Chapter 344: Full Moon Voyage (1)

After hearing why she was called here, the Countess nodded. “I see. So I just say you passed and that’s all? It’s simpler than adding a slice of cheese to a burger.”

“Why did you use a burger as a comparison?”

“Because I’m on a diet...”

The Countess looked sad, resembling a hamster who just learned that nibbling sunflower seeds was now illegal. I had never been on a diet, so I couldn’t really tell how difficult it was to not stray from it. Still, she seemed to be having a very hard time.

“Why not burn the fat with your aura?” I asked.

“That’s what an aura psycho genius like you does, Death King. I would like you to remember that not all Hunters use their aura like you do. No one wants to accidentally burn their organs while burning their fat.”

“It’s not that hard...”

“Mock the peasants on your alone time. Anyhow, I have no reason not to give you a pass. You passed. Please send me to the first floor.” The Countess sneered. “That’s it, right?”

The Primordial Staff shook her head. “I’m sorry, but things don’t work like that. As an examiner, you have to watch the Death King.”

“If I must name the most shitty word I’ve heard, it’d be ‘duty.’ It’s somehow forced on the receiving end of exercised power. The biggest fraud isn’t a merchant like me, but speech itself.”

“You have a point. I’ll rephrase. Watch the Death King’s quest. You have no other choice but to listen to me.”

“Fuck.”

The Countess took out her fan and tapped the air twice. Strangely, a soft couch popped out with a thud.

[The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye says that this is the God of Trade’s power.]

[The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye says that with enough cash, one can buy nearly everything from the God of Trade.]

Similarly to how Patricia’s Skills came from Hishimit Kritz, did the Countess get her Skills from this mysterious God of Trade?

“Alright, alright. Being forced by another is

so

thrilling that I can’t help but be happy. I at least want to do my duty comfortably. Would that be a problem?” the Countess asked sarcastically.

“You have the freedom to do whatever you want.”

The Countess lay on the couch, resting her chin on her palm. When she opened her fan, a soft pillow, a cat doll, a cylinder of potato chips, wet wipes, and a cup of cola appeared next to the sofa. The potato chip cylinder was already open, and the cup even had a straw in it. She munched on her chips and looked at me. “What are you waiting for? Hurry and go finish your quest. I’ll just think of it as watching a film.”

Incredible...

“Can’t you use that Skill for your diet?”

“Would you believe me if I said I could buy a hair loss cure at the same price?”

I frowned. “

Uh

, I feel like there is something seriously wrong with the price.”

“That’s how my Skill works. Sometimes prices are bullcrap. I once bought an item called ‘World Peace’ because it only cost one hundred gold. And I got a message ‘The world has always been peaceful. Knowing this, you are a better person than you were yesterday!’”

“Wow.”

“If I weren’t a rational person, I’d have torn the Skill Card by now.”

I could now tell that the God of Trade didn’t exactly have a great personality.

The Countess said, “

Oh

, yeah. I have a question before you go.”

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

“What is it?”

“I’m the examiner for the seventy-second floor. That means someone else was the examiner for the seventy-first floor. Who was my predecessor?”

“Patricia.”

“Hmm... I see. ” The Countess picked up a chip from the cylinder famous for its mustache mister logo and took a bite. Her expression didn’t really change. “I’m also asking this out of sheer curiosity. What happens if the examiner doesn’t give you a pass?”

“

Hmm

.” I turned to the Primordial Staff. “What happens then, Lady Mage?”

“It’s simple. You keep wandering that floor for eternity,” the Primordial Staff replied. “So many Hunters give up on climbing higher and just stay on the previous floor. To be honest, Death King, you’re the weird one to try the next floors with no fear.”

The Countess wiped the crumbs from her fingers with a wet wipe. “

Hm...

What about the examiner? I get that the challenger will be stuck on the floor, but what about the examiner who has to watch them?”

“It’s the same. The examiner will also be stuck here.”

“Even if decades pass?”

“That’s right. Still, time flows differently for the two of them. While it remains unaltered for the challenger, the examiner can speed up time as much as they want. If the challenger is a filmmaker, the examiner is a critic. A critic doesn’t need to spend as much time as it takes to make a film to enjoy it.”

The Countess kept on munching on her chips. “So the examiner can enjoy their time spent here. I see. I understand the rules now. With rules, things work out somehow. You said the world he’s going to is related to money?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s set. Relax, Death King, and go already. If you get a part-time job and earn a month—no, a week’s pay, you’ll get your pass.”

I had an impression that the Countess wasn’t lying.

[The Primordial Staff is teleporting you to the seventy-second floor.]

The white floor turned squishy under my feet and swallowed me. The Countess watched me until only my head peeked through the floor.

A soft curve formed on the Countess’s lips. “You’re a good friend, Death King.”

***

[You have entered the seventy-second floor.]

[You aren’t allowed here.]

[A small penalty has been given to you.]

I opened my eyes. The city where I arrived looked like one from those typical desktop wallpapers you’d see on office computers[1]. It looked like a typical Mediterranean seaside city with blue and white buildings. If I didn’t know any better, I would have assumed that someone had used the color picker feature in a drawing program and manually painted the buildings the same color as the clouds and their roof the same shade as the sky. It looked peaceful...

“Orangeapples for sale! Fresh orangeapples!”

“Taste this sweet potato wine from Bastia Island!”

“Have you ever tried the double-chinned pig barbecue? It’s super good.”

Okay. A monster roast was on sale. It looked so wicked and ugly that I wondered how this creature was even allowed to exist. The moment I laid my eye on it, I could feel my sanity slowly chipping away. The urge to take it down, slit its abdomen, and rip out its organs surged within me.

Something was seriously wrong with this world. I had to escape from here.

[You haven’t cleared the quest.]

[You can’t leave this floor on your own.]

Shit!

“Snakey snake, come on. Tell me what the heck is going on,” I said.

“

Kiee...

”

The snake waved their tail.

[The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye has activated their power.]

[Revealing general information about this floor.]

On the busy street of the port city, the vendors shouted their offers. Words moved before my eyes. I started reading the note before me, desperately hoping it would offer some valuable information about the odd food at the stalls.

—Golden Heaven Realm

—Floor: 72

—Constellation: Gold-Biting Cat

—Difficulty Level: B+ ~ A+

—Information (Lv. 1): This is a world where everything works based on bargaining. No prices are fixed. If you want to buy something, you have to bargain with the seller. The satisfaction you gain from bargaining keeps you alive.

—The people in this realm feed on the satisfaction they gain from trades. Successful bargaining, the thrill of sucking others dry, and the sense of fulfillment from giving a life lesson to an idiot fill their bellies. At the same time, the frustration from getting tricked, lied to, or betrayed leaves you hungry. No price is fixed. The bad one is the one who gets deceived. Bargaining truly is everything in this world!

What was this? Was I in hell? Wasn’t this supposed to be heaven?

“Have a bite of this orangeapple. Orangeapples! Take a bite! It’s so juicy that your mouth will never go dry—”

“Those of you who think wine should rightfully cling sweetly to the tip of your tongue, try sweet potato wine. It’s perfect for you! Mister, you over there, give it a try—no, please give it a try, sir—”

“Double-chinned pig! Come get your double-chinned pig!”

I realized that the vendors’ eyes were bloodshot. Their eyes were those of the soldiers who had fled the war and gone two days without food. They didn’t care one bit about anything else except survival. It was scary.

[The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye has activated their power of exposure.]

[You do not meet the prerequisites to get hidden information.]

[The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye has fulfilled the prerequisites by force!]

[Revealing the hidden information!]

However, fear came from ignorance. Right from the beginning of the stage, Hishimit Kritz revealed information that a normal Hunter would never have access to.

—Golden Heaven Realm

—Floor: 72

—Constellation: Gold-Biting Cat.

—Difficulty Level: B+ ~ A

—Information (Lv. 2): This is one of the Nine Heavens, a level of the Tower’s underworld.

—Information (Lv. 3): Some people think cash is all that matters in the universe. If they don’t make enough money, they believe they aren’t living their lives right. In fear of their lives being proved wrong, they may hope to buy a place in the afterlife. The Golden Heaven is the place for such people.

—They don’t need to think about life. All is clear. They don’t need to be harsh people to deny morals or ethics. There is no reason to be criticized for refusing to understand others. According to their wish, money is all that matters in this world.

—Like all heavens, the Golden Heaven greets you. Don’t agonize. Live in the underworld as you did in your life. You have that right. You’ll trade to fill your belly. The one thing you need to care about is your hunger. You may grow tired of the repetitive work, but if there is no other world past this one, then there is no reason to grow tired.

—May eternal labor comfort your soul.

For a brief moment, I felt a chill down my spine.

What is heaven to some is hell to others. It’s the exact opposite here.

I wasn’t shocked that some people saw this place as heaven. The reason I got a chill had to do with the fact that a floor of the underworld had been made for those who saw this place as heaven.

Tower master...

She wouldn’t let one soul go unnoticed. I could feel her resolve, which resembled an obsession more than anything else. What other heavens had been built on the remaining seven floors?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

Focus. I need the Countess’s approval.

The Countess would let me pass if I made money even if I only got a part-time job. Any job would do. I was looking for work when a seller who had just spread his goods spoke to me.

“Hey, you over there...”

The Aura Transmission reached my ears. It was very clear and intricate that it was impossible to think that the transmission was intended for someone else.

“Yes?”

“By the looks of it, you’re a challenger, aren’t you? I’m right, aren’t I? Your eyes are so clear. You aren’t someone who forgot their past life.”

The man’s face was hidden under a hood. He drew a shaky breath and added,

“I’m a challenger like you. How about it? Would you heed the advice of one who was cast into this cursed world three hundred years before you for a few coins?”

1.

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