The True Treasure

Next to the naturally formed cavern path, a passage that looked artificially excavated came into view.

Tools for digging, like shovels and pickaxes, lay scattered about. A wooden cart resting to one side was likely used to haul away the dirt piled up from the excavation.

There were also torches, emergency rations, large sacks, and empty chests.

Looking at the tunnel bored into the wall and the gear left behind by the thugs who had attacked me, only one possibility came to mind.

Were they grave robbers?

Come to think of it, I recalled the conversation they were having before they spotted me.

Something about a treasure hidden by the "Demonic Cult."

So, they had tunneled in from the outside to plunder the Sun and Moon Sect's treasure hidden deep within the Spirit Star Cave?

And while trying to head deeper into the cave, they took a wrong turn, walked backward, and ran right into me?

If they thought they'd been caught red-handed by a member of the sect, it made perfect sense why they had lunged at me with lethal intent.

But I never heard anything about a treasure in the Spirit Star Cave.

I had a mountain of questions, but there was nothing I could do about them right now.

I wanted to interrogate the unconscious guy, but he didn't look like he'd be waking up anytime soon.

For now, my only choice is to keep moving forward.

Resigned, I picked up a torch and walked deeper into the cavern.

Since I had grown accustomed to expanding my sensory perception using the Mirror of the Dark Demon, the pitch-black darkness didn't bother me. Still, there was no reason to walk with my eyes closed when a perfectly good torch was available.

Are these... puppets?

Before long, bizarrely dressed puppets appeared before me.

Five or six of them stood lined up along the narrow passage. They looked similar to the wooden training dummies I had smashed to pieces during my martial arts training with Instructor Do, yet they were distinctly different.

This must be the "demonic beast" Woosa mentioned.

Sharp blades were attached to their hands and backs, looking ready to slice anyone who got too close.

As if connected to some hidden mechanism, one of the puppets swung its mounted sword the moment I drew near.

It looked dangerous, but with my torch illuminating the way, dodging them was child's play.

In any case, seeing these obstacles scale up in difficulty made me realize I was finally approaching the end of the trial.

After walking for about another thirty minutes, I spotted a bright, flickering light in the distance.

It was a light far too massive and brilliant to be compared to a mere torch.

In the center of a suddenly widening cavern stood a colossal bronze brazier. Without any firewood or kindling, a flame blazed within, casting a mystical alternation of blue and red light.

It was the Holy Fire of the Sun and Moon Sect, identical to the one I had seen at the Altar of the Holy Fire atop Gwangmyeong Peak.

This is the deepest chamber of the Spirit Star Cave!

This flame was also the signal that I had passed the trial to prove my worth as the Young Sect Leader.

I stood there for a while, utterly mesmerized by the Holy Fire as it cycled through shades of orange, yellow, and blue.

It was then.

Myeongjon!

I answered gladly to the voice echoing in my mind.

Inside the Sect Leader's Palace, Sect Leader Baek Mumyeong waited for the Young Sect Leader's trial to conclude.

A knock rattled the door, and a man entered in a hurry, bowing deeply before the Sect Leader.

"Woosa, what is the matter?"

"An excavated tunnel dug by grave robbers has been discovered in the Spirit Star Cave."

"...Again? It is becoming tiresome."

Rumors that a treasure slept in the deepest depths of the Sun and Moon Sect's underground Spirit Star Cave had been passed down since ancient times.

For ages, whenever the memory faded, famous grave robbers from across the Jianghu would tunnel into the cave, attempting to plunder its riches.

"They must have their own network of communication. What do you think, Woosa?"

Unlike the anxious Woosa, the Sect Leader appeared entirely unbothered—relaxed enough to casually chat about the treasure.

"Sect Leader. More importantly, the Young Sect Leader is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠currently undergoing his trial in the cave..."

"Is it not a pity? Every single rat who enters that cave dies, so the grave robbers remain completely ignorant of what they truly need to know."

If even a single robber had survived the traps of the Spirit Star Cave and spread word of its horrors, no one would ever dare set foot in there again. That was the Sect Leader's perspective.

"Sect Leader, does that mean the trial will proceed as planned?"

"There is no need to worry about the Young Sect Leader. If anything, I pity the grave robbers. They will likely be cut down before they even get close to the traps guarding the treasure."

"Sect Leader, this old man does not worry for the robbers. My concern is that their presence might draw the Young Sect Leader's attention to the treasure."

"Hmm."

"Just in case, I repeatedly warned him never to venture past the deepest chamber of the Spirit Star Cave, but..."

Woosa's concern was not without merit.

Baek Mumyeong had intentionally expunged any mention ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the treasure hidden beneath the Spirit Star Cave from all books and records accessible to the Young Sect Leader.

There would have been no reason to do so if the treasure were merely gold and silver.

However, the ancient treasures sleeping down there—the Three Sacred Relics of the Sun and Moon Sect—were exceptionally dangerous.

They were items possessing an inexplicably vast, overwhelming power.

What would the Young Sect Leader do if he learned of their existence?

While the Young Sect Leader would never covet mere gold and silver, it was a well-known fact that he sought absolute power above all else.

Given his tyrannical, domineering nature, it wouldn't be surprising if learning about the Three Sacred Relics ignited a desire in him far greater than the greed of any moth-to-a-flame grave robber.

"Besides, the traps in that place seem to possess a strange power that lures people in."

Though he understood Woosa's anxiety, the Sect Leader simply shook his head.

"Have you forgotten, Woosa? The Young Sect Leader is currently undergoing a trial."

"...I have not forgotten."

With his innately brutal temperament, the Heavenly Killer Star, and an endless drive to elevate his martial prowess, the Young Sect Leader possessed every quality required of a Heavenly Demon.

Yet, a blind pursuit of power could also prove to be a fatal weakness. Today, the Young Sect Leader would be tested on that very front.

"If he allows himself to be blinded by power and invites his own ruin... as I have found myself repeating lately, then Yeon's potential only amounted to that much."

There was not a shred of falsehood in the Sect Leader's cold words.

While it was true that his expectations for the Young Sect Leader had soared recently, the path Yeon had to tread in the future would be far more treacherous than any mere trial. If he could not even pass this, then those expectations had been misplaced from the start.

"And who knows? Perhaps the Young Sect Leader will even overcome the trials of the Three Sacred Relics and bring the treasures back."

"Haha. Perhaps he truly might."

The Sect Leader and Woosa shared a laugh, but both of them knew the histories. They had heard countless tales of past Sect Leaders and members of the direct lineage who had lost their lives attempting to claim the Three Sacred Relics. Because of that, neither of them truly believed such a feat was possible.

Standing before the massive stone wall behind the Holy Fire, I asked Myeongjon.

Myeongjon, are you sure I have to go in there?

But Elder Woosa repeatedly warned me never to enter...

The moment I had arrived at the Holy Fire in the deepest chamber of the Spirit Star Cave, Myeongjon had started pestering me, insisting that I absolutely had to go past this stone wall.

I wasn't particularly keen on the idea. "Immense power" sounded great and all, but it also sounded incredibly dangerous.

More importantly, Myeongjon, there's something I've been wondering.

When I was practicing my swordsmanship, I apparently entered a state of selflessness. Does that have something to do with my personality too?

Yes. My introversion.

Why do I get the feeling you're just brushing me off because you find this annoying?

I felt like Myeongjon was acting a bit strange today, but then again, him being weird was nothing new.

Since this was the sacred ground of the Ming Sect, it made sense that Myeongjon would know more about it than Woosa or the Sect Leader.

But was it really okay to go in?

Well, Myeongjon has helped me out a lot so far. It'd be a bit ungrateful to refuse him now.

After agonizing over it for a long while, I steeled my resolve and placed my hand on the stone wall, just as Myeongjon had instructed.

Then—

Rumble!

With the heavy grinding of stone, the wall slid to the right, revealing an entrance leading further inside.

Myeongjon? What do I do now?

Alright. And then?

I cautiously stepped into the pitch-black darkness beyond the stone wall.

Beyond the wall lay a long, dark cavernous passage.

What? Myeongjon, what do you mean by that?

Something felt incredibly off, but before I could process it, the stone wall slid shut behind me with a heavy thud, trapping me inside.

To make matters worse, no matter how many times I called out to Myeongjon after that, there was no reply.

I knew I had been played, but there was no turning back now. I looked around my surroundings.

A light?

As ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I peered down the dark, narrow passage, I saw bright light leaking out from various points ahead.

Taking a few steps forward, I was able to peer inside the chamber where the light originated.

What on earth is that?

The space was illuminated as brightly as broad daylight.

Festive music drifted through the air, and a lavish banquet table was piled high with mouthwatering delicacies of every kind. Standing around the table were ten breathtakingly beautiful women.

Are they telling me to come in?

The women, looking like they had stepped straight out of a dream, beckoned to me with seductive gestures.

Another beauty held out a cup of wine, offering it to me.

H-Horrifying!

I immediately averted my eyes, unable to look any longer.

Forget the delicacies—they wanted me to walk into a room packed with complete strangers?

Are they seriously overestimating me, a hardcore introvert?

Unless my life was literally on the line, and with the Sect Leader not even here to watch, why on earth would I willingly subject myself to such an emotionally draining social nightmare?

Keeping my head turned away, I walked past without giving them a second glance.

Soon, I reached the source of the second light.

This time, what lay inside was surprisingly a vast training ground.

A middle-aged man knelt on the ground, holding up a brilliantly gleaming, razor-sharp sword with both hands as he looked at me.

"Young Sect Leader, lift this sword! Defeat your enemies, and seize glory and power!"

What is he even saying? Is he insane?

"Glory and power," my foot.

Fighting is the thing I hate most in the world. Why would I pick up a sword and fight enemies for something as useless as that?

I snorted in disdain and looked away.

Continuing a few steps further, a room overflowing with treasure appeared.

Massive chests were piled high with gold bars, radiating a blinding golden luster.

Beside them lay precious jewels and ornaments that looked incredibly valuable even at a casual glance.

Sigh, is this useless junk all they have in here?

Naturally, I had zero interest, so I turned my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠head and kept walking.

Before I knew it, the final light came into view.

Compared to the lights I had seen so far, this one was significantly smaller—so faint that one might miss it entirely without looking closely.

Peering inside, I saw an empty room with only three small candles burning.

Beside the candles lay a single, worn-out cushion. There was absolutely nothing else.

Not a single sound could be heard, save for the faint, soothing scent of incense drifting through the air.

Looking at the scene inside the room, I moved my legs as if possessed.

Needless to say, it was because the absolute, solitary silence appealed to me perfectly.

Ah... finally, a place fit for human survival.

I immediately sat cross-legged on the cushion.

Since I couldn't figure out a way out immediately anyway, I just wanted to quietly organize my thoughts in a peaceful place.

And, of course, recharge my social battery.

But then... a strange voice began to echo in the room.

Wait, what trial? What is this thing even talking about?

With those final words, the scenery of the room suddenly shifted.

In the place where the three candles had been burning, three large chests now stood.

My eyes naturally widened in shock.

The Three Sacred Relics? What on earth are those?

It was an astonishing turn of events, but to be completely honest, I felt more disappointment than curiosity or anticipation.

I thought I had finally found a quiet moment to be alone, so why did some annoying event have to trigger immediately?