Shadow Slave

Despite the torturous burden of the Crushing, Sunny couldn't help but feel jubilant. Not only did he receive eight shadow fragments and a powerful Memory, he had also defeated a Fallen Devil all by himself, without even Saint providing him any help.

The Black Knight, too, had been a Fallen Devil. So killing one solo meant a lot to Sunny. It was a poignant milestone that made him feel like all his hard work and all the vile things he had gone through were not for nothing. He was accomplishing his goal.

Growing stronger.

…Of course, the Mordant Mimic was not as terrifying of a foe in battle as the guardian of the ruined cathedral had been. One was a creature that seemed to have been created solely for combat, while the other mostly relied on deceit and ambushing its prey to achieve victory. And yet, the chest fiend was by no means an easy foe. If anything, its devilish nature only made it that much more dangerous.

'Argh!'

As the Twisted Rock rose higher, the Crushing struck at Sunny with even more dreadful force, making his mirth dissipate in a wave of miserable suffering. A muffled groan escaped from his lips.

'Endure… just endure a bit more… this hell is going to end soon.'

For now, he had no choice but to keep suffering, wait, and stare at the distant silhouette of the Ivory Tower.

The beautiful pagoda seemed so close now that he could almost imagine himself reaching out and encompassing it in his fist.

With nothing else to do, Sunny summoned the runes and found the familiar cluster out of habit:

Shadow Fragments: [223/2000].

'I wonder how many coins are in that damned chest…'

Would he be able to create the third core with their help?

Shifting his gaze, Sunny found the runes describing his Memories. A new one was now shown at the end of the list.

His eyes glistened slightly as he concentrated on it and read the description:

Memory: [Covetous Coffer].

Memory Rank: Ascended.

Memory Tier: IV.

'Huh…'

really couldn't believe his fortune. This was the second Ascended Memory of the fourth tier that he had acquired in a span of just a few days. Even without considering the main boon of the expedition — the miraculous coins

would

Curious, he read on.

Memory Type: Tool.

'A utility Memory!'

and weapons, utility Memories were the foundation of every Awakened's arsenal. Take Sunny, for example

to forget about the obliterating pressure of the Crushing and

new friend so deathly afraid of chests? Why was he so timid and pale? "Don't be afraid, these are just my treasure chests. They won't bite. Well... except for this one.

Sunny blinked.

'That… is interesting.'

he or she had apparently been in possession

Mimic once been a pet

would keep a

full of dread, Sunny continued

Enchantments: [Mendacious Coffer], [Capacious Chest],

runes with a

do all these words… even

the enchantments, he wondered if the

of any inanimate object. The size and intricacy of the simulacrum are dependent on the

assumed the form of a chest, instead of being born… created?... as one. I wonder what kind of a shape I can currently manage,

studied the

the inside. It can be summoned and dismissed while storing inanimate items. The size of the storage space,

the

'Yes!'

the need to carry all the gold coins away before Twisted Rock was destroyed. Once again,

Coffer in his Soul Sea, opened up a sea of possibilities. In a sense, it was just like Effie's incredible bag, but better — the bag had to be carried around if there was anything inside of it, while the Coffer could be stashed

Realm to the real world