The Way of the Sword (1)
Path of the Sword (1)
As I approached, the light of the Inner Core dimmed slightly.
Even so, its luminous and brilliant radiance remained unchanged.
<Greed's Equivalent Exchange>
Present gold, silver, and treasures. I shall bestow upon you the power of the abyss.
- Permanent increase in Sense, Intelligence, and Magic stats in exchange for Greed pt
I recalled the description of Greed I had newly obtained yesterday.
It wasn't fairy tales but silver coins that emitted light and could be offered to demons.
Seeing how this shines, it seems this monster slime's Inner Core also meets the criteria of 'gold, silver, and treasures'.
How many points could I earn if I offered this to the nameless demon of Greed?
If one silver coin was like candlelight, this Inner Core was practically a chandelier.
At the very least, it should be worth one gold coin, meaning I would definitely receive at least 500 points.
I briefly considered whether to offer it or not, but ultimately withdrew my hand.
If I presented this Inner Core to the demon, it would essentially erase the evidence of the monster slime's subjugation.
After considering everything, submitting it to the mercenary guild as originally planned was the wiser choice.
That way, I could not only get the subjugation reward but also fill my guild achievements by selling the Inner Core.
I should be satisfied knowing that special materials like this, beyond just silver or gold, also qualify as treasures.
I carefully cradled the Inner Core in both arms and left the spot.
By the time I returned to the bandit mercenaries' campsite, it was early evening.
Leaving today was out of the question; it would be better to head back early tomorrow morning.
I took an empty sack and spent the remaining time before nightfall wandering around, collecting Inner Cores.
These were the Inner Cores of the slimes I had hunted while clearing the path earlier, which I hadn't had time to gather.
By the time I had picked up all the visible ones, darkness had already fallen over the swamp.
I sprinkled the remaining lime powder around and tried to get some sleep in the tent that was in relatively decent condition.
The next morning. As soon as I woke up, I took clothes from the mercenaries' corpses to wear.
It was because my current outfit, consisting only of dire wolf armor, was quite provocative.
A tank top that exposed my waist, navel, and cleavage, and extremely short hot pants that revealed even the flesh below my buttocks.
It was practically indistinguishable from underwear. In fact, I was using it as such.
Of course, it was just a bit risqué, not enough to get arrested for public indecency.
Even so, there was no need to wander around exposing my chest and buttocks either.
Only after covering my bare skin with the mercenaries' soiled clothing did I finish preparing to leave.
In one hand, I held Agony's Ecstasy, and with the other, I pulled the handcart the bandit mercenaries had used.
On the cart were three sacks filled with slime Inner Cores, carefully arranged.
Around noon, when the sun was high in the sky.
I managed to leave the swamp and arrive at the Rivaid mercenary guild.
As usual, I submitted the spoils from this subjugation to Daygan.
"...Whoa, what is all this? You disappeared for a few days and came back after causing quite a stir again."
"There should be roughly four or five hundred of them."
Daygan stared at the two sacks filled with slime Inner Cores, his mouth agape.
One would think he'd be used to it by now, but his reaction still showed he couldn't hide his amazement.
"Hah, indeed. Even if I sent a mercenary squad, they wouldn't be able to clear out this many. The more I see, the more astonishing and mysterious you are. To consistently produce such results alone, one after another."
Now that he mentioned it, I guess I had slaughtered at least a hundred each of goblins, wolves, and slimes by myself.
I even took down one of each superior variant.
All of that was possible thanks to the demon's power, including Recovery.
To those unaware, I must just seem like an incredibly reckless and rough woman.
"Anyway, with this amount, the slimes in the swamp are practically annihilated. You've worked hard."
"Daygan, there's one more interesting thing here."
"Hmm?"
I took out the monster slime's Inner Core from the last sack and showed it to him.
Though called an Inner Core, its appearance was no different from a marble the size of a head.
"...This is extraordinary. Would you care to explain?"
I briefly informed Daygan about the monster slime I had encountered.
He fell into thought for a moment before soon unraveling the mystery.
"From your description, it sounds like a Queen Slime."
"Queen Slime? A superior variant?"
"Probably so. I've only read about it in legends and records, so I'm not entirely sure. But it's definitely a extremely rare and harmful monster."
Queen, meaning female ruler.
For a monster to earn such a title, its danger level must be considerable.
In that case, it wouldn't hurt to anticipate the reward coming my way.
"This case also seems to require a report to the council. After a detailed appraisal, I'll deliver the sale proceeds and reward to you following procedure. It will take quite some time."
"I'm used to waiting. Can I receive the payment for these small Inner Cores at that time too?"
The slime cores, which should number around four or five hundred.
Every little bit adds up; the subjugation reward for these would amount to at least one gold coin.
"Hmm. Just counting them will take an age. Come back in ten days, to be safe. I'll settle everything in bulk then."
"Alright. I'll visit again later... Oh, right."
I had once asked him to find me a swordsmanship teacher.
Now that I'm receiving instruction from Sir Balcan, I should withdraw that request.
"I was too flustered to mention it earlier. About that request to find a swordsmanship teacher. It's alright now."
"Hmm? Did you find a master separately?"
"Yes. I'm studying under Sir Balcan Krosoph."
Upon hearing my answer, Daygan's pupils suddenly widened like lanterns.
His voice also rose uncharacteristically high.
"...The Sir Balcan Krosoph I know? The renowned and fierce Knight of the Gale?"
"I'm hearing that epithet for the first time, but it's probably correct."
Knight of the Gale. Even without knowing much, it sounded like an impressive title.
Judging by Daygan's reaction, Sir Balcan seemed to be an even bigger figure than I had thought.
"That's wonderful. He must have recognized your talent. Congratulations."
"Thank you. See you later then."
"Truly amazing. For the Knight of the Gale to take a mercenary as a disciple..."
It must have been quite surprising, as I could hear Daygan muttering to himself.
That just shows how special the opportunity given to me is.
Anyway, I finished all my business. I left the guild with light steps.
Having nowhere else to go, I headed straight back to Rose's Grace.
Now was the long-awaited, momentous occasion.
Time to offer the wealth I had accumulated to the demon of Greed and convert it into points.
I unlocked the chest in my room and took out all the gold and silver coins inside.
Combined with the spoils from this adventure, it was all cash worth 84 Denar.
Offering all of this would still be too reckless.
I set aside 4 gold coins separately as emergency funds.
I placed my hands on the remaining 80 Denar, one by one, and focused on the thought of 'offering' them.
- Greed (40,005pt)
The result was encouraging. A whopping 40,000 points.
The formula of 5 points per 1 Arshen seemed to be accurate.
With sufficient points, there was no need to delay, so I immediately proceeded to the next step.
- Authority Unlock: Greed
- Convert 10,000 Greed pt into the authority 'Mammon's Treasury'
An indescribable sensation seized my entire body.
It felt like a tattoo was being engraved on my soul.
The authority that seeped into me presented its description through a hologram window.
[ Mammon's Treasury (Lv.1) ]
Grants the right to use the subspace of Mammon, master of the Golden Seat.
Allows storage and retrieval of objects through the subspace.
Mammon's Treasury, belonging to the master of the Golden Seat. According to this description, it's an authority much like an inventory in a game.
I'd know more clearly by trying it out myself.
I held a 5 Grange coin and focused my willpower.
Then, without any warning, the coin vanished in an instant.
Concentrating again, the coin magically returned to my palm.
Even though I did it myself, it was incredibly fascinating.
This time, I tried to store the bed by touching it.
But unlike the coin, the bed didn't budge from its spot.
There must be limitations on volume or weight.
When I touched the shelf next to the bed instead, that could be stored immediately. It seemed fine as long as it wasn't excessively large.
The experiments with the authority didn't end there.
I took out a candle, lit it, and placed it into Mammon's Treasury.
After waiting a few minutes, I took it out again, and the result was surprising.
The wick hadn't shortened at all. The flame was still burning just as it was.
From this clue, only one piece of information could be deduced.
True to its name 'subspace', the interior of Mammon's Treasury operates under physical laws separate from reality.
It would be appropriate to think that time stops and objects are preserved the moment they are stored.
If this principle holds, even food could be stored without spoiling, preserved permanently.
Finally, I caught an ant crawling in the corner of the floor and attempted to store it.
But no matter how much I concentrated, it didn't work.
Does that mean living animals, regardless of size, cannot be stored?
With that, I finished all the experiments I could do for now.
Mammon's Treasury, the demon of Greed's storage. Simply put, an inventory.
Though it has quite a few restrictions, it's an extremely convenient authority.
Now I no longer need to bother carrying sack bags around.
I put the remaining gold coins into the inventory and sat on the bed.
Obtaining Greed's authority wasn't the end. There was still more to do.
One of them was unlocking the next of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Namely, it was the turn of the fourth sin, 'Wrath'.
- Sin Unlock: Wrath