Chapter 149: After the War (2)

The requests of the other guild masters were more or less the same. In the end, what they wanted was land as well.

Although they managed to secure some land, none received a piece as remarkable as the one given to Kai.

The land is too small to develop into a territory.

And it's not even in a prime location.

It seems like it will only serve as a place to develop and manage a few hunting grounds.

Well, at least it's better than the cursed land that Unknown received.

Although it wasn't the outcome they had hoped for, Unknown seemed to have drawn the short straw, so the masters were mostly satisfied.

"You all fought well. The merit points you earned in the war can be used in the royal treasury. Additionally, every adventurer who participated in the battle will be rewarded with 30 gold coins each."

Players who had fought for only a few hours and earned three million won each!

After saying those words, Beoruk dismissed the masters and spoke to Kai, who remained alone

"Your merit points were overwhelmingly high. As a token of appreciation, I grant you special permission to browse the royal treasury. You may choose any item within the limits of your merit points."

That meant access to the royal treasury! This granted him the right to enter the treasure vault of the Kingdom of Rashion, which no one had ever set foot in before.

Kai naturally bowed his head. "Thank you for Your Majesty's grace."

As Kai left the audience chamber, he was warmly greeted by the six guild masters.

"Unknown. We need to discuss the footage from this war."

"Of course, it was your stage, and your performance was outstanding, but our faces were also shown."

"You're not planning to edit the video by yourself and upload it to your personal account, are you?"

Kai lightly shook his head. "Of course, that won't happen. The revenue from the video will be divided equally. However, I will handle the editing, negotiation, and distribution."

"Wait. Rather than you editing it, it would be better to leave it to us at Goliath. Our editing team led by Jeremy Kobalt, a famous Hollywood director, produces videos that are practically movies."

"Negotiations can be handled by our guild. We have plenty of marketers in our sales department who have completed the NBA program. They will achieve the best results."

Despite the masters' attempts to persuade him, Kai calmly asked, unfazed, "Then why do the results you produce fall short compared to mine?"

The masters fell silent at that question.

In fact, Unknown's masterpiece,

Dance with the Moonlight

, had been holding the number one spot on the video board rankings for three weeks straight and showed no signs of dropping. It had quickly overtaken the performance of the highly-rated videos mentioned by the masters.

As a result, they wanted to refute him, but they couldn't.

"Then I'll take that as permission, and I'll handle the video myself."

As everyone nodded with bitter expressions, only Katherine shot up her hand.

"I look best when filmed from a forty-seven-degree angle, okay? Make sure you stick to that. If you don't, it's over for both of us."

"... I'll do my best to incorporate that."

As the conversation ended, attendants approached and began escorting the masters out of the palace.

The last to remain, Seol Eun-Yeong, looked at Kai and said, "The debt has been fully repaid now."

"Yes, you've repaid it in full. Thank you again for your help."

"Personally, I can't stand being in debt. See you on a higher stage, then."

With a faint smile, Seol Eun-Yeong left a brief farewell and followed the attendant.

A higher stage, huh.

He was willing to go there. No, if one wanted to claim the top spot, it was a place they had to go. However, now was not the time.

"I have a mountain of things to take care of first."

Only after dealing with all of that could he join the war among the stars.

Well then, let's go solve one of them first.

Kai said to the attendant waiting for him, "Lead the way. To the royal treasury."

***

The royal palace's treasury of Rashion was a mysterious place that was not easily accessible, not even to the noble NPCs, let alone players.

"Please enter. The time limit is one hour. Your merit points are 12,000, so you may access up to the third section."

"The sections are divided?"

"Yes. The further you go in, the more valuable the items become, so the merit points required also increase proportionately. I hope you find an item that pleases you."

As the two guards at the entrance stepped aside, the seven accompanying wizards each chanted their spells.

How many lock spells have they set on this place?

Only after seven specially encrypted spells were dispelled did the door to the treasury finally open.

The time limit is one hour.

As Kai entered, a message window appeared before him.

Ding!

[You are the first adventurer to visit the Treasury of Rashion’s Royal Palace.]

[Special title acquired: Treasure Hunter.]

"Oh, a special title."

Come to think of it, he had also obtained the title First Commander but hadn't checked its effects yet.

I'll check that later.

For now, he was searching a place with a time limit.

After briefly scanning the first section of the treasury, Kai picked up a sword in front of him.

"Item appraisal."

[

Frozen Frost Blade

]

Grade: Rare

Attack Power: 321-362

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Strength +30 Agility +20

*Imbued with a freezing effect. Has a 5% chance to freeze the enemy upon attack.

A weapon created on a whim by a grand wizard who wielded ice.

However, its durability is weak as it is made of ice.

Requirement: Level 300+, Strength 700+

Durability: 41/53

Required Merit Points: 1,200

"This is just the first section, and items like this are already showing up?"

Kai let out a bewildered chuckle. But that was only for a moment. As he appraised any kind of item around him, he nodded.

They're all at least of Rare grade. Their effects are amazing. They're good, but...

Each had a critical flaw. For example, the Frozen Frost Blade had Durability issues, and the Crazy Rogue's Dagger had a chance of reducing the user's HP.

The quality of the equipment is excellent... but they're a bit tricky to actually use.

Realizing this, Kai moved on to the next section without appraising any more items.

Well, there could be a treasure without flaws hidden in the first section, but...

He picked up a sword placed in the second section.

"Item appraisal."

[

Surging Wild Wind Longsword

]

Grade: Rare

Attack Power: 347-392

Strength +32 Agility +21 Stamina +10

*Imbued with a wild wind effect. On critical hits, a wild wind blows, dealing additional damage to all nearby enemies.

A dwarven weapon said to have been crafted on Storm Hill.

A sword worthy of the title Treasure of the Ages.

Requirement: Level 280+, Strength 700+

Durability: 87/118

Required Merit Points: 5,420

"

Ooo.

"

The flaws that the weapons in the first section had were not present in the second section. In short, it was a section filled with the highest grade of Rare items!

Then what about the third section?

The farthest he could access was the third section, so he headed there without hesitation.

"

Wow

..."

The radiance emitted by the items was on a whole different level! The moment he laid eyes on them, Kai had a good feeling and began appraising the weapons.

"Of course."

They were of Rare grade at minimum, with some reaching the Unique grade! However, even the Unique equipment had slight quirks, just like the items in the first section.

Unique equipment with flaws is in the third section. So the fourth section likely contains flawless Unique equipment. Then what about the fifth section...?

Kai had heard that the royal treasury was divided into a total of five sections. Therefore, the grade of the items located there could only be one thing.

"Legendary items."

Legendary items wouldn't have any flaws, which was likely why there wasn't a sixth section.

Perhaps I could at least take a peek?

As Kai approached the door to the fourth section out of curiosity, the system stopped him.

[You do not have authority.]

[Insufficient merit points.]

"Can't even take a look, huh."

Kai smacked his lips in disappointment and started searching the third section thoroughly.

I don’t have enough time to explore the first and second sections.

Rather than hunting for potential treasures there, it was faster to find a usable item in the third section. Moreover, the number of items in the third section was fewer than in the first and second, which reduced the search time.

After about forty minutes of appraising items, a message alert rang in Kai's ear.

Ding!

[Appraisal skill level is now Advanced Lv. 2.]

"... Nice."

It was the result of appraising hundreds of Unique items!

Now it's time to make a decision.

Kai looked at the two items placed in front of him.

[Cloak of the Cursed Noble]

Grade: Unique

Defense: 812

Magic Defense: 781

Strength +25 Stamina +25 Dignity +50

While equipped, you are poisoned, taking 1,500 damage per second.

A cloak frequently worn by a noble who, unable to accept the decline of his family, made a pact with a demon. Eventually deceived by the demon's trickery, he now walks the lands of hell.

Requirement: Level 250+

Durability: 70/100

Required Merit Points: 10,800

[Elixir of Strength Enhancement]

Grade: Unique

When consumed, there is an 80% chance to increase Strength by 10.

When consumed, there is a 15% chance to increase Strength by 100.

When consumed, there is a 5% chance to increase Strength by 1,000.

Required Merit Points: 11,450

"

Ugh

..." Kai let out a twisted groan.

Indecisiveness that only optimistic, well-behaved, and diligent people experience!

He continued to stare at the two items several times before sighing.

"Only fifteen minutes left..."

He had 12,000 merit points, so he could only afford to buy one of the two items.

If I buy the cloak, my power will increase immediately...

Kai's gaze shifted to the elixir.

5% isn't that low of a chance, right?

It was a low chance. However, Kai, blinded by the dream of hitting the jackpot, began to think in a strange direction.

Well, even if I hit the 15% chance and gain 100 Strength, it would still be a massive gain. And if I land on the almost-nothing 80% chance? Digging the earth won't give me 10 Strength, so that's a gain too. And if I hit the jackpot...

That would give him an increase in Strength stat by 1,000!

Faced with this unbelievable number, Kai repeatedly gulped. If the usual Kai had seen himself now, he would have smacked himself on the back of the head to snap out of it and then smacked himself again for still not getting a grip!

"

Ugh

. This is driving me crazy."

Of course, he knew that choosing the cloak was the much safer way to increase his stats. However...

My luck hasn't been that bad lately.

Strictly speaking, everything he had done recently had been a home run. Moreover, he couldn't help but recall the time he hit the jackpot with the skill book gamble.

"Could it be... that Helik is secretly helping me?"

If Helik had been next to him, he probably would have scolded what nonsense that was.

But like all humans when faced with indecisiveness, there was only one solution.

Sh-should I just go for it?

Closing his eyes and taking the plunge. The only solution was to use up all the money he had so that he couldn't back out!

"Based on your merit points, the withdrawal of the Elixir of Strength Enhancement is permitted. Congratulations."

Thud!

The door to the treasury closed firmly, seven locking spells were cast once more, and in his palm was a small vial.

It was only then that Kai came to his senses.

"W-what have I done!"

Even with its drawbacks, the Cloak of the Cursed Noble was something that could fetch at least several million won at auction. Moreover, as a Poison Master, he could have naturally ignored the poison damage!

A chance to gain 25 Strength, 25 Stamina, and 50 Dignity...

That chance had now been turned into a single, radiant vial of liquid.

This is an item where luck-boosting items won't help.

The item’s probabilities were fixed from the start. No matter how many luck-boosting items he equipped, a 5% chance wouldn't suddenly become 7%.

Gulp, gulp!

Kai first emptied a vial of holy water, filling his mouth with holy power. Then, kneeling in the hallway, he tightly closed his eyes and prayed to Helik.

"Helik, this is my first prayer since my job change. How have you been? I have been well. To get straight to the point, please help me just this once... You see, I have always admired you so much..."

It was the start of a sudden confession!

The knights and wizards who were watching him in real-time had bewildered expressions.

This is the first time I've seen a lunatic like this.

Did His Majesty really grant this guy access to the royal treasury?

Judging by his behavior, he seems like a cleric...

Should this be seen as deep faith? The future of the Solarian Church seems rather worrisome today.

Regardless of what they thought, Kai finished his plea disguised as a prayer and opened the vial.

[Do you wish to consume the Elixir of Strength Enhancement?]

In response to the system's question, Kai answered with his actions.

Gulp, gulp!