Chapter 31 - My Coins Won't Be Enough

[You acquired five thousand coins]

[You acquired four thousand coins]

[You acquired three thousand coins]

.

.

.

[You acquired one thousand coins]

[You acquired one thousand coins]

[You acquired eight hundred coins]

The early batch I killed gave me a good amount of coins. But those who I killed late managed, somehow, to exhaust the coins they had.

However, even taking one digit coins from them was enough for me, not to mention three digit coins like this.

I kept moving from one traitor to another while Angelica kept following in silence. I didn't say anything to her just to make her feel more guilt. In fact I understood the reason behind what she did. After all, we just got together and I forced her to follow me.

However that didn't mean I would tolerate such actions. This happened in the early quest of the apocalypse. The damage she caused wasn't that significant. But if that happened during any other big quests then I would have to reconsider keeping her on my side, or even alive.

"Not bad," I checked my new balance and couldn't help but grin in satisfaction. The initial number of the people here was around four hundred to five hundred people. After this massacre, only a handful of two hundred remain.

The number of traitors was astonishingly over sixty, not to mention the traitors I killed before leaving this field towards the museum. That meant out of the initial group, almost one fourth was traitors.

That made things clearer in my head. Those angels didn't aim to use monsters to make me fail the quest from the start. But the astonishing thing was the possibility they saw what I did. Even my provocations seemed in their calculations; scary!

"I got it big this time," I looked at the inventory that was now filled with a lot of stuff. The number of gears I got was already enough to arm my group with a full set of armor, two weapons, and additional pieces like helmets, arm guards,... etc.

In addition to that, the monster cores and other monster drops were also a good gain. However I didn't focus too much on this. My inventory already held thousands of these things before.

My biggest gain to remark wasn't only in my terrifying current wealth of over two hundred thousand coins, but in these small bottles which lied inside my inventory in small numbers.

'Hp restoration potion, stamina restoration potion, mana restoration potion… I got it big this time!' I thought to myself while my eyes shone in brilliance.

These potions weren't available yet to purchase from the system, not for me at least. To be able to use such a privilege, one must have a class.

Looking at the small number of each potion made me realize one thing, they all came from someone with a class, from Allen.

Killing Allen might provide me with slightly more potions, but that wasn't the main point here. I turned to Angelica and this time I knew how she benefitted from other traitors.

"I… will hand you what you want," she seemingly felt my threatening gazes and after all this silence she realized I wouldn't let her off with what she got from behind my back. "Just say the item you want and I'll give it to you."

"Humph, trying to play smart on me?" I harrumphed while stepping forward towards her. My two swords reappeared again and my intent of killing skyrocketed to be even felt by normal humans.

She couldn't help but retreat a few steps to the back while raising both arms, shakingly, in an attempt to stop me.

"P… Please, I'll do what you want," she said in a shaky tone. After all, she knew how terrifying my stats were.

She must be bewildered by my stats. She didn't know anything about my penalty and I didn't plan on telling her that.

Let her mistake me for the old monster I once was. If she knew I lost half my stats, she might have a bit of hope of getting something in return.

What she offered was merely a trap. She wanted me to ask for things to bring them out. In fact that was the control of the contract we both had over her. But it was also one of the fatal flaws in it.

As long as I didn't ask for anything she had, she wouldn't be punished by the system for hiding it from me. The contract didn't force her to say anything like a slave. After all it was a basic form of contracts and it had its own limitations.

So trying to pull a trick on me and letting me ask for the things I want just to keep other things I didn't know about hidden… Humph, she just underestimated me.

After seeing these potions my mind realized something, people with classes were in the enemy ranks already. So it was obvious they must have things that normal people like me wouldn't.

For example these potions, and it might even reach far dangerous and more rare items like scrolls.

"I'll do anything you ask," she kept shivering while the only visible part of her face from her helmet showed her ashened skin. She was terrified and that might help to remind her to not cross me again.

"Give me everything you got in your inventory," I was ruthless to not ask for the things she got from the traitors. I wanted everything she gathered so far. "Keep the coins and the race detection compass for now."

I sensed her body shivering more when I spoke first, but when I added my last words she seemed more collected.

"So at least you got some consciousness," she said in a relieved tone. Yet I knew she was still feeling bitter over losing everything she worked hard to acquire.

"This is your punishment for crossing me," I said before I got a message about an exchange between the two of us. I couldn't have such a privilege as I didn't have a class. Good thing she had a class to make things easier and more discrete.

"I will think twice before doing something foolish like this again," her tone told me she wasn't sincere at all.

"Next time will be your last," so I had to show more ruthlessness to her, "if you ever did something like this again, I'll simply order you to take your life with your own hands."

"You…" her eyes widened and her body shook again. "Don't go overboard over something worthless like this!"

"Items and coins aren't that useless," I shrugged as if I just didn't promise her death, but what's important is trust. If I can't trust you, then it's better to get rid of you and look for someone else."

"..."

She stayed all silent for a long minute while the transaction between the two of us finished. My inventory got a good boost for now as many items were added.

"I promise to not do it again," this time she said it with some sincerity.

"I hope you stick to your words," I said while starting to check the items she sent to me. With the force of the contract she couldn't hide anything in her inventory away from my reach.

But if she thought this was only my punishment, she would be wrong. I didn't plan to just punish her by taking away all her items, I still had a more vicious move to hammer that lesson deeper in her mind.

As I expected, there was a good addition of potions inside my inventory. Each potion I had before now grew in number to exceed sixty. This was astonishing wealth in my opinion. But it wasn't the best stuff here.

'Wow! There are even stat potions here,' I took one small bottle and examined it closely. It was small to fit the size of my fist, filled with shiny silver liquid that was enough to illuminate some light around.

"You got such nice things and didn't think of using them? How mean!" I looked at her with a grin, an evil grin. My words meant that she wouldn't get such good stuff and I would enjoy them for myself.

"I was busy chasing after you," she looked a bit regretful, "who thought that my kindness and worry were repaid in such a way."

"You have only yourself to blame," I shrugged before storing away the potion, "if you told me about this loot, then you'd have gotten a good portion of it. I'm that stingy with those loyal to me, but very strict with those who aren't."

She glared at me in silence while I hoped my words would find a way inside her stubborn mind. I didn't want to lose someone important like her, not to mention she wasn't weak either.

"Gather up everyone," unlike what others expected, I didn't head towards Allen. Instead I gave such an order to make everyone come and stand around me.

It was time to give Angelica her second and most painful punishment.

Unaware of my intentions, everyone of the humans remaining here gathered except for Isabella who kept herself standing beside Allen.

Even Angelica seemed ignorant about my next severe punishment to her.

"Line up," I said in strict words, "One line, all of you."

Since everything turned out to be like this, no one had the boldness to fight me anymore. They weren't stupid. They were just about to lose their lives if not for my timely intervention.

They all stood in one line while Sara came to ask:

"What do you want to do with them?"

"Make my team line in another line first," I said to her in a tone that held coldness like she was my enemy. The look over her face slightly changed before she realized something was wrong.

Without delving into any details, she led others and stood in one short line compared to the other one.

"What about me?" I turned to size up Angelica while anticipating her reaction to my next words.

"Take out your compass," I simply said, "and test every single one here for loyalty."

"What the f*ck…?!!!" she was instantly enraged and flabbergasted by my sudden request. "You can't ask me to do this! No way! Hell no!!"

"What's wrong dear?" I said in a soft tone that didn't carry any sense of affection or sympathy, "if you didn't do it voluntarily, then I might strip you off from the compass and all the gold you have."

She looked at me in glaring eyes that were filled with rage and hatred. "You can't do that! That's simply outrageous!"

"Do you want me to force you to do it then? Or do you prefer the alternative?"

I calmly spoke like there was nothing to negotiate about. She had no one to blame but herself. She dug this hole so deep that she couldn't get out no matter what.

She glared back with red eyes and a shaky body, but she didn't say anything anymore.

"My coins won't be enough," she said in defiance.

"Then I'll let you donate them to me to check by myself then," I didn't take her words to heart as I simply threw this answer in front of her pretty face.

"You…" she shivered out of rage, but she had no way out of this. If she didn't want to do it herself, then I would rather take all the coins she had alongside the compass and do it myself.

I was sure she had an astonishing figure of coins in her possession. I didn't notice this little wealth of hers as I wasn't that crazy about money. I got enough to make me regain my lost stats and even raise the remaining stats to max if I wanted to.

But I needed her. She was someone who got access to the market for now. She could be useful later on. All I was doing was just disciplining her and showing her who was the boss here.

She hesitated for a long time but didn't say anything else. I also remained silent and indifferent. After all, whatever decision she would make here wouldn't make any difference to my plans.

"Then promise me one thing in return," she tried to get out of this deal. But dear, who told you to mess with a lion like me?

"I'm not asking," I coldly said, "if you mistook my words then I can give another order to you if you wanted."

And the real meaning of words was quite clear. I wasn't bargaining or making a deal here sweetie, I was simply giving you two dead ends to choose from.

If you didn't want to willingly get out of this with the least damage, then don't blame me for being merciless.