Chapter 128: Treasure Mountain
I looked at the awakeners.
They were staring at the small boxes in their hands, amazed.
From what I could overhear, they seemed to have received unique and legend-grade equipment lottery boxes instead of points.
“Well, yeah.”
I recalled the message I’d seen when I first arrived here.
[Points are still accumulating. However, if you haven’t gone through something special before, there won’t be any changes going forward either.]
If I hadn’t unlocked the VIP shop, I wouldn’t be able to even with more points.
That’s probably what it meant.
In that situation, handing out point rewards to the awakeners wouldn’t be all that useful.
So maybe they’d given out items as rewards instead of points.
Unique and legend-grade gear would be satisfying enough for any awakener. After all, that’s the kind of stuff they risked their lives for in their line of work.
He looked at his Death Spirit Sword.
When he had defeated Iphrax, the absorption count had risen sharply.
[Formidable foe! Absorption greatly increased! (9/10)]
He’d absorbed about 5 points.
Lower than the duke’s 4, but still.
‘Looks like absorption depends on contribution.’
That seemed to be the case.
He had 1 point left now.
Catch one more strong foe in a gate, and it’d grow again.
It had gone from legend to legend+, so next up was probably ancient-grade.
‘An ancient-grade sword, huh.’
What a luxurious weapon.
He’d probably be sticking with this one for a good long while.
Too bad he hadn’t gotten a title out of it.
‘Not surprising.’
Titles usually dropped more in solo play than parties anyway.
‘So, what’re they gonna give me?’
That’s when it happened.
[You rank 1st in contribution!]
[You may choose!]
[Select one of the options!]
[1. Receive contribution converted to points.]
[2. Instead of points, move to ‘Treasure Mountain.’]
‘Hmm…’
An intriguing choice popped up.
Number 1 was the standard reward I’d been expecting, while 2 was…
‘Treasure Mountain, huh.’
An option to move to a completely different area.
That’s when it happened.
—Everyone, you’ve all received your rewards, right? The trial will end soon! Which means you’ll be heading back to Earth!
“Does that mean we’re going back too?”
At Kim Minwoo’s question, Popo shook its head.
—No. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place are exceptions. You’ll have plenty of time to choose.
Choose?
I looked at my guildmates.
“Did you get two options too?”
They both nodded at the same time. Looked like we needed to talk it over.
That’s when it happened.
The awakeners started murmuring.
“Only 3 minutes till teleport?”
“Isn’t that too short?”
“You’ve gotta give us time to at least say goodbye…”
Their confusion didn’t last long.
The awakeners came rushing over toward us.
“Thank you for saving us!”
“Thanks to you, I survived. If you ever come to France…”
“India’s here too!”
Words came pouring in from everywhere.
Business cards rained down like crazy.
These were seasoned A-rank awakeners.
Most of them would probably climb to S-rank given time.
Even with SS-rank feats around, S-ranks weren’t the type to get looked down on anywhere.
Building connections now wasn’t a bad idea.
Like in a defense game, I took each card and stowed it in my inventory. Seo Yerim and Park Siwoo got handed piles too.
After seeing our skills, it’d be weirder if they didn’t want to get friendly.
That’s when.
The American awakeners approached.
Thompson grinned as he spoke.
“Boss! Or, well, maybe not boss anymore? Anyway, if you ever visit the States, swing by our Dragon Guild. Let’s grab a beer.”
He struck a pose chugging a beer with his muscled arm.
Dragon Guild.
The number one guild in America.
‘Well, yeah, everyone’s like that.’
It was a tournament where countries had picked their top three to send. It’d be weirder if their backgrounds weren’t impressive.
“I’ll make sure to visit if I get the chance.”
“Cool. Next time we meet, it’ll probably be… the gate turf war. Stay safe till then.”
Next up was Sophia.
She sidled over and asked.
“Minwoo! Got a girlfriend?”
“I’m in a phase where hunting’s more fun than dating.”
“Really? Same here, actually. Let’s keep in touch.”
She slipped a piece of paper into my pocket.
“Not the work number—the personal one. It’s valuable, so don’t lose it, okay?”
Sophia said with a smile.
She’s a tough one.
I took it anyway.
You never know when a number might come in handy.
Soon, the other awakeners’ forms started to fade. They were vanishing entirely from the second trial stage.
All that was left was the three of us from Lavish Guild. Park Siwoo sidled up and said.
“Man, what was with that sleight-of-hand earlier? Thought you were a thief, not a mage.”
“What’s so surprising. You got like ten yourself.”
“…Eight of ’em were fakes. All from girls asking me to introduce them to you.”
Kim Minwoo tilted his head.
“If that’s the case, why not just give it to me directly?”
“I heard something—apparently girls have this ranking system or whatever. Among the trainees, Sophia’s apparently number one?”
“So they threatened her not to give you her number?”
“Not exactly. More like, subtle pressure or something. Anyway, that’s the likely story. Otherwise, why would they?”
Maybe.
‘Actually works out better.’
Thanks to that, I only ended up with the one number.
“Even subtracting eight, you’ve still got two.”
“Ahem. Well, I did pull my weight, right?”
He straightened his back proudly, then looked at Seo Yerim.
“Didn’t you get a ton of numbers too, sis? That baguette guy was hitting on you earlier. All mushy-eyed and stuff.”
“I like Korean food.”
Seo Yerim replied flatly, then looked at Kim Minwoo.
“So, which of the two are you picking?”
“Dunno. Popo?”
—Yep.
Popo, who’d been waiting, approached us.
“If I pick 2, no points at all?”
—That’s correct.
“Hmm…”
Kim Minwoo pondered for a moment.
Both options had their pros and cons.
1: Convert contribution to points.
Probably a hefty amount.
‘The problem is…’
[1. Light Bomb (500k points)]
[2. Top-grade Spirit Elixir Recipe (1M points)]
[3. Elixir (1M points)]
[4. Random Item Box (2M points)]
[5. Worn Key (5M points)]
[6. Stigma of Lightning (7M points)]
[7. Tears of Elru (9M points)]
[8. (Sold Out)]
Sold out items.
Nuclear bomb—out of stock now.
“How many points would contribution convert to?”
—Roughly 1 million per percent.
About what I’d figured.
‘1% contribution got them a legend box.’
For reference, the shop’s 2M-point box was legend to ancient lottery.
Way higher potential.
So they’d handed out half-assed boxes scaled to points for the others.
“VVIP list—once sold out, can’t buy anymore?”
—Precisely, from number 5—the key—onward.
“If I get more points, can I unlock shops above VVIP?”
—Sorry, but no higher shops are assigned for this stage.
Kim Minwoo nodded.
‘Yeah, figured.’
If there were, they’d have messaged it already.
‘Converting to points feels meh then.’
Even buying 5, 6, and 7 leaves 2.1M points. Splurge on junk?
Might as well be small fry.
Can’t beat a shark.
Better to splurge on one big 2.1M-point item.
But picking 1 now means I can’t.
“What’s Treasure Mountain like? Can you tell me?”
—Uh, well… just what it says. A place piled high with treasure.
“Can’t just take all the treasure, obviously.”
Nod.
“Luck-based? High-risk, high-reward?”
Nod.
Helpful Popo.
Seo Yerim and Park Siwoo’s eyes lit up.
They’d gotten the hang of this bear doll’s patterns too.
They’d used the VIP shop before coming here.
On this very bear’s recommendation, no less.
“2’s the play for me. Yerim, Siwoo—you could do 1.”
Kim Minwoo gave a quick rundown of the VVIP shop.
Their contributions would convert to well over 10M points each.
VVIP would unlock for them, so spending there wasn’t bad.
As for me…
‘I’ve got a demon power.’
Andromalius.
Mr. An Mo.
The power he’d given me.
Heard it finds treasure. Might come in super clutch.
That’s when.
Park Siwoo grinned and said.
“Thought of something when I joined the guild.”
“What?”
“No matter what, sticking with bro means half the work done. I’ll go 2 too. You, sis?”
“Me too, 2.”
“Unexpected. Thought you’d pick the safe one.”
“Why?”
“You’re diligent. Like, super scheduled and routine-oriented. Folks like that usually go safe, right?”
Seo Yerim chuckled.
“Nope. I’m impulsive too.”
One of the common misconceptions about her. Stiff, formal, that vibe.
She’d never bothered correcting it.
But her guildmates were different.
They’d gotten close.
No need to let the misunderstanding slide.
At her words, Park Siwoo blinked and asked.
“…You?”
“Yeah. Anyway, I’m doing 2. High ceiling, right? Gotta go for it.”
“Then all three pick 2.”
Low floor, high ceiling. Worth a shot.
The guildmates nodded.
“Got it?”
—Yes, then I’ll take all three of you to Treasure Mountain.
The area changed around us the moment Popo clapped.
“Whoa.”
“Wow.”
“So many.”
Just as advertised, glittering treasure boxes piled up like mountains everywhere.
[You have entered ‘Treasure Mountain.’]
[Explaining the rules.]
[1. Each box has a grade: Shoddy, Poor, Normal, Good, Excellent—in that order.]
[2. Lower grades have more boxes; higher grades have fewer. Excellent grade: only three.]
[3. Each person may pick only one box.]
[4. You each have an assigned box. Its grade is ‘Normal.’]
[5. You may choose another box instead of your assigned one.]
[6. Select one box within 24 hours.]
[7. Once selected, a reward fitting the grade will be given.]
[8. However, damaging a box forces you to select it. Be careful.]
“Where’s the assigned box?”
—Over there.
Where Popo pointed.
Three boxes sat on a small table.
Kim Minwoo nodded.
Got the gist of how it worked.
‘Pick safe, get normal.’
Pick another?
Jackpot or bust.
Like always, bust odds overwhelming.
The three scanned the boxes scattered everywhere.
[Treasure Box]
[Grade:??]
[It is a treasure box.]
“…Explanations all identical?”
Looks, weight, descriptions—all the same. Even helpful Popo was useless. Not a single telling gesture from Popo.
Even it couldn’t distinguish them.
“Looks like tens of thousands… but only three winners?”
Park Siwoo clutched his head in despair. Seo Yerim furrowed her brow too. Even an archer’s keen sight couldn’t spot a special one.
“Can’t smash to peek inside… Tough.”
That’s when.
Kim Minwoo clasped his hands like in prayer.
“…?”
“…?”
Guildmates tilted their heads, but Kim Minwoo kept praying.
‘Power, activate. Activate…’
Mr. An Mo’s powers: three total.
Find people, find stolen goods, find treasure.
First two useful enough, but the real lotto was the third.
Perfect stage for it too.
Treasure boxes everywhere.
He recalled what the guy had said when handing over the temporary power.
—This is my humble gift. Exactly once, at a usable moment, one of my powers will activate automatically.
Now was that moment.
72nd rank or not, a demon lord oughta show some competence.
That’s when it happened.
[Treasure everywhere!]
[Temporary power of 72nd Legion Lord Andromalius activates!]
[A strong treasure scent throbs!]
Soon after.
A delightfully fragrant smell wafted up.
From three different directions.
‘Jackpot.’
Mr. An Mo hit a home run.