Bargain with Envy
Mumyeong's words made Sa Choiheon's eyes widen.
'A deal with the Seven Deadly Sins?'
The Seven Deadly Sins weren't the type you could reason with.
In Sa Choiheon's repeated regressions, they had been harbingers of the apocalypse—utterly mad.
They destroyed and slaughtered solely for annihilation. Humanity had suffered catastrophic losses before barely managing to take them down.
Dialogue had been impossible.
They saw humans as insignificant insects.
'Of course, the situation now is different from back then.'
The Seven Deadly Sins had descended far earlier than expected—before the Tutorial even began.
Without Mumyeong, humanity would have had no resistance at all.
And yet, they had been defeated.
Pride died the moment it faced Mumyeong.
Sloth lost even after deploying its dream realm.
Envy fell to Mumyeong's apostles and fled—only to fail even at that and get captured by the Star of Prophets.
'...This whole situation is impossible.'
Especially the Star of Prophets capturing one of them—that was unprecedented.
Envy's pride must have been shattered beyond repair.
'Not sure if a deal will work.'
They craved the apocalypse.
Nothing short of that could serve as bargaining material. Even Sloth had accepted death with equanimity.
"A deal? Don't talk bullshit. You think catching me makes you hot shit...?"
As Sa Choiheon predicted, Envy's reaction was fierce. Even bound tight, it showed no fear.
Behind the glass, Envy thrashed wildly.
Mumyeong fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"Then I'll kill you."
"...!"
Grind.
Envy inside the glass clenched its teeth.
It began glaring straight ahead with murderous eyes.
Blood vessels burst in its pupils.
Sa Choiheon's brow furrowed. An unexpected response.
He'd thought it would just demand death.
Unlike Sloth, Envy didn't reply to the threat.
Did it want to live?
At that moment, the Blue Dragon stepped forward from the back.
With a relaxed smile, it leaned toward the mic.
"Envy, you might not know me, but I know a bit about you."
"Shut up!"
Envy thrashed even harder at those words.
"You have a reason to stay alive, right? Am I wrong?"
Envy froze mid-twist.
"Ha, what the hell would you know?"
"I used to be a constellation, and you're a proxy bound to the System. It'd be weirder if I didn't know. Right?"
Before arriving at the Bulmyeol Guild, the Blue Dragon had discussed it with the group.
"If we've caught one of the Seven Deadly Sins, why not make it summon the others?"
"They're not the type you can talk to. They're just destroyers who enjoy it—kill 'em and done."
"Hold on."
Lucifer shook his head at Mumyeong's words, but the Blue Dragon spoke up as if struck by inspiration.
"Envy might... be open to negotiation."
"Huh? How?"
"Anyone with desires is easy to persuade."
Envy had fled mid-battle, abandoning even its pride in a pathetic scramble.
To survive.
To preserve its life.
That was unbecoming of a Deadly Sin. Death held no end for them—if the System arrived in another world, they'd return.
That was why Sloth accepted death so calmly. Though it probably couldn't escape via the Apocalypse Temple anyway.
Regardless, Envy had fought to the bitter end to live.
Dragging its wounded body in a desperate escape.
Why? Because it had a goal.
"Apocalypse Apostle—a pitiful existence, stripped of free will for the world's end. A lesser being."
"Kuh, I told you to shut up. What do you know?"
"I know plenty."
And the Blue Dragon understood that goal perfectly.
"You want to become a higher being. To break free from the System's chains and gain independence... you can't just die for that."
Envy went blank, as if struck on the head.
"Wh-what? How do you...?"
"I told you, I saw it. I like looking down from above."
The Blue Dragon spoke with a nonchalant smile.
"Help my master, and I'll tell you how to ascend."
To cut to the chase,
Envy accepted the offer.
It had no choice.
'Damn.'
Sa Choiheon was impressed.
'Negotiating with a Deadly Sin...'
He was a little shocked.
In a way, it made sense.
Humans couldn't offer Envy anything satisfying.
To the Sins, humans were just targets for destruction.
But a constellation?
That changed everything.
Whirr—.
Envy was dragged out through the opening door.
The Blue Dragon grabbed the binding ropes demonstratively.
"But is it okay to just tell it how to become a higher being?"
In response to Joo Kanghyeok's question, the Blue Dragon replied lightly.
"It's not that valuable to us—we couldn't use it anyway. And most importantly, it'll buy us time."
"Buy time?"
"System info restrictions mean it'll take time to explain."
"So...?"
"Yeah, we can squeeze it for work until those restrictions lift."
If the Blue Dragon died somehow, the info would be lost forever.
Envy would have no choice but to anxiously serve Mumyeong.
"Nice. You've got a solid underling there. Devilish thinking."
Lucifer grinned in satisfaction.
"All thanks to Master. Without you, a constellation like me wouldn't have descended as an apostle."
The Blue Dragon downplayed it, but taming a Deadly Sin was no small feat.
"So... what do I have to do?"
The bound Envy glared at Mumyeong.
"Oh? Not lowering those eyes?"
Smack.
Lucifer's fist slammed into Envy.
"Gah! You fucking mutt!"
Envy raged, but bound as it was, it posed no threat.
"Making a Deadly Sin cooperate... now that's something."
Sa Choiheon muttered in shock.
It was an incomprehensible scene.
But no need to worry—Mumyeong was strong enough.
Then came the bombshell.
"We'll use the source of magi to hunt the Seven Deadly Sins."
Mumyeong said it like it was the most obvious thing.
"...!"
Sa Choiheon was speechless. The Star of Prophets beside him froze too.
"Th-that's why you pulled me out? You crazy bastards...!"
Even Deadly Sin Envy looked flustered.
Ignoring the reactions, Mumyeong turned to Gabriel.
"Gabriel, tackle the unsolved labyrinths."
"Okay."
Then to Cheon Iryeong.
"Cheon Iryeong Hunter, learn baking."
Cheon Iryeong nodded curiously.
While the Blue Dragon negotiated with Envy, she'd learned about the pinnacle of the ma-in from the Star of Prophets.
"Even if you know of it, you can't win. Finding it means death."
It was far stronger than she imagined.
It would reveal itself after the Tutorial.
No one knew when, but she had to grow stronger for it.
'Baking this time.'
Following blacksmithing.
Still a baffling request, but to truly become Mumyeong's disciple, she couldn't be picky.
What she'd learned so far was already tremendous.
If it meant getting stronger, she'd sell her soul to the devil.
"Yes. I'll learn it."
Cheon Iryeong replied with that resolve.
"Then let's head out."
Step, step.
Mumyeong started walking, followed by his apostles and the Deadly Sin.
"Wait... I'm coming too."
Sa Choiheon followed behind.
Preparations for post-Tutorial were mostly done.
Better to brace for any accidents during the Sin hunt.
Shh.
Elise Grainzer of the Star of Prophets vanished.
With Envy handed over, her task was complete.
An unprecedented Deadly Sin hunt.
No thought of failure.
So the Star of Prophets prepared for the post-Tutorial era as well.
Labyrinths dotted across the nation.
Reporters and hunters still waited there.
A C-rank labyrinth in Gyeonggi Province was no different.
"...Is Mumyeong really coming?"
"He is. He's cleared F, E, and D labyrinths already. He'll hit the higher ones eventually, right?"
The rookie reporter and his senior sat camped in front of the labyrinth.
The issue was no one knew exactly when.
"With the SS-rank gate cleared, he should show soon."
The rookie spoke confidently. The senior wasn't much more senior—that's why they were assigned here.
The rookie was gung-ho, even subsisting on kimbap to avoid leaving his post.
"If I could just see him once..."
"He only properly showed at the SS-rank gate."
"So jealous. I should've been there. But if he hits a labyrinth, at least it's a scoop..."
Doubtful.
The senior shook his head.
The SS-rank gate clear was yesterday.
With the Tutorial ending and chaos ensuing, even Mumyeong at a labyrinth might not make news.
Then—
Whoosh—!
White feathers drifted from the sky.
Someone landed lightly on the ground.
A pure white-winged angel with golden hair to her waist.
Onlookers gasped in unison.
Her face was covered, but it couldn't hide her beauty.
"Waaah!"
"Mumyeong's ally?"
"It's the angel!"
"Did Mumyeong Hunter come too?"
Click! Click!
Frantic shutters and buzzing hunters.
Gabriel was called "the angel."
As she headed for the entrance, Gabriel paused and turned, raising a hand to the cameras.
V-sign.
Shutter sounds accelerated.
"Whoa, huge! Massive scoop!"
"Eh, is it that big a deal...?"
The excited rookie and skeptical senior.
Gabriel's fan service.
She then proceeded into the labyrinth.
One, two.
Kicking off, she accelerated.
Kaboom—!
The apostle's power, which devoured even SS-rank gate monsters, shook the C-rank labyrinth.
The clear was instantaneous.
C-rank Labyrinth Dungeon has been cleared.
Clear Level: Legend
Outstanding Achievement!
A few constellations take note of this clear.
Ranking points calculated.
Rewards distributed.
Gabriel picked up the rewards and stowed them in the sub-space pouch from Sa Choiheon.
She even checked the market price on the way out.
"Made 800 million."
She muttered to herself, messaging her master—with a dancing bear emoticon.
"Angel! Look this way!"
"Can I get an autograph?!"
"Where's Mumyeong...?!"
Boom—!
Surrounded by the crowd, Gabriel leaped into the sky, wings spread, gliding to the next labyrinth.
C-rank down—B-rank next.
South America, Amazon.
Mumyeong's group trekked through the dense jungle.
"Kuh, this jerk just made 800 million."
Lucifer checked his smartphone, brow furrowed in strange rivalry.
"So where are we headed? Try any funny business, and..."
Envy winced at Lucifer's snappy tone. Still wearing the seal.
"Funny business? Summoning sites for Deadly Sins are fixed."
Pride in Seoul, Korea.
Sloth in China's Gobi Desert.
Envy in America's Grand Canyon.
And even if it tried, it'd just get crushed by Mumyeong.
"B-but... is it okay to betray fellow Sins?"
Yu Jihun, Bulmyeol's space specialist, was with them.
His spatial jumps got them to Brazil fast—multiple trips, but way quicker than flying.
Envy clicked its tongue.
"Tch, like we'd have camaraderie. We cooperate 'cause goals align. Memory link's cut, so no skin off my back."
Envy glanced back while walking.
"You'll keep your promise, right?"
"Of course. A constellation's word weighs more than life."
The Blue Dragon shrugged.
"Damn, how'd I end up like this...?"
Envy grumbled but kept moving—no alternatives.
Still, learning ascension? Profitable.
Soon, a towering ruin appeared.
"Here. Can summon from this spot."
Envy stepped onto a flat platform.
The Blue Dragon pulled a black orb from his sub-space backpack—the source of magi.
Sa Choiheon scanned the surroundings tensely.
Less than half a day till Tutorial end.
This period blurred myths and legends into the present world.
Meaning...
Rumble—!
A long-necked dinosaur emerged from the foliage. Yu Jihun's eyes shook.
"Wh-what?! Dungeon break?"
Not just here.
Similar scenes worldwide right now.
As Sa Choiheon reached for his scabbard—
Whoosh—!
The massive sauropod exploded on the spot. Not Sa Choiheon's doing—Mumyeong's.
Mumyeong casually shifted to the ruin.
Sa Choiheon released his grip.
"As the Tutorial ends, world boundaries destabilize. Other dimensions bleed into gates and dungeons."
"Haa... what's the world coming to...?"
Yu Jihun clutched his chest.
"Y-yeah. Time to summon. Focus, humans."
Envy stammered.
A bit cowed by the explosion. First time seeing Mumyeong's power up close.
Damn lucky not to have faced it directly.
"Beginning."
Envy placed a hand on the ruin, orb in the other.
Hummm—!
Fierce magi torrent swirled. Trees and vines shook; hidden birds fled skyward.
'Sigh, how'd it come to this.'
This was basically offering Sins to Mumyeong on a platter.
No pride left.
But did that matter?
Not really.
Envy lamented but continued.
Finally—
Kaboom—!
Purple lightning struck the ruin's center. Shockwave ravaged the area.
Ground charred black; trees to ash.
High-density energy.
Blue Dragon and Lucifer shielded Mumyeong; Yu Jihun's space barrier protected Sa Choiheon.
Smoke cleared.
A man in black armor appeared.
He brushed back his blond hair, smiling.
Deadly Sin Greed.
Upon descent, it checked prior Sins' memories.
Quite intriguing.
Current humanity was weak.
Tutorial just starting.
Yet a powerful foe emerged, killing Pride and Sloth.
Named 'Mumyeong'.
A being of immense power even Sins couldn't handle.
Even more satisfying to crush.
Kill Mumyeong, and humanity's doom was sealed.
Swish.
As Greed smiled and looked up—
Its eyes reflected a black-robed figure.
A very familiar robe.
From the Sins' memories.
Greed stiffened.
Summoned meant relative safety, right?
So why was its greatest enemy right there...?
It wanted to kill Mumyeong.
But not now.
Freshly summoned, it was most vulnerable.
Before Greed could gather its thoughts—
"Die."
Mumyeong's flat voice echoed.