I Raided the Demon’s Treasury

Chapter 6

“It’s a bit farther than I thought.”

The weapon hidden in the forest.

Originally, Se-woon before the regression hadn’t found it by choice.

During a monster wave, he was chased into the forest, and while wandering, the ‘Guidepost of the Journey’ skill had activated, leading him to find it by chance.

As Se-woon briefly recalled the past, his expression twisted slightly.

“Come to think of it, that guy was there.”

The guy who used him as a human shield. Not just him, but also the elderly and those unable to fight were pushed forward as shields by this vile person.

That guy couldn’t use Se-woon as a shield now, but it wasn’t like he would suddenly start behaving morally either.

“Well, thanks to him, I learned the power of the ‘Guidepost of the Journey.’”

That’s strictly the result. The fact remains that he drove weaker people to their deaths by using them as shields.

Though Se-woon wasn’t a saint, he wouldn’t go as far as to use willing people as meat shields.

“Well, I’ll deal with him when I get back.”

For now, securing a weapon takes priority.

The nose imbued with the ‘Gnoll’s Snout’ detected various smells.

The strong scent of grass, the pungent odor of wild wolves, and even the smell of decaying animal carcasses.

Amidst all that, there was one scent that distinctly didn’t belong in the forest.

The scent of rusted metal.

Although he couldn’t use the ‘Guidepost of the Journey,’ he was sure that the source of that smell was the weapon he was searching for.

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ starts whining about his stomach sticking to his back.

‘It feels less like dealing with a Constellation and more like raising a pig.’

If the Demon God of Gluttony could read his thoughts, those fangs devouring wolf corpses might have turned on him instead.

As he thought about that, the faint scent of metal grew stronger, and through the bushes, he saw a gray mane.

‘Gray Wolf.’

At a glance, it appeared twice the size of the Brown Wolves he had encountered.

Its body was covered in gray fur, and particularly around its neck, a mane as lush as a lion’s grew.

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ picks up a fork at the sight of the main dish.

“Grr…”

It seemed to be hiding, but its gaze locked onto Se-woon immediately.

Just as Se-woon had used his sense of smell to locate the weapon, the wolf seemed to have located him through its own sense of smell.

‘In my previous life, I was too busy running away.’

But now, he had other plans.

He stepped out of the bushes and squared off with the wolf.

Any other predator might have immediately attacked upon seeing a prey, but the wolf, with its characteristic wariness, began circling Se-woon cautiously.

‘Smaller than I thought.’

In Se-woon’s memories, the Gray Wolf had been twice as large and far more ferocious.

It seemed his fear at the time, being unaccustomed to the tower and the tutorial, had exaggerated those memories.

And just as he thought, the Gray Wolf was ‘smaller than expected,’ but it was still massive. Even on all fours, its size rivaled that of a tiger, not just a wolf.

“Grr!”

No longer feeling the need to be cautious, the wolf bared its fangs and charged.

It wasn’t just big; it was faster than the Brown Wolves.

Swoosh.

The wolf aimed precisely for his neck, intending to twist and sever Se-woon’s jugular in one swift bite.

However, with a single large step, Se-woon completely evaded the wolf’s attack range.

Ten Path Leg Technique.

The Shaolin sect’s kicking technique not only included methods of attacking an opponent but also footwork to dodge and approach the enemy.

Wham!

Se-woon’s right foot struck the wolf’s side with a solid kick.

It was a perfect strike aimed at the opening left by the wolf’s missed attack, but the one who recoiled in pain wasn’t the wolf—it was Se-woon.

“Damn, why is it so tough?”

“Grr!”

He had aimed precisely for the unprotected abdomen, but the wolf’s muscles and hide were so thick that instead of inflicting damage, Se-woon’s leg throbbed with pain.

No matter how good the technique was, his low stats were a significant disadvantage.

Thanks to the Power of Gluttony, he had barely surpassed an average human’s level, but this wasn’t enough to take on a Gray Wolf.

Swipe!

The wolf’s sharp claws grazed Se-woon’s chest.

Had he not urgently pulled back, he wouldn’t just have a cut; his ribs would have been shattered.

Strength and speed.

There wasn’t a single stat in which he could surpass the beast.

Without the footwork from the Ten Path Leg Technique, he would have already been a bloody mess, devoured by the wolf.

“Grr!”

Snap!

“It’s no use calling out. The wolves around here have already ended up in the Demon’s belly.”

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ complains that those were digested long ago and urges you to bring out the main dish quickly.

He fiercely kicked the wolf’s gaping maw and withdrew backward.

Realizing that Se-woon’s attacks weren’t very powerful, the wolf’s assault became even more intense. As if to say that Se-woon’s attacks were merely tickling, the wolf ignored them and pushed on.

Se-woon moved urgently, continuing to use the footwork of the Ten Path Leg Technique.

Thud.

Something tripped Se-woon’s leg.

Looking back, the ground was mounded up, resembling a grave.

“Grr!”

“Grr!”

He thought he had killed all the wolves attacking him up until now, but…

Perhaps the Gray Wolf’s howling summoned them; two Brown Wolves approached Se-woon from either side.

Surrounded by three wolves and trapped by the mound, Se-woon had no way out.

“Grrr…”

The Gray Wolf moved leisurely, as if asking what he would do now. It seemed to savor the thought, drooling as if Se-woon’s head was already in its mouth.

“Grr!”

As the Gray Wolf called out, ordering its prey to be served, the wolves on either side aimed for Se-woon’s vital spots and charged.

In this truly dire situation—

Swoosh, slice—

The necks of the two wolves charging at Se-woon split open as if by magic.

It wasn’t until their bodies hit the ground that their blood vessels realized their masters were dead and began to spew blood.

“Did you think I retreated this far for nothing?”

In Se-woon’s hand was a sword, weathered by time and rusted red.

The weapon that was the goal of this journey—an old sword buried in the mound.

Despite the heavy rust, the blade remained sharp, effortlessly slicing through the wolves.

– Opened the Treasury of Greed.

[ Hamel Family Longsword Technique ]

– The basic longsword technique taught exclusively to the direct descendants of the Hamel Family, a renowned swordsmanship clan in the Grand Empire.

The Hamel Family Longsword Technique.

The reason Se-woon had chosen this among the many treasures in the treasury was simple.

Before his regression, a ranker known as the Sword Emperor in the tower, Francis Hamel, came to mind.

Having learned the Hamel Family Longsword Technique, the potential of this swordsmanship was already proven beyond doubt.

There were other, more powerful techniques available, such as the Taeguk Sword Art, the Demon-Slaying Sword Technique, and the Grand Swordsmanship of Pantera, but Se-woon refrained from being greedy.

Given his current physical condition, it was essential to grow by building up from the basics step by step.

In that sense, the Hamel Family Longsword Technique, endorsed by a ranker of the tower, seemed most suitable for Se-woon.

“Things will be different from now on.”

“Grr!”

Clang!

The Gray Wolf’s claws clashed against Se-woon’s sword.

Before wielding the sword, he couldn’t even imagine parrying those attacks, but now, it was different.

As he deflected the wolf’s claws, he stepped forward with his right foot and swung his sword horizontally.

Slice—

The previously impenetrable hide of the wolf was cut effortlessly.

Alarmed, the wolf quickly pushed off the ground and retreated.

“Indeed, it’s a good sword.”

– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven,’ gazes at your sword with a peculiar interest.

At first glance, the sword looked heavily rusted and almost unusable, but one swing was enough to tell it was among the finest obtainable in the tutorial.

Having gained the upper hand, there was no reason to retreat like before.

Leap!

Se-woon pushed off the ground and charged at the wolf.

The following attacks were straightforward: horizontal slashes, vertical cuts, and thrusts.

For a technique as renowned as the Hamel Family Longsword Technique, these attacks lacked any form of flair.

Even the Shaolin sect’s basic martial art, ‘Ten Path Leg Technique,’ known for its linear movements, was more sophisticated than this.

An uninformed observer might scoff and dismiss it as unworthy of a prestigious swordsmanship clan, but a knowledgeable person would nod in serious acknowledgment.

A flawless display of cutting and thrusting without a single misstep.

Movements so clean that only someone who has swung a sword tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of times, could display.

The heavy force and keen edge unique to the Hamel Family were embedded in each motion.

Simply by pulling the technique from Mammon’s Treasury, Se-woon’s movements were perfectly infused with the Hamel Family’s skill.

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ slams the table, unable to hold back any longer.

Though Se-woon wanted to savor more of the Hamel Family’s intricacies, the impatient Constellation was watching.

Se-woon needed to return to the camp before the second wave began, so he readied himself to finish it.

“Grr!”

The Gray Wolf moved.

Using its strong legs, it zigzagged quickly to confuse Se-woon’s vision, focusing intently on him with its mouth agape.

At that moment.

Swoosh!

Se-woon lightly stepped forward with his right foot.

Simultaneously, he extended the sword that had been coiled over his shoulder.

His sword smoothly slid into the wide-open maw of the Gray Wolf.

There was no need to exert force.

In the final moments, even the Gray Wolf realized something was wrong, but it was too late.

With Se-woon’s sword buried almost to the hilt, the wolf’s movements ceased, and its eyes rolled back, signaling the end of the battle.

– You have defeated the boss monster of the Wolf Forest, ‘The Gravekeeper Wolf.’

– Level has increased.

– Individual merit points have increased by 500 points.

– Acquired ‘Gray Wolf Hide.’

The goal of this journey wasn’t just to acquire a weapon.

Another objective was to earn individual merit points.

There are several ways to increase merit points.

The first method is to contribute significantly in tutorial activities like monster raids.

The second method is to seek out and defeat monsters on your own, as Se-woon just did.

The third method is—

‘Defeating other players.’

In fact, instead of seeking out and defeating monsters, this third method is commonly used.

That method offers a quicker and simpler way to earn higher merit points than facing monsters.

While it isn’t common now, towards the end of the tutorial, the number of players wielding their blades against others will increase.

“Am I running a bit late?”

[ Tutorial Chapter One – Adaptation ]

– Time remaining until the second monster wave: 12 minutes.

With only 12 minutes left until the next wave, it seemed he needed to hurry.