"W-WE DIDN'T KILL ANYTHING?!"
The Elves all had shocked expressions on their faces, and understandably so. They had just been told by Rey that they never killed the Boss Monster.
They also never killed any of the other Monsters on their way out.
'Why would I let them take such precious EXP away from me? I killed the Boss and the other Monsters to further test out my [Perfect Divine Growth] and managed to Level Up and get more Skills.'
Unfortunately, the Monsters in the Dungeon were not as diverse as the ones he encountered in the Royal Dungeon. Perhaps it was due to lack of conquest on the part of the Elves, which led to stunted Evolution, or the abundance of resources for the Monsters, or several other factors that Rey couldn't possibly know, but the Monsters in the Dungeon were very similar to each other and had similar Skills.
Of course, that didn't mean all of them were the same.
However, several Floors had an overlap of Monsters—unlike what he saw in the Royal Dungeon.
'As a result, I could only get a limited number of Skills in my stockpile. Most of them are just there to fill up space too, but it's better than just having 14.'
If he ever got the chance to get his hands on more useful Skills and needed space, he could always feed the current ones to [Sacrifice] or use [Merger] on them.
Either way, he lost nothing by having them at the moment.
Also, thanks to the upgrading effect of his [Perfect Divine Growth], all the Skills he obtained were at least in the Absolute Tier.
'The main highlight was the EXP I obtained from the experience. At this rate, I might reach Level 300 before leaving this place. Hopefully, I get to fight the Dragons here too. Ah, but one step at a time…'
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})He looked at the shell-shocked Elves and realized he would have to further explain himself, rather than get lost in his thoughts.
'Emil was the one disguised as the Boss Monster, and yes their fight with her was real—but she didn't die.'
It was all just an act.
The hallucinogenic effects of some of the flowers were utilized by Rey to trick the senses of the girls to think they were actually killing the Monsters, when in actuality… they weren't doing anything of the sort.
"So you drugged them! That's why they were behaving so violently!"
"No. The hallucinogen only fools the senses. It doesn't control actions or emotions. I didn't make you do anything you wouldn't have done in that constructed scenario."
To make sure they saw what he wanted them to see, he gave them the prompt of what would happen before he rendered them unconscious. That guaranteed that when they woke up, their minds would be operating on that assumption, so they would perceive what they were primed to see.
Still, he had Emil disguise herself as the Boss… just in case their imagination wasn't enough.
'As for all the Minerals in the Dungeon, including all of the Flowers, I took them into my domain. And by domain, I mean the Grand Calamity Class Dungeon that I really need to make into a hideout.'
He couldn't reveal most of these details to the Elves, but he was communicating everything to Esme through her mind, so the information she received was different from what he told the rest of them.
Back when he was executing the plan, one of the things he was mostly worried about was the possibility that the Elves found out they were being played.
After all, if he took all the resources in the Dungeon, the effects on gravity would cease, and they would be able to move normally without his assistance. Also, they would be able to tell that the Dungeon was barren.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Thankfully, the effects of the flowers—which he fed to them after they were unconscious—was potent enough to make them see things differently.
Just to be safe, he constructed false plants through Magic, and replaced the actual minerals with replicas that looked identical to the real deal—but were simply polished or dyed stones.
It was a lot of hard work, and it no doubt paid off.
'I'll never let them find out the details of what I did. I'll have to repopulate the Dungeon with summoned Monsters—at least the first couple of Floors—so it looks occupied. That way, no one will suspect my actions.'
At least, not until he was done with the Elves.
The wealth he had just obtained from the Dungeon was definitely more than he bargained for, and he considered everything everything more than enough to save his business.
'But, since I don't know the exact figures and logistics, I had Kara go through everything and audit their value for me.'
It had only been some hours since then, and he heard that Kara was already done with it.
'That girl works fast with her brain…' He smiled to himself, though as soon as he did this, he noticed Esme's countenance change a little.
It only lasted for a fraction of a second, but Rey could have sworn that she had given him a look of disapproval.
'I-in any case, Emil is with Kara right now, and once I'm done concluding the deal with the Elves, they'll return and give me a report on everything that happened.'
Rey was trying his best to act cautiously and not be too optimistic, but with the way things were looking, he was already solving the problems he came to the Eastern Continent for.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})'The business stuff is pretty much fixed, though I'm sure Kara will have some ideas on how to gain even more profit. As for having Elves as my allies, I think I've figured out their weakness…' He smiled as he remembered how he made all of them react from his scent.
That alone made Gratiana subservient to him, and he figured he could take over the rest of the Elves with that method.
'The only things left are finding out more information and curing Alicia…' And in all honesty, they were both tied to one entity.
The very entity that watched over this land, and still refused to show their face.
'The Oracle… that's the last piece of the puzzle.'
So far, while Rey had played some games with the Elves, he had made sure not to make them break their long-held taboo.
He didn't allow them to kill, and that wasn't only because he wanted all the EXP to himself.
'I can't allow The Oracle, whoever they are, to be upset at me.'
Yes, he acted a little wickedly by deceiving the Elves, but he had his justifications for his actions. It didn't look like it now, but a lot of his actions were also going to benefit the Elves in the long run.
So, as long as he didn't cross the line, he was sure he could still justify himself in the eyes of The Oracle.
Still, something bothered him.
If The Oracle indeed saw all that happened in the Continent, they were probably aware of the plunder he made in the Dungeon.
'Yet they aren't informing these Elves of my lies. Why? Why do they still choose not to interfere?' Rey wondered to himself.
'What exactly is this Oracle? What is this connection they have with the Elves?'
More than ever, Rey had to know.
