Srrrng…
After the past Lily disappeared, the space changed and returned to its original location, the ruins.
The past Lily was causing a ruckus, saying not to talk nonsense, but in the end, she didn’t resist and just vanished.
Even if it’s nonsense, the truth is still the truth.
As I expected, she’ll probably be reborn as someone in Deoen and live a second life.
[When are you coming back?]
[LilyyLilyyLilyyLilyyLilyyLilyy]
[Alien Lady Lily, please come out quickly!]
[I have to watch the fourth one]
[I think I’m going insane, I think I’m going insane, I think I’m going insane]
[How long are we going to keep chatting?]
[Oh]
[Did it appear?]
“I’m back. Did I keep you waiting for long?”
[Long?]
[I thought I was going to die waiting]
[For real lol]
[What were you talking about?]
“They were asking about personal things. I won’t say since it’s personal.”
I did boldly reveal my identity, but it’s not something everyone needs to know.
I shrugged off the protest of the restored chat window and looked around.
The previous me had descended to the 10th underground relic and immediately moved to the Interference Dungeon.
And now that the Interference Dungeon has vanished,
the sight of the underground 10th relic, which I hadn’t seen before, comes into view.
A space similar in size to the 9th underground floor.
Everywhere are murals that depict the history of this place, with a high altar in the center, and below it, golden flames flicker.
“It’s an altar. On the altar…”
Bubbling.
[?]
[????]
[What is that?]
“…a food cart?”
There’s a food cart here.
Why is this in the ruins?
“Looks like a guest has come.”
[?]
[Raccoon?]
[Another raccoon]
[So cute]
[Isn’t that the golden thing?]
The owner is even a raccoon.
A golden-furred raccoon wearing a cooking hat.
The raccoon was cooking while sitting on a chair that was bigger than itself.
Inside the white hat, a golden token, Scorpio’s token, is embedded.
“Welcome. It’s not exactly the time for a user to arrive yet.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“Oh really? That’s impressive.”
The raccoon grinned and clanked a golden ladle.
I sat on the chair in front of the food cart.
It’s an uncomfortable chair without a backrest, but since it’s a food cart, I didn’t think to complain.
Szzzz… Swish!
The raccoon continued cooking without acknowledging me sitting down.
This raccoon was quite different in personality from the one at the Honor Shop or the raccoon on the Ancient Island.
While those two felt very bubbly and youthful, the one before me seemed like it had lived quite a long time.
‘It looks pretty strong too.’
“Are you the token merchant?”
“Originally, I wasn’t. The role of the merchant belongs to the owner of this place.”
“It wasn’t me. It’s the master’s job here.”
The raccoon thumped his hat.
The symbol of Scorpio was pressed under his stubby fingers.
Originally, it should have been Scorpio or one of his subordinates who handled this.
“You came here as a substitute, huh?”
“That’s right. Still, it’s not bad. It’s a bit of fun to come out after a while.”
“Aha.”
“Besides, it’s an opportunity for me to showcase my cooking.”
Ingredients are chopped by his stubby hand.
His movements look quite skilled.
You can tell he’s done a lot of cooking.
[LOL]
[Raccoon is so cute]
[His face is super cute but talks like an old man lol]
[Oh, another reward?]
“Anyway, congratulations on clearing the ruins dungeon. You can purchase an item with the tokens you collected.”
The raccoon said that as he removed the black board blocking the view.
“Oh.”
There are quite a few decent-looking dishes lined up.
The food was divided into different sections with prices in front of each.
“First, you have a total of 8 tokens, so you can only buy up to this line.”
“Hmm? What about the rewards for the 9th and 10th floors?”
I’m sure the token for the 9th floor quest was 5. The 10th floor was probably more than that.
When I asked, the raccoon chuckled as he added something like salt to the 5-coin ‘fish cake.’
“You didn’t clear the 9th floor, and you already received the reward for the 10th floor, didn’t you? If I recall correctly, it was quite generous.”
“…Hmm, that’s true.”
I did get a chance for the 4th awakening as a reward from the intervention dungeon.
Still, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to buy anything good with just 8 tokens.
[Eh?]
[Let’s sneak some food]
[LOL]
[Ah]
[The merchant’s food looks good too, LOL…]
[But is it right that there was a quest and they aren’t giving rewards?]
[Where did Scorpio go?]
[Since I did the 4th awakening, it’s a steal though lol]
“Ah, then I’ll give you this.”
I offered the blessing of Scorpio obtained from defeating the Scorpio general.
This golden belt was said to be exchanged for 1 token with the token merchant.
The raccoon received the blessing without any reaction.
“You have 3, so that’s 3 tokens. Now you have 11.”
“Can you explain a bit?”
“Sure.”
The raccoon pointed to the first dish.
The first one was a ‘fried dish’ for 1 token.
“It’s a food that permanently raises a random stat by 5. By the way, unique stats also increase, making it a better food the more awakenings you have.”
“Stats.”
I didn’t really care much about the stats, so it didn’t resonate with me, but it’s quite a significant number for regular users.
Currently, I have 11 tokens.
Dog.
If I buy everything, my stats will increase by 55, which is like leveling up almost 20 times.
Of course, the advantages of leveling up aren’t just about stats, but it’s definitely a good thing.
[Seems like a sweet deal]
[Stats 55, that’s pretty sweet, right?]
[Let’s see the next one]
“Next up is my recommended food. It’s a dumpling worth 3 tokens. Its effect temporarily boosts all stats by about 50%.”
“50%? How long does it last?”
“30 minutes.”
The second item is a 3-token ‘dumpling.’
Unlike the previous fried food, it may not be permanent, but it’s food that can make you stronger instantly.
It seems like it’s meant for boss raids or crucial battles…
[Hmm]
[Not bad, but…]
“No reason to buy it, I guess.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
With the fourth awakening, using holiness no longer makes stats meaningless.
All my stats and holiness are entirely replaced by ‘Holy Healing,’ so even the most useless stats will be helpful.
But.
‘It’s not for attack.’
With a name like Holy Healing, it feels like there’s a limit on technique usage or ‘destruction.’
While abilities related to resurrection or healing will be far more overwhelming than before, skills like the spear’s roar or annihilation’s spear are likely to be weaker.
After that, various foods were presented.
A 5-token ‘fish cake’ that definitively raises the desired stat by 15.
A 7-token ‘sundae’ that grants a massive amount of experience points proportionate to the number of ruins cleared.
Food items kept coming out, but nothing really caught my interest.
The one that stood out the most was the 15-token ‘tteokbokki.’
No matter what level, it increases your level by 1.
The higher the level you use it at, the greater the effect of the food.
“Nothing useful here.”
“Well, since you received the reward from the 10th floor in another form, it can’t be helped.”
The raccoon said that the tokens from the 10th-floor reward total 15, allowing me to buy good food with the tokens I’ve collected so far.
In terms of value, I could aim for food from mythical to non-mythical levels.
However, since I’ve undergone the fourth awakening, my purchase of such food is restricted.
[Wtf]
[Can’t I just eat everything and run?]
[Let’s dine and dash, lol]
[Since I’ve done the fourth awakening, let’s just kill this thing]
[Hahahahaha]
“I guess that leaves me with no choice. I’ll take the tteokbokki.”
“You’re short on tokens, though.”
“Can’t I pay in installments?”
“Can you even pay it back?”
No, I can’t.
The ruins dungeon isn’t infinite, and if I go into a hidden dungeon, it could disappear or be heavily nerfed.
Sadly, should I opt for the sundae that gives experience points and four fried foods that boost stats?
It was then.
Clink.
Thud thud thud!
“?”
[?]
[???]
[Hmm]
[Token?]
Five tokens descended before me.
An octagonal token adorned with the familiar scorpion design.
Clank! From a distance, a door opened, and someone walked in.
A man wearing a golden mask and the body of a gigantic statue.
[Oh]
[That Guy Uncle?]
[Lovebird appears]
“Pharaoh?”
It was Pharaoh.
Not the Pharaoh of the past or the Forgotten Emperor, but the real Pharaoh.
Staring at him felt like seeing an old friend after a long time.
“Well, it seems everything is finished. Have you regained your body?”
“I can say I’ve almost found it. By the way, did you pass the 9th floor?”
“Yeah. It took time since I had no information.”
In front of me, the ruins are all the same.
He nodded his head while wearing the golden mask of his statue body.
“Good timing. I was just short on tokens.”
I handed over the existing 11 tokens along with the 5 tokens.
The raccoon received the tokens and naturally filled an empty plate with tteokbokki for me.
“One is for a tip, right?”
“Yeah. But please give me extra tteokbokki.”
I could buy a serving of fried food for one token, but 5 stats aren’t that important.
If I receive more tteokbokki than usual, I could even make some myself with the leftovers.
A little while later, I received the packaged tteokbokki.
It looked quite appetizing.
I can always eat it later at a high level.
“I’ll eat this later… For now, let’s just grab the body and go. I’m feeling a bit tired after all this.”
“Right.”
“Since I got a tip, I’ll offer you a service.”
Just as I was about to leave, the raccoon leaned on the cutting board with one elbow and looked at me.
“A disaster is coming soon. It’s best to brace yourself.”
“I know about the Kraken.”
That’s why I’ve been working hard and teaching, right?
He shook his head.
“If it was just one, I wouldn’t have mentioned it.”
“…Just one?”
Those words mean…
“It’s not just one.”
The ‘Great Cataclysm’ will stir the world to its core.
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