I Raided the Demon’s Treasury

Chapter 88

While casually exploring the village, Park Jung-pil arrived quickly.

He had mentioned knowing someone, so it wouldn’t take long. Although Se-woon hadn’t checked the time, it felt like it took less than thirty minutes.

Wanting to display how much effort he had put in, the panting guy caught his breath before he began his report.

“Hyung, I’ve gathered the information!”

“So, what did you find out?”

“Nothing happened!”

“What?”

Se-woon’s expression soured.

An incident that caused players to be annihilated happened, yet the villagers knew nothing about it.

No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t add up.

“I am serious! All the players disappeared about a month after they entered, but the residents claim to know nothing!”

“That can’t be true….”

“They even asked me if there was some pact among players. Like, is there a one-month time limit?”

Seeing Se-woon still frowning, the guy excitedly continued.

“I got the same answer from three different residents, so it’s certain! Ah, but they did mention something strange happening.”

“What was it?”

“The day after the players disappeared, there were signs of a battle left in the village.”

“Signs of a battle, you say….”

“Well, the ground was dug up, and there were bloodstains, that sort of thing? But the residents claimed to know nothing about it.”

“Isn’t that even weirder? A battle took place in the village, yet no one knows?”

“I don’t know about that. Since all three said the same, I just took it as it was.”

“Hmm….”

With insufficient information, Se-woon couldn’t come up with a solid answer despite racking his brain.

Several hypotheses came to mind, but without more information, he couldn’t make any judgments.

‘In the end, I have to find a survivor.’

Hoping to find a clue, he felt a bit disappointed.

After concluding his thoughts, Se-woon turned his head.

“The predecessor player’s location. You said you knew it?”

“Yep! When I inquired earlier about what you had asked, I also checked that person’s location!”

“Alright, let’s head there.”

“Uh, but Hyung.”

“What is it?”

“Since we’re in the village, can we get something to eat before we go?”

He thought the suggestion was irrelevant to finding survivors.

Normally, Se-woon would have easily dismissed Park Jung-pil’s words.

“… Is there a good place?”

“I know all the good spots in this village! Just trust me, Park Jung-pil!”

Was it due to last night’s party? Se-woon seemed a bit more relaxed.

* * *

“Hehe, Hyung. How was it?”

“It was alright.”

“For something just alright, you did open your eyes wide.”

Indeed, the restaurant that Park Jung-pil had introduced was quite outstanding.

They served meat stew with garlic bread, which had a different taste compared to what they usually had at the base.

In particular, the taste of the softly cooked vegetables was restigmaable.

Most likely, because during the Tutorial, they relied more on meat than vegetables, the texture of the vegetables felt newer to him.

Being captivated by that crunch.

Crunch!

Se-woon was still holding a skewer in his hand.

It was a dish cooked over an open flame, with various vegetables along with the meat on the skewer, and even though the meat was very good, the texture of the vegetables was fantastic.

He thought that soon he should store fresh vegetables, not just raw meat, in the subspace pouch.

“Hyung, over here!”

Gulp.

After swallowing a properly grilled bell pepper, the skewer finished, a small valley came into view in front of Se-woon.

A small stream flowed through the center, but aside from that, everything else was made of rock.

“Where is this?”

“I don’t know that far!”

“What?”

“The person is in hiding, so I only heard rumors of sightings in this vicinity. Well, if we walk around a bit, we should come across them, right?”

As expected of Park Jung-pil, the information seemed only 98% complete, an element was always missing.

After letting out a brief sigh, Se-woon activated the Power of Greed.

– Opened the Treasury of Greed

[ Searching ]

– A spell developed at the Colorless Tower that can explore surrounding terrain, creatures, and more.

Buzz!

Se-woon’s circle spun fiercely, spreading mana into the surroundings.

As if scanning the area, the mana extended outward, providing a more dimensional view of the terrain.

“Ooh, as expected of Hyung! What kind of magic is this?”

“Shh.”

“Gasp!”

Before, Park Jung-pil wouldn’t have recognized Se-woon using magic, but being a player now at the tower, he immediately noticed Se-woon dispersing mana.

Without being taught, he seemed to have figured out how to handle mana.

‘Hmm….’

What Se-woon was looking for wasn’t the shape of the terrain.

He delicately manipulated the mana as he began searching for ‘traces’ around.

Soon, various traces engraved in the surroundings surfaced.

Unnaturally broken twigs, hardened feces, tufts of fur stuck to rocks, etc.

Initially, he thought it would be difficult for wild animals to survive here since there was only the small stream, but there were traces of numerous animals.

Likely, these were hints of animals coming to drink water.

‘Even if not reliable, the information should be accurate.’

Since the terrain was mostly rocky, it was difficult to find traces.

It was hard to find footprints, which are usually the easiest to spot, on a rocky surface.

Then suddenly….

Buzz!

“Found it.”

“Ooh!”

Just as he was about to readjust due to the unexpected mana usage of the searching spell, he found human traces.

Mud shallowly adhered to the rocks surrounding the stream.

Although more than half of the trace had worn off, judging by the length and stride, it was clearly a human footprint.

“As expected of you, Hyung!”

The reason for the significant mana consumption in searching was the search range was vast. Conversely, once they confirmed a trace and just examined the path, the mana consumption was not much at all.

“Stay quiet and just follow me.”

“Yep!”

Se-woon and Park Jung-pil started heading deeper into the valley.

* * *

“Hyung, is this the right place?”

“It is. … Probably.”

“Hyung? What do you mean, probably?”

Following the traces into the valley took quite some time.

The problem lay in that the initial trace they found was a footprint of mud, which had almost disappeared.

Even the searching spell wasn’t detecting convincing traces now, so they were merely relying on the direction of the footprints and their instincts for now.

“How about turning back for now? If we bring the clan members and search widely, it would be much faster.”

“He’s someone in hiding.”

“Which is why if we all search….”

“Someone hiding in a place like this valley won’t stay put when dozens of people start combing through it.”

“Ah?”

Moreover, if the person was cautious, he might notice someone had entered the valley and could have relocated his dwelling.

So it was best to uncover the survivor by the end of today.

‘But there are hardly any traces left….’

As Se-woon pondered what to do, struggling with the lack of traces.

“Graar-”

From the left path of a forked valley, a beast’s cry echoed.

It was a faint sound, hardly perceptible to Park Jung-pil.

This sound might not be related to the survivor, but it was the first sound they heard since entering the valley.

“Let’s go!”

“Yes, yep!”

Se-woon’s pace quickened.

Employing footwork and dashing between rocks, he moved swiftly like a wild animal.

What was impressive was….

“Hyung, let’s slow down a little!”

Despite the complaints, Park Jung-pil was keeping up with Se-woon right from behind.

To keep pace with Se-woon’s overwhelming agility, who was also employing footwork, indicated an unexpectedly high speed.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never seen this guy fight.’

Perhaps because his initial combat style was used as bait?

Even afterward, Park Jung-pil engaged in taunting monsters, drawing them away, buying time, gathering intel, always acting as a herder.

With Balefor’s power and with such speed, he could definitely engage in combat through different methods.

He thought perhaps he should have a match with him sometime to gauge his abilities.

By increasing speed, before long, the howl of a wolf sounded close by.

Simultaneously, a voice, seeming to belong to someone confronting the wolf, was heard.

There was no reason for villagers to enter this deep into the valley, so that person was likely the survivor Se-woon was seeking.

As he leaped over a tall rock, spotting about twenty wolves surrounding a man, Se-woon drew Durandal from the air.

– Through internal energy, the third form of Blood Wolf Swordsmanship, Blood Wolf Ambush, is enhanced.

Se-woon’s internal energy gleamed red, taking the shape of a wolf.

Thanks to Se-woon’s internal energy, which had reached the level of one gapja, the form was sharper and more distinct than before.

The wolves sensed the murderous intent and turned to look, but it was already too late.

Boom!

“Awh!”

As soon as Se-woon touched the ground, about ten wolves were ruthlessly shredded and lifted off their feet.

Although the wounds on their bodies were from being sliced with a sword, they appeared as if gnawed by a fierce beast.

Just as he was about to prep for the next attack, he felt the back of his right hand heat up intensely.

– The Stigma of the Satyr reacts to the Legend of the Blood Wolf.

– The first ability of the Stigma, ‘Fear,’ awakens.

Rumble!

A red aura swirled around Se-woon.

An overwhelming aura.

The remaining wolves could neither avenge their comrades nor flee, left paralyzed on the spot.

Some buried their heads in the earth, unable to withstand the terror, or even wet themselves.

‘It’s thanks to the title.’

The dread gained from the Blood Wolf title, enhanced further by the Stigma of Satyr, created a synergistic effect.

It was not just ordinary fear that made one cower and flee, but overwhelming fear that robbed opponents of survival instincts and reason.

A far more potent form than the fear utilized with the Gray Wolf Cloak’s options in the past.

“As expected of you Hyung! Amazing!”

It seemed allies weren’t affected by the fear.

Taking a step forward to finish it off, the stigma that was flaring up cooled down as if it were a lie.

‘Is there a time limit?’

Since it was an unfamiliar power to Se-woon as well, controlling it proved challenging.

Once the fear dissipated, the wolves snapped back to their senses and scampered away.

Though the dread from the stigma had faded, they didn’t dare to challenge Se-woon.

“Hyung, won’t you follow them?”

“Leave it. More importantly….”

Rehooking his sword onto his waist, Se-woon looked at the man who had been bitten all over and was drenched in blood.

Though his equipment was in tatters, Se-woon, having experienced regression, had the intuition that this man was indeed a player.

‘Found him.’

Se-woon extended his hand toward the man.

—–

(T/N): gapja – refers to a significant level or milestone in cultivation. It represents the completion of a full cycle or stage, indicating significant progress, mastery, or refinement in internal energy or abilities.