Chapter 43: the silver chest

It wasn’t as if Jacob had never seen a grand display before—he had once witnessed a pile of golden chests stacked like a small mountain. However, that was with a massive team exploring an open-field dungeon with numerous checkpoints, a grueling raid that had taken over a month to clear. Given the higher rank of the dungeon and the sheer size of the force involved, such a yield was expected.

​What truly astounded Jacob was that the three of them had gathered all of this in just over five hours. Judging by the quantity and obvious quality of the chests, Jacob realized the dungeon was far more extraordinary than he had initially assumed. Still, keeping his future plans to himself, he refrained from asking unnecessary questions.

​"Now that we have the chests, Mr. Smith," Jacob began, "do you prefer to divide the spoils before or after opening them?"

​Smith blinked. "What’s the difference between the two options, Mr. Jacob?"

​"If we divide them before opening," Jacob explained, "since we agreed on a ten percent share, we could give you one Bronze Chest of your choice to keep. We would then add a cash top-up, since a standard Silver Chest is worth roughly five times a Bronze one. We’d make up the difference in currency. If we divide them after opening, we open all the chests first, tally the total value of the contents, and let you select items that equal your share. For example, if the total value comes out to 100,000 credits, you can pick 10,000 credits’ worth of items. Any remaining balance can be settled in cash."

​Smith considered both options briefly before answering directly, "I prefer the second option—splitting the spoils after we open them."

​Because a the distribution affected all the families, Jacob turned on a recording camera to document the process, ensuring full transparency for the absent party members and preventing future disputes.

​While Smith had acted as the team leader inside the dungeon, all authority reverted to Jacob now that they were back in the main world. Without wasting any time, Jacob opened the first Bronze Chest.

​An equipment blueprint slowly rose from within, levitating a few centimeters above the chest. As soon as Jacob reached out and took the blueprint, the Bronze Chest burst into a dazzling shower of bronze sparks—resembling the silent, beautiful fireworks of the dungeon’s earlier disappearance—before fading into nothingness. Chests always dissolved once their contents were claimed.

​Jacob inspected the blueprint before passing it to Smith. Scanning the item, Smith saw that it was a Three-Star Blueprint—an exceptional drop for any lower-ranking player. He handed it to Apollo and Alexander to inspect before returning it to Jacob.

​"As we can all see, this is a Three-Star Equipment Blueprint," Jacob announced clearly for the camera’s record. "Does everyone agree?"

​"Yes, it’s a Three-Star Blueprint," the three confirmed in unison.

​Jacob proceeded to open the remaining seven Bronze Chests one by one, leaving the Silver Chest for last. In total, the eight Bronze Chests yielded eight items: three equipment blueprints and five enchantment stones.

​Among the blueprints were one Three-Star and two Two-Star blueprints. The enchantment stones consisted of two Attack Stones (+3% and +4%), two Speed Stones (+2% and +4%), and one Defense Stone (+5%).

​Even without factoring in the Silver Chest, it was already a remarkably lucrative harvest, leaving Jacob thoroughly satisfied.

​Saving the best for last, Jacob set the eight items aside and placed the Silver Chest at the exact center of the round table. Every eye in the room glued itself to the gleaming box. Even Jacob, who had opened high-rank Golden Chests from top-tier raids, felt a pulse of anticipation. Chest-opening was the ultimate gamble, and no one was immune to the thrill of the unknown.

​The room fell silent as Jacob lifted the lid.

​Instantly, a silver light burst from inside the chest. Though soft, the radiant glow made everyone’s heart skip a beat—a clear sign of an artifact. Artifacts were exceedingly rare, often failing to drop even after dozens of dungeon runs.

​Silver Chests usually contained two items. While the artifact floated in the air, the second item revealed itself inside the chest, though everyone’s focus remained locked on the artifact first.

​Jacob lifted the artifact and inspected it. Maintaining a neutral expression, he passed it to Smith, who leaned in eagerly.

​Name: Spring Necklace

Type: Artifact

Description: Passively doubles stamina restoration speed.

​Despite its concise description, the necklace was immensely practical. Velvet possessed a blood replenishment skill to rapidly restore her stamina and heal injuries, but Brenda lacked such abilities. Dragged down by her heavy armor, Brenda suffered from slow stamina recovery, making prolonged battles a struggle. Although the necklace couldn’t fully match Velvet’s skill, it was an ideal solution for Brenda. Smith mentally noted that he wanted to negotiate for it, even if his share didn’t fully cover its cost.

​He passed the necklace to Apollo and Alexander, both of whom marveled at its utility.

​Finally, Jacob reached into the chest and retrieved the second item. The moment his eyes landed on it, his pupils dilated, his composure broke, and his breath hitched.

​Seeing Jacob lose his cool, Smith knew the item had to be extraordinary. When Jacob passed it over, Smith scanned its stats: it was a Defensive Enchantment Stone featuring a +10% Boost.

​Smith’s jaw dropped. While enchantment stones were somewhat common, high-percentage ones were extraordinarily rare. A 10% boost represented the absolute ceiling for enchantment stones—a cap proven over a century of dungeon exploration across all ranks. Finding a maximum-tier stone in a lower-rank dungeon was virtually unheard of.

​Its market value far surpassed that of the artifact. In high-level battles, fights were often decided in an instant or dragged out into grueling wars of attrition. In either scenario, there were no draws. A small percentage difference in stats was frequently the sole factor determining life or death.

​Apollo and Alexander inspected the stone with equal shock before carefully passing it back to Jacob.

​Setting the 10% stone aside, Jacob composed himself and turned to Smith. "According to our contract, you have the right to pick the first item from the spoils. We will abide by the agreement and let you make the first selection, after which we can settle the rest."

​The room fell dead silent. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see if Smith would claim the invaluable 10% enchantment stone.