Chapter 71

Chapter 71. Curse Devil Gentleman

I arrived at the location where Group 2 was, riding on a Centaurides.

［Piii! Piii!］

［Doodoomba! We’re here! Hurry up!］

We were greeted by Jellyfish and the Hedgehog Summoner.

Behind them, a flashy vending machine caught my eye.

After giving Group 2 a brief compliment, I hurried to check the vending machine’s remaining time and the items it was selling.

There was still plenty of time left.

★━━━ 【Vending Machine for the Assisted】 ━━━★

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 『Ticket Purchase』 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

➤ Evolution Ticket ▼

◇ 1 ticket: 7,500 coins

◇ Number of tickets available for purchase: 2

※ Evolves a tamed monster to a higher entity.

➤ Brilliant Evolution Ticket ▼

◇ 1 ticket: 3,759,900 coins

◇ Number of tickets available for purchase: 1

※ Evolves a tamed monster to a higher entity.

➤ Designated Dispatch Ticket ▼

◇ 1 ticket: 500 coins

◇ Number of tickets available for purchase: 10

※ Dispatch a tamed monster to another dimension for 24 hours. You can designate a dimension with which the explorer has a connection.

➤ Transferable Return Ticket ▼

◇ 1 ticket: 50 coins

◇ Number of tickets available for purchase: 10

※ A return ticket that can be transferred to a Drifter.

➤ Reverse Support Ticket ▼

◇ 1 ticket: 30 coins

◇ Number of tickets available for purchase: 20

※ You can send an item owned by the explorer to an Assistant. Reverse support is only available for GOLD-level Assistants or higher.

➤ Return Ticket ▼

◇ 1 ticket: The life of a Labyrinth Explorer

◇ Number of tickets available for purchase: 1

※ Your corpse will return to the world you came from. Ha.

➤ Wandering Merchant Tracking Ticket ▼

◇ 1 ticket: 4,000 coins

◇ Number of tickets available for purchase: 1

※ You can track the location of the Wandering Merchant who roams the labyrinth.

║ ⚠ Please check your remaining coins before purchasing ⚠ ║

⏳ Time remaining until the vending machine disappears: 02:55:31

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What’s with the Return Ticket?

Is this thing trying to mess with me?

Let’s pretend that doesn’t exist. Anyway…

“Why are the prices for these Evolution Tickets so inflated…”

Overall, the ticket prices had increased.

“And there’s also something called the Wandering Merchant Tracking Ticket.”

I noticed some new tickets I hadn’t seen before.

【Bubble Bubble】─What’s a Wandering Merchant?

【Pururu】─It’s a Croc.

【Bubble Bubble】─?

【Yumi】─There’s a Croc called the Wandering Merchant. You can buy various items from him with coins. I heard about it last time.

“And there’s also something called a Brilliant Evolution Ticket.”

【Mysticism】─🤔

【Yumi】─A Brilliant Evolution Ticket?

【Pururu】─Is there such a thing?

Brilliant Evolution Ticket.

I had no idea how this differed from a regular Evolution Ticket.

Maybe it makes evolution faster?

Or, could it raise the difficulty by two levels?

While I was contemplating the possibilities,

【Rizenova】─Could it be a ticket for evolving SS-grade monsters?

Rize posted a speculative message.

It seemed like a plausible theory.

【Mysticism】─Can’t regular Evolution Tickets be used on SS-grade monsters?

“I don’t know. I’ve never used it on an SS-grade before. I’ve only obtained one Evolution Ticket so far, and I used it to evolve a Fire Slime into a Black Magma Slime.”

At that time, I didn’t have any SS-grade monsters.

So, I naturally chose an S-grade monster to use the ticket on.

“If regular Evolution Tickets can’t be used on SS-grade monsters, then Rize’s theory might be correct—the Brilliant Evolution Ticket could be exclusively for SS-grade monsters.”

I could verify this soon enough.

I’d buy a regular Evolution Ticket today and try using it on an SS-grade monster to see if it worked.

【Bubble Bubble】─I think Rize is right.

【Bubble Bubble】─It wouldn’t make sense for something usable on S-grade monsters to also work on SS-grade monsters. There must be a special ticket for SS-grade monsters.

【Mysticism】─🧐

【Pururu】─Then do you think there’s a separate ticket for SSS-grade monsters? Like, a super Brilliant Evolution Ticket or something.

【Yumi】─Would that even exist?
【Bubble Bubble】─Let’s hope not. If it did, that would mean monsters stronger than SSS-grade exist.

【Bubble Bubble】─Anyway, I can’t wait to see something evolve. I’m excited.

【Pururu】─Same here. I want to see you evolve an SS-grade monster, Geon! Hurry up and buy it!

“Unfortunately, I can’t buy the Brilliant Evolution Ticket.”

【Pururu】─?? Why not?

【Bubble Bubble】─Why?

“Because the price is ridiculous. It’s totally unaffordable.”

One coin is equivalent to 10,000 Korean won.

The Brilliant Evolution Ticket cost 3,759,900 coins.

That’s roughly 37.59 billion won.

“Rize’s consistent support with coins had me thinking I wouldn’t need to worry about coins anymore when using vending machines… but I never imagined there’d be a ticket costing 3.75 million coins.”

【Pururu】─??? 3.75 million coins?

【Mysticism】─😱

【Yumi】─So that’s 375 billion won? At that price, it’s like they’re saying not to buy it.

【Bubble Bubble】─3.75 million coins… hmm…

【Rizenova】─Hah…

“Rize, 3.75 million coins… it can’t be done, can it?”

I knew the answer, but I asked just in case.

【Rizenova】─If I opened up the national treasury, I could support you, but unfortunately, that’s not possible right now.

As expected.

Using the national treasury must be a burden.

The new government had only been established recently.

The energy Rize had sent so far had all come from his personal reserves.

【Rizenova】─I apologize.

【Pururu】─Does ‘sorry’ make it better?

“It’s fine. You don’t need to apologize. It’s my fault for making an unreasonable request.”

【Pururu】─Does ‘sorry’ make it better?

【Yumi】─Pururu, can you please stop?

It would probably be impossible to ask Pururu’s chaebol friend, Hwang Mir, for such a huge amount.

Even a chaebol heir wouldn’t casually spend 37.5 billion won like that, especially for someone they’ve never met.

【Pururu】─Hmm. Should I ask Hwang Mir to help?

【Yumi】─Do you think it’s possible?

【Pururu】─You never know. I’ll give her a call and ask.

【Bubble Bubble】─Looks like the meetup ended.

【Pururu】─I just called her. Haha.

【Pururu】─She cursed at me, calling me crazy. Haha.

【Pururu】─She said it’s too much money.

It was disappointing, but there was no helping it.

I had no choice but to pass on the Brilliant Evolution Ticket.

There was no way to gather 3.75 million coins right now.

I moved on and bought all the tickets I could afford.

Two Evolution Tickets: 15,000 coins.

Ten Designated Dispatch Tickets: 5,000 coins.

Ten Transferable Return Tickets: 500 coins.

Twenty Reverse Support Tickets: 600 coins.

One Wandering Merchant Tracking Ticket: 4,000 coins.

In total, I spent 25,100 coins.

“By the way, how much were Evolution Tickets last time?”

【Pururu】─If I remember correctly, they were 1,500 coins.

【Yumi】─I wouldn’t trust Pururu’s memory.

【Pururu】─Shut up.

“Oh. Yeah, it was 1,500 coins.”

Seeing Pururu’s message jogged my memory.

“So, the price has increased fivefold.”

【Pururu】─Five times?

【Pururu】─So the Evolution Ticket was 7,500 coins this time?

“Yeah. Everything’s more expensive with this vending machine. Especially the Evolution Tickets.”

【Yumi】─7,500 coins… even for a regular Evolution Ticket, the price is insane.

【Mysticism】─😠

【Mysticism】─It’s too expensive!

【Pururu】─So the first time you bought it, you hit the jackpot. Beginner’s luck, I guess.

【Rizenova】─If there’s a place selling tickets at such outrageous prices, it stands to reason there must be somewhere that offers them for nearly nothing.

【Yumi】─That might be true.

【Rizenova】─It’s always good to think positively.

【Bubble Bubble】─Hmm. I actually think this price is still really cheap. If it gives you the chance to evolve to SS-grade, that’s a bargain. There are people who’d give anything, even the whole world, to become an SS-grade being.

【Pururu】─You’re right. When you put it that way, becoming god-like for 7.5 million won seems like a steal.

【Bubble Bubble】─I wonder if there’s a ticket for evolving Assistants.

【Pururu】─You think that would exist?

【Pururu】─Anyway, where would you be without Rize? It’s a relief you have someone to fund you like this.

Exactly.

If it weren’t for Rize, I wouldn’t have even dared to buy a regular Evolution Ticket.

I reminded myself to always be grateful to Rize.

Just because you’ve helped someone doesn’t mean they owe you anything in return, and even if you get used to receiving help, you should never let your gratitude fade.

【Pururu】─We need to make Hwang Mir an Assistant soon. Then we can relax a little, and next time we find a vending machine like this, we can buy tickets without worrying about coins.

【Rizenova】─I’ll consider sending energy from the national treasury in the future, in small, unnoticeable amounts.

【Bubble Bubble】─I need to gather treasure diligently, too. I want to support Gauntlet as much as I can.

【Yumi】─I’ll try to support you as much as possible, too.

【Mysticism】─I’m not rich, so I’ll send useful items instead!

【Mysticism】─😀

Even though they couldn’t support me as much as Rize, I was equally grateful to the Assistants who offered to help me.

***

I returned to my hideout.

I used one Evolution Ticket on Arachne.

As expected, it didn’t work.

Regular Evolution Tickets couldn’t be used on SS-grade monsters.

Just as Rize had predicted.

Regular Evolution Tickets were for S-grade monsters only, and it seemed that the Brilliant Evolution Ticket was necessary to evolve SS-grade monsters.

Obviously, it wouldn’t work on SSS-grade monsters either.

Still, if I ever got the chance, I’d try using a Brilliant Evolution Ticket on an SSS-grade monster, just to see what would happen. I’d have to confirm it myself.

Though who knows when that opportunity might come.

‘Now I need to select the monsters to evolve…’

I had two Evolution Tickets left.

The target had to be S-grade monsters.

‘I’ll wait for all the exploration teams to return and think about it while working on the monster log.’

I was holding a pen and a notebook, waiting for the exploration teams to return, while keeping an eye on Team 1 through Iris.

Psycho Clown and Medical Mushroom.

The two were in the middle of an intense battle with a monster they’d encountered while returning.

─［Yohoho! To think you could deflect my curse so easily—you’re no ordinary being!］

─［Piii?］

─［Keek. Mushroom, you just deflected that curse. Thanks.］

─［Piii?］

─［Well then, let’s see if you can block this curse too! Yohoho!］

【Pururu】─Yohoho! This nonsense.

【Yumi】─That’s a unique laugh.

【Mysticism】─🤭

It was a demon-type monster that specialized in curses.

Its real threat level was S-grade.

Nerfed threat level: B-grade.

■Curse Devil Gentleman

─Real Threat Level: S-grade.

─Current (Nerfed) Threat Level: B-grade.

─Ability: Curses.