The Boss Monster Emerges
They occasionally crossed paths with other people, but most were too absorbed in their excavation work to spare the pair a glance.
Once they had descended deep enough underground, Kang Yoonsoo spoke.
“Here.”
“Do what?”
Kang Yoonsoo handed Shanette the shovel.
“Dig.”
“......”
“Dig right here.”
Shanette dug with sweat pouring down her face. Kang Yoonsoo swung his pickaxe, tearing into the underground wall. As the earth gave way, old and rusted relics slowly revealed themselves.
Bones from an ancient creature. Far too old to identify what it once belonged to.
A blade presumed to have been used in the distant past. The edge is worn away; restoration looks nearly impossible.
A belt that likely belonged to a young lady of noble birth. The preservation state is excellent.
Artifacts could not be used immediately unless they were in good condition. The higher an artifact’s value, the more contribution points the excavation team would award for it. On rare occasions, someone would unearth a truly priceless relic and become an overnight millionaire, but such strokes of fortune were exceptionally uncommon.
Kang Yoonsoo gathered only the well-preserved pieces and stored them in his backpack. While digging in the dirt floor, Shanette felt her shovel strike something solid.
She dug deeper. A radiant amulet emerged from the earth.
An amulet that has not lost its beauty despite the passage of years. It holds both historical and artistic value.
“K-Kang Yoonsoo! Look at this!”
Shanette cried out in excitement, but when she turned toward him she froze.
Kang Yoonsoo had both hands wrapped around an enormous relic he had pried from a cracked section of the wall.
A drinking vessel once used by the chieftain of ancient Vikings to pour and drink rum. Its preservation is flawless; it could be used immediately. It possesses immense archaeological value.
While Shanette stared in disbelief, Kang Yoonsoo tucked the pure gold horn cup under his arm. His backpack was already full; there was no room left for more relics.
The two left the dig site and walked toward the excavation team’s headquarters. Everyone’s eyes followed the pair as they carried armfuls of artifacts.
“What the hell? Did those two dig all that up?”
“The quality looks pretty good too.”
“Must have been digging all night.”
Even after digging all day, finding valuable relics was never easy. Most yielded nothing but rusted spears or torn boots. Without exceptional detection skills, excavation was brutally difficult work.
The onlookers watched them with envious gazes.
“We’re here to turn in the relics.”
Kang Yoonsoo submitted the pure gold horn cup, the moonlight amulet, and the rest of their finds. Ramax’s eyes widened.
“You’re telling me you dug up all this in less than a day?”
“Yes.”
Kang Yoonsoo answered indifferently. Ramax looked stunned for a moment, then picked up a magnifying glass and began inspecting the artifacts.
“Hmm… these are all in excellent condition. And their historical value is outstanding. At this rate you’ll accumulate a great deal of contribution points.”
You have submitted excellent relics to the Red Rock Excavation Team.
Excavation contribution points have increased by 1,328.
Current contribution points: 1,328
“You can exchange contribution points for goods or convert them to cash over there,” Ramax said. His gaze toward Kang Yoonsoo and Shanette had grown noticeably warmer. After staring at them for a long moment, he made a careful offer.
“Say, would the two of you be interested in becoming official members of the Red Rock Excavation Team? It seems like a waste to leave talent like yours as temporary members. If you join us, we’ll reward you more generously whenever you bring in relics.”
Ramaxes, Leader of the Red Rock Excavation Team
📍 Joining as an official member will increase rewards for contribution points.
However, you must remain with the team at all times.
Would you like to change class to Excavator?
In a previous life Kang Yoonsoo had worked as an excavator. He had not been a mere rank-and-file member, either; he had commanded the largest excavation organization on the continent. In this thousandth life, however, he had no intention of switching to the Excavator class.
“I refuse.”
“It’s a generous offer, but I don’t want to become an excavator either.”
Ramax looked genuinely disappointed.
“Is that so? A shame. If you ever change your minds, come find me.”
A storage box resembling a steel safe caught Kang Yoonsoo’s eye. He pressed the central button. A list of items that could be exchanged for contribution points appeared.
The Storm Lightning Staff required a staggering one hundred thousand points. Even so, it was a rather attractive item at the moment. Magic staves not only increased their owner’s magical power but also dramatically amplified spell potency. High-grade magical equipment was difficult to obtain on the Sylphia Continent, so anything above normal rank carried considerable worth. Given the enormous cost, the Storm Lightning Staff was undoubtedly powerful. Yet even if every excavator on the team pooled their achievements, one hundred thousand points remained out of reach. Many had coveted it over the years, but none had ever obtained it.
Kang Yoonsoo looked at the lower part of the list and exchanged his points for a dimensional backpack. The current bag was simply too small to hold all the relics they intended to carry. A dimensional backpack unfolded into countless interior spaces, allowing it to store a vast number of items.
After placing their excavation tools inside, Kang Yoonsoo said, “Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
The pair returned to the dig site and continued their diligent work. Had they possessed the Excavator class, they could have used specialized skills to gather relics far faster, but without those skills their pace was slightly slower. Even so, they kept unearthing one rare artifact after another.
A brooch once worn by a noble daughter. Dried bloodstains still cling to it.
A headband extravagantly adorned with large pearls. The pearls are in superb condition and could be detached and sold separately.
Amber that glows with an ethereal light. An unknown organism is trapped inside. A skilled scholar might be able to identify it.
A sword once used by an ancient noble. It prioritizes decoration over practicality. A skilled blacksmith could likely refurbish it.
Thanks to Kang Yoonsoo’s precise guidance, they continued to find valuable pieces. Shanette forgot her exhaustion and happily filled the dimensional backpack to its limit.
‘I’d like to dig more, but the well-preserved relics end here. The rest would need repairs or restoration magic. No point in being greedy.’
They were on their way back to the surface when a tremendous vibration shook the ground beneath them.
“Kiiiieeeek—!”
A roar that sounded almost like a scream echoed from the depths. It was clearly an ominous sign. An inexplicable sense of dread made Shanette tilt her head, but she kept following Kang Yoonsoo without stopping.
When they turned in the new batch of relics, Ramax marveled once again.
“Another jackpot! Are you really sure you won’t join our team? I’m genuinely disappointed.”
They refused again, and Ramax wore the same regretful expression.
You have submitted excellent relics to the Red Rock Excavation Team.
Contribution points have increased by 1,917.
Current contribution points: 1,917
Kang Yoonsoo obtained another dimensional backpack and gave it to Shanette.
They were about to head back to the dig site when a piercing scream tore out from beneath a massive boulder.
“Aaaargh—!”
People came bursting from the excavation entrance with deathly pale faces. Some were soaked head to toe in blood; others clutched deep abdominal wounds, gasping for breath.
“What’s going on?”
“What happened?!”
Everyone near the site gathered at once. Something catastrophic had clearly occurred inside.
A woman with tear-streaked, hollow cheeks screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Nobody go in there! From now on, no one is allowed inside this excavation site!”
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. One man asked, “Why not?”
“A boss monster appeared deep underground. It was huge and could fly. It attacked anyone it saw. The people who were excavating below are trapped down there… sob!”
The crowd turned pale. A boss monster? Here?
Looking at the terrified survivors’ faces, it didn’t seem like a lie. The blood soaking their bodies was unmistakably real. Realizing she was telling the truth, several people shouted orders.
“Someone bring the team leader!”
“Is there a healer class here? We need help treating the wounded!”
A man rushed forward and asked, “Are all the people who were inside dead?”
“N-no deaths yet. But the boss monster is roaming the interior. No one should go in. You’ll definitely die!”
The woman kept sobbing in terror. Ramax and the rest of the Red Rock team members came running out. After hearing the situation, Ramax’s expression grew grave.
“All excavation work by the team is hereby suspended. The Giant Boulder Excavation Site is now strictly off-limits. All outsiders, including temporary members, must leave the area immediately.”
He then turned to the Red Rock members.
“We will form a search party at once. A boss monster is rampaging inside the site and survivors are still trapped. This is largely our team’s responsibility for failing to map the interior accurately. If any casualties occur, we will lose the city’s support. We must rescue the survivors no matter what it takes.”
One member raised an objection with a troubled face.
“But Leader, as you said, even we don’t fully understand the layout inside. How are we supposed to find and rescue them? We might end up lost in there ourselves.”
“Hmm……”
Ramax fell into thought. It was a cold response, but a reasonable one. Rushing into a site where a boss monster ran wild would only endanger more lives.
The team leader sighed.
“If only we had someone who knew the interior geography……”
“I know it.”