Michi and Appolo arrived in Euromia city, eager to report their successful quest and receive the reward. They made their way to the Adventurer's Guild, where they met with Tadashi, the guild master.
Tadashi's face broke out into a wide smile as he saw Michi and Appolo. "Congratulations, Michi! It took 200 years to complete this quest, and you're the first one to do it. I knew you could do it, but I wasn't totally sure myself. Anyway, you did it! Here is your S-Rank Adventurer Card, Michi. Now you're one of the best adventurers in the Kingdom of Prussaria."
Michi accepted the card with a smile, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment. Appolo, on the other hand, simply shrugged and said, "Yup, I'm back again. Can't say I'm a ghost anymore."
Tadashi chuckled and said, "You sure do a lot of crazy things, don't you, Michi? Anyway, your first destination will be Tantrop Town, where greed has taken hold. I've arranged a cart for you two, so you can travel now. And Michi, sometime you'll get a choice to kill someone for a better choice, so don't hesitate."
Michi's eyes widened in surprise. "A cart again! But I thought…"
Tadashi interrupted him, saying, "Don't worry, this time the cart rider is a living human. And don't forget who I am, Michi. I know everything."
After saying goodbye to Tadashi, Michi and Appolo started their journey to Tantrop Town. They slept during the whole way, exhausted from their previous adventures.
When they arrived in Tantrop Town, it was already afternoon. As they got down from the cart, some guards approached them, eyeing Michi suspiciously.
"Are you that Michi who wields a creepy forehead stone and killed Rishdania?" one of the guards asked, hand on the hilt of his sword.
Michi nodded, and the guards grabbed him and Appolo, saying, "Our master wants to meet with you now."
Michi and Appolo were taken away to a large mansion, where they were made to stand in front of a 17-year-old boy wearing luxurious outfits and jewels.
A guard announced, "You two are now in the presence of Baron Coasalt."
Baron Coasalt looked at Michi with a mixture of curiosity and disdain. "So, you're that famous adventurer who killed Rishdania. It wasn't a hard task, though. If I had time, I might have gone myself, but what's done is done. So, Michi, right? Come and bow before me, and lick my feet, so I can give you my blessings for your good works."
Michi hesitated, but the guards were ready to attack them if he disobeyed. He bowed down before Baron Coasalt and licked his feet, his whole body shaking with humiliation and anger.
Coasalt put his feet on Michi's face and said, "Now, lick it properly, lowlife, and I'll give you a reward."
Just as Michi was about to lick Coasalt's feet again, a guard came in a hurry, saying, "Sorry for disturbing you, Baron Coasalt, but those villagers are not giving us money."
Coasalt's face turned red with anger. "How dare you disturb me, mongrel! Guards, go and kill those villagers if they don't want to give us money. Don't kill them easily, make them suffer a lot, so they can feel how a lowlife should die. And kill this guard, too, for disturbing me. Off with his head!"
The guards took the guard away, and another guard came to Coasalt, saying, "Master, those girls from Histaran are here, and they have very rich qualities. They're waiting for you."
Coasalt's face lit up with excitement. "That's very good news. I'm coming. And huh, you Michi and Michi's friend, get out. I don't need you anymore."
The guards grabbed Michi and Appolo and threw them out of the mansion, closing the gate behind them. Michi seemed angry, looking at the mansion with a sense of resentment.
As Michi and Appolo got thrown out of the mansion, Appolo looked at Michi's angry face and said, "You noticed it, right? The same glow, it was glowing like Airi's stone," said Michi
Michi nodded, his eyes still blazing with anger. "Yes, and it was pulsing with some kind of energy. I can feel its power calling to me. It's like it's trying to tempt me, to corrupt me."
Appolo's expression turned serious. "So, do you want to absorb the stone or…? We can't let Coasalt keep using its power to oppress the people of Tantrop Town."
Michi's grip on his sword tightened. "I will snatch the stone from his heart. He doesn't deserve to live. He's killing innocents left and right, and his greed is consuming him. I can see the darkness in his eyes, Appolo. He's beyond redemption."
Appolo placed a hand on Michi's shoulder, cautioning him. "Hold your horses, Michi. I'm happy to see you're not getting emotional about this, but we need a solid plan. We can't just rush in and expect to succeed. We need to gather allies, gather information, and strike when he least expects it."
Michi took a deep breath, his mind racing through strategies. "Tadashi said to take some steps for the better. I think he meant this type of situation. Appolo, I have an idea. Let's leave Tantrop Town and head to the nearby village. I heard they have a group of rebels fighting against Coasalt's rule. We can join forces with them and take him down together."
Appolo's eyes widened in surprise. "Michi, you've changed a lot. I've never seen you so calculated and ruthless. But I like it. Let's do it."
And so, Michi and Appolo set off towards the nearby village, ready to forge new alliances and take down Coasalt once and for all.
At midnight, Michi snuck back into town, his shadow powers allowing him to move undetected. He made his way to the mansion, avoiding guards and traps with ease.
He reached Coasalt's room, finding the baron sleeping naked on his bed, surrounded by several girls. Michi's anger flared up again, but he silenced his emotions, focusing on the task at hand.
As he approached Coasalt, the baron suddenly vanished from the bed, reappearing beside Michi. Michi backed off, caught off guard.
Coasalt spread his hands, and a blinding light filled the room. The girls on the bed began to glow, their bodies contorting and twisting until they fused with Coasalt's body.
Michi's eyes widened in horror as Coasalt transformed into a monstrous creature, his body now a mass of writhing, pulsing tendrils.
Coasalt spat acid at Michi, hitting his right ear and dissolving it instantly. Michi screamed in agony, but he bit back the sound, refusing to give Coasalt the satisfaction.
With a fierce determination, Michi charged at Coasalt, his sword flashing in the dim light. The battle had begun, and only one of them would emerge victorious.
But just as Michi thought he had the upper hand, Coasalt unleashed a devastating attack, sending Michi flying across the room.
As Michi struggled to get back to his feet, Coasalt began to laugh maniacally. "You foolish lowly worm. You think you can defeat me? I have the power of the greed stone, and I will crush you!"
The battle between Michi and Monster Coasalt was a clash of titans. Coasalt's tendrils whipped through the air like razor-sharp whips, striking Michi with precision and force. Michi tried to dodge, but Coasalt's attacks were too fast, too strong. He felt his skin tear, his muscles ache, and his bones crack under the onslaught.
Coasalt's acid spit burned Michi's skin, dissolving his right eye and leaving a gaping hole. Michi screamed in agony, but he refused to give up. He charged at Coasalt, his sword flashing in the dim light.
Coasalt laughed, his voice like thunder, and swung his massive fist at Michi. Michi tried to block, but Coasalt's blow sent him flying across the room. Michi crashed into the wall, his head spinning, his vision blurring.
As he struggled to get up, Coasalt's tendrils wrapped around him, squeezing tight. Michi felt his ribs crack, his lungs burn, and his heart struggle to beat. He knew he was running out of time.
Coasalt's tendrils then proceeded to rip Michi's body apart, tearing his limbs from their sockets, and crushing his organs. Michi's screams echoed through the mansion, but Coasalt just laughed, his eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure.
But Michi refused to die. With a surge of adrenaline, he broke free from Coasalt's grasp and launched himself at the monster. His sword sliced through the air, striking true, and stabbed deep into Coasalt's heart.
Coasalt let out a deafening roar, his body convulsing in agony. Michi took advantage of the momentary distraction to snatch the Greed Stone from Coasalt's heart. As soon as he touched the stone, he felt its power course through him.
With a final burst of strength, Michi killed Coasalt, ending the monster's reign of terror. Coasalt's body turned to dust, revealing his true nature as a puppet.
Michi escaped the mansion, meeting Appolo outside Tantrop Town. "I did it, Appolo," Michi said, holding up the Greed Stone. "I killed Coasalt and got the stone."
Appolo grinned, relief washing over his face. "Well done, Michi. Now we can move on to our next destination."
But unbeknownst to them, their actions had set off a chain reaction. The guards, unable to find Baron Coasalt, went on a rampage, killing every single villager without mercy. Tantrop Town descended into chaos, riots erupting in the streets.
As Michi and Appolo journeyed on, they were unaware of the destruction they had left behind. But they knew that their quest was far from over. They had the Greed Stone, but they still had to face the other stones, and the true enemy behind them all.
And so, they pressed on, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. But little did they know, their next destination would be the most dangerous one yet…