Chapter 40
‘Is someone badmouthing me or what?’
Scratch, scratch.
What the heck, why are my ears so itchy?
“Carmon, are you okay? You’ve been digging at your ears nonstop.”
“Oh, I’m fine. Just feels oddly itchy.”
“Really? Then you stay here and rest. I’ll take care of the raid myself.”
Seeing Elliot speak so confidently, I shook my head and chuckled.
“No, it’s fine. Let’s just keep going.”
And what does he mean he’ll take care of it? The one leading the strategy isn’t him, it’s the excavation captain…
“Advance slowly while staying alert. If there’s any movement or change, report it immediately!”
Just as I thought, the one truly leading the excavation team was the captain.
The Tomb of Drante was like a massive underground fortress.
Though buried beneath the mountains, there were multiple entrances into the tomb.
Naturally, each entrance had its own guardians—like stationed gatekeepers—to block intruders.
‘The guardians at the entrances are all Bronze Golems.’
KRRRRAAARGH!
“It’s—it’s a guardian!”
“Stay calm! Just do as we planned!”
“Yes, sir!”
At the coarse shout of the excavation captain, the well-trained members moved with precision.
Soon, they pulled something out from their packs.
“On my mark—throw! One, two, three!”
Whoooosh!
In an instant, more than a hundred glass bottles flew toward the Bronze Golems.
And then—
Ssssss!
“They’re—they’re melting!”
“They’re all melting away!”
I already knew Bronze Golems would appear here, so I had prepared the perfect item to take them down.
‘Oxidation Solution of the Desert Chameleon.’
It cost as much as five silver coins per bottle—rare and pricey stuff.
“Don’t hold back, throw them all!”
Whoooosh!
Watching the sky fill again with hurled bottles, I couldn’t help thinking—
‘Ha, if I had this during the dungeonology exam, I could’ve shaved off at least ten minutes.’
The sheer convenience money could buy—I’d never forget it.
KRRRAAGH!
The Bronze Golems, drenched in the chameleon’s oxidation solution, crumbled like brittle twigs, collapsing helplessly.
“What are you waiting for? Finish them!”
“Attack!”
“Destroy the mana stones! With golems, always destroy the mana stones first!”
Following the command, the excavation and mercenary squads smashed the mana stones embedded in the golems’ chests.
Clang!
Once the mana stones were destroyed, the Bronze Golems stopped moving, reduced to nothing more than scrap metal.
As the guardians at the entrance were eliminated in an instant, everyone stared at Elliot with stunned expressions.
“All enemies down!”
“I saw.”
At the report from the captain, Elliot turned to me with eyes full of admiration.
“Just as you said, Carmon—it worked perfectly!”
“No, it’s thanks to the excellent team you organized.”
“Still, hearing that from you means a lot.”
Without delay, he looked forward again and shouted.
“All right, move out!”
“Let’s go!”
“Let’s finish this quickly!”
We began advancing swiftly into the tomb, facing several traps and more guardians along the way.
“Argh, poisoned arrows! Everyone, dodge!”
“F-fire! It’s flame magic!”
“What’s that? A gargoyle? A giant gargoyle! Don’t meet its eyes!”
At the front, the mercenaries and excavators reacted in panic, but Elliot ordered them to use the items and artifacts we had prepared, just as I had explained earlier.
“Antidotes! We brought plenty—use them!”
“Those water containers! If you’re on fire, put it out!”
“Where’s the anti-petrification potion? Didn’t you get issued some?”
With the right supplies used at the right time, we managed to neutralize the traps and guardians without serious losses.
Morale soared higher and higher as the team cut through every obstacle.
“With Young Master Elliot, we can’t lose!”
“Long live the Young Master!”
“The true heir of the trading company is none other than Young Master Elliot!”
Their cheers grew louder, and Elliot’s eyes began to glisten.
Thump!
He suddenly grabbed my shoulder, making me glance at him in surprise.
“…?”
“Thank you, Carmon. It’s all thanks to you.”
“Huh?”
“You know… no one has ever offered to help me first. Everyone always approached me out of greed or ulterior motives. You’re the only one who came without any selfish reason.”
“Uh, really?”
His sudden sincerity left me a little flustered, but I answered casually.
“So, Carmon—you’re my one and only friend.”
…What? Out of nowhere?
We’ve barely known each other for that long.
And besides—
‘I did approach you with an ulterior motive, though…’
“Y-yeah. I’m glad you think so. Friends always understand each other, right?”
“Exactly!”
Elliot beamed brightly, and though I felt a small pang of guilt, well… At least I wasn’t going to harm him. Best to just keep quiet.
No need to stir up trouble.
“All right, then let’s—”
Just as Elliot was about to issue another command—
“Young Master!”
Someone came rushing toward us from afar.
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
It was one of Elliot’s men, stationed outside at the camp. He was out of breath as he shouted—
“Lady Diana’s side has opened their entrance and begun excavation!”
“What, already? I thought it would take them at least another day?”
“They—blew up the entire blocked section with explosives…”
“E-explosives?!”
Elliot shouted in shock, then quickly turned to me.
“That crazy woman Diana—she really wants to bury us alive down here!”
His words weren’t wrong. Diana’s choice was an extreme one.
Especially since the tomb, deep under a mountain range, could easily collapse from such external shocks.
I immediately said to Elliot—
“We need to pick up the pace. Before she catches up!”
“Right. Increase the speed! Push the excavation as fast as possible!”
At his shout, the team began moving faster than before.
And so—
‘So, you’re coming after us like this? Fine, let’s see how you handle it.’
BOOOOM!
We smashed through a massive rock blocking our way and entered a new chamber.
Screeeech!
“Vampire bats! They’re everywhere!”
The whole chamber filled with thick, black swarms flying toward us.
With annoyance, Elliot shook his arm and barked an order—
“Spread the prepared blood! Cover yourselves with cloaks!”
Ssshhhhh!
At once, mercenaries and excavators splashed crimson liquid across the floor.
The vampire bats, drawn to it, dove straight down.
SCREEEEE!
But having ingested blood laced with neurotoxins, the bats shrieked grotesquely before dropping dead one by one.
“…Too easy.”
Elliot muttered smugly, glancing at me. I returned a faint smile and nodded.
We were about to continue further when—
“This path is blocked!”
“And there’s… some writing here—wait, huh?!”
Hearing the voices up ahead, I shouted urgently—
“Fall back, now!”
Tap-tap-tap!
They quickly retreated, and in the middle of the blocked passage, a shining golden mass rose into the air.
“Wh-what is that?”
“Light?”
“A new trap?”
Everyone stared nervously at the golden glow—until suddenly—
FWOOSH!
It flared brilliantly, transforming into a golden dragon the size of a human.
“A—a dragon?!”
“A Gold Dragon!”
“But why’s it so small?”
Everyone recoiled in fear and confusion. Even Elliot, beside me, stammered nervously—
“A g-guardian that’s a dragon?!”
I shook my head slightly, eyes fixed on it.
“No, that’s not a real dragon.”
“What?”
“That’s a Money Bug—no, the Spirit of Gold.”
Among the guardians of Drante’s Tomb, there was one most unique of all.
The Spirit of Wealth—known as the Spirit of Gold.
If you knew how to deal with it, you could pass easily.
But if you fought it—
‘It could be the worst enemy imaginable.’
[Uninvited one in my palace—are you a friend? A foe? Or something else entirely?]
A resonant voice echoed from the miniature golden dragon, and everyone froze.
I quickly answered—
“The descendant of the Golden King Drante has come to reclaim his ancestor’s legacy.”
[Descendant of the Golden King?]
The dragon’s eyes flashed with interest.
I immediately nudged Elliot forward.
“This is Elliot Fren, descendant of Drante Fren.”
[…]
The golden dragon said nothing, staring silently at us.
“C-Carmon, what is this—?”
“Shh, just wait.”
Clink.
At the same time, I pulled out the fifty gold coins Elliot had given me earlier.
“To the Spirit guarding the treasure of the Golden King, I offer tribute. Please open the path to the legacy.”
With that, I tossed the pouch toward the dragon.
Whoosh, thud.
“C-Carmon, did you just—?”
“Quiet. Don’t say a word.”
The dragon gazed at the pouch, then waddled forward and stuck its snout inside.
And then—
[It has been long since I met a descendant with proper manners. Very well, heir of my friend, Elliot—I shall open the path you seek.]
Sounding deeply pleased, it returned to its glowing mass form.
Vrrrrm!
The pouch I threw was sucked into the light.
RUMBLEEE!
The entire tomb trembled.
“A-a door?”
“A passage has appeared!”
Where the wall had blocked the way, an arched gate now stood.
“Let’s move!”
“R-right! Everyone, through the door!”
At Elliot’s command, everyone rushed through the newly formed passage.
Meanwhile, I stepped closer to the golden mass and whispered softly.
The spirit shimmered—
Glint.
Its light gleamed with a greedier luster than ever—
[So you are called Carmon Bade… Very well. I shall look forward to you.]
