539 Are we going the wrong way?
"I don't understand!"
Mike stared at the three floating gold coins, on the verge of a breakdown, nearly losing his composure.
Why the hell?!
How does even this demon race member know Golden Abyss?!
Earlier, when Fool Master had used Golden Abyss, Mike had indeed had the opportunity to replicate it with the Eye of Truth.
But...
Mike had to make a choice.
Fool Master's version of Golden Abyss was a heavily weakened version, only capable of turning three copper coins into gold.
At that level, even Transmute could achieve the same result!
Moreover, the Void Exile skill currently stored in the Eye of Truth was far more useful to Mike at this stage.
According to the Eye of Truth's evaluation, just having Void Exile increased Mike's survival rate in battle by 5 percentage points!
Weighing the two options, Mike had no choice but to painfully give up on the weakened version of Golden Abyss.
And indirectly, he had given up on three whole gold coins!
The loss of these three Truth Gold Coins made Mike's heart ache, as if he had just lost 30,000 Lord Merits!
But the most frustrating part was that Mike couldn't wrap his head around it.
How does she even know Golden Abyss?!
Fool Master, calm and composed, explained, "As a proud shareholder of the Mystic Market, the number one Forging Master of the myriad races, and someone to whom Mars owes a favor, it's only natural, right?"
Mike: ...
In just one sentence, Fool Master had flexed on Mike three times!
Mystic Market shareholder, number one Forging Master, and Ares owes her a favor...
This is ridiculous!
Mike quickly composed himself and shifted tactics.
"Let's talk business. What would it take for you to teach me Golden Abyss?"
Fool Master shook her head, rejecting the offer outright.
"Ares made me promise not to teach it to anyone."
The implication was clear.
Who in the world wanted to learn Golden Abyss the most?
None other than Thor!
Having failed to learn the skill, Mike decided to settle for something else, albeit reluctantly.
"Then how about you help me turn my Abyssal Plane into gold?"
The greatest use of Golden Abyss was its ability to turn an entire Abyss into gold.
And as it happened, Mike was one of the few humans who actually owned an Abyss!
Back when Mike had contributed the Wind's Reach skill books, the human race had rewarded him with a third of the spoils from the war.
They had even given him an Abyss to settle the debt.
That Abyss was now slowly merging with Mike's private space, tucked away in a corner.
Dracula and Vladimir occasionally took their followers there to hunt demon creatures and earn some pocket money.
Of course, all of this was done with Mike's permission.
Bilbo had even designed a ticketing system for it:
"Exchange money for Abyss tickets, use the tickets to enter the Abyss and earn money, then use the money to buy more Abyss tickets..."
In addition to buying tickets, Vladimir and Dracula also had to pay a hefty blood clan income tax.
When all was said and done, after a night of hard work, they'd make about 800.
Not 800 Lord Merits, not 800 gold coins.
800 dollars!
Dracula had gone once and never returned.
It wasn't worth the effort. He'd rather just slack off.
Vladimir, on the other hand, went there every chance he got, enjoying it immensely.
"Look, I have an Abyss, and you have Golden Abyss. Isn't that convenient?" Mike said generously.
"I'm willing to let you turn my Abyss into gold for free!"
Fool Master: ...
Do you think I'm an idiot?!
"Not happening."
Fool Master yawned, looking bored.
"I'm tired. You can leave now."
You demon creature!
You're really pushing it!
But Mike decided... to hold back for now!
It wasn't that Mike was overly concerned with personal gain or loss.
It was for the greater good of the human race!
Everyone knew that Fool Master was a professional transporter and a skilled Forging Master.
Mike already had the Force of Nature, Thunderclap Hammer and Nightmare's Breeze.
His need for more SSS-grade equipment wasn't urgent.
Mike didn't lack equipment, but the fifth-generation potential Supreme Being might!
So, Mike wasn't holding back because of any personal reasons. It was all for the greater good, for the sake of the human race!
After the failed negotiation with Fool Master, Mike had no choice but to leave.
Maxen paused his work, catching his breath, and asked, "Shadow Three, aren't you tired?"
Shadow Three continued to swing his shovel, still digging.
Shadow Three wasn't much of a talker, but in response to Maxen's question, he explained, "Control your strength. It's best to use only 10% of your power with each swing. Any more is a waste."
Mike had already witnessed Shadow Three's power firsthand.
Each strike in the Void could kill ten nine-star Lords!
And that was only 10% of his strength!
The scariest part was that what Mike had seen was just the aftershock of Shadow Three's attacks!
"I know that," Maxen said, spreading his hands in frustration.
"But I've gotten stronger recently, and my control isn't as good as it used to be, so I'm getting tired."
To kill the Chaos Prince, Maxen had unlocked part of his own seal.
Though it was a small part, it had still pushed Maxen's strength to a new level.
The stronger he became, the harder it was to control his power with precision!
This job was a way for Maxen to adapt and hone his skills.
Maxen pointed to the golden tree he was carrying on his shoulder and asked, "Why do I feel like this tree is more useful than I am?"
Originally, Shadow Three had called Maxen to help guide the way.
But once the golden tree arrived, it seemed to have a mind of its own, with its branches pointing in a specific direction!
Shadow Three quickly concluded that the direction the tree pointed was the way to the Supreme Abyssal!
Faced with Maxen's confusion, Shadow Three nodded.
"You're right."
The tree was indeed more useful than Maxen.
"Don't tell Thor about this, though. Otherwise, he'll..."
Just thinking about it sent a shiver down Maxen's spine.
When Maxen wasn't talking, Shadow Three usually remained silent.
After a brief rest, Maxen returned to his labor.
But soon, he noticed something was off.
"Shadow Three, are we going the wrong way?"
Maxen pointed ahead, noticing that the direction they were heading didn't match where the golden tree was pointing.
"No, we're not," Shadow Three said in a low voice.
"Afterskin is over there. We're not going that way."
Maxen: ...
Shadow Three makes a good point!
Maxen had been so focused on rescuing Shadow Nine that he had completely forgotten about Afterskin!
Clang, clang, clang—
In the Void, the Second Abyss continued its slow, cautious journey toward a specific destination.
...
In the Supreme Abyssal,
A ragged, emaciated man with sunken eyes staggered along a mountain path.
His food was gone.
For the past three days, he hadn't had a drop of water.
He had recently been chased by a group of demon creatures, exhausting all of his life-saving measures...
If bad luck had a rating, his would be the highest.
This man had a rather peculiar name—Afterskin.
After entering the Supreme Abyssal, Afterskin's original plan had been to meet up with Shadow Nine, Calderon, and the others.
But...
Afterskin had never made a move to join them. Instead, he had wandered aimlessly.
His bad luck quickly drove him to the brink of death.
His vision blurred, but Afterskin forced himself to keep walking.
Thud—
He stumbled and collapsed to the ground.
A passing demon creature picked up the unconscious Afterskin.
Thank you, nature, for this gift! The demon creature thought, feeling like it was about to enjoy a feast.
But the demon creature had no idea how serious the situation was.
This was a refined demon creature.
Before entering the Supreme Abyssal, it had been a well-known powerhouse!
It hadn't eaten human flesh in a long time, so it decided to treat itself.
The demon creature carried Afterskin back to its cave, washed him in cold water, rubbed him with spices according to a recipe, placed him in a steamer, and set the fire to high. In four hours, it would have a meal...
Just thinking about it made the demon creature drool.
That was the last thought it ever had.
A flash of blade light mercilessly ended the demon creature's life, giving it no chance to resist.
An old man, laughing Heh heh heh, had launched a shameless sneak attack, killing the demon creature with a single strike!
"Shadow Nine, this guy was cooking. Saves us some trouble!"
With that, Calderon stepped forward and lifted the lid of the steamer, curious to see what the demon creature had been preparing.
Inside the steamer, a familiar face, bound tightly, tilted his head and smiled weakly.
"Calderon, long time no see."