Chapter 129 : An Irresistible Deal
Chapter 129: An Irresistible Deal
“First, I'll put everyone to sleep for a while.”
[Relic ‘Bell of Slumber’ activates!]
Those who were injured.
Those who had already lost consciousness.
All of them sank deep into the world beneath consciousness.
But.
[Pure Blood rejects the invitation into the Dreamscape!]
Yohan didn't fall asleep.
He merely lay collapsed on the spot and pretended to be unconscious. His consciousness remained perfectly clear.
What is this?
He couldn't tell.
However, he could be certain of one thing: this small anomaly was going to become an incredible fortuitous encounter.
＊
Evelyn Teddybear.
That was the name of the girl he'd come to know after she joined Seo Changhee as his companion.
Her unusual appearance and Status Window, which revealed tremendous potential, had caught his interest. From that point onward, he'd begun observing her closely.
It was at the Hungry Temple that he'd seriously begun sensing something strange.
-You know. Evelyn will fight too. So. Please take good care of Changhee Oppa.
Robert and the rest of the death squad had remained behind to stop the Reaper.
The difference in their abilities had been so overwhelming that, realistically, every single one of them should've died.
And yet.
She returned.
Alone. Completely unharmed.
At first, he'd suspected that she had a powerful backer or an Administrator supporting her.
‘So this was why.’
A Star Rank beyond imagination.
She moved without much difficulty even amid the Collector's killing intent, which was as deep as the abyssal sea.
At minimum, she was his equal.
At the very least, she was one of the Strong of the Abyss who resided within the same realm of the Open Moon.
Yohan glanced sideways while suppressing his presence as much as possible.
He couldn't let them discover that he was still conscious.
Because he had to memorize every single thing that happened from this point onward.
Kwakakakakaka!
Gigantic sharks cut through the water and circled around Evelyn.
“You know. I'm sorry, but could you let this matter go, if only for Evelyn's sake?”
“Don't act like you know me when we've never even met… Wait. You're?”
The Collector's eyes slowly widened.
“I see. I almost didn't recognize you because your shell is different. But why are you here?”
“Hmm. I'm doing something I've always wished to do. Sorry. It's difficult to explain anything more than that.”
They knew each other.
However. Evelyn's true appearance was different from her current one.
Yohan committed that detail to memory.
“I owe you a debt. Even so, you're asking for far too much.”
“It's a little much, isn't it? Yeah. Evelyn knows too.”
Evelyn giggled and lightly bonked her own head with her fist.
It was an unexpectedly cute gesture, but…
The moment Yohan saw the enormous creature swimming directly behind her. That thought melted away like snow.
Ancient Species ‘Megalodon’.
The deep-sea beast, with each individual tooth measuring over 3m, approached within immediate reach of Evelyn and the Collector.
“It looks as though you're saying you'll fight me if I refuse.”
The Collector openly showed his displeasure.
Then.
“Pyaaaaa!”
Fwoosh!
The Phoenix spread its wings wide.
The domain of water vanished, and dazzling flames surged into its place.
Beyond that, something writhing beneath the sand looked ready to burst out at any moment.
Just like with Arianne, a battle between the Strong of the Abyss was about to erupt.
“Ahaha. Don't be like that between us. Evelyn didn't come here to fight.”
Fortunately, Evelyn quickly withdrew her Magic this time.
Then, instead of a whip, she brought out a huge carrot.
“If you let this go, I'll give you the cure you've been searching for instead. You need it, right? From the looks of things, some of your children seem pretty sick.”
“You mean… the Elixir of Twilight?”
“That's right. And on top of that. I'll help you attack the ‘Plague Lord’ who inflicted that disease on your children. I happened to find out where he's hiding.”
Plague Lord.
The name of another Strong of the Abyss came out.
Like Vivian, he was a Transcendent who operated primarily around a stronghold through [Nestification].
“……!?”
The Collector stopped moving.
His irritated reaction completely disappeared. Only a slight conflict remained on his face.
Even that wouldn't last long.
‘Because she's offering something far greater than the ‘Fate of a Fading Star’.’
Yohan gulped dryly.
‘This is incredible information.’
The secret contracts and transactions conducted between the Strong of the Abyss changed with every regression, making it impossible to pinpoint them perfectly.
No matter how many times he regressed, the best he could do was categorize the possibilities.
Because of that. The value of each individual piece of information was impossible to quantify.
And yet.
To think he'd overhear a conversation like this so early on.
It was enough to make him wonder whether this might actually be the greatest reward he'd obtained from Purgatory.
“Fine. We'll do that. I'll decide the time and notify you.”
“Wise choice. Evelyn will do her best too!”
A secret deal was struck between the two Transcendents.
＊＊＊
After the Collector left, everything proceeded smoothly.
That was because the Ancient Species he'd brought with him upon manifesting had slaughtered every last Nephilim remnant and monster in Purgatory.
The ballroom had practically become an undefended territory.
Ding!
Naturally, all the rewards belonged to Yohan and the other members.
[You have obtained the ‘Ring of the Praying One’.]
[You have obtained 1 Rune.]
[You have obtained 1 Mid-High Grade Skill Book!]
[You have obtained 2 Intermediate Skill Books and. 3 Lower Skill Books.]
[You have obtained 27 Skill Stones.]
[You have obtained 1 Trait belonging to an entity of Purgatory.]
[…obtained!]
Besides these, there were numerous other items and byproducts.
Every last one of them was extraordinary.
On top of that.
[Your Star Rank rises!]
[You ascend to the fifth Star of the True Moon.]
March 5-Star.
He'd finally reached March.
His base stats had also risen significantly. His overall specifications were incomparable to February.
But there was something else that pleased him most.
‘I can finally use my Unique Ability.’
Time of the Extinguishing Moon.
The Ability he'd possessed but had been unable to use ever since changing his Class to Void Mage had finally been unlocked.
‘My luck exploded.’
The Trait [Memory of Glory] alone would've been more than enough.
Yet even the dropped rewards were things with notoriously atrocious drop rates.
It was enough to beautify every memory of all the suffering he'd endured since coming to Purgatory. A smile naturally formed on his face.
“Wow.”
“Incredible.”
“This… is a jackpot, right?”
Exclamations burst from the companions beside him.
Their eyes couldn't help but widen at the rewards pouring down in heaps.
‘This is way too lucky.’
Sure, they'd defeated a high-ranking Nephilim like Tshafel. And succeeded at something bordering on impossible.
But this sweetness had exceeded lethal levels.
“You know. Can Evelyn have one thing too? Some equipment I treasured got destroyed during the fight, so Evelyn suffered a huge loss.”
Yohan's gaze turned toward the girl wearing the shark-toothed hood.
Right. He needed to pay attention to this one too.
A monster who had moved while everyone else was asleep.
He needed to figure out why Evelyn was interested in Seo Changhee. He had to uncover the reason.
And so, distribution time arrived.
Back in Daejeon, he'd scammed everyone and gobbled up everything, but this time there were far too many eyes watching.
More importantly, distributing items appropriately was essential for maintaining the team's overall balance.
‘It's about time I started developing them.’
Even for the sake of using Linked Abilities with everyone, he needed to show some generosity here.
Fang of Purgatory.
That went to Seo Changhee.
“Not bad. It's still far beneath the rank befitting this great one. But for now, I'll be satisfied with this.”
Playing coy when he clearly loved it.
Fang of Purgatory had high base Attack Power and even came with an Active Skill.
Of course, being a Demonic Sword, it had the drawback of potentially corrupting its wielder.
But its new owner possessed Spirituality, no less.
Even a Nephilim's curse couldn't defile that soul.
What Lodbrok chose was an axe with a turquoise glow.
“Do you dare insult me!”
Yohan had recommended a shield, but apparently a warrior's pride wouldn't allow such a thing.
He claimed that his muscles themselves were his shield and armor, so defensive equipment was meaningless.
Well. Whatever worked.
Even after 100,000 regressions, Yohan doubted he'd ever understand the Viking mindset.
“Thank you. Lord Yohan.”
Scarlet received an accessory that could be attached to her parasol and an Intermediate Skill Book.
But one problem arose here.
“I'm truly sorry, but could I receive one more reward? It's absolutely necessary for me to become stronger.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“First. Promise me. Promise you'll definitely grant it.”
“Fine. If it's a request from Scarlet, I should grant it.”
…He shouldn't have said that.
“Then, I'll enjoy my meal!”
Scarlet approached with her sharp fangs gleaming.
Goddamn it.
Her eyes were already completely gone.
What kind of pervert was she? Why was she panting like that?
Checking with ‘Eye of the Prophet’ revealed that she'd absorbed [Blood Frenzy].
No wonder she'd become weird.
When the hell did she eat that?
Its drop rate was atrocious, so it almost never appeared under normal circumstances,
Still, its synergy with [Infinite Craving] was excellent, so he couldn't exactly complain.
He'd already promised to grant her request too.
“Y-You're only going to drink a little, right?”
“Probably?”
“…….”
Puk!
Scarlet sank her fangs into Yohan's neck and tightly embraced his shoulders.
His head started spinning.
He'd already just finished an intense battle, making the anemia feel even worse.
Evelyn, Lagersa, and Reina were each given items and Skill Books as well.
Finally.
It was Yohan's turn.
“I'll take the Mid-High Grade Skill Book and the Ring of the Praying One.”
They were the things he'd been eyeing from the beginning.
The Mid-High Grade Skill Book in particular was exclusively for Mages.
Judging from the pattern and nature of its Magic, it was undoubtedly ice-element Magic.
The Ring of the Praying One also had options that increased total Magic and regeneration.
He absolutely couldn't give up these two.
“I acknowledge it. You made the greatest contribution.”
“Of course Lord Yohan should have them.”
Everyone readily nodded.
‘We said the Rune would go to Vivian. But that's practically mine anyway.’
With this, he'd secured all three of the core rewards.
“May I ask. What happened with the Collector? Embarrassingly, I lost consciousness midway through….”
Vivian cautiously asked Yohan.
Hmm. Since he'd decided to maintain the persona, he might as well do it properly.
Yohan gave her a gentle smile.
He subtly raised the corners of his lips by about 10 degrees.
And made an expression as though recalling a moderately amusing memory.
“He was a cute fellow.”
Completely at ease.
But without overdoing it.
He added something an Absolute Being might say.
“He got a little carried away, so I lightly admonished him.”
There were no witnesses anyway.
Therefore, whatever he said became the truth.
“I see. Against such an incredible monster… to make him retreat without suffering any significant damage. As expected, Lord Yohan continues to surpass the common sense of someone as insignificant as me, time and time again.”
Vivian's eyes filled with emotion once again.
‘I don't even know anymore.’
Well. If she felt wronged, she could sue him for fraud.
＊＊＊
Once matters in Purgatory were settled, this time they received a direct invitation from the Imperial Family of the Hestia Empire.
Because they'd achieved a military accomplishment incomparable even to stopping the Outbreak.
Naturally, the voices calling for war against humanity lost their influence.
‘That should wrap up the third Episode too.’
Yohan stretched contentedly.
Powerful Knight Orders, including Dragon's Claw, had declared their support.
On top of that. The Empire's Order that worshipped the God of Light had also lent them its support.
No matter how viciously unfair the Forbidden Book could be, the board wouldn't overturn from here.
All that remained was to leisurely enjoy the carriage journey.
‘Should I check things while I have some free time?’
Everyone else happened to be fast asleep, giving him some rare time alone.
Yohan activated his Personal Status Window.
Ding!
[Kang Yohan]
Class: Void Mage
Star Rank: March(月) 5-Star(星)
Unique Ability: Time of the Extinguishing Moon
Strength 29 Agility 37 Magic 85 Blood Vessel 30
Physical Defense: 120
Magic Defense: 135
Traits: [Sacred Flame(聖火)] [Blood Vessel] [Memory of Glory]
A Status Window that made him feel as reassured as though he'd eaten a hearty bowl of soup.
His base stats had increased dramatically. His Physical Defense and Magic Defense had also risen to astonishing levels.
‘If I want to make use of the Trait I got from the Collector, I'll need to increase my total Magic even further. And I'll have to encounter powerful beings more often.’
One new task had been added.
Beyond that, he couldn't neglect learning more Skills and collecting Runes either.
While he was making plans for the future.
The carriage arrived at the Imperial Capital.