Chapter 128

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 128: A Treasure Mountain

He looked at the Awakened.

They were staring at the small boxes in their hands with surprise.

From what he overheard, it seemed like they had received boxes containing unique and legendary equipment instead of points.

‘Well, I guess.’

He recalled the message he had seen when he first came here.

[Points are still accumulating. However, if you haven’t experienced anything special before, there won’t be any changes in the future.]

If they couldn’t unlock the VIP shop, then earning more points wouldn’t unlock it either.

That’s what it probably meant.

In that situation, even if they rewarded the Awakened with points, there wasn’t really a structure for them to use it.

That’s probably why they gave them items as rewards instead of points.

Unique and legendary ranks were rewards that the Awakened would be satisfied with. After all, risking their lives to obtain such equipment was the job of an Awakened.

He looked at his command sword.

When he defeated Iphrax.

[A powerful enemy! Absorption rate greatly increased! (9/10)]

He absorbed about 5 points.

Though it seemed high, it was lower compared to the 4 from the Duke.

‘I guess the absorption rate varies depending on the contribution.’

That’s probably how it worked.

The remaining value was currently 1.

If he went to the Gate and defeated another powerful enemy, he would grow again.

From legendary to legendary+ rank, the next would probably be ancient rank.

‘An ancient rank sword.’

“It’s a truly extravagant weapon.”

He felt like he would be with this one for a long time.

It was a shame he didn’t get a title, though.

‘It’s not unusual.’

Titles were usually earned more often through solo play than in parties.

‘So, what will I get?’

At that moment.

[Contribution ranking 1st place!]

[You have a choice!]

[Choose one of the options!]

[1. Convert contribution to points.]

[2. Don’t convert to points and instead move to the ‘Treasure Mountain’.]

‘Hmm…’

An interesting choice appeared.

Option 1 was the reward he originally expected, but option 2…

‘Treasure Mountain.’

It was a choice to move to a completely different area.

Just then.

—Now, everyone has received their rewards, right? The test will be over soon! That means you’ll be returning to Earth!”

“Then we’re going back too?”

Popo shook her head at Kim Minwoo’s question.

—No. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place are exceptions. You’ll be given enough time to make your choice.”

Choice?

He looked at his guild members.

“Did both of you get the two choices?”

The two nodded simultaneously. It seemed they needed to talk to each other.

Just then,

The Awakened began to murmur.

“Only 3 minutes until the transfer?”

“Isn’t that too short?”

“At least give us time to say goodbye…”

Their bewilderment was short-lived.

The Awakened started rushing towards them.

“Thank you for saving us!”

“Thanks to you, we cleared it well. If you ever come to France…”

“We’re from India too!”

A flurry of words poured in.

Business cards rained down from all directions.

These were experienced A-rank Awakened.

Most of them would ascend to S-rank over time.

Even with the appearance of SS-rank achievements, S-rank Awakened were not to be underestimated.

It wouldn’t be bad to build connections here.

Like playing a defense game, he received each business card and put it into his inventory. Seo Yerim and Park Siwoo also received numerous business cards.

Having witnessed their skills, it would be strange not to want to get acquainted.

At that moment,

The American Awakened approached.

Thompson grinned and said,

“Boss! No, wait, maybe ‘boss’ isn’t quite right anymore? Anyway, if you ever happen to visit America, come by our Dragon Guild. Let’s grab a beer.”

He mimed chugging a beer with his muscular arm.

Dragon Guild.

A top-ranking guild in America.

‘Well, everyone was like that.’

After all, this was a competition where each country selected three participants. It would be stranger if the Awakened didn’t have strong backgrounds.

“I’ll definitely visit if I get the chance.”

“Alright. The next time we meet will probably be… at the Gate Scramble. Until then, take care.”

Next was Sophia.

She approached subtly and asked,

“Minwoo, do you have a girlfriend?”

“Hunting is more fun than dating at this point in my life.”

“Really? Me too, actually. Let’s keep in touch.”

She slipped a piece of paper into his pocket.

“This isn’t my work number, it’s my personal one. It’s valuable, so don’t lose it, okay?”

Sophia said with a smile.

She’s a tough one.

He accepted it for now.

Once you have a number, there’s always a chance you might use it someday.

Soon, the figures of the Awakened blurred and disappeared from the 2nd exam stage.

The only ones left were the three members of the Money Talks Guild. Park Siwoo approached and said,

“Wow, what was that sleight of hand just now? I thought her class was mage, not thief.”

“Why are you so surprised? You received about ten yourself.”

“…Eight of those were fakes. They all wanted me to introduce you to them.”

Kim Minwoo grinned.

“If that’s the case, why not just give it directly?”

“I’ve heard that among women, there’s a hierarchy? Sophia is ranked 1st among the trainees, right?”

“So, did she threaten you so that you couldn’t give me their numbers?”

“It’s not like that. Subtly, um, how should I put it… Anyway, there’s a good chance that was the case. Otherwise, there’d be no reason for her to do that to me.”

Maybe.

“Actually, it’s better this way.”

Thanks to that, he only received one number.

“Even if you take away eight, there are still two left. What’s the point?”

“Well, I did my best in my own way, didn’t I?”

The guy who proudly straightened his waist looked at Seo Yerim.

“Didn’t you get a lot of numbers too, sis? I saw that baguette guy hitting on you earlier. You know, with those greasy eyes.”

“I prefer Korean food.”

Seo Yerim replied nonchalantly and looked at Kim Minwoo.

“So, which one are you going to choose?”

“Well, Popo?”

―Yes.

Popo, who had been on standby, approached them.

“If you choose number 2, do you get no points at all?”

―That’s correct.

“Hmm…”

Kim Minwoo pondered for a moment.

Both options had their own merits and demerits.

Number one, converting contribution points.

It would probably yield a considerable amount of points.

‘The problem is…’

[1. Light Bomb (500,000 points)]

[2. Highest-rank Potion Recipe (1,000,000 points)]

[3. Potion (1,000,000 points)]

[4. Random Item Box (2,000,000 points)]

[5. Worn Key (5,000,000 points)]

[6. Mark of Lightning (7,000,000 points)]

[7. Elu’s Tear (9,000,000 points)]

[8. (Sold Out)]

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

…was the fact that some items were sold out.

The nuke was gone.

“How many points would I get if I converted my contribution?”

—Roughly, you can think of it as 1 million points per percent.

It was roughly what he had expected.

‘1% contribution got a Legend Box.’

For reference, the 2,000,000-point box sold in the shop was a Legend~Ancient gacha box.

It had much higher potential.

That’s probably why they gave the Awakeners half-baked boxes according to their points.

“If the VVIP items are sold out, can’t we buy them anymore?”

—To be precise, that applies from item number five, the key.

“Can I unlock shops higher than VVIP if I get more points?”

—I apologize, but shops higher than that have not been assigned for this stage.

Kim Minwoo nodded.

‘Of course.’

If there were such a thing, they would have informed him through a message.

‘Then converting to points wouldn’t be worth it.’

Even if they bought numbers 5, 6, and 7, they would still have 21 million points left. Splitting that into small items?

A school of minnows is still just a school of minnows.

They can’t beat a shark.

It would be much better to buy one expensive item worth 21 million points.

But if they chose number one now, it seemed like they wouldn’t be able to do that.

“Can you tell me what the Treasure Mountain is like?”

—Uh, well… it’s just like the name suggests. It’s a place where a lot of treasure is piled up.”

“Of course, we won’t be able to choose all the treasure.”

Nod.

“Is it like a gamble? If it hits, the high point is infinitely high, something like that?”

Nod.

Popo was helpful.

Seeing that, Seo Yerim and Park Siwoo’s eyes sparkled.

They, too, were aware of the behavior pattern of this teddy bear.

They had used the VIP shop to buy items before coming here.

And it was the teddy bear in front of them who had recommended those items.

“Number two is right for me. Yerim and Siwoo, number one would be good for you.”

Kim Minwoo briefly explained the VVIP shop.

Their contributions, if converted, would exceed 10 million points.

The VVIP shop would be opened, so it wouldn’t be bad to spend points there.

On the other hand, this side…

‘I have the devil’s power.’

Andromalius.

Commonly known as Mr. An.

He had the power given by that guy.

He had heard it was the ability to find treasure. Maybe it could be put to good use.

At that moment.

Park Siwoo grinned and said,

“I had a thought when I joined the guild.”

“What is it?”

“No matter what I do, if I follow you, hyung, I’ll at least get half the results. I’ll go with number two too. What about you, noona?”

“Number two for me too.”

“That’s unexpected. I thought you would choose the safe option.”

“Why?”

“You’re just diligent. You live a structured life, like a planner, sticking to a routine. I thought people like that usually choose the safe option.”

Seo Yerim chuckled.

“Not really. I’m impulsive too.”

It was one of the misunderstandings she often faced. That she was rigid, formal, and all that.

She didn’t feel the need to correct it, so she didn’t respond.

But the guild members here were different.

They had become quite close.

There was no need to leave the misunderstanding alone.

At her words, Park Siwoo blinked and asked,

“…You, noona?”

“Yeah. Anyway, I’m going with number two. It says the maximum point is high, so let’s try it.”

“Then all three of us will go with number two.”

A structure with a low minimum but a high maximum. It’s worth a try.

The guild members nodded.

“You heard them?”

—Yes, then I will take you all to the Treasure Mountain.

The moment Popo clapped.

The surroundings changed drastically.

“Oh.”

“Wow.”

“There’s a lot.”

Just as the name suggested, they saw mountains of glittering treasure chests piled up everywhere.

[You have entered the ‘Treasure Mountain’.]

[Explaining the rules.]

[1. Each chest has a rank. Poor, Inferior, Common, Good, Very Good in order.]

[2. The lower the rank, the more chests there are, and the higher the rank, the fewer chests there are. There are only three Very Good rank chests.]

[3. Each person can only choose one chest.]

[4. Each person has an assigned chest. The rank of this chest is ‘Common’.]

[5. You can choose a different chest instead of the assigned chest.]

[6. Choose one chest within a day.]

[7. When you choose a chest, you will be given a reward according to the rank.]

[8. However, if you damage a chest, you will be forced to choose that chest. Be careful.]

“Where are the assigned chests?”

—They are right over there.

The place Popo pointed to.

There were three chests on a small table.

Kim Minwoo nodded.

He roughly understood how it worked.

‘If we choose the safe option, we get the average one.’

If they choose something else?

Either hit the jackpot or go bust.

As with most things, the probability of going bust was overwhelmingly high.

The three of them examined the scattered chests.

[Treasure Chest]

[Rank: ??]

[It is a treasure chest.]

“…The descriptions are all the same.”

The appearance, weight, and description were all the same. Even the kind Mr. Popo was useless. Popo didn’t even give a hint of a gesture.

It seemed like he couldn’t distinguish the chests either.

“It looks like there are tens of thousands of them… and only three are winners?”

Park Siwoo grabbed his head in despair. Seo Yerim also frowned. Even with her archer’s developed eyesight, it was impossible to find a special chest.

“We can’t even break them to see what’s inside… This is difficult.”

At that moment.

Kim Minwoo clasped his hands as if in prayer.

“…?”

“…?”

Whether the guild members tilted their heads in confusion or not, Kim Minwoo continued to pray.

‘Activate, power, activate…’

Mr. An’s powers were a total of three.

Finding the culprit, finding stolen goods, and finding treasure.

While the first two were meaningful abilities in their own right, the real lottery was the third power.

The stage was perfect for it.

Treasure chests were everywhere.

He recalled what the guy had said when he handed over the temporary power.

“This is my small gift. Just once, at the moment you can use it, one of my powers will automatically activate.”

Now was the time for this ability to automatically activate.

Even if he was ranked 72nd, he was still a demon lord, so he had to show his competence.

At that moment.

[Treasure is everywhere!]

[The temporary power of Andromalius, one of the 72 demon lords, is activated!]

[The strong scent of treasure vibrates!]

Soon after.

A very fragrant smell began to waft.

From three directions.

‘Nice.’

Mr. An hit a home run.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]