I Raided the Demon’s Treasury

Chapter 23

[ Tutorial, Chapter One – Adaptation ]

– Successfully cleared the first wave.

– All participants in the wave are awarded 200 points.

[ 1st: Jung Se-woon 41,660 points ]

[ 2nd: Yoo Seo-ah 4,820 points ]

[ 3rd: Kang Han-cheol 4,760 points ]

Thus, the ninth wave concluded.

Under normal circumstances, Se-woon would have left some monsters for the others to handle, but given the situation, he finished them off himself.

Excited about testing out Durandal, he ended up using magic to swiftly clear the monsters for the sake of the people, missing the chance to draw his sword.

As he wistfully touched Durandal’s hilt, Yoo Seo-ah and Kang Han-cheol approached him.

“Se-woon!”

“You’re back.”

Unlike the impassive Kang Han-cheol, Yoo Seo-ah’s face was on the verge of tears.

It seemed that managing the camp as a leader during Se-woon’s absence had been more challenging than anticipated.

“Where on earth have you been? Do you know how worried we were?”

She urgently poured out her grievances.

However, with a quick glance around, Se-woon had to interrupt her.

“I’ll explain later. For now, don’t you have something to take care of?”

“Huh? Oh…”

As the de facto leader of the camp, Yoo Seo-ah was quick to understand.

Thanks to Se-woon, they had managed to fend off the wave, but the camp was in tatters.

With the facilities, the injured, and food supplies, there were many people needing her assistance.

“I’ll be expecting a full explanation later.”

Leaving those words behind, Yoo Seo-ah walked away.

Se-woon felt grateful to her for managing the camp in his absence.

Kang Han-cheol continued the conversation.

“You’ve grown stronger.”

“You’ve improved a lot too.”

“…Let’s meet at the split tree later.”

“Alright.”

The split tree.

It represented a promise for a sparring session.

Kang Han-cheol’s face showed deep anticipation, having not sparred since the sixth wave.

After sending them off, Se-woon called out a now-familiar name.

“Jung-pil.”

“Yes, Hyung!”

Park Jung-pil.

Though initially kept around for half monitoring and half tormenting due to his actions before Se-woon’s regression, he had shown remarkable participation in the waves and even caught the attention of the 6th-ranked Demon Lord, Balefor.

Perhaps it was a grudging affection?

Now, more than ever, Se-woon thought he should thoroughly make use of him.

“Report the situation.”

“Yes, Hyung! After you headed to the rocky mountain, we finished the sixth wave without any casualties! But from the seventh wave onwards…”

Park Jung-pil’s report flowed smoothly as if he had been awaiting this moment.

He talked about the monster waves so far, the people who had distinguished themselves in combat, food management after the battles, and so on.

While listening quietly, Se-woon was internally surprised.

‘Did he always have this talent?’

Before the regression, all he remembered was Park Jung-pil sticking to Kang Han-cheol and acting annoyingly.

Indeed, it seems that people are animals that adapt to their environment. The guy was standing out in a way that was completely different from before his regression.

“Additionally, during the remaining time, the twins took the lead in installing the palisade around the camp…”

A palisade, indeed.

Se-woon looked around carefully.

When he left, there had only been makeshift shelters made from leaves and grass, and simple facilities for cooking.

Now, there were quite decent-looking makeshift huts set up.

Moreover, a fairly thick wooden barrier had been formed around the camp.

Seeing the red blood on the sharp ends, it seemed to have done its job well during the waves.

“Did you say ‘the twins’? Who are they?”

“Oh, Hyung-nim, you don’t know them? This way! They’re probably already starting repairs right now.”

Se-woon followed Park Jeong-pil and walked a short distance.

Even walking, the camp was small enough to be seen at a glance, so they arrived at the site quickly.

“It seemed a bit worrying, and sure enough, this was the issue.”

“Exactly. I told you it needed to be made sturdier!”

“If you had done it your way, it would never have been finished before the waves started.”

“Ugh! So, we need more wood, right?”

“Yes, but the two of us won’t finish in time for the next wave…”

Two women were discussing in front of a broken section of the palisade.

Their identical appearances and curly hair made it obvious that they were twins.

‘So, it’s these two.’

They weren’t in Se-woon’s pre-regression memories, but he could now understand who they were.

Not standing out in combat, they notably followed Yoo Seo-ah’s instructions well.

Especially from the third wave, their dedicated efforts to fend off the monsters had left a deep impression.

“Hey, what are you two doing? Our Hyung is here, and you don’t even come to greet him!”

“Oh? It’s Blood Wolf!”

“Wow, Blood Wolf!”

The twins recognized Se-woon and approached him excitedly.

Blood Wolf, really.

Before his regression, Se-woon had made a name for himself more through exploration than combat, so the nickname felt odd.

He shot a brief glare at Park Jung-pil, but the guy only looked confused, as if saying, ‘What?’

Not sure if he was oblivious or just pretending, Se-woon sighed softly and looked at the palisade the twins had built.

“You’ve done a decent job. Did you buy the tools with points?”

“Yes! Seo-ah unnie told us how to! Oh, and she said you taught her about it, Blood Wolf oppa?”

“Though it’s a bit damaged now, it was really effective against the Red Wolves and Boars!”

The merit points could be used for more than just buying a weapon, as Yoo Seo-ah had done.

Not only basic equipment but also items like the saws and hammers in the twins’ hands could be purchased.

Of course, not many players usually spend their points on things like that.

Judging by their skills, they were clearly getting more value out of the points spent.

“If we keep this up, this should be useful for the next wave too.”

“Ugh, what kind of monsters will come next?”

“Ugh, even the red ones from this time were scary. It’s probably going to be something stronger, right?”

Knowing exactly what monsters would appear in the tenth wave, Se-woon simply smiled and dodged the question.

There was no point in revealing he was a returner or giving too much detailed information since it would only raise suspicions.

“I heard you need more wood.”

“Oh, you heard us?”

“We usually rely on others’ help in our spare time, but there are too many injured now…”

Construction skills, huh?

Normally, Se-woon wouldn’t be too concerned about it.

Building palisade now might seem redundant, as they would be of little use against the tenth wave’s monsters and become meaningless once the first chapter of the tutorial ended.

Despite this, Se-woon was interested for one reason.

– The Constellation, ‘Black Bird,’ perches on the sharp tip of a spear and observes the player, “Han Areum.”

– The Constellation, ‘Giant Bird,’ spreads its wings wide in front of Player ‘Han Daun.’

The Black Bird and the Giant Bird.

Respectively, the 38th ranked demon lord, ‘Halphas,’ and the 39th ranked demon lord, ‘Malphas.’

Halphas symbolized death and destruction. His favorite thing, therefore, was ‘war,’ and his abilities were uniquely aligned with war-related construction skills.

For this reason, he was also known by the nickname ‘Bird of Death.’

Attached closely to Halphas was Malphas, who had the nickname ‘Commander of Deception.’ Like Halphas, Malphas also possessed construction and fortification skills.

Construction and fortification.

If those two powers were combined…

‘They would be more helpful than an average combat player.’

That’s why Se-woon decided to step in and help the twins.

“I can get the woods for you.”

“Really?”

“Wow! Blood Wolf oppa is the best!”

“…But I’d appreciate it if you didn’t call me by that nickname.”

“Why? Isn’t it cool?”

“Pfft.”

“…”

“Hey, you shouldn’t laugh! Blood Wolf oppa might get hurt!”

“Pfft! But it’s funny!”

Listening to their conversation made him sigh.

Promising himself to come up with a fitting nickname for Park Jung-pil next time, Se-woon headed towards the Wolf Forest.

“What kind of wood do you need and in what size?”

“Hey, we don’t have the luxury to worry about specifics with monsters attacking in a few hours.”

“We’ll handle those details ourselves. Just chop down as many trees as you can!”

Any wood in any amount.

For Se-woon, such a task was simple.

Clang.

‘Who would’ve thought Durandal’s first action would be logging?’

Se-woon drew Durandal.

At the entrance to the Wolf Forest, where materials for the wooden stakes and makeshift huts had been obtained, logging was already considerably advanced.

However, was it due to a lack of proper tools?

Most of the thicker trees remained standing firmly.

Without a proper axe—or even with one, unless you were someone like Kang Han-cheol—cutting down such trees would be tough.

With these thoughts in mind, Se-woon confidently stood before one of the thick trees others had given up on logging.

“You’re going to chop that one?”

“Should we fetch an axe?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Though it was unfortunate that Durandal’s first demonstration wasn’t against monsters, a tree trunk of this thickness seemed perfect for gauging both his strength and Durandal’s abilities.

Se-woon adopted the basic stance of ‘Hamel’s Longsword Technique,’ spreading his legs wide. He intended to rely solely on his raw power without using internal energy.

He tilted the sword horizontally and braced his lower body.

“Hup!”

He delivered a clean horizontal slash at the tree trunk.

Shhk!

“Wow!”

“It’s really powerful!”

“As expected of you, Hyung!”

Durandal sank about halfway into the tree trunk.

Of course, the twins and Park Jung-pil exclaimed in admiration from behind.

However, Se-woon didn’t seem entirely satisfied.

‘No matter how sharp Durandal is, without using internal energy, this is the limit.’

Though Durandal was called the ‘Sword that Split the Rock,’ it couldn’t even cut through a tree properly if its wielder’s strength was insufficient.

Despite thinking he had grown significantly stronger by obtaining the powers of two Demon Gods and various hidden pieces, it was clear he still had a long way to go.

Se-woon tightened his grip on Durandal, steeling himself once more.

– Opened the Treasury of Greed.

[ Taishan Eighteen Plate Sword (泰山十八盤劍) ]

– The unique martial art of the Hwangbo family (황보세가), known for their large and powerful physique, characterized by their domineering martial arts.

Even though he had become quite proficient with the Blood Wolf Swordsmanship, what Se-woon needed now was ‘power.’

He needed a martial art capable of cutting through the tree trunk in a single strike.

Thus, he chose the martial art of the Hwangbo family.

If the strength of the ‘Taishan Eighteen Plate Sword,’ known to possess the power of Mount Taishan, combined with the power of the ‘Sword that Split the Rock,’ Durandal, no tree trunk could stand in his way.

To prove that:

Shhk—!

Crash—!

“Wow, he really cut it!”

“He chopped that thick tree in just two strikes with a sword!”

“Oh man, Hyung! That’s impressive!”

Se-woon’s horizontal slash cleanly cut through the tree trunk.

As one of the larger trees toppled with a loud crash, everyone in the camp turned their attention towards him.

But Se-woon’s logging was just beginning.

– Through internal energy, the second form of the Taishan Eighteen Plate Sword, Taishan Separation, is enhanced.

Shhk!

Crash—!

Once Se-woon began using his internal energy, no tree trunk could withstand a single strike from him.

The trees that many in the camp had given up on cutting down fell effortlessly after just one strike.

Despite this, Durandal’s blade remained as sharp as ever.

Crash!

Boom!

Boom, crash!

Dozens of trees fell in an instant.

The number of trees at the forest entrance visibly decreased.

Taking a brief pause, Se-woon turned to the twins who stood wide-eyed, watching this unbelievable ‘logging’ scene unfold.

“Don’t worry about transporting the wood. Jung-pil will handle that.”

“Yes, Hyung! Leave it to me… Wait, all of this? By myself?”

“Of course, ‘Right Hand’.”

– The Constellation, ‘Snatcher with the Donkey Head,’ clutches his stomach, unable to contain his laughter while watching Player ‘Park Jung-pil.’

Park Jung-pil’s face turned to despair as he realized he had suddenly become the camp’s muscle power.