Chapter 105

Among the 100,000 exceptional treasures—

Amid the dazzling riches that could steal a person’s very soul—Ahheta had hidden three “masterpieces.”

Placed so that no blinded eyes could ever find them.

So that no one but he himself could ever discover them!

He had created time limits and endless rules to keep them hidden.

As a result, there was no way to discern their rank or abilities.

Other than seeing them and touching them to judge for oneself, there was no proper method.

It was a perfect disguise.

Even if someone had a “Magic Eye” that could read mana patterns, they wouldn’t have found them.

But—

‘He’d never have imagined I could amplify waves to read patterns.’

Park Chan-woo could sense mana waves.

And now he had learned how to amplify them to identify mana patterns.

All the circumstances had come together, and at last, he had found them.

“…It’s certain. These three.”

All three had patterns he had never seen before.

Of course, about 1% of the treasures here also had patterns he hadn’t seen before—

But compared to these three, their mana waves were nothing.

And that wasn’t all.

When the waves were amplified, he had seen more than just the patterns.

‘Something is sealed inside.’

Sealed equipment.

Not unheard of, but rare.

Strong mana waves, patterns he’d never seen, and an unknown “seal.”

With those three factors combined, he was sure.

Ahheta did not want these to ever leave this place.

It could only be one of two things.

Either they were so outstanding he had to hide them—

‘Or there’s a reason they must be hidden.’

Wouldn’t you be curious?

What’s sealed inside?

Why Ahheta had hidden them so thoroughly!

Even entering the Hidden Treasure Vault wasn’t the end.

You had to enter an almost impossible vault, then perform an almost impossible search to even reach these three treasures.

Park Chan-woo inspected the three once more.

One was boots, one was a belt, and the last was a sword.

Armor, an accessory, and a weapon.

‘They all have similar waves.’

As he expected, they seemed to be a “set.”

A set that would be fully unsealed when all three were together.

But in this vault, he could only take one.

…He couldn’t help but hesitate.

He had to choose the one most useful to him.

‘Coincidentally, they’re all types I need.’

Currently, he wore [Hermes’s Boots (-92Lv, Ancient)] and [Chwik Belt (-95Lv, Unique)].

He also needed a sword—

If he wanted to make full use of his Magic Swordsman abilities.

Even with the hidden trait [Eternal Sword] allowing him to use others’ swords, there were limits.

He couldn’t borrow forever.

‘The most urgent are the sword and the belt.’

Hermes’s Boots were still valuable—

Increasing movement speed by 50% and allowing him to easily leap obstacles, perfectly compensating for his poor stamina.

But the Chwik Belt was only useful when drawing an orc’s aggro.

He did have the [World Tree Staff (-98Lv, Eternal)], but it wasn’t ideal for maximizing the Magic Swordsman’s capabilities.

He needed a sword.

And the World Tree Staff’s time was coming to an end.

His current level was -84.

Replacing all gear roughly every 20 levels was the most efficient.

‘I extended the staff’s life with a Potential Ability Grant Scroll…’

With +10 HP and +100 Attack Power, it was usable until around -70Lv.

But the day would still come when he’d have to replace it.

Better to prepare early—

Or even have a full replacement ready.

‘A sword, huh.’

He didn’t have a single sword at the moment.

Even if he couldn’t wield it with the staff at the same time, he could switch between them.

…Five minutes left.

He had to decide in that time.

It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime dilemma.

All three had similar patterns and waves, so whichever he chose wouldn’t make a huge difference.

And once taken, it would be completed as “exclusive equipment.”

Meaning—

It would be strengthened once more here.

Creating exclusive equipment would naturally consume astronomical materials.

Ahheta would take another painful hit—

Not only losing one of his most irreplaceable treasures, but also being forced to provide every last resource needed to complete it as exclusive gear.

So he had to choose the type of gear that would give him the best return.

‘Sword or belt. One of the two.’

Hermes’s Boots were still useful.

Replacing them now and losing the movement speed boost could actually be a downgrade.

Once he grew enough to not need speed or obstacle-clearing options, they’d be an attractive choice—but not now.

Ding!

《Time remaining: 1 minute.》

《If you do not exit within 1 minute, the door will vanish and you will be trapped forever.》

《Warning: If the door vanishes, the Master of the Moon, Ahheta, will appear.》

《However, as long as the door exists, Ahheta cannot enter or observe the inside.》

The final minute.

His heart pounded wildly.

This choice would shape his future.

Sword or belt.

Both were desperately needed.

《Time remaining: 30 seconds.》

He couldn’t decide.

Even if they were set gear, there would be slight differences.

Something that helped him more right now—

Something with better options for the moment.

《Time remaining: 10 seconds.》

《9 seconds.》

《8 seconds.》

……

《3 seconds.》

《2 seconds.》

《1 second.》

Thump!

In the final moment, Park Chan-woo clutched his chosen gear and hurled himself through the door.

Creeeeak!

Thud!

The door closed behind him.

《Selection complete.》

……

……

《The Master of the Moon, Ahheta, enters the Hidden Treasure Vault.》

—

“……”

The Master of the Moon, Ahheta.

A shadowy presence, impossible to fully grasp.

The pitch-black Ahheta calmly surveyed the vault.

Then his gaze fell on the two treasures left where the door had been.

“…How did they find them?”

All three had been located—

And one taken.

Even with the help of an absolute being, the moment someone entered this vault, all connections were severed.

Even if help were possible, these three should have been impossible to find.

If they knew what the three items meant, they would surely return.

And he couldn’t move them elsewhere—

The rule was that what was in the vault must stay in the vault.

Even Ahheta couldn’t break that rule.

《Resources will be consumed to create exclusive equipment.》

A message appeared before his eyes.

This, too, was a rule set to cloud the judgment of anyone entering.

It was meant so they’d pick without regret, tempted by the promise of exclusive gear.

But…

They had taken the one treasure he most wanted not to be taken.

《The grade of materials required to create the exclusive equipment is too high.》

《Insufficient resources.》

《To cover the shortfall, treasures from “Vault (1),” “Vault (2),” and “Vault (3)” will be forcibly seized.》

“……”

Three entire vaults plundered.

Treasures gathered over an eternity—

Spoils of countless wars over eons—

Turned to dust in an instant.

Three out of his hundred vaults, gone.

“…I can’t let this stand.”

When the full moon rises, the “Night” continues.

He had failed in the First and Second Nights—

‘The Third Night will be different.’

Painful, yes—

But also interesting.

It had been a long time since a race had shaken him like this—

Not since the dragons.

No race had so completely conquered his Night before.

So—

The Third Night, he would prepare properly.

So thoroughly that the Second Night would be forgotten.

Victory would be absolute.

The problem was Han Shin.

Should he leave him be, or invest more?

‘…Han Shin still has value.’

This time, he had been lucky—

Saved from the brink of death by sudden blessing—

Evolving after devouring a doppelganger.

Han Shin—

No longer wholly human.

Whatever the consequences, one thing was certain—he now had potential.

‘I’ll keep you until the Race War.’

In the Race War, Han Shin would have served his purpose.

Until then, he was worth investing in.

Han Shin couldn’t grow quickly without Ahheta’s help, anyway.

They were simply using each other.

That was fine.

However—

“……”

The stolen treasure still nagged at him.

It had been made into exclusive equipment—completely out of his hands.

Meaning he could never get it back.

…And then—

《“Easter Egg (001)” is activated.》

《A massive wave of “Luck” approaches!》

《Exclusive equipment creation has critically succeeded!》

《Exclusive equipment begins to shine brilliantly!》

《Additional resources are required for the exclusive equipment!》

“…?”

What?

Exclusive equipment critical success?

He knew it was possible, but the odds were abysmal—

Less than 1%.

Yet there was no mistake.

《To cover the shortfall, treasures from “Vault (4)” through “Vault (10)” will be forcibly seized.》

In all his eternal life, Ahheta had never seen anything so absurd.

Ten percent of his treasure hoard—gone.

For a single piece of exclusive gear.

“……”

Ahheta was speechless.

Who could it be?

Who had robbed his vaults like this?

“…I will…”

He could not forgive.

Ahheta’s whole body turned red.

Not even the dragons had made him this angry.

No matter what it took—he would find them.

“…And kill them.”

—

《“Easter Egg (001)” is activated.》

《A massive wave of “Luck” approaches!》

《Exclusive equipment creation has critically succeeded!》

《Exclusive equipment shines brilliantly!》

《Acquired [Baal’s Belt (-84Lv, Brilliant Exclusive Equipment, Zero Grade, Set)]!》