I Raided the Demon’s Treasury

Chapter 65

– The ‘Sea Lizardman.’ has been devoured.

– You can no longer absorb nutrients from the same type of monster.

– The ‘Needle Turtle’.’ has been devoured.

– Absorbing its nutrients increases Stamina by 2

…

Se-woon’s hunt continued.

The problem was that now, even when killing ordinary monsters, he couldn’t absorb nutrients through the Power of Gluttony.

As the battles lengthened, his stamina gradually drained, and his once seemingly perpetual combat power began to slow down.

– According to the mysteries of the Black Tower, the power of ‘Dark Flare’ is enhanced.

Fwoosh!

Realizing his limits, Se-woon squeezed out all his remaining mana and unleashed black flames.

The monsters, already hesitant to approach Se-woon due to the effects of fear, began to collapse under the onslaught of flames.

Seizing the opportunity, Se-woon climbed to the top of the nearest castle.

Fortunately, the walls of the castle were riddled with small holes, making scaling the wall not too difficult.

[ Pierced Thorn Castle ]

Category: Castle

Rank: C

Description: A fortress designed with small holes in the walls, allowing for spear attacks against enemies clinging to the walls. However, it has the disadvantage of weaker defense.

Abilities:

Protruding Thorns – When performing spear attacks using the castle walls, attack power and penetration increase by 20%.

Thorn-Embedded Wall – Reflects 20% of the damage back to enemies attacking the castle walls and gates.

Pierced Thorn Castle.

This was the last castle Seun looted.

He narrowly succeeded in defending all five fortresses.

Luckily, the players who had witnessed Se-woon’s valiant efforts welcomed him with open arms.

“Thank you! You saved us!”

“You really worked hard! Ah, would you like some water? Hey, bring a canteen quickly!”

“No, I’m fine without water.”

“How can we repay your kindness! If it weren’t for you, the walls would have collapsed!”

“This castle… We were told to attack with spears, but there wasn’t a single spear in the warehouse…”

Oof.

Se-woon felt a twinge of guilt at their excessive gratitude. After all, he was the one who had raided their warehouse.

‘Well, the results turned out fine, so it should be okay.’

Even though he had raided their warehouse, it wasn’t such a bad situation for them either.

First, thanks to Se-woon, the difficulty had been reduced, making it easier for them to capture the castle.

Second, Se-woon had personally intervened to resolve the issue with the fifth chapter.

– Opened the (True) Treasury of Greed.

[ Spring Water of the Verdant Forest ]

– The spring water of the Verdant Forest, known to be inhabited by mythical creatures. It contains astonishing vitality and the essence of nature.

The reason Se-woon declined the canteen was this.

Rather than drinking ordinary water, it was better to use Mammon’s treasure, which offered effects superior to most potions.

Gulp, gulp.

As he drank the spring water, a refreshing coolness traveled down his throat.

It didn’t just stay in his stomach; as soon as it passed his throat, it spread throughout his entire body, providing abundant energy.

The energy flowed into his weary, aching muscles, filling his empty circle and dantian with pure energy.

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ greedily expresses his desire to taste it as well.

– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven,’ ignores him.

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ insists on taking a look at the treasury, claiming there seems to be plenty of edible treasures.

– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven,’ firmly refuses, stating that if he did, all the edible treasures in the treasury would disappear.

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ argues that edible treasures are meant to be eaten, whining while clutching onto the Raven’s feathers.

‘More importantly, I wonder if the others are holding up well.’

At first glance, it might seem like monsters were climbing up the cliff recklessly, but the monster attacks from the fifth chapter were not random.

According to the rank of the castle, monsters appropriate for that rank would attack.

This was a C-rank castle, so Se-woon could perform quite well alone, but if it were the monsters from the Golden Castle, not even Se-woon could rampage without Mammon’s treasures.

‘If things get tough, there’s always the Golden Light, so it’ll be fine.’

Golden Light.

It’s one of the unique abilities of the Golden Castle, which can halt the movements of enemies once a day.

Se-woon had already given Yoo Seo-ah a heads-up about it, so as long as they utilized it well, they could deal with strong enemies somehow.

Just as Se-woon finished resting and got up,

– The number of monsters has decreased to below 3/4. In response, the Tyrant of the Sea, ‘Drakan,’ appears.

The system announced the arrival of a monster.

Sea Drake, Drakan.

The final objective of the fifth chapter and the tyrant commanding the thousands of monsters in sight.

‘Should I go take a look?’

And he was Se-woon’s target.

* * *

At that moment, a more intense battle than at any other castle was taking place at the Golden Castle.

– Player Lee Ha-neul uses ‘Poisoned Ward’.

Splosh!

In the very center of the monsters, a purple liquid wobbled and then burst like a water balloon.

The monsters grimaced at the sticky feeling, but as nothing happened, they continued their attacks without paying further attention.

However,

“Guh… ghhhh…”

As time passed, the condition of the monsters that touched the liquid began to change.

Pus began to swell on their skin, or their skin became inflamed and swollen. Along with various external changes, they also started to develop fevers and coughs.

It wasn’t immediately life-threatening, but deteriorating conditions on a battlefield full of swords and spears were enough to claim lives.

Thud—

“Thank you, Ha-neul!”

Distracted by scratching its reddened throat, a fish monster had its gills pierced by Yoo Seo-ah’s sword.

In addition, attacks from various defense weapons and poison-laden arrows rained down from the Golden Castle, tormenting the monsters.

Then,

“ROOOAAARR!!”

A monster of a completely different scale from the smaller ones that were simply overwhelming with their numbers appeared.

And the problem was, there wasn’t just one of them.

“Gruk, gruk.”

“Shizzzz—”

A toad with lumpy skin that looked like it had been studded with nails, and a massive snake with a neck and head alone reaching about 2 meters high.

And even a monster in the form of an octopus, wriggling with hundreds of suckers exposed.

They seemed to be commanders of sorts, as the other monsters made way for their appearance.

“…Han-cheol, do you think you can handle this?”

“Whether I can or not, I have to.”

“I suppose so.”

Doesn’t the saying go that one doesn’t notice their clothes getting wet in a drizzle? Initially, both of them had been rampaging but as time passed, their stamina inevitably began to dwindle.

Kang Han-cheol blocked damage with the armor Se-woon had given him, and Yoo Seo-ah evaded attacks using the footwork techniques she had learned from Se-woon.

However, the prolonged battle had left them both struggling to catch their breath.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Boom!!

The three quasi-boss monsters began their assault in earnest.

With their massive sizes, the monsters’ impacts caused the sturdy walls of the castle to resonate loudly.

Kang Han-cheol and Yoo Seo-ah were struggling because the two of them couldn’t manage to hold off all three monsters simultaneously.

“Jung-pil!”

“Yes, yes, I’m coming!”

– Player Park Jung-pil uses ‘Got You, Dragon’.

Park Jung-pil, jumping down from the castle wall, provided the solution.

The snake that had been lashing its tail at the wall turned its focus to Park Jung-pil.

“Whoa, this thing is huge!”

In that moment, Kang Han-cheol and Yoo Seo-ah continued their attack.

Given their experience in slaughtering countless monsters, the people of the Golden Castle weren’t worried and focused on restraining other monsters.

But then.

Squish!

Ping!

Kang Han-cheol’s punch sank into the soft flesh of the octopus.

Yoo Seo-ah’s sword bounced off the tough, protruding skin of the toad.

Encountering an opponent their attacks couldn’t penetrate for the first time, they exchanged quick glances and swiftly switched targets.

Yet the results were the same.

Yoo Seo-ah’s sword failed to pierce the octopus’s tough membrane, and the toad absorbed Kang Han-cheol’s attacks by casually bouncing its body.

“Aaaah! I’m going to die! I’m dying!”

Park Jeong-pil, who had confidently jumped down, was now being caught up by the snake’s incredible speed.

They didn’t feel like they would lose, but it didn’t look like they could finish the fight quickly either.

As they struggled to land effective blows, time dragged on, making the battle increasingly unfavorable.

“I came down trusting you guys, and look at this mess!”

“Shut up.”

“What? Did you just tell the right hand of the big boss to shut up…?”

“It’s noisy.”

“…Yes.”

Eventually, the three found themselves surrounded by the three quasi-boss monsters.

“Let’s retreat into the castle for now.”

“I can’t distract them any longer! If we open the gate now, the monsters will get in too!”

“We can use the castle’s unique ability. It will give us time to get inside.”

“That’s right! Let’s do it quickly!”

“Wait.”

Just as Yoo Seo-ah, acting as the temporary lord, was about to activate ‘Golden Light,’ Kang Han-cheol raised his hand to stop her.

As she turned her head to see why, Yoo Seo-ah noticed something rising from beneath the three monsters.

“Graaa-”

“Grrooo-”

“What is that…?”

“Eek, zombies!”

They were zombies.

The monsters they had just defeated were now rising with limbs twisted grotesquely, clutching at the three quasi-boss monsters.

It looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie.

As the three monsters screamed and tried to shake off the zombies, something fell from the castle wall.

No, it came flying in.

“What is that?”

A monster with the head of a tiger adorned with a mane, the Manticore.

Its tusks jutted out like those of a wild boar, and a severed octopus leg twitched, having been bitten off earlier.

Whack!

When the manticore swung its claws, the toad, which had absorbed Kang Han-cheol’s attacks, had chunks of its spiked skin ripped off.

Thwack!

As the manticore spun around, its tail, lined with numerous spikes and reminiscent of a mace, embedded itself into the snake’s body.

These weren’t just ordinary spikes; they were imbued with the manticore’s potent venom, causing the snake to cough up blood and collapse its head on the ground within seconds.

– The Constellation, ‘Steed That Tramples Death,’ is satisfied with the ghoul’s performance.

“Thank you for holding out! I was a bit late because I had to fully implement the venom of the tail!”

“Baek Hyun!”

The master of the Manticore and the zombies was none other than Baek Hyun.

Having contracted with Gamigin, Steed That Tramples Death, and received the manticore’s corpse from Se-woon, he had finally completed his ‘task’.

And not with a mere skeleton, but with ghouls, specialized in venom.

As a result, the manticore retained its flight ability, superior physical attributes, and deadly venom.

“I’ll provide as much support as I can!”

Boom!

As if waiting for that cue, Kang Han-cheol fiercely struck the toad whose spiked skin had been stripped off. Meanwhile, Yoo Seo-ah severed the leg of the octopus, stripping away its slimy membrane.

“ROOOARR!!”

The manticore let out a deep roar, almost as if it were alive.

The monsters momentarily recoiled. Instinctively, they recognized the manticore as a predator far beyond their capabilities.

“What the heck? That’s even cooler than my Jeokrang.”

The manticore’s strength was formidable.

Of course, this was possible because of Baek Hyun’s exceptional control skills supporting it.

As soon as the manticore joined the battle, the three quasi-boss monsters were quickly dealt with, causing the monster army, now leaderless, to retreat.

Only then could the trio below the castle wall wipe the sweat from their foreheads and catch their breath.

“Thank you, Baek Hyun.”

“It’s nothing. I couldn’t help earlier because I was researching the manticore, but I’m glad I could contribute now. Besides…”

– The number of monsters has decreased to below 3/4. In response, the Tyrant of the Sea, ‘Drakan,’ appears.

They too checked the message that appeared before their eyes.

Drakan.

It was undoubtedly the fifth chapter’s boss monster that Se-woon had mentioned before leaving.

“How about we go help Blood Wolf?”

“But, what about the Golden Castle…?”

“Don’t worry about the castle!”

“Many of the monsters are gone! We can handle it ourselves!”

As Yoo Seo-ah expressed her concern, the clan members supporting them from the walls cheered heartily.

They had grown incredibly strong through the tutorial, incomparable to their earlier selves.

Both mentally and physically.

Reassured by their spirited cheers, Yoo Seo-ah nodded.

“Alright then, everyone, I’ll leave it to you!”

“Hehe, Seo-ah! Climb onto my Jeokrang! I’ll safely escort you to Hyung!”

The fifth chapter of the tutorial.

The curtain was falling on this heated battlefield.