Chapter 62: The Vault That Bled Gold

“Dr-Dragon, you said…?”

But the one most taken aback was, of course, Third Prince Piso.

“What are you saying? A dragon! I’ve never even heard of such a thing until now!!”

“It’s a being that was forgotten by the royal family long ago… It remained only in records kept in the deepest, deepest part of the Royal Library. And… on the day the kingdom fell, I confirmed that it truly existed.”

Jul-kan pointed to the ground.

“It lies deep beneath this very land.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?!”

“You must accept the truth…”

Jul-kan spoke with a lonely expression.

“The Elders refused to accept it… That’s why the nation fell so pathetically.”

“H-How dare you…! Enough with these insults in my presence!!”

As the atmosphere grew more heated, Jaeho, who’d been merely watching, finally intervened.

“Alright, alright, let’s leave the two of you to sort out the truth later. For now, let’s focus on getting out of here first.”

“Alicia! It’s a dragon! We have to catch the dragon!”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Even if there really is a dragon, do you think we could possibly take it down?”

Jaeho had faced enemies far stronger than himself before, but a dragon was on a different level.

Even if all the current rankers charged in, it was easy to guess it would be a monster no one could guarantee defeating.

“But what if we brought the Elves? Couldn’t we take it down then?”

Wansik asked cautiously.

“That’s…”

It might be possible if they went that far.

However—

“There’s no reason to do that. I’m a Flower Shop Owner.”

“Ah, is that so. But a Flower Shop Owner would never think of robbing another country’s Gold Vault, would he?”

Wansik looked at Jaeho as if he were pathetic.

“You’re really not going to fight the dragon…?”

Tina asked gloomily, full of disappointment.

“Yeah. Absolutely not.”

Jaeho answered firmly, then turned back to Jul-kan.

“So, is there some problem with me finding this Map?”

“I just… didn’t want it to fall into anyone else’s hands.”

“What exactly happened? You said you found the Guardian Deity—then why did you leave the country to ruin?”

“Of course, I discovered the dragon sleeping deep underground. The moment I saw it, I realized it was the Guardian Deity of Deran. But…”

He paused, trembling slightly.

“The Guardian Deity was in a very bad mood. In fact, by waking it, I put it in a state of extreme displeasure.”

“Hm… Well, if you wake someone up from sleep, you might get stabbed for it.”

Jaeho nodded solemnly.

Silence.

“……… No, I didn’t mean it literally, that it would stab someone.”

Noticing the strange expressions of those around him, Jaeho hurriedly added.

“Hmhm, I see.”

[The other party is lying.]

Jaeho decided to keep silent, since there was nothing to gain by pursuing it further.

“Ahem, in any case, I will continue explaining.”

Jul-kan resumed.

“That being warned me. If its Eternal Sleep was disturbed once more… it would not let it go unpunished. So, even in my family, I used the Forbidden Necromancy—considered a taboo—to seal away the Map. Just in case… to prevent someone from waking the dragon and bringing ruin to the world.”

Having heard the whole story, Jaeho burst out laughing.

So, in summary…

“How is that a Guardian Deity?”

When the nation was on the verge of ruin, it cursed those who woke it—could that really be called a Guardian Deity?

“I just think… it’s the price for neglecting the Guardian Deity for hundreds of years.”

Jul-kan dressed it up with plausible words, but honestly, to put it more directly—

“So, you lost, is what you’re saying.”

“Ahem… Khm…”

Jul-kan turned away from Jaeho, clearing his throat.

“In any case, for that reason, I sealed the Map. I could have burned it away completely… but as the Royal Scribe who has served Deran for generations, I couldn’t bring myself to erase history with my own hands.”

At last, the full story of the incident was revealed.

It meant he couldn’t bring himself to give it away or discard it, and since he couldn’t use it immediately, he decided to hide it for the future.

“That’s not really it…”

“Now that I hear it, it’s not that important anyway. Let’s stop wasting time here! Let’s get moving!”

Unfolding the Map, Jaeho moved toward the location where the Gold Vault should be.

***

The Map was accurate.

At the fork leading to the Gold Vault, Jaeho left the rest of the group behind and proceeded with just Tina, Wansik, and Piso.

“But isn’t there any security near the vault?”

“The last time, when the traitors dragged me to the vault, there was none. Since nothing can break in anyway, they must’ve left it unguarded.”

If that was the case, it was fortunate.

If by any chance a Player was guarding the place, things would get much more complicated.

Even if they killed them, before logging out, the Player could use the brief grace period to alert their guild of what happened.

“Still, you’re really bold. How did you ever think to come in through the prison ceiling?”

Suddenly, Wansik, following behind Jaeho, said in admiration.

“And now you’re even going to rob the Gold Vault.”

“Rob? The owner of the vault is right here. Besides, Taylor is here too.”

“What? Taylor?”

Wansik asked in surprise.

“Yeah. Poor guy. While he was captured on our side, Bear Kingdom didn’t even care about him.”

“Come on, but would he really betray them so easily?”

“……You know how it is, where we come from.”

Glance—

With that, Jaeho glanced at Tina, who was walking ahead.

“Ahem… Yeah. He must’ve really had a rough time.”

Wansik finally accepted it.

“Are you sure this is the way? I don’t see anything that looks like a passage.”

At that moment, Piso, who was walking ahead, shouted back to the two.

Piso was standing at a dead end, but thanks to the Gold Vault Thief effect, Jaeho could faintly see bricks emitting a subtle light.

Clack—

As soon as he grabbed and pushed the brick,

Rumble—

The wall that had been blocking the way began to move aside.

“Incredible!”

“How did you know that?!”

Piso and Wansik exclaimed at the same time.

“Just go with it.”

Thud—

Beyond the now fully open passage, the atmosphere was completely different from the dirty, smelly sewers.

A space overflowing with extravagant decorations.

“According to the Map, this is it, right?”

“Y-Yeah… We’re exactly where we should be.”

Piso answered Jaeho’s question with a flustered expression.

“Why is there a place like this inside the royal castle…?”

“Well, it’s definitely not something made by Tomb Raiders.”

The Map Jaeho held was the genuine one from the Royal Library.

Fortunately, as Piso said, there was no sign of anyone nearby.

If this were a country ruled by NPCs, there would have been tight security everywhere.

But as a nation of Players, everyone trusted in the System too much.

Their complacency: that no one could possibly rob this Gold Vault!

Click—

Standing at the vault entrance, Piso took a deep breath and then spoke.

“<I am Piso Ideran, the legitimate successor to the Ideran Royal family. As the legitimate heir to the kingdom, I command you to open the gate.> ”

At his words, to their surprise, the huge door began to open on its own.

“That’s Word Command.”

Tina, watching Piso, remarked.

“Word Command?”

“It’s a special power that imbues the words themselves with magic. It’s similar to magic, but on a much higher level. I’d guess it’s a power that runs through the Royal Bloodline.”

[You have learned about <Unryeong>.]

[You are the successor to Brejal, who was once King of Cofei.]

[You have inherited the Word Command that belonged to Brejal.]

[At your current level, you can only use one Word Command.]

[<You will suffer>.]

[Inflicts ongoing damage proportional to Intelligence, and reduces the target’s movement speed, attack speed, and agility for as long as you have Mana. (As long as Mana remains, the curse persists.)]

Of all things to get, it had to be something this ominous…

Meanwhile, the vault doors swung completely open.

Flash!

“Incredible!”

The gold and jewels inside shone dazzlingly from all directions, competing with each other in brilliance.

Wansik, shocked by the overwhelming sight, could only gasp in awe…

“What? Why are you so calm? Aren’t you surprised by this?”

“Hmm? Oh, this?”

Jaeho scratched his head.

He’d already seen sights more splendid than this.

“Brezal’s Vault was even more magnificent, I think.”

Those treasures technically belonged to Jaeho now, but ironically, he didn’t know where they were, so he couldn’t claim them.

Compared to the treasures here, those were at least three times more amazing.

“Enough admiring. Let’s hurry and grab everything.”

“Ah! Right.”

Wansik snapped out of it and began to move busily.

Swish swish swish—

The two began shoveling treasures into their Inventory as fast as they could.

Since only the two of them could use the System’s help, the others could only stuff a few items into their pockets.

Fonda and Dae-wa Jingjing-i helped out, but…

They simply hung jewelry all over themselves and hugged whatever they could carry.

[You are carrying too many items.]

[Movement speed and agility have decreased.]

[You have exceeded the maximum item limit.]

[Health will begin to decrease continuously.]

Still, both Jaeho and Wansik, being focused on strength and stamina, were able to take an incredible amount.

“…Wait, it makes sense for me as a warrior class, but how about you? How can you carry as much as me?”

Wansik’s question suddenly arose.

How could a guy who only handled flowers at a flower shop take as much as him?

“Is that important right now?!”

Jaeho grumbled as he looked at the treasures still piled like mountains.

How could they take even more…?

“Hey, that’s impossible. If we take any more, the health loss will be too much to handle!”

“Pfft… Guess not, huh?”

Then there was only one option left.

Set the whole place on fire!

“What are you saying?! Absolutely not!!”

Piso screamed in horror, trying to stop him.

“Isn’t it better to burn it all than let someone else have it?”

“If I disappear, this place will be sealed off for good anyway! Besides, someday I’ll have to reclaim this place—why would I burn it all?!”

He had a point, but honestly, Jaeho was still a bit uneasy.

It felt like there had to be some loophole.

“You… Who are you?!”

“?!!”

“Gasp?!”

At that moment, startled by a shout from outside the vault, everyone’s heads snapped around.

“T-There’s a thief!”

One person screamed at the top of their lungs and ran the other way.

“Tina.”

Fwoosh—!

“Hm?”

An arrow shot like a bullet struck the fleeing person squarely in the back.

Fss—

Instantly, the target turned to ashes, but… the real problem was elsewhere.

Disappearing that quickly meant they were a Player, not an NPC!

“Let’s run!”

Slow— so slow—

Despite Jaeho’s urgent cry, their movements were sluggish to the point of despair.

“Hey, we should drop some of this and go!”

“Doesn’t matter! As long as we make it to the Secret Passage…”

“Thump thump—”

In an instant, Players from the Bulgeom Guild burst in!

“Damn! Why are they so fast?”

Their reaction speed was astonishing.

“You bastards! How dare you rob the Bear Kingdom’s Gold Vault?!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! This is the property of the Deran royal family!”

With that unnecessary retort from Piso, the other side scowled.

“What the—Prince? Why is the prince here?! Wait… that guy—?”

Their gaze landed on Jaeho!

A huge figure.

The aura of a predator emanating from his back.

A savage atmosphere no one else could imitate—

“Alicia!…No, that can’t be?”

But the real problem was the ears and nose!

His presence was obviously Jaeho’s, but the features were so different it was causing them confusion.

“…Are you really trying to take us on with just this much?”

“Hey, you don’t get it.”

Wansik replied in a low voice to Jaeho’s mutter.

“You look freaky as hell. Like, is he even human?”

Whether they recognized him or not didn’t matter anymore.

All that mattered now was escaping!

The other side didn’t care who was coming out of the vault either.

The only thing that mattered was that they had to be captured.

“Catch those bastards!”

The Bulgeom Guild charged straight at Jaeho’s party.

“Damn! We can’t fight like this!”

Both Jaeho and Wansik, weighed down and sluggish, and even Fonda, loaded with jewelry, could only squirm on the floor, unable to leap up.

The only one still able to fight reasonably was Tina.

“<Summon mirage soldier>”

But now, the Mirage Soldiers, after so much time away from battle, were much weaker, and couldn’t help much.

“Ah.”

Then, suddenly, something occurred to him.

“<You will suffer>”

The Word Command he’d just acquired!

Up until a moment ago, he’d thought it ominous, but with no time to hesitate, Jaeho immediately used it in real combat.