Chapter 98

"Thank you for the good deal. I'll be on my way."

Ding.

[You have obtained 40,000 gold.]

Her words about rushing over immediately were not empty promises.

It seemed she was in the middle of an important quest somewhere...

"Of course. After all, if you register it at the auction house, you might get a higher price..."

The Centaur thought that the 'Fanatic's Sickle' selling for that price was due to a bidding war, but what if such a bidding war happened again?

The probability wasn't zero. Knowing this, she added one more thing to the 40,000 gold.

"If you need my help while playing the game, feel free to contact me. I'll come running."

"Thank you. I appreciate your words."

"Though I'm not a servant, once I've said it, it's worth a thousand pieces of gold. Please call me!"

After saying this, she left to level up.

The level requirement for the two weapons was 50, so she couldn't equip them yet.

"Every time I see this, I can't help but feel out of place."

-It's not really overkill. Once you hit level 50 and equip those items, the difficulty of the second-class quest will drop significantly. She must be very grateful.

"Then it's fortunate. Alright, let's head back to the palace... before that."

Swish.

Carpe turned around and headed back to the auction house.

When you have more money, your perspective changes.

Carpe thoroughly checked the auction house to see if there were any items he had missed.

-...Are you planning to run a sea raid? Your inventory is going to burst.

"Isn't it better to be over-prepared?"

-That's true, but...

After taking ample time to shop, Carpe was able to make perfect preparations.

* * *

The next day.

Carpe returned to the Lamarck Castle and sought out Gillian.

"You're here? So, are you ready?"

"Yes, I'm fully prepared."

"Good attitude. Remember, in war, the one who prepares more wins. Hahaha!"

Gillian burst into his characteristic hearty laugh and led Carpe to the destination.

"Let's go then. It's not far, so we'll arrive soon."

A short while later.

Carpe and Gillian arrived at the deepest part of the castle's underground.

Deeper than the underground prison where prisoners were held, it was a secret place known only to a select few of the palace's high officials.

"Here we are."

In front of them stood a massive iron door.

The handle of the iron door was wrapped in thick chains, and magic arrays were drawn all over it, as if to add extra security.

"To be honest, I never thought I'd open this in my lifetime. It feels like facing a legend."

Gillian's eyes sparkled like those of a child.

"I'll open it then."

Rattle.

The thick chains loosened at Gillian's touch, and the magic arrays, which had been emitting a faint light, stopped working.

Creak.

The door, which had been locked for a long time, finally opened with a stiff sound.

"Phew."

Beyond the iron door was a staircase leading further underground. The 800-year-old air that flowed out made his skin tingle.

"The air is making my skin prickle; it's clearly not ordinary."

"Hehe. I guess I'm getting old. It's been a while since my blood has boiled like this."

"Do you want to come in with me? I don't mind."

"I wish I could, but... this is your test."

With a hint of hope, Carpe thought Gillian's bus might restart, but the result was as expected.

"I'll close the door after you go in. Good luck. Oh, I'll keep looking for a soul that matches the relic you mentioned."

"Thank you."

Carpe was once again moved by Gillian's thoughtful attitude.

Who called him a cheap bastard?

Gillian was one of the most considerate NPCs Carpe had ever met.

"Let's have a cold drink when you return. I just got some that go well with ice."

"I'll come back before the ice melts."

Carpe entered the door with the same majestic demeanor as Guan Yu when he faced Hua Xiong at the Feast of Heroes.

[You have entered the scenario event dungeon 'Lamarck Underground Labyrinth'.]

[Entry Restriction: Descendant of the Demon King]

[Dungeon Level: Unique]

Bang!

As Carpe entered, Gillian closed the door, and the surroundings immediately turned pitch black.

"Let's see."

Carpe opened his inventory, took out a 'Light Lantern' scroll, and tore it open.

Pop.

A fist-sized orb of light appeared and began to spin above his head.

"Phew. Worth the money. This is why I buy these things."

Carpe nodded in satisfaction.

His inventory was also filled with various consumables to handle different situations.

With his vision secured, Carpe began to descend the stairs without hesitation.

The underground labyrinth was deeper than expected, and it took him about ten more minutes to reach the bottom.

"Wow, it's a real labyrinth, not just a metaphor."

The underground floor was a typical labyrinth scene.

Large stone walls stretched from the floor to the ceiling, forming a long, winding path.

"If you let your guard down, you'll lose your way immediately."

-There's no other way but to get used to it. If it were another labyrinth dungeon, I'd know the way, but...

"That's true. This is the first time for you, Centaur."

Among the Ranger class, there are professions that possess a 'Map Making' skill, which allows them to excel in such labyrinth dungeons. Unfortunately, Carpe didn't have such a skill.

"Well, I prepared for a long battle."

-That's right. Besides, you only need to defeat the Centaur. If you're lucky, it might end quickly.

"Phew. Let's proceed then."

The dim vision and the sticky atmosphere of the labyrinth greatly increased the tension.

Carpe cautiously advanced into the labyrinth.

Boom!

Before long, the first monster appeared.

Minotaur.

A giant bull monster, standing about three meters tall, blocked Carpe's path. It held a massive hammer in its hand.

"It looks a bit different from the Minotaur I met in the Wind Cave..."

-That one wasn't a real Minotaur but a demon in the form of a bull monster. This is what a real Minotaur looks like.

Unlike the demon Kroal, the real Minotaur had a more reddish fur. A dark red aura surrounded its massive body.

...No matter how you looked at it, it was a menacing aura.

-Hmm. I've never seen this strange aura before. It must be something unique to the dungeon monsters.

"I'll find out now!"

Snap!

Carpe shot towards the Minotaur at high speed.

"Ughhh!"

The Minotaur also roared in anger and swung its hammer at Carpe.

"Where do you think you're hitting?"

Boom!

When Carpe stopped abruptly, the Minotaur's hammer hit the labyrinth floor, sending stone fragments flying towards Carpe.

"Ha!"

Carpe didn't miss this opening.

He dove into the Minotaur's embrace and punched it at high speed.

Crack!

"Ughhh!"

The Minotaur's anguished scream echoed through the labyrinth.

The monsters were definitely tougher than those in Luana. It was unlikely that he could achieve a one-hit kill here.

However, not being able to one-hit kill didn't mean he was struggling.

"Wind Cutter!"

[Due to the skill enhancement effect, Wind Cutter activates twice.]

[The target is afflicted with the status anomaly 'Bleeding'.]

The two streams of Wind Cutter, unleashed at close range, tore into the Minotaur's chest.

And Carpe's next attack followed.

Carpe's fist aimed precisely at the wound created by the Wind Cutter.

[Critical Hit! You have attacked the target's weak point.]

Crack!

Carpe's fist shot out like a bolt of lightning.

"Ughhh..."

Boom.

The red Minotaur fell to the ground and disappeared in a gray haze.

Exactly 30 seconds had passed since Carpe encountered the Minotaur.

"Phew. I was a bit nervous about a Unique dungeon, but it's more manageable than I thought."

-...Man, I can't get used to this.

Just as Carpe couldn't get used to the situation where 'a piece of equipment costs tens of millions of won!', Centaur couldn't get used to Carpe's combat sense.

-I'm not exaggerating. Among the players I've seen over ten years of playing, you fight the best...

"Huh? It dropped something."

Carpe, ignoring Centaur's comments, examined the spot where the Minotaur had disappeared.

There was a fragment that looked like a broken mirror piece.

Ding.

[You have obtained a fragment of energy filled with resentment.]

"Energy fragment?"

-It seems to be a unique material item for this dungeon. Pick it up. It might be linked to a quest.

"Maybe."

Carpe picked up the fragment and checked his quest window.

[Defeat a monster of a higher level than the player's level alone (1/500)]

The count for the evolution condition of Mokhyang had increased by one.

"Ah, I can finish the first stage of the Mokhyang evolution quest here."

-Things are going smoothly. If you find the Centaur quickly, it'll be perfect.

Carpe continued to advance through the labyrinth.

After some time,

"Huh?"

A rectangular object with a faint red hue lay before him.

It was a treasure chest. And by the color of the aura, it was a Unique treasure chest!

"Phew. This is a good start."

-Stop.

"Huh? Why?"

-Throw a spell at that chest. If it's a real chest, it won't be destroyed.

"Seriously?"

Carpe muttered, thinking it couldn't be, but still obediently cast a Fireball at the chest.

Bang!

"Kyeaa?!"

The chest opened and screamed.

"...Damn it."

Unfortunately, the chest wasn't a treasure.

Mimic.

A staple trap monster in RPGs that ruins players' excitement.

"Wow, how did you know?"

-It's not about knowing; it's basic. There are no Mimics in the Luana region, but in dungeons outside Luana, most chests are Mimics. Real treasure chests are rare.

"Really, what a game."

Carpe sighed. He had a feeling something was off from the start.

"Keeek-!"

The Mimic, hit by the spell, let out a sharp cry and charged at Carpe.

...For some reason, the sound seemed to mock him, making him twice as angry.

"For daring to deceive a gamer's dream, you deserve to die!"

-...You're overreacting. Who would think you've ever spared a monster?

"Die!"

Carpe mercilessly destroyed the Mimic.

Since it was fundamentally a trap monster, it was much weaker than the Minotaur and was quickly reduced to dust.

"Evil must be punished. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

After this small act of justice, Carpe continued through the labyrinth.

A short while later.

"...No way. Are you kidding me?"

Carpe couldn't help but mutter in disbelief.

In front of him was another treasure chest.

This time, it was also a Unique treasure chest.

"Are you daring to deceive me twice in a row?"

At least change the color!

Carpe cast another spell without hesitation.

Bang!

"...Huh?"

-...What?

But this time, it was different.

The chest was completely unscathed, not even a scorch mark.

The result was very clear.

"It's real! The real one has appeared!"

-Whoa, it's really a real one.

A 10-star player, strengthened by luck,