Chapter 128

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?”

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]