The wind and snow slapped against his face like knives.
Vivian held Lynn, her steps incredibly steady, as if she weren’t carrying a living person but a bundle of firewood.
Her breastplate was cold and hard, bruising Lynn’s cheek.
Lynn could hear the hurried footsteps coming from behind.
Alicia’s holy robes snapped in the wind, while Lilith followed silently like a nimble cat.
‘This hellhole doesn’t have any Dragon’s Den.’
Lynn felt a pang of bitterness.
He had only made up that lie to lure these three gods of plague out of the Academy and buy himself some breathing room.
Who could have known things would turn out like this?
“We’re here,” Vivian’s voice rang out, devoid of any emotion.
She stopped and finally set Lynn down.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Lynn almost lost his balance.
He looked up to see a pitch-black cave.
Icicles hung from the entrance, and a constant chill seeped out from within.
This cave… it didn’t look like a normal place at all.
Alicia and Lilith caught up as well.
“The Holy Artifact is in here?”
Alicia’s gaze drifted between the cave entrance and Lynn’s face, her holy features filled with suspicion.
Lilith poked her head inside curiously and whispered, “Brother, it’s so dark in here. Will there be monsters?”
Lilith’s Blackening Value: 99%
Alicia’s Blackening Value: 97%
Vivian’s Blackening Value: 90%
The three numbers hung in Lynn’s vision like three Swords of Damocles.
He gritted his teeth and nodded.
“Yes, it’s inside. We have to be careful.”
With that, he took the lead and walked into the cave.
Either way, he was headed for the chopping block, so he might as well take the initiative and try to control the pace.
The interior of the cave was drier than expected.
The path sloped downward, and before they had gone far, a wave of dry heat—smelling of sulfur mixed with some kind of metal—hit them.
Luminous ores were embedded in the surrounding stone walls, making the entire tunnel flicker with dim light.
“There’s a dragon’s scent here,” Vivian suddenly spoke, her hand already resting on her sword hilt.
“It’s very potent.”
Lynn’s heart skipped a beat.
‘No way. Did I actually stumble onto the real thing? Is there really a dragon in this gods-forsaken mountain?’
When he had modified the game data, he had indeed changed the world boss near Black Iron Town into a red dragon just for fun.
But that was only a low-level boss that dropped some gold coins and materials.
“How could it…”
As they went deeper, the sense of dry heat grew stronger.
A blinding light appeared at the end of the tunnel.
Lynn swallowed hard and led the three women around the final bend.
The sight before them made everyone stop in their tracks.
It was a colossal cavern.
The ceiling was so high that the top was invisible, and the entire floor of the cavern was covered in gold coins, gemstones, ornate armor, and weapons.
The golden shimmer and the sparkle of jewels were almost blinding.
Gold coins were piled into small mountains, and massive diamonds were scattered on the ground like common pebbles.
And sitting atop the largest mountain of gold was a figure.
It was a young girl.
She had long, fire-red hair, a pair of small dragon horns on her head, and a tail covered in red scales trailing behind her.
The tip of her tail was idly sweeping through the gold coins, making a “clatter-clatter” sound.
The girl wore a simple set of cloth clothes and was barefoot.
She sat with her head down, holding a handful of gold coins, dropping them one by one from her left hand to her right like she was counting beans.
She was even muttering to herself.
“…9,826, 9,827…”
She was counting so intently that she didn’t notice Lynn and the others at all.
Lynn’s mind went blank.
The Red Dragon Princess, Ignis.
A regional boss from the game.
Someone with a severe hoarding obsession whose greatest hobby was collecting anything shiny.
He remembered that when he was messing around with the settings, he had added a specific trait…
Possesses an absolute desire to own ‘unique’ treasures.
Lynn felt his legs trembling.
“Evil dragon!” Alicia’s voice shattered the silence.
She took a step forward, her body radiating a soft Holy Light.
She raised the scepter in her hand and pointed it directly at the girl on the mountain of gold.
“Filthy creature residing here, in the name of God, I have come to purify you!”
The girl on the gold mountain was finally interrupted.
She looked up, revealing an exquisite yet expressionless face.
Her pupils were the color of molten gold, and she was staring fixedly at the scepter in Alicia’s hand.
“Oh, that’s very bright.”
Ignis spoke, her voice clear and carrying a hint of natural daze.
She dropped the gold coins in her hand, flicked her tail, and slid light-footedly down the mountain of gold.
“Your stick. Give it to me.”
She walked up to Alicia and held out her hand.
Her tone wasn’t a request; it was a command.
Alicia was stunned.
She had likely never encountered such an arrogant “monster.”
“Impudence! This is a Holy Artifact bestowed by God. How dare a vile creature like you defile it!”
“God?”
Ignis tilted her head, seemingly trying to understand the word.
She thought for a moment, then shook her head.
“I don’t know him. But your stick is very bright. It’s mine now.”
The moment she finished speaking, her figure suddenly vanished from the spot.
In the next second, she appeared beside Alicia, her hand reaching directly for the scepter.
Alicia’s reaction was lightning-fast.
The Holy Light on the scepter flared, forming a barrier.
Ignis’s hand hit the barrier, producing a “sizzle”.
She pulled her hand back in pain and looked at her blackened fingers with a slightly aggrieved expression.
“It hurts… bad thing.”
She glared at Alicia, her gaze changing.
It was no longer curiosity, but the look of a child whose toy had been broken by a brat.
A terrifying dragon’s pressure erupted from her petite body.
The temperature in the entire cavern rose sharply, and the air began to warp.
Vivian unsheathed her greatsword and stood in front of Lynn.
“Be careful. Her power is immense.”
Lilith quietly retreated behind Lynn and grabbed the hem of his clothes.
Her body was trembling slightly, but an excited light shimmered in her eyes.
Lynn watched the scene, his mind racing.
‘They’re fighting. They’re actually fighting.’
This was exactly what he wanted—to have them fight among themselves so he could find a chance to slip away.
But… Ignis’s goal was the Holy Artifact, not people.
If Alicia lost and the Holy Artifact was stolen, then his excuse of “searching for the Holy Artifact”
“Would…”
Just as Lynn was calculating his next move, Ignis’s gaze suddenly bypassed Alicia and landed on him.
Her golden pupils dilated slightly.
She looked Lynn up and down, like an appraiser looking at a peerless treasure.
“You…”
Ignis spoke.
She no longer paid any attention to Alicia and instead walked straight toward Lynn.