Chapter 364: Dividing The Spoils [ 1 ]

The second-floor lounge had never felt this crowded before.

By the time Sage arrived, every seat around the long tables had already been taken, while several of the twenty adventurers who had accompanied him into the Vault stood near the walls with cups of tea or water in their hands.

Gregor sat beside Lyana, looking far more rested than he had the previous evening, though the dark circles beneath his eyes showed that one night of sleep had not completely erased the exhaustion of the expedition.

Brutus occupied a chair that looked slightly too small for him, Caelis sat near the end of the table, and Vanthrice rested her bronze spear against the wall within easy reach.

Valeria had chosen the quietest corner as usual, her arms folded beneath her chest as she watched the room with a calm expression, while Mina had climbed onto a chair beside Sage’s empty seat and was swinging her legs impatiently beneath the table.

Boren was the most restless of them all. He kept looking toward the door every few seconds, rubbing his hands together with a hopeful smile that became more shameless each time someone mentioned the treasure.

When Sage finally entered the lounge, every conversation stopped. He closed the door behind him, looked around at the familiar faces gathered there, and allowed himself a small smile.

This was not merely another meeting about missions, rules, or expenses. Everyone in the room had entered the Vault together, survived its trials, and escaped with enough treasure to reshape the future of the Adventurer Guild.

That made the discussion ahead more important than anything they had handled since the Guild’s founding.

Boren leaned forward before Sage had even reached the table. "Boss, I want you to know that I barely slept last night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw gold coins, Skill Stones, enchanted weapons, and those ancient books floating above me. I also saw that serpent trying to swallow us, but I chose to focus on the more positive memories."

Gregor gave him a tired look. "You chose to focus on the money."

"That is exactly what I said." Boren rolled his eyes at him.

Sage pulled out the main chair and sat down. "You all look better than yesterday."

Brutus rubbed one shoulder before replying, "Better enough to sit through a meeting. Not better enough to enter another Vault, in case you were planning to suggest it."

A few people laughed, and Sage shook his head. "No Vaults today. We’re here to settle what happens to everything we brought back."

That was enough to silence the room again.

Sage raised one hand and opened the System Storage.

The air beside him warped slightly before the enormous dark opening appeared, drawing several curious looks even though everyone in the room had already witnessed it inside the treasury.

The twenty adventurers remained especially fascinated, because none of them understood what kind of storage artifact could hold so much without showing any sign of reaching its limit.

Sage ignored their expressions and began releasing the treasure in controlled portions.

The lounge instantly filled with light.

Gold coins poured out first, forming several large piles along the cleared side of the room, followed by neatly stacked ancient tomes, crates of Mana crystals, bundles of rare materials, weapons wrapped in protective cloth, and rows of Skill Stones that shimmered with different colors.

Sage did not bring out everything because the second floor would have collapsed beneath the weight, but what he displayed was still enough to leave everyone speechless.

Even those who had personally gathered the treasure stared as though seeing it for the first time. Inside the treasury, the wealth had been spread across an enormous hall, making its true amount difficult to understand.

Here, packed into a single room, even a small portion looked absurd.

One of the twenty adventurers slowly lowered his cup. "Guildmaster... this is only part of it?"

"Less than a tenth," Sage answered.

Several people inhaled sharply.

Boren placed both hands on the table and leaned so far forward that Gregor had to grab the back of his coat before he fell into the nearest gold pile. "Less than a tenth? Boss, I knew we were rich, but I didn’t know we were the kind of rich that could make nobles develop sudden illnesses."

Mina had already climbed down from her chair. She walked toward the coins with complete seriousness, crouched beside the nearest pile, and began counting them one by one beneath her breath.

Sage looked at her. "What are you doing?"

"Checking."

"Checking what?"

"That Uncle Boren didn’t eat any."

Boren looked offended. "Why would I eat gold?"

Mina glanced at him. "You ate food from an ancient bubble without knowing what it was."

"That was different. It smelled good."

Brutus burst into laughter while Gregor

covered his face with one hand.

Even Valeria’s lips moved faintly before returning to their usual straight line.

Sage waited until the laughter faded before reaching back into the System Storage and taking out twenty large sacks.

Each one landed on the table with a heavy thud, the sound of coins shifting inside making every adventurer look toward them immediately.

Sage pushed one sack toward each of the twenty expedition members.

"This is your immediate reward," he explained. "It has nothing to do with whatever division we agree upon later. Every one of you entered the Vault under my command, fought through the trials, helped gather the treasure, and risked your life bringing everyone back. Consider this payment for the expedition itself."

For a moment, none of them touched the sacks. They simply stared, trying to judge the weight and value from the shape alone.

One adventurer carefully opened his, saw the gold inside, and immediately closed it again as though afraid the coins might disappear.

Another gripped the edge of the table while blinking several times. Some had earned good money from missions, but most had never held this much gold at once.