Sweet Loot!

p>Clearly, the last time I saw Hansik, he was wearing a bike suit and a helmet.

p>But right now, Hansik looked nothing like that at all.

p>He was all dolled up in some rusty red helmet and armor. No, wait—it's not red. It's rusted.

p>A rusty helmet and armor with matching gauntlets and boots, like something crawled straight out of a grave. And that tattered cloak flapping behind him, plus that eerie grin showing through his skull, made the whole thing spine-chilling.

p>“Hansik! What the heck is this… How did this even happen?”

p>Hansik looked like he'd just crawled out of a tomb.

p>He was even holding a pickaxe. Of course, not the one I'd seen him use while digging clams.

p>“Where on earth did you even get this? Did Kalid eat you or something?”

p>Hansik flashed a thumbs-up. Hooray!

p>Contrary to my worry, the guy seemed pretty thrilled.

p>Kalid's stomach giving you PTSD? Not a chance.

p>Clink.

p>As Hansik raised his hand, I heard something clanging from his body. Like rattling coins in a box.

p>“What the heck is that sound?”

p>At my words, Hansik started peeling off his armor while clanking. The rib bones showed up. That was the source of the noise.

p>His bones were packed full of something.

p>“What is all this?”

p>With a big grin, Hansik pulled out a stone from between his bones. It sparkled and shot out purple light.

p>“Whoa! No way, this is….”

p>I've only heard about mana crystals.

p>Hooray.

p>“This time it's a mana crystal?”

p>Hansik nodded vigorously. The mana crystal stuffed in his skull rattled.

p>“Is this a dream? Did I just wake up early?”

p>This was real life. I couldn't believe it. I rubbed my eyes hard, but it wasn't a dream.

p>This time I yanked out his skull and shook it. It worked? Head flies off and you don't die? Nothing surprising there. Hansik tossed all his gear and spilled out the mana crystals he had packed between his bones. Golf-ball-sized low-grade ones and baseball-sized mid-grade ones.

p>Then he tried explaining something with sign language, but I still hadn't learned it.

p>“Hey, laptop! Explain it to me.”

p>In the end, the guy opened a notebook on his laptop and typed a message.

p>[My lord! It's amazing!]

p>I couldn't help but laugh.

p>“I know that. So where did all this even come from?”

p>[It's all stuffed inside Kalid's stomach!]

p>“What? Did Kalid grow mana crystals and gear inside his body?”

p>[No! Kalid ate monsters!]

p>Hansik's words made my eyes light up.

p>Right! Kalid eats monsters! He chews them up and swallows them whole.

p>Those swallowed monsters get trapped in his stomach full of stomach acid and melt down.

p>“So swallowed monsters drop items and mana crystals?”

p>[Yes!]

p>Oryukdo Gate has over ten ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠years of history. During that time, Kalid must have eaten tons of monsters. Not weak ones either—B-rank monsters.

p>No matter how low the drop rate, if Kalid ate those monsters for ten years…

p>“It's a total jackpot!”

p>[It's delicious!]

p>“How much is in there?”

p>Hansik set the laptop down and raised both hands like a kid, showing how much there was.

p>I was still stunned.

p>I had to do the math first.

p>Just selling the mana crystals alone, how much would it be?

p>Thirty low-grade mana crystals the size of golf balls. Twenty mid-grade ones the size of baseballs.

p>I searched on my smartphone.

p>[Today's price]

p>[Low: 983,820 (▲0.38%)]

p>[Mid: 11,290,381 (▼0.81%)]

p>…

p>“Two hundred fifty million?”

p>I recalculated.

p>Yeah, two hundred fifty million.

p>“Whoa! Hansik, great job! You really are the best! You big dummy!”

p>I hugged Hansik tight and jumped around on the bed.

p>But that's not all. Look at the gear he brought.

p>The mana crystals were just a bonus—the main stuff was still there.

p>“Oh my, these are so pretty! Whee!”

p>Hooray!

p>After calming down, I took a closer look at the gear Hansik had brought.

p>“Most of them are rusty and unusable, so he saved the ones that still look decent, right?”

p>[Yes, my lord! But there are still more! And once we go past the stomach into the intestines, there might be even more gear!]

p>The intestines? It probably smells bad…

p>If there's a lot, then better stuff too, right?

p>“Let's take a look, then.”

p>[(Rare) Rusty Crown of the Ruler]

p>※ Equipment is damaged, so appraisal is impossible.

p>※ ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Repair is required. Failure will destroy it.

p>[(High-grade) Damaged Armor of the Fallen]

p>※ Equipment is damaged, so appraisal is impossible.

p>…

p>[(Rare) Broken Tracker Boots]

p>Same story.

p>[(High-grade) Grubby Wind's Touch]

p>[(Rare) Rusty Dravite Pickaxe]

p>To make them work, all of them needed repair.

p>I wasn't sure if these heavily damaged ones could even be fixed…

p>But I couldn't get disappointed. There was one more thing left.

p>[The best one!]

p>Hansik showed me something that had actually been soaked in Kalid's stomach acid but still hadn't rusted.

p>It was stained and lost its shine, ragged like a rag, but that wasn't the point.

p>Even if dirty, it was still in good enough condition to repair.

p>Even buried in mud, a pearl is still a pearl!

p>“Appraise.”

p>——————————————————

p>[Legend] Cloak of the Cursed Royal Guard Captain (Cloak of the Cursed Royal Guard Captain)

p>(Equip slot: Shoulders)

p>The cloak gifted by the Empire's emperor to his royal guard captain. This cursed cloak's power maximizes when the emperor is in danger. The royal guard captain's mission is completed by death.

p>▶ [Oath] When the user is within 10 meters of the emperor, attack power +50%, defense +50%.

p>▶ [Crisis] When the emperor's HP drops to 10% or lower, user's attack speed and movement speed +50%.

p>▶ [Sacrifice] When the emperor takes damage from enemies, the user takes the damage instead.

p>Bound to user upon equipping.

p>——————————————————

p>“A… legendary?”

p>What are the odds a B-rank trash mob drops a legendary item?

p>0.001%? 0.0001%? But Kalid ate thousands of monsters over ten years. Even if he only ate ten a day…

p>“Whoa!”

p>I covered my mouth with both hands.

p>This was better than a lottery ticket.

p>A ragged cloak like this is a legendary item?

p>“Crazy… No way! This is an absolute jackpot!”

p>I slowly read the item description and savored every word.

p>The options were perfect.

p>It was an item tailored perfectly for a royal guard captain protecting the lord up close.

p>Selling it would leave enough to build a building.

p>Is this really possible?

p>‘Dad, you don't have to suffer anymore.’

p>My heart started pounding.

p>How much would I get at auction? 100 billion? 200 billion? Maybe 500 billion?

p>Not an exaggeration. Not even mythical grade with a minimum 100 billion, but selling a legend with good options for 100 billion is common.

p>“Sell it?”

p>My hands were shaking so much I had to clench and unclench my fists.

p>100 billion units? That's ten zeros.

p>“Wait.”

p>Quickly going through hope circuits, I noticed the last line of the item description was late.

p>[Bound to user upon equipping.]

p>Hansik was wearing the cloak.

p>“……”

p>Hansik knelt on one knee and held both hands out to me.

p>He was giving it back.

p>“Bound…”

p>A 100-billion dream slipped through my fingers.

p>But Hansik had done well.

p>He really had done something way better than anyone imagined.

p>I couldn't blame him for that.

p>“Sigh. Yeah. 100 billion, 200 billion. Anyway, if Hansik has it, it won't be mine, right?”

p>Nod.

p>“Yeah, you worked hard, Hansik. This is yours. You have the right to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it. If I sold it, I might regret it later. This is the perfect item for you.”

p>Thinking positively.

p>That was something Mom always said.

p>Even in the dreams where she awakened me, she said it.

p>‘It's okay, Doosik. Even without Mom… you can do it, right? Always think positively. Got it?’

p>If my worries had been the end, and my true personality was positive, she wouldn't have said that.

p>I was definitely calculated and negative.

p>In this chaotic world, she wanted me to fix at least the negative side.

p>Even if it's late, I should listen to Mom's words.

p>The jackpot was already huge. Think positively.

p>“Congratulations. You're now a million-dollar, no, ten-million-dollar skeleton soldier.”

p>When Hansik accepted the cloak, a system message popped up.

p>[Skeleton Soldier No. 1 Hansik has been appointed Royal Guard Captain.]

p>[Skeleton Soldier No. 1 Hansik will serve you as the emperor.]

p>The item description said the emperor “gifted” the cloak to the royal guard captain.

p>The one who receives it becomes the royal guard captain, and the one who gifts it becomes the emperor.

p>My shoulders felt surprisingly light.

p>Emperor…

p>“There are more of these items inside Kalid's stomach?”

p>Of course I was a greedy emperor.

p>The hope circuit that stopped from the regret of missing out started turning again.

p>Nod.

p>It was literally a jackpot itself.

p>Not just items?

p>Mana crystals are treated as real currency in this world.

p>I should send skeleton soldiers back into Kalid's stomach right now.

p>Even at this moment, there must be items and mana crystals being digested inside Kalid's stomach.

p>My heart raced.

p>“But without Teseo-hyung, how am I supposed to get inside Kalid's nose?”

p>Getting eaten by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kalid is impossible.

p>He doesn't see skeleton soldiers as monsters.

p>Even if I hire someone to help like Teseo-hyung, I can't trust them.

p>Only I should know that Kalid's stomach is a jackpot.

p>“Yeah, that's right.”

p>Then it hit me. The Huntred Exchange cart.

p>One of the two legendary items I had stored.

p>[Legend] Bundle of Tigrial (Tigrial's Bundle)

p>A spatial inventory full of debuffs. The point is in one of the options on it.

p>▶ [Seize] All items looted by summons automatically stack in the bundle.

p>“As long as I can get it inside Kalid's stomach, I can safely suck up the jackpot….”

p>It would be easy if Teseo-hyung was there.

p>But my smartphone stayed silent.

p>No texts, no missed calls. Searching for “Bae Hyeongsin” on the internet didn't show any news of him appearing in Changwon. Secret? Embargo?

p>Should I call Teseo-hyung first? I hesitated while holding my phone. But I pulled my hand back, thinking it might interfere at an important moment.

p>“Should be fine?”

p>Bae Hyeongsin supposedly fired a hundred million Dark Bolts…

p>I was worried again, but he wouldn't be easy to catch.

p>I decided to sell the mana crystals and repair the items first.

p>After cleaning up, since I had a lot of luggage, I called a taxi.

p>“Where to?”

p>“Oryukdo Gate.”

p>“You two look like hunters. I'm jealous.”

p>“Ah, yeah… um….”

p>The taxi driver sighed deeply.

p>“I've been a taxi driver for 25 years….”

p>Is he starting to complain? I get it. But…

p>At that moment, the doorbell rang.

p>♬

p>“Just a moment.”

p>The caller was Dad.

p>Perfect timing.

p>“Yes, Dad. Did you eat? Yeah, I ate too. Still plenty of side dishes? Yeah. I'll go the day after tomorrow. Yeah, Hansik is doing well. Can I talk to him? You know he can't speak. Ah, um… Hansik's smartphone somehow broke. Yeah? You two were texting?”

p>…

p>* * *

p>The taxi fare came to over 20,000 won.

p>Since the mana crystal exchange doesn't operate at night, I couldn't exchange the 250 million right away.

p>So I decided to do what I could.

p>[Oryukdo Gate Blacksmith Street]

p>“Is this it?”

p>Oryukdo Gate area felt creepy at night. A few streetlights flickered dimly.

p>I stopped in front of a container building with neon signs.

p>[Breath of Steel]

p>Most shops were closed, but this one stayed open late into the night.

p>They were targeting hunters who preferred night raids.

p>You have to be diligent to slip bribes to corrupt cops like Teseo-hyung.

p>I checked the business card in my pocket.

p>It was from the man who used to give Teseo-hyung bribes.

p>============================

p>★Breath of Steel★

p>Custom Artifact Crafting / Enhancement / Synthesis

p>No cash accepted. Mana crystal transactions. 24/7.

p>Owner / Kim Cheolgeun

p>☎ Contact: 016-3234-5290

p>✉ Email: [email protected]

p>============================

p>‘That sly guy can't even use his power anymore. Here, take my card. If you need weapons or repairs later, come see me. Tell him it's Teseo-hyung's buddy, and I'll help you out.’

p>That was the man's words.

p>“Buddy? Whatever, maybe I'll just go somewhere else.”

p>Even if I didn't like it, I was a newbie here.

p>I didn't know the ins and outs of this world.

p>Newbies get taken advantage of.

p>This place is perfect for bartering.

p>No better options.

p>“Since he gives bribes to Teseo-hyung, he probably won't try to rip me off to Teseo-hyung's friends.”

p>The shop door had a help-wanted sign.

p>[Hiring / Priority to experienced applicants / No restrictions on grade, education, or age]

p>Jingle.

p>The door opened with a bright chime, and a cold, greasy metallic smell wafted by my nose.