Chapter 28
"Monk, you had this trick up your sleeve all along?"
"Well, as an adventurer, it's only natural to have a few hidden techniques, right?"
---
The day after what felt more like a chase than a battle with the Count.
Honestly, I was too exhausted to even think about cleaning, so the mansion remained a trash heap for the second day in a row.
I met up with Dent at the entrance to the noble district, and we headed to Count Clermont's mansion to complete the quest.
And so began the great garbage cleanup.
"The square is piled high with trash!!"
"Alright, Dent, do your thing and clear it out."
"Sure, sure."
Once again, the Mochi Dungeon proved to be a lifesaver.
Count Clermont's mansion had literally turned into a garbage dump.
Most of it was worthless junk.
But disposing of that junk was the hardest part of this quest.
Even though it was worthless, the sheer volume was overwhelming.
This must be what they mean by "too much trash to throw away."
But here’s where the dungeon’s reset function came in handy.
That’s right—the Mochi Dungeon, created using the Key of the Weak, resets everything inside once it’s cleared.
It hurt that Dent found out about the reusable dungeon key, thinking I had multiple, but it couldn’t be helped.
The four of us spent the morning sorting through the trash at the entrance, tossing it into the dungeon, and then Dent would dash in, defeat the Kagami Mochi, and escape.
Since no one was left inside, the dungeon would vanish, taking the trash with it.
Then I’d wait for the recast time and generate the dungeon again.
Rinse and repeat.
"Looks like the main hall is finally cleared out."
"Though it’s still falling apart and rotting everywhere."
"And it stinks."
"Yeah, that corner over there reeks."
At least by mid-morning, we could finally walk around without stepping on trash.
"So far, we’ve found one gold coin, three large silver coins, two silver coins, ten large copper coins, and about twenty copper coins. Even in ruin, this is still a noble’s mansion. Even after falling into debt, they still had this much lying around. Not bad, huh?"
"We’ll split that later. For now, let’s decide which direction to dig through next."
Thanks to thoroughly decluttering the entrance hall, we now had the option to either head upstairs or clear out the first floor.
"Of course, we go where the treasure is!!"
"If it were that easy, we wouldn’t be struggling, Nell."
"Well, it’s pretty obvious, right? In mansions like this, the safe is usually near the master’s room."
"And the master’s room would be... upstairs?"
"There’s a study up there, so probably."
If we were relying on my game knowledge, I’d prefer to head toward the basement rather than the second floor.
But the main target—the treasure—is in the hidden safe in the study on the second floor.
"Alright! Let’s head to the second floor!"
"Yeaah!"
"Man, kids are so energetic. I’m gonna be sore tomorrow."
"In a couple of days, we’ll get to drink that fancy wine we came here for."
The stairs were, of course, also covered in trash.
The only saving grace was that they were made of stone, so even if they were old, they wouldn’t collapse.
I generated the dungeon at the bottom of the stairs and tossed the trash down from the top.
Once the first floor was full, Dent would dash in and clear it.
We kept sorting and disposing of the trash like this until...
"IT STINKS!!!"
We hit a particularly foul-smelling room.
"Oh dear, what was once a luxurious room is now unrecognizable."
Nell was practically gagging, refusing to go anywhere near the room.
Amina was tearing up, shaking her head, saying it was impossible.
As for me and Dent, our noses had already gone numb, so we put on masks and charged in.
"Did someone actually live here?"
"Probably. Look, that’s a bed over there."
This room was a disaster.
It was hard to tell what was what.
There was something that vaguely resembled a bed, a table, a chair, and other things that you could only guess at.
"Let’s at least check the drawers."
"Everything else goes into the dungeon."
The two of us men worked diligently to declutter.
"Hey, Monk, I forgot to ask earlier."
"Yeah, what’s up?"
Sorting through trash and treasure while tossing it into the dungeon was quite the ordeal.
So Dent’s attempt to make conversation was a welcome distraction.
We kept working, not looking at each other, just staying close while handling the trash.
"Why didn’t you defeat the boss before luring the Count into the dungeon? If you had, we could’ve just escaped right after."
"Ah, about that..."
The question he asked was something anyone would wonder after going through that process.
"This dungeon-luring tactic actually has a condition for pulling in monsters."
"A condition?"
"Yeah, the condition is that the boss has to still be alive."
"Huh? Why’s that?"
"Because for monsters, there’s a benefit to potentially taking over the dungeon."
"So it’s about whether they can hijack the dungeon?"
"Exactly."
The answer to that question is, in a way, simple.
It’s less about the condition for luring monsters into the dungeon and more about why monsters would want to enter in the first place.
"For some reason, even if you prepare a dungeon after defeating the boss and force a monster inside, they’ll just leave immediately."
"To avoid getting caught in the collapsing dungeon?"
"Yeah, I think it’s an instinctual survival mechanism."
Even back in the game, I never figured out the exact reason.
All I know is that whether the boss is alive or not drastically affects the success rate of this tactic.
The analysis team back then also concluded that dungeon erosion was the most plausible theory, but it never went beyond speculation.
"So it’s just a theory?"
"That’s all I can say."
"You were really walking on thin ice there. It could’ve easily failed."
I had no choice but to accept Dent’s complaint about risking our lives on such uncertain information.
"I’ll do better next time."
"I hope so."
With conversations like that, we managed to toss a lot of trash into the dungeon.
"Wow, it’s looking much cleaner now!"
"Cleaner? More like there’s nothing left."
You’d expect a noble’s study to have paintings, jewels, or statues, but the bankruptcy wasn’t a lie—there was nothing of value left.
"Now, the real prize is this."
However, after removing all the furniture, we found the hidden safe.
"Can you open it?"
"There are locked treasure chests in dungeons too. This is my specialty."
As a scout, opening this safe was right up Dent’s alley.
He pulled out some lock-picking tools and started working on the keyhole.
"I was worried it might be too rusted to open, but the inside seems fine."
After a few minutes of tinkering...
"Alright, that should do it."
With a satisfying *click*, the safe opened, and Dent gave us a proud look.
Even through the mask, I could tell he was smug, so I clapped for him.
"Alright, let’s see the treasure..."
"Treasure!?"
"What’s inside!?"
"Calm down, girls. I’m opening it now."
With my applause and the room now cleared out, Nell and Amina came in and watched from behind us.
After all that effort, it had to be something amazing, right?
Even I, who already knew what was inside, thought it was impressive.
"This is..."
"Wow..."
"So pretty..."
Inside was a crystal vase, said to be crafted by elven artisans in the game.
"Whoa..."
The mystical aura it gave off was different from the game’s effects.
The way it sparkled was genuinely mesmerizing.
I’m no art expert, but this was undeniably beautiful.
It would’ve been great if it had some special effect, but... it’s just a sellable item.
The flavor text only mentioned its elven craftsmanship and history.
Pretty, but ultimately just a pretty treasure.
"Well, no wonder the Count was so obsessed with this."
"I get it. This is the kind of thing that captivates people."
"Even I can tell this is amazing!"
But the three of them acted like this was the ultimate treasure, as if we could just pack up and leave now.
"Uh, Dent, you’re not thinking of calling it quits now, are you? The quest isn’t over yet, right?"
"What do you mean, Monk? We exorcised the Count’s ghost and found the treasure. Mission accomplished, right?"
"That’s not enough for me! My goal isn’t here—it’s in the basement!!"
Yeah, I had to nip that in the bud, or they’d just head back and let the kingdom take over.
Close call.
"The basement?"
"What’s in the basement?"
"There’s supposed to be a mage’s workshop down there."
"What!? The Count was a famous mage in his time. It wouldn’t be strange for his mansion to have a workshop underground. Monk, don’t tell me..."
"Yep, what I’m after are the materials in that workshop."
"You bastard! You knew about this from the start, didn’t you!?"
"Guilty as charged. Dent, remember our deal. I get first dibs."
The quickest route to completing the quest was the dungeon-luring tactic and heading straight to the study.
But that way, you’d miss out on all the items buried under the trash.
If you just clear the quest normally, you get a hefty sum of money and that’s it.
But if you take the detour and dig through the hidden passage to the basement, you’ll find Count Clermont’s mage workshop.
And there, you’ll find a treasure trove of items that are way above your current level.
"Grrrr..."
Dent was growling in frustration, but a deal’s a deal.
"But the Count squandered his wealth, selling off most of his assets and replacing them with junk. There’s no way anything valuable is left."
"Rumors say otherwise."
We stored the vase back in the safe.
Back in the hall, we resumed decluttering in the direction I wanted to go.
Dent tried one last desperate attempt to dissuade me, but I wasn’t having it.
"Hey, Liberta. What’s in the place we’re heading to now?"
"A mage’s workshop is like a treasure vault for mages. Rumor has it there’s mithril, scrolls, magical accessories, and more."
"Mithril!? Really?"
"According to rumors."
My so-called "rumor" knowledge was pinpointing the location of the mage’s workshop.
"Turn this candlestick here."
"Why is it in a place like this?"
"Oh, and there’s a gold coin here."
I remembered how to unlock the door to the mage’s workshop.
You had to turn the candlestick in the dining room.
"Is it inside the fireplace?"
"Yeah, around here. Flip this relief the other way."
I turned the relief on the fireplace in the great hall.
"Man, having Amina here is a big help."
"Found it!"
And finally, pressing a tile near the ceiling in the bathroom...
"It’s really here."
"It wasn’t there before, right?"
"Nope, it wasn’t."
The center of the staircase to the second floor opened up, revealing the entrance to the basement.
"Monk, where’d you hear these rumors?"
"That’s a secret."
"If you’ve got any other good info, spill it. If you do, I’ll make it worth your while!!"
After showing such precise decluttering and unlocking skills, Dent tried to butter me up, but whether it was women’s intuition or something else, Nell and Amina sensed he was trying to lead me somewhere I shouldn’t go and kicked his shins with all their might.
*Thud*—it made a pretty satisfying sound.
"Ow, ow, alright, alright, Monk. We’ll talk about this when it’s just the two of us."
"No way!"
"Yeah! No way!!"
"Ahahaha, well then... sorry about that."
With Nell and Amina clinging to me from both sides, Dent’s plan was thwarted.
"Alright, let’s get back on track. Nell, Amina, let’s go."
"Got it."
"Wow, I’m so excited!"
"Ow, hey, don’t leave the adult behind!"
And so, we finally reached my destination.
"It’s so clean here."
"Even the Count could keep this place tidy."
"Huh, there are some rare books here. These alone are worth a fortune. They’re in great condition too. If he’d sold these, the Count might’ve lived a bit longer."
For a mage, this place must’ve been incredibly important.
It was a single room, about the size of eight tatami mats.
One wall was entirely covered in bookshelves, and there was a table in the back.
"But Monk, it’s a shame. These books are rare, but they’re not the treasure you were talking about... Wait, don’t tell me—"
"Figured it out?"
At first glance, this looked like an ordinary study.
But a mage’s workshop couldn’t possibly be this simple.
"Pull out this book, replace it with that one, move this book over here, shift that one there, and put this book in the empty spot."
Only one wall was filled with bookshelves.
Dent, being sharp, noticed the oddity.
I used my knowledge to rearrange the books in the correct order.
"A hidden door?"
"The real prize is beyond this."
The bookshelf slid open, revealing a larger space behind it.
"Wow! This is amazing! And this too!?"
"I’m impressed. If we’d been blinded by that vase earlier, we’d have regretted it for the rest of our lives."
"What was he making here?"
The workbench was lined with tools.
It wasn’t hard to guess what he’d been doing here.
"Magical artifacts. The Count was a renowned craftsman of magical tools in his time. His works were masterpieces, highly sought after by many."
But the owner of this place had long since abandoned it, consumed by his obsession with collecting.
"Monk, is this what you were after?"
"Yes, the Count’s final masterpiece."
The items were exactly where I remembered them.
Ignoring everything else, I headed straight for the magical artifact I wanted.
"The Pendulum of Teleportation. The most convenient magical tool I know of."
A single magical artifact made with a sky-blue magic stone.
Its abilities were downright broken.
Thanks to this thing, my efficiency skyrocketed.
I carefully picked up the pendulum from its display stand.
"With this, you can teleport to any place you’ve been before."
There were some limitations on preset locations, but whether it was a remote forest, a mountain peak, or the depths of a cave, as long as you’d been there once, you could go back.
I couldn’t help but smile. I’d just gotten my hands on a cheat-level item.
"With this, I’m one step closer to being the strongest."