The hidden secret warehouse of the Jibchak Family.
This place was filled with numerous items that Trash had stashed away.
Of course, compared to the former Royal Treasure Storage, it was small and shabby, but that place was in a league of its own, so it’s not even worth comparing.
There was an attempt to create some atmosphere, and it kinda gave off a museum vibe.
The only difference from a museum… was the lack of protective cases.
Well, it was originally a place only he frequented, so he probably never expected someone like me to break in.
Which made it all the more convenient for me to steal.
Anyway, the reason I went through all this trouble to get here was, of course, because there was an item I absolutely needed to take.
‘If I had to be honest, it’s not exactly a must-have…’
The item I could get here wasn’t some top-tier weapon or armor to boost my stats. It was more of a convenience item, you could say.
So, I could live without it.
I could probably get by with dodging, parrying, and the inventory I recently acquired, just like I’ve been doing so far.
But convenience is always a plus. Regardless of performance or utility, grabbing this item was definitely a win.
But…
“Where did it go?”
The item was nowhere to be seen. It should definitely be here.
There were cases where it didn’t exist, like if it was taken as a starting item.
But I’ve never seen the protagonist with it, so it should be here… Where the heck did it go?
…No idea. Time’s tight, so I’ll just grab some clothes first.
I stuffed all the items displayed in the secret warehouse into my inventory. There weren’t that many, so it didn’t take long.
As I was packing, I checked them out, but none of them were particularly useful.
…By the way, it’s only been a day since I said I wouldn’t steal, and here I am.
If I had to make an excuse, I could say something.
After all, these were items Trash had obtained through illegal auctions using dirty money.
Since he wasn’t exactly clean himself, hiding stuff like this… If these dirty items could cover Seria’s heart, wouldn’t that be a win for Trash?
Even if not, Diggerus has done some shady stuff, so as a father, this could be considered payback.
‘In the end, it’s still an excuse.’
But I had no intention of returning the items.
Since I’ve come this far, there’s no turning back, and the family is on the brink of collapse anyway.
Right after I stuffed everything into my inventory, Trash and a bunch of knights came rushing in.
With so many people crammed into this small space, the exit was completely blocked.
But no one dared to make a move.
A narrow, enclosed underground space.
If a fight broke out here and the place collapsed, it’d be a mass burial.
Trash didn’t cast any more spells and just glared at me.
“…What.”
But he seemed a bit flustered, like he was the only one caught off guard.
After regaining my composure, I started to question him.
“Where did all the stuff inside go?”
“It was already empty when I got here.”
“Don’t lie.”
“How do you know I’m lying?”
“Then prove it. How can you prove there was nothing in here?”
“Well, there’s nothing here now.”
“That doesn’t prove anything!”
This guy just doesn’t get it.
Well, okay… I did steal it, but I thought I could at least shut him up.
I didn’t expect him to be this stubborn. Did I underestimate the Jibchak Family’s personality?
“Hmph, so you’re going to keep lying till the end. It’s pointless.”
No matter what I said, it didn’t seem like Trash’s mind would change.
I need to get out of here. Just as I was thinking that, Trash, as if trying to cool off, swept his bangs back dramatically.
He had a pretty hefty build, and as he tried to push his bangs up with his short arms, his sleeves naturally got pulled up.
And then, the bracelet he was wearing became visible.
“…Oh, that.”
And that was the item I’d been looking for.
Good. So it *was* here.
But why are *you* wearing it? In the game, it was just stashed away in the warehouse.
…Come to think of it, stashing it away was more unnatural. It doesn’t make sense to leave such a good item lying around.
So he must’ve been using it to do even more evil deeds. I need to take it back.
Well… for now.
“There’s nowhere to run.”
I raised both hands in surrender as I said that.
“Liar. Capture him now!”
I thought I could lure him into letting his guard down and then make a sneak attack, but I got caught before I could even create an opening.
Well, of course, since he’s wearing that bracelet.
Still, in this tight space, it’s easy to get within arm’s reach.
Since all my items are in my inventory, it looks like I’m unarmed, so he probably isn’t on high alert.
I dodged the knights rushing at me on Trash’s command and charged straight at Trash.
He skillfully stepped back to counter, but in the process, I managed to grab his clothes… and immediately stored the bracelet in my inventory.
“…!”
“Oh no.”
Trash’s clothes got sucked into the inventory along with it.
I’m not even surprised anymore.
“My, my artifact!”
Seeing how he didn’t even care about his missing clothes, I figured I didn’t need to return them, so I decided to just make a run for it.
I passed by Trash, who was now shirtless in an instant, and headed for the exit.
Of course, the knights were standing there blocking the way… but I knew this would happen from the moment I came in.
There’s a reason I crawled all the way here.
“Blocking me physically is pointless.”
Honestly, the overpowered nature of a game character really shines in tight spaces like this.
Even if everyone’s crammed together and can’t move properly, I can still move around freely.
Of course, if I just stand still or act normally, I’d get stuck too, but I have evasion skills, don’t I?
The evasion that could pierce through attacks was a given, but it could also cut through crowds.
If you charge head-on, you’ll get blocked, but if you aim for a small gap like this…
“What?!”
Even a narrow gap that my body size shouldn’t be able to pass through, I could slip through so easily.
About five or six knights hurriedly tried to chase after me, but maybe because they were packed together trying to block the exit, they ended up bumping into each other and getting tangled up.
Since even Trash couldn’t break through that, I leisurely escaped the Secret Warehouse and made my way outside.
The sound of chaos and delayed footsteps echoed from below, but I had more than enough time to get away.
Running at a decent speed, I pulled a bracelet from my inventory and put it on.
With this, the main purpose of being dragged here was accomplished.
[Ring of Exploration]
[For those unfamiliar with the ways of the world.]
[It ‘searches’ for the specified target.]
I already knew the function of the bracelet I equipped, so I immediately gave it a quick test.
[Rudion]
[Strength: 17]
[Endurance: 8]
[Agility: 21]
[Magic: 11]
[Trait: ■■■■, Healthy and Tasty]
[He’s happy to have obtained the desired item.]
As I used the item on myself, a familiar system window popped up.
That’s right. The “search” function was literally for viewing information.
Until now, I couldn’t see others’ stats or detailed item info, but with this, I could see everything.
I already knew my own stats well, so I just skimmed through them.
My stats were still stuck at the initial numbers, and… what’s up with that trait?
[■■■■]
[■■■ ■■■■■. ■■ ■■■ ■■ ■■■■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■■.]
Looking at the trait description in detail, it was even more ridiculous.
So that’s why Trash was so flustered earlier.
If you saw this without knowing anything, it’d be shocking.
But I immediately figured out what it was.
After all, aside from the “Healthy and Tasty” trait I got from a failed draw, I only had one other trait.
[Irregular]
[Experimental feature. Please ensure actual players do not obtain this trait.]
‘The character count matches.’
The current evasion, parrying, infinite stamina, game-like vision, inventory, and so on… all these functions are provided by the Irregular trait.
It seems the item couldn’t properly recognize this trait.
Is it because it’s not supposed to exist, so the text is glitched?
Whatever, it doesn’t matter. I wasn’t really interested in this function anyway.
I’m more familiar with strength metrics and traits than anyone, so I don’t really need this info.
The true value of “Search” was actually in what came next.
[He’s happy to have obtained the desired item.]
This is it.
A function that describes the thoughts or emotions of the target from my perspective.
With this, no matter what the other person is hiding or secretly plotting, I’ll know right away.
I can do it.
Trash was convinced I stole something, and he immediately saw through my lie of surrender, all thanks to this ability.
Even aside from that, just being able to know what the other person is thinking or wants is a huge advantage.
Is it really okay to just read people’s thoughts like that? Well, as long as I use it with some conscience, it should be fine. It’s not like I’m going to use it for bad things like Trash does.
Alright, now that I’ve stolen everything, maybe I should go deal with whatever they’re plotting.
Avoiding the noisy commotion behind me, I started running toward my next target.
///
Inside the 1st Year Advanced Class Building of Akadeumi. On Professor Reina’s research table, there are three cups.
Reina, Seria, and Alkiné are sitting around the round table, having a relaxed conversation.
How much time has passed?
After some back-and-forth, Reina let out a hollow laugh.
“…So, you just left it like that?”
“He looked really happy when they took him away.”
It was about Rudion being taken away.
Even though the Academy had clearly read the report first and told them they didn’t need to follow their orders, he got dragged away on his own, and now the situation is a mess.
“When he comes back, tell him the Headmaster will have a word with him.”
“Will do.”
Well, there’s nothing we can do about what’s already happened, so there’s no point in saying more. It’ll just make our mouths tired.
Seriously. What kind of situation was it that Seria, who’s always by his side, just stood by and watched? Hearing about it makes it even more ridiculous.
Alkiné, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, chimed in.
“It’s impressive that you noticed it in that moment…”
Alkiné, who had adjusted her tone in front of Professor Reina, was given a strange look by Seria, but Alkiné just continued without addressing it.
“But didn’t you say you’d rescue him by today? If we waste more time here, it might be too late.”
So, Seria decided to just play along.
“That’s right. Let’s get going then.”
“Wait, Seria. Don’t go swinging your sword around too much. The Jibchak Family has a bad reputation, but they have a lot of connections.”
“I’ll see how it goes.”
With that, Seria grabbed her pass and headed out.
Alkiné followed behind her and chuckled.
“Doesn’t look like you’re planning to let it slide, huh?”
Her tone had changed again. Guess I should get used to it by now.
Thinking that, Seria didn’t point it out and just answered naturally.
“I’m not the kind of person who forgives someone who messes with my things.”
“Since when was Rudion your thing?”
“It’s just a figure of speech. Oh, right. That restaurant you recommended last time was really good. Should we grab dinner there on the way back?”
Clearly, the goal is to rescue Rudion, but she doesn’t seem worried about him at all.
The fact that their conversation is about dinner options says it all.
With no sense of urgency whatsoever, the two of them left the Academy.
