''Whaaaaaaaa—'' My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when Iid eyes on the unexpected.
Sure, I had just finished clearing the Labyrinth—a boring process, I assure you. Yet, I sensed a concentrated source of energy forming underneath the Hydra''s territory.
I was under the impression that we were on thest Floor thanks to there being no entrance to another floor.
Besides, there wasn''t a single crevice or opening, so it was safe to conclude that the Hydra was the Final Boss. Yet...
... For some reason, I kept sensing powerful and overflowing energy beyond.
''I should just check it out. It won''t hurt... I hope.''
With this thought, I poured my strength into my fist, concentrating a bunch of Skills while appearing to effortlessly smash the ground.
>BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!<
Fortunately, the floor wasn''t tougher than I bargained for. I had chosen the specific corner precisely because I didn''t want to strike an extra-hard surface, after all.
Just as I suspected, though, there was something underneath the Hydra''s territory. It was simply segregated from the other floorspletely.
I initially wondered why, but a single peek made me realize how pointless that question was.
''A-ah... I never knew this! No one told me this!''
I slowly got mad at Damien—the original novel''s protagonist—for not mentioning this information in the book.
If I had known sooner, I would have done everything I could to arrive here as fast as possible... and I would havee alone!
"W-wow! Those are..."
"Incredible! I never knew those could be here."
"Amazing! Simply amazing!"
"This discovery is..."
My entourage gathered around the hole before I could cover it, and they also sighted the goodies.
''Shit, it''s toote to hide the truth...'' I almost sighed, but restrained myself.
Now, one.might get curious as to what we found within the hole that made me feel so excited—enough to want to hoard everything if I could.
The answer was...
"This is the highest quality of Mana Chalk I''ve ever seen! Is this even possible?!"
"Look at this Mercury, how it glows! I''ve never seen one of this kind of purity."
"There''s even Holy Water! Howe!"
"Isn''t that Prismatic Ore?"
"Those rocks... aren''t they...?!"
"My god... this ce is awesome.
... We found a lot of good stuff.
Currently, everyone was exploring the vast underground expanse. Everywhere we looked, there was at least one valuable thing there.
Mercury and Holy Water flowed like rivers, and extremely high quality Mana Crystals littered the ground.
Considering I couldn''t get stuff like this from SHOP, it was an amazing find.
''SHOP sends me finished goods, not raw materials, so...''<novelnext></novelnext>
But now, with all of these resources in my grasp, I could definitely achieve what I wanted to—bing rich in the process as well.
Unfortunately, with Zabdel''s watchful gaze on me, and everything else, it was impossible to nab all the goodies without tainting my image.
Sure, I could take the risk and quickly swipe some of the good stuff without anyone noticing, but... what if I got caught?
I could see the shame clear as day!
"The Legendary Dragon yer is nothing but a shameless thief!" That was what they would say!
Could I afford to let that happen after I had done so to much to ensure a good rtionship with Dulum? Besides...
''If the Merchants got wind of the news... how will I further my influence in selling what I want?''
While it was highly doubtful that Dulum would stab me in the back like that, considering all I''ve done for them—and all I will do—there were too many witnesses here.
What if one of them leaked the info?
In any case, it was too risky to try stealing. I just had to wait for Dulum to use theirmon sense and give me a sizeable cut.
************
''Adventurers have the right to any monster they defeat within the Labyrinth. If they discover Ores or Mana Chalk, Mercury or Mana Crystals; whatever precious item they find is theirs... so long as they follow due process and didn''t obtain them illegally.''
This was one the integral rules of the Adventurers Guild, and Zabdel recited it in his mind.
Why?
''Ah, this is crazy. All of this... belonging to him! Control yourself, Zabdel...'' The Vice Guildmaster nced in the direction of the Legendary Dragon yer and gulped.
Even though he seemed to be looking elsewhere, the middle aged man could tell that the powerful, though younger, fellow was keenly observing his surroundings.
''I''m so tempted to swipe a few. Just a couple of these would fetch a huge price in the market!''
Still, he had to let go of his greed. After all, what if he got caught?
Everyone would look at him with scorn, and he would be a disgrace to Dulum.
"The Vice Guildmaster is nothing but a shameless thief." That was how they wouldbel him.
The repercussions that would have on the credibility of the Adventurers, as well as his person would be disastrous.
Zabdel knew he had no im for the resources that were found. The Great Helios Labyrinth was a publdmark, used by free-spirited Adventurers.
Sure, they paid their taxes, ensuring the resources could reach the government. Besides, the government was usually involved in selling the Adventurers spoils. They had tariffs and royalties charged, so they got a fair share of revenue—albeit little per person.
''With this amount of spoils, just how much will our gain be?'' Zabdel thought his brain would fry just from thinking about it.
In the end, though, that was all government money.
Zabdel was only human, after all. Sure, he was as upright as humans could get, but... surrounded by such riches made his own desires surface.
''We''re all members of the Party, right? He''ll give us a share, right?'' Zabdel prayed internally that he was given even a small portion of the goods.
He would be so freaking rich—enough to support the extravagant lifestyle he always wanted.
''I know we mostly did observation, though a bit of mining. Our contributions pale inparison to him. In fact, I can''t deny that he''s entitled to these.''
Still...!!!
Zabdel wailed internally, hoping the Legendary Dragon yer would have mercy and show somepassion.
''Just give me a little!''