Nameless King

Astrid and her mates ran away in fear. They were wounded, but then they didn't notice the pain, survival was the most important thing for them.

"Thank you." Erza muttered as she approached Wain.

"You don't have to. I won't lie. If you hadn't asked, I would have killed them, but it won't happen again. Do you understand?" Wain grabbed Erza by the chin as he stared intently into her eyes.

"Yes. Of course." Erza said briefly.

"Good." Wain turned to the Spirits, "Begin. We're ready."

"Huh, I like your attitude boy. Judging by the energy, you've already passed one trial, but don't think you're all-powerful. All trials are difficult, in their own way." The spirit uttered.

Whoooooooosh.

The spirits turned into a stream as they surrounded Wain and the others. The last time they had been in a dark basement, now they were in a spacious royal hall.

Crystal chandeliers dangled from the high ceilings, gold columns supported the walls, and motley red carpets on the floors, all adorned with rare paintings from the best artists. In the center was a huge throne with many jewels in it.

"Are we in the King's house?" Alas muttered.

"No..." Ern shook his head, "It looks more like an emperor's palace. Gosh, I've never seen so many jewels! It's incredible!"

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Space warped as the Legendary Spirit appeared on the throne.

"I salute you. In my opinion, this is one of the most difficult trials. This is the trial of Greed. There are doors ahead of you. Your task is simple, you must stop when you think you have had enough. Of course, there's danger waiting for you behind every door, so the more you get, the stronger your opponent will be. Good luck." The spirit spoke as it disappeared.

"Treasure? Did someone say treasure?" Ern exclaimed as he ran to the nearest door.

The door didn't open until the others approached it.

"Why do I feel like there's some kind of trap in this ordeal?" Alas pondered as he went inside.

"Perhaps because you're right. The spirit said we should stop at the right moment, but how do we know when exactly? Does the outcome of the ordeal depend not on our abilities but luck? I don't believe that." Wain uttered.

Inside the first room, the simplest trial awaited them. In the center of the room was a huge boulder with a long iron sword stuck in it.

"Huh, we just need to get the sword out of there? That reminds me of a story." Ern smiled as he walked over to the boulder.

He gripped the sword's hilt tightly as his muscles tensed and his veins swelled. Cracks went down the boulder as Ern pulled his sword out.

"Well, let's see what I got." Ern opened the description of the sword.

[Fake (Primary Chronicle, Common Rating)

This is a fake of one of the strongest swords that ever existed.

It is useless trash that is not even suitable for battles against the weakest monsters. Whoever gets this sword is probably a pathetic loser].

"What the fuck is this?" Ern exclaimed as he snapped the sword in two.

"Look." Wain muttered.

The main treasure of this room was not the sword but the chest in the center of the boulder.

"Well, let's see what's in there. If it's going to be some useless junk again, I'm out of it!" Ern opened the chest.

"Huh, it's definitely better than a piece of iron." Wain grinned.

There were ten gray coins in the chest. They were Void Coins.

"Only ten thousand..." Ern muttered grudgingly.

"You don't think that's enough?" Alas wondered, "Many people risk their lives to get that kind of money, but you got it just by pulling a sword out of a boulder. If I were you, I wouldn't complain."

"You're not in my shoes." Ern looked at Alas, "Anyway, I passed this trial and got the emotional damage, so I'm taking the coins for myself."

"Whatever you say." Wain shrugged, "Let's move on. The sooner we pass this trial, the better."

"Hey? Maybe we shouldn't take the coins." Erza suggested.

"Hmm? Why?" Wain puzzled.

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Are we supposed to leave here with nothing!" Ern exclaimed.

"I think this might be the way to pass the trial. Maybe if we give up all the rewards and decide after a few stages that it's enough, we'll successfully pass the trial."

"That makes sense." Alas nodded, "I hadn't thought of that, but it might work. We won't go along with the trial and do the opposite."

"What are we going to do?" Erza looked at Wain. Everything depended on his decision.

"I'm against it!" Ern exclaimed.

"Hmm... That's an interesting thought..." Wain pondered.

He was silent for a while as he paced from side to side. He looked at the gold ceilings, the coins in the chest, the rare furniture, and other ornate details of this palace.

'Greed... What is Greed really?' Wain inwardly muttered.

"Wain. What have you decided? I'm sure we should leave these coins here, as it's just a trap." Erza said seriously.

Wain looked at her as he smiled, "A trap? Could it be a trap in a trap? What do you think about that? Not only will we take these coins, but we'll also steal everything here! From paintings to cutlery. It's a Greed trial, so I will not turn down this opportunity. We'll show what real Greed is and take every treasure in this palace! There will be nothing left here after us."

"What..." Erza muttered.

She and Alas were not expecting such an answer.

"Ahahahaha, great! That's what I wanted. So I won't take the coins out of the chest. I'll just take the chest with me." Ern said as his ring glowed.

"Okay, let's move on. That was only the first room. Many more treasures are ahead, and it's all for us." Wain said confidently as he left the room.