I Raided the Demon’s Treasury

Chapter 20

“Remarkable.”

The fang of the Blood Wolf had certainly reached the hero’s neck.

However, even with all of Se-woon’s might behind the attack, it failed to pierce the hero’s body.

Sword Energy. Or rather, Fist Energy wavered in the hero’s hand, blocking the blade.

Blocking a sword with bare hands? Even utilizing Fist Energy, this feat required exceptional reflexes and precision, making it an otherwise impossible act.

Fizzle—

The broken sword, unable to withstand the immense force, crumbled just as its name suggested.

Having put everything into that strike, Se-woon was now exposed, his guard completely open.

If the hero had counterattacked at that moment, Se-woon would have been severed in half without a chance to react.

But the hero did not make that move.

“It’s truly astonishing. Were you hiding your strength? I saw no evidence of you having learned of Soft Sword (柔劍) techniques before.”

It was only natural for him to be puzzled.

Just as he said, Se-woon had never learned Soft Sword techniques. He had only become acquainted with those through the use of the ‘Tai chi Sword,’ obtained from opening Mammon’s Treasury.

To someone unaware of the Power of Greed, it would have indeed seemed like Se-woon was concealing his true capabilities.

“And what’s even more surprising is your next move. To foresee two moves ahead. Such an attack would be impossible without a wealth of experience.”

Se-woon chose not to respond to the hero’s words.

He had no intention of revealing the truth about using the Hourglass of Chronos.

As the hero paused from his bemused commentary, Se-woon finally spoke.

“What about the test?”

“Of course, you pass. With such potential, you will at least not be stripped of your sword wherever you go.”

The hero chuckled heartily as he walked towards the pillar in the chamber.

Following him, Se-woon’s eyes glimmered curiously. The hilt of the sword that had been embedded in the pillar was now glowing a golden hue.

“Give it a try.”

– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven’, tries to recall and predict the sword’s identity from memory.

Even the usually taciturn Mammon reacted.

Regardless of that, Se-woon could tell instantly upon seeing the hilt that the sword’s state had completely transformed.

This must be the reward of the ‘Training Ground of the Forgotten Hero.’

The remnant had protected this power to bestow upon those who passed his trial.

Click.

Se-woon grasped the hilt.

He tried to pull the sword out immediately, but he couldn’t. His strength was being drained into the sword through the hilt.

All of his energy: internal energy from his dantian, mana from his circle, even the vitality held within his muscle fibers.

Surprised, Se-woon almost let go of the sword, but then he heard the Forgotten Hero’s voice.

“Endure it. The sword is recognizing its master.”

A sword that recognizes its master.

In the tower, swords with such power almost always possessed exceptional abilities.

At the very least, it would be an A-rank weapon.

Acquiring an A-rank weapon at the tutorial stage would make his future plans much easier and faster to execute.

Grit.

Se-woon gritting his teeth, tightened his grip on the hilt.

Even as his dantian emptied, the rotation of his circle halted, and his muscles lost their strength, Se-woon endured with sheer willpower.

Willpower.

The greatest strength of Se-woon, who, without any significant offensive abilities, had climbed to the 92nd floor of the tower solely relying on his unique skill, ‘Guidepost of the Journey’

He clenched his teeth so hard that red blood dripped from his gums.

His arms and legs trembled visibly. As if the sword was draining even his mental strength after his vitality, a dizzying headache blurred his vision.

Creak!

The hilt, which had seemed like it was fused with the pillar, began to move gradually.

Following the golden hilt, a sharp blue blade appeared.

The ancient rusted appearance from just a while ago felt like a lie.

“You may not have enough strength now, but with your potential, you will soon overcome these limits.”

Through his fading consciousness, Se-woon heard the voice of the Forgotten Hero.

Unable to see clearly as he focused entirely on the sword in his hand, he sensed a faint chuckle.

“I hope you show me greater heights.”

Ssss—

The form of the Forgotten Hero disintegrated, dissolving away.

The mana that had constituted his form flowed into the sword.

At that moment,

Ching!

Finally, the sword was pulled from the pillar, revealing its magnificent form.

The golden hilt was adorned with intricate, sacred-looking engravings, and the blade was so sharp it seemed capable of slicing through the air itself.

– You have perfectly conquered the hidden dungeon, ‘Training Ground of the Forgotten Hero’.

– Your level has increased.

– Earned a historic achievement.

– Earned 20,000 points in individual merit as a reward.

– Acquired the Forgotten Hero’s sword, ‘Durandal, the Sword that Split the Rock’.

– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven’, jumps up from its seat.

Gazing at the splendidly gleaming sword, Durandal, Se-woon collapsed on the spot.

* * *

[ Tutorial, Chapter One – Adaptation ]

– The sixth wave is starting.

– Defend against the monster wave and prove your worth.

While Se-woon climbed the rocky mountain, the monster wave did not wait for him. Right on schedule, the monsters attacked the camp once more.

Appearing from the direction of the rocky mountain were gray monkeys. Compared to the ‘brown monkeys,’ these were taller and bulkier, wielding fairly advanced weapons.

The eyes of the people observing the monkeys grew even more intense.

“Everyone, hold your formation! Our formation and weapons give us the advantage! There’s no need to be afraid!”

Yoo Seo-ah skillfully directed the people.

The first time was always the hardest, but with each repetition, her leadership skills steadily improved.

Scrape—

Apart from the formation of the people, Yoo Seo-ah and Kang Han-cheol pierced through the left and right flanks of the monkeys.

Yoo Seo-ah’s sword became a whirlwind that swept the monkeys away, and Kang Han-cheol’s fists crushed them.

Their actions mirrored what Se-woon often did independently against monsters.

“Ook eek!”

“Screech!”

Even without Se-woon’s assistance, the camp was managing the wave impressively.

Compared to their initial trembling arrival in this world, the progress they had made was enormous.

As the monsters were mostly dealt with, Yoo Seo-ah approached Kang Han-cheol with a worried expression.

“Se-woon still hasn’t returned. Could something have happened to him?”

“…”

Jung Se-woon.

Always looking upon the camp with indifferent eyes, uttering cold words as if his emotions had dried up.

Yet, without him, the camp would have already crumbled.

Furthermore, without him, Yoo Seo-ah might still be disoriented.

Knowing this herself only amplified her concern.

“We can’t just sit around. We’ll have to go look for Se-woon once this wave is over. Won’t you come with me?”

“It’s okay.”

“…Aren’t you worried? Without Se-woon, we would already be…”

“We don’t need to worry about him; he’s not that weak.”

Kang Han-cheol responded, tossing a monkey aside with brute force.

Endowed with the blessing of the Duke of Hell who rules the East, Agares, his strength had long surpassed human limits.

“But still…”

Despite Kang Han-cheol’s response, Yoo Seo-ah couldn’t hide her anxiety.

What if Jung Se-woon doesn’t show up? Although they managed to fend off this wave, could they handle the next one?

If the upcoming waves grew stronger, like the fourth wave, with three types of monsters becoming more powerful each turn, could they manage the seventh wave on their own?

Such anxieties filled her mind.

Kang Han-cheol glanced down at her briefly, sighed softly, and pointed upward.

“Look up.”

“…Up?”

Telling her to look up all of a sudden.

Curious, she raised her head to see the usual system messages hovering in the air.

Among them, what Kang Han-cheol pointed to was the individual merit points ranking.

Although the wave was about to wrap up, it hadn’t completely ended, so no significant changes were expected yet.

Holding her doubts, she soon found a single anomaly.

“Se-woon’s score…!”

[ 1st: Jung Se-woon 28,660 points ]

[ 2nd: Yoo Seo-ah 1,680 points ]

[ 3rd: Kang Han-cheol 1,600 points ]

28,660.

Se-woon’s score had always been far beyond their reach, but this was a different level altogether.

The last score Yoo Seo-ah recalled for Se-woon was around 7,000 points. In other words, his points had nearly quadrupled while they were battling the wave.

This meant…

“He’s probably doing something beyond our imagination somewhere out there.”

Kang Han-cheol said with an indifferent expression.

However, behind his stern face, there burned a peculiar spirit of competition, perhaps born from a mix of rivalry and jealousy.

“So, until he returns, we need to focus solely on fending off the waves and strengthening ourselves as much as possible.”

“…Yes!”

Boom!!

Kang Han-cheol hurled a lifeless monkey like a cannonball, causing the formation of the remaining monkeys, which were swinging their weapons in a final act of desperation, to collapse.

* * *

“Ugh…”

The moment Se-woon opened his eyes, he felt an intense pain.

An emptiness not from hunger, but from a lack of mana.

It made sense, considering he had infused the sword with all his mana, internal energy, and vitality to claim the dungeon’s ultimate reward.

Though he had regained some minimal energy while unconscious, his dantian and circle remained completely empty.

He was eager to check the sword immediately, but first, he needed to recover his body.

Woooo!

His exhausted muscles resisted movement, but simply lying there would not hasten his recovery.

Se-woon sat up, adopting a meditation posture, and began to regulate his breathing slowly.

Unlike the circle, which focuses on external actions, it was crucial to first fill the dantian, which governs internal energy.

Following the principles of Samjaegong, the surrounding energy began to be absorbed by Se-woon.

But then,

Woooo!

Wooooo!

The amount of energy being absorbed was unusual.

Despite using Samjaegong, known as the slowest internal cultivation method, the speed at which internal energy was being absorbed was five—no, nearly ten times faster than when he was at the camp.

“What is this…?”

As his dantian rapidly filled with internal energy, and his body slightly recovered, Se-woon looked around.

And he quickly understood the source of this phenomenon.

At the center of the pillar.

From the spot where Durandal had been embedded, dense energy was emanating.

“…A dragon vein?”

Dragon Vein (龍脈).

In feng shui, it refers to a mountain range through which the vital energy of a mountain flows, or a place where such energy gathers.

In the tower, this term is understood as ‘mana.’

And this place was known as the best environment for training both the dantian and the circle.

A grin spread across Se-woon’s face.

Getting the legendary sword, Durandal, was already more than he had expected, but it seemed the rewards of the hidden dungeon were not yet over.

– Opened the Treasury of Greed.

[ Paragon Mental Cultivation Technique (破極心功) ]

– A secret mental cultivation technique passed down through generations in the Ma family. Renowned for its extreme difficulty, very few in the Ma family have ever managed to master it.

Whoosh!

The energy surrounding Se-woon swirled around him like a fierce wind.