Chapter 42: initial loot

When the others where waiting for Smith the dungeon exit had already appeared. By the time Smith rejoined them, Malinda and Lyra were finishing to clean up the battlefield by gathering the loot dropped by the killed Ratmen.

​Once every piece of loot had been collected, Smith glanced around to confirm that no one was missing.

​"As the leader of this team," Smith announced, "I can now officially declare that the dungeon is cleared. We can begin our journey back home."

​Although several members have injuries of varying severity, they were eager to leave, knowing they could recover properly once they returned. Without wasting any time, the group made their way toward the exit. Since Smith was the team leader, he chose to bring up the rear, directly instructing Apollo and Alexander to head through first and The two raised no objections his arrangements.

​On the other side in the main world, Jacob stood a few meters away from where the dungeon entrance had been—now it was just an expanse of empty space. Typically, when a newly discovered dungeon appears and a team is sent until its entry limit is reached, the portal disappears to prevent outside interference. It only reappears once an exit is found within. However, if a team perishes inside the dungeon, the gate remains closed forever—a silent mark of dungeon failure.

​Standing nearby, waiting for them to emerge, Jacob would have been lying to himself if he said he wasn’t anxious. Even though Smith was leading the team and possessed a legendary-titled Queen, mutated dungeons were notoriously dangerous and unpredictable; there was no telling what creatures or strange mutations lay within.

​Jacob had been waiting anxiously since the moment they entered. Seeing him so visibly tense, his secretary had even advised him to take a break. Despite being a high-ranking player, Jacob was still human and susceptible to mental fatigue, especially under the constant strain of worrying over the outcome.

​Arriving behind him once more, the secretary gently reminded him, "Master, you need to relax a bit. You can trust Mr. Smith. Although his Queen’s aura hasn’t reached the ideal level we hoped for, it was an emergency, and there was nothing more we could do. Besides, Queens capable of attaining Legendary titles are no simple characters—you have to have faith in them."

​Jacob nodded at the words, but they did little to calm his heart. His anxiety wasn’t solely about the party’s safety; more than anything, he was eager to confirm the outcome of the side mission he had assigned to Apollo and Alexander. Knowing that their return would dictate their next steps was what truly kept him on edge.

​Just as the secretary tried to persuade him further, a white portal suddenly materialized in the exact spot where the dungeon entrance had been.

​Jacob knew instantly that they had cleared it—he had never doubted their capability.

​A moment later, Alexander and Apollo stepped out of the portal side by side. Locking eyes with the two, Jacob asked in a low voice, "Is it convenient to speak about it now?"

​Both men shook their heads vigorously. Though their reaction was somewhat exaggerated, Jacob simply nodded and dropped the subject.

​A few seconds later, Smith emerged from the portal. As he was last person exited, the white light flared brilliantly and vanished into a shower of sparks. The dungeon was gone. Unlike ordinary dungeons that remain open continuously, one-time dungeons vanish completely upon clearance.

​Watching from the back, Smith witnessed the dungeon’s final moments. Even though he knew it was coming, the spectacle of its collapse was magnificent—resembling a sudden burst of white fireworks. It faded silently, leaving no shockwaves or excess energy behind.

​Seeing the entire team back safely, Jacob stepped forward. "Mr. Smith, welcome back! Judging by your condition, it seems everyone is doing well. I must extend my deepest gratitude for your cooperation and efforts in clearing this dungeon. Rest assured, your share of the spoils will be more than fair."

​Smith offered a humble smile. "I can’t take all the credit. We cleared this dungeon with the help of Alexander and Apollo as well. If not for their assistance, I don’t know if I could have cleared it alone."

​Jacob smiled back, secretly impressed by Smith’s modesty. It was a refreshing quality in a young man.

​Shifting the conversation, Jacob gestured toward the building. "Now then, Mr. Smith, you must all be exhausted. Before you head off to rest and recuperate, let’s head straight to the division of the loot."

​He led them back to the round-table room where they had first met. Since Smith, Apollo, and Alexander had already recalled their Queens into their spiritual spaces, only the four men entered the room.

​Taking his seat, Jacob announced, "Show me the spoils of war so we can begin the distribution."

​Without delay, Smith retrieved the loot from his inventory and laid it out on the table. However, the pile consisted only of standard energy orbs and repair stones—nothing particularly extraordinary.

​Jacob stared at the meager pile with a puzzled expression. If this had been a standard Novice-rank dungeon, such loot would be expected. But this was a mutated, one-time dungeon, which typically yielded several times the rewards of a normal run.

​Unable to contain his confusion, Jacob asked, "Is this... everything?"

​Noticing Jacob’s expression, Smith realized the misunderstanding. Jacob didn’t know the dungeon contained checkpoints; Smith had simply planned to split the monster drops before presenting the chest rewards.

​"This isn’t all of it," Smith clarified quickly. "This is just the basic loot dropped from slaying the Ratmen. I wasn’t trying to withhold anything."

​Jacob quickly waved his hands. "Mr. Smith, please don’t worry—I didn’t mean to imply you were withholding rewards! For a moment, I simply wondered if the dungeon had somehow reverted its mutation."

​Internally, Jacob cursed himself for losing his composure. If Smith had taken his question the wrong way, he might have felt accused of embezzling the loot. Relieved that he had smoothed it over quickly, Jacob let the matter drop.

​After they divided the basic monster drops, Smith didn’t keep him in suspense any longer. Reaching into his inventory, he summoned nine chest items directly onto the table.

​Though the room’s lighting was modest compared to the checkpoint chambers, it was enough to make the chests gleam mesmerizingly. Most eye-catching of all was the silver chest, which radiated a starlight glow that immediately commanded the room’s attention.

​Even though Apollo and Alexander knew about the nine chests in Smith’s inventory, seeing them displayed all at once was still a breathtaking sight.

​As for Jacob, despite having explored countless dungeons and claimed many chests in his time, the grand display before him still took his breath away.