It's simple, if I accept her request, I could no longer keep the old promise I had made to myself; saying I wasn't going to embed myself in their business.
But refusal is the only thing I can't think of.
This damn gloomy goddess bitch offers me a reward that I could never refuse; I think I'd even be ready to accomplish this quest even if I had to dive into a sea of molten magma.
Why am I ready to go so far? For information? For the guild? To hell with all this!
Cindy and Rendy are my greatest creations. They are different from all other NPCs.
Yes, it's because I created and set up these two twin sisters after obtaining the title of God Slayer.
To create them, I spent an amount as large as the acquisition right so that they could inherit almost fifty percent of my legacies. They were the only ones to reach the same level as my seven deadly sins' generals. But the impact had ruined everything.
How the hell can I believe that the first and last two NPCs I created can be revived in the world!?
How powerful is this damn system to the point of giving me the impression of being a god? Even if it's indirectly.
I look at the cold vampire with ruby eyes with a smile I couldn't control. She's my lucky star!
"Do you want me to help you? But I think you are too petty with the rewards you offer me." I say while continuing my game.
Honestly, I'd never have thought that my nickname could help me so much. She knows I've enough impact points to resurrect even if she kills me. And making me her enemy is anything but beautiful to see.
With a little hindsight, I was able to understand how she could discover my identity. Her level's not high enough for that. In other words, it was one of these two knights who spoiled her.
But it doesn't matter, as long as she distrusts me it'll work in my favor. Because of her mistrust, she won't dare to try to control me with her hypnotized powers.
She frowns with discontent when she sees my greed. "Ten percent." She raises her three fingers in front of me and mutters in a rock voice.
For my part, I just wanted to do fair play so that she doesn't distrust me. I'm not interested in money or some shitty low-level dungeon rewards, but if I accept her request with ease; she'll distrust me. Let's make her believe I do this for the money.
"I want seventy percent," Isaac mutters with greedy eyes.
Maria's expression became crumpled. "How strong you are going, Jack. I intend to use the loot we'll get in this dungeon to support the people who live in this plantation."
Isaac looks at her with boring eyes. "I'm not volunteering." He muttered like a hard negotiator in business.
"...So what do you say about 40/60?"
Isaac laughs slightly when he heard Maria's offer. "Miss Maria, what's this dungeon's name you wanna clean?"
Maria's hand stops near her cup of tea when she hears Isaac's question.
She looks him in the eyes with sobriety. "I want to hear your answer first before telling you the name of this dungeon." She said while trying to keep her cool.
But Isaac didn't give her the respite she needed to take control of the negotiations. "Alright, by listening to you, I already know that the dungeon you intend to storm is dangerous enough to put my life in danger. So let's be realistic, and cut the pear in half; 50-50; it's my last prize."
Isaac put this bar that he with eyes that said: it's to take or leave.
"..."
Seeing Maria's grizzly look, Isaac sighs with a disappointed look.
"It's okay, find someone else."
But just before he gets ready to get up, Maria scrapes her throat.
"Ahem, how about exchanging all your income for something else that won't come out of the dungeon?"
Her proposal raised Isaac's eyebrows. "Do you want to employ me as a mercenary?"
"Un."
'It's strange, I expected her to try to use force or other vicious means, but...sigh. I don't know if she's cautious or if she's a pacifist.' He said in his mind when he sees Maria nodding her head.
"Well, why not? I hope at least you've something attractive enough to make me change my mind...!
Even before he finished his sentence, Maria took out an egg covered with white scales and a yellow parchment made with the skin of a beast.
She looks at Isaac, who has undecided eyes, with a sneaky smile. "Is that enough? In addition to the information and this intermediate sword master parchment and this egg, I'd order one of my knights to escort you to your guild." She adds.
"...This bait is attractive; it'd be stupid of me to refuse such as deal," Isaac mutters as if he were thinking out loud.
"So...
"But." He interrupts Maria. "Given the advantages you offer me, I'm obliged to ask for the name of the dungeon. The more favorable a deal is, the likelihood it will hide malicious intentions increases."
"..."
"In addition, I expected you to force or blackmail me; but you didn't do anything like that. I'm a skeptical person; I also have reasons to be." Isaac was like a cynic who abolished all benevolent beliefs.
"...Sigh, this dragon egg won't serve me much, I'm a vampire, so my legacy's not useful to feed this dragon so that it becomes something other than an ordinary dragon." She begins her explanations with these lines.
'She's wrong, this egg is not a dragon egg.' Isaac mutters in his mind without revealing this fact.
Maria continued, seeing that she had Isaac's full attention.
"As for your lack of confidence, I can't do anything about that. But if it can assure you, let's say that I want to be on good terms with one of the players who competed to stay at the top of the ranking; even if you disappeared after."
'...I hadn't disappeared, but my legacy as a demigod had abolished me from the ranking. I had started switching with players who had already acquired this title before me, but ordinary players could not see this ranking. Finally, I was at the bottom of the ladder; there are more monstrous players than me. I wasn't even in the top five.' He continued to contradict Maria in his mind.
But the latter, unable to read Isaac's thoughts, continued. "As for the name of the dungeon, it is the Tower of Bedlam."
"...Excuse me!?" Isaac asks unconsciously, thinking he had misheard.
"The Tower of Bedlam, also called Babel's Tower or Tower of Babylon."
"I know that, but what does a tower of Babel do here when the second impact didn't even take place?" Isaac asks in a sober voice.
"I understand your agitation, Jack, but you're wrong. The tower that appeared is not the real one, but a fake. I point out that the towers never appear in a dungeon but in the lands of the ancient gods." Maria calmly pronounces these words when she sees Isaac's confusion.
"...It's true; I had forgotten that. But even if this is the case, the Tower of Babylon may be a pale copy, but it must have interesting items in it."
"Not quite. This dungeon is not really an ordinary place. No matter our Impact points, once dead there, there will be no second chance." She stealthily diverts Isaac's question.
Hearing Maria's words, Isaac's face became black-anchored. "It's worrying."
"Yes, but that's not all, those who had already conquered this dungeon in the game say quite hilarious things."
"Like what?" Isaac looks at Maria whose smile resurfaced.
Her smile immediately vanished on her lips. "...it housing Templars who guard...you know what."
"...The Holy Grail?"
"Yes, but it's not the real cup." She nods.
"Even better?" Isaac seemed to have forgotten his start goal as he listened to Maria.
The latter took another sip from her cup of tea and then continued. "Even if it's not the true Holy Grail, it still has certain powers of it; like its most famous power which is the abolition of famine. But even if its use is limited, you'll therefore understand that it will attract the attention of players; especially in our world where the mouth to fed is more compared to food reserves."
"...That's why you added this parchment of martial art, huh? So we are not only going to face monsters, but other players." Isaac frowns when asking this question.
But Maria only gave him a sadistic smile.
She then puts down her cup and crosses her hands under her breasts which threatened to tear her dress.
"Jack, I ask you once again, are you ready to help me get this cup in exchange for everything I offer you?"
"..." Isaac looks her in the eyes.
"Just now, you talked about a deal that is too favorable for you, but do you still think that's the case?" She continued without looking away.
"... Sigh, I guess after such information, you're not going to let me leave here if I refuse your offer."
-Smirk.
Instead of answering Isaac's question, Maria smirked at him.
"Haha; finally, no one is innocent in this world." Isaac laughs with irony as he guesses Maria's answer through her smile.
"As I said, I'm ready to do anything to defend my territory. You've just woken up, so you don't know some things. But I doubt that your greed will take over your goals if I reveal the advantages of owning a plantation. Finally, your ignorance makes you the most competent man to assist me in this mission."
"...So you're ready for anything, huh?"
"Yes, absolutely everything." She nods with intrepid eyes.
"Haha, very good. My question was stupid; you must have one less box to dare to team up with me despite my gloomy reputation." While muttering these words, Isaac took out a glass of whisky and the bottle of wine, which he had not finished at the inn, in his inventory.
He fills the glass half and raises his glass. "I am your man, Miss Maria."
A dangerous smile also blooms on Maria's lips. She also raises her cup of tea. "Happy to team up with you, Jack." She toasts Isaac's glass with her little cup of tea and mutters...
"To our future success."
"Yes, to our future successes, Miss Maria."
The two thus conclude their alliances, each with a different objective.
'For my part, nothing in this dungeon will be as attractive as the success of my class quest.' Isaac mutters in his mind emptying the contents of his glass in one sip.
"You can stay in the mansion before nightfall. Then we will take the path around twenty-one o'clock." She then looks at Abdel who was still behind her as a status.
"Abdel will escort you to one of the guest rooms. He will stay by your side before we leave."
"Tss~, I'm even entitled to a watchdog?" Isaac looks at Abdel, who throws him a dark look.
But Maria sighs with a sad look. "You're not a prisoner; watchdogs are only for prisoners. Let's say he will be by your side to satisfy your requests."
"Well, if you say so, I don't have my say on it." Isaac nods his head in an innocent mood.
"Fufu~, you're a reasonable person, Jack. But beware, Abdel can be more useful than a watchdog when he sees his guest trying to walk out without his company."
"Hehe, thank you for this humble advice; I'd try to keep my guest status."
With these exchanges, Isaac follows Abdel without looking at Jane.