The patriarch’s expression didn’t change. He leaned back slightly, folding his hands together as if already dismissing the idea.

“The gnome is out of the question.” he said, his tone final. “He plays a key role in one of our upcoming project. I can’t afford to give him away.”

Before I could respond, one of the elders—this time the one with the slicked-back silver hair—interrupted, attempting to be respectful.

“My lord.” he said, inclining his head slightly, “there’s no need to explain yourself to a rat like him.”

The patriarch waved his hand in acknowledgment, a slight nod of agreement.

His gaze returned to me, unwavering. “As I said, the gnome is not an option.”

Internally, I apologized to Lila.

'I gave it a shot.' I didn’t know what kind of project they were referring to, but if the patriarch himself insisted on keeping her brother, it meant whatever role he had to play wasn’t something to be trifled with.

That family… who knew what they were really up to?

'But don’t worry, Lila.' I promised myself, tightening my grip on the bag strap.

'Once I gain enough strength, once I can fight back—I’ll come for them. I’ll save your family. Including your brother.'

I pushed those thoughts aside for now, focusing on the situation at hand.

I took a breath. This wasn’t going to be easy, but I wasn’t backing down. “If you can’t accept this reward. Then I’d like to request something else.”

The room stirred once more.

The elders exchanged glances, their mocking smiles returning, as if they couldn’t believe my audacity.

The elder with the long beard chuckled darkly, shaking his head.

“What is it with you and this obsession over another reward? You do realize that the items in the Steelheart family vault are more valuable than anything you could ever dream of acquiring in your entire lifetime?”

Another elder joined in, smirking. “You won’t even open the pouch, boy. You’ll just end up like the others, failing miserably. Just accept the vault reward and be done with it. It’s not like you’ll ever see what’s inside of the vault anyway.”

“Let’s be real here.” the bald elder said, his tone dripping with condescension. “You’re not going to unlock the pouch. So why not save us all the time and humiliation? It’ll make for a good story once we’ve had our laugh and you’re on your way—missing a limb or not. It's not too late to back down.”

The patriarch remained silent, watching me closely, as if waiting to see what I’d say next.

But I wasn’t laughing. I had no intention of walking out of here with anything less than what I wanted.

"I want one item of my choice from inside the pouch, not from your family's vault."

The air in the room shifted. All three elders’ faces twisted in anger.

The elder with the slick hair slammed his hand on the table, his voice rising above the others. "Greedy! Disrespectful! You dare come in here, a rat from the slums, and make demands of us not once! But twice?!"

The bald elder scowled, his eyes narrowing as if I’d personally offended his lineage. “Do you even understand what you’re asking? You want to take something from Valerian Steelheart’s legacy, something we’ve guarded for over a century?”

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I didn’t flinch. I knew exactly what I was asking. "Accept it or not." I said firmly, locking eyes with the patriarch. "But once I leave this room, you’ll never be able to open that pouch. It’ll stay locked forever. So, what’s it going to be?"

"Who are you to know this so-called password, huh?" he scoffed, disbelief thick in his voice.

"Are you Valerian’s reincarnation? Some kind of forgotten descendant? You’re nothing but a dumb slum bastard! You think you know something we've spent decades trying to figure out? all I see is a boy with delusions of grandeur."

I stayed silent, letting their words roll over me. The truth was, their mocking didn’t bother me.

I smirked. "You don't have to believe me," I said, keeping my voice calm. "But once I open that pouch, you'll know."

The patriarch remained quiet, considering my words. His sharp eyes were fixed on me, calculating. For a moment, it seemed like he might refuse, but then, after what felt like an eternity, he gave a slow, deliberate nod.

"I accept your offer."

The elders immediately erupted in protest. The long-bearded one leaned forward, waving his hand dismissively. "Lord Steelheart, you cannot—"

"I can." The patriarch’s tone was icy, and it silenced the elders at once. He looked back at me, his face unreadable.

The patriarch’s cold gaze fixed on me, silencing the elders with just a glance. His expression was calm, but I could sense something unsettling beneath it.

"I can agree to your term." he said slowly, his voice cutting through the tension in the room. "But a negotiation isn't a one-way street. If you're asking for the reward to be changed, then I will change my conditions as well."

I narrowed my eyes, waiting for him to continue.

"If you fail to open the pouch," he said, his voice deliberate, "I won’t be asking for a mere limb in return." He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "What I want is your life."

The room erupted into laughter. The elders clapped their hands in approval, their mockery now heightened by the patriarch's words.

One of them, roared with laughter, slapping his knee as if the patriarch had just told the best joke of the century.

"Well said, well said!" one of them cheered, raising his cup as if to toast the patriarch.

"Your life for a password!" another elder chuckled, his eyes gleaming with twisted amusement. "Now that is a fitting wager."

The patriarch’s voice was like steel. "Your life will be forfeit if you fail. Those are my terms. Do you accept?"

"I accept. But..." I said without hesitation.

Ignoring the elders' grumbles, I continued, talking over them with confidence. "I also want to put in place a magic contract." My voice cut through their murmurs.

"A safeguard to ensure that once I open the pouch, none of you will attempt to harm me or endanger my life because of it."

The elders tried to interject again, but I kept my focus on the patriarch.

A faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Very well." he said, leaning back in his chair. "We’ll draft the contract. But you better hope you know what you’re doing, boy."

I nodded, keeping my expression neutral.

And so, the contract lay before me. It was similar to the one I’d signed for my slave contract—an unbreakable agreement, with lethal consequences for those who didn’t uphold their end of the deal. If any of us violated the terms, we’d die. Simple as that.

But as I read through the contract, something caught my attention. They had tried to be clever, thinking I wouldn’t notice.

The contract specifically stated that my life would only be protected from the Steelheart family for 30 days.

'Thirty days?'

The reasoning was clear as day. The patriarch wasn’t willing to make a permanent promise not to harm me.

If I ever became a threat to them, a permanent safeguard would cost them dearly, locking their hands and making them vulnerable. So they added a deadline. Thirty days—just enough time for them to deal with me if i ever tried to do something.

I smirked inwardly, understanding exactly what they were trying to do. But at this point, I knew it didn’t matter.

The item I sought from the pouch wasn’t something long-term; it was a consumable.

Once I had it, I wouldn’t need more than thirty days to change everything.

Negotiating beyond this point would be pointless, and I knew pushing it further would only sour the deal. The patriarch’s eyes bore into me, waiting for my response.

I glanced at him, then back at the contract. With a small shrug, I picked up the quill and signed my name.

The parchment shimmered as the magic sealed the agreement.

"Done," I said, handing the contract back. The game was now in motion.

I stood up, my heart pounding despite the confidence I’d shown. All eyes in the room followed me as I walked over to the patriarch’s desk.

The pouch, the one they had guarded for over a century, lay there, untouched by time, just waiting for someone to unlock it.

I reached out, my fingers brushing against the worn leather.

I knew the words. The password that had eluded them all for so long.

It wasn’t some random combination of letters, it wasn’t a guess, and it wasn’t luck.

It was a code only someone who had lived my life, who had understood the content of this world, could know.

I lifted the pouch in my hand, feeling its familiar weight.

Then, with the entire room watching me, I uttered the words they had been waiting for.

“Dungeon End.”

Then, slowly, the pouch began to glow, a soft, eerie light emitting from it.

The seal shimmered for a moment, and with a faint click, the pouch unlocked.