In Ye Chui’s small cabin, Jilga, summoned by Debbie at great cost (bankrupting herself), had already departed. In the dungeon of the Relics of the Gods, Debbie had managed to survive for half a month, largely due to the protection of the Platinum Knight Jilga, but this also left Debbie with a debt of thirty-three gold coins.
“Jilga is different from ordinary battle spirits. Typically, a spirit’s actions and combat rely on the summoner’s magic as their power source, which limits their strength. If the summoner’s magic isn’t sufficient, even the most powerful spirit can’t last long. But Jilga is an exception, she consumes the dragon’s breath in gold,” Debbie explained to Ye Chui. She then took out her summoning key and called forth another spirit, the all-purpose maid Afu, to heal Ye Chui’s wounds.
“I see, but what’s with the debt? If her actions depend on gold coins for power, being in debt should mean she can’t maintain her form, right?” Ye Chui asked, puzzled, watching Afu grimace as she bent to kiss the wound on his arm.
“The gold coins Jilga gets from me are partly used for combat and partly stored by her, so I can owe her a debt. But the amount can’t be too large, or she might break our contract,” Debbie replied. Though Jilga was inhumanly powerful, almost like a cheat, she couldn’t be summoned at will, and her limitations were significant. Gold coins weren’t easy to come by these days.
For instance, Ye Chui and Debbie were now penniless, their brief days of carrying a few gold coins long gone.
“Then let’s keep Jilga as our trump card,” Ye Chui said leisurely, eyeing Debbie, suddenly feeling like he was watching a spendthrift girlfriend blow all their savings on a game. It felt all too real.
Earning money had clearly become the top priority for both him and Debbie.
Ye Chui thought of the dungeon and sighed, summoning his iPad grimoire and opening the [Map Navigation]. Initially, he had been drawn to the Temple of the Goddess of Wealth because of a glowing dot on the map, likely indicating the dungeon’s entrance. Unfortunately, after pulling Debbie out, the dot vanished.
However, the map pack’s information remained.
If Ye Chui spent 300 points, he could unlock the dungeon’s map pack.
He had initially thought that unlocking it might allow him to reopen the dungeon entrance, which he and Debbie considered their own treasure. But the relic had already been discovered by others. During their fight with Kaimis and Riken at the South Suburb Cemetery, they had unexpectedly encountered Mayor Kas, who was likely dealing with the Relics of the Gods at the time.
Ye Chui currently had 24 points remaining.
Of those, 22 were earned from thrashing Ryan after downloading [Wind Walk]. Ye Chui had roughly figured out that points represented his combat experience. The stronger the opponent, the more points he gained.
Fighting novice sorcerers like Kaimis or Riken earned him about 10 points per battle, while his fight with Ryan, where he was initially on the defensive or launching ineffective attacks, only netted 5 points. But once he took control, using [Wind Walk] to get close to Ryan and pummel him, he earned 22 points.
“24 points, still far from the 300 needed to unlock the dungeon,” Ye Chui said, feeling time was pressing. His arm’s wound had slowly healed, and he gave Afu a grateful smile, only to receive her disdainful glare in return. Unfazed, he turned to Debbie, “Looks like we need to take on a few more missions soon.”
Missions from the Mercenary Guild offered combat experience for Ye Chui and gold coin rewards for Debbie.
Debbie nodded eagerly, “We need to hurry. That dungeon has plenty of good stuff, but it’s also dangerous. Without thorough preparation, we wouldn’t even be able to protect ourselves if we went in rashly.”
They had discussed the Relics of the Gods and the dungeon extensively over the past few days, and now continued the topic. However, perhaps too engrossed in their conversation, they overlooked something. When a burnt smell suddenly wafted from the fireplace on one side of the room, their excited expressions from imagining great gains in the dungeon adventure froze.
These past few days, they had tried everything to avoid a certain event, but they had just let it slip.
Afu had started cooking!
By noon, Afu, the all-purpose maid spirit, began preparing food with a cheerful mood, ready to make a lavish lunch for her dear master and a certain someone. Seeing her wield a kitchen knife to chop radishes and cured meat, Ye Chui and Debbie’s faces turned pale with fear.
In perfect sync, they stood from their seats, ready to flee.
Afu, who cooked at the slightest provocation, wouldn’t return until her dark cuisine was fully consumed.
But as they reached the door, Afu, holding a knife in one hand and a carrot in the other, blocked their path.
“Miss Debbie and a certain someone, I’ve come up with a new delicious dish. You’re in for a treat today,” Afu said in a gentle, yet undeniable tone.
Her words sent chills down Ye Chui and Debbie’s spines.
“Wow, what’s that!?” Ye Chui, quick-witted in a pinch, suddenly pointed to the side, shouting with an exaggerated expression.
Though his acting was poor, it drew some of Afu’s attention, and the maid turned her head curiously.
Basic Support Spell [Wind Walk]
In that moment, Ye Chui moved with incredible speed, grabbing Debbie by the waist and casting the newly learned [Wind Walk] spell. His body shot out like the wind, through the open window, accompanied by Debbie’s “Aaaah!” screams, and they were gone!
Dodging their own spirit like this, probably only Ye Chui and Debbie could pull it off.
After running half the city, ensuring Afu was beyond the summoning range, Ye Chui stopped, panting heavily, and set Debbie down. He knew that if a spirit exceeded the summoning distance, it would automatically return to the magical world.
At that moment, Ye Chui felt a surge of resentment toward Debbie. The girl could summon four spirits: one who defied her and went on strike, one who went berserk and attacked at any moment, one who cooked at the drop of a hat, and one who needed gold to fight. Girl, your summons are quite the characters.
“Huh? How did we end up here?” Ye Chui suddenly noticed that, unknowingly, he had brought Debbie to the South Suburb, where the ruins of the Temple of the Goddess of Wealth lay just ahead.
And now, with Mayor Kas spreading the news, quite a few people had already gathered there.
