The Relic Temple's True Purpose
I checked the relics tucked away in my pocket. These were the ones I'd obtained after defeating the dark elf guardians. Every user encountered slightly different enemies in Stage 4, but all of them had guardians and relics. The relics all served the same purposes.
The most common use was eating them. I had no idea who first thought to put a relic in their mouth, but doing so raised your stats. It was similar to the Fruit of Good and Evil, only more effective. Since I was already acquiring far superior fruits compared to other users, eating the relics wasn't an option.
The second use was selling them. Unknown sponsors would randomly approach users and trade items for the relics. Whatever the sponsors did with them didn't matter— from a user's perspective, the exchange was valuable enough. Most users hoarded their relics until the end of Stage 4, trading them if a sponsor appeared and eating them if one didn't. This had become the standard approach.
But I intended to use the final method. Perhaps the original purpose: unsealing the relics.
Stage 1 was a prison, Stage 2 a bandit camp, and Stage 3 a city. So what was this place? Users called it the Maze of Evolution because of the explosive growth it offered, but that was only from our perspective. What did the maze mean to its original inhabitants? One user had taken an interest in that question.
He wondered why the guardians never consumed the relics if their purpose was simply to raise stats. Even if the relics were precious, a guardian on the verge of death could have swallowed one. The user searched the entire maze for the relics' true use, operating under the hypothesis that if the guardians had brought them here, their purpose must exist somewhere in this space.
And he discovered the Relic Temple.
Upon entering, he learned how to use the relics. They were actually seals, and the enemies had entered the maze to unseal them. Once he found the method, he immediately released the seal. With a brilliant flash of light, countless enemies poured out from the relic and attacked him.
Most community posts ended with the first discoverer dying and waiting for another user to continue the story. But the curious user was strong. He annihilated every summoned enemy and dug deeper into the mystery until he reached an interpretation.
The beings sealed inside the relics were the enemies' ancient forces. In the distant past, their race had sealed powerful warriors inside relics to avert a crisis. Later generations, facing an actual threat, had entered the maze to find the power their ancestors had prepared.
And that was the end of it. Releasing the seals and defeating the ancient warriors yielded no special benefits. As a result, the Relic Temple was designated an access-forbidden zone. It contained powerful ancient warriors, but offered no special rewards. There was no reason for users to enter.
So why was I going to unseal them? The answer was obvious. I already had more Fruits of Good and Evil than I could use. Items that only raised stats held little value. But an item that summoned numerous intelligent, humanoid troops capable of communicating through speech? I'd pay to get more of those.
"I'll look into it later," I muttered, cracking open the palanquin slightly and speaking to Nareun-i. "I'm going to take a nap, so store the fruits inside. Wake me when we reach the Relic Temple."
"Yes, understood."
I hadn't slept at all last night while hunting scarecrows. I planned to rest while testing the automation. While I slept, Nareun-i would handle my proxy duties using the snake bracelet and whistle.
With the increase in monkey evolution forms, I could now organize troops into squad units. We called them spectacled monkeys for convenience. The zombie squads were dispatched to low-risk zones. Nareun-i would act as the command tower, repeatedly summoning and deploying them with the bracelet and whistle.
High-risk zones could be handled without issue by sending Bangsil-i, Boots, and the bulls. Baengnae had gone to the "Sea Lion's Feast Hall." She claimed the high-risk zone was teeming with sea lions whose meat was rich and delicious. In other words, she'd gone there under the pretext of clearing native creatures, but really just to snack.
"Well, at least she's working..."
There was a saying back on Earth. If you stay still and lose money, you're a dirt spoon. If you stay still and keep your money, you're a silver spoon. If you stay still and money keeps coming in, you're a gold spoon. An life where fruits of good and evil multiplied even while sleeping. Starting today, I was a gold spoon too.
63% in favor. Rabbit's joint investment proposal had passed by a hair's breadth. It couldn't be helped—the executives belonging to the megacorporation "Death" had all voted against it. But Rabbit didn't complain. They had likely calculated that personally benefiting through Success Myth would be more advantageous. However, if an investigation from Death revealed they had voted in favor, it could put them in a difficult position.
Smiling as if she fully respected everyone's opinions, Rabbit moved on to the main topic.
"Since it's passed, please take a look at this."
The materials Rabbit handed over detailed the interference currently being conducted by the mid-sized company "Yeon"—a method of connecting summoners to other summoners' worlds.
"Oho...?"
"This is interesting."
When the executives showed interest, Rabbit added, "We could probably do this too, don't you think?"
A brief silence followed, then positive responses began to flow.
"Right, there's no reason we couldn't."
"It seems feasible. With a few of you assisting, we could create something similar."
"So this is why you proposed the joint investment?"
"As expected of you. You had it all planned out!"
Rabbit smiled. Judging from their reactions, they were genuinely motivated to proceed. She explained the detailed plan.
"I've been studying Earth's cultures recently and discovered something quite fascinating. They practice monogamy."
"Monogamy?"
"Indeed! It's a peculiar culture where one selects only a single partner for life."
"Good heavens...?"
"How barbaric...!"
"How could they preserve superior genes through such a method?"
Rabbit shrugged. "Why they did so requires further research. But the important point is that such paired partners hold considerable influence over each other—regardless of the balance of power!"
A murmur spread through the room. Realizing her research had sufficiently shocked the executives, Rabbit smiled and delivered the conclusion she'd prepared.
"Therefore, I propose implementing Pillow Whisper Authority!"
"Pillow Whisper Authority? What on earth is that?"
"I've never heard of it."
"Hoho. It's the crystallization of a unique culture found only on Earth. A four-character idiom meaning the female whispers her desires to the male and makes him obey!"
The sponsors applauded Rabbit's knowledge. They didn't know what a four-character idiom was, but they admired the pioneering spirit of already exploring the new rider's world and his insightful research approach.
Thus began the creation of the "Wife List" designed to ensnare the Zombie Summoner and change his sponsor. The most excellent and attractive females would be selected as his wives and dispatched to him. And according to Earth's laws, he would surely obey the words of the females who became his wives.
"Master, Master. We've arrived."
I woke to Nareun-i's voice. Looking around, I saw dozens of Fruits of Good and Evil piled inside the palanquin. My gold-spoon lifestyle was a success.
"Hmm, good. Though there are more than I expected...?"
"How long was I asleep?"
"You slept for eight hours."
I tilted my head. In just eight hours, I'd accumulated more fruits than I'd obtained over the past two days.
"Is this... the power of automation? No matter how much our forces have grown, the acquisition rate is incredible...?"
More was better, after all. Savoring my newfound wealth, I picked up one fruit and popped it straight into my mouth. A refreshing wave of stat increases washed over me.
Stepping out of the palanquin, I saw magnificent stone buildings layered one upon another. Truly worthy of being called a temple. From now on, I would begin conquering the Relic Temple.
First, I confirmed an important condition.
"No one was sent to the Frog Pirate Ship zone, right?"
"Correct. No forces were dispatched to the four zones you mentioned."
"Good. Then shall we begin?"
I walked steadily into the temple's interior. There were no native creatures here—only countless murals painted on the walls and a massive pond at the center. If read in the proper arrangement, the murals would reveal their secrets. But another user had already done that work for me. All I needed to do was reap the rewards.
I took out a relic and dropped it into the pond.
Plop—
This was the simple method: when pond water touched the relic, the seal would be released. Soon, light began rising from the relic. Within five minutes, the seal would break and ancient dark elves would be summoned. Where? Around the glowing relic.
Hum—
I immediately turned and sprinted at full speed. I wasn't running away. After all, I held the glowing relic in my hand.
Whoosh—
After running for a bit, the Relic Temple zone ended and the Frog Pirate Ship zone began. This was a high-risk zone with swamp terrain. Numerous pirate ships dotted the area, each carrying at least a hundred frogman pirates. The relic finally began emitting a brilliant, multicolored light. The summoning was about to begin.
I hurled the relic with all my strength toward the nearest pirate ship.
Whoosh—
Thud—
When something fell onto their ship, the frogmen interpreted it as an attack and shouted at me. They swung their cannons toward me, while others prepared to disembark and charge with swords drawn.
I waved at them.
"Good luck!"
The furious pirates froze.
Shhh—
Shhh—
"Ribbit?"
The dark elf warriors summoned from the past to save their descendants had arrived. The frogs and dark elves stared blankly at each other. Those who had crossed over to save future generations found no descendants—only strangely shaped pirates filling the area.
The conclusion was unanimous.
"Enemies! These inferior creatures have invaded the great dark elves' territory! Kill them all!"
The battle began. Of course, the elves could easily handle a single ship. But the pirates formed a grand alliance. If one ship was attacked, others would swarm in—that was what made this a high-risk zone.
Watching them begin fighting, I turned away.
"Good, one problem solved."
What I needed were corpses, after all. But did I really have to make them myself? If they fought each other and my zombies arrived afterward to pick up the pieces, that would suffice. Using relics was a matter of personal style.