Greed's Uroboros Nest (1)

After a night of good times, I woke up to the morning light and fell back asleep. It was already late afternoon when I finally woke from my slumber. Aquaril hadn't shaken off her fatigue yet, so she didn't stir when I got up from the bed.

—!

I kissed her forehead as she slept deeply, grabbed a towel, and headed to the bathroom. My body was sticky from the sweat I'd shed last night.

"My levels have gone up quite a bit."

I stood under the shower, letting the water cascade over me while I mentally sorted out everything I still needed to do.

To me, everything was still lacking, but the hidden stage had been like a downpour in a drought. I could gain massive experience points, and just from clearing the hidden stage and leveling up, my levels had jumped by a full four. Yet I still felt woefully underprepared.

The hidden stage had let my levels soar, but without growth stones, my stats remained exactly where they'd been before. The only way to fix that would be to use my potential, but...

No matter how I looked at it, it felt like a waste. Using my potential now would yield terrible efficiency. I'd invested tens of millions of gold into my main account, and even my no-gain account had been growing, so I knew that when I pushed the no-gain account to its absolute limit for rapid growth, I needed every last drop of efficiency.

With gold, I could use any resources I had. The shortage of materials could always be solved with money.

But with the no-gain account, that option was impossible. I had to be extremely careful—using resources only when they were truly necessary, only in the places where they mattered most.

The saying that a failed gold account becomes a no-gain account and a failed no-gain account becomes trash is not without reason.

Of course, I could still use the no-gain account's resources just for fun. After all, games are meant to be fun.

But this was reality. If I wasted resources purely for amusement, my entire life would spiral into ruin.

When there was truly no other way, I would use my potential as a last resort.

"I suppose I really have to clear the dungeon."

I needed to target a dungeon that specifically dropped growth stones. Right now I was level 9 and Aquaril was level 16, so I needed a dungeon with a minimum appropriate level of at least 16.

I already had one in mind.

But there was one problem...

"Will Uroboros even allow me to clear her dungeon?"

Right. Uroboros.

Yes.

The dungeon I'd thought of for growth-stone farming was the [Greed's Uroboros Nest], the 10-star monster Uroboros herself who had granted me my unique mythic-grade class.

Unlike other dungeons, this was a relay dungeon, so I could always find one matching our levels. Plus, as a dungeon, I could get gems as a one-time exploration reward.

Growth stones and gems—truly a one-stone-two-bird deal!

Clearing relay dungeons meant our actions wouldn't be noticed by potential enemies like Hwaryongwang, so it was best to quietly clear the dungeon here until we reached a level where we could at least face Hwaryongwang.

"If she doesn't allow it, I'll have to follow Plan A."

Just as there is a Plan A, there is also a Plan B. Clearing Greed's Uroboros Nest was Plan B.

My original Plan A had been to launch a guerrilla attack on the dungeon controlled by Hwaryongwang, the master with the royal title.

Hwaryongwang possessed more fairies than anyone else in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Indigo, but he kept four of them constantly at his side, never letting them stray even for a moment.

In practice, the ones actively operating outside were Aquaril and Ryona. With just the two of them, we could handle dungeon clearing and keep an eye on the prince and princess. That naturally left dungeon control to the soldiers.

Everyone in this world had status windows. Innkeepers had them, and so did people wandering the streets.

But only a tiny fraction could see and grow through those status windows. People called it receiving the [Divine Selection].

Since the day I first opened my eyes and could see other people's status windows, I'd taken every chance to peek at strangers' stats.

Average adults sat around 5 points. Soldiers guarding Princess Prisia Lily's estate were around 6 to 7. Naturally, none of them had any skills.

Even if they were Hwaryongwang's soldiers, they were still ordinary people, so there wouldn't be much difference from Princess Lily's soldiers.

"Then I could just knock them out and sneak in while they're unconscious."

With me and Aquaril right now, six of those soldiers would be no problem to subdue. Stun them, then quietly clear the dungeon, right?

Hwaryongwang couldn't stop my growth.

But there was one problem: my actions would eventually be revealed to Hwaryongwang. Plus, if Aquaril saw me, she'd easily figure out I'd stolen her ownership. I was a mutant who could steal another master's fairy ownership.

If my existence and abilities became known to the world, I'd instantly become public enemy number one to countless masters. Masters in other cities were far stronger than Hwaryongwang, the ruler of Indigo.

If they targeted me, no matter how many Uroboros's Avatar classes I had, I'd be dead.

Death...

"Ugh, damn it. I hate that so much."

Imagining myself being killed by a master's attack made my whole body tremble. Because I'd already died once before, I wanted it even less now. If I could, I wanted to live for a thousand or ten thousand years without dying.

To do that, I needed to craft a plan for the future—not just any plan, but one as precise and interlocking as gears.

"...I will never die."

Whatever it takes, I will never die.

"Hwaryongwang, Princess Lily, Indigo... what to do about them?"

The first gear in my plan was the master with the royal title, Hwaryongwang, the traitor Princess Prisia Lily, and this city, Indigo.

*****

"Damn it. I told you I wouldn't come here again, yet here you are."

"Hehe."

Aquaril let out a small laugh, as if she'd heard my muttering.

Unlike my usual habit of carrying just a single sword, we now had heavy bags packed with supplies on our backs.

"Let's go."

"Yes, Master."

Aquaril and I headed once more toward the sewer stinking of filth—the location of Plan B, the relay dungeon [Greed's Uroboros Nest].

If Uroboros allowed the dungeon clearance, we planned to max out all seven stats to the maximum of 20 points each.

That was why I'd bought not only the five-slot inventory but also a large-capacity bag and stuffed them full of daily necessities. I'd also sold all the 2 million gold and gems I'd gained from clearing the hidden stage to buy new weapons.

I'd spent everything on leather armor for the upper and lower body, boots with spikes that could be used as weapons in an emergency, 1-star iron swords, shields, and more.

After all that preparation, what if Uroboros didn't allow it?

There was no choice. I'd have to proceed with Plan A.

"By the way, your hair ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dye ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠turned out great. Your natural hair color was already pretty, and now it's even prettier."

"Hehe. Thank you, Master."

Aquaril blushed at my praise and gave a bashful smile. Her dark blue hair, which had reached down to her waist, had been dyed into a golden blonde.

Probably because Aquaril was one of Indigo's notable figures, I'd dyed her hair gold to prepare in case her identity was exposed. Changing just her hair color had completely transformed her atmosphere.

Previously she had a calm, composed feel; now with blonde hair, she radiated vitality.

We'd been chatting lightly until we finally fell silent and focused on walking. The sewer stench made me reluctant to open my mouth.

Still, thanks to our focus on walking, we quickly broke through the sewer and arrived at Greed's Uroboros Nest.

"Haa! We're finally here!"

"Will you be entering right away?"

"Let's fill our stomachs a bit and then go in."

"Yes, Master."

I took a sandwich and a bottle of white milk from the bag and ate a simple lunch. It wasn't enough to fill my stomach, but since we'd enter the dungeon the moment Uroboros gave permission, I ate just enough.

I entered the dungeon and was greeted by the familiar notification window. It was indeed an F-rank dungeon, but the air inside felt different from outside. Because of the monsters, the dungeon's atmosphere felt strangely heavier than the outside world.

"Stay back for a moment."

"Yes, Master."

I pushed Aquaril behind me and lay flat on the ground, shouting in a loud voice.

"I, the paper who has come to the master of the greedy god and the lowly creature, Uroboros-nim, report my arrival!"

'Damn it.'

Using such a lofty title for a mere monster I needed to hunt filled me with humiliation. But right now I was far weaker than Uroboros, so there was no choice.

Swish—

'Kuk!'

"Uuu...!"

After waiting a moment, I felt my body grow heavy. It was as if gravity had multiplied by hundreds. Aquaril, who had been lying on the ground behind me, felt the change in gravity and let out a groan.

Soon a notification window appeared before me.

Uroboros's voice echoed in my ears—or rather, inside my head. It was a languid, middle-aged woman's voice.

"I have come to make one request of Uroboros-nim."

[A request... What is it?]

"I wish to hunt the creatures living in this dungeon where Uroboros-nim resides!"

[Hunting? You want to kill my servants. Is that what you're saying?]

"...Yes, Master!"

For some reason, her tone sounded amused, and I answered with tension in my heart. That amused tone was never a good one. It felt like she was saying, 'You dare claim to kill my servants? Hah! How amusing?'

Bang! Bang! Bang!

My heart began to race rapidly. I desperately prayed that Uroboros would allow the dungeon clearance. I'd wasted nearly a whole day coming here.

[Then do so.]

"Huh? Kuk!"

To my surprise, that was the answer.

Startled by Uroboros's reply, I tried to lift my head, but her presence still weighed heavily, so I couldn't move.

She had approved it?

Uroboros had approved dungeon clearance so easily that all the sweet words I'd prepared the night before felt pointless. It was like preparing answers to interview questions, then being asked on the spot, 'You're hired!'

In ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠other words, it was good news.

[Is that all your business?]

"Y-yes, Master!"

[Understood. For now, I will sleep to recover my strength. Do not call me for such trivial matters again. Understood?]

"I am truly sorry for waking Master from his slumber! And I am deeply grateful for Master’s magnanimous heart!"

Swish—

The presence that had been suppressing me and Aquaril vanished.

"Whew! I'm sweating like crazy."

Just the appearance of Uroboros had made sweat pour down my body as if I'd stepped into a sauna. The difference between a 10-star monster and a 1-star fairy was that vast.

'I got some good information.'

And with unexpected information, I smiled inwardly.

Uroboros had said she was sleeping to recover her strength. That meant she had spent power somewhere to fall into such deep sleep.

For me, who saw even this powerful 10-star monster Uroboros as mere prey, it was excellent information.

"Rise, Aquaril. Let's clear the dungeon."

"Yes, Master... Haa!"

"Whoa...! Be careful!"

As Aquaril tried to stand, her legs gave out and she staggered. I quickly caught her before she fell.

"I... I apologize, Master. May I rest for just a moment?"

"Why not? I wanted to rest too."

The presence of a 10-star monster was clearly too much for a 1-star fairy like Aquaril to handle. I was also a 1-star like her, but thanks to my Uroboros's Avatar class, I could endure it more easily than she could.

We rested at the dungeon entrance until our bodies recovered.

"Shall we?"

"Yes, Master. I am sorry for making you wait because of me."

"What are you talking about."

A short while later, we began the dungeon clearance.