By the time the evaluation match concluded, it was already past midnight.
“Gate raids aren’t easy. You’ve all worked hard. I hope this experience serves you well. Now, those who wish to leave may do so, and those who need rest should feel free to do so.”
Grandfather dismissed the crowd gathered before the artificial gate.
Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
One by one, they bid farewell to Grandfather and departed, their exhaustion evident.
“Si-eun and Gyeon-woo, stay behind. Let’s head to the treasure vault right away. The sooner you receive your rewards, the better.”
“Yes, Head.”
“If anyone else wishes to follow, they may. But they won’t be allowed inside the vault.”
“…”
Grandfather started walking, and Do Si-eun and I quickly fell in step behind him.
A few others, curious about the spoils we’d choose, quietly trailed us.
Our family members were among them.
“Good job. I watched from the cliffs—nothing to criticize. You seem to have mastered Bijung now.”
“Ah, Dad.”
“But why didn’t you collect the fruits?”
Dad rested his hand on my shoulder, praising my skills but curious about the wild fruits I’d encountered in the gate.
I decided to gloss over it.
“I’d read about them in a book before. They looked similar, so I thought maybe… I got lucky.”
“Since you knew what you were doing, it’s fine. Still, be careful when consuming unknown flora from gates. Some look alike but are entirely different.”
Dad gently admonished me.
Understanding his concern, I pretended not to know, though I had appraisal abilities.
“Yes, I’ll be more cautious…”
I was about to agree when…
“‘Maybe’?”
“…”
Mom was smirking.
I was left speechless.
“So you ate them to confirm?”
“Uh, Mom…”
Dad quietly backed away.
Mom approached me, clutching my shoulders—no, pinching them sharply.
Her voice from behind my neck was chilling.
“What if you’d gotten sick or poisoned? What then?”
“I saw Packet Apes eating them safely, so I thought…”
“Don’t backtalk.”
“…I’ll be careful next time.”
“You should be cautious even when you know what you’re doing.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Fortunately, with others around, Mom didn’t scold me loudly.
I exhaled in relief when she released my shoulders.
Then, I felt a gaze on me.
Do Si-eun was looking at me, her face filled with curiosity.
“Why?”
“I just think it’s nice how close you are with your family.”
“Isn’t yours like that?”
“We’re… probably average? I guess.”
Perhaps because we’d fought together to defeat the Sovereign, she’d become more talkative with me than before.
Then, suddenly…
“I want to eat the fruit too!”
Yeeun barged in, clinging to me from behind.
“Oppa, do you have any fruits left? I want to try one…”
Her eyes sparkled brightly.
Yeeun clung to me, pleading.
Just as I thought…
I let out a wry smile.
Luckily, I had one Energy Fruit left from when I’d prepared to fight the Sovereign.
“Here, I saved this for you.”
“Wow! Oppa’s the best!”
I took out the fruit from my waist pouch and handed it to Yeeun.
Her face lit up.
“It’s sticky but super sweet!”
“Want to try a Vitality Fruit?”
“Sure? You’re giving it to me? Thanks, unnie!”
Seeing Yeeun’s delight in eating the fruit, Do Si-eun, walking in sync with me, also took out a fruit from her waist pouch.
Thanks to that, Yeeun got to taste the Vitality Fruit too.
Before long, we arrived at the vault.
The family’s treasure vault, located deep underground in the main hall, was protected by layers of sealing magic, making it as secure as a fortress.
From what I could tell, the security was already formidable, and there were likely measures I couldn’t detect.
“Most treasures stored here are tied to the Shinjeom Taoist Sect’s history and symbolize our clan. It’s such an important place that, throughout history, few besides the Head have entered the main vault.”
“…”
“You two now belong to that select group.”
With that, Grandfather channeled mana into the iron door and placed his hand on the lion-faced knocker.
Then, he pushed the knocker sideways.
So it was a sliding door.
The vault’s mechanism activated.
Two iron doors creaked open, revealing a gust of wind from within.
The mana is thick.
The wind carried the aura of the treasures stored inside.
I tried to peek beyond the doors, but the interior was empty.
“Concealment magic prevents viewing from the outside. You’ll have to go in to see.”
Grandfather clarified my doubt.
Then, he reached into his robes.
“Si-eun, Gyeon-woo.”
“Yes, Head.”
“Put these on before entering. The vault will recognize you as authorized.”
A necklace engraved with the clan’s emblem.
Do Si-eun and I donned the necklaces.
“Can we go in now?”
“Yes. We’ll wait here while you choose one treasure each inside.”
“Can we really pick anything?”
Of course, the clan’s gifted treasures weren’t fully ours.
Except for consumables like elixirs, the clan essentially lent out other treasures.
Still, Grandfather offering us access to the family vault was quite unprecedented.
As he’d mentioned earlier, the vault likely held symbolically significant treasures.
In the game, the Shinjeom Taoist Sect’s vault had a sword that could kill foes in one strike…
If so, I might snag a game-mentioned OP item.
To confirm, I asked Grandfather.
His response:
“As Head, I’ve officially stated it, and I won’t take back my word. You may take anything you desire from the vault.”
“Wow.”
“But.”
His gaze fixed on me.
“I hope you choose the treasure you truly need. While I don’t think you’d do this, if you pick something beyond your level, I might be disappointed.”
“…”
“Choose wisely.”
Truthfully, I hadn’t expected this.
Grandfather wouldn’t just hand over such treasures.
I decided not to get greedy and stick to the treasure I’d planned to take.
“By the way, the security magic inside will inspect the treasure you bring out. So don’t even think about smuggling anything else.”
Click.
Well, I’d hoped, but no luck.
Disappointingly, I had to abandon thoughts of sneaking out extra treasures.
I averted my gaze from Grandfather’s piercing look.
“Take your time and choose carefully inside.”
The moment we stepped into the vault,
the concealed security magic swept over us.
But the necklaces’ effect activated, and the magic scanned our bodies before vanishing—granting us access.
After a few steps,
“Ah, there it is.”
The vault, hidden by concealment magic, revealed itself.
“…”
“Ah…”
Though the number of treasures wasn’t overwhelming, each item exuded such presence that the space felt anything but empty.
Each treasure radiated an extraordinary aura.
Feeling captivated by the powerful items, I was almost dazed.
Do Si-eun seemed similarly awestruck, letting out a sigh of admiration.
“Shall we take a closer look?”
“Sure, let’s.”
We couldn’t stand there mesmerized forever.
We gathered our wits and began inspecting the vault.
Do Si-eun quietly followed me, observing the treasures.
There’s the Thunder Essence.
Thunder Essence
Consumable
Description: A condensed inner core of thunder energy.
Effect: When absorbed, converts all mana-consuming attacks into lightning属性. Changes character’s affinity to lightning属性. Grants exceptional resistance to lightning属性 attacks and converts contact damage into Mp. Also, lightning…
Thunder Essence, rare even in the game.
I tore my gaze from the bead shimmering with lightning.
It’s tempting, but I don’t need it.
I can now use Bijung, so Thunder Essence’s effects aren’t as appealing.
Plus, while hard to obtain, it’s not impossible.
If I ever need it, I can seek it then.
Since I don’t know when I’ll return to this vault, I can’t pick something I can find elsewhere.
According to the game’s story, I’d enter this vault again—twice.
So, following Grandfather’s advice, it’s wiser to choose something exclusive to the family vault.
Like a sword.
Ah, there’s the Gate Key. Probably the one Kang Hyeonbyeol receives in the game? Hmm… The blue one wasn’t mentioned in the game.
Passing the Gate Key, I ventured deeper.
There, I found the Mugus.
The swords hung on the wall.
I stood at a distance, scrutinizing each sword one by one.
“The Suwang Sword is here too.”
The Suwang Sword, symbolizing the head of the Shinjeom Taoist Sect, was mounted at the center of the wall.
“Ah.”
Then, one sword caught my eye.
[Su-yeon Sword (Water Mist Sword)]
Equipment Type
—One-Handed Sword
Description
—A sword cherished by the 2nd Head of the Shinjeom Taoist Sect, Do Mingun.
—Reborn in a new form after shedding its old appearance under the blessing of Undine, the Water Spirit King, in the Red Gate “Undine’s Island V.”
—Tests its wielder.
Effects
—HP +3, Strength +3
—When equipped, consumes internal mana to create water droplets.
—(Unlock Condition: Strength 50 or higher)
The Su-yeon Sword, whose name implies a misty haze of water droplets, was also featured in the game.
“This sword symbolizes Sister Si-eun.”
I smirked wryly, gazing at the blade that seemed to ripple like mist. In the game, Do Si-eun had wielded the Su-yeon Sword since her introduction, so she likely obtained it around this time.
I decided to call out to her, who was inspecting a sword nearby.
“Sis Si-eun, come over here.”
“Yeah, what is it?”
“What do you think of this sword?”
“Ah…”
I pointed to the Su-yeon Sword. Upon noticing it, Do Si-eun gasped softly. She stared intently at the sword, oblivious to my presence.
“They say one instinctively recognizes a weapon that suits them—like a resonance between the sword and its wielder.”
Do Si-eun seemed unaware, but from the moment she saw the Su-yeon Sword, she couldn’t tear her eyes away. Her blue eyes widened.
I observed her reaction and casually commented.
“It’s truly a fine sword, don’t you think? Converting internal mana into water droplets—its affinity with Bijung must be excellent.”
“…Right.”
Indeed, in the game, Do Si-eun had used the Su-yeon Sword’s power to amplify Bijung significantly. It was a sword with great synergy.
Then, she turned to me.
“Are you… going to choose this sword?”
Her voice trembled. Her blue eyes wavered.
Unbeknownst to Do Si-eun, I could see her anxiety—how much she desired the Su-yeon Sword was evident.
I chuckled at her unguarded expression, something I’d never seen in the game.
“Honestly, any user of Shuwang-style would covet this sword, right?”
“Ah… Yes…”
“But it doesn’t suit me.”
“Huh?”
“Unlike you, my internal mana isn’t abundant. I don’t think I’d handle the Su-yeon Sword well.”
That was my genuine feeling. The Su-yeon Sword was exceptional, but its mana-consuming style was a burden for me, with my mana stat barely above 30.
Most importantly,
“I can’t steal this sister’s fortune.”
If it were a villain’s fortune, I might consider it, but I had no desire to take what belonged to those who’d stand with Kang Hyeonbyeol.
I didn’t want to risk meddling with the game’s story by snatching their destinies.
“On the contrary, I think the Su-yeon Sword suits you better, sis. What do you think?”
“…Yes. No, yes. I really like it.”
So, I conceded the Su-yeon Sword to Do Si-eun.
She was dazed. Her stammering, uncharacteristic of “Bijung Blossom,” was quite amusing.
Soon, she smiled radiantly.
“Thank you so much.”
“If you’re grateful, take good care of me.”
“Take good care of you… How?”
“In the clan or in the Academy City a few years from now, if I ask for help, you’ll help me, right?”
“Ah, yeah. If there’s anything I can do, just let me know. I’ll help as much as I can—just not bad things.”
“Really? It’s a promise?”
“Yep.”
Unaware she’d been outplayed,
Do Si-eun hugged the Su-yeon Sword tightly, unable to hide her joy.
“What about you? Are you also looking for a sword…? I can help you look.”
“Thanks, but it’s unnecessary.”
I declined Do Si-eun’s offer. Then, I took a few steps from where the Su-yeon Sword had hung.
“I’ve already found mine.”
“…Is that so?”
If there was a sword symbolizing Do Si-eun, there was one for Do Gyeon-woo—no, for me.
The sword symbolizing Do Gyeon-woo… or rather, me.
Soon, I stood before that sword and curled my lips upward.
“I’ll take this one.”
“That’s…”
A sword with a blade on one side only.
A pitch-black sword without any ornamentation.
I unsheathed the sword from the wall and tilted it under the light.
“Confirmed.”
The sword that scattered a deep blue hue depending on the angle—
It was the Junghyang Sword (Ultramarine Sword).
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