[Chapter 99. Treasure Hunt]
The shimring surface of the portal rippled like disturbed water as the final mber of the Golden Order stepped through and vanished into the ether. Their departure left Searanox standing in absolute, heavy silence, the only inhabitant remaining in the vast, hollowed-out cavern alongside the colossal, cooling corpse of the beast. He let out a long, slow breath, his lungs burning slightly from the lingering, acrid stench of burnt chitin and vaporized bodily fluids that still perated the stagnant air.
"That was… an experience," he muttered to the empty room. His voice sounded thin and small, the words barely audible as they were swallowed by the imnse, jagged walls of the chamber.
With a focused thought, he summoned ten of his Recon Drones. The small, tallic forms materialized out of thin air in a series of soft hums and blue light, their sensors imdiately swiveling to calibrate to the dim environnt. Without needing a vocal command, they swept forward in a tight, efficient formation, fanning out and disappearing into the labyrinthine, pitch-black passages of the dungeon. Searanox closed his eyes for a mont, his mind mapping their collective progress as they navigated the twisted tunnels he had spent the last several hours fighting through. He had no intention of leaving just yet; he needed to check for any remaining threats, hidden passages, or missed opportunities that the Golden Order might have overlooked in their haste to depart.
He gingerly lowered himself onto the massive, scorched head of the Depths Devourer. The heavy armored plating was still uncomfortably warm beneath him, radiating a residual heat that seeped through his gear. As his drones continued their systematic sweep of the darkness, he focused his mind and pulled up his status. The familiar, glowing blue window materialized in his inner eye, its glow a stark contrast to the darkness around him.
[Status]
─ Na: Searanox
─ Level: 25
─ Exp: 262,388 / 351,520
─ HP: 563 / 630
─ TP: 472 / 993 (22/min)
─ Strength: 32 ( 52) [ 50%] → 126
─ Dexterity: 30 ( 52) [ 50%] → 123
─ Constitution: 32 ( 52) [ 50%] → 126
─ Intelligence: 57 ( 52) [ 50%] → 164
─ Agility: 31 ( 52) [ 50%] → 125
─ Willpower: 58 ( 52) [ 50%] → 165
Searanox stared at the numbers for several seconds. The cumulative impact of his level gains and his specialized equipnt had pushed his stats into a realm that felt entirely separate from where he had started only a week ago.
"That is almost disgusting," he muttered, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. He closed the window with a satisfied thought, feeling the raw power thrumming through his enhanced physique.
Another notification pulsed rhythmically in the corner of his vision, demanding imdiate attention—the milestone reward for reaching Level 25. He focused on the icon, and a new text window materialized, offering him a choice that would likely define his tactical approach for the next several levels.
[System Notification]
Please choose one of the following skills to unlock:
├─ [Summon Ground Drone]
├─ [Detonate]
└─ [Cognitive Enhancent]
Searanox's analytical gaze swept over the three options.
Summon Ground Drone was a straightforward utility expansion. He already understood the fundantal chanics of drone summoning and control; adding a terrestrial unit would give him more frontline presence, but he felt his current airborne swarm was more versatile. Detonate offered an intriguing tactical pivot, essentially turning his expensive constructs into guided missiles. He could see the utility in a desperate situation, but he viewed his drones as long-term investnts, not disposable ordinance. He dismissed the option without much hesitation.
Cognitive Enhancent, however, promised to sharpen his most vital tool: his mind. The description was sowhat vague regarding the specific magnitude of the improvents, but Searanox had always believed that a keen, fast-processing mind was the ultimate weapon in a system governed by numbers and rapid decision-making.
The choice was clear. He reached out and selected Cognitive Enhancent.
The mont he confird his selection, a wave of agonizing, crystalline cold seared through his skull. It wasn't the dull ache of a bruise, but an intensity that made the worst migraines of his past life seem like mild, passing headaches. It felt as though his cranium had been surgically cracked open and filled with pressurized liquid nitrogen. He gritted his teeth, his vision blurring white as his brain was forcibly rewired.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The pain vanished just as quickly as it had arrived, leaving behind a subtle yet imdiately perceptible shift in his reality. The difference was instantaneous. His thoughts no longer felt like a linear stream, but a broad, flowing river of clarity. Details from the recent battle—the exact trajectory of a centipede’s leg, the specific position of Astera’s barrier, the exact amount of arrows used by Narina—resurfaced in his mind with perfect, high-definition recall.
"Ti will tell if this truly holds up under combat pressure," he mused. His mind was already cataloging the skill's passive effects. According to the internal log, it enhanced all ntal processes related to the acquisition, processing, and long-term storage of information. It granted a significantly faster rate of absorbing data through his five senses, near-perfect mory retention, and a nearly flawless internal sense of ti.
At the ntion of mory and data, he reached into his storage ring and pulled out a small, glowing red stone. The E-Grade Skillstone he had recovered earlier felt smooth and cool in his palm. He examined the crystalline structure for a mont before the System prompted him to choose a skill for the upgrade.
He selected Summon Air Drone. The stone dissolved instantly into a cloud of glowing red dust and sparks, the magical essence flowing directly into his fingertips.
[System Notification]
─ Bing. [Summon Air Drone] has been upgraded to E-Grade.
─ [Construct Interdiate Air Drone] schematics are now available.
The detailed technical knowledge of the upgrade flooded his mind—a sharp, intrusive sting of data followed by instant, total comprehension. It was as if the engineering blueprints had always been there, buried in his subconscious.
Drone construction, he realized, was now a two-step process. First, he had to select the drone type and pay the required material and TP cost for the build. Second, he could summon them to his side with an expenditure of tech points.
`Five drones per skill level, stored in a separate, dedicated spatial sub-pocket. That is incredibly efficient. No more bottlenecks in active deploynt.` He thought, ticulously cataloging the new specifications.
While his recon drones continued their sweep of the deeper tunnels, Searanox set to work on the Depths Devourer's head. He pulled his Mycelial Fang from its sheath and began to saw at the thick armor plating. The process was grueling; the knife slid into the chitinous shell with difficulty, the sound more akin to a grating saw than a clean cut. Even the narrow gaps between the heavy plates were reinforced with a tough, fibrous tissue that resisted the enchanted blade. He wasn't looking for at; he was interested in the reinforced cranial chitin that he could potentially use for future creation of gear.
His recon drones finally completed their sweep of the Burrowing Depths, their collective findings materializing in his mind as a comprehensive ntal map. Nearly an hour had passed since the Golden Order’s departure. The drones had located two hidden chests, tucked away in concealed alcoves that the main group had bypassed in their frantic rush to reach the boss and escape the corruption.
Searanox summoned a Travel Drone. He mounted the construct, his body settling into the ergonomic, form-fitting depression as it lifted smoothly off the cavern floor. The drone navigated the labyrinthine passages with chanical precision, following the optimized paths laid out by his recon network.
The first chest lay deep within the dungeon's twisting, lower corridors, hidden behind a carefully placed wall of loose earth and rubble in a section that had once been infested with Carapace Crawlers. The travel drone settled onto the uneven floor, its engines whirring softly as Searanox dismounted.
He approached the wall, his fingers sinking into the damp, loose soil. With a forceful scoop, the earth crumbled away, revealing a small, reinforced cavity nestled within the natural rock. Inside, a wooden chest barely larger than his hands lay hidden in the gloom. He retrieved it, his fingers brushing against the rough, weathered wood as he pried open the lid.
A single, brilliant Gold Coin glead within the velvet-lined interior, its polished surface reflecting the faint light from his hovering drones. It bore the sa intricate, geotric markings as the silver coins he had collected previously, though its weight was significantly more substantial in his palm.
As he stored the coin in his storage ring, a sudden, sharp flash of understanding flooded his mind—the currency's value.
The gold coin held a specific, quantifiable worth in this world: one hundred silver coins.
The realization hit him like a physical blow to the stomach. His mind raced back to the boss chamber—to the chest that the Golden Order had opened. He rembered Garu's exclamation. "Ten coins." The Golden Order hadn't just taken a "convenience fee." They hadn't just taken their fair share for the carry. They had looked him in the eye and robbed him blind.
"They took ten gold coins," Searanox snarled, the words echoing sharply in the oppressive silence of the tunnel. A thick vein pulsed in his neck, a frantic, rhythmic beat beneath his pale skin.
Ten gold coins. A thousand silver coins. A fortune large enough to outfit a small rcenary company with system-grade gear many tis over.
It was a literal king's ransom. And because he was a novice from a Stage One world, they had simply pocketed it and walked out the door, leaving him to scavenge for scraps.
Reviews
All reviews (0)