Chapter 34
Chapter 34
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: The Lord of Kramis's Treasury (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
────────────────────────────────────
────────────────────────────────────
The Lord of Kramis's Treasury (2)
“I will consider whatever that creature touches to be your choice.”
The Golden Dragon warned it with a disapproving glare, but thankfully, he didn’t kick it out.
I nodded in understanding and focused on the little dragon’s gaze.
...?
There were four shimmering, golden pieces of equipment right in front of me, yet the Golden Dragon was looking somewhere else entirely.
At a pair of black boots inside a square box, emitting a faint red glow.
“Is that it?”
I asked, pointing my finger, and it nodded its head vigorously.
“Kyuu! Kyuu!”
A red glow means it’s Unique-grade...
Did I put too much faith in this little guy?
Then again, you have to taste something to know its flavor, and the most expensive thing the Golden Dragon had eaten so far was a Unique item.
But it was also constantly eyeing my cloak, and I definitely saw it licking its lips when I got Kalisina's Fang back...
“Pathetic. To rely on the choice of such a lowly creature.”
“Haha... This little one has good instincts, though.”
I walked over to the golden-glowing equipment, but the Golden Dragon’s gaze remained fixed.
Even with what I presumed were Legendary-grade items right in front of it, it didn’t spare them a single glance.
This was a dilemma.
A guaranteed Legendary-grade item...
Or trusting the Golden Dragon’s instincts...
“Ten minutes have passed.”
The butler announced the time from the side, adding to the pressure.
It felt like he was doing it on purpose. After a bit more thought, I made my decision.
I would trust the Golden Dragon this one time.
Even if the item it chose wasn't as good as I hoped, there would be other chances.
I got this pass to the treasury as a reward for clearing the 50th-floor boss, so wouldn't I get another one for the 51st or 52nd-floor boss?
Yeah, right.
If it turns out to be worse than I thought, the moment I get back to Kabisa, I’ll boil some water and cook this little dragon... no, I probably couldn’t do that.
Not after how much I’ve spent feeding it...
“Kyuu! Kyuuu!”
Alright, alright, you little rascal.
“Just stay still. I’ve made my decision.”
“If you’ve decided, then hurry up and choose.”
That’s what I was about to do.
I walked over and picked up the box containing the black boots.
“Th-That’s...”
...?
The butler looked incredibly flustered.
“Is something wrong?”
“Ahem... It’s just a shame. There are much better pieces of equipment here, so why would you choose that...”
He tried to act composed, but anyone could see he was panicking.
“Because my Golden Dragon chose it.”
“Kyuu!”
“Tsk, tsk. What would a mere creature like that know? I’ll give you a special chance to choose again...”
...?
The butler, who had said a choice couldn't be unmade, was now making such an offer. It seemed the Golden Dragon's instincts were right.
“No, thank you. I quite like these boots myself.”
“Kyuu! Kyuu!”
“...To tell you the truth, that item isn't supposed to be in here. So please, choose again.”
“And if I refuse?”
Does he take me for a fool?
Showing his disappointment so openly only made me want to keep it more.
A move once made cannot be undone. No take-backs.
“...You’ll regret this later. If your business is concluded, get out.”
I was about to open the box and check the item's information right away, but he glared at me with an even colder look than before and shooed me out.
Well, I can always check it outside.
I stored it in my inventory and left the lord’s castle.
****
Lord of Kramis’s Castle, Lord’s Office.
“Hoho, so such an incident occurred.”
Almondeu Syupereuteu let out a hearty laugh.
“My lord, this is no laughing matter! You must summon that Awakened at once and retrieve the item.”
The butler offered his solemn advice, but the Lord of Kramis shook his head.
“That would be a violation of the rules. I clearly promised to give him one item from the treasury, and he did not take two. How could I do such a thing?”
*Grind—*
The butler ground his teeth as if they would shatter.
“The item does not belong to you, my lord.”
“But it was in my treasury, was it not?”
“Do you not fear the consequences?”
A white radiance emanated from the butler’s body.
“Well, I was merely following the system’s orders. As for you, even if I am an outsider, I am still the lord. Is this attitude of yours appropriate?”
The Lord of Kramis matched his intensity, raising his own aura in response.
“...I have been a bit excessive today. I apologize.”
Despite his words, the butler’s expression was anything but apologetic.
“Good. If you’re sorry, you may see yourself out.”
“This incident will be reported to my superiors.”
Watching the butler leave with a final threat, the lord shrugged his shoulders and replied.
“Do as you please. I was only doing as the system commanded.”
****
I sat on a bench in the plaza and took out the box.
It was made of rather tough leather, but I easily tore it open with my strength and placed my hand on the boots.
[Boots of Enhancement (Unique)
They appear ordinary on the outside, but these incredibly durable boots are imbued with an unknown power.
Defense +10, Strength +10, Agility +10, Stamina +10, Luck +10, Mana +10.
Special Effects:
Infinite Enhancement
— No enhancement level limit.
Limit Break
— All stats +1 upon successful enhancement.
Destruction Prevention
— Item will not be destroyed upon enhancement failure.
Blessed Enhancement
— Enhancement level reset penalty is nullified when using a Blessed Armor Enhancement Scroll.]
When I first saw the item’s pathetic stat boosts, I thought that even if I couldn’t boil the Golden Dragon, I should at least blanch it. But my opinion changed completely after reading the special effects.
In Elsia, enhancement went up to +10.
From +7 onwards, a failed enhancement would reset the level to +1, or if you were unlucky, the item would be destroyed.
That’s why the standard play was to use a Blessed Enhancement Scroll at +6 to hopefully get to +8, or at worst, settle for +7. But an item with infinite enhancement?
Even worse, it was immune to destruction, the worst-case scenario for enhancement failure, and the reset penalty could also be neutralized, albeit with a condition.
I prided myself on having played my fair share of terrible games, but I had never seen or heard of an item like this, even in those.
No matter how bad a game was, they wouldn't release a ridiculously overpowered item that shattered the game’s balance like this.
This was a bugged item.
“Kyuu?”
The Golden Dragon suddenly popped out of my pocket and lunged its mouth toward the boots, but thankfully, my hand was faster.
“Kyuuuiiing!”
“Not this one, you little fiend.”
It seemed to keep eyeing it, so I put the boots back in my inventory.
I knew this world was based on the game Elsia, but I never thought bugged items would be implemented as well...
If I consistently enhance it, it seems like it could become better than most Legendary-grade items...
But one thing bothered me.
In a game, if you obtained an item like this, a GM would naturally confiscate it.
Using a bugged item was a major issue that game companies could never ignore.
If this were the real world, I would have recorded a Witube video and reported it myself, even if a GM didn’t show up.
There could be legal issues, after all.
This place also has GM-like beings.
In Elsia, it was the orb of light I met when I was first dragged here.
The other Awakened called them angels. They were a slight concern, but...
Did I give a damn?
It's not like I obtained it illegally.
It was a legitimate reward for completing the lord's quest.
I considered stopping by the Magic Tower, but it was getting dark, and I didn't want to be too late for the invitation, so I headed toward the guild district.
After about a ten-minute walk, I reached the entrance to the guild district, and huh?
On one side of the entrance, I saw a group of people in shabby clothes, kneeling with their heads bowed, wooden bowls lined up in front of them.
There were about a dozen of them. I had been to the guild district a few times, but I’d never seen people like this before.
“Hyeon-ung?”
I turned around to see Seol-hwa, holding several large paper bags in her arms.
“Hello. Let me get those for you.”
I took a few of the bags from her arms.
“It’s fine... but thank you.”
“It’s no trouble, I’m heading the same way.”
“Right. I heard from my brother-in-law. I was just on my way back from buying some ingredients we were running low on.”
“I see. By the way, who are those people? I don’t think I’ve seen them before.”
I pointed to the beggars, and Seol-hwa’s expression soured slightly.
“Ah, this must be your first time seeing them, Hyeon-ung. Did you happen to give them any money?”
“What? No.”
As much money as I had, I didn’t waste it.
“Good. Some people feel sorry for them, but I don’t.”
Surprisingly, the beggars were actually Awakened.
Apparently, there was a large entertainment district, the biggest in Kramis, about five minutes from the guild district.
It had not only bars and clubs but also gambling dens.
Those beggars were people who had squandered all their money in the entertainment district and fallen into debt. They would come out to beg like this every time the Labyrinth closed.
“I see. But isn’t the guild district managed by the Union?”
If I were a Union executive, I wouldn’t have allowed this.
“It is, but the owner of the entertainment district is the one who leases the land for the guild district to the guilds.”
“If the land is leased, does that mean the owner is the lord?”
“Why would the Lord of Kramis do something like that? It’s a man named Apeid.”
“Apeid?”
“He calls himself the King of the Night. This doesn't happen every day, and from his perspective, he's just trying to recoup his money somehow, so the Union decided to let it be.”
So that was the situation.
“Every guild tells their members not to give them money. Don’t even acknowledge them. Nothing good comes from getting involved.”
“That makes sense. Oh, wait, then what about those people’s taxes...”
“They all disappear when tax season comes around. How can people who are begging because they don’t have money to pay off their debts afford to pay taxes?”
It was a stupid question.
“Things are usually fine for a month after tax season, but there are so many of them already.”
“I see.”
“Ah! I forgot I need to buy more vegetables. You go on ahead.”
I was about to offer to go with her, but she had already dashed off.
I tried to ignore them and walk past, just as Seol-hwa had advised, but then I spotted a familiar face among the beggars.
His ragged attire was a world away from how he looked the last time I saw him.
His body, visible through the torn clothes, was covered in bruises.
If we hadn’t been in the same room during the basic training, I wouldn’t have recognized him.
He didn't seem like the type to easily fall for gambling or vice...
“Spare a coin...”
He was begging without even making eye contact, but then he looked up, saw my face, and scowled.
“It’s... it’s because of you!”
He tried to lunge at me, but he stood no chance.
*Thwack—*
“Ugh!”
A swift kick sent him flying.
“Hey, what’s going on over there?”
From behind the beggars, two burly, muscular men approached.
They had tattoos up to their faces and their arms were covered in scars.
“If you don’t want to give money, just walk away. Who do you think you are, hitting our client?”
It was strange how they called him a client while forcing him to beg.
“If our client breaks a bone and we lose business, are you going to take responsibility?”
He scowled and yelled, but I wasn’t scared at all.
In the past, I wouldn't have even been able to meet his gaze, but I was different now.
“Hey, are you deaf? How are you going to compensate for our client’s damages?”
Ju Yeon-seong was the one who tried to attack me first. This was nothing but a scam.
“Looks like words won’t work.”
He reached for my collar. He was pretty fast, but by my standards, he was far too slow.
I grabbed his hand, twisted it behind his back, and bent it.
“Aargh! L-Let go! Ugh!”
I pushed him while his arm was twisted, and he collapsed.
*Thud—*
“You bastard!”
The other guy drew a knife, but my sword was already at his throat.
“What was that? A bastard, you say? Go on.”
“I... I don’t know what guild you’re from, but our boss is Apeid...”
“So what if it’s Apeid? I don’t live here. And I’m not in a guild.”
“...If an Awakened kills an innocent citizen, the lord won’t stand for it...”
Innocent citizen, my ass.
First, he tried to use his boss’s name, and when that didn’t work, he brought up the lord.
“The lord? I just met with him a little while ago. Who do you think you are?”
It was ridiculous, hearing this from street thugs who had likely never even met the butler, let alone seen the lord's face.
Just as I expected, at the mention of the lord, not only the guy with the sword at his neck but also the one who was about to attack me again turned visibly pale.