Chapter 568

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Chapter 568: Mountain of Swords (7)

Yeongwoo, Madam Kanaph, the Three-Eyed One, and Venura Garn,

the four remaining participants, were walking toward the next expected extraction point.

At last, it was almost time to finish this dungeon.

‘Hmm… kind of a shame. I wanted to pick up a few more things.’

Yeongwoo tilted his head up and looked at the timer hovering in the sky.

[03:14:42]

About fourteen minutes left until the next extraction point appeared.

He had already gathered all the limbs he needed, and there were no other competitors left.

The only thing left for him to do was socialize.

And after all, “socializing” isn’t something reserved for noble heirs.

“Hey… don’t hate me too much, alright? I mean, you’re alive and getting out thanks to me, aren’t you?”

The Three-Eyed One shot back immediately, his tone sharp.

– If you hadn’t been here in the first place, I would’ve gotten out comfortably alive.

Then Madam Kanaph, looking uneasy, spoke up.

– My brother… what will become of him?

“What do you mean? He’s not even here, is he?”

– But you’re planning to use me as leverage, to negotiate with my brother later, aren’t you?

She’d finally realized it,

that “negotiation,” in this madman’s vocabulary, meant little more than robbery and direct violence.

– Promise me you won’t harm him.

“That depends on how he acts. But… I’ll try not to kill him.”

– My… goodness…

Madam Kanaph’s face went pale.

But from Yeongwoo’s perspective, it was only natural that he couldn’t promise anything definite.

The universe was vast, and filled with all sorts of beings.

To Madam Kanaph, Duke Dalqui might be a fine frog prince,

but who knows how others saw him?

For all she knew, he could be a lunatic who wouldn’t rest until he’d spilled someone’s blood.

“Come on, I do have some morals, you know. It’s not going to be as terrible as you imagine, not if a proper price is paid.”

Compared to pure evils lurking somewhere in the cosmos, Yeongwoo was still a greenhorn.

Take Mara, the Lord of the Void, that thing wielded power on par with the Chairman,

yet never hesitated to crush the weak beneath it.

‘That bastard too… I still have to beat him to death someday.’

He’d made that very vow with the Red-Foot Brothers and Bang the Great Hero himself.

To fulfill it, he would have to reach a level where even someone like the Chairman, a peer of Mara, could stand as his equal.

‘If all of the Chairman’s peers are monsters like Mara, how the hell does he even manage office politics?’

He glanced at the Three-Eyed One and Venura Garn beside him.

He was only just starting to mingle with nobles and elites,

while the Chairman must have been living among tier-three cosmic beings.

No doubt the dungeons the Chairman frequented would be filled with such entities as well.

‘I really want to know what the air’s like up there, in the upper reaches of the universe.’

As he inhaled deeply and lifted his gaze, the Three-Eyed One asked him cautiously.

– You… what planet did you say you were from?

“Me? I’m a human from Earth.”

– Earth… human. Never heard of it.

“Really? I might be new to the cosmos, but there’s at least one well-known figure from there.”

He meant Chancellor Herisa of House Bate.

– Who’s that?

“Herisa, Chancellor of House Bate.”

– Ah.

The Three-Eyed One’s three eyes widened.

– I’ve heard she’s incredibly wealthy.

“She is.”

– We once tried to rob her, and our whole clan was nearly wiped out.

“You tried robbing her? Didn’t she look powerful to you? You’re thieves, but that’s just stupid.”

Despite his words, Yeongwoo felt oddly pleased.

Even if it was a parallel Earth, it was still heartening to know that a fellow human had made a name for themselves among the stars.

– So… that Chancellor was human too.

The Three-Eyed One pronounced “human” with a mix of awe and apprehension.

Apparently, this experience had left him with some strong impressions about the species.

Yeongwoo, for his part, knew full well that any human who’d survived out here in the universe was bound to be dangerous.

“If you ever meet another human in space, be careful. No normal ones ever make it this far.”

Herisa the Chancellor, whose martial arts and spiritual power were both considerable.

And that mysterious Earthling who had stopped travelers at the edge of the higher universe just to ask riddles.

‘Seriously… are they all sphinxes or something?’

Whatever they were, it was certain that not a single Earthling who ventured into space was normal.

“Anyway, remember my name, Yeongwoo, and the family Renaissance. Don’t you dare forget it.”

He pointed at Venura.

“You, drag your weapon catalog with you and come seek revenge someday. And you—”

He turned to the Three-Eyed One.

“If you don’t want your clan wiped out again, you’d better stay away from the Renaissance.”

The Three-Eyed One blinked and asked,

– Is the House of Renaissance really that powerful? I’ve never even heard of it before.

“Well, now you have. And it’s only going to get bigger.”

A 100 years’ growth per day,

that applied not only to Yeongwoo himself, but to his house as well.

– It won’t be long now, then.

Venura murmured, glancing at the sky.

[03:01:14]

The end of the timer was finally in sight.

Only about a minute left, one more minute and they could finally say goodbye to this crazy thief.

Then he could return home and report today’s events to his house,

or perhaps convene the Twelve Sword Council and prepare for what came next.

– The universe truly is vast.

Venura spoke like someone submitting a reflective essay,

and Yeongwoo added dryly,

“I’ve been traveling through it myself, it’s filthy huge.”

Even now, his Earth-ship was slicing through countless star systems toward the Black Sector.

“Alright then, time to get ready to go home.”

As Yeongwoo tucked Bastard into his belt,

everyone instinctively looked up.

Soon, the extraction point would appear.

And then—

BEEP!

[02:59:59]

With a shrill tone, the timer slipped into the two-hour mark,

and a small, bright point of light appeared in mid-air.

“Oh… so from this stage on, there’s only one extraction point.”

If there had been the full thirty-two participants…

what kind of chaos would’ve erupted?

‘Guess we were lucky. With thirty-two people, it would’ve been nearly impossible to extract everyone.’

Of course, the so-called “over-completion” condition of this dungeon was still only speculation.

No one knew for sure what it actually was.

“Wait.”

While staring at the glowing point, Yeongwoo suddenly realized something.

– What is it?

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– What’s wrong?

“If there’s only one extraction point, doesn’t that mean it’ll appear in the center, not at the edges?”

– …What?

As Venura frowned, a beam of light shot down from the spot in the sky.

FWAAASH!

And just as Yeongwoo had guessed—

BOOM!

The beam pierced straight into the dungeon’s central region.

“See? That means the remaining players are supposed to fight it out in the middle.”

With that, Yeongwoo grabbed Madam Kanaph and Aratubank by the waist.

“Can you two run?”

The Three-Eyed One didn’t bother to reply, he just bolted toward the dungeon’s center.

Venura flexed his still-healing leg and nodded.

– Timing’s perfect.

“Then give me back my bracelet.”

Yeongwoo snatched the slime core from Venura and sprinted after the Three-Eyed One.

Tatat!

Madam Kanaph, clinging to his shoulder, pointed toward the distant light pillar.

– Are we… finally getting out of here?

“Yes, ma’am. Just as you wished. Better to leave with me than die alone in a dump like this, right?”

– ……

She answered with silence.

By then, Yeongwoo had already overtaken the Three-Eyed One.

“Hurry up! This extraction pod’s got a timer!”

Sure enough, the extraction device at the center had its own countdown.

[00:01:37]

Originally three minutes long, it was already ticking down fast.

“These maniacs, what kind of dungeon is this?!”

When Yeongwoo reached the pod, less than a minute remained.

[00:00:58]

The Three-Eyed One arrived, panting,

and Venura came limping up, drenched in sweat.

– Damn it, my leg’s still not fully attached.

Even so, his noble training showed, he was fast.

Yeongwoo tossed the final set of limbs into the pod’s interface.

“Ladies first. Hand me the shield.”

Madam Kanaph passed him Aratubank and climbed into the pod.

The Three-Eyed One gave Yeongwoo a wary look.

– I just… get in too?

“Before I change my mind.”

With that, three of the four seats were filled.

Venura stumbled up and collapsed beside them.

– Huff… I’ve never run like this in my life.

“Next time you see me, you’ll be running again.”

Yeongwoo shoved him inside and followed.

“There should be a lever near your seat. Pull it.”

– This one?

“Yeah. Pull.”

When Madam Kanaph pulled the lever,

the pod sealed shut, and a bluish holographic message appeared in the center.

「Congratulations to those who have completed The Aesthetics of the Circle.」

‘Oh, so there was more to it.’

The earlier evacuees must’ve seen a similar message.

「All participants in The Aesthetics of the Circle have now exited. The dungeon is officially closed.」

That meant rewards, time for the final settlement.

THUD!

The pod rumbled, then lifted upward.

– So we’re finally leaving this cursed place.

Venura sighed, shaking his head.

The Three-Eyed One looked out, trying to glimpse the outside world that wasn’t there.

– I don’t think I’ll ever set foot in a artifact-dungeon again.

Then the message Yeongwoo had been waiting for appeared.

「Calculating individual scores for reward distribution.」

– Individual scores?

– Even this dungeon has those?

Both Venura and the Three-Eyed One perked up, while Madam Kanaph looked puzzled.

– Individual scores? What does that mean?

“We played a game, didn’t we? So there’s got to be a report card.

The rewards depend on contribution.”

– Report card…?

She echoed the words blankly.

Then new text flickered in the air.

FLASH!

「Individual score calculation complete.」

[1st] Yeongwoo, Total: 377 / 100

– Outstanding altruism score

– Saved everyone

– Hypocrite

[2nd] Kutari, Total: 65 / 100

– Strongly supported 1st place

– Did not torment others

– Victim

[3rd] Alden, Total: 53 / 100

– Average altruism score

– Did not torment others

– Has faith

“What the…”

Yeongwoo was surprised for two reasons.

First—

‘377 points? That’s the highest I’ve ever seen.’

Even with over-completion, top scores usually hovered around the 100s.

Yet here he had over three hundred seventy.

And second—

‘Who the hell is Kutari?’

A name he’d never heard was sitting in second place.

– Kutari?

– Who’s that…?

The Three-Eyed One and Venura, both scoreless, frowned in confusion.

Madam Kanaph slowly raised a hand.

– The chef.

“Chef? You mean that Ragtari chef?”

The Ragtari, the labor caste of the Artari race.

Madam Kanaph nodded.

– He was a victim, after all.

“Ah.”

Yeongwoo remembered the man,

and suddenly the rankings made sense.

[2nd] Kutari, 65 / 100

– Strongly supported 1st place

– Did not torment others

– Victim

‘‘Strongly supported 1st place’ must mean… giving me that elixir.’

After all, Yeongwoo had only been able to produce so many limbs thanks to that potion.

Without it, he or someone else would’ve had to keep cutting more.

And the third-place Alden Miras,

a man who had simply made it through without harming anyone.

‘So the whole setup’s brutal as hell, but the scoring favors virtue.’

Yeongwoo sighed wearily, and the final message appeared.

「No deaths occurred in The Aesthetics of the Circle. A special reward will be granted.」

‘Special reward…’

That had to mean the Over-Completion reward, the Catalog.

FLASH!

A small, golden box materialized before Yeongwoo’s seat.

‘A Catalog box, huh?’

When he reached toward it, a new set of options appeared before his eyes.

BEEP—

「Choose one of the following rewards. Please decide carefully.」

‘Carefully, huh? No one’s more careful than me.’

[Catalog of the Hypocrite]

– Strengthens when performing good deeds while your evil-karma ratio is higher.

[Catalog of the Wicked]

– Strengthens when performing evil deeds while your good-karma ratio is higher.

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