Chapter 49: Treasure Chest
-----
Ding!
[Your Skill: [Divine War Demigoddess’ Weapon – Tier 4: Level 4/10] has Leveled Up to Level 5!]
[Your Skill: [Mana Mastery – Tier 2: Level 3/10] has Leveled Up to Level 4!]
[Your Skill: [Mana Aura Expansion – Tier 2: Level 1/10] has Leveled Up to Level 3!]
[Your Skill: [Mana Strengthening – Tier 2: Level 1/10] has Leveled Up to Level 3!]
[Your Skill: [Weapon Talent: Axe – Tier 1: Level 8/10] has Leveled Up to Level 10!]
[Your Skill: [War Spirit Aura Embodiment – Tier 1: Level 9/10] has Leveled Up to Level 10!]
[Your Skill: [Divine Soul Orb Sanctuary – Tier 1: Level 3/10] has Leveled Up to Level 4!]
[Your Skill: [Weapon Talent: Axe – Tier 1: Level 10/10] has reached maximum level and can now Rank Up and Evolve.]
[Rank Up Requirements]
[Ten Tier 2 Monster Cores]: [10/10]
[Master Three Axe Weapon Techniques]: [3/3]
[One Tier 3 Monster Carcass]: [1/1]
[Kill 100 Foes with only Axes]: [100/100]
[Do you wish to Evolve the Tier 1 Skill?]
[Yes] [No]
Hm?
[Your Skill: [War Spirit Aura Embodiment – Tier 1: Level 10/10] has reached maximum level and can now Rank Up and Evolve.]
Rank Up Requirements
[Ten Tier 2 Monster Cores]: [10/10]
[Ten Spirit Crystals]: [10/10]
[Ten Mana Crystals]: [10/10]
[One Tier 3 Monster Carcass]: [1/1]
[Kill 100 Foes]: [100/100]
[Do you wish to Evolve the Tier 1 Skill?]
[Yes] [No]
“Oh, this!”
My skills had not only leveled up—two of them had reached their maximum and were ready to evolve. Fortunately, I already possessed all the required materials. The countless hours grinding Spirit Crystals and Mana Crystals in the Spirit Root Dungeon had finally paid off.
Without hesitation, I selected “Yes” for both. The materials vanished from my inventory and were instantly consumed. In mere seconds, the two skills evolved into Tier 2, gaining new names and far stronger effects. A surge of power coursed through my body, and my spiritual energy swelled with renewed strength. My natural mastery over axes deepened as well. This was the true power of talent.
It was no coincidence that I could seamlessly combine techniques and spontaneously create new ones. I wasn’t just playing around—these were genuinely powerful techniques I had forged, filled with real substance.
Ding!
[Congratulations! The Skill: [Weapon Talent: Axe – Tier 1: Level 10/10] has Ranked Up to [Weapon Talent: Axe – Tier 2: Level 1/10]!]
[Congratulations! The Skill: [War Spirit Aura Embodiment – Tier 1: Level 10/10] has Ranked Up to [War Spirit Aura Embodiment – Tier 2: Level 1/10]!]
No name change this time, but that was fine. These skills would naturally take longer to evolve again. With ten total tiers per skill, there was still plenty of room for meaningful growth.
Ding!
[Your Class Skill: [Magic Rune: Wild Beast Path – Tier 1: Level 5/10] has Leveled Up to Level 6!]
[Your Class Skill: [Charge Attack – Tier 1: Level 7/10] has Leveled Up to Level 8!]
[Your Class Skill: [Archery – Tier 1: Level 6/10] has Leveled Up to Level 7!]
[Your Class Skill: [Healing Flame – Tier 1: Level 7/10] has Leveled Up to Level 8!]
[Your Class Skill: [Shadow Step – Tier 1: Level 6/10] has Leveled Up to Level 7!]
[Your Class Skill: [Future Sight – Tier 2: Level 3/10] has Leveled Up to Level 4!]
[Your Class Skill: [Guts – Tier 2: Level 3/10] has Leveled Up to Level 4!]
[Your Class Skill: [Beast Senses – Tier 2: Level 3/10] has Leveled Up to Level 4!]
[Your Class Skill: [Holy Smite – Tier 2: Level 3/10] has Leveled Up to Level 4!]
[Your Class Skill: [Ninjutsu: Shadow Clone – Tier 2: Level 3/10] has Leveled Up to Level 4!]
I was pleasantly surprised. It seemed my skills leveled up much faster when I actively used them in combat against monsters. I also noticed that Archery had increased—probably because I relied on it whenever I threw my Tomahawk Boomerang. The more I used that technique, the more I realized how essential archery mastery was to execute it properly. Future Sight likely enhanced my processing speed and ability to predict enemy movements as well.
The rest were self-explanatory.
“Alright, I’m done.”
I stood up and stretched, tempted to collapse onto my bed and rest for the remainder of the day. Yet it would be wiser to clear another floor. The day was far from over, and we couldn’t afford to waste the surge of energy we had gained from defeating the boss.
“Hey Brunhild, what’s this?” Sigrid called, staring into the distance. “Did you see that?”
“Hm? Oh!” I gasped. “It spawned! A Mythical Floor 1 Treasure Chest…!”
Mythical chests were among the rarest to appear in any dungeon. Treasure chests generally became more common the deeper one ventured, so finding one on the very first floor was incredible luck. Each chest also contained a limited pool of unique items.
“Treasure?!” my father shouted, rushing over. “Did the dungeon create this? Amazing!”
“It’s true… a huge treasure chest just appeared,” my sister said. “Unbelievable.”
“Indeed,” my brother added. “Whatever it is, should we open it as a family?”
“How do we distribute the loot?” I asked. “I’m sure everyone will want something.”
“You’re the one who defeated the boss,” my mother declared. “So you get everything.”
“What?!” Astrid cried in panic.
“Are you serious?! You’re really going to deny a man his treasure chest?!” my father protested.
“Both of you, stop acting like children,” my mother said, crossing her arms. “Brunhild did most of the work, so she deserves it. If she decides it’s not worth keeping or doesn’t want it, then she can give it away… or we can settle it through a contest.”
“Big box!” Krarlak exclaimed from my mother’s arms. “What’s in? Surprise?”
“Thanks, Mom,” I said with a smile. “Yes, baby, it’s a surprise.”
I kissed his little snout, accidentally making him sneeze. Laughing, I reached for the chest—then paused.
“Wait.”
I studied the treasure chest, brows furrowed. “What if… I evolve it?”
“...?!”
“...!!!”
“...”
“...?”
My family stared at me with a mixture of shock and confusion. Clearly, none of them had expected this. I stepped back, channeled my mana into the chest, and touched it once more.
“Evolve.”
FLAAASH!
The wooden chest erupted in brilliant light before transforming. It turned metallic, adorned with gleaming gold and blue accents, fish-like decorations, and a large blue jewel embedded in the center.
Treasure chests vanished after being opened and looted, so we couldn’t keep the beautiful container itself. Still, what truly mattered was the contents inside. If my theory was correct, evolving a sealed chest into a higher tier should produce significantly better rewards.
Creeeak…
A loud creak echoed as the lid slowly opened. Inside lay a dazzling collection of bright jewels.
“Wow, shiny!” Krarlak cheered.
“That’s a lot of jewels. What are these?” my sister asked.
“A few Mana Stones… and Spirit Stones,” I replied. “All quite valuable and essential for skill evolution. Does anyone need materials to evolve their skills?”
“Right, we usually need those,” my father said. “I haven’t managed to evolve a single skill in years…”
“I’ve only succeeded once,” my mother added.
“I guess it’s rare?” I wondered, tilting my head. “I’ve already evolved four…”
“FOUR?!” My entire family shouted in unison, eyes wide with shock.
“Haha… anyway, what else is in here?” I continued searching through the contents.
“Brunhild, from now on I can analyze treasure chests and give you a full list,” Freyja said beside me. “Here.”
“Ah, thanks!”
[You have opened the [Evolved Frozen Swamp Cave Dungeon Treasure Chest (B+ Grade)]!]
[You have received the following Items]:
[Mana Crystals (C Grade)] x50
[Spirit Crystals (C Grade)] x50
[Bloodline Elixir – Frozen Catfish Tyrant (B Grade)] x1
[Ice-Proof Frozen Catfish Tyrant Chest Armor (B Grade)] x1
[Ice-Proof Frozen Catfish Tyrant Helmet (B Grade)] x1
[Ice-Proof Frozen Catfish Tyrant Greaves (B Grade)] x1
[Spring Spirit Ring (B+ Grade)] x1
[Class-Only Skill Selection Scroll (B Grade)] x1
“Huh, this isn’t bad at all!” I said excitedly. “A complete set of armor—and it’s ice-proof! Who wants it?”
-----