Chapter 215: Rewards for the Hardship
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 215: Rewards for the Hardship
Pushing aside the mountain of work piling up, I went to see the dead King of the Sewers.
In the Farm Section where I had set up the Monster Farm, a massive, heap-like corpse lay rotting. The creature was a grotesque fusion of the Dungeon Crawlers and flesh monsters found on the 6th floor. It seemed that, unable to form a proper body, it had forcibly merged the monsters it led into that hideous shape.
“We haven’t been able to do a thing for three days because of that thing.”
“He’s right! That corpse periodically spews out some strange toxic gas. The livestock and monsters nearby are all dying off!”
The people managing the Farm Section vented their frustrations. They seemed quite angry about being unable to run the farm properly for the past three days.
“I’ll take care of it for now. Everyone, please head to the Central Plaza so you don’t get hurt wandering around here.”
After forcibly ushering the crowd away, I was left alone with Lady Leah. She was staring at the King’s remains with an interested expression.
“My Lady, shouldn’t you head to the plaza as well?”
“No. I want to watch you deal with it. I need to see that bastard’s end with my own eyes.”
Leah bared her teeth as she glared at the King of the Sewers. Her expression was thick with deep-seated rage.
“Is there a particular reason?”
“That piece of shit threatened me. He showed me a wretched future and told me I’d die if I didn’t break the seal.”
“What kind of future did he show you?”
“That’s… I can’t tell you.”
She glossed over the details, looking as if she had recalled a memory she’d rather forget.
“I understand for now. But it’s dangerous, so please step back.”
“Okay. Is this far enough?”
“No. It would be better if you backed off quite a bit more.”
“Got it.”
Once the Lady had put a significant distance between us, I began the work.
It’s thick with miasma.
I couldn’t touch the remains directly. The moment I did, the curse would likely melt my body. While my contracts with the Villainesses allowed me to repel most curses, this guy was a Roa just like them, meaning I couldn’t simply bounce his curse back. You can’t block a curse of the same rank.
First…
I had to find the core. His corpse was merely a shell to hide it. I needed to look directly into his interior using my Spiritual Eye.
Deeper.
Thanks to my increased spiritual power, I could easily peer into his inner self. My consciousness flowed past the remains and into the center, and gradually, something began to feel close enough to grasp.
A green wavelength appeared. Like a beating heart, a lime-colored light was pulsing, sending out ripples.
There it is.
That had to be the King of the Sewers’ core. If I pulled that out, it would be the absolute end for him. He wouldn’t be able to resurrect, let alone spew out these indiscriminate curses.
—Wait. Wait!
Just as I was about to wrap my chains around the core and yank it out, a frantic voice echoed.
—Wait! Just a moment! Please! Please stop!
It was definitely the King of the Sewers. As soon as the chains coiled around his core, he appeared before me in the form of a tiny rat, desperately begging for his life. A rat wearing a crown. This was likely his true form.
—If you keep me alive, I’ll be useful to you! So please!
The King of the Sewers began to prattle on about what he could do. For instance, his ability to accelerate the evolution of monsters, or his power to drag those who couldn’t ascend to higher floors back down through regression.
He listed several abilities, but none of them particularly piqued my interest. The powers he possessed weren’t very useful to me as a human.
Anything else?
—T-There is! There is! I can perform temporary future sight!
Future sight?
—Yes! I can see the future of anyone I touch!
He must have seen Leah’s future that way. The important thing here was whether the observed future could be changed. If the future was fixed, it would be better to just get rid of him. What was the point of seeing a future you couldn't change? If you saw a tragedy, it would only increase your despair.
—It can be changed! The futures I see are fluid. They can be changed as much as you want! I only catch a glimpse of the worst possibilities!
They can be changed? Really? Then why couldn't you change your own future?
—That’s because I can’t see my own!
And that was how he ended up in this mess, according to the King.
If I chose to keep him alive instead of killing him, it wasn't as if there were no benefits. The problem was that I had already promised to give his core to the Evil Spirit of the Ring. If I broke that contract on a whim, my soul would be shattered instantly.
My situation is what it is, so I have to pull the core out regardless.
—I don’t know what this ‘Evil Spirit of the Ring’ is, but is it a being of the same rank as a Roa?
Probably not. It’s an evil spirit, literally.
—If it’s not a Roa… you won’t be offering me to the Villainesses, will you?
I can’t give you to them. I have to give you to the Evil Spirit of the Ring. That was the contract.
—Then there is a way!
What way?
—In the end, doesn’t that spirit just need a companion? From what you’ve said, that’s what it sounds like.
That was the vibe, yeah.
What the Evil Spirit of the Ring wanted was a toy to play with. Needing a toy with a long-lasting battery, she had wanted a Roa’s core. A Roa was a semi-permanent toy.
—Then there’s no reason for me to die, is there?
I suppose you could look at it that way. You’ll just be a toy for her to play with.
—Then there’s no need to pull me out so violently. I will turn myself into a portable form. You just need to absorb me.
The miasma began to dissipate. The King of the Sewers cleared away the toxic gas he had been emitting for defense and adjusted his core to make it easy to take. Soon, the core shrank until it was small enough to fit in one hand.
—Take it. It’s better to be absorbed into the ring than to become food for the Villainesses.
You’re not planning to stab me in the back, are you?
—My goal is to reach the surface. As long as I can get there, I don’t care what happens. So, I will wait inside the ring until your life span ends and you die. This is better than being sealed and dying alone.
And so, he and I formed a contract. The King of the Sewers would help me until my life span ran out, and on the day I died, he would be released from the ring.
The crucial part was the condition of "dying because one's life span has ended." This didn't just mean a simple physical death. It meant a state where even a Resurrection Spell couldn't bring me back, just as it had been with Saintess Freya. Furthermore, we agreed that if my body was completely destroyed and I could no longer be resurrected in Sion’s body, it would also be considered the end of my life span.
So, it would likely be a very long time before he could be released. And by then, the Villainesses would have finished their recovery, so they could just catch and kill the released King again.
“Whew.”
I successfully extracted the core and fed it to the ring. When I opened my eyes after finishing the task, the remains of the King of the Sewers, which had been spewing pollutants, slowly melted away and began to vanish.
“Sion, is it over?”
“Perfectly. I’ve achieved the best possible outcome.”
I had disposed of the Roa’s corpse, secured a toy to satisfy the Evil Spirit of the Ring, and even succeeded in recruiting the King of the Sewers as my ally. It was the best result imaginable. Although the Villainesses must have worked like dogs to make this happen, I was perfectly satisfied since I had rested for three weeks.
“Now that the immediate fire is out, let’s head up. There’s so much to do.”
The most urgent matter was getting Chloe and Maximus out, as they were likely still trapped on the 6th floor. After that, I had to resurrect the dead Alraune’s body to find a place for Ulysses’s soul again.
And I need to deliver the holy relics to the Saintess candidates to select a new Saintess.
Once I delivered the Saintess’s notebook, rosary, and staff left behind by the Saintess from two generations ago, the Church would likely appoint Rosier, Irene, and Hylan—the three candidates—as Saintesses.
“Ah, before we go up, I need to meet Frodo.”
“That frogman?”
“Yes. I need to meet Frodo and give him the sarcophagus.”
I should give him the item he requested first. I moved toward the Residential Section with Lady Leah.
*
“Frodo. Are you there?”
Frodo’s residence was located in the most secluded corner of the Residential Section. It seemed he used it as a warehouse; being on the far outskirts, it was a rather gloomy and damp place.
“Is that the Porter?”
“Yes, yes. I’ve brought the Traveler’s Sarcophagus you asked for last time.”
“Really!? Come in, quickly. Ge-ek.”
At the news that I had brought the sarcophagus, Frodo hurriedly opened the door and welcomed us. His house had a low ceiling, so I had to crouch to avoid hitting my head. It was a very quaint and cozy home.
“What are these? Bugs?”
“They are dried bugs from the 4th floor of the Labyrinth. Kke-ek, don’t touch them carelessly.”
“Fine.”
The Lady grimaced as she looked at the dried monsters hanging in clusters from the ceiling. Whether they were for alchemy ingredients or for food, the house was filled with monster corpses and parts.
“Here, here. In this room, kke-ek. Can you take out the sarcophagus?”
“One moment. It’s quite large.”
“I know. Just take it out roughly. Kke-uk.”
Frodo showed me an empty room, and I took out the sarcophagus and placed it there. The sarcophagus was so large it nearly filled the room. Frodo stroked the Traveler’s Sarcophagus I had produced, nodding and croaking in satisfaction.
“This is it. Kke-uk. Now I can use this to bring back the things I left in the sarcophagus on the 7th floor. Ge-ek.”
“What exactly did you put in the sarcophagus on the 7th floor?”
“Alchemy materials and various rare things. Kke-uk. But of course, the most important are my eggs.”
“Pardon? Eggs? Aren’t you a male?”
“They aren’t eggs I laid! They are my kin’s eggs. Ge-ruk. I have a duty to hatch them and revive my race. Ge-ek.”
“Aha… But just in case, I have to ask. Your race isn't dangerous or anything, right? Like, they don't scream about exterminating humans?”
“Not at all. My race tends to be very socially inept. The ones newly born will likely be the same. Kke-ruk. If given a decent space, they are the type to live leisurely. Ke-ruk. We went extinct because of our gentle nature…”
He said they weren't a particularly dangerous race. I should mention this to the Druid Club President later. He knows a lot about the ecology of beastmen.
“Well then, we’ll be going now.”
“Wait! You have to take your reward! Here, here. Ke-ruk. Take this.”
Frodo pulled out a bottle containing a yellowish liquid and held it out to me.
“What is this?”
“A very rare substance. It is known as Soma. Kke-uk.”
“Soma?”
“Yes. It was once called the drink of the gods. Ge-ek. The moment you mix this with any medicine, its effects become permanent.”
“Permanent effects? You mean…”
“For example, if you mix this with a high-grade recovery potion that has a regeneration effect and drink it, that regeneration effect will stay with your body forever. Kke-uk. Simply put, it’s an item that turns a potion into an Ability.”
“That’s insane…!”
“The Soma in this bottle is diluted. You’ll need to use the whole bottle to see the effect. Do you understand? You just need to pick one potion you want and gain its permanent effect. Ke-ruk.”
What Frodo gave me was something truly unbelievable. An additive that could transform a single potion into an Ability. If I mixed Soma into an invisibility potion, I would gain permanent invisibility.
“Think carefully before you use it. Kke-uk. Since the effect is permanent, you’ll be in big trouble if you use it on something you can’t turn off.”
“I understand. I’ll be careful.”
“Kke-uk. Good. Now go on.”
In exchange for the Traveler’s Sarcophagus, I had obtained something quite extraordinary. I should show the Soma to Lafnel. She would probably be able to make the perfect potion for it.