I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy

Ian's lips finally curled into a smirk. "So this is that nest filled with gold."

"You remember. Then, I trust you also remember that I abandoned this hobby long ago?" Archeas muttered, looking away slightly.

It added with a low, dry cough, "To explain myself, my kind are born with an unusual greed for material things. It's an instinct that is hard to abandon until one realizes the pointlessness of it all. Now, I just find it all excessively artificial."

"I’m not misunderstanding. I just wanted to ask if I could take some of this gold."

Archeas gave a quiet laugh. "Go ahead. Take as much as you wish. Better it to be used for something meaningful than buried in this pit forever."

"You certainly have abandoned your greed," Ian said with a chuckle and looked back at the golden hill towering beyond the entrance. "So, how are you going to get the equipment out of there?"

"Through a... troublesome and unpleasant process, I suppose."

Archeas smacked its lips briefly, added, "Wait here a moment before you come in. You could be buried alive if you're not careful."

Ian tilted his head slightly and watched Archeas’s back as it walked inside. A faint magic was already spreading over it as it approached the golden hill.

Shhh...

Archeas did not climb the hill. Instead, it burrowed into it, seeping between the glittering treasures and gold.

I can’t believe it just went in like that.