I Raided the Demon’s Treasury

Chapter 38

Creating a third mana circle.

It was an unexpected situation even for Se-woon.

After all, Se-woon’s progress was still in the middle of the second chapter of the tutorial.

Considering that even highly talented mages barely reached the level of a 2nd Circle Master by the end of the tutorial, this occurrence was unprecedented in the long history of the Tower.

To prove this:

– You have set a new record in the history of the Tower.

– Earned a remarkable incredible achievement.

– Earned 100,000 points as a reward.

A dazzling system message appeared before Se-woon’s eyes.

A hundred thousand points. It was half the merit points Se-woon had gathered so far.

– Numerous Constellations related to magic have taken an interest in you.

– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven,’ has blocked all communications from Constellations of lower rank than itself.

Naturally, many constellations who were interested in magical talent focused their attention on Se-woon. Yet, most communications were blocked thanks to Mammon’s treasure.

However, this time, there was something different.

– The Constellation, ‘Fifth Day,’ gazes at you with a beautiful smile.

A being whose communication couldn’t be blocked by Mammon’s power or treasures.

The Constellation, Fifth Day.

The leader of the Valkyries who serve Odin, and a mage of such magical prowess that she even taught Odin magic.

The Goddess of Love and Beauty, Freyja had appeared.

‘To receive the attention of a high-ranking constellation at this point…’

Freyja is one of the chief gods who rule Asgard alongside Odin.

As such, her rank was by no means inferior to Mammon, the Demon God of Greed.

Normally, attention from a constellation of such stature came to players who had proven their talents and skills towards the end of the tutorial.

Even then, it was rare for any to be chosen by a high-ranking constellation.

Yet, this constellation had taken interest in Se-woon in just the second chapter of the tutorial, even with Mammon’s interference.

– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven,’ points sharply at Valhalla, demanding an explanation.

– The Constellation, ‘Fifth Day,’ ignores the other constellation’s interference with an enigmatic smile.

Well, Freyja’s magical abilities are among the best of all the gods.

It was only natural for her to take an interest in Se-woon, who had opened the third mana circle during the tutorial.

However, with the presence of the two Demon Gods already watching Se-woon, he felt a bit concerned.

Luckily, she merely watched Se-woon in silence with a smile, showing no signs of interference.

– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven,’ warns that it will not tolerate any interest shown in what belongs to it.

– The Constellation, ‘Fifth Day,’ continues to ignore the other constellation’s interference.

– The feathers of the Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven,’ tremble violently.

A confrontation between the chief gods of the demonic and divine.

It was dizzying for Se-woon just to witness.

‘Still, it’s a relief that it’s Freyja.’

With her gentle nature, Freyja wouldn’t intentionally cause discord.

If it were another god, their reaction to Mammon could have been unpredictable.

‘Well, it probably doesn’t matter.’

Regardless of Freyja’s interest, nothing would change. Se-woon just needed to keep finding hidden pieces in the tutorial and growing as he had been doing.

Moreover, to prevent the Divine-Demonic War, it was necessary to form alliances not just with demonic gods like Mammon but also with divine gods like Freyja.

Lightly rotating his newly formed third mana circle, Se-woon turned to leave. He had obtained everything he could from the goblin village and planned to return to his companions.

But he sensed some movement within the still burning village. It wasn’t just one or two, but close to ten presences.

While instinct might suggest grabbing his weapon, Se-woon didn’t do so. They were the people Se-woon had saved.

“Th-The village…”

“How on earth did you do it?”

“There he is!”

The people who had been imprisoned in the village. Se-woon had cleverly installed the mana stones in such a way that the prison wouldn’t be affected.

Though there was a risk of injuries even without direct impact from the explosions, it seemed they had escaped with only some minor burns and no serious harm.

“Thank you so much!”

“I’ll never forget this kindness!”

“Sniff, I really thought… Hic, that I’d end up as goblin food. Thank you so much! Hic!”

The people expressed their gratitude to Se-woon.

At this moment, Se-woon fell into a brief contemplation.

‘Should I take them with me?’

Although he had ended up saving them, Se-woon wasn’t a hero.

Just as he hadn’t taken responsibility for the people in his camp after his regression, he had no intention of being responsible for these people.

However, leaving them behind would be akin to killing them all over again.

As he deliberated, a man who seemed to be the leader stepped forward.

“I understand what you’re worried about. We have no intention of being a burden to our benefactor. From here on, we will try to make it to our destination on our own.”

The man’s expression was resolute. While the others showed signs of unease, there was a deep determination in their eyes.

Others might have clung to Se-woon, begging for help after being saved, but these people seemed to have accepted the harsh reality of the tutorial and were determined to survive.

‘Well, they all must have survived the first chapter of the tutorial.’

Having passed the first chapter, their skills were presumably reliable.

Their determined expressions buoyed Se-woon’s previously negative thoughts, turning them more positive.

“I have no intention of protecting you. If you decide to follow, be prepared with even greater resolve than you have now.”

“…!”

“To cover the distance, we need to move quickly. Be ready to walk for at least half a day without rest.”

“Th-Thank you!”

“We are so grateful!”

Se-woon retrieved some of the food stored by the goblins from his subspace pouch and handed it to the people.

Before long, all traces of life had completely vanished from the burning goblin village.

* * *

Meanwhile, Se-woon’s companions, under Yoo Seo-ah’s leadership, were following the system’s directions and progressing steadily.

Park Jung-pil actively scouted ahead riding his skeleton, and since no monsters had appeared after the goblins, there were no obstacles to their march.

During this time, Yoo Seo-ah approached the rear wagon and spoke to Kang Han-cheol.

“Are you alright? If it’s too hard, we can take a break or help push together.”

“This too is training. There’s no problem.”

“You’ve become incredibly strong. Oh, not that you weren’t strong to begin with, Han-cheol.”

“You’ve gotten stronger too. But compared to Blood Wolf, it’s nothing.”

“Se-woon is… well, he’s in a league of his own.”

Kang Han-cheol was pulling the wagon instead of the skeleton.

One skeleton was being controlled by Baek Hyun, but the other was powered by Se-woon’s mana.

After Se-woon went after the goblins, his skeleton lost power and collapsed shortly thereafter, and Kang Han-cheol took over that role.

Among the people, he was the only one capable of pulling the wagon alone.

Additionally, he volunteered to pull it because he felt restless and wanted to move.

His claim that it was training wasn’t a lie either.

– The Constellation, ‘Old Man Riding a Crocodile,’ instructs his contractor to put more strength into each step.

In reality, he was moving his body according to the instructions of his constellation.

Perhaps because of this, Kang Han-cheol’s footprints were heavily imprinted into the ground, showcasing his presence.

“Do you think Se-woon will be alright?”

“As I said before, he’s not weak. He’ll undoubtedly return much stronger than before.”

“It’s hard to imagine him getting even stronger.”

Yoo Seo-ah smiled lightly.

Talking like this seemed to put her at ease.

In this place where everyone followed and believed in her, the only people Yoo Seo-ah could speak to with a relaxed mind were Se-woon and Kang Han-cheol.

For this moment, she could let her guard down.

Just then, a familiar skeleton came running fast from a distance.

It was Park Jung-pil who had returned from scouting as usual.

However, he didn’t seem to be in good shape.

“Ugh!”

“Jung-pil!”

As soon as he arrived, Park Jung-pil, with a pale face, vomited everything he had eaten.

The Se-woon’s camp—no, now that they’ve left the base, ‘Clan’ would be a more fitting name.

In any case, Lee Ha-neul, the only healer in the clan and a contractor of Marbas, rushed forward to check Park Jung-pil’s condition.

Soon, she frowned and used the power she received from her constellation to heal him while explaining the symptoms to Yoo Seo-ah.

“…It’s poison.”

“Poison? Don’t tell me, goblins again!”

“No. There are no external wounds. It’s not certain, but it’s highly likely that it was contracted through the respiratory system.”

Lee Ha-neul’s face turned momentarily pale as she said this.

Airborne infection.

Which meant the poison was dispersed in the air.

Judging by Park Jung-pil’s condition, it seemed like the poison had accumulated slowly rather than causing an acute infection.

In that case…

“Everyone, dampen a cloth and cover your nose and mouth! The poison is in the air!”

“In the air?”

No wonder the sunlight had seemed dimmer for a while. It wasn’t clouds but a faint poisonous mist blocking the sunlight.

Although people urgently covered their noses and mouths, it was already too late.

While not as severe as Park Jung-pil’s case, people were already showing signs of adverse symptoms.

“Marbas, please help!”

Lee Ha-neul urgently called upon her constellation, Marbas, but…

– The Constellation, ‘Bloodstained Lion,’ informs you that there are too many patients and that a choice must be made.

Even the Constellation shook its head.

Despite the Constellation’s interest, the amount of power Lee Ha-neul could harness and use was limited, so she couldn’t treat all the patients present.

While retreating would be the best course of action, it seemed only half of the group would remain unscathed by the time they escaped the poisonous mist.

Clench!

Lee Ha-neul clenched her fist tightly.

She had just begun to think she could finally take care of people as a proper healer, and now this situation arose.

At that moment, a man’s image floated in her mind.

The first time injuries occurred, at the highest point of the casualties, a man appeared without a trace, healed the wounded, and instilled hope in her.

Was it because of him?

“I didn’t expect you to make it this far already.”

His voice seemed to resonate in the air.

Whoooosh!

“A wind?”

A refreshing breeze swept around the people. The suffocating poisonous mist dissipated, and the dim sunlight shone brightly again.

And behind them stood a man in red armor with a gray cloak.

“He’s here!”

“Cough! Hyung…”

A player who had become more familiar to people as Blood Wolf.

– Opened the (True) Treasury of Greed.

[Breeze]

– One of the most basic wind spells used by the Green Tower. It generates a gentle breeze, primarily used as a utility spell rather than for attack.

It was Se-woon’s arrival.