I Raided the Demon’s Treasury

Chapter 43

Whooo—oooom—

A grand yet sharp sound, as if resonating through a pan flute. It was a sacred object that perfectly represented Pan, who enjoyed dance and music, but the power contained within it was far from beautiful.

Fear and chaos.

It drove listeners into impulsiveness and shattered their rationality.

Being the god of livestock, Pan could also use that melody to control monsters.

In other words, destroying that instrument would stop Pan from controlling the monsters through his contractor.

“Graaa—!”

The source of the melody was guarded by five Minotaurs, standing protectively as if shielding someone.

‘Minotaurs?’

In the tutorial, Minotaurs were as formidable as named monsters.

And there were five of them.

Thus, Se-woon couldn’t approach recklessly.

At that moment, the music stopped, and a voice echoed between the Minotaurs.

“Hehe, you arrived early? I expected you to entertain my boys a bit longer!”

One of the Minotaurs stepped aside, revealing the owner of the voice.

Dressed in clothes that looked like they were made from torn, dirty old rags, with curly hair cascading down in waves. The figure had an animalistic hunch and an instrument, a syrinx, loosely held in limp hands

Lastly, pupils stretched horizontally like those of a frog or goat.

‘Transformation has already begun.’

If he were a different species from the start, Se-woon would’ve known.

That was the result of excess power from the constellation, causing the contractor’s body to begin transforming.

‘Well, considering that level of power, it’s to be expected.’

No matter how strong a tutorial participant is, there are limits.

Yet, this man controlled hundreds of monsters effortlessly, even after receiving the constellation’s power.

Such a thing was fundamentally impossible.

In other words, this human was excessively manifesting the constellation’s power at the expense of his own life force.

‘Whether he knows it or not.’

His slurred speech and unfocused eyes indicated that his mind was also undergoing contamination, not just his body.

And as if to confirm Se-woon’s speculations,

– The Constellation, ‘Goat That Plays With Chaos,’ gazes at you and someone behind you with a sly smile.

– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven,’ frowns and pauses their work upon hearing the annoying sound of the instrument.

The message from Pan, the Goat That Plays With Chaos, appeared.

Due to Mammon’s interference, Pan couldn’t send a direct message to Se-woon but conveyed his intent through the hunchbacked man, his contractor.

“Hehe, understood. If it is the will of the god, as much as you wish!”

“Graaaah!”

The five Minotaurs charged at Se-woon.

Se-woon stepped back lightly and unleashed a burst of violet lightning at them.

Ordinarily, this spell would at least take down one monster, but this time it was different.

“Cr- graaaa!”

Chain Lightning only managed to momentarily stiffen the Minotaurs’ movements.

Although it might have caused panic, Se-woon used this brief interval to gain more distance.

He never expected a 2nd Circle spell to work on monsters like Minotaurs in the first place.

Moreover, with Pan’s nasty disposition,

“Hehe! As my god wishes, I’ll drench this world in a cauldron of fear and chaos!”

such an honorable frontal assault was unlikely to be the end of it.

Whooo—oooom—

Rumble!

The moment the man played his pan flute, the ground beneath Se-woon’s feet began to tremble.

Expecting an ambush, Se-woon leaped without hesitation. The spot where he had stood erupted with hundreds of sharp teeth.

‘Giant Worm.’

A monster resembling a massive worm that moved swiftly underground, sensing vibrations to attack its prey.

Had he not jumped, he would’ve been caught off-guard and attacked.

Had he been bitten by those circular rows of hundreds of teeth, he would undoubtedly have lost at least a limb.

“Hehe, it’s still not enough! Not enough! Fear and chaos!”

The man’s voice trembled erratically as if intoxicated by drugs.

At the same time, Se-woon sensed a sudden change in the airflow around him.

Enhanced by the ‘Kobold’s Keen Ear,’ he recognized the sharp cry characteristic of a bird of prey.

Without turning around, Se-woon shouted something.

“Baekrang!”

Leap!

The skeleton, Baekrang, which had brought Se-woon this far, now imbued with the power of the Red Hare, leaped high.

The skeleton tore into the neck of an eagle that was diving toward Se-woon with its sharp beak extended.

The knowledge Se-woon gained from using ‘Raise Skeleton’ wasn’t just about reanimating skeletons. It encompassed handling and utilizing them to their fullest potential.

Since Baekrang was a skeleton Se-woon had personally reanimated, controlling it was easy.

With the additional power of the Red Hare, Baekrang’s strength was on a different level compared to ordinary skeletons.

Even though the Giant Eagle had relatively weak defense, Baekrang effortlessly snapped its neck, a feat that normally required considerable force, as Giant Eagles could easily snatch up Orcs.

Whoooom!

With Baekrang handling the threat from above, it was now time to deal with those below.

Failing its ambush, the Giant Worm had quickly burrowed back underground.

Listening carefully, Se-woon detected that there was more than one.

But it didn’t matter.

Se-woon pulled his fist back, opened Mammon’s treasury, and quickly learned a new spell while descending.

Given the height of his jump, the descent was rapid. The moment he hit the ground, Se-woon activated the spell and pounded his fist into the earth.

– Opened the (True) Treasury of Greed.

[ Ground Wave ]

– A fundamental spell of the Earthquake Series that symbolizes the Yellow Tower. It causes waves in the earth, swallowing enemies whole.

Rumble!

The ground heaved.

The Minotaurs, who had been focused on Se-woon, lost their balance due to the sudden tremor.

Normally, Kang Han-cheol’s ‘Commence Battle’ would tear the ground apart, causing rocks to erupt and the earth to split. But Se-woon’s spell was different.

Instead of surface impact, Se-woon suppressed the external collision and instead generated greater pressure beneath the ground.

Crack, crunch!

Though not visible, chaos reigned beneath Se-woon’s fist.

Pressure surged from all directions, and the ground sank.

The tunnels the Giant Worms had dug for movement collapsed completely, and with them—

Snap!

Screeech!

The bodies of the ambushing Giant Worms burst from the pressure.

Defeating the notoriously tricky Giant Worms in one strike.

– The Constellation, ‘Goat That Plays With Chaos,’ is furiously angered, hoping fear will soon engulf you.

“Hehe, got it! My god!”

The man’s speech lacked any consistency. He switched between formal and informal speech and even stuttered occasionally.

This was a clear sign that his mental contamination had progressed significantly.

Thus, he adhered strictly to Pan’s commands.

With trembling hands, he gripped the syrinx and blew into the pan flute with all his might.

Whooom!

“Graaaah!”

The five Minotaurs groaned in agony.

Their muscles swelled as if about to burst, and thick veins squirmed like worms over them.

Their eyes turned bloodshot with overlapping blood vessels, and white steam unnaturally leaked from their nostrils.

Berserker.

It was the same skill used by the named monster ‘Red Fang, Karnil,’ whom Se-woon had previously faced.

While it wasn’t a skill that non-named monsters in the tutorial area should possess, Pan’s power had forcibly driven them into a berserk state.

“Graaaah!”

Unable to control their explosive power, the Minotaurs charged at Se-woon. With each step they took, the ground caved in and the air seemed to compress.

As Se-woon pondered how to handle them,

– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven,’ temporarily returns the weapon you lent.

Shing!

In Se-woon’s right hand, he felt the familiar grip of a weapon.

The Sword that Split the Rock, Durandal. The forgotten hero’s sword that he had lent to Mammon.

– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven,’ wishes for you to quickly dispose of that foul-smelling goat.

Smirking, Se-woon lightly smiled.

Given Mammon’s nature as the Demon God of Greed, returning the sword he had borrowed to Se-woon was no trivial gesture. Mammon seemingly disliked Pan as much as Se-woon did.

‘Then I’ll gratefully use it.’

Se-woon had already been concerned that the molar dagger might be ineffective against the Minotaurs. With Durandal, such worries were needless.

“Graaaah!”

A Minotaur’s fist came crashing down on Se-woon.

The Minotaurs were already notorious for their strength, and now they were forcibly triggered into a berserk state. Even if Se-woon blocked with Durandal, his wrist might not withstand the shock.

So instead,

Swipe—

he opted to deflect the punch rather than block it head-on.

Tai Chi Sword Technique.

A swordsmanship that utilized the intricacies of Tai Chi to redirect the opponent’s force, Se-woon led the monster’s punch away.

As the Minotaur’s fist was drawn toward the sword like a magnet, it tried desperately to twist its body away, but by then, it had already followed the trajectory Se-woon had guided.

Crash!!

Using the Tai Chi Sword Technique’s principles, Se-woon made two Minotaurs collide with each other.

Just before the impact, the Minotaurs recognized each other’s presence, but their inertia was too strong, and they ended up striking each other’s faces.

Berserkers trade defense and stamina for increased strength.

Given that state, enduring such force was impossible.

Crack!

Both their skulls shattered simultaneously.

The “fear and chaos” sought by Pan enveloped the Minotaurs, not Se-woon.

Leap!

Se-woon jumped high towards the next Minotaur.

His movements, enhanced by his internal energy, were too quick for the berserk Minotaurs to follow.

Slash—

Even their rock-hard hide couldn’t withstand the strikes of the rock-splitting Durandal.

Seeing their comrade’s head severed, the remaining two Minotaurs charged in fury.

For the berserk Minotaurs, strategy and planning didn’t exist.

That made it even easier. No matter how strong they were, without rationality, their attacks were bound to be straightforward, and Se-woon was not someone to fall for such simple-minded attacks.

Swish!

Anticipating their attack paths, Se-woon easily evaded the Minotaurs’ blows.

Then he turned and pierced their waists.

A single strike, two skins.

Despite their waists being impaled by Durandal, the Minotaurs felt no pain due to their berserk state.

Just as they began to twist their bodies despite their wounds,

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

Se-woon’s next attack was activated.

Ground Wave.

Originally a spell to cause tremors in the earth, but with the right medium and situation prepared,

“Graaaah—!”

Crack!

Snap!

it could cause an earthquake from within a living creature, making their insides burst.

– The ability ‘Wolf’s Threat’ of the ‘Red Wolf Armor’ causes a terrifying aura to whirl around!

– The ability ‘Aura of Dominance’ of the ‘Gray Wolf Cloak’ strengthens charisma and worsens
the enemy’s fear!

As the Minotaurs fell and died almost instantly,

“He- heck…”

The man who had forgotten to play the pan flute and was trembling in fear came into view.

Behind him, the image of a terrified goat seemed to overlap.