I Raided the Demon’s Treasury

Chapter 80

After Se-woon grasped Durandal in his hands, the direction of the battle had shifted by 180 degrees.

Clang, clang!

“That sword is sturdy!”

“Incredibly strong!”

The rocks hurled by her were no longer a threat to Se-woon.

Unlike before, when he barely managed to parry them at the risk of damaging the blade, he was now deflecting them without any hesitation.

Not just deflecting them but completely cutting through the rocks.

The Sword that Split Rock, Durandal.

Just as its name suggested, it effortlessly split rocks without dulling the blade even slightly.

Though Riel attempted to strike with her staff during the brief moments Se-woon fended off the rocks…

Clang!

“Gah!”

“Ow!”

“Dangerous! This is dangerous!”

After crossing blows with Durandal, she sensed the danger and retreated a great distance back.

‘That sword… it’s dangerous.’

A branch of Yggdrasil.

It wasn’t the same as the world tree in her homeland, but Yggdrasil was still a magnificent world tree standing tall in another dimension.

A branch from such a tree had shuddered violently and tried to escape after a single strike.

If the spirits hadn’t protected it, the branch might have ended up with a sharp gash.

“Did you get that sword as a reward from the Tutorial?”

“Then, did you receive it from a Constellation? There’s no way you could find such a sword in the tutorial!”

“Actually, I did.”

She couldn’t believe it.

It wasn’t a reward from the tutorial, nor a gift from a Constellation, yet somehow, a weapon this powerful was obtainable in the midst of the tutorial’s progress! She, who had diligently hunted and even discovered several hidden dungeons to accumulate contribution points, found it even harder to believe.

But, what could she do? Right before her eyes, Se-woon’s sword was blocking her attacks.

Now wasn’t the time to deny reality; it was time to adapt.

‘I still have the advantage!’

Her first move, a powerful strike intended to end things in one blow, had failed, but that was just her opening move.

She had plenty of contingencies prepared for this.

As she waited for Se-woon by the entrance, Riel had formulated a variety of strategies, recalling her past spars with him.

Thanks to that preparation, she proceeded to suppress Se-woon without hesitation.

Boom!

Rumble – Crash!

Whoosh!!

The spirits began to unleash their true power.

Violent gusts and rain whipped through the air, while flames erupted from cracks in the fractured ground.

It was like a natural disaster.

Amidst this, Se-woon swung Durandal, performing a precarious dance to survive.

If an ordinary player were subjected to such relentless attacks, their mana would be depleted in under a minute, and they’d collapse. But she was different.

– The Blessing of Abundance surrounds you!

It was the power bestowed upon her by Freya, the goddess of love, beauty, and abundance, and the Constellation the ‘Fifth day’.

It was as if all of nature—plants, wind, and everything around her—gathered to channel strength into her.

Thanks to this, mana surged endlessly through her body, allowing her to maintain such powerful attacks without faltering.

The blessing was indeed significant, but her incredible mental strength, remaining steady while wielding four spirits simultaneously, was even more impressive.

The sense of duty supported by the camaraderie of the wind gave her mental strength.

Yet… why was it?

‘Why isn’t he falling?’

Even amidst the wild, destructive storm, Se-woon didn’t waver in the slightest.

Moreover, for some reason, an inexplicable unease had been pricking at her heart.

Was it just her imagination?

As she endured the strange feeling, it was her four spirits who turned her suspicion into certainty.

“Ugh…”

“I have no strength left.”

“Riel, I’m so tired.”

“I’m sleepy!”

Spirits, being without physical form, didn’t actually get tired.

They were nature itself. As long as mana was provided, they could exert their power all night without exhaustion.

In fact, this was the first time in her long history with the four spirits that she had heard them complain of fatigue.

And the unusual phenomena didn’t end with the spirits’ complaints.

‘The power is weakening!’

The relentless natural disaster had begun to lose its intensity.

The quaking earth began to calm, flames diminished, the fierce winds softened into a gentle breeze, and the downpour lightened to a drizzle.

Now, calling it an “attack” felt almost pitiful.

Naturally, Se-woon, who had been blocking her attacks, was also lowering his sword.

“It’s my turn now, isn’t it?”

On Se-woon’s legs…

“No way!”

The wind of Sylph, a power that only a Spirit Summoner could wield, was swirling around him.

* * *

– The Eyes of Envy begin to gaze upon ‘Riel Refrain.’

When he first activated the Power of Envy, he couldn’t fully understand its nature. Unlike the Power of Gluttony, no fangs appeared, and unlike the Power of Greed, no treasury opened.

All he felt was an eerie gaze that sent chills down his spine, without seeing anything tangible.

‘There has to be something to this.’

He could break free from Riel’s attacks and swing his sword at her, but doing so would defeat his purpose of testing the Power of Envy.

So, Se-woon quietly endured her attacks amidst the destructive storm.

Fortunately, with Durandal in hand, it wasn’t too hard to fend off her attacks.

While he blocked her blows, he felt the familiar grip of Durandal for the first time in a while.

‘The attacks… are getting weaker?’

He noticed her once-ferocious attacks gradually losing strength.

At a glance, one might think she was simply tiring, but there was another unusual factor.

‘This is definitely the power of spirit possession.’

Se-woon looked at the power now flowing within him.

The faint breeze of Sylph around his legs was quickening his movements, while the strength of Gnome, present over his armor, was shielding him from the elemental onslaught.

Additionally, flames were dancing along Durandal, and a clear, watery aura rippled around his body, supporting his movements.

Finally, he looked at the message that appeared before him, gaining a full understanding of the Power of Envy.

– The Eyes of Envy envy the spirit power of ‘Riel Refrain.’

– It steals the power of the Fire Spirit.

– It steals the power of the Water Spirit.

…

The Power of Envy. Its ability was to “steal the strength of others.”

There was no clear explanation, and since this was his first time using the ability, he couldn’t be sure of the specifics.

‘Envy,’ the word representing the feeling of coveting others. It was the most fitting form of power for that name.

‘Indeed, it’s the Power of a Demon God.’

It wasn’t simply a power that increased his own strength; it was a power that took away the strength of others. A combination of both buffs and debuffs.

Such a power would be especially strong when facing a formidable enemy.

The downside, however, was that the power could only affect one target at a time.

‘Like the Power of Gluttony, this might develop the more I use it.’

The limitations of the Demon God’s powers couldn’t possibly be this restrictive.

Just like how Power of Gluttony was initially limited to a single target and later expanded to encompass an entire area, perhaps Power of Envy could eventually target an entire area as well.

If that were the case, even if the debuff on each enemy was small, the number of buffs accumulated on Se-woon would be immense.

– The Constellation, ’Serpent Surrounding Envy’, gives you a faint smile as it recognizes your power.

Just as Se-woon finished analyzing the Power of Envy, the tremors of the earth, which had felt like an earthquake, began to subside, and the storm-like winds and rain calmed down.

As his vision cleared, he saw Riel’s face, unable to hide her flustered expression.

It seemed she had realized that she was being affected by the Power of Envy.

“It’s my turn now, isn’t it?”

“No way!”

Whether it made sense or not didn’t bother Se-woon. He had no reason to continue sparring with her now that he’d figured out the Power of Envy.

Clang, clang!

Even though she used spirit possession, in close combat, Se-woon was superior by a margin.

Moreover, her spirit summoning was severely weakened by the Power of Envy.

Conversely, a similar spirit possession was manifesting around Se-woon’s body.

Despite her desperate resistance using overflowing mana due to the Blessing of Abundance…

“It seems the match is decided.”

The few moves they exchanged at the start were all that mattered.

When Durandal made contact with the nape of her neck, the short but intense sparring ended.

“I’ve lost…”

“Good decision.”

From what Se-woon observed, he didn’t believe she would strike from behind, so he sheathed Durandal at his waist.

Despite the tutorial being over, she hadn’t gone into the Tower, staying behind to wait for Se-woon, so he had expected a more heated response. However, she seemed to accept the reality more quickly than expected.

“I’ll admit it. You’re stronger than I am… you deserve first place.”

Her earlier confident demeanor had vanished, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

It was just a spar that she had insisted on starting, and now seeing her like this made Se-woon feel a little guilty.

“But next time, I won’t lose.”

After saying her piece, she turned around without hesitation.

Her tone made it clear she had no reason to stay any longer.

But Se-woon thought differently. He hadn’t given it much thought at first, but through this spar, he had sensed a certain potential in her.

‘Riel’s goal was to plant a World Tree, right?’

The World Tree. A massive tree connecting the heavens, the earth, and the underground through its roots. Known by various names such as Yggdrasil, the Sacred Tree, and the Divine Tree, it is a holy symbol.

Even Se-woon, who had explored nearly all areas of the Tower, had never encountered this tree.

‘What if the power of the World Tree were to emerge within the Tower?’

The World Tree is not just a tree.

It is a symbol of the origin of all life and the source of all creation, often referred to as the “Tree of Life.”

For such a tree to grow within the Tower would have profound meaning.

The power flowing from the World Tree would enhance the players, and it would also have an impact on the Constellations.

Those Constellations based on the mythology of the World Tree would be especially affected.

For Se-woon, who had to not only prevent the Divine-Demonic War but also fend off the attacks from the Outers, the World Tree was a tempting existence.

And then…

“Wait.”

“…What is it?”

“You came to the Tower to find the ‘Eternal Flower Garden,’ right?”

“How do you…?”

Before the regression, Riel Refrain had never been able to find it—the ‘Eternal Flower Garden,’ which was recorded as a legend in numerous texts…

“I can guide you there.”

“…!”

During his time as an adventurer and explorer, Se-woon had discovered the ‘Eternal Flower Garden’ through the Guidepost of the Journey, one of the hidden areas he had found in the Tower.

In other words, Se-woon was the only player, both before and after the regression, who knew the location of the ‘Eternal Flower Garden.’

—
(T/N): Hi everyone! I apologize for the inconsistent updates—I’ve been busy with the holiday season, haha! Advance Merry Christmas to you all! Thank you so much for your support from the bottom of my heart. <3

Namamasko po (≧▽≦)