Chapter 20: Five Hundred Million Credits
Terrence felt a subtle jolt run through his fingers as his hand reached out for Clame’s sleek black card. The cold, smooth plastic rested against his palm, carrying a weight that went far beyond its physical size.
He still couldn’t entirely process it. To think he could pull in a sum like this simply by selling beasts was mind-boggling.
Beasts were valuable assets in this world, of course, but having a System task him with supplying them had completely turned his life on its head. In the past, he had never given much thought to accumulating wealth. The idea of having a massive sum sitting in a bank account under his name held little emotional value for him back when he was powerless.
Now, however, the adrenaline pumping through his veins set his heart pounding against his ribs in a phenomenal, rhythmic rush.
A shop...
The sudden urge to build his own merchant establishment flared up in his mind. It sounded wild, almost crazy, but he wanted it. He wanted to climb higher. He wanted more.
Terrence tucked his lips inward, fighting a rising grin as he forced his face into a mask of pure professionalism. He kept his body language relaxed, sliding his hands casually back toward his coat.
"How much have you prepared?" Terrence asked smoothly. "We never actually agreed on a final price, did we?"
Truthfully, Terrence didn’t even care about haggling over the exact figure at this moment. His mind was already drifting back to the blue system notifications hovering silently before his eyes.
The S-Rank Vampire Butler...
He tried to stretch his senses inward, probing the void where his summons resided, but met a complete blank wall.
Why am I still unable to reach it?
Through his brief time using the System, Terrence had learned a few basic rules about his assigned beasts. Right now, he possessed two bound units: the Mutated Iron Shadow Hound and this newly unlocked S-Rank Vampire Butler.
Whenever he called upon or commanded the Shadow Hound, he could feel a faint, distinct thread connecting their souls—a subtle pulse flowing directly through his veins. Even without speaking, any intention or command he formed in his head caused the hound to react in real time.
With the Vampire Butler, however, there was nothing.
It rested deep inside the Beast Sanctuary, entirely cold and inert. Terrence wanted to feel the overwhelming surge of power that should have come with acquiring an S-Rank beast, but his soul met only silence.
To break that seal and feel that power, he was going to have to complete the follow-up mission.
He didn’t complain. The task itself wasn’t absurdly difficult, even if the System’s sudden requirement felt like a total buzzkill.
Well... nothing in this world comes for free, does it?
He knew that lesson better than anyone. Even when his Beast Supplier System had first awakened, it hadn’t come without a brutal price.
In standard society, an awakening ceremony wasn’t something where a person simply woke up one morning and announced they had power. To trigger the awakening, a candidate had to be injected with the volatile mana of a monster from a heavy pillar machine.
Terrence had attempted that process at least three times between his sixteenth and eighteenth birthdays. Every single time, his body had shown zero reaction.
As it turned out, the price, the trigger to unlock the System required a near-death experience and a body that possessed absolutely zero natural affinity for standard Beast Taming.
Does that mean there are other unique talents out there too? Terrence wondered briefly, shaking his head. Apart from standard taming and system users? Who knows...
He dismissed the thought. Speculating on abstract theories didn’t do anything to advance his immediate goals.
’To clear this new mission, I need to visit the Contribution Agency again,’ Terrence thought, his mind already mapping out his next move. ’They keep the list of active dungeon rifts.’
Clearing his throat softly, Terrence slid the sleek black card safely into the inner pocket of his tactical jacket.
Clame watched his movements closely, her arms folded tightly across her chest as her eyes narrowed.
"Could you explain to me how we will be able to control them?"
"Command," Terrence corrected firmly, catching her word choice.
Clame’s jaw tightened slightly, the corner of her lips flinching at the sharp correction. She forced a subtle breath through her nose to keep her composure.
"Alright. Command. Explain it, then."
Terrence took a slow, deliberate breath, steadying his posture before speaking.
"Normally, a tamer must establish a contract to command a beast," Terrence said, using a confident, informative cadence.
"They can also activate Skill Share through a deep bond. But these slimes are fundamentally different. They are Guard Slimes, not the typical wild beasts you encounter inside a rift."
Clame gave a slow, contemplative nod. "Now that you mention it, I’ve never heard of a mutated beasts with ’Guard’ in its official classification."
"Precisely," Terrence replied, nodding back.
"It’s because their core nature is built for protection. They don’t require a formal contract to follow designated orders."
Clame’s eyes remained sharp, her brow furrowing with lingering skepticism.
"That doesn’t really explain the underlying mechanism."
In reality, Terrence didn’t have a clue about the deep biology behind it either. He was simply relying on standard merchant misdirection to pull himself through the conversation.
"That falls under trade secrets, Lady Commander," Terrence said, turning his body slightly away and looking off toward the compound’s edge as if weighed down by heavy, proprietary knowledge.
"I hope you can respect that this is all the information I can share. If you want to analyze the mechanics further, you are welcome to conduct your own research."
Clame fell into a deep silence.
While skipping the long contract process saved her team immense preparation time for their upcoming raid, taking command of mysterious, unexplained creatures carried an inherent tactical risk. Still, as she weighed the pros and cons in her mind, the conclusion was obvious. She needed a force of this magnitude, and the results standing in her courtyard spoke for themselves. If it turned out to be a fluke –that they wouldn’t obey to her commands, she knew who to hunt down.
"Loaded onto that card is 500 million," Clame stated, her voice dropping into a businesslike tone. "You can process the funds directly at any major banking institution. Alternatively, you can use it to set up your sub-accounts."
Major banks...
Terrence’s breath caught slightly as he digested the phrase. Suran City certainly had major financial institutions, but the dominant bank in this region operated directly under an affiliate family of the Lee Clan.
He bit the inside of his lower lip.
It’s way too risky to process a transaction that large over there.
If the Lee Family caught wind of a 500 million credit deposit under his name, they would immediately pry into his affairs.
’Maybe I should stick to using the smaller payment Clara gave me for now,’ Terrence reasoned internally.
’Then I can focus on relocating to Nara City. But before I can freely use funds on that scale, I need to raise my official contribution rank so I can secure residency there.’
"Can you handle the account split on your end instead?" Terrence asked, looking back at Clame.
"What?" Clame blinked, turning her head toward Nair. "Is that doable?"
Nair immediately shook her head, her face stern.
"We cannot split the lump sum ourselves after the transfer voucher has been issued. It was pre-arranged through official channels. Doing that now would draw immediate red flags from the government."
Clame pressed her lips together, letting out a frustrated sigh.
She knew Nair was right. If a high-ranking military commander suddenly began routing hundreds of millions in untraceable sums to various off-the-books accounts, auditors would launch an immediate investigation. Furthermore, her deal with Terrence was supposed to remain strictly confidential. They couldn’t afford to let rival factions learn about their new supply line.
Clame stepped closer to Nair, her voice dropping to an imperative whisper.
"Whatever happens, make sure no information about our business here leaks out. Block all official inquiries regarding my presence in Suran City. Cover it up with a routine inspection report."
She had no intention of getting dragged into a localized political mess.
Seeing the visible strain and caution on their faces, Terrence raised a hand, waving off the request before it created unnecessary friction.
"It’s fine," Terrence said smoothly. "Forget I asked. I can handle the banking details myself."
He had no desire to get bogged down in the headaches of regional banking laws and tax audits anyway.
After a brief exchange of final formalities and confirming the deployment placement of the Guard Slimes in the courtyard, Terrence took his leave.
He exited the Neil estate, walked down the primary avenue, and checked into a secure, private room at a nearby high-end hotel.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Terrence pulled out his sleek new Tamer ID and set it on the nightstand beside Clame’s black card. He had a tight schedule ahead of him. To wake his S-Rank Vampire Butler, he needed to hunt down five A-Rank Beast Cores inside active rifts—and he had exactly one week to prepare before facing Lucas in their duel.