215. Get Rewards for Your Struggles

I pushed aside all the pressing tasks and went to see the dead King of the Sewer.

In the farm section where I had set up the Monster Farm, there lay a massive pile of garbage, unmistakably dead.

The creature looked like a horrifying amalgamation of dungeon crawlers from the 6th floor and flesh-type monsters. It seemed that, unable to form a proper body, it had fused with the monsters it led, resulting in this grotesque form.

“Because of that thing, we haven’t been able to do anything for three days.”

“Exactly! That corpse keeps periodically emitting strange toxic gas, and all the livestock and monsters nearby are dying!”

The people managing the farm section voiced their complaints about the corpse. They seemed furious, having been unable to properly run the farm for three days.

“I’ll handle it for now. Everyone, please move to the central plaza to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.”

After forcibly dispersing the gathered crowd, only Lady Leah and I remained.

The lady stared at the dead Loa’s corpse with keen interest.

“Would you like to head to the plaza as well?”

“No. I want to watch you deal with it. I need to see this bastard’s final moments.”

Lady Leah bared her teeth as she glared at the King of the Sewer. Her expression was filled with deep-seated anger.

“Is there a reason?”

“This bastard threatened me. It showed me a dogshit future, saying I’d die if I didn’t break the seal.”

“What kind of future did it show you?”

“That… I can’t tell you.”

She dodged the question, as if recalling an unpleasant memory.

“Understood. Still, it’s dangerous, so please step back a bit.”

“Like this?”

“No. It’d be better if you moved much farther away.”

“Fine.”

Once she had retreated a considerable distance, I began my work.

‘It’s full of toxic energy.’

I couldn’t directly touch the remains. The moment I did, my body would likely melt from the curse.

Thanks to my contract with the Evil Women, I could repel most curses, but since this bastard was also a Loa like them, I couldn’t deflect his curse.

I couldn’t block curses of the same tier.

‘First…’

I needed to find the core. His corpse was merely a vessel to conceal it, so I had to use my Spirit Eye to peer inside.

‘Deeper.’

Thanks to my heightened spiritual power, I could easily see into his inner being.

My consciousness flowed beyond his remains and into his essence, gradually sensing something tangible.

A green wavelength began to appear. Like a beating heart, a pale green light pulsed rhythmically.

‘That’s it.’

That must be the core of the King of the Sewer.

Extracting it would mean the King’s absolute end. No resurrection, no more reckless curses spewing forth.

-Wait. Wait!

Just as I wrapped chains around the core to pull it out, a desperate voice rang out.

-Wait! Hold on! Please! Please stop!

It was unmistakably the King of the Sewer. The moment the chains touched his core, he frantically begged for his life, appearing before me in the form of a tiny, crowned rat.

A rat wearing a crown. This must be his true form.

-If you spare me, I can be useful! So please!

The King of the Sewer began listing the things he could do.

Like his ability to accelerate monster evolution. Or how he could drag those who couldn’t ascend back down in one go.

He listed many abilities, but none were particularly appealing. His skills weren’t useful to a human like me.

‘Any other abilities?’

-Y-yes! I can foresee the future-temporarily!

‘Future foresight?’

-Yes! I can see the future of those I touch.

So, he must have seen Lady Leah’s future. The crucial question was whether the observed future could be changed.

If the future couldn’t be altered, it’d be better to kill him. What’s the point of seeing a future you can’t change?

If it’s a tragic future, it’d only deepen despair.

-It can be changed! The future I see is fluid. It can absolutely be changed! I just glimpse the worst possibilities!

‘You can change it? Really? Then why couldn’t you change your own future?’

-Because I can’t see my own future!

And so, he ended up like this.

Sparing him instead of killing him wasn’t entirely without benefit for me.

The problem was that I had already promised to extract his core and give it to the Evil Spirit of the Ring.

If I broke the contract on a whim, my soul would be shattered.

‘Given my situation, I still have to extract the core.’

-I don’t know what the Evil Spirit of the Ring is, but is it as high-tier as a Loa?

‘Probably not. It’s just an evil spirit.’

-If it’s not a Loa… you won’t hand me over to the Evil Women, right?

‘I can’t give you to the Evil Women. The contract was to give you to the Evil Spirit of the Ring.’

-Then there’s a way!

‘What way?’

-Ultimately, the Evil Spirit of the Ring needs a companion, doesn’t it? From what you’ve said, that’s how it sounds.

‘The vibe was like that.’

What the Evil Spirit of the Ring needed was a toy to play with.

Wanting a long-lasting battery for its toy, it desired a Loa’s core-a semi-permanent plaything.

-Then there’s no need for me to die, right?

‘You could say that. You’d be the toy that plays with the Evil Spirit of the Ring.’

-Then there’s no need to violently rip me out. I can transform into a portable form myself. You just need to absorb me.

Gradually, the toxic energy began to dissipate.

The King of the Sewer withdrew the poison he had been emitting for defense, adjusted his core for easy extraction, and then shrank it until it fit in the palm of my hand.

-Take it. Being absorbed into the ring is better than becoming food for the Evil Women.

‘You’re not planning to betray me later, are you?’

-My goal is to ascend to the surface. As long as I can reach it, I don’t care how. So, I’ll wait inside the ring until your natural death. Better than dying alone, sealed away.

And so, we made a contract.

The King of the Sewer agreed to assist me until my natural death, upon which he would be freed from the ring.

The key condition was natural death-not just the death of the body, but a state beyond revival, like Saintess Fria. Even the Art of Resurrection wouldn’t work.

It also included cases where the body was completely destroyed, making revival in Shion’s body impossible.

So, it’d likely be a long time before he’d be freed from the ring. By then, the Evil Women would have fully recovered and could kill him again if needed.

“Whew.”

I safely extracted the core and fed it to the ring.

When I opened my eyes after finishing, the King of the Sewer’s remains, which had been spewing pollutants, slowly melted away.

“Shion, is it over?”

“Perfectly done. The best possible outcome.”

The Loa’s corpse was dealt with, the Evil Spirit of the Ring got its plaything, and I even managed to recruit the King of the Sewer as an ally.

The best outcome. Sure, the Evil Women suffered like dogs for this, but I got to rest for three weeks, so I’m satisfied.

“Now that the immediate fire’s put out, let’s head back up. We have too much to do.”

The most urgent task is rescuing Chloe and Maximus, still trapped on the 6th floor. Next, reviving the dead Alraune’s body to retrieve Ulysses’s original form.

‘Then, deliver the holy relics to the Saintess candidates to select a new Saintess.’

If I hand over the previous Saintess’s manuscript, rosary, and stone staff, the Church will appoint one of the three candidates-Logie, Irene, or Hairan-as the new Saintess.

“Ah, we should meet Frodo before heading up.”

“That frog guy?”

“Yes. I think we should give him the stone coffin.”

I should deliver what he asked for first.

Lady Leah and I headed to the residential section.

******

“Frodo. Are you there?”

Frodo’s dwelling was in the farthest corner of the residential section.

It was practically a storage space, but being on the outskirts of the residential area, it was damp and gloomy.

“Porter?”

“Yes. I’ve brought the Executor’s Stone Coffin you requested.”

“Really!? Come in, come in. Croak.”

Excited by the news, Frodo hurriedly opened the door and welcomed us.

His home had low ceilings, forcing us to duck to avoid hitting our heads. It was a cozy, compact space.

“What’s this? Bugs?”

“Dried bugs from the 4th floor. Croak. Don’t touch them carelessly.”

“Fine.”

Lady Leah frowned at the dried monster parts hanging from the ceiling.

Whether for alchemy ingredients or food, the place was filled with monster remains.

“Here, croak. Take it out in this room.”

“Just a moment. It’s quite large.”

“I know. Just take it out roughly. Croak.”

Frodo showed me an empty room, where I placed the stone coffin.

The coffin was so large it nearly filled the room. Frodo stroked it, nodded in satisfaction, and croaked happily.

“This is it. Croak. Now I can retrieve what I left in the 7th-floor coffin. Croooak.”

“What exactly did you leave in the 7th-floor coffin?”

“Alchemy ingredients and rare items. Croak. But the most important are my eggs.”

“Huh? Eggs? Aren’t you male?”

“Not my eggs, croak! My kin’s eggs. Gulp. I have a duty to hatch them and restore my race. Croooak.”

“Ah… Just to be sure, your kin aren’t dangerous, right? Like, do they advocate human extinction?”

“Not at all. My kin are very antisocial. Croak. The newborns will likely be the same. Gurgle. Give them space, and they’ll live peacefully. Croak. Our docile nature led to our decline, though…”

Apparently, they weren’t a dangerous species.

I should inform the Druid Association president. He knows about demi-human ecology.

“Then we’ll take our leave.”

“Wait! Take your reward! Croak. Here.”

Frodo pulled out a bottle filled with a yellowish liquid and handed it to me.

“What’s this?”

“A very rare substance. Called Soma. Croak.”

“Soma?”

“Yes. The drink of the gods. Croak. Burn it with any medicine, and the effects become permanent.”

“Permanent effects…?”

“For example, burn it with a top-grade potion that regenerates wounds, and the regeneration becomes a permanent ability. Croak. In short, it turns potions into innate abilities.”

“Holy shit…!”

“This bottle contains diluted Soma. You’ll need the whole bottle for the effect. Understand? Choose one potion, and its effect becomes permanent. Croak.”

What Frodo gave me was insane.

A supplement that turns a potion into an innate ability?

If I burned Soma with an invisibility potion, I’d gain permanent invisibility.

“Think carefully before using. Croak. The effect is permanent, so irreversible ones can backfire.”

“Got it. I’ll be careful.”

“Croak. Good. Now go.”

In exchange for the Executor’s Stone Coffin, I obtained something extraordinary.

I should show Soma to Rafnel. She’ll probably make the perfect potion for it.