Treasure Goblin
Treasure Goblin.
What a beautiful ring those words had.
Any gamer would feel their heart skip a beat at the mere mention, and Carpe nodded reflexively.
"Entering."
You may now enter via the secret passage.
No dramatic background shift or warp effect appeared with the alert.
The passage ahead simply became accessible.
Carpe proceeded cautiously into the secret passage.
How much time passed?
"Ah, there it is."
A faint golden glow appeared in the distance. A few more steps, and its source revealed itself.
Slightly smaller than the goblins in fields or dungeons.
Bright yellow skin instead of green.
A shabby sack slung over its back. It was the perfect image of a Treasure Goblin, just as he'd imagined.
In Carpe's eyes, that sack looked like Santa Claus's bag of gifts.
He reached out toward the Treasure Goblin.
In any game, Treasure Goblins had trash-tier combat skills—it was practically a rule!
A single light spell should drop it easily.
—Or so you'd think, and poof, another hidden piece slips away.
"Huh? What do you mean? We don't kill it?"
—Killing it still gets you an item. But if you kill it outright, you only get one.
Cheonma pointed precisely at the goblin's back with his finger.
—That sack. Tear the bottom a bit. Aim for the sack, not the body.
That would make the startled Treasure Goblin scamper around in panic.
And as it ran, items would spill endlessly from the torn hole.
Instead of one item, two, three, or more. A double hidden piece.
—It preys on how most people just beat down any monster they see. Like you were about to.
"...Yeah, a hundred out of a hundred would do the same."
Who wouldn't swing first at a Treasure Goblin right in front of them?
—I didn't figure it out myself. Heard it from someone who did.
"Whoever discovered it is a legend. The world's a big place."
Carpe silently praised the discoverer's experimental spirit as he prepared again.
"So, what items does this one drop?"
—Random. Magic grade up to Unique. Could be materials instead of gear. Varies every time.
"Ah, a walking random box. Damn. What a god game. How'd they know I love random boxes?"
And a high-end one you could milk two or three times!
Carpe sneaked closer to the Treasure Goblin. Closer range meant higher accuracy.
"Now!"
Thwack!
Using Blue Dragon Step, Carpe closed the gap in an instant. As he reached out to tear the sack—
You have entered the Treasure Goblin's detection range.
You are the tower's chief administrator. The Treasure Goblin recognizes you as such.
Temporary intelligence granted to Identification Number 5,726 Treasure Goblin from the Treasure Goblin Unified Thought Core.
"Huh? What the...?"
No time to panic.
With the alerts, intelligence flickered into the goblin's previously dull eyes. It immediately slammed its head to the ground.
"Eek! Greetings, Administrator sir!"
Breaking fantasy stereotypes—no "gruik gruik" from orcs or "gob gob" from goblins—this Treasure Goblin spoke clearly.
As Carpe gaped in bewilderment, the goblin peeked up slyly.
"Um, are you perhaps the new Administrator?"
"Uh... yeah. Yeah, I am."
"I knew it! My eyes never lie! Such magnificent mana patterns could only belong to an Administrator!"
"No, that's not..."
Carpe stared at the goblin's fierce bootlicking in disbelief.
Misreading his gaze, the goblin launched into self-introduction.
"Pardon my late greeting. I am a Treasure Goblin—or more precisely, a Treasure Chest Goblin—tasked with wandering the tower's interior and collecting treasures."
"Treasures?"
"Items dropped by other intruders. Everything in this sack is like that."
Last Savior featured item drops on player death at a certain probability.
Not high, of course.
PK deaths spiked to 90% due to first-strike penalties, but monster deaths capped at under 5%.
In this brutally hard game, constant drops would make progress impossible.
But the existence of drops mattered.
The Magic Tower—called the Red Tower by players—was a popular spot, climbed by countless adventurers.
Many died inside, dropping items.
Party members might pick them up, but solo players? Or party wipes from traps or bosses?
Those items lay abandoned.
And these Treasure Goblins were the NPCs who collected them.
"...Clever setup. All dungeons like this?"
—Doubt it. First I've heard in over ten years. Probably Magic Tower exclusive.
"You handle all that alone?"
"Eek! Impossible for little old me! Thousands like me roam this tower."
"Makes sense with player numbers... Wait a sec."
A flash of insight hit Carpe. He asked the goblin,
"So there's a storage spot for all those treasures?"
"Of course! We call it the Treasure Vault."
"...I see. Excellent."
Carpe grinned.
This tower's master was Madou King Dretsch.
With Dretsch gone, his sole heir—Carpe—held rights to it.
This tower is mine.
Thus, items from this tower are mine.
Perfect logic.
Carpe spoke kindly to the goblin.
"I'm the tower's administrator and owner, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then ownership of tower-generated items belongs to me."
"Th-that's... true?"
"Empty the sack."
"Pardon? What...?"
"Everything in that sack, then take me to that vault."
Carpe thought he sounded nice, but the goblin paled green and prostrated.
"N-no, sir! Beyond my authority... Handing out items without permission means death for me!"
"Permission? I'm the top admin—why need permission?"
"True, but us peons can't act without direct superior's okay. Please spare me, Administrator!"
"Direct superior?"
"Our great king who manages the Treasure Vault."
The Treasure Goblins' king. Treasure Goblin King, maybe?
Then—
You have gathered information on the tower's sub-administrator.
The tower's financial manager ‘Treasure’ is the king ruling all Treasure Goblins.
To intervene in the tower's internal finances, you must gain his recognition.
"...Holy shit?"
—Whoa. Things just unfolded like this.
Carpe had located the tower's first sub-administrator.
"This way, sir!"
When Carpe insisted on convincing the superior himself, the goblin beamed and led him to the vault.
Relieved of responsibility, it looked utterly at ease. Humans and goblins alike, huh?
—Think it'll recognize you easily? Dretsch mentioned sub-admins are no pushovers.
"Worst case, I die. Try now, level up, try again later."
—Fair, but...
"You really know zilch about admins?"
—Yeah. This Treasure and the vault? Brand new to me. Madou King exclusive, probably.
"Hmm. Unknown exploration. Sounds fun."
Mid-chat, they arrived.
The leading goblin fiddled with a wall.
Vrrr.
A warp gate materialized, with an alert.
This is the warp gate to the hidden stage ‘Magic Tower Treasure Vault’.
Verifying access rights... Complete. Target is the tower's administrator. Access granted.
Proceed?
"Proceeding."
Carpe nodded, and the scenery shifted instantly.
Mountains of gold coins and items filled his view.
Like a dragon's lair from a fantasy novel. Carpe's jaw dropped.
And at least a thousand Treasure Goblins bustled among the treasures.
"This is... the Treasure Vault?"
"Yes, sir. First human visitor since I spawned!"
"I see."
While sightseeing, Carpe spotted something odd.
"Huh? What's that?"
A different Treasure Goblin appeared, empty chest in hand.
It scurried to a pile, hesitated—
"Huh?"
Incredibly, it grabbed a few items, stuffed them in the chest.
Then scooped gold coins and vanished.
"What the hell? Stealing items?"
"Eek! Don't say such scary things. That's our main job."
"That?"
"Yes. We select items, pack chests, and place them throughout the tower. You've opened plenty, right, sir?"
All those thrilling treasure chests Carpe had opened while climbing? Made this way.
"Whoa, wild."
The principle behind dungeon treasure chests was this?
Too commonplace to question the system behind it.
"Wait, so... players drop items, you pack 'em in chests, players get 'em and drop again... Wow. Circular economy?"
—Just here. Dungeons don't need reasons for chests—they just spawn. Fresh and fun setup, though.
The goblins carrying empty chests all wore happy smiles.
"They look thrilled."
"We find utmost joy in crafting and placing chests. Eternal gratitude to our founding Administrator for this paradise... Eek, we're here!"
Distracted by the sights, they'd reached the destination.
Beyond the treasure zone lay a vast clearing.
At its center, on a throne, sat a goblin three times larger than the rest.
And—
You have encountered the tower's financial manager ‘Treasure’.
Caution advised. Extreme stress from centuries of duties. harbors significant grudge against someone.
"Huh? Someone? Grudge?"
The grudge's target was soon clear.
The Treasure Goblin King Treasure bellowed furiously.
"Dretsch, you bastard! Abandoning us for centuries, what gall to crawl back here!"
"Ah..."
Carpe had met another of Dretsch's victims.