Chapter 153
The clash of battle rang out not far away.
Carpe sprinted toward the sound and soon arrived at the scene.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Hmph. These guys aren't your average thugs!
Urk. You've got some real killer experience under your belt. But we're no pushovers either!
At least we'll take three of you with us!
Gillian and the six death knights were locked in combat with a group of six masked figures.
It was 23 against 6, but astonishingly, the scales tipped ever so slightly in favor of the masked assailants.
They must have been quite a few levels higher.
Urk! If only I had my old body, these punks would be...
Your spine is straight, but your strength falls short!
Next time we meet, I swear...
As the masked group began felling the death knights one by one, the balance shifted dramatically.
Without a moment's hesitation, Carpe charged into the fray.
"Mukhyang, Tina! Go all out!"
"Kyuu kyuu!"
"Leave it to me, my liege!"
With Carpe's arrival, the tide turned in an instant.
The masked foes hadn't even been able to overwhelm Gillian and his knights. Adding Carpe to the mix left them no chance.
"This ends now, you villains!"
"...Guh."
Tina's sword pierced the last masked figure, bringing the fight to a close.
They uttered not a word, even in their final moments.
"Whew. Gillian, you okay?"
Hohoho. What a disgraceful sight. I, who should protect my liege, end up needing aid.
"We're comrades. Sometimes you help, sometimes you get helped. That's how it works."
Wise words. Hm. Have all my comrades returned to the afterlife?
"Yeah. They all got forcibly dismissed around the end of the fight."
It seemed like a skill with a summon duration limit.
-Well, yeah. Infinite death knight summons would be too broken. But what the hell were those guys?
"Right? What happened?"
Ah, those just now? We were hunting golems when they barged in. Fight broke out from there.
Everything after was just as Carpe had witnessed.
They'd attacked out of nowhere, without reason or warning.
-No reason? Nah, there must be one. We just don't know it. Could be they're wiping out everything alive in here.
General, sir! I'm a corpse! Not alive!
-...Or maybe eliminating all witnesses to the dwarves.
Dwarves?
Carpe gave Gillian a quick rundown of events so far.
Hmm. Someone wants the dwarves dead, eh? Come to think of it, those guys felt like Black Wing. Similar fighting style.
"Oh, really?"
I've fought both firsthand. You can trust my judgment.
Black Wing.
The top assassin group in the Last Savior world, targeting dwarves?
"Yeah, reeks of story. Definitely an Epic-grade quest."
-Let's search more. There might be others.
Carpe resumed scouring the dungeon.
He steadily took down bronze golems along the way, but...
...no real loot to speak of.
So many duds—it was enough to make him curse the game!
And then it happened.
Vmmm.
The token in Carpe's inventory suddenly hummed to life.
"Huh? Nearby?"
-No way it shows up this easy?
The token pointed slightly below their current position.
Straight down—underground.
"Underground? Alright. Mukhyang! You're up!"
"Kyuu!"
Mukhyang saluted crisply before burrowing into the earth at blinding speed.
"Kyuuu!"
After digging down a ways, Mukhyang let out a short cry.
Signaling a discovery.
"Good girl, Mukhyang. My favorite."
"Kyuu kyuu!"
Carpe patted the chest-thumping Mukhyang once, then peered into the hole.
There lay a tattered leather pouch, buried deep.
Vmmm.
"Gotta be that."
The inventory token was clearly reacting to the pouch.
Proof another token was inside.
"The tokens are the Red Anvil clan's treasures, right?"
Yeah. Gifts from their god, more precious than life.
Left abandoned like this... it spoke volumes about the chief's fate.
"...Like the dwarves said, we should at least grab the remains. But what about the quest?"
An Epic quest ending with just returning relics? Unlikely.
Cheonma had said the chief was probably dead, but Carpe didn't buy it 100%.
No hard evidence.
Just a gut feeling—the story flowed better if he was alive.
-Who knows. Maybe traces only the token holder can see.
"Yeah? Makes sense for progression."
Carpe carefully rummaged through the worn pouch.
"Ah."
First thing his hand touched: a heavy medallion.
Hammer emblem engraved, as expected.
The other half of the token.
Red Anvil Chief's Relic Found
🎁 Reward: Return to the dwarves for modest compensation.
No further alerts.
Normally, quest completion would trigger a "Quest Completed" message. Not here.
-Means the quest ain't done. Something more, for sure.
"Hold on. Feels like more in the pouch..."
The bottom still felt heavy.
Carpe reached in again, probing gently. Cheonma sounded impatient.
-Just dump it out. Why so careful?
"It's old. Rough handling could damage stuff inside. Can't risk an Epic quest vanishing."
-Think the game simulates that?
"Maybe? Dump it?"
-...Nah. Better safe. No harm in caution.
Third playthrough, right?
Cheonma recalled wrecking ancient relics carelessly—quest shattered too. Bitter memory.
-Damn game implements that?
"Huh? Squishy...?"
Something soft and warm, like a small animal...
Whoosh!
A brilliant light burst from the pouch, followed by alerts.
Dwarf Chief's Secret Key Acquired!
Teleporting to Dwarf Chief's Hidden Vault!
"Whoa, no way?!"
-Warp item?!
Just like opening Kero's treasure chest in the Magic Tower!
The pouch held a warp to the vault. Light engulfed Carpe.
When he came to, a totally new place greeted him.
"Agh, my eyes. Sudden warp—total flashbang..."
-...Hey. Keep your head down till vision clears.
"Huh? Why?"
-Shocking view. Brace yourself before looking.
"...You're scaring me. Dangerous?"
-Not dangerous... but bad for your heart? Insane. First time seeing this in-game, even for me.
Cheonma's voice trembled like never before.
What could shake a 10-year vet?
Gulp.
Carpe swallowed, then slowly raised his head.
And...
"Holy—!"
-Deep breaths! Stay calm!
Mountains of treasure chests stretched before him.
Ten to the left, ten to the right of Carpe.
Plus one massive at the end.
Twenty-one chests total, lined up.
"What the hell is this!"
Twenty-one chests wasn't that shocking.
Impressive, sure—but not tremor-inducing.
The shock? Their colors.
Left ten: deep purple unique-grade.
Right ten: vivid orange legendary.
End one: pitch black.
Epic-grade.
-...So this is what Epic quests mean?
"H-ha... haaa."
-Heart attack incoming. Calm down or you'll force-log.
"R-right. Whew."
Carpe deep-breathed, approaching the nearest unique chest.
Yeah, too unreal. Probably fakes, like Magic Tower—mostly empty.
He muttered, activating Unlock.
Click.
Inside: slender rapier.
◈ Physical Attack: 400~470
◈ Level 80+ Req. Strength +7, Agility +7
◈ Attack Speed +20%. Low chance to destroy enemy gear on hit.
"Whoa..."
Not just unique—a unique+!
Carpe stared blankly, then eyed the rest.
"...All real?"
Tranced, he spammed Unlock.
All ten unique chests were legit.
Half-dazed, Carpe turned to the legendaries.
Same story—all ten legendaries yielded legendaries.
-Insane! Insane! INSANE!
"...Hah."
Inventory stuffed with twenty items—speechless.
But not over.
The final chest.
Carpe approached the Epic one, activating Unlock.
Click.
No box resisted Unlock. It opened.
Inside: a necklace.
◈ Level 100+ Req. All Stats +10, HP +5,000, MP +500
◈ 'Demon God's Power' usable below 10% HP
◈ *Caution: Great power demands great price.
"......"
-Insane! Galtea?! Congrats, man. Golems' duds were just bad luck payback? Huge hit! You might not know, but Demon Gods are next after Four Calamities... Wait, crying?
"...Sniff. Hic. Sob."
Tears streamed down Carpe's face.
Indescribable emotion.
But one thing clear:
Not joy.
-Why cry now? Should be screaming in delight!
"...Bro. You know the student-master story?"
What story.
"The one with the disciple and master."
Deep night, disciple wakes crying.
Master asks, alarmed:
Frightening dream?
No.
Sad dream?
No. Sweet dream.
Why weep so?
Carpe wiped tears, murmuring:
"Because... that dream can never come true..."
Anyone knowing gacha, even a speck, would grasp the absurdity.
Yes. Unreal.
Not reality.
Gacha thrills on uncertainty.
Dud anxiety.
Past failure's despair.
Overcoming yields ecstasy!
100% jackpots? No thrill!
Insult to gacha!
Work of a gacha-illiterate fool!
Carpe loved freebies, but not this warped!
"Bro. What'd you say? Congrats?"
Uh, yeah...? Big win? Gotta congrats.
"Yeah. That's where it snapped. Lacking detail. You bastard."
Whoosh!
Carpe grabbed Cheonma's collar. Somehow, physically grabbing his Patron Spirit!
-Gack! Kek! What the—
"Congrats? Bullshit. You wouldn't congrats my jackpots, Cheonma bro. You'd curse the 'insane game,' ask if it's rigged."
Small wins? Maybe congrats.
This? Pure curses warranted!
Cheonma Carpe knew wouldn't celebrate this.
-N-no way. Affinity maxed... no congrats?
"High affinity doesn't mean empty praise. That's low-detail thinking."
Carpe raged on:
"...Dunno how you hacked Unlock, but you crossed a line."
Everyone has non-negotiables.
Carpe's: gacha.
-Y-you bastard!
"Talk outside. Get out of my head."
Clang!
Carpe returned to the mine dungeon.
"...Was nice while it lasted. Damn."