Chapter 98: Maternity Leave
Tera’s heart nearly stopped.
’I JUST GAVE BIRTH! ARE YOU INSANE?!’
[This system did not force Host to get pregnant]
[(つ﹏⊂)]
Tera’s mouth fell open. ’Excuse me?! What was I supposed to do when I was in heat?!’
[(๑•᎑•๑)]
[I dunno]
’You are such an evil...’
Tera felt the stress already building up. She could never let down her guard around this thing. But she was too tired to even shout, so she caught herself and took a slow breath.
[Please, be calm, Host]
[(◞‸◟)]
[This system did not intend to cause distress]
[Has this system ever given Host a task she cannot complete?]
[I don’t know how many times I have to repeat this]
Tera’s eye twitched. She was about to rage at the system, but even though it did have a point, there was no task it could give her that wouldn’t be difficult given her state.
[In case Host has forgotten]
[Host’s main tasks have never required direct physical involvement]
[Especially now that Host has capable clan members who can carry out instructions]
[Delegation is not only allowed. It is expected]
[This system merely provides direction]
[Host is free to rest, recover, and supervise]
[(ᵕ—ᴗ—)]
’Dang...’
Now, Tera felt silly. Looking back, the previous two tasks had been completed largely by the clan. It had been her own decision to jump in and help, but a lot of times, it had been to show them exactly what to do.
However, supervision was not easy. Especially when it’s people who know nothing about what you need them to do.
Tera was suddenly suspicious.
’Hold on. What is this task exactly?’
[New Tasks!]
’WHY IS THERE AN (S)?!’
[Task 1: Establish a Secure Nursery / Cub Den]
[Create a safe, reinforced, and comfortable space specifically for the newborn cubs of the clan]
[Task 2: Develop a Reliable Water Transport System]
[Create a practical method of transporting water from the stream to the settlement]
[Must be sustainable and maintainable by clan members without Host’s supervision]
[Rewards:]
[Construction +35, Influence +15, Nipples +140, Charm +30]
[System Shop: Tier 2 Unlocked upon completion!]
[Time Limit: Six months]
[Penalty: All cubs within the settlement will develop a compulsive attachment to Host]
[They will all cry endlessly unless Host is physically holding them all at the same time]
[This effect will last for 30 days]
[Host should keep in mind that there are 12 newborn cubs in the clan, and 4 older cubs]
Tera stared at the screen with the expression of someone who had just been told the sky was on fire, and also it was her fault.
’What the actual fuck?!’
Her mind was reeling. These tasks were worse than the previous one, and she had legit just had a baby!
[Host highly recommends using the Blueprint feature to make things easier, and the materials purchased from the first tier can be used for this task]
[Are we ready, Host?]
[( ˊᵕˋ )]
[Accept / Reject]
’We?’
The fuck?
The tasks aside, the penalty was actual nightmare fuel!
Tera tried to envision all the cubs in the clan constantly crying day and night. All jokes aside, would that not literally kill them?!
And creating a channel from the stream to the clan itself would take a ton of work, and at the very least, wouldn’t it have been better if both males and females did it?
With all the females now preoccupied with the new cubs, only the males would be able to handle this task.
Aside from their other tasks in providing food for the clan.
This was insane, but Tera did not want to know what would happen if she refused this task.
She needed to relax. There had to be some clause somewhere she could take advantage of. This wasn’t the first time the system had tried to rush her into something, and she hated how fond it was of that!
’You’re giving me two tasks at the same time right after I pushed two fat babies out of my body.’
[Host pushed out those little treasures beautifully!]
[This system has full confidence in Host’s abilities]
’That is NOT the compliment you think it is!’
Tera wanted to scream, but the babies were sleeping, and if she woke them now, she would experience a very small preview of the penalty she was trying to avoid.
’I need time.’
[Host has six months—]
’Don’t be silly. I freaking need time to recover and focus on my babies. You can’t be so heartless as to rob that from me, can you?’
[(ó﹏ò｡)]
[Host...]
’These things require planning before even acting. You act as if you care about me, but then do things like this.’
’I have no intention of rejecting this task, but I do not necessarily have to accept it immediately, do I?’
[( ˶°ㅁ°) !!]
[Host wants to DELAY?!]
’Why act surprised? This isn’t the first time you have WAITED to give me a task.’
Tera thought back to the moment she first had sex with Ermin in that cave and the system’s interaction during that period.
[But the task has already been issued—]
’There has to be some sort of waiting period, is there not?’
Tera needed some sort of maternity leave or something. Just jumping straight into work like this was inhumane.
The screen went quiet for a suspiciously long moment.
’I knew it. There IS a waiting period, isn’t there? How long?’
[The maximum waiting period between task issuance and activation is two weeks]
[(ᵕ ó ᴗ ò)]
’Two weeks? That’s nothing. I need a month, at least.’
[A MONTH?!]
[ดᗝด]
[Host, that exceeds the maximum—]
’I need it.’ Tera looked at her babies, unimpressed by the system. ’If there is no other way around it, you can go ahead and take the waiting period off the next task.’
Tera never needed a delay anyway to take her previous tasks. And if it was a matter of management, the system had gone out of its way to give her certain things no matter how little when it seemed like it shouldn’t. Surely, it could worm its way out of this one.
And if the worst came to the worst, she would find a way to make do with those two weeks.
[Host is unexpectedly shrewd]
[This system is impressed]
’Do we have a deal?’
[This system acknowledges that issuing two high-priority tasks to a Host who delivered twins less than twenty-four hours ago would be... excessively cruel]
[(◞‸◟)]
[One month grace period: Approved]
[Waiting period for next task after completion: Forfeited]
Tera relaxed, relief flooding her body.
She could finally enjoy some time to sort things out without having some task countdown hanging over her head.
[This system is impressed by Host’s negotiation skills]
[(ᵕ—ᴗ—)]
[Host is getting smarter]
’You disturb me. Do you know that?’
[( ’’˶°ヮ°˶ )]
[Host?]