Jang Bung decided to consume the spirit stones from the humans' storage pouches first.
There were nearly a thousand lowest-grade spirit stones.
"Wow! That's a lot."
Hyeon-o was delighted at the sight of the spirit stones.
Lowest-grade spirit stones occasionally appeared in this place.
Hyeon-o lined its nest with them and absorbed their spiritual energy.
"There's no reason to be excited. It only means they're that common."
Lowest-grade spirit stones were the most basic unit of currency in the immortal cultivation world.
Even a cheap talisman cost several lowest-grade spirit stones.
Anything useful cost them by the tens.
Something like a magical artifact cost at least a hundred.
Human cultivators carried them as pocket change.
"Still, there are more than a hundred low-grade spirit stones."
Low-grade spirit stones occasionally appeared in regions inhabited by Demons.
They were far more valuable than lowest-grade spirit stones.
Low-grade spirit stones were like paper money.
One low-grade spirit stone was worth a hundred lowest-grade spirit stones.
A single low-grade spirit stone greatly reduced the space required.
"Are there any mid-grade spirit stones?"
"No."
Mid-grade spirit stones were like large-denomination bills.
One mid-grade spirit stone was worth a hundred low-grade spirit stones.
It was equivalent to ten thousand lowest-grade spirit stones.
Their value increased exponentially at every higher Grade.
"Why aren't there any?"
"The cultivators who come here have no reason to bring them."
Mid-grade spirit stones were not the sort of thing one carried around inside a secret realm.
It was partly because of their price, but.......
They were also unnecessary here.
A secret realm was a place to fight the demon race and gather cultivation resources.
It was not a place for commerce.
There was no benefit in carrying a large amount of money.
There was no reason to bring high-denomination currency.
The same applied to various talismans and magical artifacts.
They had brought only what they needed here and a few reserves for emergencies.
For now, he decided to leave the talismans and magical artifacts in the storage pouches.
They offered little spiritual energy compared to their value.
They would prove useful later.
"Let's start by eating the lowest-grade spirit stones."
Jang Bung transformed into a slime and devoured all one thousand at once.
"How is it? How is it?"
Hyeon-o was curious about the result.
WOBBLE— WOBBLE—
(It's not bad because there were so many... but the quality of the spiritual energy is definitely different.)
"Really?"
There was a great deal of spiritual energy, but its quality was poor.
It was like eating rough food that was difficult to digest.
The absorption rate was low.
'Devouring makes it this effective for me... but it won't be much help to humans or Hyeon-o.'
WOBBLE— WOBBLE—
(I'll try eating the low-grade spirit stones.)
"Try them and tell me what they're like."
WOBBLE— WOBBLE—
(All right.)
Low-grade spirit stones were unquestionably superior to lowest-grade ones in both the quantity and quality of their spiritual energy.
It was like eating food that was a little easier to digest.
The spiritual energy and spiritual power obtained from a hundred low-grade spirit stones were considerable.
WOBBLE— WOBBLE—
(These are useful. I'll leave these for you. Line your nest with them.)
Jang Bung did not consume every low-grade spirit stone.
He left a little over ten for Hyeon-o.
"Thank you!"
Hyeon-o was excited at the thought of lining its nest with them.
***
'Hmm... this is ambiguous.'
Jang Bung compared the effects of low-grade and lowest-grade spirit stones.
Each had its own strengths and weaknesses.
One low-grade spirit stone contained less spiritual energy than a hundred lowest-grade spirit stones, but its quality was better.
On the other hand, the total amount of spiritual energy contained in a hundred lowest-grade spirit stones was far greater than in a single low-grade spirit stone.
But because the absorption rate was poor.
They were exchanged at a rate of a hundred to one.
'Absorbing them at lowest-grade should give me much more spiritual energy.......'
The slime possessed Devouring.
He could absorb more spiritual energy from lowest-grade spirit stones than other creatures could.
'I expected at least thirty to forty percent more than the low-grade stones.......'
He had absorbed only around ten to twenty percent more.
The difference was ambiguous enough to make him question whether consuming them at lowest-grade was worth it.
'I have to consider the time and effort involved too.'
Even a single mid-grade spirit stone was equivalent to ten thousand lowest-grade ones.
When he considered the time and effort required to digest and absorb all of them, the advantage became questionable.
'I'll think of this as a cultivation method. Something to do only when I have endless time to waste.'
It was a kind of slime immortal cultivation method.
Instead of refining the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
He would absorb the spiritual energy of lowest-grade spirit stones.
It was a decent method as long as he had enough spirit stones.
'Wait! Is there another way I can use this.......?'
Inspiration struck Jang Bung's mind like a bolt of lightning.
WOBBLE— WOBBLE—
(Hyeon-o, give me those spirit stones back! I want to test something.)
"How can you take back something after giving it away?!"
When Jang Bung tried to reclaim the spirit stones.
Hyeon-o sulked.
WOBBLE— WOBBLE—
(I'll give you more medicinal pills instead.)
"Really? Fine!"
Hyeon-o preferred receiving medicinal pills over spirit stones anyway.
It could rapidly absorb more spiritual energy from medicinal pills.
'Time for an experiment.'
Jang Bung dissolved the spirit stones he had received from Hyeon-o inside his stomach.
He released the spiritual energy that flowed out of them into the mudfield.
Then he injected it into a single spirit stone.
The spirit stone's Grade rose.
'Just as I thought. The efficiency is ten to twenty percent.'
The experiment was a success.
If he dissolved ten thousand lowest-grade spirit stones.
He could produce one mid-grade spirit stone and ten to twenty low-grade spirit stones.
It was a return of ten to twenty percent.
That was not a significant profit at present, but.......
'As Devouring improves, the efficiency might rise too.'
Even a profit margin of thirty to forty percent would make for surprisingly good business.
'It's like melting down ten-won coins to make hundred- or thousand-won coins.'
At one time, ten-won coins had contained metal worth more than their face value.
People had even bought up ten-won coins in bulk and sold the metal.
For a time, it had been profitable.
'Lowest-grade spirit stones are of so little use that they're left lying around.'
Once someone's realm rose high enough, lowest-grade spirit stones became useless.
To high-level cultivators or sects, they were like pebbles scattered on the ground.
'In the end, they're used only to employ low-level cultivators.'
They were paid out as cultivation resources in exchange for labor.
Lowest-grade spirit stones were common stones with both high production and high consumption.
Melting those lowest-grade spirit stones down, raising their Grade, and selling them would be profitable.
'It would be even more profitable if I used them to raise spirit herbs and spirit fruit.'
High-quality spirit herbs and spirit fruit used as medicinal pill ingredients sold for high prices.
The ingredients raised by the slime were luxury goods.
Selling them to an alchemist could produce a profit of two or three times the cost.
'Ha ha. I don't need to fight for spiritual lands or spirit veins.'
To advance one's cultivation realm and establish a sect.......
Spiritual lands and spirit veins rich in spiritual energy were essential.
But Jang Bung did not need to fight others to obtain them.
He could create spiritual lands and spirit veins with spirit stones.
Lowest-grade spirit stones could be turned into spiritual lands and spirit veins.
He needed only to secure a reliable supply of spirit stones.
'I don't have to digest all the spirit stones myself either.'
Mud Slimes, his subordinates, also possessed the basic Devouring ability.
Their extraction efficiency was lower, but.......
He could increase the number of slimes without limit.
And since they worked for free.
Together, they would form a massive factory.
'If I have an alchemist turn the spirit herbs and spirit fruit into medicinal pills.......'
Additional processing would increase their added value.
That would raise the profit even further.
He already had someone to put in charge of that work.
WOBBLE— WOBBLE—
(Ha ha ha.)
The seed of a future alchemist was right before his eyes.
Hyeon-o.
If he made Hyeon-o produce medicinal pills, he could earn three to four times the original cost.
"Why are you looking at me and laughing so unpleasantly?!"
Hyeon-o had sensed what Jang Bung was thinking.
WOBBLE— WOBBLE—
(Once we reach the human world, I'm thinking of training an alchemist. Ha ha.)
"You promised you'd let me do that!"
Hyeon-o grew anxious.
The world overflowed with people who wanted to become alchemists.
WOBBLE— WOBBLE—
(Then work hard. If you don't, I'll give the job to someone else.)
"I'll work hard, so don't give it to anyone else!"
Hyeon-o let out an angry squawk.
WOBBLE— WOBBLE—
(All right. Ha ha.)
There was no shortage of creatures who wanted to work in Jang Bung's factory.
This business would succeed.
***
After the spirit stones came the medicinal pills.
Medicinal pills were more efficient than spirit stones.
Plenty remained even after giving Hyeon-o the pills he had promised.
'The spirit stones carried me halfway through 7-Star. Now I'll reach 8-Star in one leap with these medicinal pills.'
As Jang Bung was thinking that.......
"Can't you give me a little more?"
The sight of so many medicinal pills made Hyeon-o greedy.
"There aren't enough even for me."
"Hmph, you have so many....... Jang Bung is greedy."
Hyeon-o was right.
Jang Bung was greedy.
"I'll give you more spirit herbs and spirit fruit later. Be patient for now."
Hyeon-o was necessary to Jang Bung's plans.
He decided to placate it.
"Fine."
Hyeon-o also knew that Jang Bung's advancement.
Would benefit it as well.
Only then could it obtain more spirit herbs and spirit fruit to eat.
Its realm depended entirely on Jang Bung.
Hyeon-o had reached the limit of how far it could grow alone.
It had no choice but to rely on Jang Bung.
That was the limitation of a member of the demon race with poor combat power.
It had to survive by using its head rather than its strength.
"All right, time to eat."
Jang Bung disguised himself as a human cultivator.
Medicinal pills were fundamentally made to be consumed by humans.
'Disguise Art doesn't actually make me human... but it feels right.'
It was like saving up gacha pulls and using them all at once.
It did not improve the odds, but.......
It felt as though it did.
If he was going to do it anyway, eating them in human form felt better.
Jang Bung swallowed five or six medicinal pills at a time.
"Oh. I can feel the spiritual energy rising."
Spirit pills were unquestionably more effective than spirit stones.
He could feel the water in a half-filled glass gradually rising.
As he continued consuming medicinal pills.
The water level in the glass rose even higher.
Before long, the glass was filled to the brim.
"All right, this is the last of them. Let's go!"
Jang Bung poured the remaining spirit pills into his mouth all at once.
The spiritual energy that had filled the glass began to overflow.
Spiritual energy spread throughout his body.
The advancement of his realm dispelled Disguise Art.
Jang Bung returned to his slime form.
Advancing his realm caused changes in the slime's body.
His body grew larger.
He went from the size of a brown bear to the size of a house.
The slime's horns also grew larger and began to gleam.
'Damn developers! They made this without even trying!'
Only his size had changed.
There was no meaningful difference.
More importantly.......
'I can't believe they didn't give me a single ability!'
[Abilities: Devouring. Acid Production. Acid Resistance. Poison Production. Poison Resistance. Bloodsucking. Hard and Tough Skin. Body Transformation. Camouflage. Reproduction. Regeneration. Water Cannon. Disguise Art.]
From 6-Star to 7-Star and then from 7-Star to 8-Star, he had not received a single new ability.
Of course, the higher the demon race's realms rose, the less frequently they received abilities.
It was intended to balance them against humans.
The demon race was a species whose advantages were heavily front-loaded.
At later stages, humans gained an advantage through their cultivation methods, magical artifacts, and arts.
That is why a substantial share of paying players choose humans.
'Well, it's not so bad.'
Once members of the demon race reached a sufficiently high realm, they could take human form.
Through the Shapeshifting Art, they could use cultivation methods, magical artifacts, and arts just like humans.
That was why even the demon race began spending money once they reached a certain realm.
'I already have every ability worth having.'
Jang Bung had already collected more abilities than most members of the demon race could possess.
'Humans don't have abilities like these at all.'
Humans had no special abilities.
Their advantages were greater intelligence and the knowledge the human race had accumulated over a long period.
Cultivation methods, magical artifacts, alchemy, Qimen Dunjia, and more.
Their advantage was the ability to use mystic tools and mystic arts.
The demon race could also use such things once their realms rose high enough.
'Using magical artifacts and mystic arts together with my existing abilities will be even more advantageous.'
Jang Bung intended to use them to become a Great All-Encompassing Immortal.
***
"Congratulations on reaching 8-Star!"
"Thank you."
He also had Hyeon-o, both pet and companion.
Those were highly favorable conditions.
"Should we move somewhere else now?"
It was time to move deeper into the secret realm, where spiritual energy was denser.
"Before that, Hyeon-o, let's raise your realm."
Hyeon-o had become indispensable to Jang Bung.
It could not be allowed to die a pointless death.
Before entering an 8-Star region, he first needed to raise it to 7-Star.
The mudfield Jang Bung created grew even wider.
Its diameter reached two hundred meters.
Spirit herbs and spirit fruit grew atop it.
They had become even fresher and more fragrant than before.
Their realm had risen as well.
"Eat as much as you want."
"Thank you!"
All kinds of spirit herbs and spirit fruit blossomed across the mudfield.
Hyeon-o ate them and rapidly filled itself with spiritual energy.
At last.......
"I'm 7-Star too!"
Hyeon-o cried out in joy.
It had become a 7-Star Demon as well.