I Raided the Demon’s Treasury

Chapter 58

“What is that…?”

Garden, noticing the transformation of the dagger, opened his eyes wide.

True to its name, which means ‘White Hilt’, the Fang Dagger imbued with Carnwenhan’s power shone with a brilliant white light.

The light was so intense it easily overshadowed the radiant golden glow of Garden’s armor.

Garden’s instincts screamed at him.

He needed to dodge immediately. That white blade could not be blocked, not even by his golden armor.

However, his axe was embedded in the ground, and his other hand was holding the sword Se-woon had released. There was no way he could block the incoming strike with his remaining free hand.

So then? There was only one option.

Escape.

If he abandoned his weapon and turned to roll on the ground, he might just save his life.

But.

‘Ah…’

Garden did not move.

Contrary to his instincts, which blared warnings, his reason held not even the slightest urge to flee.

How could a warrior abandon his weapon and show his back? Under the proud name of the Glory Orcs, such an act would be unforgivable even to himself.

Moreover, he was the King of all Glory Orcs.

He could not bend his warrior’s creed.

And besides…

“You possess… the true qualifications of a king.”

While gazing at the dazzlingly white Carnwenhan, Garden discovered the qualification he had been searching for.

The true dignity of a king. The will of a valiant warrior.

All of these were felt in Carnwenhan.

After a brief moment of silence,

Flash!

Se-woon’s arm moved, slicing vertically with the white gleam.

As he had anticipated, the golden armor could not withstand Carnwenhan, and Garden’s body was split in half along with the armor, bringing the battle to an end.

– You have defeated the Lord of the Golden Castle, ‘Gold Garden.’’

– Your level has increased.

– Your level has increased.

– Individual merit points have increased by 100,000 points.

– Additional 100,000 merit points are awarded for the solo defeat of the Lord of the Golden Castle.

– Acquired ‘Golden Halberd.’

– Acquired ‘Golden Armor of Glory.’

Rustle—

Se-woon looked down at the dissipating Molar Dagger.

It was the first weapon Go Chang-seok had made for him. Although it hadn’t been long, it was the weapon he had become most accustomed to after obtaining it early in the tutorial and handing Durandal to Mammon.

The disappearance of such a weapon was regretful, but…

‘I can’t always rely on it.’

Se-woon’s goal wasn’t just to complete the tutorial.

His aim was to surpass the 92nd floor, which he had reached before his regression, and ultimately reach the top of the tower to stop the Outers.

Unless it was a mythic-rank item on par with Durandal, he knew he couldn’t rely on it indefinitely.

– ‘Gold Garden’ has been devoured.

– Absorbing its nutrients increases all stats by 10.

The Fangs of Gluttony gnawed at Garden’s body, along with the golden armor.

Boom!

With the golden throne, which had split along with Garden’s body, falling to the ground, it marked the end.

– You have perfectly conquered the ultimate and strongest fortress, ‘Golden Castle.’

– Earned an incredible achievement.

– Earned 50,000 points in individual merit as a reward.

– Acquired the throne of the Golden Castle by defeating the castle lord,

– During the progress of the fifth chapter of the tutorial, the Golden Castle will become your clan’s property.

[ Tutorial Chapter 4 – Assault ]

You have excellently completed the task.

– All participants who survived the siege are awarded 50,000 points.

– Congratulations! You have successfully completed Tutorial Chapter Four!

– By capturing the ultimate and strongest fortress, all participants in the tutorial are awarded an additional 50,000 points!

Thus, the short but intense siege came to an end.

* * *

The Tutorial Management Office.

Tuning was staring at the monitor along with an employee who had run directly to the team leader’s office, so anxious that he didn’t even use a phone.

The Golden Castle. The strongest fortress that had rarely been captured throughout the long history of the tower.

It was now being conquered by Se-woon’s clan.

“T-Team leader, what do we do about this?”

“What do you mean?”

“The Golden Castle! The other Constellations are sure to raise an issue!”

Tuning understood what his subordinate was getting at.

Why was Se-woon’s clan able to find and conquer the Golden Castle so quickly? One reason was that Tuning had given them the ‘Tutorial Pass’.

Among the Constellations, there would certainly be those who would hold him accountable, asking why their promising candidates weren’t given a pass. Claiming it was unfair.

They wouldn’t care that Se-woon had been sent early in the third zone for their promising candidates’ sake.

However, Tuning’s reaction was different from before.

“Do you honestly think those so-called promising kids could have captured the Golden Castle?”

“Well, no, that would’ve been difficult, but…”

“Pass or no pass, in the entire history, only one player has ever captured the Golden Castle. And this is the first time a human has done it.”

“That’s just our opinion! If the Constellations start attacking us irrationally…”

“Do you even know which Constellation is watching that player?”

“I couldn’t see that far, but…”

“One of the seven Demon Gods who reign over the demon world. The Demon God of Greed, Mammon.”

“…Mammon, you say?”

The subordinate was momentarily taken aback.

Who was Mammon? A colossal entity who ruled a faction of the demonic gods, so powerful that no other Constellation could treat him lightly.

But that wasn’t the only reason for the subordinate’s shock.

“I thought most of the seven Demon Gods didn’t have contractors…”

“Exactly, that’s the issue.”

Unlike the divine gods, who are often entertained by events on the lower floors of the tower and thus involve themselves frequently, the demonic gods tend to refrain from intervening in such matters.

Of course, they would get involved when it comes to their contractors, but as mentioned, they almost never made contracts with players.

Especially the players still in the tutorial phase who haven’t even reached the tower.

No matter how famous a player might be, the demonic gods usually wouldn’t even glance in their direction.

“And yet, this player has the attention of not just one, but two Demon Gods.”

“Two Demon Gods? Other than Mammon, who else…”

“The Demon God of Gluttony, Beelzebub.”

“Impossible!”

“And that’s not all. Baal, Agares, Gamigin, Marbas, Balefor… Most of the 72 Demon Lords from Hell are closely watching that clan.”

Tuning had only recently learned this information. This tutorial had drawn an unusually high amount of interest from the Constellations, making it hectic to manage the promising candidates.

When Tuning began investigating Se-woon’s clan, he was struck with shock and fear.

If he had tried to disadvantage Se-woon to appease other Constellations…

For the first time in history, the management office might have faced a protest from a Demon God.

“Do you see now? How many Constellations among these so-called ‘promising candidates’ even come close to the stature of a Demon God?”

“Almost… none.”

“Exactly. Now is not the time to worry about those kids.”

Tuning clenched his pen tightly as he watched Se-woon on the monitor.

A human. A person from Earth—a plain dimension with neither magic nor superpowers—was causing a massive upheaval in the tutorial.

Tuning was beginning to understand the full extent of the situation.

“From now on, we’ll form a special task force. Investigate and analyze Jung Se-woon and his clan thoroughly.”

“Y-Yes! Understood!”

It was becoming clear that this human would soon have a tremendous impact on the tower.

* * *

“Everyone, great job!”

“You did well!!”

After the conquest of the Golden Castle.

The sun was already setting by the time they finished organizing the castle and moving their supplies.

Although everyone must have been exhausted, their faces were all lit up with smiles, likely due to the joy of their victory.

It was no wonder they were so jubilant, as they had managed to capture the Golden Castle without a single casualty.

Of course, there were quite a few injuries, but thanks to the clan’s healer, Lee Ha-neul, most wounds were quickly treated.

“Everyone, thank you for waiting!”

“Food’s here!”

“We found some decent ingredients and seasonings in the castle’s storage, so we’ve prepared a proper meal for the first time in a while! There’s plenty, so eat as much as you want!”

“Wow!”

The long-awaited meal time.

The menu was not the usual roasted meat or barely seasoned meat stew using forest fruits.

There were chewy bulgogi made from wild boar meat, tender braised short ribs, and spicy braised chicken made from the flesh of sharp wind hawks.

A variety of flavorful dishes filled their tables.

“When was the last time we had such a proper meal?”

“Let’s eat well!”

– The Constellation, ‘The Hungry Prince,’ gnaws on an orc’s leg but drools over your table.

Everyone eagerly grabbed the food, as if they were under a spell.

Although they had never gone hungry before, this was their first proper meal since starting the tutorial.

However, what caught Se-woon’s attention was not the taste of the food, but the power imbued in it.

‘This isn’t just any ordinary food.’

As proof, the moment Se-woon took a bite of the braised ribs:

– You have consumed Mi Jeongpyo’s special braised chicken.

– Your movement speed increases by 10% for one day.

– Your agility increases by 5 for one day.

A pretty impressive buff had been activated.

‘Even if she has inherent skills for cooking, for her ability to improve this rapidly… ’

It was obvious she had been influenced by a Constellation.

With that thought in mind, Se-woon looked up and indeed saw a Constellation message above her.

– The Constellation, ‘Eccentric Constellation,’ sparkles with satisfaction while sniffing the food.

Eccentric Constellation. It was Buer, the 10th-ranked Demon Lord.

He was known mainly for his knowledge of herbs and mental abilities, but it seemed he also had an interest in cooking.

Looking around, it wasn’t just her; many other clan members also had the attention of the Demon Lords.

‘It means our combat strength has significantly increased.’

For Se-woon, this was a highly satisfactory situation.

Because of that, he could enjoy a proper meal without any worries for the first time in a long while.

In the midst of this, he heard a familiar voice from Park Jung-pil.

“Everyone, pay attention! Hehehe, do you see what this is?”

Pop!

With the sound of something being opened, a strong fruity aroma filled the air.

It wasn’t just a simple fruit scent—this smell was one of something aged and fermented over a long period. Even without tasting it, most could tell what it was right away.

“Alcohol?”

“Is it really booze?”

“Gulp…”

Even Se-woon, who had been the first to raid the castle’s storage right after capturing the Golden Castle, hadn’t found it. He had no idea where Park Jung-pil had discovered it.

However, despite having alcohol right in front of them, everyone hesitated to reach for it.

Curious as to why, Se-woon looked around and saw that most of them were watching him, waiting for his reaction.

‘I guess I have been too strict.’

While Yoo Seo-ah was the one leading and commanding people, it was Se-woon who set the clan’s direction and resolved issues. That’s why everyone was looking at him for approval.

Normally, Se-woon would have advised against drinking to prepare for the next day.

‘But we won’t be fighting monsters for a while.’

Today was different.

– Opened the (True) Treasury of Greed.

[ Desert Dew ]
.
– A specialty of the Aswen Kingdom, which rules over the vast desert regions in the western continent. This liquor is known for its extremely high alcohol content and its intense heat, reminiscent of the desert itself.

“Is that enough? If not, just let me know.”

“Ah, as expected of you, Hyung! Everyone, cheers!”

“Cheers!”

Considering how hard everyone had worked, it was okay to let them relax for a day.

For once, Se-woon threw aside his urgent mentality and allowed himself to fully enjoy a well-deserved break.