Chapter 76

The bulletin board of Player Talk was exploding in real time.

- Wow, already Phase 3?

- Wasn't it Phase 2 just 10 minutes ago?

- But how many phases are there?

- Even if there are many, usually Phase 3 is the end, right?

- As I was saying, it's already Phase 4!

- What a big deal;;

- Is the Sword Saint Ralil weak or something?

- Bullshit. He's a hero who took down a dragon's head alone.

- She probably fought the Demon King too?

- Legends are always exaggerated. Ralil is probably just weak.

That was when it happened.

As soon as the message about entering Phase 4 appeared,

- Huh?

- What?

- What, retreating?

- They left the dungeon?

The news came that Gracia had logged out and left the dungeon.

The exact message was, "The Challenger Sword Saint has retreated."

Gracia, who had quickly reached Phase 4, retreated as soon as she got there.

It was as if she had seen something she shouldn't have.

- What, the next challenger is already here.

- The Empire's Three Swords? Who is this?

- The Empire of Arhon?

- Wow, they were eyeing it too, I guess.

- If Gracia couldn't do it, can the Empire?

- The Empire might be able to. Their strong ones are really strong.

About 30 seconds after they entered,

- No, the Empire also retreated immediately.

- What's in Phase 4?

- What did they see to leave so quickly?

- If Gracia and the Empire can't do it, it's probably impossible.

- But the Four Kings are still around, lol. I bet the Four Kings will do it.

- But if the White King's influence grows, won't it be a bigger problem?

- It really seems like it will be a disaster.

- I'll put up a picture of the White King at home from today.

- You're crazy.......

*

Greed and I emerged from the Golden Abyss.

When we returned to the original underground dungeon, the surroundings were empty.

'Where did Isaac and Isabella go?'

No one was there.

I thought they would naturally be waiting.

But then I frowned.

'Bloodstains?'

No one was there, only bloodstains.

It was definitely human blood.

Did Isaac and Isabella encounter danger?

Just in case, I used a 'detector,' but nothing was detected.

It seemed a battle had taken place.

Not a fierce one, but the bloodstains indicated they had been ambushed.

'They were ambushed and fled.'

Fortunately, the amount of blood wasn't enough to cause immediate death.

It was one person's blood, but I couldn't tell whose.

They were definitely ambushed and fled.

'Who?'

While I was in the Golden Abyss, someone must have entered the underground dungeon.

One of them. Who?

Gracia challenged the Sword Saint and retreated. The entity called the Empire's Three Swords was probably the Silver Fox Mask.

There was someone else besides them.

'I need to buy the necessary items from the dungeon merchant.'

I had a rough idea of the direction they fled, but the blood trail didn't continue.

I judged that blindly searching would be inefficient.

It was more practical to buy tracking-related tools from the dungeon merchant.

- The dungeon merchant will appear soon. Please wait in advance.

"Do you know where they will appear?"

- I have an idea. I've been here for a long time...

Fortunately.

After all, no one is as familiar with the dungeon as the Golden Goblins.

And Greed, the leader, is even more so.

Greed led the way.

After walking for about an hour and stopping,

《The 'Underground Dungeon Merchant' has appeared at 568.1199!》

... The dungeon merchant, a vending machine, appeared right in front of us.

It was amazing. They pinpointed the location accurately.

- Insert the Golden Ticket to open the door. But I don't know anything beyond that.

Greed said, looking apologetic for not being able to explain further.

It was natural, as I had never inserted a Golden Ticket into the vending machine myself.

There was no need to feel apologetic.

I shrugged and slowly inserted the Golden Ticket I received from Greed into the vending machine.

At that moment,

《The 'Golden Ticket of Greed' has been used.》

《A 'Hidden Event' has occurred!》

《The 'Dungeon Merchant's' sales list has changed.》

《The 'Golden Law Door' leading to 'Sword Saint Ralil' has opened.》

The door opened, and the merchant's sales list changed.

And the moment I saw the new sales list,

'... This is real.'

Items that were almost impossible to obtain through normal means.

They appeared before my eyes.

The sales list I had seen from the 'Dungeon Merchant' before was just a taste.

No, compared to what was now before me, it was just a taste.

It was fake. A bait to hide the real items.

'Thinking about inserting a ticket into the vending machine is difficult.'

Event.

It probably refers to the act of inserting a ticket into the vending machine named the 'Dungeon Merchant.'

There was a high possibility that inserting the 'Dungeon Ticket' I bought from a merchant on the surface would trigger a similar event.

'The type of ticket inserted determines the level.'

Naturally, the list would change depending on the ticket inserted.

The 'Golden Ticket of Greed' I inserted now was obtained from the ruler of the Overlapping Abyss.

It deserved to be called 'Hidden.'

To find the underground dungeon, defeat ten Golden Goblins alone, and then defeat Greed to obtain this ticket.

What are the odds of that happening?

So, this is real.

「Hydra Dragon's Soul - 100 points」

「Executioner's Soul - 200 points」

「Golden Dragonling's Soul - 400 points」

「Blade Lion's Soul - 400 points」

Four types of souls.

All four are almost impossible to obtain.

Just the Hydra Dragon's Soul, for example, might be possessed by one person in Pangea, excluding me.

'They can be used to transcend with the same soul.'

Not only that.

These types of souls are generally materials for 'Unique-grade' items.

The materials are hard to obtain, and their grade as materials is significantly different.

Nothing is worth discarding.

I am confident that the value of these souls is higher than the assigned points.

But the points are the issue.

I can't afford them with the points I have so far.

'The points I gained after defeating Greed in the final battle were 1,000.'

However, I had also looted the last points from Greed.

It was a whopping 1,000 points.

Combined with my existing points, I had about 1,350 points.

Enough to buy all four souls.

But I couldn't buy them immediately.

The list wasn't just that.

「Greed's Brand - 500 points」

「Brand of Trials - 500 points」

「Brand of Roar - 500 points」

「Brand of Death - 500 points」

Four types of brands.

Brands are tattoos with abilities.

However, brands themselves are hard to obtain.

There are almost no 'tattooists' who can inherit the skills of specific brands, except for very basic ones.

If there were, there's a 99.9% chance they are frauds.

The four brands above are all 'Special-grade' brands.

They have immense value as brands and outstanding abilities.

I have only heard of their names; I have never met a tattooist who can brand these four.

'They would drool if they saw a proper tattooist.'

Not just drool.

They would drool everything they can.

'There's more.'

More surprisingly, this wasn't the end.

「Ring of the Sun - 300 points」

「Void Rusty Iron Ring - 500 points」

「Ring of the Old Contract - 200 points」

「Ring of Deep Favor - 300 points」

Similarly, hard-to-obtain rings.

There were at least 20 more items.

All unique, but only two caught my attention.

「Seed of Verdure - 500 points」

「Unique-grade Blueprint - 1,000 points」

'... Seed of Verdure, Unique-grade Blueprint.'

Verdure.

One city comes to mind when I hear that name.

The 'City of Verdure,' a large city.

A city where forest-related races live, with a giant tree called Verdure in the middle.

If this Seed of Verdure is the same as the Verdure there, it is undoubtedly a tremendous resource.

It could be linked to rapid growth.

However, I don't know what the Unique-grade Blueprint is for.

'Does it mean it can replace all Unique-grade blueprints?'

To craft a Unique-grade item, a blueprint is needed.

The blueprint is more important than the materials.

Even if you gather all the materials, you can't craft it without the blueprint.

'If that's the case...'

I took a deep breath and reviewed the list again.

I checked the materials I had.

Then I repeatedly clenched and unclenched my fists.

Sweat dripped from my hands.

It couldn't be helped.

'I can... make one.'

One Unique-grade equipment came to mind.

... I had all the materials to make it.

So far, 15 Unique-grade items have been confirmed to exist in Pangea.

I had given 8 of them to Wilhelm, and they had oxidized.

But that was due to the Demon King's special nature; each Unique-grade item is a game-changer.

It's no exaggeration to say that one Unique-grade item is worth a star.

There's a reason people go to great lengths to obtain Unique-grade equipment.

Especially in my current situation, where reaching level 10 is an uncertain and distant goal?

'Gathering Unique-grade equipment is more realistic than reaching level 10 and transcending.'

Thanks to this insane experience, my level is fixed at 6.

Even after defeating Greed, I didn't level up, indicating that reaching level 7 is no easy task.

Level 10 is a dream I can't even dream of.

It will happen eventually, but I don't know when.

... Damn it.

Anyway, equipping Unique-grade equipment might be faster.

Equipping Unique-grade equipment increases your limits and allows you to face stronger enemies.

Defeating stronger enemies will naturally speed up leveling.

Therefore, this choice is correct.

'I need to buy the Golden Dragonling's Soul, Greed's Brand, Void Rusty Iron Ring, and the Unique-grade Blueprint.'

The only obstacle is that I need to buy a lot.

Exactly 2,400 points are needed.

I need 1,000 more points than I have.

I also need 100 points to buy items for tracking Isabella and Isaac.

'Gracia and the Silver Fox Mask failed, so there's still some time.'

I analyzed the situation objectively.

The Sword Saint Ralil's seal is still at Phase 4.

If it reaches Phase 5, it will become 'the Abyss itself,' but Gracia and the Silver Fox Mask have already retreated.

Of course, they could reorganize and rechallenge, but not immediately.

The Desert Queen is a bit of a concern.

But I judged that the Desert Queen is not stronger than Gracia.

'I need to rescue them first.'

The hidden event vending machine has no