Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: The Treasure Vault
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“……”
Seren tilted her head about fifteen degrees as she looked at me.
Her expression was blank, and her voice was surprisingly calm when she spoke.
“You’re here… sooner than I expected.”
Was I reading too much into it, or did her words carry a hidden meaning?
It sounded a bit like, ‘Impressive, you got here before me,’ but also as if she’d expected me to reach the third floor all along.
I asked her outright.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing. I just figured you’d get stuck on the second floor for a bit, if not the first.”
“……”
I winced slightly.
Without the Martial God, I’d definitely still be wandering around the second floor.
I forced a change of subject.
“Are you going to take on the third-floor trial?”
“Yes.”
“How high are you planning to go?”
“Well…”
Seren thought for a moment before answering coolly.
“…At least the fourth floor, I think.”
Okay.
Our interests aligned, for now.
“To get to the fourth floor, you need a total of 150 points from the three rooms behind me. Each room is worth a hundred points.”
“Is that so?”
Seren nodded, walked past me, and studied the three rooms intently before heading toward the [Room of Agility].
*Did she have the same idea as me?*
I still couldn’t read her, but I had a feeling that was the case.
Seren noticed me following and asked.
“Why are you following me?”
“Just wanted to watch.”
“……”
“Is that a problem?”
“…Do what you want.”
A grin spread across my face.
She didn’t need to tell me that; I always do what I want.
I followed Seren into the [Room of Agility].
Since I knew where the projectiles would come from, I could stand safely outside the range and observe her.
*Come to think of it…*
She isn’t asking me about the trial.
Even though getting information beforehand would be helpful.
Is she overconfident in her abilities?
Or… does she already know what the test is?
My thoughts were similar to what I’d wondered on the first floor as I watched her.
[Beginning Stage 1.]
Thud-thud-thud.
Seren easily dodged the flying balls and passed through the rain of arrows in the second stage with ease.
What I really wanted to see was the third stage…
Clank-!
The moment she saw the vicious, bladed discs, the look in Seren’s eyes changed slightly.
*Is she thinking about how to handle this?*
She wouldn’t have time to think.
“Haaa—.”
In that instant, Seren took a deep breath.
Fwoooosh!
Immediately after, her long hair whipped around as a wave of cold energy radiated out from her.
Crack…! The moment the flying discs touched the cold air, they froze in mid-flight.
*Ah.*
It’s not a Blessing.
She’s releasing the extreme yin energy from her body through her skin.
Structurally, it feels similar to the breath of the Sapphire Snakes from the Jewel Mountains.
*She’s imbued her mana with an element.*
I was a little surprised.
The technique Seren displayed was on a level beyond simply coating one’s body or weapon with mana.
Not only did she add a unique property to her energy, but she also released it through her skin instead of her hands.
Seeing this, I realized I didn’t know how strong Seren currently was.
She seemed much stronger than I remembered… I mean, the Seren from before my regression.
Perhaps the [Altar of the Forgotten God] she found in the forest gave her some inspiration?
*But that worked?*
Isn’t that technically a defensive action?
If the reason it passed is that the discs didn’t touch her hands, then as a martial artist who fights with his bare body, I feel a little wronged.
In any case, with that technique, the fourth stage wouldn’t be much of a challenge for her either.
Kwagagagagak!
As expected, Seren froze the torrent of weapons raining down from the sky.
[Congratulations! You have cleared all the trials prepared in the Room of Agility!]
[…Calculating score…]
[Please wait a moment.]
…….
…….
[Score calculation complete.]
[NEW!] [1st Place. Seren Goodspring. 97 points.]
“……”
And, unbelievably, a new record.
Not only did she beat the Iron-Blooded Duke, but my rank suddenly dropped to third place.
“Haaaaa…”
Seren exhaled a cold breath.
She glanced at the rankings and seemed to pause for a moment.
“……”
Whose name made her pause?
As I tried to guess by watching her eyes, Seren walked past me and headed to the next room.
I followed her, of course.
[Room of Speed]
The measurement method here was simple.
All you had to do was a short-distance sprint down a long, straight space.
The distance was short, only about 50 meters…
Stage 1 was just a simple run.
Stage 2 introduced obstacles.
In Stage 3, fierce winds would blow from somewhere.
And then, the grand finale, Stage 4.
Rumble…!
“……”
The inside of the room suddenly began to collapse, and the path you had to run on became incredibly narrow.
It was so thin it looked more like a tightrope than a path.
The ground on either side had completely crumbled away, revealing a chasm so deep you couldn’t see the bottom, just a vast darkness.
Of course, you wouldn't die if you fell. This was likely another one of Headmaster Alderson's productions.
Still, a scene like this could have a significant psychological impact.
Visual information tricks you, even when you know it’s an illusion or a trap.
Seren’s expression tensed slightly, but she didn’t seem to have any intention of giving up. At the signal, she dashed down the slender path.
But her speed was noticeably slower than before.
[Room of Speed: 71 points.]
Yes. I won.
It wasn't just a win; it was a complete victory.
As I snickered, Seren’s gaze turned toward me.
She glanced at the rankings and muttered in a slightly surprised voice.
“97 points…?”
“Impressive, right?”
“……”
Seren ignored my gloating and said nothing.
And finally, the last room, the [Room of Strength].
This room didn't pose any major threats like the [Room of Speed] or the [Room of Agility].
It was the simplest test, you could say.
Stage 1, you had to break a wooden scarecrow.
Stage 2, a large boulder.
Stage 3, a suit of armor.
For the final stage, you had to shatter a large, jet-black shield.
I crossed my arms and recalled my own attempt.
*That last shield was pretty tough.*
Of course, that was just in general. It hadn't been a problem for me.
That was because the Flame Arts of the Greatest and the White Sun Eclipse were martial arts focused on destructive power.
*How will she do?*
Personally, I’d thought destructive power was Seren’s greatest weakness.
And I was right.
She broke the scarecrow and the boulder with her hands, but she only managed to dent the armor slightly.
Seren didn’t even qualify to attempt the fourth stage.
[Room of Strength: 52 points.]
“Ugh.”
Her expression soured, likely shocked by the score.
Sighing, Seren looked at the rankings again, then turned to me with a much more surprised look than before.
She must have seen my score.
“What…? How did you do that?”
I replied with a proud tone.
“I’ve always been pretty strong.”
For once, Seren didn’t snap back at my nonsense and instead stared intently at my face.
Then she said something rather unexpected.
“You…”
“Yeah?”
“You’re really strong.”
It didn’t sound like she was just talking about physical strength.
I’d been hearing that a lot lately, but I was a little surprised to hear it from Seren.
Seren looked at me with a complicated expression… In any case, her total score was now 220 points.
It wasn’t high enough to make the leaderboard, but it was more than enough to qualify for the fourth floor.
Rumble…
The wall of the waiting room then moved, revealing a hidden staircase behind it.
“Oh…”
So that’s where it was.
We headed straight for the stairs.
Thankfully, it wasn’t a spiral staircase this time, so we could clearly see our destination.
Even so, it was quite a long way up.
As we were climbing, Seren asked.
“Hey.”
“Go on.”
“Are you a righteous person?”
“What?”
I’d never been asked such a bizarre question in my life, and I stopped in my tracks.
I looked at her, thinking she was joking, but Seren’s face was surprisingly serious.
I had no choice but to answer.
“Um. Moderately…?”
“I see…”
Seren hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
“Then, could you possibly help me with something at the academy?”
“Help with what?”
“It’s hard to explain the details. But… it’s for the peace and safety of innocent people.”
“……”
When I didn’t respond, Seren quickly added.
“It’s nothing suspicious, I swear. I’d bet my life on it. I promise.”
“……”
What’s with this sudden change in atmosphere?
The sudden seriousness of the mood gave me goosebumps. I’m not the kind of person who enjoys such heavy atmospheres.
“Is it very dangerous?”
“You could die.”
She’s coming on strong, huh?
I nodded and said.
“Helping you isn’t the hard part.”
I owed her, in a way.
“But I can’t help you if you’re going to be this vague. If you really want my help, you need to tell me the situation and explain it clearly. That’s just basic courtesy.”
“……”
My reasonable argument made Seren fall silent. She suddenly glanced around.
Was she checking if anyone was eavesdropping?
I expanded my senses, but I couldn’t feel any other presence.
No communication crystals, either.
“The academy might be in danger. I’m not certain, though.”
“In danger? From what?”
“That… that’s the one thing I can’t say yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because if I told you, you’d think I was a crazy bitch.”
“……”
The moment I heard that.
I remembered a conversation I’d had with her during the training retreat before my regression.
- I’ll tell you later.
- Why?
- I don’t want to be treated like a crazy bitch.
And what happened after that?
High Priest Juan revealed his true colors, Evan became the young cult leader, and eventually, the Demon King descended. As a result, more than half of the prodigies who participated died.
Then, I understood Seren’s position.
If she had told me the truth back then, how would I have reacted?
To the absurd story about a high priest infiltrating the Bednicker family and eventually summoning the Demon King.
*I would have thought she was crazy.*
I let out a sigh and said.
“Alright. I’ll help you.”
“……! Really?”
Seren’s tone rose slightly. I don’t think I’d ever seen her this excited.
I, on the other hand, felt a little hesitant.
*…She never asked for help at the Bednicker estate, not until the very end.*
The same person who hadn’t asked for help then was asking for it now.
The reason couldn’t be just because I was strong.
The answer, then, was simple.
- A disaster greater than what happened with the Bednickers is going to occur at the academy soon.
*…So something related to the Demon King is going to go down here, too.*
Damn it.
The Empire is a real mess.
* * *
Alderson was staring intently at the screen.
The once-lively atmosphere of the control room had grown quiet, like the calm before a storm.
It was only natural.
From the fourth floor onward, climbers were given tangible rewards.
And those rewards were Alderson’s prized collection, gathered with his blood, sweat, and youth.
Alderson pretended to be calm as he lifted his teacup, but his hand was trembling slightly.
*…They won’t know, right?*
The [Treasure Vault], accessible from the fourth floor.
In truth, while it was called a treasure vault, very few prodigies had ever reached that floor, so it had been a while since he started using it as a personal safe.
Meaning he’d just been stuffing valuable items inside whenever he got them.
Everything in the treasure vault was, as the name suggested, a treasure he had painstakingly collected…
But naturally, not all treasures were of equal value.
And right now, there was a particularly valuable item in the treasure vault.
One he’d put in recently and hadn’t taken out yet.
*No way, no way, no way. They won’t pick that one.*
Right. There was no way they’d choose it.
It looked shabby and useless on the outside. Unless they were out of their minds, they’d never pick it.
But…
“……”
Alderson’s anxious gaze returned to the screen.
The moment he saw the two prodigies who had just entered the fourth floor, he swallowed dryly without realizing it.
*…Bednicker…*
The moment he repeated that family name, goosebumps rose on his arms for some reason.
* * *
There were a million things I wanted to ask Seren.
I’d had a bad feeling ever since she decided to come to the academy, but that feeling was only now solidifying.
What in the world could happen at the academy, one of the safest places in the Empire?
I was dying of curiosity, but I decided to ask for the details after we finished climbing the tower.
[Welcome to the Floor of Dueling!]
[※Fourth Rule※]
[A minimum of two people are required to undertake the trial of this floor.]
[…Verifying…]
[Two challengers. Confirmed.]
[Please choose your reward before the duel.]
“A reward?”
As I tilted my head, the voice continued.
[All challengers who reach the fourth floor are granted access to the 『Treasure Vault』.]
[You may select one reward before the duel.]
“Giving us a reward before we’ve even fought… This place is more generous than I thought.”
My muttered words were met with a cynical reply from Seren.
“Generous, my ass. They didn’t give us anything from the first to the third floor. What a cheapskate.”
“…He can probably hear everything we’re saying.”
Seren scoffed openly. Her expression seemed to say, ‘Let him listen.’
To be honest, I agreed that the headmaster was a cheapskate, so I kept my mouth shut.
In any case, we entered the place called the [Treasure Vault].
Fwaaa-!
“Whoa…”
My eyes went wide at the bright light.
It wasn't filled with mountains of gold coins, jewels, and expensive accessories like the word ‘treasure vault’ might suggest…
But there were plenty of weapons and armor on display that looked valuable at a glance.
There were also old books, spirit elixirs, and what looked like antique magical artifacts.
“Wow… there’s so much cool stuff. What’s this? It looks like a teapot.”
There were no descriptions.
Were we supposed to just pick whatever we wanted?
While I was looking around, Seren gave the room a quick scan and said.
“I’ll take this.”
I looked to see what it was and saw a wooden box.
“What’s that?”
Click.
Instead of answering, Seren opened the box.
Inside was an ice-blue orb that radiated a chilling energy. It looked like a spirit elixir.
“It’s a Ten-Thousand-Year Crystal. I’ve never seen one this big.”
Is this the ice version of a Spirit Orb?
As if my guess was correct, Seren immediately took the crystal out and popped it into her mouth.
She rolled it around in her mouth, her cheeks bulging as if she were dissolving a piece of candy.
“Is it good?”
“It’s cold.”
…It’s cold, she says.
Anyway, Seren glared at me as if to say, ‘don’t talk to me for a while,’ so I turned away and looked around.
*Weapons, pass. Armor, pass. Accessories? Not really.*
Should I just grab some expensive jewels, then?
I don’t know.
It’s always good to have more money, but it’s not like I’m broke right now.
Whatever anyone said, I was a rich man with assets of 5,000 gold.
*This is tricky.*
Since there was nothing I particularly needed, it was hard to choose even when presented with all these options.
…But that was fine.
Because I had a secret weapon!
I took a deep breath in my mind and called out.
*Oh, Martial God…!*
[…What is it?]
Despite my slightly dramatic call, the Martial God answered in his characteristically nonchalant voice.
I grinned and asked.
*What’s the most valuable thing in this treasure vault?*
When you don’t know what’s what, grabbing the most expensive thing is always the best move.