Chapter 18
‘Why does he look exactly the same…?’
Kerak’s face was an exact match for the greedy and vile illustration from Ark.
Goatee, slanted eyes, deep smile lines…
What can I say? Even though he was a priest, Kerak’s face was full of desire, each muscle in his face speaking volumes about his greed.
The only thing I was grateful for was that, despite all that, his title didn’t include the phrase “Sucker Detector” in front of his name.
‘Thank goodness I didn’t get scammed.’
At least I managed to keep my wallet intact.
Although, well, I had already been fleeced a bit before coming here. Ugh.
“This is the place where offerings for Demeter are received. Please offer your noble heart.”
After his game-like scripted line, I pulled out the heavy purse from inside my cloak.
Where did a beggar like me get money from, you ask?
…Well, as you might expect, I woke up at five in the morning today and headed straight for the back alley, where I met that “Sucker Detector” Bin once again.
I sold a few mana crystals, taking a ridiculous loss.
Mana crystals can be sold at any general store, but the rule of the game is to make deals with trustworthy traders, right?
However, I didn’t have any reliable contacts yet, so Bin was my only option.
“Could this be…?”
Seeing that, I thought for a moment that maybe, just maybe, he’d finally come to his senses.
“Could it be… he’s being honest this time?”
“Hahaha! Young lady, how unfortunate! This is the lowest grade, worthless mana crystal that wouldn’t even be looked at if it rolled on the ground!”
“…Hah, stop making excuses.”
As expected, Bin, true to his name, slashed the price by 50%.
Thinking back to him lying without even blinking, my blood was boiling again.
But what could I do? I had reunited with him while my Sucker Score was still through the roof. Sigh.
Anyway, after selling two top-grade mana crystals that had a tragic backstory, I got 5,000 Darling, and out of that, I donated 3,000 Darling.
Naturally, that amount was pretty large for a regular donation.
“Oh ho!”
As expected, the greedy priest—no, the Offering Priest Kerak, gleamed with excitement when he saw the money I offered.
I pretended to be oblivious and handed him the purse, asking in a subtle tone:
“So, what do you think, Priest? Do you think Demeter will be pleased with this?”
“Heh heh heh, of course! Your sincerity has surely reached Demeter’s heart!”
“In that case… I need ‘it.’”
“It?”
Oh, I knew what was coming.
I leaned in close to Kerak’s ear and whispered my request in a low voice.
“I need a ‘pardon.’”
The Godly Item: Pardon
The Pardon was one of those must-have items in Ark, something every player needed to be aware of.
Ark is a game where you play as a villainess, and in order to see the ending, you have to commit various evil deeds.
But being a character without any backup means sometimes you end up committing unintended crimes, causing your charm or grace to plummet.
That’s where the Pardon comes in. It’s like a cheat item that helps maintain your reputation even after committing evil acts. It also protects against curses during dungeons or special events.
However, it’s not invincible, and it’s extremely expensive. To continuously obtain it, you’d need to donate heavily at the temple.
People might think, “If I donate a lot, my reputation will improve,” but that’s not how Ark works.
[SYSTEM] “The ‘Honorable Mid-Level Priest Prellia’ has noticed the excessive donations you’ve made and suspects money laundering and bribery.”
Normally, when you buy the Pardon more than three times, this kind of situation occurs.
[SYSTEM] “Excessive! The effects of the Pardon are diminished.”
The effect would be reduced by more than half. If you ignored it and kept using it, eventually, it would become useless.
Players in Ark had confirmed that you could only use the Pardon five times, or with some luck, six times.
Ugh. Ark was never easy. Even cheat items weren’t something you could abuse.
You had to use them sparingly. But there was no choice this time; it was absolutely necessary.
“Get the shovel and the lamp ready, Sophie.”
“Huh? A… a shovel?”
“Yeah. And a dark-colored robe too.”
Sophie’s face turned pale, and as I saw her, the system popped up with a message about how I might be committing some grave offense at night. But I decided to ignore it.
Anyway, dressed in the robe Sophie had prepared, I was now holding the shovel and lamp, walking down the empty corridor. It was well past midnight.
Clink, clink. Each step I took echoed loudly in the hall.
It felt eerie, but I didn’t mind, continuing to walk.
The place I had arrived at was the cemetery located at the outskirts of the Duke’s estate.
It was the burial place of the Ulmer family—though I was adopted, my ancestors were buried here.
Whoooo…
A damp breeze rustled the air, and I thought I heard faint moaning from somewhere. This place was known for haunting quests or events, like ghostly knights or rising spirits.
[SYSTEM] “New area unlocked! You’ve entered the ‘Ulmer Family Graveyard.’”
The reason I came here wasn’t to take on a quest or get caught up in any events.
“Ugh, I really didn’t want to do this.”
The weight of the shovel in my hand felt unusually heavy.
…Yeah.
What I was about to do was… grave robbing.
[Newbie Game Quit Request]
Author: ㅁㅁ
It’s just the start of summer, and I was going to the fountain festival but didn’t have money for a dress, so I ended up robbing the graveyard behind the estate. Found some valuables, though. But now I’ve got some curse messages popping up, and my daughter’s stress levels are off the charts. How do I fix this?
↳ㅇㅇ: You really should rob the grave before the Spring Ball. After the ball, many events will raise your reputation, and it’ll be hard to get into the temple.
↳ㄹㄹ: Just reset your character and start over.
But I hadn’t even entered the Spring Ball schedule yet.
And although my reputation had gone up due to the Marquis Venter incident, it wasn’t high enough to cause problems with temple access just yet. That’s why I came up with this plan.
So, waking up early today to meet that crazy Bin and buy the Pardon at the temple was all part of the plan to avoid the curse!
‘I had it all figured out.’
Plus, I was oddly confident that robbing the grave would lower my Sucker Score.
Maybe it was just the instincts of a seasoned Ark player?
And the loot would be a bonus.
“Heh heh heh…”
Laughing like a madwoman, I raised the shovel high.
Alright, let’s begin the grave robbing.
“Sorry, fake ancestor!”
A little apology might be in order, but who cares? It’s just a game.
Even if the immersion felt real, it was still a game.
I ignored the guilt that crept up, shrugging it off as I started digging.
“Ha!”
Thwack!
Oh, this felt good.
I enjoyed the satisfying feeling of digging through dry soil and took another big scoop.
Thwack!
But then…
[SYSTEM] “You lack core strength! With your weak core strength, you can only dig twice a day!”
Due to your lack of core strength, your digging is now restricted for 24 hours.
Time remaining: 23:59
“Damn it?”
Once again, I hit another frustrating obstacle.
