Chapter 54: Enchanted Weapon (part 2)

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Enchanted Weapon (part 2)

The mage stepped closer.

"That’s... enchanted."

The leader stared at the sword.

"Not just enchanted."

He carefully examined the runes.

"This is high quality."

The surviving adventurers exchanged excited looks. One of them swallowed.

"How much do you think it’s worth?"

The mage shook her head.

"Enough to change someone’s life."

The leader’s hands tightened around the weapon.

After everything they had endured, after losing five of their companions, they had finally found something valuable.

His expression slowly changed. A grin appeared on his bloodied face.

"We struck gold."

The others couldn’t help but smile.

For a brief moment, the pain of losing their companions was pushed into the back of their minds.

Then the leader’s expression became serious again.

"We’re leaving."

The warrior looked surprised.

"Already?"

"Yes."

"But there could be more treasure deeper inside."

"And there could be something that kills the rest of us."

The leader looked at the corpses scattered across the room.

"We came here to get some treasure. We already have one."

He lifted the enchanted sword.

"The monsters here are stronger than the outside, and we lost half our party just getting through the first real battle. Whatever is deeper inside is likely even more dangerous."

The others remained silent.

They had come looking for treasure, and found it.

Now they needed to survive long enough to sell it.

"Gather everything useful," the leader ordered. "Take the monster materials we can carry, but don’t waste time."

The survivors immediately began collecting what they could.

The leader carefully wrapped the enchanted sword and secured it against his back.

Deep within the dungeon, far beyond the chamber where the adventurers had fought the spiders, Ragnar sat comfortably upon his throne.

The massive demon leaned back against the dark throne with one arm resting casually on its side.

His imposing four-meter-tall figure made the throne itself seem smaller than it really was, while the enormous greatsword strapped across his back remained completely still.

Beside him, Veyra sat with her usual composed expression, watching the scene unfolding through the magical projection before them.

The projection displayed everything that had happened inside the spider den.

Nothing had escaped Ragnar’s attention.

A faint smile remained on his face as he watched the surviving adventurers gather the materials from the battlefield before preparing to leave.

"They’re leaving."

Veyra glanced at him.

"Yes, my lord."

Ragnar chuckled.

He wasn’t surprised by their decision. In fact, he had expected them to retreat the moment they obtained the enchanted sword.

The weapon hadn’t appeared in the chest by accident.

Ragnar had deliberately placed it there.

He had learned from his time playing Dungeon Maker that adventurers needed motivation. If a dungeon was too dangerous without offering enough rewards, most adventurers would simply avoid it.

On the other hand, if the rewards were too generous without sufficient danger, adventurers would eventually begin treating the dungeon as a treasure vault.

Ragnar looked at the bloodied adventurers on the projection and shook his head.

"But those guys are very weak."

Veyra nodded.

"Yes, my lord. They almost got wiped out in the spider den."

Ragnar’s smile widened.

"Five out of ten died just to defeat fifteen spiders."

He found the result somewhat amusing.

The adventurers had entered with confidence, expecting to discover an unknown dungeon filled with treasures. Instead, they had barely survived the first serious encounter.

Still, Ragnar wasn’t disappointed.

If anything, he was satisfied.

"Well, this is a good thing."

Veyra tilted her head.

"A good thing?"

"Yes."

Ragnar leaned forward slightly, resting his elbow against his knee as he continued watching the projection.

"We don’t have to worry about some really strong human coming here."

----

The group finally arrived at Hetin Town.

By the time they passed through the town gates, their appearance immediately attracted attention. Their clothes were covered in dirt and dried blood, several pieces of their armor were damaged, and the expressions on their faces were far from the excitement they had shown when they first entered the dungeon.

Five people had entered the dungeon and never returned with them. The survivors carried the weight of those losses on their shoulders, but there was one thing that prevented them from looking completely defeated.

The enchanted sword.

The leader kept one hand near the weapon as they walked through the streets, almost as if he was afraid someone might suddenly snatch it away.

He knew that bringing such a valuable item into town would attract attention, but there was no point hiding it forever.

They needed an appraisal, and more importantly, they needed to sell the spider materials they had collected. With their companions dead and their equipment damaged, the money would be necessary if they wanted to recover and prepare for whatever came next.

Without wasting any time, the group headed straight toward the Adventurers Guild.

The moment they entered the guild, several adventurers glanced in their direction. The guild was relatively lively despite the late hour, with adventurers sitting around wooden tables, drinking, eating, playing cards, and discussing their recent jobs.

However, the atmosphere gradually changed when people noticed the condition of the returning group.

Whispers spread throughout the guild.

The leader ignored them and walked toward the counter with the remaining members of his party. He placed the sacks of spider materials on the counter one after another.

"We want these appraised and sold."

The guild employee looked at the sacks, then at the adventurers standing before her. She could immediately tell that they had been through a serious battle.

"Are you all right? What happened?"

"We’ll explain later. Just appraise the materials first."

The employee nodded and began inspecting the contents. When she opened the first sack and saw the spider fangs, poisonous glands, silk, and other usable materials, her eyes widened slightly.

"These are... Spider Fang, Poison Gland, and Spider Silk."

She carefully examined the materials before looking at the adventurers again.

"These are in surprisingly good condition."

"They were difficult to collect," one of the surviving adventurers muttered.

"Where did you get them?"