I Raided the Demon’s Treasury

Chapter 18

“Who would’ve thought there would be a dungeon in the first chapter of the tutorial.”

The hidden dungeon, ‘Training Ground of the Forgotten Hero.’

This was something even Se-woon hadn’t expected.

What is a dungeon?

It’s a place teeming with monsters that offer significantly more experience points compared to regular fields, and if you successfully clear it, the rewards are on a whole different level.

Especially for the first clear of a dungeon, the rewards are exceptionally high, often several times more valuable.

As a result, it is widely known that a significant portion of dungeons disappear upon their initial successful clearing.

And now, Se-woon had discovered such a dungeon.

Step, step.

There was no reason to hesitate after coming this far.

Even if he returned to the camp, Se-woon was the only one who could reach the summit of the rocky mountain again, and there were no items worth collecting. Bravely, Se-woon stepped into the darkness.

‘No lighting, huh.’

Seeing the name ‘Training Ground,’ Se-woon assumed it might be an artificial place, but just stepping into the entrance revealed otherwise.

It was a literal cave.

The ground was uneven, and the walls and ceiling were not smooth either.

Stalactites and stalagmites jutted out from the floor and ceiling in various places.

However, noticing such details only went so far.

After a few more steps, the light from the entrance faded, and pitch-black darkness consumed his vision.

Flap, flap!

Screeech—

As his vision was extinguished, Se-woon’s heightened hearing began to pick up a variety of sounds.

The flapping of wings and sharp screeching.

An ordinary person would already be gripped by fear and retreating by now.

Vision is one of the senses humans rely on the most, and its loss typically signifies fear.

Without even a small torch, proceeding would be impossible.

However, Se-woon possessed a far superior tool compared to a torch.

– Opened the Treasury of Greed.

[ Eyes of the Night Owl ]

– The eyes of a nocturnal bird called the predator of the night in the wild, an owl. They gather light to brighten vision even in complete darkness.

In the pitch-black darkness, Se-woon’s eyes gleamed.

Not just a figure of speech, his pupils were emitting a bright yellow glow as they gathered the faint light scattered throughout the cave.

‘Amazing.’

The cave, which had previously been too dark to see even an inch ahead, began to appear clearly.

If there was any downside, it was that the colors were absent, like a black-and-white photograph.

However, since it was a cave, there wasn’t really a need to observe colors.

Using this technique was far more efficient than carrying a torch and having one hand occupied.

‘If I had advanced recklessly, I would’ve been impaled by these before encountering any monsters.’

The stalactites and stalagmites he occasionally saw near the entrance.

As he ventured deeper, the stalagmites seemed to lie in wait-like traps, ready to pierce the body of any intruder.

Not only were the stalagmites and stalactites protruding from the floor and ceiling, but they also jutted out from the walls, and sharp stalagmites filled randomly sunken pits.

Although there were no traces of artificial construction, it appeared to be a natural fortress, much like the rocky mountain.

Fortunately, there was no need to worry about getting lost. The cave had only one path.

How long had he walked?

Finally, the source of the constant eerie noises revealed itself.

“Screeech!”

Flap, flap!

Bats attached to the ceiling’s stalactites spread their wings.

What started as faint sounds quickly grew into a deafening cacophony.

Through the ‘Eyes of the Night Owl,’ Se-woon saw at least dozens of them.

Moreover, these were no ordinary bats.

‘Vampire Bats.’

Monsters commonly known as bloodsucking bats.

Proving they were more than just regular animals, these bats had wingspans that reached up to 1 meter.

The cave, which had been gradually widening, was now filled with these creatures.

‘This much is nothing.’

These were not particularly strong monsters.

In terms of sheer strength, they were roughly on par with the wolves from the first wave.

Their strength lay in the darkness.

Attacks that meticulously targeted the opponent’s openings when they couldn’t see in the pitch-black environment.

Even if one held a torch, amidst the bats’ attacks, they’d quickly lose grip and extinguish the flame.

Of course, none of this applied to Se-woon.

Whoosh!

As Se-woon opened his hand, a sphere of flames flickered to life.

The fireball grew steadily, illuminating the cave as it expanded toward the ceiling.

When the fireball reached its maximum size, touching the ceiling,

Boom!

“Screeech!”

It advanced, swallowing the bats whole.

No matter how agile they were, there was no escaping such a massive flame in the confined space of the cave.

The bats that had filled Se-woon’s vision were instantaneously incinerated, falling charred to the ground.

– Vampire Bat has been devoured.

– Absorbing its nutrients increases Agility by 2

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince’, cheers, saying the taste of well-roasted wings is superb.

The result was more perfect than anticipated.

However, there was one significant drawback.

Crumble—

“This place isn’t as sturdy as I thought.”

Just casting one spell caused the cave to shake precariously, and stalactites rained down like a storm from above.

The tremors continued for about five more minutes, while stone dust softly settled down.

If he continued casting magic at this rate, he risked not only being impaled by the falling stalactites but also causing the entire cave to collapse.

Moreover,

‘It seems ventilation is poor here as well.’

The burnt smell of bats lingered persistently.

Though the faint breeze on his skin indicated some air circulation, it was extremely weak.

Using fire magic again might consume all the oxygen in the cave.

“A fork in the path.”

For the first time, the path diverged.

If he closed his eyes and spun around, he might easily confuse his path due to the identical ways.

In such cases, the usual method is to follow one wall.

By sticking to one wall, even if the journey becomes long and arduous, you will eventually reach the end of the dungeon and find your way back to the entrance without getting lost.

But who was Se-woon?

Even with the aid of his unique skill, ‘Guidepost of the Journey,’ he had explored countless fields and dungeons up to the 92nd floor of the tower.

He had the characteristics and strategies of most dungeons perfectly memorized in his mind.

“Whew…”

The first thing Se-woon did was close his eyes.

He decided to abandon the sight granted by the Eyes of the Night Owl.

Then, he utilized all his senses, excluding sight, to grasp the flow of the cave.

Sssss—

A faint breeze, barely enough to disturb the fine hairs on his skin,

Screeech—

A sharper, higher-pitched monster’s screech, different from that of the vampire bats.

Woooo—

The faint mana direction detected through his inhaled breath—all pointed to one direction.

“This way.”

Without needing to employ another treasure, Se-woon was confident he had found the right path.

He moved in the direction he chose without hesitation.

As he progressed a bit further, the source of the screech he had heard at the fork in the path became clear.

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince’, licks his lips, thinking those wings look tasty to chew on.

Blade Bats.

Bats with wings as sharp as blades flew freely within the cave, which had now expanded to the width of a decent corridor.

Their wings seemed to slice through the air with each flap.

Those monsters.

“Screeech—”

Just like the vampire bats, they were clustered tightly on the ceiling.

They soon spotted Se-woon, emitting their distinctive high-pitched screeches while revealing their sharp wings.

Whoosh!

Once again, Se-woon conjured a fireball.

Adjusting its power to avoid causing too much disturbance to the cave, he fired it at the bats.

However, the outcome this time was different.

Slice—

“A monster that can cut through magic in the first chapter of the tutorial.”

The sharp wings of the bats sliced through the flames as they charged directly at Se-woon.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed a faint trace of mana infused into their wings.

Even so, cutting through magic to that extent would be impossible for a single bat. However, the collective blade swings of dozens of Blade Bats overwhelmed Se-woon’s spell.

Clang!

Screech!

Dozens of blades clashed against Se-woon’s sword.

Each attack wasn’t particularly strong, but their sheer number made blocking or dodging them nearly impossible.

The silver lining was that their defense was as weak as it appeared.

Thwack!

Just a simple thrust of his sword was enough to kill the Blade Bats.

However,

‘There are too many of them.’

At this rate, Se-woon’s stamina would be depleted before he could kill them all.

Although his Gray Wolf Cloak was effectively blocking the blades, the bats relentlessly targeted the gaps it couldn’t cover.

Ssst—

Finally, one Blade Bat managed to penetrate the Cloak, inflicting a cut on Se-woon’s skin.

The long, sharp gash resembled a knife wound, oozing red blood.

Frowning, Se-woon didn’t hesitate to activate the Power of Greed.

– Opened the Treasury of Greed.

[ Lizardman’s Scales ]

– The scales of the Lizardman, a race descended from reptiles, can effectively block most attacks and even repel magic when infused with mana.

There was no need to struggle against these monsters by saving up his power for no reason.

Since using it wouldn’t cause any wear and tear, there was no need to hold back, even if the opponent was merely a blade bat.

Ting!

“Screeech—?”

One of the Blade Bats, which had once again attempted to break through Se-woon’s defenses, was startled by the tough sensation its wings encountered.

With the activation of the ability, Se-woon’s exposed skin, not covered by the Cloak, had sprouted scales that gleamed with a reptilian sheen.

These were not true scales but more like a mana-formed defensive shield.

As a mere 1st Circle mage, Se-woon couldn’t form these scales over a wide area.

However, all he needed to protect were the areas the Cloak didn’t cover.

Once the Cloak and scales covered his entire body, the outcome of the battle was already decided.

Thwack, crack!

“Screeech—”

It became a one-sided massacre.

Despite their frantic struggles, the bats couldn’t scratch Se-woon and met their end.

Although hitting the swiftly flying bats with a sword wasn’t easy, it was no issue for Se-woon, who had mastered the intricacies of Hamel Family Longsword Techniques and Blood Wolf Swordsmanship.

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince’, gnaws on the wings of the Blade Bats, making crunching sounds.

After using the Power of Gluttony to clear out the bat carcasses, Se-woon continued forward.

Even afterward, minor traps and monster attacks continued, but none posed a threat to Se-woon, who had acquired the ‘Eyes of the Night Owl’ and the ‘Lizardman’s Scales.’

He chose his path at each fork without hesitation, relying on his knowledge from before his regression.

How long had he been walking like that?

Whoosh—

Unlike the faint airflow until now, a cool breeze that felt like a breath of fresh air reached him.

The faint mana also became so strong that his Mana Circle vibrated.

“This must be the true training ground.”

The cave came to an end, revealing a wide open chamber.

Even without activating the Eyes of the Night Owl, faint light seeped through the small cracks in the ceiling, dimly illuminating the chamber.

He had reached the end of the ‘Training Ground of the Forgotten Hero.’