Chapter 67: The Prison of the Golden Crocodile

15th Layer.

The entrance to the Ruins discovered by the Three Brothers.

Deng, deng, deng, deng.

The Toin standing guard rang the bell noisily.

The second brother, Lee Horang, grumbled harshly.

“Damn it, that’s why I said we should just kill them all.”

“No way! If we kill too many, we’ll make them our enemies for good. That would be troublesome. Don’t you remember last time, when we accidentally killed a few of them?”

But the Firstborn firmly shook his head.

The last time they discovered the entrance to these Ruins, there were definitely no Toin guarding it.

But after uploading the footage and coming down with their gear, the Toin were standing guard like this.

A clash was inevitable.

There were dozens of Toin aiming their dangerous poison blowpipes at them.

“Don’t worry, guys. I’ll handle it.”

Still, there was a reason why they could remain calm even in this situation.

The youngest, Sam Horang, spread his hand wide and chanted in Sidong-eo.

“Tol ji mot ha ri!”

The flying poison darts stopped midair.

Tss, tss, tss, tss.

It was as if an invisible, transparent wall blocked their path.

Sam Horang’s Gift allowed him to form a Shild to block arrows, poison darts, and all kinds of projectiles.

Though it couldn’t stop blows above a certain physical force, for the Toin, it was a deadly counter.

As long as their poison darts were blocked, the Toin posed no real threat.

“As expected of our youngest!”

“You guys, open the door quickly. Using Ma Power like this is no joke, you know.”

“On it!”

The Firstborn took out the Key he had prepared and inserted it into the hole in the Mural.

Clunk, kiki kiki.

The wall of the Ruins began to vibrate.

Jjeojeojeok, jjeoyeok.

Cracks ran jaggedly across the Mural.

And then, the wall of the Ruins began to move on its own and opened.

The entwined vines clinging to it shook off clouds of dust as they tumbled down.

“Ko maktu! Ja u reos!”

The Toin began to rampage even more wildly.

The Three Brothers couldn’t understand the meaning, but the fear in the Toin’s shouts was unmistakable.

“Let’s go in!”

Before Sam Horang’s Ma Power ran out, they managed to enter the Ruins.

“Good, they’re not following us?”

“Who knows. Let’s be careful of Traps as we go in.”

Fortunately for them, the Toin didn’t dare follow into the Ruins.

The Three Brothers took that chance and slipped deeper inside.

Meanwhile, the Toin left on guard duty were losing their minds.

“Run to the Chief right away!”

The Toin in charge of the patrol shouted.

But their Chief wasn’t in the village at the moment.

“But… the Chief is busy!”

“You fool! Humans have opened the Prison door. We have to go now!”

“Ah, yes, got it!”

The older Jojang Toin’s face was distorted with terror.

The young Toin didn’t really understand why the Jojang was so afraid, but followed, frightened, and ran to where the Chief would be.

The intruders were humans, but the Chief was also meeting another human.

Today, a human had suddenly caught a bunch of tasty leeches and brought them as a gift, and started talking alone with the Chief.

He was a good human, completely different from the bad human who opened the Prison door.

The young Toin soon found the Chief.

“Chief! Something terrible has happened!”

“What is it, Ahrong!”

As the guard explained everything to the Chief, beside him stood the sharp-eyed, good human.

It was Yuseong.

The Chief’s face turned pale in real time as he listened to the explanation.

He looked at Yuseong, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“How did you know, human! Amazing.”

“I told you, didn’t I? That bad guys would come. I told you to post guards.”

Yuseong had acted a step faster than the Three Brothers.

They had thought they were ahead, but actually, thanks to the footage they uploaded, Yuseong was able to pinpoint the location.

Yuseong had headed straight to the Toin village and told them everything.

“Still, there are so many of them, human! In the end, it was useless.”

“It’s hard to stop those guys with just poison darts.”

The Toin Chief’s face twisted in despair.

Even though, thanks to Yuseong, he knew an invasion was coming, he had ended up allowing the Prison to be breached.

Barretan won’t leave him alone for this.

“Help us, friend! Friends help each other. Our kin cannot enter the Prison. If we do, we’re cursed.”

Now, the Chief and the Toin had no one left to rely on except Yuseong.

The Chief gazed up at Yuseong with his small, dark eyes shining earnestly.

But Yuseong, who had been so kind up to now, changed completely in that instant.

“Why should I?”

“Wh-what?”

Yuseong folded his arms firmly.

“I caught you leeches, told you about the attack in advance, but you still couldn’t stop it. Isn’t that your fault?”

“F-friends help each other.”

“Yeah, I helped you guys. But have you ever helped me?”

Yuseong’s pointed question stung, and the Toin Chief floundered, not knowing what to do.

“Ugh, human. Sorry. What can I do for you?”

“If you want my help, show some sincerity.”

Yuseong didn’t unfold his arms.

Jang Dojin, standing at his side, couldn’t help but be impressed.

Up until a moment ago, Yuseong had been so kind to the Toin.

How could a person’s attitude change so completely, just like changing a mask?

“Umm, umm, shall I pick some fruit for you?”

“Don’t need it.”

“Or should I catch some monsters for you? We’re good hunters.”

“If you catch them with poison darts, the meat will be ruined.”

“Th-then…”

With every offer rejected, the Chief looked more flustered.

Then, suddenly, as if struck by an idea, he barked orders at his followers.

“You! Bring the Shiny Stone!”

At the word Shiny Stone, the followers soon returned with a leather pouch.

The Chief took the small but weighty pouch, opened it, and showed it to Yuseong.

Chil-geureok.

A brilliant light poured from the mouth of the pouch.

“These are Shiny Stones from monster bodies. I know humans like these. I gathered only the prettiest ones for you.”

At last, a smile appeared on Yuseong’s lips.

Unlike humans, Masok wasn’t that valuable to them.

They only used it for sorcerers or ornaments.

But what the Chief had handed to Yuseong was a Masok with enormous value on the surface.

“Huh! How much is all this…!”

Jang Dojin’s hands trembled as cold sweat ran down his face—which was natural.

Yuseong picked up one of the larger stones to examine it.

It was flawless—top grade.

“At this level, this is at least rank 11, no, maybe even 12. That yellow light means the government will buy it…”

“Then, doesn’t that mean each one is worth at least 1,200?”

“Hehehe. That’s right.”

Yuseong laughed in satisfaction.

If he sold this, he could upgrade the refrigeration system in the food storage.

Yuseong nodded at the Chief, who was anxiously watching him.

“Alright, but in return, tell me everything about the monster sealed in the Prison. And its detailed traits, too. I want everything.”

“Wow! Thank you, friend!”

The Toin Chief was delighted, thinking he had just paid with some pretty rocks for Yuseong’s help.

***

The Three Brothers broke through the Toin’s defenses and invaded the Donggo Ruins.

They had explored Ruins many times, and so they were also on high alert for Traps.

But their worries proved groundless.

A wide, flat corridor stretched out from the entrance.

It didn’t seem made for humans or Toin, but rather for the comings and goings of something gigantic.

After walking in for a while, they reached their destination.

It was the room depicted in the Mural.

One side held an Altar, and in the center was the golden Treasure Chest they coveted.

The second brother mumbled as he saw the chest.

“Is this… safe?”

The chest looked just like it was depicted in the Mural.

Golden, glowing softly even in the darkness.

They didn’t know what was inside, but at least the box itself was incredibly ornate.

No doubt a rare treasure or relic was within.

But the Three Brothers hesitated for a different reason.

“Why is it so big…”

There had only been one chest in the Mural, so they hadn’t expected this—the chest was enormous.

It filled almost one whole wall.

Dozens of people could lie down comfortably inside.

They knocked on it, put their ears to it, but found no clues.

They would have to open it to see what was inside.

They hesitated for quite a while.

But waiting wasn’t going to give them any solutions.

Eventually, the ever-impatient youngest exploded.

“Damn, if the chest is this big, there’ll be lots of treasure! We just wear gas masks, keep up the Shild, and open it from a distance—what could go wrong?”

He had a point.

Sometimes Ruins did have Traps on their chests, but having come this far, they had no choice but to open it.

The Firstborn, Il Horangi, spoke up.

“Turn on the camera. This is a historic moment—we have to record it.”

At his words, Sam Horang eagerly set the camera up on a tripod.

They always recorded the moment they found treasure.

This exploration would earn them more fame.

The second brother placed the captured White Crocodile on the Altar.

The beast struggled, but eventually stopped moving, spent.

Lee Horang, drawing his dagger, grinned wickedly.

“Your blue blood will bring us wealth and fame.”

For some reason, the White Crocodile’s blood was blue.

If its blood was spilled on the Altar, it would flow along the grooves carved into it.

The blue blood would reach the chest.

In other words, the White Crocodile’s blood was the Key to open the Treasure Chest.

The reptilian slit-pupiled eyes darted nervously.

Il Horangi raised his voice in a theatrical tone.

“Offer the sacrifice!”

“Here goes!”

The second brother gripped the dagger tightly.

If not for a sudden voice at that moment, the dagger would have come down.

“You shouldn’t stab it there—the artery runs a bit lower.”

It was none of the brothers’ voices.

“Baek Yuseong!”

Sam Horang was the first to recognize Yuseong’s arrival.

Yuseong was standing in the corridor they’d just passed through.

None of them had noticed Yuseong and Jang Dojin’s arrival until he appeared.

The youngest raised his crossbow and aimed at Yuseong.

Firstborn Il Horangi, barely keeping his composure, managed not to draw his weapon.

“How did… uh, no, never mind.”

He almost asked how they’d arrived so quickly, but stopped himself and put on a calm face.

“At last, we finally meet, Baek Yuseong.”

He tried to appear relaxed and even glanced at the camera, which was still recording.

“Sorry about this, but we got here first and caught the prize. Since you made it all the way here, as promised, you can have the White Crocodile’s corpse.”

Yuseong, Jang Dojin, and the three A-Rank Explorers made up the group.

By his calculations, they held the overwhelming advantage.

If nothing else, showing their victory over Baek Yuseong would make for a great recording.

But Yuseong showed no reaction he expected.

“Don’t need it.”

He said that, then slumped down to sit on the floor.

“What are you doing? Go ahead and stab it.”

Then he urged the still-hesitant second brother to go ahead and finish it.

Il Horangi frowned.

“Trying to act tough, Baek Yuseong. Weren’t you after the White Crocodile?”

“I considered catching it on my way through, but seeing you guys grab it, I’ve lost all interest.”

“What?”

“That’s just a baby. It’s so small, it’s barely got any meat on it—kill it quickly, would you?”

Yuseong said, then took out a water bottle and drank indifferently.

He pulled some jerky from his bag and began chewing it.

Il Horangi didn’t like this situation at all.

“…Do it, second brother.”

Even though Baek Yuseong was running the show, as long as they captured the discovery of the treasure on film, nothing else mattered.

The second brother, hesitating, finally took Yuseong’s advice and stabbed the White Crocodile’s main artery precisely.

Puuk!

Blue blood spurted out, beginning to flow along the grooves carved in the Altar.

Yuseong leaned against the wall.

Next to him, Jang Dojin asked cautiously.

“Is it okay to just stand by?”

“It’s fine, just wait. Look uninterested.”

“Act relaxed, act relaxed…”

The blue blood followed the groove toward the chest.

The huge chest, as if sucking up the blood like dry cotton, absorbed it all.

Drrrrrrrr.

The chest vibrated, beginning to glow.

Sam Horang, with the Shild ability, stepped to the front and created a barrier.

If arrows or poison darts flew out when the chest opened, he’d be able to block them.

Yuseong, watching intently, had a gleam in his eye.

The chest creaked open.

And something shot out, smashed Sam Horang’s Shild, and struck him hard.

Kwaang!

Sam Horang flew off, blood spraying like a fountain, bouncing across the floor until he slammed into a wall some distance from Yuseong.

The Firstborn and the second brother were shocked.

“W-what is that!”

The thing that had shot out of the chest and sent the youngest flying—

It was a tail.

A golden, gleaming, sinuous reptilian tail.

After sweeping away obstacles with its tail, the monster finally revealed itself to the world.

A long snout and saw-like teeth.

Reptilian eyes.

Thick, golden, gleaming hide.

“Wow, a crocodile.”

Il Horangi muttered.

The White Crocodile, the prince of the 14th Layer.

The Ancient Golden Crocodile, awakened from its seal by absorbing that blood.