“He was rich, wasn’t he?” Lucas muttered as he tied the knot over the pouch filled with silver and gold coins and set it down on the ground.

  He glanced toward Evelyn, who didn’t respond. She was still checking the man’s body.

  “He had nothing else on him,” Lucas said. He was puzzled why the mage was so adamant about searching the corpse, which they had both already checked twice.

  “He had a Veilspace artifact - I'm certain of it!” Evelyn hissed. She pulled at the fabric of the man’s robe, ripping it open at the chest. “A man of his status wouldn't be traveling through a dungeon with everything stuffed into his pockets.”

  Lucas considered helping her, but he had no idea what she was looking for. Besides, the corpse was a bloated mess. The skin was pale and wrinkled, translucent in places where the water had begun to separate the layers of flesh.

  “What is Veilspace?” he asked as he reached for the man’s belongings they had gathered on the ground and picked up the book with the violet leather cover.

  “Hmm? Ah, Veilspace,” Evelyn murmured, her focus never leaving the body. She had stripped Roland’s torso and was carefully examining every stitch of his clothes. She raised her head to glance at Lucas and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “It’s a pocket dimension, Lucas. A fold in reality used for storage. Usually, it's anchored to a ring or bracelet. But if the storage space is truly big, it can be an amulet, a tiara, or even a… book.”

  Her eyes drifted to the violet book Lucas was holding, but she quickly pulled her gaze away. She had already seen its effects and knew it wasn’t the artifact she was looking for.

  Lucas, on the other hand, was staring at the information Coward’s Eye gave him.

  [

  Name: Nullcraft Grimoire

  Description: A medium used to enhance the effect of Nullcraft spells. Crafted using the leather of a dragon.

  Tier: Epic

  Warning: An attempt to cast Nullcraft spells while one’s Intelligence is less than 40 will result in immediate death.

  ]

  He dropped the book back onto the ground and swallowed hard. Based on what Evelyn had told him about how magic affected a mage’s personality, Lucas had already realized that casting spells in this world came with a heavy cost. But guaranteed death? That was beyond his imagination.

  “Fuck!” Evelyn screamed, glaring at the corpse. “It is not here. I am sure he had one - how else could he carry that orb and the grimoire together? Where could it have gone?”

  “It was probably taken by the mage who killed him,” Lucas offered. He suspected Evelyn’s obsession with the Veilspace artifact wasn’t just about the man’s possessions, but he chose not to question her. He pointed at the violet book. “At least you can have this one.”

  “What could I possibly use a Nullcraft grimoire for?” Evelyn snorted, still fuming. “It’s not my discipline, nor do I plan to ever master it. I guess we could sell it. A high-standing noble like Roland would not dirty his hands with low-grade equipment. It would fetch us quite a few coins. Which, by the way, you desperately need.”

  Her lips curled in amusement as she tilted her head at Lucas’s socks, which lay on the ground with the rest of his clothes. A giant hole had opened through the fabric where his big toe would be.

  Lucas chuckled. Evelyn was a much more pleasant companion than he had expected.

  “We should sell these too,” he said, pointing at a potion filled with purple liquid and a thick set of wet talismans.

  “We must appraise them first!” Evelyn said firmly. She walked toward the river to wash her hands.

  Lucas didn’t argue. He couldn’t tell Evelyn he had already checked their effects and that they were useless… unless used in very specific situations.

  “Rich, powerful, and loved to have fun even at his age,” he murmured to himself as he started putting on his clothes.

  Despite this world being harsh for those of low standing, it was clearly a different story for the nobility. The fact that an old man carried potions for his sexual prowess and dozens of talismans just to guarantee sweet dreams proved as much.

  On the other hand, Lucas had seen how people lived in the villages and towns. For them, the struggle began the moment they were old enough to earn their keep and continued until they died.

  “Ready to move?” Evelyn asked. Her hands were still wet.

  “Move where?” Lucas asked. He tightened a rope around his waist, which acted as a belt, holding up leather pants that were a size too big.

  Evelyn studied him briefly, a small smile flickering on her lips.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “There’s no point staying here; the reward is gone, if there ever was one. We should head back for those apples. If you can handle the snake and get a fire going, we can actually have a proper meal.”

  “Why do I have to do all that?” Lucas frowned. “Even if I have to do the killing, why can’t you cook?”

  Evelyn raised a brow. Her expression turned stiff for a moment, then she softened into a smile.

  “Fair enough. You hunt, I’ll cook. But do not start complaining if you dislike the taste. My talents were always better suited for libraries than kitchens.”

  Lucas had been ready for a retort, so when she agreed instead, he found himself lost for words. Conflicted, he simply nodded and tightened the straps on his leather armor.

  Evelyn gathered the items they had collected from Roland’s corpse - the pouch of coins, the purple potion, the stack of sleeping talismans, the violet grimoire, and the half-empty mana potion.

  “I’ll carry them,” she said. She tucked the talismans inside the book and slid everything into her satchel, which seemed bottomless.

  “Is that also a Veilspace artifact?” Lucas asked. He checked his gear one last time and fastened the sheathed knife to his waist.

  “In a way.” Evelyn gently rubbed the leather of the satchel. It was scuffed and worn, the black paint almost completely faded.

  Lucas realized she didn't want to share the details, but he didn't need to ask.

  Coward’s Eye.

  [

  Name: Varnok’s Pouch

  Description: An artifact made from the leather of a varnok’s stomach. It has one cubic meter of space inside thanks to Spatial Magic runes.

  Tier: Rare

  Warning: The item can only be used by its owner or with their permission.

  ]

  The two didn’t linger. They headed straight for the chamber with the magical barrier. They needed the apples, but the prospect of snake meat was the real draw.

  Inside, Lucas moved carefully, Roland’s staff leveled at the snake. The serpent appeared to be sleeping soundly, its green-scaled body coiled around a branch in the exact same position.

  Before getting closer, Lucas scanned the surroundings. The chamber was small, but after missing a corpse in the river, he no longer trusted his eyes.

  “It's safe,” Evelyn said from behind him. The mage had decided to follow him this time instead of waiting outside.

  As Lucas reached striking distance, the serpent shifted. Its eyes snapped open - golden, vertical-slitted orbs fixed on him. It coiled like a spring and launched itself at his face, jaws wide and four fangs bared.

  If this had been the same Lucas who first entered this world, the fangs would have found their mark. But his Agility had more than doubled.

  Lucas lunged to the side, the head of the snake passing just inches from his shoulder. As the serpent landed on the ground, he drove the staff down. He aimed the gemstone tip like a spearhead, and to his surprise, it pierced the creature’s skull cleanly.

  The snake coiled around the wooden shaft, its head pinned to the ground. Its tail lashed out, wrapping around Lucas’s arm in a desperate, futile grip. Lucas felt the cold, wet sensation of the scales against his skin, but the tension quickly faded. The thrashing stopped.

  [You’ve gained 5 Experience Points!]

  [New skill acquired: Spearmanship.]

  Lucas’s heart almost skipped a beat when he saw that he had gained a new skill. He forced himself to stay calm; a happy grin would look out of place to the mage, who was already staring at him strangely.

  “You have improved,” Evelyn murmured. “In the cave, you didn’t move half as fast as you do now.”

  Lucas shrugged and freed his hand from the serpent’s body, then pulled the staff free. No matter how strange his progress appeared, he knew Evelyn would never guess that he was consuming the souls of his targets.

  “Strange,” Evelyn muttered, her eyes scanning the chamber.

  “I’ve been training tirelessly.” Lucas tried to explain his growth.

  “Not you. The chamber,” Evelyn clarified as she walked toward the apple tree. “I thought the snake was the test, but there’s no reward. This might just be a transition room. We should eat now - items like these sometimes vanish once you leave the area.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If it’s not a reward, the dungeon might reclaim it the moment we step back into the corridor,” Evelyn said.

  “What about the snake?” Lucas didn’t care about fruit as much as he did the meat. Filling up on apples alone felt like a fantasy, but meat was a different story.

  “I can store the meat, but I don't have much room for the fruit. Gather what you can eat now,” Evelyn responded. She was already plucking the large red spheres from the branches.

  Lucas activated Coward’s Eye one more time, just in case he had missed something. He focused on the biggest apple on the tree.

  [

  Name: Apple

  Tier: Common

  ]

  The suspicion faded. He jumped slightly to reach a branch and plucked one for himself.

  “You don't do things halfway, do you?” Evelyn chuckled. She was already on the ground next to the tree, eating hungrily. The crunch of every bite made Lucas’s mouth water.

  He rubbed the surface of the fruit against his palm, dusting it off until the red skin became colorful and appealing. He brought it to his mouth and took a heavy bite.

  The juices flooded his mouth - sweet and meaty. He took another bite. Then another.

  He was enjoying every bit of it until Evelyn suddenly lunged at him. She struck his hand, forcing him to drop the fruit.

  “What?” Lucas barked, his brows furrowed. He thought she was being playful, but he was too hungry for jokes.

  But the woman collapsed at his feet, her legs giving out as she crumpled to the ground.

  Lucas instantly realized what was happening. He shoved two fingers down his throat to trigger a reflex, desperate to vomit what he had just swallowed, but his vision blurred before the first heave.

  “Coward’s Eye…” was the last thing his mind fixated on before his consciousness faded and he sank into the darkness.

  The next chapter on Monday!

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