Ethan quickly moved through the fog-filled coast after leaving the smelly fishing shack. He didn't care that he was a ghost being pursued by a thousand voices. His excitement was too much. His money was accumulating because everyone else was in a panic around the world because of the slime boss photo.
Near the map's edge, he discovered a little, shadowy rock overhang that no player would ever bother with. He crept inside, using his Sneak ability, and at last let himself glance at the figures.
His HUD opened. The PV counter continued to rise, a green, explosive flood of money.
[PUBLIC VISIBILITY (PV): 510,000] [PV TREND : +1000 PER SECOND]
[VIRAL STATUS: LEGENDARY]
"Half a million PV", his hands trembling a little. "It worked better than I thought."
Most of the enormous number was converted right away by the system.
[PV CONVERSION INITIATED: 480,000 PV CONVERTED TO 24,000 EXP]
With a loud, resonant clang that sent a heated tsunami through his body, the leveling notifications flashed once again.
[LEVEL UP: LEVEL 9 → 10]
[LEVEL UP: LEVEL 10 → 11]
[LEVEL UP: LEVEL 11 → 12]
[LEVEL UP: LEVEL 12 → 13]
Four levels!! He leaned his head back on the chilly stone and closed his eyes. Now he was Level 13. Just by shooting images of stuff that people shouldn't see, he was able to achieve twelve levels in a single day.
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE RECEIVED 20 FREE ATTRIBUTE POINTS]
He distributed the points fast: more Intelligence for a larger mana pool and more Vitality for surviving strong strikes. He did not waste time looking at the numbers. It was more about the money.
His heart pounded fiercely between his ribs as he opened up the financial payout.
[PV PAYOUT: 510,000] [CONVERSION RATE: 10PV : $1 USD]
[TOTAL PAYOUT: $51,000 USD]
Five hundred and eleven dollars! He was sitting on more over $60,000 after adding it to his initial $10,845. He was finally beginning to reduce the debt, but it remained a daunting mountain. This month, instead of paying rent, he was purchasing a modest home.
Ethan said, "I need to cash this out right now," and retrieved his bank transfer. "Before the Aethelguards Headquarters figures out how to freeze my account."
He made the transfer. It was a dizzying and powerful wave of relief. The money was his, it was safe, and it was real.
This was the dangerous part. He stared at the camera in his hand. He was reminded that he was holding a Level 40 Slime boss by the dim purple glow that pulsed from the lens.
How do I handle a creature that is trapped?
He was aware that he couldn't control it indefinitely. It was a wobbly temporary skill. He need a permanent fix. He had to contract it, tame it, make it a partner.
He went to the official lore database for the game and looked for "Chaos Slime taming." There were no results. It had never been done.
Then, recalling a lore term from the boards, he entered "Guardian Binding."
Buried deep in an ancient, dusty monster contract handbook, his hyper-focused vision located the relevant clause.
"A Trade of Souls, not force, is needed to contract a Guardian-Type monster. A Great Favor seals a Guardian's contract; the contractor must release the monster's shackles and make an Unbreakable Promise of freedom by offering a service that the monster cannot get on its own. This forges an enduring link of allegiance.
Ethan struck his thigh with his fist. "A Wonderful Favor! That's it!"
Not only had he captured a photograph, but he had also released the Chaos Incarnate from the binding spell that had been shattered on its throne. The slime owed him its freedom and life itself. That was the ideal, wonderful favor.
Before the creature could discover it was free and chose to flee or, worse, attempt to crush him, who shrunk it, he had to unleash the slime and give the deal a chance.
Ethan picked an area on the map's border where the woodland was dense and wide. He had a clear running route in case things went wrong, and it was distant from other players.
With his pulse pounding rapidly against his ribs, he held the camera out. He was aware that this was the riskiest thing he had ever done. The $60,000 in his bank account wouldn't matter if the Level 40 boss considered him to be its enemy.
"Okay, big guy," Ethan murmured in a somewhat tremulous voice. "Freedom is past due. as well as a new job.
He went to the Photographic Storage folder in the file menu on the camera and chose the file called "Chaos Incarnate."
[RELEASE TEMPORARY CAPTURE] was the choice he made.
From the camera lens a huge swirling whirlpool of black and purple energy erupted. The massive, black, Grand Chaos Slime reappeared on the forest floor as the energy dispersed and became bigger and bigger.
The slime was enormous. Ethan was immediately caught in its enormous shadow as it loomed above him. The eyes were no longer in a frenzy, but the purple energy was still throbbing. They were bright, focused, and furious.
The air became dense. The Slime boss came out of the picture and after looking down at the small player who had just shrunk it.
Ethan held onto the camera and refused to back down. He needed the boss to see that he was confident, therefore he didn't use Temporal Shutter.
"I saved you!" Getting right to the point, Ethan screamed. "The cave fell in! Your throne is no longer under a spell! You're set free! You have a huge favor to repay me.
The trees were shaken by the deafening ROAR of the slime, but it was not an attack. It was a scream of relief and anger. It glanced back at Ethan, then it realized the black throne is disappeared.
Ethan stepped forward and extended his hand in a little.
No game menu was activated by him. He did nothing except wait. The spirit of the monster had to accept the deal.
Slowly, the enormous slime lowered its enormous head. The slimy black body touched Ethan's extended hand.
[CONTRACT PENDING: FAVOR ACCEPTED]
On the back of Ethan's hand, a stunning purple rune materialized, linking him to the enormous Slime boss.
[CONTRACT SUCCESSFUL: GRAND CHAOS SLIME HAS JOINED YOUR PARTY]
[TYPE: GUARDIAN]
Unaware that he was holding his breath, Ethan released it. His pet was Level 40.
Desperate to see what he had just won, he brought up the party menu right away.
[PARTY MEMBER: GRAND CHAOS SLIME LVL 40]
Ethan's gaze swept across the screen, taking in the creature's mana, skills, health, and fundamental details. He needed to be certain about the type of creature he had just subdued.
His jaw dropped deeper and lower as he looked at the numbers. His gaze expanded, focusing on a single set of skills and figures.
Ethan gasped silently in shock. He became aware that he had acquired more than a Slime Guardian. Somehow, the monster he had acquired was worth even more than his whole bank account.