Chapter 128

Chapter 128

Spendthrift Necromancer (128)

Mountain of TreasureKim Minwoo looked at the Awakened.

They were staring in amazement at the small boxes in their hands.

From what he overheard, instead of points, they'd apparently received Unique- and Legendary-grade Equipment Draw Boxes.‘Makes sense.’He remembered the message he'd seen when he first arrived here.[Points will continue to accumulate. However, if you did not experience anything special before, there will be no further changes.]

If they hadn't unlocked the VIP Shop, earning more points afterward wouldn't unlock it.

That was probably what it meant.

In that situation, giving the Awakened points as rewards wouldn't leave them with any way to use them.

Maybe that was why they'd been given items instead.

Unique and Legendary ranks were rewards the Awakened could reasonably be satisfied with. Their profession involved risking their lives to obtain equipment like that in the first place.

He looked at the Necromantic Sword.

When he'd killed Iphrax.[Powerful foe! Absorption greatly increases! (9/10)]It had absorbed around five points.

Lower than the Duke's four only in absolute relation to what he expected.‘So absorption probably depends on contribution.’That seemed likely.

Only one point remained.

Kill one more powerful enemy in a Gate and the sword would grow again.

It had advanced from Legendary to Legendary+, so next would probably be Ancient.‘An Ancient-grade sword.’An incredibly luxurious weapon.

He had a feeling he'd be carrying this thing for a very long time.

Unfortunately, he hadn't received a title.‘Nothing strange about that.’Titles tended to appear more often from solo clears than party clears.‘So what do I get?’That was when.[You ranked 1st in contribution!][You may choose!][Select one of the following!][1. Receive your contribution converted into points.][2. Instead of converting it into points, move to the ‘Mountain of Treasure.’]‘Hmm…….’An unusual choice appeared.Option 1 was the reward method he'd originally expected, while Option 2…….‘Mountain of Treasure.’Would move him to an entirely different area.

That was when.―All right, everyone received your rewards, yes? The trial will end soon! That means you'll be returning to Earth!

“Then are we going back too?”

Popo shook his head at Kim Minwoo's question.―No. First, second, and third place are exceptions. You'll be given plenty of time to make your choice.

Choice?

He looked at his guild members.

“Did you both get two choices?”

The two nodded simultaneously. It looked like they needed to discuss things.

That was when.

The Awakened began murmuring.

“Only three minutes until transfer?”

“Isn't that too short?”

“At least give us enough time to say goodbye…….”

They were flustered only briefly.

Then the Awakened rushed toward them.

“Thank you for saving us!”

“We cleared thanks to you. If you ever come to France…….”

“India too!”

Words poured out from every direction.

Business cards came flying from everywhere.

These were experienced A-rank Awakened.

Most of them would eventually rise to S-rank as time passed.

Even with SS-rank Achievements appearing, S-rank Awakened weren't people anyone could casually dismiss.

There was nothing wrong with building connections while he had the opportunity.

Like playing a defense game, Minwoo accepted the cards one by one and stored them in his inventory. Seo Yerim and Park Siwoo received countless cards too.

After seeing their abilities firsthand, it would've been stranger not to want to become acquainted.

That was when.

The American Awakened approached.

Thompson grinned.

“Boss! No, maybe calling you Boss is weird now. Anyway, if you ever come visit America, stop by our Dragon Guild. Let's grab a beer.”

He mimed chugging beer with his muscular arm.

Dragon Guild.

America's number-one guild.‘Well, that's how it is.’Three people had been selected from each country for the tournament. It would've been stranger for the Awakened to have weak backgrounds.

“If I get the opportunity, I'll definitely visit.”

“Good. Next time we meet will probably be…… the Gate Contest. Take care until then.”

Sophia came next.

She quietly approached and asked.

“Mr. Minwoo! Do you have a girlfriend?”

“I'm at the age where hunting is more fun than dating.”

“Really? Me too, actually. Let's stay in touch.”

She slipped a piece of paper into his pocket.

“Not my work number. My personal one. It's valuable, so don't lose it, okay?”

Sophia smiled.

This one's a tough customer.

For now, he accepted it.

Once you stored a number, there tended to come a day when it became useful eventually.

Soon, the Awakened's bodies grew blurry. They disappeared completely from the stage of the second trial.

Only the three members of Spendthrift Guild remained. Park Siwoo slid closer and spoke.

“Wow, what was that stealth delivery just now? Thought her Class was Mage, not Thief.”

“Why are you so surprised? You got about ten yourself.”

“……

Eight of those were decoys. They all gave them to me because they wanted me to introduce them to you.”

Kim Minwoo tilted his head.

“If so, why didn't they just give them to me directly?”

“I heard something. Apparently there's some kind of hierarchy? among women. Among the trainees, Ms. Sophia was supposedly number one?”

“So she threatened them not to give me their numbers?”

“Not exactly. But maybe there was this unspoken, uh…… something. Otherwise there'd be no reason to hand them to me.”

Maybe.‘That's actually better.’Thanks to that, he'd only received one number.

“Even after subtracting eight, you still got two.”

“Ahem. Well, I did perform pretty well too, right?”

Park Siwoo straightened proudly, then looked at Seo Yerim.

“Noona, didn't you get a bunch of numbers too? I saw that baguette hyung hitting on you earlier. Looking at you all greasy-eyed like this.”

“I like Korean food.”

Seo Yerim answered flatly, then looked at Kim Minwoo.

“So which of the two are you thinking of choosing?”

“No idea. Popo?”―Yes!

Popo, who had been waiting nearby, approached.

“If I choose Number 2, I don't get any points at all?”―Correct.

“Hmm…….”

Kim Minwoo thought for a moment.

Both choices had advantages and disadvantages.Option 1, converting contribution into points.

It would probably award a substantial amount.‘The problem is…….’[1. Light Bomb (500,000 points)][2. Highest-Grade Elixir Recipe (1,000,000 points)][3. Elixir (1,000,000 points)][4. Random Item Box (2,000,000 points)][5. Old Key (5,000,000 points)][6. Lightning Stigma (7,000,000 points)][7. Elu's Tear (9,000,000 points)][8. (Sold Out)]

Something could sell out.

The Nuclear Bomb was gone.

“If contribution is converted into points, how many would I get?”―Roughly one million points per percent.

About what he'd expected.‘One percent contribution received a Legendary box.’For reference, the two-million-point box in the Shop could draw Legendary through Ancient gear.

Its potential was much higher.

That was probably why the other Awakened had received half-strength boxes matching their points.

“If a VVIP item sells out, can it no longer be purchased?”―To be precise, that applies starting from Item 5, the Key.

“If I gain even more points, can I unlock a Shop beyond VVIP?”―I'm sorry, but no higher Shop has been assigned to this stage.

Kim Minwoo nodded.‘Makes sense.’If one existed, the system would've told him through a message already.‘Then converting into points isn't very tasty.’Even after buying Items 5, 6, and 7, he'd still have twenty-one million points left. Split all that across smaller items?

A school of minnows was still only a school of minnows.

They couldn't beat a shark.

He'd rather buy one expensive item worth twenty-one million points.

But if he picked Option 1, that didn't seem possible.

“Can you tell me what the Mountain of Treasure is?”―Uh, um…… exactly what the name says. A place where many treasures are piled up.

“Obviously I won't get to choose all the treasure.”

Nod.

“Is it like gambling? Something where the ceiling is limitless if you hit the jackpot?”

Nod.

Such a helpful Popo.

Seo Yerim and Park Siwoo's eyes gleamed when they saw that.

They too had learned this teddy bear's behavioral patterns.

They'd used the VIP Shop before coming here.

And they'd bought items based on the teddy bear standing before them.

“Option 2 suits me. Ms. Yerim, and you too, Siwoo, could probably choose Option 1.”

Kim Minwoo briefly explained the VVIP Shop.

Both of their contribution rates would convert into well over ten million points.

That would unlock the VVIP Shop, so spending there wouldn't be bad.

Whereas Minwoo…….‘I have a demon Authority.’Andromalius.

Or Mr. Andro, as Minwoo liked to call him.

He possessed the temporary Authority Andromalius had given him.

Apparently one of those abilities could locate treasure. It might become extremely useful.

That was when.

Park Siwoo grinned.

“There's something I realized after joining this guild.”

“What?”

“No matter what happens, if I follow you, Hyung, I probably won't do worse than average. I'll pick Number 2 too. What about you, Noona?”

“Me too. Number 2.”

“That's unexpected. I thought you'd choose the safe option.”

“Why?”

“You just seem diligent. Like someone who plans out every part of her daily routine and follows it exactly. Don't people like that usually choose the safe option?”

Seo Yerim snorted.

“No. I'm impulsive too.”

It was one of the common misconceptions people had about her. That she was stiff, formal, and so on.

She'd never felt enough need to correct strangers.

But her guild members were different.

They'd grown fairly close by now.

There was no reason to leave misunderstandings alone.

Park Siwoo blinked.

“……

You are?”

“Yeah. Anyway, I'm choosing Number 2 too. You said the ceiling's high, right? Then I should aim for it.”

“Then all three of us choose Number 2.”

Low floor, high ceiling. Worth gambling on once.

The guild members nodded.

“You heard us?”―Yes. Then I will escort all three of you to the Mountain of Treasure.

The instant Popo clapped.

Their surroundings changed completely.

“Oh.”

“Wow.”

“That's a lot.”

Exactly as the name suggested, glittering treasure chests were piled like mountains in every direction.[You have entered the ‘Mountain of Treasure.’][Rules are explained.][1. Each chest possesses a grade: Crude, Poor, Normal, Good, Very Good.][2. The lower the grade, the more numerous the chests. The higher the grade, the fewer there are. There are only three Very Good chests.][3. Each person may choose only one chest.][4. Each person has an assigned chest. The grade of this chest is ‘Normal.’][5. You may choose another chest instead of your assigned one.][6. Choose one chest within one day.][7. When you choose a chest, you receive a reward suited to you according to its grade.][8. However, damaging a chest forces that chest to become your selection. Be careful.]

“Where are our assigned chests?”―Over there.

Popo pointed.

Three chests sat atop a small table.

Kim Minwoo nodded.

He understood the basic structure.‘Pick the safe one and you get exactly Normal.’Pick something else?

Jackpot or bust.

And like most gambles, the odds of busting were overwhelmingly higher.

The three examined the chests scattered everywhere.[Treasure Chest][Rank: ??][A treasure chest.]

“……

Every description is identical?”

Their appearances, weights, and descriptions were all identical. Even helpful Mr. Popo was useless. He gave no subtle gesture whatsoever.

Apparently even Popo couldn't distinguish the chests.

“There have to be tens of thousands just at a glance…… and only three winners?”

Park Siwoo clutched his head in despair. Seo Yerim frowned too. Even an Archer's enhanced vision couldn't identify the special chests.

“We can't break them and check the contents either……. This is hard.”

That was when.

Kim Minwoo clasped both hands together as if praying.

“……?”

“……?”

His guild members tilted their heads, but Kim Minwoo continued praying.‘Activate. Activate…….’Mr. Andro's Authority had three functions.

Find a culprit, locate stolen property, locate treasure.

The first two probably had their uses, but the real lottery ticket was the third.

And the stage couldn't have been better.

Treasure chests everywhere.

He recalled what Andromalius had said while granting him Temporary Authority.―Consider this my modest gift. Just once, when an appropriate moment arises, one of my Authorities will activate automatically.

If there was ever a moment for that ability to activate, it was now.

Rank 72 or not, he was still called a Demon Lord.

He needed to show some competence.

That was when.[Treasure surrounds you on every side!][Temporary Authority of Andromalius, one of the 72 Lords, activates!][The scent of powerful treasure fills the air!]

A moment later.

A wonderfully fragrant scent began drifting through the air.

From three different directions.‘Lucky.’Mr. Andro had hit a home run.