Chapter 13: Opening Treasure Chests! Fortune Achieved!
Two hours earlier, not far from the territory, Golan had felt a touch of tension at the start of the journey — but his unease dissipated quickly, for things had proceeded with complete smoothness. Their mission was clear: reach the vantage point at the top of the hill ahead, record the terrain and any hazard points worth noting, then return immediately.
The hill wasn't particularly high — its peak barely reached thirty meters. But the ruggedness of the path cost them some time.
Throughout, they moved in a disciplined combat formation: shield-bearer Carter at the front, Golan directly behind him with the two swordsmen flanking either side, while archer Laura held the center from the rear, ready for any contingency.
As they neared the summit, a monster suddenly struck without warning from above — a raging boar the size of a calf, charging at a frenzied speed.
Fortunately, Golan was extremely cautious and had been continuously adjusting their formation whenever it began to scatter. Though the boar had caught them off guard, Carter was in position exactly as he should have been. He planted his feet firmly into the ground and threw all his weight behind his large shield to absorb the incoming impact.
"DOOM!~"
Dust scattered with the force of the collision. Carter stepped back several paces, calmly absorbing the blow — and in that moment, Golan materialized like a ghost from behind him, driving his spear with full force into the boar's neck before it had recovered from the impact.
"KKHOAAAH!~" The boar let out a cry of pain and collapsed. The battle was over.
After killing the Prairie Boar, the team completed their ascent to the hilltop without incident. Golan surveyed his surroundings and carefully committed the coordinates to memory to report to the Lord upon their return.
"Look! I found something!" Suddenly, Laura's excited cry broke the silence.
Everyone turned toward what she was pointing at. Tucked beneath the overhang of a large rock was a small bronze chest, barely visible. But it hadn't escaped the sharp eyes of the archer.
"Is this the treasure chest the Lord told us to watch for?" Laura murmured as she carefully retrieved the chest, then passed it to Golan. He took it, examined it for a moment, then confirmed: "Yes, this is the one. I've seen the Lord open a similar chest before."
While they were talking, Golan's ears caught a strange sound. He looked down the hill — through scattered rocks and sparse trees, he spotted three strange creatures. They had two heads each. They were running downhill in a state of panic. It appeared they had noticed Golan's team the moment the chest was found, and had quickly concluded they were no match for them.
Their decision to flee was natural. For despite their frightening appearance with their twin heads, they didn't seem to be skilled warriors. They wore tattered clothing and carried simple stone-tipped spears — they resembled the militia soldiers back in the Lord's territory.
Upon seeing this, Golan called out to his companions and gave chase immediately. But the distance was considerable. Laura drew her bowstring and released a swift arrow that cut through the air and buried itself in the back of one of the Twin-Headed beings, dropping him dead.
His two companions paid no heed to their fallen friend. They continued fleeing at the maximum speed their legs could carry. At that moment, they likely wished they could trade their second head for an extra pair of feet.
Due to the distance, Golan wisely chose to halt the pursuit, wary of walking into an ambush. Nonetheless, from his elevated position across the barren ground, he tracked the two fleeing figures until he watched them pass through a protective barrier identical to the one surrounding their own territory, vanishing behind it. Golan firmly committed the coordinates and surrounding terrain to memory, then descended into the valley with his team, taking the alien carcass with them, and urged his companions to make haste on the return journey.
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Later, in the Lord's Hall within the territory:
"And that is everything that happened, my lord!" Golan recounted all the events they had been through in precise detail.
Kaiden listened with great interest, and when Golan finished speaking, he clapped him on the shoulder in praise and said: "Excellent work. You and the team — go take your rest."
After Golan left and Kaiden found himself alone in the hall, he could no longer maintain the solemn composure of a Lord. His smile widened until it nearly split his face.
First, he had completed the "Novice Explorer" quest with the expedition team's safe return, earning a Black Iron treasure chest as a reward. And on top of that, his team had found a Bronze treasure chest — doubling his delight. He had long felt envious watching others in the World Chat boast about finding treasure chests. Now it was finally his turn.
As for the alien carcass, Kaiden examined it closely. The creature looked as though it had stepped out of a Lord of the Rings film. It had two completely bald heads — no hair, no eyebrows — with mouths full of sharp teeth.
But despite the intimidating appearance, from its worn stone weapon and Golan's report, Kaiden deduced that they were in fact weak creatures whose only advantage was a slightly higher physical constitution than humans.
His earlier elation hadn't been only about the chests — but because Golan and his companions now knew the location of the enemy's territory.
What did that mean? It meant the enemy was exposed, while they themselves remained in the dark. A massive strategic advantage — and reason enough for his laughter.
Kaiden handed the alien carcass to Joel the Butcher and Luther the Alchemist, asking them to collaborate on dissecting it to identify this race's weaknesses and to analyze whether its body contained any materials useful for potion-making.
As for whether crafting a potion from an intelligent creature was morally questionable — Kaiden gave no thought to such human sensibilities. Had it not been for the strength of his soldiers, perhaps it would have been them being dissected right now, or even cooked to serve as the aliens' dinner. Since his arrival, Kaiden had grasped the brutal truth of this world: kill or be killed. There was no middle ground.
He set those thoughts aside and looked at the two treasure chests in his inventory. He was eager to see what lay inside. He chose to open the Bronze chest first, as an appetizer.
When he selected the confirm option, the chest in his palm dissolved into points of light that slowly faded, leaving him with his gains:
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Opened — You have received:
- Wood ×80 units
- Iron ×30 units
- Bread ×3 loaves
- Salt ×2 units
- Apprentice Tailor's Workshop Bundle Blueprint ×1
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When Kaiden saw the iron units, along with the precious salt and the Tailor's Workshop blueprint, a wave of pleasure washed over him. Everything he had gained was something he desperately needed at this very moment.
Calmly, he took out the Black Iron treasure chest. It was roughly the same size as the Bronze chest, but crafted from black iron and polished with considerably more care, giving off a faint gleam. This time Kaiden didn't dwell on its appearance and chose to open it immediately:
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Opened — You have received:
- Wood ×300 units
- Stone ×300 units
- Iron ×100 units
- White Rice ×50 units
- Land Improvement Voucher (200×200m) (Rare) ×1
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"Hahaha! I'm rich! I'm rich~" Upon seeing the gains, Kaiden exclaimed with joy and no longer made any attempt to contain his happiness.
The sounds of his delighted laughter slipped outside, where villagers bringing in resources heard it — and felt a wave of relief wash over them. If the Lord was this happy, then surely good things were on their way.
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— End of Chapter Thirteen —