Chapter: 13
The emotion vanished from Cupiditas’s face.
As if someone had drawn it all out with a syringe, her expression became completely blank in an instant.
Eugene knew that this was her true face.
Her surprised expressions and smiles were nothing more than masks.
‘Because she can’t feel emotions.’
There was only one time when Cupiditas experienced any emotional change.
When she lay alone in bed, gazing at that damned beam of light.
‘Disgusting bitch.’
Killing intent surged through Eugene once again.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t kill Cupiditas right now.
Or rather, to be precise, he was incapable of killing her.
As he’d just said, he simply didn’t have enough power yet.
He glared at Cupiditas with blazing eyes.
“…You really know quite a lot. About the Administrators, NPCs, the Grand Tournament… and even the true nature of that light.”
Her face resembled a porcelain doll.
Beautiful, yet utterly devoid of emotion.
That only made her all the more unsettling.
“I’m curious, but I suppose you wouldn’t answer even if I asked?”
“Obviously.”
“Then doesn’t that leave me at quite a disadvantage?”
Cupiditas raised a hand and slowly brushed her cheek.
“At a disadvantage? Were you even listening to my offer? I clearly said I’d pay a price.”
“Oh, you mean sparing my life?”
“That’s right. Your life and the Dimensional Storage. I don’t need to explain which is more valuable, do I? I’m the one losing out in this deal.”
“Hmm…”
A smile returned to Cupiditas’s face.
She had put her mask back on.
“If those are the conditions, then yes, you’re the one getting the short end of the stick. But it’s also a deal that can never actually happen.”
Eugene couldn’t kill Cupiditas.
Which meant the offer itself was meaningless.
“Well, that’s true.”
Eugene nodded.
At only Level 9, he probably couldn’t even cut her shadow.
“But…”
His eyes narrowed.
“Even if I can’t kill you, I think I can destroy this damned place.”
She froze.
Her hand stopped halfway across her face.
Eugene knew.
He knew exactly what this place meant to Cupiditas.
“Wouldn’t that be a little troublesome?”
“That’s not very entertaining. Your bluff is getting out of hand.”
“A bluff?”
Eugene let out a laugh.
“Do you really think so?”
His hand moved toward his waist.
Not toward the Flame Dragon Blade [E], but toward the hilt of Black Wing [C].
ā Black Wing [C]: A decent sword sealed with the power of a Fallen Angel. Its true power still slumbers.
It was a sealed sword.
At the moment, it was merely a C-Rank weapon.
But what if its true power were awakened?
‘At the very least… it’d reach A-Rank.’
That wasn’t a guess.
During his first playthrough, the Sword Empress had wielded this very black blade.
Its power had unquestionably been worthy of an A-Rank weapon.
‘And I have this.’
ā King of All Weapons [S]: You can wield every weapon with complete mastery.
Even the notoriously stingy Akasha System had described it as “mastery.”
That alone proved how incredible the trait was.
It couldn’t simply mean being better with swords or instantly becoming proficient with unfamiliar weapons.
If that were all it did, it would never deserve an S-Rank rating.
Grip.
He wrapped his hand around Black Wing [C].
At the same time…
The sleeping sword awakened.
The nameless Fallen Angel’s power exploded forth.
Fwoooooosh!
Pitch-black wings spread wide, and a violent storm erupted.
ā Black Wing [A]: An outstanding sword imbued with the power of a Fallen Angel. Its true power still slumbers.
‘…What?’
Thanks to King of All Weapons [S], the weapon’s rank had skyrocketed.
Yet…
Its true power was still sleeping?
‘The seal hasn’t been completely broken?’
Apparently, mere “mastery” wasn’t enough to fully unleash the sword’s true potential.
‘Wow.’
Perhaps this sword the Sword Empress had left behind was an even greater treasure than he’d imagined.
‘Well, that’s something to think about later. Right now, this is more than enough.’
Feeling tremendous power wrap around his body, Eugene looked straight at Cupiditas.
“So? Do you still think I can’t do it?”
Even with a weapon of this caliber, killing her was still out of the question.
His level and mana were simply too low.
But considering the synergy between Body Blessed by a God [S] and Inner and Outer as One [E], he could at least reduce this cursed space to ruins.
As Eugene stared at her with absolute confidence, Cupiditas clicked her tongue.
“Tsk. So it wasn’t a bluff after all. I never expected you’d already be capable of loosening that sword’s seal.”
For the first time, genuine difficulty appeared on her face.
It was probably another fake expression.
Still, the situation truly had become troublesome for her.
“But…”
Cupiditas continued.
“Wouldn’t everything be over if I simply killed you first?”
Forget the deal.
If Eugene died, everything ended.
A terrifying killing intent flooded the room.
‘Damn… this is nerve-racking.’
There was a reason she was one of Terra’s Five Lords.
Normally, someone would need to be around Level 100 just to have a chance against her.
Even taking Eugene’s absurd traits into account, he’d need at least Level 20.
Yet he didn’t retreat.
“Then go ahead.”
He slowly drew Black Wing [A] halfway from its sheath.
The Fallen Angel’s power, dormant for ages, began stretching awake.
An overwhelming force filled the blade.
Its destructive energy felt ready to explode at any moment.
If he fully unsheathed it, a storm born from the sword would undoubtedly be unleashed.
Seeing Eugene genuinely prepared to fight, Cupiditas’s expression grew serious.
“Are you fearless? Or are you certain I can’t kill you?”
“Let’s just say both.”
“…I see.”
After locking eyes with him for a few moments, she slowly raised both hands and stepped back.
“Very well.”
“This time, we’ll call it your victory.”
As though she had no intention of fighting, Cupiditas forced a bitter smile onto her face.
“Glad to hear it.”
Eugene secretly let out a sigh of relief.
If she’d really attacked, things could have gotten messy.
‘As expected… she can’t move so easily.’
It had been a gamble.
One he had made because he believed the odds were in his favor.
‘NPCs can’t casually kill players.’
Especially someone like Cupiditas.
As a named NPC, the Tower’s restrictions bound her even more tightly.
Of course, if Eugene had attacked first, she wouldn’t have hesitated to kill him.
But instead, she had chosen to avoid combat altogether.
The reason was simple.
This was the 13th Floor…
The Abyss.
The only place where Cupiditas could feel joy.
The only place where she could find peace.
If a battle broke out here and even part of this space were destroyed…
She would never be able to endure it.
‘She completely lost her mind during the first playthrough too.’
Back then, after learning the truth about the light, Eugene had visited the Alchemists’ Guild to kill Cupiditas.
He’d tried resolving things through conversation.
But the place had ultimately been destroyed.
She had gone insane in the truest sense of the word.
A frenzy of madness.
Even now, remembering it sent a chill down his spine.
Though in the end…
Her head had rolled off beneath Eugene’s blade.
‘Anyway… the gamble paid off again.’
He’d entered with only a rough plan.
Things had gone far better than expected.
“So, you wanted my Dimensional Storage?”
“That’s right.”
“Very well. I’ll give it to you.”
Snap.
Cupiditas flicked her fingers.
A single book appeared out of thin air.
It was a skill book.
“Unfortunately, my Dimensional Storage is soul-bound, so I couldn’t give it to you even if I wanted to. Instead…”
“I’ll give you this.”
Whoosh!
The skill book flew through the air before stopping in front of Eugene.
“…Glutton Maw [A]?”
It wasn’t Dimensional Storage.
Instead…
It was an A-Rank skill.
One he’d never heard of before.
“What is this?”
“Just as the name suggests. It’s a skill book that lets you obtain a pet called Glutton Maw.”
“I asked for Dimensional Storage.”
Eugene frowned.
Cupiditas smiled.
“Learn it first.”
“I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
It was suspicious.
But the giant A on the cover kept catching his eye.
Its rank was on par with the partially awakened Black Wing [A].
‘Screw it.’
Unable to resist the temptation of its rank, Eugene picked up the skill book and flipped it open.
Whoooosh!
A strangely dark light burst from its pages.
The skill Glutton Maw [A] was immediately registered.
ā You have learned the skill: Glutton Maw [A].
The moment he saw the notification, Eugene activated the skill.
A tiny amount of mana disappeared.
The space before him rippled.
Then…
Pop!
Something jumped out.
A tiny, black…
“Cub?”
It was a black bear.
Slightly bigger than the palm of his hand.
Soft and fluffy enough that children would adore it.
Its round little face made it look irresistibly cute.
‘This is… Glutton Maw [A]?’
Its name.
Its appearance.
Its rank.
None of them matched.
“What is this thing?”
Without thinking, Eugene reached out and lifted the little bear.
“Graaawr!”
Whether it was ticklish or simply hated being held that way…
The little fellow twisted frantically, trying to escape Eugene’s grip.
Unfortunately for it, it wasn’t nearly strong enough.
“I poured my heart into creating that child personally. It’s not Dimensional Storage…”
“But it produces a similar effect.”
“How?”
“If you have something you’d like to store, take it out.”
Something to store…
After thinking for a moment, Eugene pulled the Flame Dragon Blade [E] from his waist.
The little bear’s eyes sparkled.
“Would you hand it to the little one?”
This felt incredibly suspicious.
But if he wanted to understand the skill, he had no choice.
Swallowing nervously, Eugene held the large crimson blade in front of the bear.
Then…
“GRAAAWR!”
The little bear opened its mouth impossibly wide…
…and bit onto the tip of the sword.
“W-Wait…”
The blade rapidly disappeared into the bear’s throat.
‘What the…? Is this some kind of magic trick?’
He vaguely remembered seeing something similar on television once.
The little bear busily pushed with its tiny forepaws, stuffing the sword farther into its mouth.
Only a few seconds later…
The entire Flame Dragon Blade [E] had completely vanished into its stomach.
The sight was deeply unsettling.
“It can eat absolutely anything, regardless of size, type, or quantity. As far as storage capacity goes…”
“It surpasses even my own Dimensional Storage.”
Cupiditas proudly explained.
Eugene stared silently at the bear before asking,
“So… how do I get things back out?”
“That’s easy.”
“It’s exactly the same as using Dimensional Storage.”
“What?”
A horrifying image flashed through Eugene’s mind.
“Naturally, you just stick your hand into its mouth and pull the item out.”
“…Is this thing completely insane?”
