Chapter 331: Treasure Hunt (10)

The plan itself was simple. First, they extracted information about Orcal, the deputy commander, from Arktur. Then, Kwon Oh-Jin’s group ambushed him together.

As expected of a deputy commander, Orcal wasn’t weak by any means. However, caught completely off guard, he couldn’t possibly win against a group of monstrous elites like Kwon Oh-Jin’s party.

Once they subdued Orcal, everything went smoothly.

Kwon Oh-Jin used his Transformation ability to impersonate Orcal and infiltrated the Golden Vault without raising any suspicion.

Moisture inside the vault? The facility manager suddenly going silent? He didn’t need to actually do anything for those details.

After all, I was the one who discovered the moisture and contacted the facility manager in the first place.

He created the humidity using the Stigma of Seahorse and had never actually contacted the facility manager in the first place. The only real variable was having to summon Arktur, but that turned out in their favor because Arktur really was a demonkin skilled in adjusting Astral Relics.

Even if he wasn’t, I could’ve come up with another excuse to bring him in.

In any case, infiltrating while posing as Orcal hadn’t been difficult.

Rather, hiding Transformation from Vega was harder.

Since he couldn’t let Vega find out the truth about this skill, Kwon Oh-Jin had to carry out most of the plan alone.

“

Haa

,” he wearily sighed.

How much longer can I keep this up?

The more people and things he treasured, the harder it became to hide the Black Heaven’s existence. Without using its power, he had no way of standing against the Heavenly Demon.

Someday...

The thought that he would have to tell her the truth about who he really was one day flickered across his mind.

But today isn’t that day.

Shaking his head, Kwon Oh-Jin pulled out a communication Astral Relic from his pocket. As he poured mana into the crystal orb about the size of a fist, a faint glow shimmered before a hologram appeared.

Baek Mu-Kang appeared in the projection, his eyes sparkling as he glanced around excitedly.

—Whoa! The treasure vault! It's the treasure vault!

Besides Baek Mu-Kang, Isabella and Vega could also be heard through the crystal.

—Y-You really did it, Mr. Oh-Jin.

—Just how did you manage to get past the guards and make it inside?

“I told you I had a way,” Kwon Oh-Jin replied vaguely and carefully avoided the details. He started walking forward. “Do you see the treasure you’re looking for, elder?”

He turned the crystal orb toward the towering piles of treasure.

Hundreds of treasures like glittering gold, dazzling gemstones, and countless weapons were stacked up to the ceiling.

—

Hmm...

give me a second.

Baek Mu-Kang studied the mountain of riches carefully, sucking on his finger as he stared intently. Then, he slowly shook his head.

—Nope. It’s not here.

“Really?”

The Golden Vault was massive with many areas to search still. Kwon Oh-Jin continued wandering through the vault with the crystal orb in hand.

“How about here?”

He showed a section filled with jewelry like necklaces and rings, all encrusted with jewels that easily looked worth millions of won.

Baek Mu-Kang stared hard for a moment, then shook his head again.

—

Hmm

. No, my treasure isn’t there.

So, it’s not jewelry either.

Kwon Oh-Jin moved to another section with neatly displayed gemstones, but Baek Mu-Kang shook his head again.

—Nope.

With a sigh, Kwon Oh-Jin moved on to a spot lined up with blades and spears.

—

Uhh

, still no.

Kwon Oh-Jin deeply sighed at another dead end without even realizing it.

“Could you please describe the treasure in more detail?” Frustrated, he asked the same question he had already asked several times before.

He fully expected another useless answer like, “A treasure is a treasure.”

—My treasure is more square and light.

Square and light? Like a jewel box?

No, a jewel box wouldn’t be light.

What kind of treasure is he even looking for?

Kwon Oh-Jin circled the Golden Vault again, searching for anything that matched Baek Mu-Kang’s vague description. No matter how much he looked, nothing fit that description.

Dammit.

At this point, he began to wonder if Deimos had even stolen Baek Mu-Kang’s treasure.

“Are you sure you didn’t miss it even though it’s in here, elder?”

—No. If I see it, I’ll know right away.

Baek Mu-Kang replied with certainty.

“

Haaa

.” Kwon Oh-Jin deeply sighed and rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache.

He had expected the treasure to be in the vault.

If it’s not here, then where the hell is it?

Could it be that Deimos kept the treasure somewhere else, separate from this vault?

If that’s the case, I have no way to steal it.

They had a chance of stealing it if Baek Mu-Kang’s treasure was hidden in a heavily guarded place like the Golden Vault. However, there would be no way to steal it if the treasure was hidden away in some private safe that only Deimos knew about.

“I’ll do one more sweep just in case,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

They still had time before the captain returned to the vault from the factory.

Kwon Oh-Jin headed back toward the entrance of the Golden Vault to do another scan. Just then, the door suddenly began to open.

Rumble!

From beyond the slowly parting door, a tall demonkin stepped into the vault. “I was wondering who dared to open the door without permission... Looks like a little rat slipped in.”

He looked so thin that one could practically see his bones. His sunken eyes, like those of a starving man, gleamed with a chilling blue light.

The moment Kwon Oh-Jin saw the tall demonkin enter the vault, he didn’t hesitate to take out Dantalian from his waist. The weapon instantly morphed into a spear and tore through the air with a thunderous crack.

Crackle!

The tall demonkin casually caught the lightning-enveloped spear with his bare hand. His brow twitched faintly as blue electricity coursed down his arm.

“The Stigma of Lyra... Why is Vega’s apostle here?” The demonkin tossed the spear to the floor and glared at Kwon Oh-Jin.

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Clang!

The demonkin simply looked at Kwon Oh-Jin, but the sheer pressure from his gaze alone made it hard to breathe. All the previous demonkin Kwon Oh-Jin had fought so far couldn’t compare. He didn’t need much time to realize the demonkin’s identity.

“Deimos...”

Deimos the Golden was one of the only three demonkin who held the title of archduke. The master of the underground city built beneath the Black Rock Mines stared at him.

“So, you’re the human who’s been stirring up trouble in the Demonic District.” Deimos smirked. It seemed he had already heard about Kwon Oh-Jin. “Even a human who preaches justice couldn't resist the lure of treasures,

huh?

”

Perhaps he thought Kwon Oh-Jin had snuck in just to steal his treasure. Deimos reached out with his twig-like arm and scooped up a handful of gold from a nearby pile.

“Well... I suppose there’s no such creature that wouldn’t covet something this beautiful.” He stared dreamily at the gold in his hand like a man high on drugs.

Kwon Oh-Jin silently reached out toward the spear lying on the floor. Dantalian floated up and returned to his hand.

A fight couldn’t be avoided now that he stood face-to-face in front of Deimos.

“Change of plans,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

He wanted to avoid a head-on fight with Deimos, but had no other option at this point.

I’ll beat Deimos and find the treasure.

Kwon Oh-Jin quietly exhaled and tightened his grip on the spear.

Panicked voices echoed from the communication orb.

—I-I’ll head over there right now, Mr. Oh-Jin!

—Just hold on a little bit, Oh-Jin!

“Are you planning to call in your little rat friends?”

“You don’t exactly look like someone I can handle alone.”

“

Ha

. How fitting of a pathetic thief trying to steal someone else’s treasure.”

“Oh

,

please. Don’t act like this stuff actually belongs to you.”

Most of the treasure in this vault had been looted or stolen by Deimos.

“All these treasures were stolen, you bastard. Why the hell would it be yours?”

What is this, colonial Britain?

“Those who failed to protect their treasure were simply weak. I took it from those unworthy of it. That is all.”

Yep, definitely Britain.

“Well then, let’s see if you’re worthy of it.”

A surge of blue lightning burst toward Deimos, but he tilted slightly and dodged it with ease.

He’s fast.

Kwon Oh-Jin had expected someone who obsessively hoarded treasure to be fat and sluggish, gluttonous even. Deimos was unexpectedly lean and agile like an assassin.

In that case!

Kwon Oh-Jin stomped hard and pulled his arm back.

Boom!

Lightning coursed through him and gathered at his speartip.

Wide-range attacks worked best against fast-moving enemies. With his arm pulled as far as possible, Kwon Oh-Jin hurled his spear again at Deimos.

Lightning Discharge!

The blue lightning condensed within the spear exploded like a wild beast finally let loose, spreading in all directions.

He hadn’t aimed precisely and hoped that at least one bolt would hit.

“No!” Deimos flung himself forward like a parent shielding their child and took the full brunt of the lightning head-on.

He let out a pained groan as the lightning crackled across him.

“How dare you try to damage my treasures?!” Deimos glared at Kwon Oh-Jin with eyes burning with hatred.

What kind of lunatic is he?

Kwon Oh-Jin laughed in disbelief. “If it’s that precious to you, then watch closely.”

As he prepared to unleash an attack on the mountain of gold piled nearby, a burst of white flames instantly shot toward him.

Fwoosh!

“

Agh!

” Kwon Oh-Jin barely managed to dodge.

The edge of the white flame grazed his arm and left a frost-like residue. His skin immediately began to necrotize.

What the hell is this?

Kwon Oh-Jin frowned at the cold fire, an impossible phenomenon.

“Those who don’t cherish treasures have no right to possess them.” Deimos unsheathed his sword with his twig-like arms.

His pure white blade looked like it had been made from condensed snowflakes. Just unsheathing it caused a wave of bitter frost to course through the air as if it could freeze the room solid.

Is he combining that sword’s power to create that white fire?

Kwon Oh-Jin frowned as he poured a potion onto the frostbitten, necrotizing part of his arm.

Just then, Baek Mu-Kang shouted through the still-connected communication orb.

—My treasure! That’s my treasure!

He flailed with excitement and pointed frantically at Deimos’s blade.

That sword is the treasure the elder has been looking for?

Kwon Oh-Jin hadn’t expected that to be the treasure.