Chapter 90: Absolutely No Losses Accepted

After eating the breakfast my aunt made, I hurriedly returned to my room to log into the game.

I’d remembered there were still some details in the high-difficulty Black Prison Forest dungeon that needed tweaking.

While it was unlikely any team would clear the Hard mode dungeon anytime soon, it was better to get ahead of things.

“Morning, Syl.”

“Good morning, Your Highness.”

As usual, I greeted Syl, who was waiting in the lounge. But to my surprise, I ran into an unexpected figure.

“Yo, frail pink-hair.” The Fragment of the Eternal Library, under the pen name Kshalya, the infamous Alwyn Empire smut writer, sipped tea brewed by Syl and waved at me in greeting.

The greeting itself was practically a taunt.

“Why are you here?” Considering some of my stats came from her, I ignored the malicious jab.

“I spent a whole day brainstorming dungeon plots for you. Can’t I take a break?” Kshalya replied.

Her words reminded me of the unsavory additions to the Nightmare and Abyss mode dungeons. “Oh, I should thank you for that, huh?”

“No need. If you really want to show gratitude, convince Miss Syl to star in my next book.” Kshalya stood, closing her book and winking at Syl. “Miss Syl, my offer’s always open~”

“Pfft.”

I stuck out my tongue at Kshalya’s retreating figure, then grabbed Syl’s arm with mock seriousness. “Syl, don’t you dare agree to that!”

I didn’t say it out loud, but I was sure Syl knew the consequences of becoming a character in Kshalya’s work. After all, Legend of Arano’s Desires V: Busty Demon Girl’s Service Time sounded anything but proper.

…Though, thinking about it, it could be kind of thrilling. If it sold well, it might go from text to JPEGs, then AVIs, spawning an IP with merchandise that could boost the dark faction’s economy.

Seeing my rising excitement, Syl didn’t need to guess what I was thinking. “Your Highness, don’t you have work to do?” she said coolly.

“Oh, right!”

Her clear gaze snapped me back to reality, my cheeks flushing as I opened the Heart of Herentis to make adjustments.

But when I reviewed my changes, something felt off.

The dungeon’s main rewards were fine: an A- rating for Black Prison Forest granted me 10K dark elements, 10K forest elements, 50 black crystals, 50 life crystals, and 100 energy every three days.

Additionally, each clear or failure returned some energy based on progress and difficulty.

Easy, Normal, and Hard modes checked out, but Nightmare and Abyss modes showed something alarming: not only did they offer no energy rewards, but they deducted energy per clear.

The loss was small, but it added up over multiple clears—a significant expense. Those red deficit numbers were like a gaping, devouring bug in my eyes.

“Syl, Syl, the dungeon’s bugged!” I leapt off the sofa, frantically grabbing Syl’s arm as she leisurely brewed tea.

Syl examined the dungeon’s structure and pinpointed the issue immediately. “Your Highness, you’ve included too much content in the dungeon.”

After her explanation, I understood. In short, the dungeon’s setting, plot, and monsters consumed too much energy, exceeding the Golden Page’s limits.

The excess costs had to be covered by me, since the system—or rather, Alice—wasn’t some pushover.

“What do we do?”

“There are two options. First, remove some content.”

“No way. That could break the logic and story,” I said, shaking my head. I wasn’t about to deal with that hassle.

Syl, expecting my response, continued without pause. “Second, compress the reward output to offset the energy costs.”

“That’s perfect!” My eyes lit up.

But as I plotted how to squeeze more out of the players, Syl doused my enthusiasm. “Your Highness, the rewards are already at their minimum value.”

I froze, remembering I’d already slashed the rewards once in the name of “frugal management.”

Without basic labor (player) protections, the exploitation of a capitalist (Demon King) never stops.

“Ugh, what do we do then…?” I buried my face in Syl’s soft chest, rubbing against her as if to shake off my troubles.

Syl quietly indulged my childish act, gently smoothing my messy pink hair.

Just when she thought I’d dozed off, I perked up. “Syl, the reward’s value isn’t just about the items themselves, right?”

Syl considered for a moment. “As long as the actual value meets the threshold.”

“Hehe, then we just slap value onto something worthless!” I grinned, flashing my cute tiger teeth.

—

Alwyn Empire, Court of Holy Light

Perched atop a northern peak in the capital of Faerns, bathed in radiant holy light, this was the Alwyn Empire’s main seat of the Church of Light, where all sacred decrees were issued.

Falling Snow Maple Leaf never expected the rich loli to call on her so soon, nor did she imagine she’d step into the mysterious Court of Holy Light, a place whispered about by all players.

But no matter how many questions swirled in her mind, she set them aside for now, following a kind, elderly man in white robes into the pristine, white-jade church.

The heavenly hymns of the choir filled her ears, and the morning sunlight streamed brightly overhead. For a moment, Falling Snow Maple Leaf felt as if she were in a real-world chapel.

The old man’s voice pulled her back.

“Honored adventurer, you’ve passed the Bishop’s test and proven your worth. Are you willing to accept this duty?”

He turned, closing the hymnbook and pressing it to his chest, his voice warm and gentle. “It will be a thorny, winding path, traversable only by those with unwavering resolve.”

“Regardless of your choice, the Holy Light will respect your decision.”

Falling Snow Maple Leaf thought of her grandfather, who could be stern yet kind, always encouraging her to follow her heart, even when she was wrong.

This game reminded her of so much.

“I may not reach the end,” she said, a faint smile tugging at her lips. She firmly grasped the golden decree floating before her. “But I’ll never take a step back.”