I Raided the Demon’s Treasury

Chapter 40

– You have successfully passed the Trial of the Screaming Forest.

– All participants in the trial are awarded 2,000 points

After Se-woon rejoined the group, the clearing speed of the obstacles known as Screaming Trees accelerated, and the final trial concluded smoothly.

Of course, Se-woon was the only one who knew this was the last trial of the second chapter of the tutorial.

“Ugh, it’s finally over!”

“I thought my eardrums would burst.”

“That’s bad enough, but those trees blocking the path made it so much harder.”

“Everyone, you did a great job!”

With the trial over, they took some time to regroup.

They sorted through the materials gathered from the Screaming Forest and attended to healing and meals.

Despite having endured torment from the sharp screams that felt like they were stabbing their brains, people quickly returned to their cheerful expressions.

Perhaps it was due to their improved skills or the different nature of this part of the tutorial.

The pressure was less than during the monster waves, and their confidence had significantly increased as a result.

However, this didn’t lead to overconfidence.

Everyone knew the consequences of overconfidence from the monster waves.

“You worked hard too, Il-jung.”

“No, it wasn’t too difficult thanks to everyone’s consideration.”

“Don’t feel too burdened. Everyone recognizes you and your group.”

The people Se-woon had rescued from the goblin village were also adapting well to the clan.
Indeed, as elites who had survived the monster waves, their skills stood out, except for the primary forces like Yoo Seo-ah and Kang Han-cheol.

They were also proactive in chores like butchering and cooking.

“How’s it going?”

“Hmm, it’s harder than I expected. There are many differences from the anatomy I know, so it’s taking a bit more time.”

Se-woon approached Baek Hyun, who was busy examining the manticore’s corpse even while others were stretching their legs during the rare break time.

Despite saying it was difficult, Baek Hyun’s face wore a smile. It seemed he was fascinated by examining the new monster’s corpse.

Watching him work, it was evident he was a natural-born necromancer.

Moreover…

– The Constellation, ‘Steed That Tramples Death,’ purrs approvingly, suggesting it might be time to examine the tail now.

The constellation Gamigin, who was attached to Baek Hyun, appeared pleased with his abilities.

Given that the subject was the manticore’s corpse, Se-woon was worried about a potentially short time limit. However, seeing Gamigin’s reaction, he thought it might be completed sooner than expected.

Satisfied with Baek Hyun’s talent, Se-woon turned, but someone stepped into his light, casting a shadow over him.

There was only one person in the clan with such a build.

“Please spar with me.”

“Oh, me too! I just need to resolve the food issue and will join soon, so please wait a moment.”

Kang Han-cheol.

He had shown up immediately after the trial ended, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

Although it could be bothersome that Kang Han-cheol sought him out for sparring every chance he got, Se-woon rather liked this about him.

Outstanding hardware and passion.

Thanks to these two qualities, Kang Han-cheol’s skills were improving at an astonishing rate.

The same went for Yoo Seo-ah.

After learning the art of dual swordsmanship from Se-woon, she seemed to realize her shortcomings and began requesting sparring sessions along with Kang Han-cheol.

Given that both had incredibly high potential, it was enjoyable for Se-woon to teach them.

However,

“Let’s postpone it for today.”

Se-woon, who always responded with readiness, raising his fists, now turned down the sparring for the first time, leaving Kang Han-cheol visibly disappointed.

‘Now that I think about it, wasn’t I supposed to teach him internal techniques today?’

It was understandable that he felt anxious.

Although he didn’t show it outwardly, Kang Han-cheol had developed a significant interest in internal techniques ever since witnessing Se-woon’s martial arts that utilized internal energy.

Still, it wasn’t the right time.

“Why?”

“It seems we’re about to reach our destination.”

“…I see. Then, I’ll ask you after we arrive.”

“Alright.”

That’s Kang Han-cheol for you.

Anyone else would have asked how he knew they were nearing the destination, but Kang Han-cheol simply nodded and stepped back.

This was one aspect of Kang Han-cheol that Se-woon liked the most.

Explaining and fabricating stories to people curious about his regression was quite a bothersome task.

Yoo Seo-ah, upon hearing that the sparring session was canceled, also looked disappointed.

Before long, they set off again.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen a plain.”

“Another monster ambush?”

“Honestly, that’s easier now. Better than passing through a Screaming Forest or an Acidic Swamp.”

“True.”

The people felt reassured looking at the open plains.

Even if there were an ambush, Park Jung-pil was quickly scouting the area on Baekrang, so they had little to worry about.

Initially, he was a bit unreliable, but by now, he had become adept at gathering information without being detected.

And this time was no different.

“Hyung, we have enemies! Monsters!”

Park Jung-pil reported the situation ahead.

“How many?”

“Well, it’s a bit difficult to say.”

Park Jung-pil looked troubled.

While Se-woon already knew what was up, the others didn’t understand the meaning behind his words.

When Yoo Seo-ah asked again, Park Jung-pil continued his explanation.

“It’s not so much an ambush. It’s more like a monster territory, filled with monsters everywhere, like a hunting ground in a game.”

“Could it be some sort of extermination trial? We have to break through the monsters or something…”

“And there was something else strange.”

“What was it?”

“I couldn’t go in deeper for fear of being detected, but as I got closer, the arrows pointed downward.”

“Pointing downward? Then, could it be!”

Yoo Seo-ah’s eyes widened as if she realized something.

Already aware of the situation, Se-woon smiled and drew his weapon.

“We’ve arrived.”

* * *

[ Tutorial Chapter Two – Movement ]

– You have successfully reached the destination.

– All participants in the wave are awarded 4,000 points.

– Congratulations! You have excellently completed the second chapter of the tutorial!

– You completed the second chapter of the tutorial in 54 hours and 41 minutes.

– For significantly shortening the arrival time, all participants in the tutorial are awarded an additional 4,000 points!

“Did we really make it?”

“It’s over! We passed this time too!”

As the arrows sharply inclined and formed a right angle, Yoo Seo-ah’s prediction turned out to be correct, marking the end of the second chapter of the tutorial.

Thanks to pushing straight ahead without avoiding a single trial, they significantly shortened their arrival time and earned a lot of merit points.

However, while everyone else was celebrating, Se-woon had a disappointed look on his face.

‘So, it wasn’t first place after all.’

According to what Se-woon knew, the second chapter had additional merit points awarded based on ranks.

Yet, the current system window only mentioned the reduced time and had no discourse on ranking.

It meant that someone else had already finished the second chapter ahead of them.

Most likely, there was a party that had rushed straight to the destination without carrying any baggage, unlike Se-woon’s clan.

It was a bit disappointing, but—

‘Still, compared to the Hidden Pieces, it’s actually a loss.’

The merit points Se-woon gained from the Hidden Pieces were far greater than those earned from ranking.

“But what are we supposed to do now?”

He heard people murmuring.

At that moment, a loud roar of an unknown monster came from the front.

“Grrraaah—!!”

Turning his head, he saw numerous monsters occupying the field, just as Park Jung-pil had reported.

A bear with an owl’s head, an Owlbear. A werewolf showing long claws, a Worgwolf. A dwarf with a body made of earth, a Gnome, and others.

They all stubbornly claimed their spots, acting as if they couldn’t see other monsters around them.

The term ‘hunting ground’ that Park Jung-pil had used was an apt description.

At that moment, a system message that would resolve people’s questions appeared.

– The shortened arrival time grants additional benefits for the remaining time.

– You can secure a position during the remaining time.

– Additional merit points at 1.5 times the rate will be awarded for hunting monsters during the remaining time.

– Time remaining until the ‘Tutorial Chapter Three – Collision’: 113 hours 17 minutes

“Collision? Securing a position? What does this mean…?”

“Seo-ah, what should we do?”

“Hmm…”

There was no explanation for the third tutorial. The only available information was the name “Collision.”

The promise of additional merit points for hunting monsters sounded appealing, but nobody except Se-woon seemed to care much about accumulating more merit points.

Hence, Yoo Seo-ah found it hard to make a quick decision.

They were torn between taking a well-deserved break while waiting for the third tutorial or advancing further to gain additional merit points.

As everyone awaited Yoo Seo-ah’s decision,

“Se-woon?”

Se-woon stepped forward, extending his hand toward the monsters.

Soon, white frost began to form around him.

The temperature rapidly dropped, and the frost grew, eventually turning into countless icy spikes.

[ Frozen Wave ]

– A freezing attack spell from the Blue Tower that creates cold and sharp waves of ice to strike the enemy.

This was the first time Se-woon was using a 3rd Circle spell since the third circle had formed.

Given that his mana circle base was rooted in the “training method of the Blue Tower,” using Blue Tower magic felt incredibly stable.

And with the mysteries of the Black Tower mixed in,

– According to the mysteries of the Black Tower, the power of ‘Frozen Wave’ is enhanced.

The transparent icy spikes turned dark.

The flickering cold began to absorb dark energy.

Apparently, due to two out of the three circles embracing the Black Tower’s intricacies, the spell had absorbed a significant amount of dark attribute.

Then, the moment Se-woon, who had been holding his fist open, clenched it tight—

Fwa-ba-ba-bat!

With a chilling cold, the black spikes flew swiftly toward the monsters.

The icy spikes were too numerous to count, and the cold was so intense that it could freeze even the grass swaying in the breeze almost instantly.

As expected, the monsters they struck—

“Grrr—”

—let out only a brief groan before their bodies froze solid in an instant.

As soon as the monsters’ bodies froze, the icy spikes shattered them into countless pieces, leaving the ground littered with the frozen remains of monsters.

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ expresses delight, calling this a new cooking method and looking forward to the cold delicacies!

“During the remaining time, we push as far in as possible.”

Se-woon’s gaze, colder than the biting chill, made everyone swallow hard.