I Raided the Demon’s Treasury

Chapter 74

“I expected more from a hidden dungeon, but this is quite underwhelming.”

The Black Sea Queen, Dea Vackandel Estrosha.

Could it be because she had been trapped in the deep sea for so long that she had forgotten what pain felt like?

I hadn’t even used half of the tortures listed under the ‘Grad Empire’s Torture Techniques’ before she started talking.

Thanks to that, I accessed everything from the common storage used by ordinary monsters to Estrosha’s private treasury where I now stood.

[ Queen’s Gift ]

Type: Ring

Rank: C+

Description: A ring crafted from the scales of Dea Vackandel Estrosha, the Black Sea Queen. It serves as a token bestowed only upon her subordinates.

Abilities:

1. Queen’s Scale – Increases physical and magical defense by 5%.

2. Queen of the Sea – Slightly increases water affinity.

3. Proof of the Black Sea – Increases movement speed underwater by 5%.

The abilities of this C+ rank item were rather unimpressive.

But it didn’t matter. This was a ring-type accessory.

Though it might look a bit unsightly, if one values efficiency, up to ten rings can be worn simultaneously.

Of course, wearing too many accessories can lead to a decreased effect or cause discomfort in movement, but still.

Rattle.

Aside from that, Estrosha’s vault contained many accessory-type items.

There were no weapons or armor to be found.

A few C-rank weapons were hung like decorations on the wall, so I put them in my Subspace Pouch.

Just as I thought I had explored the entire vault and was about to turn and leave.

“Is it here?”

At the farthest end of the vault, I felt a familiar energy.

Following that energy, the necklace I wore, ‘Wrath of the Sea,’ vibrated faintly in resonance.

As I moved forward, a wall blocked my path.

Initially, I hadn’t noticed it while inspecting the items, but now it seemed somewhat suspicious.

“An entrance?”

A massive circular rock.

Though the traces had nearly faded with time, there were faint drag marks beneath the rock.

Despite pushing with all my strength, the rock refused to budge, as if denying it was a door at all.

Even infusing it with internal energy yielded no results.

In the first chapter of the tutorial, a hidden passageway in a rock mountain easily opened with internal energy, but this rock didn’t seem to be something that could be opened by human strength.

However.

Woom—

Seeing ‘Wrath of the Sea’ resonate confirmed there was definitely something beyond the rock.

After a brief moment of contemplation, I decided to use one of the least necessary rings obtained from the treasury and activated the Power of Greed.

– Opened the Treasury of Greed.

[ Laurin’s Ring ]

– A gold ring worn by Laurin, the King of Dwarves. It is said that the wearer gains the strength of twelve men.

Crack—!

The ring vibrated violently, seemingly on the verge of shattering.

I was a bit concerned since it was the first time I used Mammon’s treasure as an accessory rather than a weapon. But just like with weapons…

If the item’s performance was up to par, it seemed the treasure’s power could be fully exhibited.

‘Let’s put some effort into this.’

Standing beside the rock, I took a solid stance.

Thanks to the energy transferred through the ring, it felt as if power was surging through my entire body.

“Hup!”

Crack—

As soon as I exerted force, the rock began to tremble as if startled.

With Laurin’s Ring, it was a completely different sensation—like the difference between pushing against a wall and pushing against a door.

Woom!

The power embedded in ‘Laurin’s Ring’ flowed through the cracked ring.

It felt as if the ring could only hold out for so long, urging me to complete the task quickly.

With this, I activated my internal energy throughout my body and forcefully pushed the rock.

The overwhelming strength slowly moved the rock, even in the restrictive underwater environment.

It felt as if twelve people were pushing me from behind.

Not just any people, but those with the same strength as me.

Currently, my strength stat is over 150.

Adding the power of the ring, which multiplied that strength, I now wielded the combined force of thirteen. This meant a strength stat close to 2000.

At this moment, my strength rivaled that of top-tier players in the higher levels of the tower.

Grind!

With the addition of internal energy, my strength doubled.

The rock that had been moving slowly began to accelerate, revealing the space hidden behind it.

Blue. A deep, azure light that could submerge your eyes flowed through.

The resonance of the necklace reached its peak, and the ring cracked under the strain at the moment.

Bang!

Drawing out all my remaining strength, I sent the rock flying.

The massive, heavy rock bounced like a ball, rolling several times on the floor before crashing into a wall and finally coming to a stop.

Shatter—

‘Laurin’s Ring’ couldn’t withstand the exerted power and shattered.

Wearing a satisfied smile, I walked into the room from which the azure light was emanating.

The space was quite expansive for a hidden room.

Unlike the previous cave-like terrain, this room had smooth walls like a well-crafted building. In the center of the room…

“This is… Leviathan’s Orb (寶珠)?”

Before my regression, I had learned from ancient records while researching the Seven Demon Gods that Leviathan’s treasure was stored here.

[ Gem of the Deep Sea ]

Type: Gem

Rank: ??

Description: ??

Abilities: ??

The information about the gem wasn’t fully revealed, likely due to the difference in its tier, but I could tell.

“It’s unmistakable. The records mentioned Leviathan lost it on the 40th floor.”

It seemed that, rather than being lost, Estrosha had stolen it and hidden it away

How she managed to bring it here after being cursed and expelled from the tower was unknown, but she had likely hidden it here, preparing for the day she could rise again and break the curse.

That’s why she never revealed its location during the torture.

‘This is an unexpected windfall.’

I had only intended to take some decent items, but I acquired something unimaginable.

Though the relic containing the power of a Demon God wasn’t something I could use myself…

‘I can use this as a bargaining chip when I meet Leviathan.’

This could serve well in negotiations.

Carefully picking up the orb, I placed it into my Subspace Pouch, a satisfied smile tugging at my lips as I turned to leave.

“Time to wrap this up.”

With Leviathan’s location, various trinkets, and now Leviathan’s Orb, I had gained more than I expected.

Now, it was time to put an end to the grateful queen’s life.

* * *

“Why on earth is this happening?”

The Chief of the merfolk, Shax.

Leaving the other merfolk behind, he quickly swam through the collapsing coral debris.

A white streak flowed from his long and sharp shark fin as his body shot forward like a flash of light.

Neither the debris nor any monster could touch Shax. Even the monsters’ gazes couldn’t keep up with him.

Burrowing through the debris in an instant, Shax finally saw the entrance to the queen’s spawning ground.

But.

“No!”

The unthinkable had truly occurred.

Large monsters lay slain in front of the entrance.

A glance at their wounds showed some injuries from blocking the debris, but the lethal wounds were different.

Spines. Or rather, since the attacker was human, it must have been a spear.

The monsters had all been taken down by piercing attacks from something incredibly sharp.

‘No…’

Shax thrust his spear forward, picking up speed.

If they were to lose the queen, even the desolate sea that had been their last refuge would be in jeopardy.

Their ability to remain here was thanks to a contract with the tower.

With ‘His’ power weakened, if they were driven from this sea as well, there would be nowhere left for them to go.

Swish!

As Shax sped like a torpedo, he began to see a faint green light.

The Demon God of Lust, Lilith.

The peculiar shade of light emanating from her curse within the spawning ground indicated he was nearing his destination.

Finally.

“Huff, huff…”

Shax entered the spawning ground, filled with green-glowing eggs.

The queen was alive.

Though she bore various injuries—holes in her body and reddish swollen wounds—she was alive.

For now.

“Stop!”

Shax shouted urgently, completely forgetting the dignity and authority he maintained before his subordinates.

He screamed because of the human holding a spear, seemingly ready to end the queen’s life.

Frozen.

It was truly a close call.

Had he been even a moment later, the human’s spear would have ended the queen’s life. But now, the spearhead was pressed against the queen’s skull.

There was no room for carelessness.