Chapter 62: The Forgotten Spoils

The cave lay in heavy silence, only the low drip of water from stalactites above breaking the stillness. Shadows danced on the walls, flickering from the faint light of the torches that hung around. The party stood around a dusty, ancient chest nestled against a rugged wall, its wooden exterior chipped and eroded with age.

“A mimic! Kill this goddamn thing!” Fumito bellowed, his voice tense as he lunged forward with his sword raised, ready to slice.

“Wait!” Niko’s sharp command stopped Fumito mid-swing, his hand snapping out to block Fumito’s path. Niko took a measured step forward, his expression skeptical yet calm. “This isn’t a mimic,” he said, his eyes fixed on the chest. He activated [Celestial Probe], a faint shimmer trailing over his vision as he analyzed the mysterious box.

The words “[Old Forgotten Chest]” appeared faintly before him, along with a note in faded, almost comically blunt text: “Items within might be too old to be effective.”

“Ehh… This is just a shabby chest…” he murmured, a little deflated as he stepped closer.

Niko couldn’t help but feel the stab of greed tugging at him, however. After their fierce battles, this small, unimpressive box seemed anticlimactic. His fingers stretched out toward the chest, the rough grain of the wood prickling against his fingertips. As he made contact, a shudder ran through the chest, as though acknowledging his touch. The lid slowly creaked open, the sound groaning through the cave like a creature waking after centuries of slumber.

“Woosh!”

A burst of stale air and dust surged out of the chest, clouding the air with a fine layer of particles that danced in the torchlight. Niko coughed, waving a hand in front of his face to clear the air as the others peered over his shoulder, trying to see what was inside. The lid finally settled open with a soft thunk, leaving Niko staring down into the chest’s contents.

“What’s inside?” Ivanic called, his voice tinged with eager anticipation as he craned his neck to get a better look.

Niko sighed. “Honestly, not much to get excited about…”

The chest’s interior was littered with tarnished trinkets, rusted jewelry, and items so decrepit they looked ready to crumble to dust. He reached in and picked up the first piece—a ring encrusted with what he hoped was dirt. Holding it up, a faint, hollow display read:

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[Old Ring]

* No effect

* This item is useless.

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Niko sighed, tossing the ring back into the chest and reaching for the next item, a bracelet. The result was the same: another useless relic, tarnished and beyond its time.

“Just a bunch of junk,” Niko muttered, digging further. Ring after ring, bracelet after bracelet, all degraded beyond hope, without a single redeeming quality.

Then, just as his patience was wearing thin, his hand closed around something more solid, an object that didn’t crumble or rust at his touch. He pulled it out carefully, holding it up to the torchlight. It was a mask—etched with strange blue and white patterns, with small feathers tucked along each side. Unlike the other items, this one had a faint aura around it, and Niko quickly analyzed it with his skill.

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[Mask of the Wild]

* Rank: F

* Description: A mask worn by a barbaric hero of legend who lived in the wild all his life. A big reason for there being no ratmen in the western wilderness, and under a canopy he was unbeatable. Some say he was so elusive that his existence had always come into question, however, few have witnessed the unpredictability and prowess of the [Wild One].

* +2 Agility

* Unique Title: [Wild One] will be acquired.

* Requirement: 8 Agility.

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A grin tugged at the corners of Niko’s mouth as he held the mask, admiring the faintly glowing lines. While he didn’t have the agility needed to wear it, the mask represented a real find, unlike the other decrepit items in the chest.

“Anything good?” Ivanic’s voice cut through his thoughts, eager yet cautious.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Mostly rubbish,” Niko replied, letting out a small chuckle, “but there’s this mask. Looks like it was once owned by a warrior of the wilds. It’s got some agility bonuses… anyone here has eight agility?”

Zheng’s eyes lit up as he stepped forward, excitement clear on his face. “Actually, I’m close. Just one more level-up and I should be able to use it!”

Niko nodded, tossing the mask to him. Zheng caught it with a grin, holding it up and studying its odd, primitive design. The mask’s feathers were worn, but somehow, they still managed to convey a fierce, untamed energy.

Ivanic watched with a faint smile, though his gaze was wary. “That mask might suit you, Zheng. Looks like something a wilderness fighter would wear,” he remarked, earning a proud grin from Zheng.

“Looks like the loot’s tapped out here,” Niko said, glancing around one last time at the battered remains in the chest. “Let’s head back to the main hall. We can retrace our steps, maybe see if there’s a hidden path or a monster left behind.”

The others nodded in agreement. The battles had been grueling, but their gains were promising, and their unity even more so. Niko knew he’d chosen his party well.

As they turned to leave, Fumito cast one last suspicious glance at the chest, as though expecting it to spring to life despite Niko’s assurances. “Damn thing still looks like a mimic to me,” he muttered.

The walk back through the winding corridors felt different. The walls seemed somehow darker, and the silence heavier. Shadows danced in strange patterns along the rough stone walls, and the cold air seemed to amplify the distant sound of dripping water.

They moved in silence, each lost in their thoughts. The weight of what lay ahead pressed on them all.

As they emerged from the small, cramped dungeon, the landscape unfolded before them like a vast, shadowy tapestry. The sun was a molten line against the horizon, casting streaks of red and gold that melted into the encroaching darkness. The chill of the evening air bit at their skin, the cold seeping in as they began the ascent back toward the castle on the mountain.

Zheng stretched his arms, his breath visible in the cool air. "If that dungeon was hidden so easily within our territory," he mused, his eyes sparking with excitement, "imagine what else could be out there, just waiting to be found. There could be entire layers we haven’t even scratched the surface of."

Ivanic gave a slight chuckle, rubbing his hands together as he pulled his cloak tighter against the cold. "Maybe there’s even a respawn point somewhere nearby," he speculated, his tone both thoughtful and wary. "It’s possible others could pop up within our territory, summoned from who knows where."

Niko cast Ivanic a skeptical look, a slight frown on his face. "If that’s true," he said, shaking his head slowly, "then where are they? If there were others, surely someone would have made it to the mountain by now, or at least made some kind of noise to get our attention."

Ivanic shrugged. "Hard to say. Maybe they tried and didn’t make it. Or maybe they didn’t even know how to find their way up here."

Fumito, who had been quietly observing the conversation, finally spoke up, his voice calm but heavy with an unsettling undertone. "There could be other reasons why we haven’t seen anyone yet," he said. "There are stories in Tera. They say some respawn points are more like… traps."

Zheng’s brows shot up in curiosity. "Traps? What do you mean?"

Fumito looked around at his friends, his face shadowed by the setting sun. "When I first arrived in Tera, someone told me about a respawn point way out on a tiny island," he began, his voice low and somber. "It was small, just a speck of land surrounded by nothing but open water as far as the eye could see. People would appear there, disoriented and confused. But they were completely trapped."

“Trapped?” Niko’s eyes narrowed, an uneasy feeling rising in his gut.

Fumito nodded. "It was a dead zone, basically. They had nowhere to go. Some tried to survive on the sparse bits of vegetation, but there wasn’t nearly enough to sustain them. People started to turn on each other. Some died of starvation or exhaustion. The rest either tried to swim away, thinking there might be something out there, or… well, they waited for the inevitable."

Zheng shivered, a disturbed look on his face. "What happened to those who tried to swim?"

Fumito hesitated, the tale seeming to haunt him even as he recounted it. "Some of them were never seen again. But others… didn’t get far. They found something in the water. Or rather, it found them. Beasts they couldn’t even see, lurking just below the surface. The lucky ones died quickly."

A heavy silence fell over the group, each of them turning the grim story over in their minds. Niko’s gaze was fixed on the ground, but his thoughts were far away. He clenched his fists tightly, a dark chill creeping into his heart. What if his sister had been summoned to a place like that? The thought twisted in his mind like a knife, an ache spreading in his chest that no amount of training or planning could dull.

They reached the castle entrance, its heavy wooden doors casting deep shadows over the ground. Niko led the way inside, glancing back at the others as they followed. They moved through the castle’s dimly lit hallways, their footsteps echoing against the stone walls as they made their way to the main hall.

"We’ve made progress," Niko remarked as they walked, taking in the polished stone floors and the faint glint of torches that lined the walls. The castle was beginning to feel more like a home—or at least a stronghold—than it had when they’d first arrived. Yet a hint of unease remained, lurking just beneath the surface.

The wind howled outside, as if the mountain itself were warning them, a cold shiver passing over Niko’s heart. Tomorrow would bring new challenges.