process was fairly easy. First, he boiled the liquid simply to separate its components. With that, they could concentrate the essence.

"The flowers release this scent whenever they’re threatened," he explained while stirring the mixture. "I don’t know exactly how it works, but it makes beasts and monsters want to keep their distance..."

In the game, it was simply an item that worked as a beast repellent. However, Shin was not sure about all the details.

"So they’ll simply avoid us?" Materna asked.

"Exactly, they won’t even come close," he explained, still focused on his work.

The process took nearly an hour. Once the mixture stabilized, Shin divided it into several small glass flasks, each only slightly larger than a thumb.

Instead of sealing them with ordinary corks, he stuffed the neck of every flask with a tightly packed bundle of dried reed fibers gathered near the river.

The porous plant material absorbed the liquid while allowing only a tiny amount of vapor to escape. It worked like a primitive diffuser, releasing the scent little by little without wasting the precious repellent.

A leather cord was then tied around each flask, turning them into simple pendants. One by one, Shin handed them to the girls.

"Wear these around your necks at all times," he said while he walked up to Yasmin, putting the pendant around her neck.

Materna frowned, taking her own pendant. "It doesn’t smell like anything... Are you sure it will work?"

"To us, the scent is almost impossible to notice," Shin replied. "However, monsters will definitely notice it. Anyway, we can test it beforehand."

Shin looked around, pointing out that since he had started working, no monster had come any closer to where they were, which was good evidence.

Madea carefully examined the tiny bottle. "So this will keep monsters away?"

"Most of them won’t even consider approaching you."

Mora gave the tiny flask an impressive whistle. "That’s incredibly useful. Master is so smart doing things like this."

"Yes, and one more important thing. If you ever encounter something powerful enough that it ignores the lingering scent..." He squeezed the glass between his fingers. "Break the flask."

Octavia nodded, also putting the flask around her neck, and Mora was amused by the way it rested on her over-inflated chest.

"The concentrated liquid will spread almost instantly. Any monster capable of smelling it should panic and flee. It’s a single-use emergency measure, but it will save your lives."

"Including really strong monsters?" Materna asked.

"Not all of them," Shin admitted. "There probably are one or two creatures in that forest that could realize the bluff. If a monster lives long enough, it can develop intelligence, but we won’t even be able to find any of them."

The girls exchanged relieved glances. The repellent made their lives much easier. After storing the remaining solution inside larger sealed containers, Shin made a quick estimate.

"We have enough repellent for roughly two weeks."

"That long?" Yasmin asked in surprise.

He nodded. "Which means there’s no reason to leave immediately."

"So what’s the plan?" Madea asked.

"We will stay here for a week," Shin explained. "With the repellent, we can easily map the forest, explore, and find useful items. Of course, what we can do in only one week is limited, but it’s something."

The man knew they wouldn’t need long to arrive at the Amazonian tribe’s location, so keeping one week of the repellent in reserve for that was more than enough.

Aside from that, he quickly began dividing everyone into work groups. Madea would be responsible for mapping the region.

She was the only one Shin could fully trust to properly map the area. She was also the best person to identify good locations for future development.

Shin wanted to build a route connecting the Succubus Kingdom and the Amazonian Kingdom. Aside from that, he wanted to build mines, farms, and more if possible. Madea would map everything that could be useful for that in the future.

Mora would have a simpler task. She would improve their makeshift home and also go around collecting essential survival supplies, such as food.

Materna and Octavia would work together, looking for the remains of the Demon Kingdom. Shin knew it would be hard to find, because vegetation had probably reclaimed most of it, but it was best to at least try.

And finally, he would take Yasmin with him to travel to a certain place. After all, he had promised her a reward for everything she had done, and there was somewhere he needed to go where her skills would be useful.

After assuring himself that everyone was well prepared for their tasks, Shin and Yasmin departed from the camp, heading deeper into the forest.

For nearly an hour, they walked through dense vegetation, following no visible trail. Shin occasionally checked the position of the sun, trying to make sure they were on the right track.

Finally, he stopped before an enormous curtain of flowering vines that completely blocked the way.

Without saying a word, he drew his sword and carefully cut through the tangled plants.

"Take a look," he said with a small smile.

Yasmin stepped through the opening and froze.

Beyond the vines lay a hidden cliff overlooking an immense emerald valley. Countless waterfalls poured from towering rock walls, their crystal waters feeding a vast lake so clear it mirrored the sky like polished glass.

Thousands of glowing flowers bloomed across the valley floor, while flocks of brilliantly colored birds drifted peacefully through the morning mist. Sunlight filtered through the clouds, painting shimmering rainbows wherever it touched the falling water.

"...It’s beautiful..." Yasmin whispered, her crimson eyes sparkling with childlike wonder as she slowly took in the breathtaking scenery.

Shin simply smiled.

"This," he said quietly, "is where I wanted to bring you."