Chapter 31.2

After a short walk, we stumble upon a door that looks like a treasury room.

Ariadne opened the door and went in without a word. As we followed her inside, I was immediately overwhelmed by the opulence that surrounded me. The room is bathed in a warm, golden glow, thanks to the countless flickering candles that line the walls and the precious gemstones embedded in the ceiling that catch and refract the light. The air is heavy with the scent of ancient leather, polished wood, and the unmistakable aroma of wealth.

"Whoahh, how grand! What a good remembrance to end the dungeon with." Liz exclaimed.

"Y-yes, this room looks… very luxurious," Clarissa agreed.

At the center of the room, we saw our prize. The chest is a work of art in itself, a testament to the skill of master artisans and the wealth of the realm. It stands about three feet wide, two feet deep, and two feet tall, constructed from rich, dark mahogany polished to a lustrous sheen.

Ariadne walked near the chest and opened it without hesitation.

A notification popped up at the edge of my view just as she opened the vessel of our spoils.

Congratulations!

Abyss Dungeon Cleared!

Drops:

Unique Skill Stone: Weapon Shift

Dual Orb Slot

Sword of The Forgotten King

Broadsword of The Forgotten King

Spear of The Forgotten King

Shield of The Forgotten King

Mace of The Forgotten King

5,000,000 Gold

What good loot! 5 legendary weapons of the highest tier and two unique loots.

"You take the first pick... Novo," she suggested without taking her eyes off the chest.

"Are you sure?" I double-checked.

"It would be an affront to me if you didn't. You basically soloed the boss," she replied solemnly.

"I couldn't have done it alone. You guys bought me enough time to analyze the boss's moveset completely."

She stared at me with an unreadable expression before murmuring something I couldn't hear.

"Sorry, but can you repeat that?" I urged her to clarify.

"Nothing, just choose your item. I will not back down on this."

I paused for a second to think as nostalgia overtook me. She had always been stubborn, so it would be hard to change her mind now.

I gave her an appreciative nod and pondered what loot to take.

The rarest one would be the weapon skill stone 'Weapon Shift". Skill stones are embedded in craftable weapons to make the specific weapon have the skill of the embedded stone. Deriving from the name, I assume it has the same effect as the boss we fought earlier, which lets the user switch their weapon at will. It's definitely a strong weapon skill that gives plenty of strategic advantages in the fight. I do not have much use for it, though, as the weapons I could switch are limited to light weapons like daggers due to my build. I'm sure Ariadne or Liz would make better use of it, so I'll leave it to them.

What I currently need now is the dual-orb, which is also very rare to find on its own. With a good blacksmith, you could set 2 different orbs in it. It's a much-welcome addition to me since I won't have to switch staves when I need to use healing or chronomancy. This also means I could use a single staff in the tournament, drastically reducing my load and making me move faster than if I had two staves weighing me down.

I also don't need to put much on vitality now, as that was my plan from before, just so I can bring two staves without hindering my movements.

"You're not going to take the unique skill stone?" A hint of shock was evident in Ariadne's voice.

"I'm a mage. The dual orb would benefit me the most." I stated the obvious.

"Could have fooled me," she mumbled, something I couldn't hear.

"Why don't you take the second pick, Ariadne?" Liz suggested.

"No, our deal was to roll for everything."

"Didn't stop you from conceding first pick to Kat, though. How about this, you take the weapon skill, and Clarissa and I split the weapons evenly? A guild like ours would benefit more from the weapons, which I'm sure the Paragon's guild has plenty, than just single weapon skill."

We all agreed on the allocation of resources. This is honestly better than someone being left out by not getting what they want in the roll. We get to distribute the spoils evenly according to everyone's wishes; therefore, everyone is satisfied.

After getting the loot, the portal opened back to where we first met with Ariadne. We step

"That was a good run. Now I'm tired of how hard the last fight went!" Liz shouted out loud.

"Sorry, I didn't do much..."

"It's fine, it's fine! You did great for someone who just started playing!" Liz reassured her.

By the way, Clarissa, what would you do with the spear and shield? You can't equip it, right?" Liz asked curiously.

"I... will give the spear to my brother. I heard him tell me that he is good at these types of weapons," she said with a soft smile.

Extremely cute and kind! What a deadly combo!

"For the shield... I don't know," she continued.

"Aww, what a sweet sister!" Liz cooed. "I bet you have the luckiest brother in the world!"

Clarissa blushed at the compliment.

"Though I have a suggestion. Would you let me buy the shield for you?"

Clarissa looked at me for confirmation, to which I just nodded. Liz is right. It would be better to sell the shield to someone who will give her a reasonable price. I'm sure Liz wouldn't just scam her.

"O-okay..."

"Then, let's talk business!" Liz gave Clarissa a look akin to a snake finding her prey.

Clarissa visibly gulped at that.

I almost forgot that Liz was a guild leader first and foremost because of her demeanor and friendly personality.

I was so sure earlier that Liz wouldn't just scam her, but now... Not so much.

As I was contemplating whether to butt in or not, Ariadne suddenly spoke to me.

"Novo, I need to talk to you... alone."

Liz's ears perked up at that. She immediately went next to me and leaned on my ear so fast that I almost thought she was about to do something…. immoral. Wait, what are you thinking of me!?

"Whaawaahh!" I heard Clarissa's shrill voice in the background, but I was too preoccupied to pay much attention to its cuteness.

Thankfully, she only wanted to whisper something.

"I think she wants to recruit you to her guild. I won't tell you to decline her offer, but at least consult me about it before you decide so I can make a counteroffer," she winked before separating from us.

That's probably the most likely deduction of what Liz thinks Ariadne is going to say.

"Clarissa and I will just finish our negotiation, and I will log out for today. It's getting late, and I'm getting hungry. So, bye, for now, both of you!"

"M-me too, Novo. I'm going to log out after this. Take care! Y-you also Miss Ariadne..." Clarissa shyly waved goodbye.

Ariadne and I both nodded at them and said our respective goodbyes.

After a moment, Ariadne beckoned me to follow in a secluded place in the forest. After a couple of minutes of walking in complete silence, we stopped far enough from the populated spots. After a quick scan of the whole area for any listeners or interruptions, she found none. She then stared at me with an unreadable expression.

We stayed still for a while in complete silence. Just as I thought I would be able to put up with the uncomfortable stare coupled with her solemn silence, she asked me a question that completely caught me off guard.

"...Are you Yuusha?"