Chapter 153: Distributing the Treasure
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 153: Distributing the Treasure
Beyond the iron door.
Vibrations and a loud explosion rang out.
It sounded like food left in a microwave for too long had just exploded.
BOOM!
The iron door rattled from the impact, but as expected of a Tier 8 summon, it held firm. The walls connected to it did as well.
“Wh… What was that sound?”
Only the adventurers outside were flustered.
Clorence looked back and forth between the iron door and Caleb, his expression baffled.
The wizard had approached the door and seemed to be glaring at it, and then a deafening roar had erupted from within.
“I activated the wand the Glutton ate and fired a disintegration ray.”
Some wizards with immense mental power can display superhuman abilities, far surpassing the common sense of magic.
For instance, an Archmage like Dalstream might occasionally use High-Speed Casting, ignoring a spell's cooldown to cast it consecutively without realizing it.
Or Silent Casting, where one can activate a spell just by thinking, without an incantation.
Caleb was a genius wizard blessed with an abundance of such magical talents.
Clorence was well aware of this fact.
But this was…
“You can… use a wand… without even touching it…?”
He glanced to the side and saw that Kudrum and Richard’s eyes had also gone wide.
“Whoa.”
And Dorothy suddenly let out a gasp of admiration.
“I’ve heard stories like this from Priest Emma and Priest Mikhail. That Caleb might be…”
To Dorothy, who served Nathaniel, Caleb’s talent felt more like a matter of faith.
“A wizard blessed by Wizus.”
Dorothy was deeply moved.
“It might really be true. To be able to handle a wand without even touching it… I’ve never seen someone blessed by a god before.”
While everyone else was marveling, Caleb wasn’t particularly moved.
Instead, he asked Yernil, “Yernil, please check if the Glutton is dead.”
Yernil closed her eyes and listened for a moment, checking for the monster’s heartbeat or breath from beyond the iron door.
“I think it’s dead.”
“But the iron door isn’t opening?” Aimus asked, touching the iron door.
“The iron door doesn’t disappear automatically even if the person who summoned it dies,” Clorence, who owned an iron door at his home, explained.
There are only two scenarios in which the Tier 8 summon, the Loyal Iron Door, will disappear.
First, if the summoner personally unsummons it.
Second, if centuries pass after the summoner’s death.
In the second case, after the summoner’s death, the door’s consciousness gradually fades like an Alzheimer’s patient. Its reinforcement and detection abilities weaken until, one day, it vanishes as if its lifespan has run out.
That’s why this magic is a Tier 8 summon and the ultimate security spell.
“Those are the only cases.”
“In a Labyrinth, there’s one more possibility,” Caleb said.
“When the Labyrinth closes and then reopens.”
That means the Labyrinth resets.
When a Labyrinth closes and reopens, it reconstructs all the special bosses that have been killed and treasures that have been taken.
The Gardener will also be revived when the Labyrinth reopens and will wander Bearhim’s garden, and the garden grounds, ruined by the torrential rain and snow, will be fully restored.
And the iron door will disappear.
“That’s right. But the Glutton’s corpse would disappear then, too. I’ve heard the Glutton is so voracious it swallows all sorts of valuable treasures.”
Clorence licked his lips.
“It’s the stuff of legends, but it’s a shame we won’t be able to see the treasure for ourselves.”
It was just like the iron door to the Berten family’s main treasury. Immense treasure lay beyond the door, but Clorence wasn’t its master. There was no way to open it…
“Of course we have to get the treasure.”
“What?”
“When Kudrum came out from inside, he used Combat Doll Substitution, didn’t he?”
Caleb tapped Kudrum on the shoulder.
“If you use it again, you should be able to get back inside. Just go in and bring the items out.”
“Ah…!”
“That’s right.”
Kudrum smacked a fist into his palm.
“I’ll go.”
“W-Wait a moment. There’s another problem. If you handle the Glutton’s stomach carelessly, you could get covered in gastric acid. It could lead to an accident.”
At Clorence’s words, the smile vanished from Kudrum’s face.
“I don’t know how to handle something like that. We’re 6th-floor adventurers.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll teach you how to dissect it. Take this with you.”
Caleb placed something in Kudrum’s hand.
“The reward should be as certain as the hardship, shouldn’t it?”
‘What in the world did he do?’
Kudrum, who had entered using Phase Shift, was stunned by the sight.
A hole was blasted straight through the monster, from its stomach to its head. A clean, vertical hole.
The monster’s head was ‘gone.’
The disintegration ray, which burned things away at the speed of light, hadn’t even given the Glutton a chance to scream.
Instant death.
The monster was slumped over, like a combat doll whose connection had been severed. Hot steam billowed from where its head used to be.
“He told me to go inside and put this down, right?”
The Watcher emerged from Kudrum’s hand. But the scroll was outside the iron door.
-Kudrum!
Caleb shouted, watching through the scroll.
-This way. Make an incision along this line. You need to take out the stomach pouch from inside. There’s a hole in it, so be careful not to spill anything.
The Watcher moved along the Glutton’s abdomen, indicating the line of incision.
Kudrum plunged his knife in and sliced it open.
“This is similar to processing leather when I make dolls.”
He removed the outer skin, tore away the bones, and carefully cut open the stomach. It was the size of a dwarf’s torso.
-Be careful not to touch it with your bare hands.
“It’s full of gastric acid, so I can’t see what’s inside.”
-That’s fine. Let’s take them out one by one when you get back. Besides the stomach, please grab the ink sac and the magic stone too.
Following the Watcher’s guidance, Kudrum removed the other parts. Then, laden with his haul, he used Phase Shift again.
Shhhk.
I closed the scroll to retrieve the Watcher.
Next, I carefully poured out the gastric acid. Underneath were the various items the Glutton had swallowed.
The monster had swallowed two Aether Mushrooms and the Condensing Lens Wand. From the Glutton’s perspective during this battle, these were the most ‘potent’ items, and in a Labyrinth, things like that are valuable treasures.
In other words, the Glutton must have swallowed other things on its way here from the 7th floor’s Void Waterfall. Treasures just as potent as the ones mentioned.
“Let’s return the mushrooms to their owners. You can eat them after washing them in water.”
I handed one mushroom each to Richard and Clorence. Both of them looked disgusted.
“The Condensing Lens Wand.”
I got my message-transmitting wand back, too. It needs a good cleaning, though.
And underneath that…
“It’s a scroll.”
A torn scroll emerged.
[Loyal Iron Door]
“…”
This was definitely different from my game knowledge. Where did the Glutton get a scroll like this and summon the door?
“A fish!”
At Yernil’s voice, I looked and saw a saury-shaped object come out of the stomach. For the record, it wasn’t a real fish.
“It’s a bomb.”
It was a Void Torpedo from the 7th floor.
Two books also came out. These were the spellbooks you could get from killing a Glutton.
[Tier 5 Spellbook]
▶Void Devouring
[Tier 5 Spellbook]
▶Void Ink
Both are decent, but they’re a bit lacking for me to learn.
Void Devouring is a spell similar to a rogue’s Steal, but not only is its success rate low, you have to use it on an opponent of a lower level than you, which makes it even less practical.
If the enemy is a lower level, can’t I just kill them and take their stuff?
The ink is the same. It’s nice that it can perform wide-area detection, but the amount of information you can get is limited, so the Watcher is better.
But the next item that came out was a jackpot.
“This is…”
An iron staff, longer than the stomach itself, slid out. The reason such a large object could fit inside the stomach was because of a ‘shrinking magic’ enchantment on it.
That’s why the stomach itself is a raw material for crafting magic backpacks.
“I can feel magical power from the iron staff,” Clorence said.
Normally, you’d have to appraise a magic item to know its true value, but I had a good idea of what this was the moment I saw it.
The Tidal Iron Staff.
It’s a weapon you can get by defeating the Iron Golem Merman, one of the 7th floor’s exit bosses. It was also an item I always farmed when I played a Strength Monk.
It seemed the Glutton had already visited an exit room on the 7th floor.
It probably tried to subjugate the Iron Golem Merman there, found it too difficult, and just killed it instead. Then it must have tried to form a new team on the 6th floor.
More proof that it had killed the Iron Golem Merman came out next.
“Magic stones!”
A huge amount of magic stones poured out. Every one of them was a sizable B-Grade.
There was even an A-Grade among them, an item that only drops from a 7th-floor exit boss. It was probably the Iron Golem Merman’s.
Clatter.
I poured all the magic stones onto the floor.
“Now, shall we divide the spoils?”
We had reached a sensitive issue.
We hadn’t discussed how to split the profits beforehand.
We had to strike before the Glutton’s party was complete, so there was no time for that while everyone was rushing.
So…
“I’ll handle the distribution.”
Let’s leave it to the priest of Nathaniel, the god of fair contracts and monetary transactions.
“Based on all the testimonies so far.”
This brings back memories. Of when Yernil and I had our slave contributions evaluated.
“For the Verdure kill, I believe Caleb’s party deserves about 70%. Back Attack, Yernil, and Aimus did well to subdue it.”
Agreed.
Richard himself said he only got the last hit, but that was actually crucial.
The other three, without the Aether Mushroom buff, had almost no way of killing the Verdure, even if it was incapacitated by status effects.
“When catching the Nymph, Clorence used the Viper and the Moisture-Absorbing Orb well. However, Caleb bound the Nymph with a Rain Cloud so it couldn’t move, then threw himself at it to drown it. We have to account for that hazard pay. Caleb’s share is 60%.”
Isn’t that a bit too much for my share? If we’re talking hazard pay, isn’t it similar to when Clorence shielded me with his body when I was about to get a hole in the back of my head?
But, okay for now.
“And as for the Glutton…”
The priest made a rather shocking distribution.
“Caleb’s party’s share is 99 percent.”
“Wait a minute! Dorothy!”
Kudrum shot to his feet.
“I lost my doll! I had to give up my combat doll!”
“I can’t help that. The 1% is for the doping and buffs we gave Aimus, and for the ‘errand’ Kudrum ran to retrieve the items from behind the door.”
“Haha.”
Clorence burst out laughing beside them.
“It’s already embarrassing enough, so don’t make it worse, Kudrum.”
Richard pulled the frantic Kudrum back and made him sit down.
“Hah…”
Kudrum gave up.
“You all are truly amazing. I admit it. I’m the only one who suffered a huge loss on this adventure.”
“But you’re still getting a mushroom,” Richard pointed out.
“Even with that, it’s a loss. Do you know how much one doll costs? It’s practically my entire fortune.”
“You jumped into this expecting the other party to take on all the risk, didn’t you? Think of it as punishment for your wicked intentions.”
“Hah! Damn… You got me there.”
Watching him exchange words with Richard, Clorence spoke.
“Caleb. I accept Dorothy’s distribution as is. Please, take it all. We…”
Clorence picked up a single small magic stone that had come from the Glutton’s stomach.
“We’ll just take this.”
…he said, but his eyes couldn’t leave the spellbooks.
He must be disappointed.
In fact, for Clorence, who was filthy rich, the spellbooks were probably the most coveted items. They were things money couldn’t buy on the surface.
“Hoo.”
Clorence took out his last cigarette and took a deep drag.
“The spellbook. Do you want it?”
“…”
Clorence exhaled smoke and smiled.
“When I saw the ink moving on its own, I had hoped I might be able to bind it to my living plague magic.”
It’s possible. It’s not the best build, but it’s quite useful in its own right.
“Should I give it to you?”
“What…?”
“I received a Condensing Lens, a Moisturizing Ring, and a Hood of Flank Necrosis from Edward for free.”
At the time, Edward told me, “If you meet my son or daughter in the Labyrinth, please repay them instead.”
“Ha! Well, I’ll be!”
Clorence slapped his forehead.
“I’ll accept it gratefully, Caleb! But please repay my father for what you received from him. I will repay you separately.”
“Understood. And Kudrum.”
That dwarf puppeteer has one thing wrong.
“Kudrum, if you’re also willing to repay me, I’ll concede one thing to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“There was one thing I didn’t have you bring back because there was too much to carry. The Glutton’s eyeball. You can use it to craft parts for a combat doll. You’ll get something amazing out of it.”
“Never heard of that. Do you know more about doll making than I do?”
“For the detailed crafting method, go ask the puppeteers in Wyndham. I’ve told you what I know.”
“If that really works, I’ll be sure to repay you.”
Kudrum quickly dashed back beyond the iron door.
“So, should we eat the mushrooms and go home now?” Back Attack asked.
“Sounds good. But before that…”
We took down two exit bosses above our level, plus a 7th-floor special boss.
The experience points from that must be enormous.
Since it’s come to this, I should probably level up.
“Let’s camp here for one day before we go.”
Honestly, I’m incredibly tired.
“Ah, fuck, why do I have to be on watch with this old guy again? So awkward.”
Back Attack grumbled, kicking idly at the mossy floor.
Two in the morning.
The two parties were still in Bearhim’s garden. Clorence’s foot had regenerated more than 70%, and Richard’s injuries had also healed considerably.
The party was fast asleep.
Except for the two on watch.
“Back Attack.”
Richard said, sharpening the blade of his greatsword.
“I heard you saved my life.”
“…”
“The original plan was to kill me, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“Still disobeying orders, I see.”
“Seriously… Should I just kill this old geezer right now? Does he only know how to talk like that…?”
“Thank you.”
“…”
“I never thought the day would come when I’d be helped by a punk like you.”
“Hmph.”
Back Attack turned his head away with a sour look.
“Your party’s wizard.”
“Caleb?”
“He seems to know everything.”
“…”
“From the West to Sohen, I’ve met countless people in my time, but never someone so knowledgeable and meticulous. And with that magical talent on top of it all.”
Richard glanced over at the sleeping Caleb.
“He’s an incredible person. At this rate, he’ll be heading to the Deep Layer soon. Don’t you dare hold him back.”
“Why aren’t you bitching at me to leave the party?”
“If he’s a blessed wizard like Dorothy said, how could a curse from a punk like you even compare?”
“You just can’t say one nice thing, can you.”
“Back Attack.”
“What?”
“Clorence said he’d be sure to repay your wizard, right? For the spellbook.”
“So what?”
“And Kudrum said he’d be sure to repay him for the Glutton’s eyeball.”
“So?”
“I’ll be sure to repay you, too. For my life.”
“…”
Back Attack kicked at the disturbed patch of moss again.
“You’re talking nonsense…”
“That’s just how men from the West are.”
“You were the most boring one of all the executives.”
“Go easy on the gambling. And be careful with women.”
“That’s ridiculous. Am I a kid?”
“…”
Richard stared at him for a moment, then chuckled.
“Of course you are.”
“Jeez.”