Chapter 90
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 90
“Wh-what just happened?”
As the sinister, bone-chilling energy and the ghastly wails vanished in an instant, Chloe asked me, her body still trembling.
Instead of answering, I dismissed the notification window floating before me and gave a small nod.
In the world of Myrillin Saga, evil spirits are defined as vengeful souls who, bound by their grudges, wander the netherworld.
Unless those grudges are resolved, these spirits can never truly pass on. However, if they come into contact with a higher form of demonic being, their grudges are consumed by darkness, sublimating into a higher state before disappearing entirely.
They literally become one with the darkness.
In some ways, this is similar to an exorcism that borrows divine power, but its fundamental nature is different. An exorcism is about ‘comforting’ the grudge to help the spirit pass on. This sublimation ritual, on the other hand, is about ‘transferring’ that grudge to a higher demonic being.
It’s akin to entrusting someone else to resolve a grievance you couldn’t settle yourself. In the process, I was supposed to take on the ‘karma’ of the spirits I helped pass on.
But it has no effect on me.
I examined my body and nodded. A new soul—‘me’—already occupied Roen’s body. There was no room for any other existence to enter. Instead, their karma had crystallized into an item and remained in this world.
That item was the [Orb of Karma].
It was an essential material used in high-level alchemy for creating a [Homunculus]—essentially, a soul to be placed inside an artificial vessel.
In any case, my plan was a complete success. I had taken a gamble, trusting in the unique nature of Roen’s half-demon heritage—presumed to be descended from a high-ranking demon—and my status as a player. It had paid off perfectly.
...Still, it’s not a pleasant feeling.
Even though things had gone as expected and I’d secured a useful item, I felt strangely unsettled rather than pleased. As I took a moment to check the title and item I’d acquired, Chloe spoke again, her voice still shaky.
“H-how did this happen? The whole atmosphere suddenly changed. The ghostly sounds are gone, too. What on earth did you do?”
“That’s something you’ll have to investigate in detail. Isn’t that your job?”
“Uh… well, yes, but you were the one who walked in so confidently, like you knew exactly what to do.”
“It’s not like I was completely sure. I just figured they missed the touch of a living person, that’s all.”
Tap—.
Chloe frowned as I tapped the stone door.
“You went in based on a hunch like that? What if something had gone terribly wrong…?”
“It all worked out, didn’t it?”
I shrugged, and Chloe sighed, defeated.
“Don’t do that again. It’s dangerous.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I mumbled vaguely and headed deeper into the ruins.
The ghastly wails and sinister energy—the biggest obstacles to exploring the ruins—were gone.
There’s nothing left to hold me back.
All that remained in the dungeon were the monsters drawn to the lingering demonic energy. I decided to finish them off quickly and wrap this up. As I strode forward, Ciel followed close behind.
“Wait up! Hey!”
Chloe, burdened by her heavy backpack, hurriedly chased after us.
The rest of the exploration went smoothly. A few monsters living inside the ruins charged at us as we advanced.
Thwack—.
They met their end, pierced by daggers thrown by Ciel. If you’re wondering why a dagger would make a thwack sound… it’s because the monsters hit by her blades couldn’t withstand the sheer force and were sent flying, pinned to the dungeon walls.
A dagger embedded in stone, with the corpse of a monster impaled on it, dangled grotesquely. It was less like a thrown knife and more like a bolt from a heavy crossbow.
Ciel approached the dead monsters, retrieved her daggers, and wiped the blood off with a cloth.
Swish—.
Black blood stained the cloth, and the daggers shone brightly once more. Watching the macabre yet strangely serene scene, Chloe asked, “Where on earth do those daggers come from?”
In response, Ciel showed Chloe the dagger sheaths strapped to her thigh.
“I keep them here.”
“That’s pretty serious. Are you an assassin or something? Does the Union even offer classes like that?”
“No, this isn’t something I learned at the Union. Dagger techniques are simply one of the basic skills of a maid.”
“What country’s maids are you talking about?!”
After a quick sweep of the interior, we finally reached the final chamber. It was a sealed space made of yellowish-brown bricks. In the center stood a stepped altar, upon which rested something resembling a jewelry box.
Chloe looked around, snapping pictures. “This architectural style is at least a thousand years old. Amazing. I guess there’s no Dungeon Keeper.”
“Seems that way.”
The ‘Dungeon Keeper,’ the final boss of a dungeon, only appears in intermediate-level dungeons or higher. The Spooky Dungeon didn’t have one.
I walked steadily up the steps and opened the jewelry box.
Click—.
As the lid opened, a bright light flared, and a notification window appeared before my eyes.
[You are the first to clear the Spooky Dungeon. Selecting a reward.]
Whirrrr—.
A roulette wheel spun wildly in front of me. A moment later, it slowed to a stop, and a notification announced my new trait.
Ting—.
Oho.
[Overload] was a trait I knew well. It temporarily enhances a single chosen stat. I could increase my strength for a brief burst of immense power or amplify my magic to spam spells.
The downside was the tremendous backlash once the effect wore off. After a single use, my health and mana would be halved for a set duration, leaving me as limp as a half-dried squid. It was a trait too risky for normal use, but in terms of raw utility, it was an incredible trump card.
...This isn’t bad.
I gave a small nod. If I could get a trait this good while interest in the Academy’s Seven Mysteries was still low, I could probably get much better rewards later as the rumors grew.
I lowered my gaze to inspect the rest of the box’s contents. There was a neatly rolled-up scroll—the blueprint for the carbonated water maker.
And then.
“...!”
My eyes widened at the sight of a yellowish-green ore emitting a faint glow.
[Stone of Truth]
I can’t believe this dropped on the first try.
The Stone of Truth had the ability to determine the veracity of a person’s words. It couldn’t determine ‘objective’ truth, but it could clearly distinguish whether the target believed they were telling the truth or a lie. It had the inconvenient requirement of needing to be fed the target’s blood before use, but if I crafted the stone into a ring with a small needle, it would be simple enough to use.
I stared at the yellowish-green gem, lost in thought.
The drop rate for this Stone of Truth is 0.05 percent.
It was an item you weren’t guaranteed to get even if you ran the Spooky Dungeon hundreds of times. To say I got it through sheer luck would be too convenient. In this world, the concept of ‘farming’ items by repeatedly running dungeons didn’t exist. I guessed it was likely a first-clear reward.
And that wasn’t all. Beneath the blueprint and the stone lay several yellowish gold ingots. Being ancient artifacts, they would probably sell for several hundred million Krone each.
Curious about the rewards, Chloe scurried up the steps to peek inside.
“What did you get? Huh?”
But.
Click—.
I shut the lid before she could see.
“Wh-why did you close it? Let me see!”
“The dungeon clear rewards will be properly assessed and distributed according to contribution. I can’t show you the contents yet.”
“What kind of rule is that?! We should share it fairly! One-third each!”
“Fairly? I led this expedition, and my contribution was the greatest. You were the one who wanted to give up halfway through, while I was the one who pushed us forward.”
“...”
“And if we had brought a team of dozens like you suggested, your share would have been practically nothing after a fair distribution. Do you admit that?”
“Th-that’s…”
“Take what I give you without complaint. Don’t argue.”
“...Fine.”
Chloe’s shoulders slumped as she accepted my terms.
“Let’s go, Ciel.”
“Yes, I will lead the way.”
“W-wait, let me just take a few more pictures!”
Click—.
Chloe documented the dungeon’s interior, examining every corner. Then, she spotted something in a corner of the room and tilted her head.
“A pickaxe? Why is this here?”
“...”
I closed my eyes without a word. And with that, our short yet eventful dungeon exploration came to an end.
*
Around noon the next day.
Knock, knock—.
“Ugh, my head.”
The sudden knocking made Chloe rub her sleepy eyes as she rolled out of her bunk bed. Her roommate was already gone. The sun was high in the sky. She had returned late at night and slept like the dead, ultimately skipping her morning classes.
But it was fine. If she wrote a report using the dozens of photos she took, it would more than make up for the attendance points. Besides, if she wrote an article about this expedition, the newspaper’s subscriptions would skyrocket, and her own reputation would grow. This wasn’t just some gossip piece; it was a massive story befitting an archaeologist.
“Hehehe.”
This would surely shut up Peluna and her gang, who always looked down on her. A smile crept onto her face.
She remembered the knock. Chloe rubbed her eyes, slipped on her slippers, and opened the door.
Creeak—.
She looked left and right, but the dormitory hallway was empty.
What the? Was that a prank?
Just as she was about to close the door, she noticed a white envelope on the floor. Chloe picked it up. It was too heavy to contain just paper. She read the words written on the front.
- Your reward for the dungeon exploration. If you want it in cash, come find me.
Cash?
Chloe tilted her head and opened the envelope.
“Gasp.”
Her jaw dropped at the sight of a heavy, gleaming yellow lump inside.
A-a gold ingot!
Her heart pounded, and she felt the blood drain from her face. She stood there, dumbfounded, then quickly looked up to make sure no one was in the hallway.
N-no one saw that, right?
“Huu, huu.”
Panting, Chloe pulled the gold ingot out. The heavy weight rested in her palm. Depending on the market, a standard imperial gold ingot went for around 100 million Krone. But this wasn’t just any gold; it was an ancient relic. Considering its value as an artifact, it could be worth several times that.
In short, it was worth hundreds of millions of Krone!
Chloe swallowed hard and carefully tucked the ingot under her pillow. She couldn’t think of a better hiding spot for now.
But… is it okay for me to accept something this valuable?
He had said he would distribute rewards based on contribution, but honestly, she hadn’t done much. All she did was solve a simple Sudoku-like puzzle and hand out masks. Roen had disabled most of the dungeon’s gimmicks, and Ciel had done all the fighting. Sure, the ghostly sounds were scary, but given the dungeon’s difficulty, she didn’t think the rewards would be this massive.
...Maybe he’s a surprisingly good person.
Even though he was a jerk with a bad reputation, maybe he was actually kind. After all, no one who gives you that much money can be a bad person.
Or… could it be that he has a thing for me?
“...”
After entertaining the absurd thought for a second, Chloe lightly slapped her cheeks and shook her head. If she had to guess why he was taking care of her, it was probably to keep her quiet about the time he had collapsed, coughing up blood. For this amount of money, she would definitely keep her mouth shut.
But why had Roen collapsed like that in the first place?
Could he have a terminal illness?
They say people change when they’re facing death. Maybe that was the reason for Roen’s recent change in behavior. After pondering for a while, Chloe sighed and looked at the pillow hiding the gold.
For now, I’ll hold onto it instead of selling it.
She wasn’t desperate for money, and cashing it in felt wrong. She decided to study the ingot instead. The casting methods of ancient gold and the engraved patterns would be worth researching.
Gulp—.
Chloe swallowed again as she gazed at the spot where the gold was hidden. Just knowing it was there made her feel secure.
Now, Chloe had nothing to fear.