Vol-Herchan was a super mega monster that appeared on the seventh floor. Because he lived in groups within a designated field, as long as you had the specifications, the difficulty of physical work for the essence itself was easier. That's why I chose the essence of Bayón as the palace reward; It was a little harder to get later.
But if we look only at combat performance, this is better.
If Bayon's Transcendence made utility, the creation of variables, and unconventional skill combinations possible, Vol-Herchan focused on one thing: physical endurance, the statistic that all tanks must prioritize over strength. Furthermore, among Vol-Herchan's active abilities was one that could block an aura, so this damn essence was essential to becoming a reliable Barbarian Shield.
The problem... is the color of the essence.
Depending on the color of the essence, the active ability varied. This was the main reason why growth became more difficult the higher you climbed. There was also the fact that hunting high-ranking monsters was difficult, but starting at rank 3, the available number of colors of an essence that could be dropped was five or six. This wasn't the time to get ahead of myself yet.
«Amelia... Do you know what color the essence is?»
«Hmm, it was probably green.»
That? Green?!
«Hallelujah...» This unknowingly escaped my mouth and Amelia frowned. It is true that she must have been confused since it was the first time she had heard this word.
«Is that a word used in your homeland?» Without any religious connotation, I explained that it was simply a phrase used when one is lucky, to which Amelia nodded and said: «I see». Then he looked at me with somewhat sulking eyes. «And you had a lot to say when I mentioned that word earlier...»
Oh well. I had put on a serious face when she said «evil spirit». It might have seemed hypocritical.
Well, normally I would have screamed hallelujah inside.
Was it because she was the only comrade in this world who knew that I was an evil spirit? I honestly apologized. «I wasn't trying to be strict with you. I just think I'm getting too comfortable with you. I'll be careful with this too».
«...If you say so.» Amelia coldly accepted my apology and the matter ended there.
Continuing, I asked the most important question. «But, Amelia...»
«Stop giving me that strange look and just say it».
Well, if you say so.
«Um... Do you happen to know how much it sold for?» When I asked this, doing my best to calm my shaking, Amelia laughed and stood up from her chair.
Clic-clack.
She came to my side, leaned down and whispered softly in my ear. As soon as I heard the amount, I got goosebumps. Why the hell was it so expensive?
I almost fainted when I heard the price, but when I analyzed the details, it wasn't that far-fetched. After all, it was a rank 3 essence. Since it was launched on the exchange instead of Heaven Auction House, there would have been a larger number of bidders after the article. There were tons of rich people who had the money, but not the qualifications to enter Heaven Auction House.
In any case, this was not important. «Um… Amelia.»
«Talk.»
«Well...» As I fell silent, Amelia had already returned to her seat and was sitting with her legs and arms crossed. It was harder to ask her this when she was like this. «Uh... is...»
As my hesitation grew longer, Amelia sighed and scratched the itch. «Are you curious to know how much you'll get for selling all the equipment?»
«Sí.»
«Probably... only 70 percent. And that's assuming it's removed slowly and for the right price».
Vaya, or veo.
«... I guess I have to give that up.»
The problem wasn't that I was only missing 30 percent of the price. I was collecting looted equipment for half a year and gathered all the assets of ten people. However, raising the money to cover 30 percent in a short period of time was nearly impossible.
Judging by her face, Amelia seemed to think the same too. «... Was it an essence you wanted?»
«Sí...»
«Don't be too discouraged. We can obtain the essence on our own later».
That's true, but...
Sigh ...
Even Amelia's words of comfort made me sigh. If I had known this to be the case, it would have been better not to know. I felt almost like someone had given me a birthday present before taking it away again. After all, even the color of the essence was perfect. In that brief moment, I even felt the pull of fate.
«Well, it's not totally unnecessary...»
At Amelia's voice, I raised my head, bowed. «Shape...?»
Amelia avoided my eyes. I thought maybe the look in my eyes made her feel uncomfortable, but it didn't seem like she was just staring into space. It felt more like his eyes were fixed on something.
What are you looking at with lasers?
I naturally followed his line of sight and jumped, and rightly so. There, leaning against the wall, was the Kraul Demon Crusher without hiding its majesty.
«duN-eso no!»
«Because? Anyway, it's not something that can go back to our original time».
«I'm going to bury it well and hide it!»
«That still has an element of risk. It may be more reasonable to get rid of it and turn it into an essence».
Amelia was not wrong. No matter how well he hid it, there was no guarantee that it was intact twenty years later. On the other hand, I could always take the essence with me. But...
«Are you really crazy?! Tell a warrior to sell his weapon!»
«You sound very barbaric right now.»
«Ah, it's a habit…»
«I thought that would be the case».
But why did the conversation suddenly reach this point? I returned to my topic and spoke resolutely. «Anyway, I'm never going to sell this, so don't talk about selling it again! I would rather give up that essence!»
I wasn't just being stubborn. Even a rank 3 essence cannot be compared to a double-numbered object in terms of rarity. A double issue was so rare that it didn't even appear in Heaven's Auction House. Depending on demand, the price difference would not be very large, and the essence could even sell for more, but when just analyzing the difficulty of acquisition, the Kraul Demon Crusher was dozens of times more difficult. Simply put, if I sold this now, I didn't know when I would be able to get it again.
«Hmm, if you say so.» When I explained the reason in depth, Amelia accepted it without objection, and that was the end of that conversation. Amelia went out to see her sister again and I drank alone at the inn to relieve my stomach pain.
«Ugh, alcohol... is sweeter today...»
How long would it take to obtain this essence? I couldn't be sure, but it would take at least years. To start, I needed to go back to my original time, regroup the clan, upgrade the ship step by step, and traverse the sixth and seventh floors to encounter a Vol-Herchan. After all that came the labor necessary to achieve the desired color.
"Ugh...Vol-Herchannnnn... ⁇
It was when I was drinking just crying, oh me! that the door opened with a creak. «Have you been drinking all this time?» It was Amelia, who devoutly stayed by her sister's side all day and only returned after sunset.
«Haha, are you here? Amelia...»
«I told you to keep the door closed».
«...I'm sorry.»
«... Are you apologizing?»
«I'll be better off locking the door from now on. It's not that it has that essence. If a murderer with an aura comes, I have no choice but to scream and die...»
Was it because it had been a while since I got drunk? Suddenly I felt so overwhelmed with emotion that I couldn't speak.
Seeing me like this, Amelia sighed deeply. «You stink of alcohol.» That was my fault as a roommate, so I had nothing to say. While holding her head like this, Amelia cautiously opened her mouth. «But Yandel. That essence... Do you really want it that much?»
«Eh...?» At that moment, I instantly got sober. This was like a mother speaking defeatedly to her son and having an attack in the toy corner. «Do you have a way...?»
At my question that contained a hint of hope, Amelia let out a sigh resembling laughter. «Don't get your hopes up too much».
«You-you mean...!» I was left speechless with emotion.
«I told you not to get your hopes up too much. I just want to say that there is a method we can try».
It was a feeling of reliability on the part of someone older than me that I had never felt before.
***
From that day on, Amelia went out every morning and returned at dawn looking tired, but she didn't answer my questions about what I was doing. She said she would tell me when the time came since she didn't know how things would go.
«If things go well, I think I can solve the money problem. So, until auction day, do what you can. Don't stay home all day».
«¡Amelia...!»
I couldn't dare go against Amelia's orders, so I got out of that point. My purpose was only one thing: to find a place where the Kraul Demon Crusher could hide safely for twenty years.
Ha, I think the forest in the Holy Land would be perfect, but it can be disturbed during a funeral ceremony...
Finding my own garlic garden was much more complicated than I thought. Even if it seemed like a good place, when I judged the details, in the end it was never 100% correct.
You can't trust the sewers because homeless people gather there... And I can't enter the holy lands of the other races, so that's a pass...
If Amelia couldn't raise the money, she had to choose a safer place that could also hide a large sum of money. Well, that wasn't my only concern.
What if he really finds the money?
My current level was 6. He could consume a total of six essences and currently, all six spaces were full. To take Vol-Herchan's essence, I had to level up or erase one of the essences he had. But to reach level 7 I had to clear more than half of the sixth floor, so there was no need to think much about this.
What would be better to delete?
Orc Hero, Ogre, and Bayon were my main essences, so I had no intention of removing them, and Waterstorm was a rank 3 essence, so it was a waste to erase it. Just the basic statistics made it worth it. So, I had two options: Manticore, my only mobility ability, and the rank 5 essence that I planned to erase one day; and Corpse Golem, the rank 7 essence that I forced myself to eat to survive. Although his rank was the lowest among the essences he had, it was not an easy decision.
I feel like it will be empty without this...
It was not necessary to explain in words the need for this essence. I received immense help from the Pain Resistance statistic. Not to mention that Meatburst and Acid Fluid, which he considered junk abilities, actually played a useful role in the battle.
It's time to graduate. First of all, I never intended to use it for so long.
If I had to choose between the two, it would be better to stick with the Manticore. The reason was simple: even if he obtained a 20 percent recovery of stats as an Inheritance effect, it was the same as the current 200 mana resistance reduced to 40. If I erased this now, I had to consume another essence that I could take. I dealt with the resistance to mana to balance it until I obtained the essence of Bellarios.
Well, this all doesn't make sense if Amelia can't find the money.
Thinking that the location would become more important in case of failure, I diligently explored various parts of the city and time passed quickly.
There are only three days left.
With about three days left until the day of the auction, I placed a clock on the table and lay down on the bed.
I wonder what will happen this time.
It was midnight on the 15th.
***
«Oh, I'm here for now.»
When I woke up in a room similar to the usual one, I first put on the mask that hung on the wall. Then I ran out of the room. Only silence filled the empty hallway, but if my guess was correct, the GM who inherited this space would be here somewhere.
Should I take a look first?
I walked through the hallways and carefully inspected the mansion. I didn't see the existing members as the head of Orcules or Fallen Scholar.
Come to think of it, I wonder what happened to them...
It was when those questions slowly began to arise that I saw a white man standing blankly in the main hall on the first floor. Even at first glance, it was not an evil spirit from another realm. He was wearing sportswear with a family logo.
¿Ese es el GM?
To get a closer look, I took a step forward. But did he also feel my presence?
The man looked around and shuddered when he made eye contact with me. «A person!?»
I watched the man in the silence that followed and that was the same for him.
That's unexpected.
His facial features were somewhat silly, with eyes full of confusion. It almost seemed like he was afraid of me too.
«Um... W-who are you? I heard that all the original members were expelled...»
All existing members were expelled, huh?
Watching him reveal information I didn't ask for even while on guard, I smelled the thick smell of a rookie, which you couldn't hide even if you tried.
Yeah, not even the CEO would have been here more than a year. I would be inexperienced.
How should I cook this? My mouth was already watering. Was that because?
«I-it's you... sir! Is you?»
At the question asked with such an innocent face, I almost licked my lips without realizing it.