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?
- No matter how many, Phase 3 is usually the end, right?
- The moment I said that, it went into Phase 4!
- What a big deal;;
- Is the Sword Saint Riley weak?
- Bullshit. He's a hero who took down a dragon's head alone.
- She probably fought the Demon King too?
- Legends are always exaggerated. Riley is just weak, it seems.
Right then.
The moment the message about entering Phase 4 appeared.
- Huh?
- What?
- What, retreating?
- They escaped the labyrinth?
The news came that Gracia had logged out and left the labyrinth.
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.
- Huh, the next challenger appeared right away.
- The Empire's Three Swords? Who's this?
- The Empire of Arhon?
- Wow, they were eyeing it from the Empire too, huh?
- If Gracia couldn't do it, can the Empire?
- If it's the Empire, maybe. Their strong ones are really strong, you know?
About 30 seconds after they entered.
- No, the Empire also retreated right away.
- What's in Phase 4?
- What did they see to leave so quickly?
- If Gracia and the Empire can't do it, then it's just impossible, right?
- The Four Kings are still around, though. Haha, 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's going to be bad.
- I'll put a picture of the White King in my house from today.
- You're crazy...
*
Greed emerged from the Golden Abyss with avarice.
When he returned to the original underground labyrinth, the surroundings were empty.
'Where did Isaac and Isabella go?'
No one was there.
He had expected them to be waiting, but he soon frowned.
'Bloodstains?'
No people, only bloodstains.
It was definitely human blood.
Did Isaac and Isabella encounter danger?
Just in case, he used a 'detector,' but nothing was detected.
It seemed a battle had taken place.
Not a fierce one, but the bloodstains suggested 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 he couldn't tell whose.
They had been ambushed and fled the scene.
'Who?'
While he was in the Golden Abyss, someone must have entered the underground labyrinth.
One of them. Who could it be?
Gracia challenged the Sword Saint and retreated. The one called the Empire's Three Swords was likely the Silver Fox Mask.
There was someone else besides them.
'I need to buy the necessary items from the Labyrinth Merchant.'
He had a rough idea of the direction they fled, but the blood trail didn't continue.
He judged that blindly searching would be inefficient.
It was more practical to buy tracking tools from the Labyrinth Merchant than to search indefinitely.
- The Labyrinth Merchant will appear soon. Please go and wait.
"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 labyrinth as the Golden Goblins.
Especially Greed, the leader.
Greed led the way.
After walking for about an hour and stopping.
《The 'Labyrinth Merchant' has appeared at 568.1199!》
... The Labyrinth Merchant, a vending machine, appeared right in front of him.
It was amazing. He had 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 he had never inserted a Golden Ticket into the vending machine himself.
There was no need to feel sorry.
He shrugged and slowly inserted the Golden Ticket he received from Greed into the vending machine.
At that moment.
《The 'Golden Ticket of Greed' has been used.》
《A 'Hidden Event' has occurred!》
《The Labyrinth Merchant's sales list has changed.》
《The 'Golden Law Gate' to 'Sword Saint Riley' has opened.》
The door opened, and the merchant's sales list changed.
And the moment he saw the new sales list.
'... This is real.'
Items that were almost impossible to obtain through normal means.
They appeared before his eyes.
Unique-grade blueprints.
The previous sales list of the 'Labyrinth Merchant' was just a taste.
No, compared to what was now before his eyes, it was just a taste.
It was fake. Just a bait to hide the real items.
'It's hard to even think about inserting a ticket into a vending machine.'
Event.
It probably refers to the act of inserting a ticket into the vending machine named 'Labyrinth Merchant.'
There was a high possibility that inserting the 'Labyrinth Ticket' 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' he inserted now was obtained from the ruler of the Overlapping Abyss.
It deserved to be called 'Hidden.'
To find the underground labyrinth, defeat ten Golden Goblins alone, and then win against 'Greed' to obtain the ticket.
What are the odds of that happening?
So, this is real.
「Hydra'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 were almost impossible to obtain.
Just the Hydra's Soul alone, aside from him, there might be one person in Panginea who possesses it.
'You can transcend with the same soul.'
Not only that.
These types of souls are generally materials for 'Unique-grade' items.
The materials are as rare as the items themselves.
Nothing is worth discarding.
I'm confident that the value of these souls is higher than the assigned points.
However, the points are the problem.
With the points he had so far, he couldn't buy them.
'After winning the final battle with Greed, I got 1,000 points.'
But he had one more set of points he had extorted from Greed.
It was 1,000 points.
Combined with his existing points, he had about 1,350 points.
Enough to buy all four souls.
However, he couldn't buy them right away.
Because the list didn't end there.
「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 are notoriously difficult to obtain.
There are almost no 'tattooists' who have inherited the techniques of specific brands, except for very basic ones.
If there were, there's a 99.9% chance they are frauds.
The four brands above were all 'Special-grade' brands.
Brands with tremendous value. Their abilities are also outstanding.
I had only heard their names; I had never met a tattooist who could brand these four.
'They would drool if they saw a proper tattooist.'
Not just drool.
They would drool everything they could.
'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 Ancient Contract – 200 points」
「Ring of Deep Favor – 300 points」
Similarly rare rings.
There were at least 20 more.
All unique, but only two caught his attention.
「Seed of Verdure – 500 points」
「Unique-grade Blueprint – 1,000 points」
'... Seed of Verdure, Unique-grade Blueprint.'
Verdure.
One city came to mind when he heard that name.
The 'City of Verdure,' a major 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's definitely a tremendous resource.
It could be linked to rapid growth.
However, he didn't know what the Unique-grade Blueprint was 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...'
Swallow!
He took a deep breath and reviewed the list again.
He checked the materials he had.
Then he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists.
Sweat dripped from his hands.
It couldn't be helped.
'One... I can make one.'
One Unique-grade equipment came to mind.
... Because he had all the materials to make it.
So far, there were 15 confirmed Unique-grade items in Panginea.
He 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.
No exaggeration, one Unique-grade item is worth a star.
There's a reason people are obsessed with Unique-grade equipment.
Especially in the current situation, wearing Unique-grade equipment?
When reaching Level 10 is an uncertain and distant goal?
'Collecting Unique-grade equipment is more realistic than reaching Level 10 and transcending.'
Thanks to this insane experience, his level was fixed at 6.
Even after defeating Greed, he didn't level up, indicating that reaching Level 7 would be no easy feat.
Level 10 is a dream.
It will happen someday, but when, who knows.
... Damn it.
Anyway, it might be faster to wear Unique-grade equipment.
Wearing Unique-grade equipment would increase his limits and allow him to face stronger enemies.
Defeating stronger enemies would 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 Unique-grade Blueprint.'
The only obstacle is that he needs to buy a lot.
Exactly 2,400 points are needed.
He was 1,000 points short of what he had.
He needed 100 points to buy items for tracking Isabella and Isaac.
'Gracia and the Silver Fox Mask failed, so there's a bit more time.'
He analyzed the situation coldly.
The Sword Saint Riley'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 regroup and rechallenge, but not immediately.
The Desert Queen is a bit of a concern.
But he judged that the Desert Queen wasn't stronger than Gracia.
'I need to save them first.'
The hidden event vending machine has no time limit.
And opening the vending machine reveals the Golden Law Gate.
He would save Isabella and Isaac, gather points, and then challenge the Unique-grade equipment.
After organizing his thoughts, he said to Greed.
"Summon the Labyrinth Merchant."
-Of course, I will...
*
Gaaah!
Isabella bit her lip. Blood trickled from the bitten lip.
She was fleeing with Isaac.
"Retreat first!"
"...... You too."
Isaac, who had the Holy Maiden on his back, kept urging Isabella to retreat. Labyrinth entrants could return to the continent the moment they 'retreated.'
But both were stubborn.
Knowing that persuasion wouldn't work, Isaac frowned deeply.
"Damn, what the hell is that monster? Why is it chasing us?"
"Desert Queen."
"What?"
"...... The one chasing us is the Desert Queen."
"Desert Queen? The queen of Faisalmer? Your hometown?"
He recalled the conversation they had in the Demigod dungeon.
If it was the Desert Queen, she was the ruler of Faisalmer, and Isabella was a resident of Faisalmer.