The Golden Dartboard (Part 2)
Deep in the forest.
Three of us hacked through the underbrush as we pushed forward.
“Is this really the place?”
“Maybe?”
“Maybe? Why not just use the Golden Compass? It’s more accurate.”
Geum Bit-na-ra had been wandering for an hour and sounded exasperated as she pulled out the Golden Compass she carried.
“Don’t waste it carelessly. I tried using it to find the Golden Dartboard too, but it was useless.”
“Useless?”
“This Golden Dartboard hasn’t existed in this world yet, so to speak. The Golden Compass can only find things that exist.”
“Doesn’t exist in the world?”
Geum Bit-na-ra looked surprised at Yu Mi-ri’s words.
The Golden Dartboard that doesn’t exist in the world.
Yet here we were looking for it.
“Was she lying?”
“Lying? Do I look like the type who would do that?”
“Yeah.”
“Hah, just bear with it for now.”
Yu Mi-ri seemed a bit hurt by Geum Bit-na-ra’s words and unfolded the map again.
And as she looked at the map, she used her skill.
**Map Exploration**
※ Explore hidden relics within the map.
With Yu Mi-ri’s words, sparkling lights began to appear from various places on the map.
And the location near here was also included.
As she looked at the map, Yu Mi-ri moved a bit further forward.
After moving a certain distance, she raised her hand to signal to stop.
“Here. We’re almost there, so get ready.”
“Is the Golden Dartboard here?”
“Yeah. It seems to be inside that cave?”
A large cave.
It was so large that one might question if such caves exist in our country, but in a world where monsters appear, was that a problem?
“Kim Min-sung, prepare.”
“You’re older than me, right? Why are you using such casual speech?”
“Why? Doesn’t casual speech sit well with you? And in today’s world, what’s the big deal with casual speech.”
Geum Bit-na-ra was one year younger than me.
From the first meeting, the constant use of casual speech had been a bit annoying, but as Geum Bit-na-ra said, in today’s world, it didn’t seem like she cared much.
Most people, instead of putting on formal airs, live in the direction they want right now, not knowing when they’ll die.
“Yeah yeah. Do as you like.”
“Summon just one monster and send it inside.”
“Got it.”
Following Geum Bit-na-ra’s words, we summoned a Green Mushroom and sent it into the cave.
The Green Mushroom waddling inside.
After sending the Green Mushroom in, we watched the video through the video to check if there were any dangerous things inside.
‘By the way, Geum Bit-na-ra. What are you after?’
Geum Bit-na-ra acting casually.
Clearly, she was doing something related to the Calamity.
The video shown by the scenario quest hadn’t been wrong.
But seeing Geum Bit-na-ra acting as if she had nothing to do with such things, there was a bit of confusion whether the video was correct.
‘Hyung hasn’t found anything special yet…’
We had investigated Geum Bit-na-ra, but Kang Hyuk-hyung hadn’t found any special points.
‘For now, I should follow her actions a bit.’
There were many things we wanted to ask Geum Bit-na-ra, but it seemed she wouldn’t answer.
Moreover, the characteristics of the guy.
The people in the Tower of Death were all outstanding people boasting high ranks.
So why didn’t Geum Bit-na-ra use her abilities on them, including me?
It was curious.
If she made those outstanding people her allies, things would be easy, but Geum Bit-na-ra didn’t use any abilities.
‘Is there something?’
It seemed Geum Bit-na-ra had a reason not to use her abilities on us.
But we didn’t ask.
After all, maybe she didn’t know.
Or maybe she had forgotten.
“Hey? It doesn’t seem like it’s going in anymore?”
“Yeah. There’s something like a transparent wall blocking it.”
The Green Mushroom seemed to be blocked by something like a transparent wall and couldn’t go in further.
“Then shall we go in?”
Yu Mi-ri, having roughly understood the situation inside through the Green Mushroom earlier, prepared and went in first quickly.
Following behind, Kim Min-sung and Geum Bit-na-ra slowly entered.
“Something eerie? Is the Golden Dartboard really here? What did that mean about it not existing earlier?”
“I had doubts too. The Golden Dartboard ‘still’ doesn’t exist. But it said it would appear.”
“Still?”
“Yeah. That’s why we can’t find it with the Golden Compass.”
As we talked, we entered a bit further, reaching the place where the Green Mushroom couldn’t enter earlier.
“From here, we need to be careful? Shall we summon monsters and check again?”
“Yeah, please.”
We tried summoning a few more Green Mushrooms to go deeper, but again, they were blocked by some transparent wall and couldn’t go in.
We searched for other passages, but there didn’t seem to be any other paths besides the one in front.
“It seems to be inside here.”
Yu Mi-ri, looking at her map and confident that the Golden Dartboard was inside, stepped forward first and went inside.
A passage that monsters couldn’t enter.
But when Yu Mi-ri entered, it naturally passed through.
Following inside, a message appeared.
- Welcome to the Ancient Ruins.
- There are rules in this Ancient Ruins.
- If you follow the rules, nothing will happen, but if you don’t, terrible things will occur.
“What? Ancient Ruins?”
“Was there such a thing?”
A place that looked different from before.
Not a dungeon, and not just a place where monsters exist.
“What rules do we have to follow?”
Questioning the rules, a message appeared as if answering my question.
- What is the purpose of your visit here?
A message asking us the purpose.
The purpose of coming here would naturally be the Golden Dartboard.
“We came to find the Golden Dartboard.”
Answering that message, Geum Bit-na-ra.
And as Geum Bit-na-ra answered, the surroundings suddenly became noisy.
Dududududu.
“What… what? Why all of a sudden?”
“The surroundings are changing?”
The surroundings began to change.
This place was the inside of the cave.
But it slowly changed, and murals began to appear around the cave, and various ancient items started to appear.
“Wow. What is all this?”
“Amazing?”
Flicker. Flicker.
Ancient items that appeared around.
Most of them made of gold, making the viewer open their eyes wide.
- The Golden Dartboard you desire is prepared at the end of this cave.
- Here is one rule.
- Do not touch anything other than the Golden Dartboard.
- If you take out only the Golden Dartboard, nothing will happen.
- But if you touch anything else, it would be better not to dream of surviving here.
With those words, the message disappeared.
After seeing the message disappear, we slowly headed inside.
“Wow, these items here don’t seem like a joke.”
“Yeah. It doesn’t seem like they’re all just made of gold.”
“I’ll check them.”
Yu Mi-ri said that and used her skill towards the items around.
**Item Appraisal**
※ Obtain information about the item.
After using the skill to appraise, Yu Mi-ri started using it again on other items as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Wow, this is crazy.”
“Why?”
“These items aren’t a joke. All of them are at least 5-star items. There are even higher ones.”
5-star items.
The best items among existing ones.
But Yu Mi-ri said there are even better items than that.
“Even better items?”
“Yeah. Amazing. Just one of those would make you at least several times stronger.”
It was like the surroundings were decorated with such ancient items that one’s eyes would spin.
But having such items, what good is it?
It’s just something you can’t eat.
“Remember the rule set in the earlier message? We’re taking out only the Golden Dartboard from here.”
Geum Bit-na-ra and Yu Mi-ri who were mesmerized by other items were reminded of the rule again to snap out of it.
Then, both showed regretful expressions and slowly walked to the end of the cave.
In the middle, there were so many incredible items that one’s eyes would spin, but after enduring the temptation and arriving at the last part, there was one item on the table.
“Is that the Golden Dartboard?”
“It seems so? It looks like it too.”
A Golden Dartboard made of gold, shaped like a normal dartboard.
Slowly walking towards the dartboard and looking closely.
“Here. Then let’s take this out.”
Tuk.
Geum Bit-na-ra picked up the Golden Dartboard on the table.
Worried that something might happen when picking up the Golden Compass on the table, we guarded around, but nothing happened as if only following the rules would prevent anything.
“Then let’s go.”
Slowly returning the way we came with the Golden Dartboard.
In the middle, there were temptations from countless items, but enduring until the end and almost returning to the starting place.
Gugugugugug!
“What… what? Why all of a sudden?”
A loud sound suddenly rang out, the ancient items around disappeared instantly, and the path forward was blocked.
Looking around to see why this happened, there was something small in Yu Mi-ri’s hand.
“You didn’t touch another item, did you?”
“Th-that just appeared on my hand without me knowing.”
Yu Mi-ri also looked really surprised.
The item in her hand.
She had never brought it herself.
Her job was Treasure Hunter, and coming to a place like this, she knew what would happen if she touched it.
But the situation had already happened.
After the path suddenly blocked, something appeared in front of them.
‘What is this?’
It had the body of a lion, human head, bird wings, and snake tail!
[Sphinx★ Lv-60]
The Sphinx had appeared in front of them.