‘Greed has been unlocked?’
Raon narrowed his eyes at the message stating he had gained greed.
‘The adaptation of the power ended this quickly?’
Normally, the powers of demon lords take considerable time to unlock unless a special event occurs.
But the Greed Greed had passed on seemed to have already adapted to his body, even though it hadn’t been long since he obtained it.
-Why else would it be?
Wrath frowned as he read the message.
-Because you're a greedy pig, as greedy as that damn miser!
He snorted, wondering why he was asking such an obvious question.
‘Me?’
Raon gave a hollow laugh, looking at Wrath.
‘I’m the generous type, you know? If people knew my true nature, they’d call me a saint!’
-What a bloody harvest of nonsense!
Wrath glared with his blue eyes.
-You, who stripped this king’s flesh and bones clean, call yourself a saint? You’re nothing but a bastard!
He snarled, utterly refusing to accept the title of saint.
‘Anyway, this isn’t because I’m greedy…’
Raon shook his head as he looked at the message again.
‘It must be due to my past experiences and the newly acquired trait.’
He had used various powers during the battle with the Black Tower Lord, and the trait Power Manipulation had appeared. It seemed his body was adapting to the power of the Demon Kings.
‘So what is it this time?’
As Raon lifted his finger to check the next message, someone grabbed his shoulder.
“Your Highness? Raon? Young Master?”
It was Dorian. His eyes were half-rolled as he called him by three different names.
“Aren't you going in? I, I can't wait any longer...”
He trembled like a puppy desperate to pee. True to his supply-obsessed nature, just the thought of entering Zieghart's treasury seemed to drive him mad.
“Right! Let's get in before they take everything from the armory!”
Martha stamped her foot impatiently, urging them to hurry into the treasury.
“Hmm, I'm finding it hard to wait this time too...”
Burren swallowed dryly, looking eager.
“You're so impatient, you Miss Rakshasa...”
Runaan waved his hand dismissively, saying it suited her.
“Don't call me a Rakshasa! You ice-cold bastard!”
Martha gritted her teeth and lunged at Runaan.
“I'm a fairy! The Full Moon Fairy.”
Runaan placed her hands on her hips, demanding to be called by her pretty nickname, Full Moon Fairy.
“Damn it...”
Martha stopped following Runaan, grinding her teeth so hard they made a grinding sound. She seemed bitter that she was still a Rakshasa while only Runaan had become a fairy.
“Um, hey, maybe stop this and get ready? This kid might die.”
Krein pointed at Dorian, who was starting to foam at the mouth, breaking out in a cold sweat.
“Treasury! Treasury! Treasury!”
Dorian, seemingly already mad, waved his arms wildly up and down, screaming only ‘treasury!’
“Huhu...”
Raon let out a hollow laugh, watching Dorian consumed by madness.
Not just Burren, Martha, and Runaan, but the other Light wind palace Knights were also filled with anticipation. It seemed they couldn't delay any longer.
“Let's go in.”
He gave a slight wave to the Light wind palace Knights and stepped through the shimmering golden dimensional gate.
Whoosh!
A warm sensation, like stepping into the summer sea, washed over his entire body.
Feeling his feet touch the ground, he lifted his eyelids to find a space even larger than the Grand Martial Arena looming before him.
Whoooooo.
Inside the glass cabinets on the right, unnamed elixirs lay as if alive, radiating vibrant energy. On the luxurious wooden shelves to the left, weapons crafted by renowned artisans were lined up in rows.
Behind them, display cases held a dazzling array of artifacts, each gleaming with brilliant light as they awaited their master.
Finally, at the end of the golden hall, a circular bookshelf soared skyward as if reaching for the heavens. It was the very bookshelf that had bestowed upon him the power of the Ten Thousand Flame Cultivation.
“Ha!”
Seeing the history of Zieghart accumulated over a thousand years, an exclamation escaped him involuntarily.
'This place is still the same. No, it seems even more abundant.'
Even though this wasn't his first time entering the vault, his mouth hung open in astonishment.
“Impressive, as always...”
Burren chuckled hollowly, surveying the vastness of Zighart's vault that couldn't be taken in at a glance.
“This is crazy. You can take anything from here?”
Martha seemed torn over what to choose, licking her lips thoughtfully.
“I'll take that one...”
Runaan moved forward without hesitation, seemingly already decided.
“Every time I see this place, I'm amazed.”
Trevin, who appeared familiar with the treasury room, shook his head with a resigned expression.
“Woooooow!”
“I'm speechless...”
“There's so much, I don't even know what to take?”
“Um, maybe we should just look around first?”
The Sword's man of light wind palace seemed overwhelmed by the scale of the treasury, shoulders hunched as they scattered in different directions.
"Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
“Now I can die happy! I've achieved my dream!”
Dorian knelt down, begging to be killed.
“It's just too good...”
“Shut up!”
Krein couldn't take it anymore and shoved his gauntlet into Dorian's mouth. If he hadn't stopped him, his eardrums would have burst.
“......”
Worried Karoon might get angry at the mess, he quickly looked away. Karoon hadn't chosen a single item; he was merely scanning the treasures like admiring art.
“Be quiet….”
Raon took a glance in Karoon's direction and smacked Dorian's forehead. Stepping slightly forward, he pressed the message for still displayed before him.
Every time you receive something you desire from another, all stats and powers increase. The higher the value of what you receive, the greater the increase.
‘This is pretty good, huh?’
Growing stronger every time he received something he wanted from others? It was a trait perfectly suited to him.
'Plus, it activated at just the right moment.'
It was fortunate that unlocked right before obtaining the desired treasure from Zieghart's treasury.
Since everything here holds high value, he should be able to boost his stats and powers significantly.
‘Is it really looking out for me?’
-Of course it is!
Wrath gritted his teeth and buried his head in his palm.
-This damn system thinks it's teasing this king while looking out for you!
He swung his fist at the air, certain of his target.
‘Then I suppose I should say thanks?’
Raon bowed his head to the air before heading toward the glass case holding the potions.
“What should I take to catch up to those guys?”
Burren pressed his nose against the glass case, inhaling deeply as if selecting an elixir.
“Hmm...”
Raon stood beside Burren, examining the elixirs imbued with the essence of nature.
“Planning to pick an elixir?”
Glen approached and tilted his chin.
“Elixirs probably won't mean much to you right now, though?”
He slightly lowered his eyebrows, suggesting she choose something else.
“I'm not taking them myself. I need them for Olga's treatment. To reconstruct her body, I think I'll need about two top-grade elixirs.”
“...So that's what you had in mind.”
Glenn nodded, seeming to understand now.
“Then take the elixirs.”
He opened the glass case, stating he would give Olga's elixirs without charge.
“...really?”
Raon stared wide-eyed at Glen.
"Didn't you say it yourself? That without the Holy Maiden bringing the Suphren Sacred Kingdom, we couldn't have won this war? Compared to that price, top-grade elixirs are practically free."
Glenn reached out and handed him two elixirs himself.
“The White Crane Pill, forged from a hundred refined spirit herbs, and the Spirit Water Pill, distilled from the inner cores of spirit beasts.”
He smiled faintly, saying these two elixirs should be enough to reconstruct Olga's body.
“Thank you.”
Raon bowed to Glen and accepted the two elixirs.
[Trait activated.]
[All stats increased by 3 points.]
[Trait level increased.]
Along with the message that Greed had activated, he felt the power of the trait dormant within her soul grow stronger.
-What? What is this?
Wrath gaped in utter disbelief.
-This is just something you got for free! Why is Greed rising?!
‘That doesn’t matter. The point is whether I received something I wanted from someone else.’
Even if it was a potion meant for Olga, it was ultimately something he desired, so Greed activating was only natural.
-Damn it!
Wrath grabbed his blue hair, thinking this was starting again.
‘Then next….’
Raon grabbed one more potion for emergencies and headed toward the artifact.
“Huh-huh-huh….”
Martha, despite her nickname Miss Rakshasa, was humming as she tried on the beautiful artifact on her hands.
Knowing she'd cause a scene if she saw me, I quietly slipped away.
‘I should go elsewhere... Hm?’
As I headed toward the weapons, a ring and necklace tucked in a corner caught my eye.
Whoooosh.
The ring set with topaz radiated a heavy, earthy energy, while the necklace crafted from emeralds emitted a cool, sharp breeze.
‘A set?’
Though the energies contained within the two artifacts differed, their essence was similar. They seemed crafted as a single set from the start.
‘Not bad, huh?’
Now that his power had grown to harness the energies of wind and earth as his own weapons, using these artifacts to amplify his strength seemed like a good idea.
Raon placed the ring and necklace back, then walked toward where the weapons lay.
“Hmm...”
Runaan blinked, holding a white hairpin that could also be used as a dagger.
‘This isn't an ordinary item?’
An eerily intense coldness and murderous intent emanated from the small hairpin. It seemed like an object imbued with a spirit, much like the Soul-Soothing Sword.
'She'll handle it well enough.'
Runaan was now a Grand Master too. Trusting her mental fortitude and judgment, he stepped back.
‘Black gloves?’
Raon started to turn right but halted upon seeing the black gloves.
‘Gloves that absolutely cannot be torn?’
The black gloves, said to be crafted by a continent-renowned artisan 500 years ago, were forged from dragon teeth and scales, inscribed as absolutely indestructible.
‘These are pretty good?’
I don’t need weapons myself.
He no longer needed weapons. With three swords plus the Blade of a Thousand Slaughters and the Black Dragon Cloak, any other weapon would be useless for him. These gloves should be enough to protect his hands while wielding swords.
These gloves should suffice to protect the hands gripping the swords.
‘Then the last item will be a martial arts manual…’
Raon headed toward the martial arts manual section, where the largest crowd had gathered.
“Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
Woooooom!
The swordsmen ignored Dorian, placing their hands on the center of the bookshelf and each taking the martial arts manual they needed most.
“Hooooo!”
Mark Goten shrugged his shoulders, his eyes sparkling with both happiness and astonishment, as if he'd gotten the martial arts manual he wanted from the shelf.
'Looks like he got something good.'
Raon chuckled softly and placed her hand on the center of the bookshelf.
Wooooooon!
The circular bookshelf spun clockwise, emitting a deep glow, and a single book atop it slowly descended like a baby bird flapping its wings.
Whoosh.
Raon reached out and caught the book.
'Silent Sword?'
The book bore the name Silent Sword, a supreme sword technique recognizable even from its cover alone.
‘So this sword technique contains what I need.’
That bookshelf didn’t just grant ascension martial arts—it bestowed the most essential martial arts upon the swordsman who touched it.
The Silent Sword technique he’d received surely possessed unique strengths and characteristics.
‘Getting an exceptional sword technique is great, but… '
Raon clenched the Silent Sword in his hand and clicked his tongue briefly.
‘I want more.’
He had already taken the emergency potion, two artifacts, the Black Topknot, and the Silent Sword—five items in total—but his greed still burned.
“Have you chosen everything?”
Glenn approached him, eyes fixed on the five items clutched in his hand.
“Yes. It's a bit disappointing, but I've chosen them all.”
Raon smiled and nodded.
“You still feel greedy even after choosing five?”
Glenn smiled faintly, amused.
“That's not it.”
Raon calmly shook her head.
“What I truly wanted was the Lord's martial arts skill, but it didn't appear. That's what I regret.”
Recalling how Glen had embraced him at Montiro, he bowed his head deeply.
“Huh!”
Glen drew a sharp breath, his fingertips trembling.
“You... really? That Silent Sword is the Fifth Head of the House's sword technique?”
"I know that Silent Sword technique is formidable, but to me, the Head of the House's martial arts are the greatest. "
[Kheh! Then I'll go find him myself.]
Glen sent an aura message so others couldn't hear, then hurriedly left. His earlobes and cheeks were flushed, as if excited.
‘He took the bait.’
Raon licked his lips, watching Glen’s shoulders tremble slightly.
‘I threw it out just in case, but I never expected it to work this well.’
The Glen he’d seen in Montiro had clearly shown favor toward him. Trusting that, he’d sent a signal asking for guidance, and it seemed to have worked perfectly.
‘If I gain Grandfather’s swordsmanship, it’s practically the same as gaining greed.’
They say greed spikes sharply whenever you acquire something of great value, so receiving Glen’s teachings would grant a massive boost to her stats.
-Grrrr…
Wrath gritted his teeth, glaring at Raon.
-No matter how I think about it, it should have been you, not Greed, who became Greed! You greedy pig!
‘Yeah. Then you’re Gluttony.’
It was time to wave off the furious Wrath.
[Trait activated.]
[All stats increased by 10 points.]
[The trait's value increases.]
As if all the items obtained after the Elixir were calculated at once, his stats rose by 10 points, and he felt the greed embedded in his soul grow stronger.
-See! I was right!
Wrath screamed at the newly appearing message.
-Greed isn't as bad as you! You heartless bastard!
***
Raon gathered all the treasures and left the main hall. As he headed back to the annex, he saw Saint Olga leaning against the wall, blocking his path.
“What are you doing here?”
He had assigned an attendant to guide Olga to the annex to wait, so he couldn't understand why she was waiting here.
“Were you waiting for me?”
“Huh?”
“There are a lot of strangers around...”
Olga was one of those people. She lowered her eyes slightly, wondering how she could be alone. It was surprising that a Saint who cursed strangers and smoked cigarettes felt embarrassed in a place like this.
“Then let's go together.”
Raon offered to guide her personally and beckoned to Olga.
“Hmm...”
Olga followed behind, biting her lip as if slightly uneasy.
“What treasure did you pick?”
She tilted her chin slightly, seeming somewhat interested.
“The Martial Arts Manual, an artifact, gloves, and a potion.”
“The Martial Arts Manual?”
Olga shook her head.
“You're already so strong, and you still need the Martial Arts Manual?”
“Of course.”
Raon nodded flatly.
“The path of the sword has no end. Even the Lord is constantly refining his sword skills.”
Glenn also walked the path of the sword without pause; Raon couldn't be satisfied yet. Whether it was the Silent Sword or other sword techniques, he had to keep training and advancing.
“No end...”
Olga lowered her eyes, her voice tinged with a small sense of futility. She still didn't seem to believe she could live longer.
“......”
Raon gave Olga time, saying nothing, and quietly guided her along.
As they crossed the annex garden, the aroma of various dishes wafting from the dining hall reached their noses.
-Whoa!
Wrath let out an exclamation even before seeing the food.
-Beef bone soup, pineapple pizza, lamb chops, steamed lobster, and whole roasted pig! Nothing's missing!
He identified the entire menu just by the smells and stretched his lips into a wide grin. It was laughable that they called him Wrath when he was the very demon king of gluttony.
“Come in.”
As Raon opened the front door, Sylvia and Sia burst out as if they'd been waiting.
“Raon. You really went through a lot...”
Sylvia hugged him, thanking him for surviving the tough fight and returning safely.
“You did great!”
Sia echoed Sylvia and pulled him into a hug too.
“Thank you. And we have guests.”
Raon patted Sylvia and Sia on the back and pointed to Olga, standing four paces away.
“The Saintess! I've heard so much about you!”
Sylvia bowed her head to Olga in welcome.
“Sis. You look amazing!”
Sia's eyes widened, admiring the tattoos etched onto Olga's body.
“...My name is Olga.”
Perhaps because they were her parents, Olga bowed with more formality than usual.
“Your beautiful face looks so tired.”
As Silvia clapped her hands, maids emerged from the inner corridor and gathered around Olga.
“We'll take care of you.”
“Huh? Oh! Wait a sec….”
Before Olga could react, the maids grabbed her and dragged her toward the bathroom.
“Scrub every inch clean. If you don't want to be humiliated tomorrow.”
Raon smiled, watching Olga reach out as if asking for help.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
Olga's eyes widened in confusion.
“We'll start treatment first thing tomorrow.”
Raon curled his lips, shaking the elixir he'd brought from Zieghart's treasury.
“Your smell will be pretty awful, so scrub every nook and cranny properly.”
“Eeek...”
Olga flushed, finally grasping the meaning.
“Raon!”
Sylvia couldn't hold back and smacked Raon's back.
“You have no shame in front of the Saint!”
“No, I was genuinely trying to advise...”
“Who gives advice like that! Why didn't you just say it plainly?”
She narrowed her eyes, urging him to continue.
“Now, please wash properly. We need to start your treatment tomorrow.”
Raon bowed his head, unable to meet Olga's gaze.
“Huh!”
Olga let out a hollow laugh, watching Raon.
“So you can't stand up to your mother either. I thought you could even give orders to your parents.”
She shook her head in apparent surprise.
“How much of a spoiled brat do you think I am….”
-It's entirely possible!
Wrath nodded, as if it were a plausible scenario.
'It's not possible! You bastard!'
Raon pushed Wrath aside and shot Olga a heavy-eyed glance.
“Anyway, prepare well. The treatment will be more painful than you think.”
“Don't worry.”
Olga shook her head as she moved her own feet forward.
“Pain doesn't scare me anymore.”