This corridor was the heart of the ruins.
Naturally, there were treasures and artifacts throughout the corridors to honor those who had made it this far.
Wasn't that what they had come here for in the first place?
Artifacts. Rewards. Gold and silver treasures.
These were words that sent shivers down the spines of explorers.
The dopamine rush of this moment is what keeps many of them coming back for more.
‘Well, I guess this is to be expected.’
The assembled people carefully searched the corridors, taking whatever they could find that was worth money and placing it in the designated area.
There are dozens of people here.
It would be unfair if they all took the rewards as they found them.Someone would get everything, and someone else would get nothing, and then there would be infighting.
The most frightening thing is the uprising of the underpaid but on the flip side, not everyone was paid equally.
If you compare explorers and mages, it's clear who has done more to get to this point.
That's why the Archaeological League created a set of rules to distribute the rewards from ruins and dungeons.
─that is, by adjusting the distribution rate according to the person's performance.
Of course, this had to be fine-tuned by a group of people who put their heads together and discussed it.
Based on a reference point, they would increase or decrease the share from there and come to a mutually satisfactory agreement.
‘So you try to do your best in your role in the ruins, and do things that help the party.’
Those who work harder get a bigger share of the rewards.
There's nothing more morale-boosting than that.
The wizards' faces lit up.
“You think you've searched everywhere, don't you?”
“I've scanned the entire corridor using detection magic, and there's nothing more.”
It was a large ruin that hadn't been found in a long time.
The amount of stuff piled on top of each other seemed considerable.
The people's faces lit up.
Those who hadn't done much would only get a set minimum, but that would still be a lot of money.
“So, let's get started with the distribution, shall we?”
The host was the explorer who led the party.
At his words, everyone swallowed hard and fell silent.
“First, let's sort out the things that can be converted into money. For gold coins and other items, we'll use appraisals to distribute them accurately. Do we all agree on that?”
They'd already written the contract, so it was hard to disagree.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Good, because that's all that matters anyway.”
The middle-aged explorer walked over to a section that was set aside.
Unlike the usual gold coins, jewelry, and other items, they couldn't be immediately valued.
That's right.
It was time for artifacts that could only be found in ruins or dungeons.
-Gulp.
The room was so quiet that I could hear someone swallowing their saliva.
It was the most tense and anticipated moment of the day.
When it comes to relics, it's virtually impossible to distribute them equally.
Therefore, we decided to differentiate who gets to pick the artifact first based on their contribution.
The first person to pick was, of course, the person who had contributed the most to the party.
“The first one is...... Mr. Osian.”
Everyone's gazes turned toward him.
Osian slowly walked forward. His expression was calm, unaffected by everyone's expectations and jealous gazes.
‘He doesn't even look happy.’
‘He must know the value of artifacts. Is that possible?’
‘Aren't you from a rich noble family somewhere, and being a fixer is just a hobby?’
Osian's reaction was so grave that everyone thought that.
Of course, that wasn't what he was really thinking.
‘Hah, how do I choose from here?’
Thanks to defeating the Guardian, Osian was given the first choice of artifacts as the top contributor.
He had a whopping three relics to choose from.
Even with so many options, Osian was still torn.
‘Honestly, no matter which one I choose, they’ll all make money.’
It didn't matter, because money is earned through work.
That's why he focused on utility.
Artifacts are better to keep and use for their performance than to sell.
‘At least the artifacts have remained almost the same over the years.’
Due to the power of the artifacts themselves, the objects seemed to be fairly intact.
Of course, it was possible that the artifact's durability was already compromised on the inside.
But that was too much to think about. In times like this, it was better to keep things simple.
Osian scanned the list of artifacts first.
‘Some of them I didn't see in the game, some of them I did.’
In the game, you get rewards for clearing the level, but now that it's reality, it's different.
Even objects that were just wall textures in the game could be taken out and placed here as is.
Of course, Osian doesn't know what effect this has.
‘Then it's better to go with what I know.’
Osian looked at the artifacts and quickly picked one up.
‘Then this is the one to start with.’
The explorer saw what Osian had picked up and asked.
“Mr. Osian, once you make a decision, you can’t change it. Are you sure that’s the right choice?”
“Yes. I'd like to pick this one first.”
Osian picked out a shield-shaped brooch.
It was an amulet, a kind of talisman.
“An amulet.”
“It's an artifact, which is fine, but why that?”
Everyone was puzzled by Osian's choice.
Amulets are objects that can be found while exploring dungeons and ruins.
Naturally, they were valuable enough as artifacts, but the world's perception of them was not so good.
‘Well, it's understandable that they would react that way.’
Amulets have a mysterious quality to them, but that doesn't necessarily work in their favor.
‘Some amulets reduce the user's maximum health, while others periodically deal poison damage.’
It's more of a curse than an empowering talisman.
Even in-game, they were created just to fill out books or to conceptualize.
The notoriety of the game's real-life counterpart hasn't gone away, and many people have questioned Osian's choice.
“This is the first one.”
Osian says with determination.
‘The other amulet isn't very good, but this one is different.’
An amulet shaped like a shield.
Named “Symbol of Protection,” the amulet's traits were a favorite of melee characters in the game.
‘Increased health and strength stats, increased damage reduction, and periodic health regeneration.’
These were legendary effects, and they were coveted by everyone.
However, to those who didn't know its true value, they could only assume that Osian had chosen a lucky item.
Osian immediately placed the amulet in his inner pocket.
The mere act of possessing it triggered the effect.
Osian’s sharp senses felt his body revitalize.
‘Good.’
He couldn't open the status window right now, but his Strength and Stamina had probably increased by three each.
In-game leveling on its own was capped at 99, but in this way, wearing amulets or gear could provide additional stats.
‘Usually, items that give you extra stats also give you other stats for balance, but this is different.’
There were a few things that were essential to use without thinking about balance.
The Emblem of Protection was one of them.
However, in the case of the 'reduced damage taken', he knew that it would only work in-game as a health gauge and damage number, but now that it was the real world, he didn't know how it would work.
‘Only two left.’
Osian scanned the remaining artifacts.
The second one, of course, was the one he remembered.
“I'll take the second one.”
Osian picked up a plain, unadorned bracelet.
The sight of it caused the others to question again.
Like the first amulet, it was hard to see the utility of the item.
Nevertheless, it was placed on the artifact side because the mages felt the mana flowing from the bracelet and treated it as an artifact.
‘You're picking that one? Again?’
‘Why is he just picking that one when he doesn't even know what it does yet?’
‘He doesn't seem like the kind of person who'd do anything haphazardly.’
By this point, everyone had gotten to the point where they thought Osian was up to something.
Unless he had been acting like an idiot but his usual behavior made it seem like that was never the case.
As the people of Tirna were fundamentally suspicious of others, they made all sorts of assumptions about Osian's actions.
“Are you sure you want to pick that, there are plenty of other good looking ones.”
The host asked Osian again.
That's because Osian had already chosen the most unappealing artifacts from among the many piled up relics twice.
“No, this will do.”
Osian replied, and immediately put the bracelet on.
Knowing that he couldn't take it off the moment he used it, it meant that he really liked it.
“Well, then, the third and final one is.......”
“The third one is......that shield over there.”
Osian picked the last shield he had his eye on.
It was a shield that hadn't rusted over the years and still looked shiny.
‘A shield.’
‘At least it's the only one that makes sense this time.’
‘But it doesn't have to be that one, does it? No one would ever use a shield like that.’
Even if the shield was an artifact, it wasn't much of a favorite among the others.
If he chose that one, it was probably only to sell it later at an auction house or something.
However, there was nothing particularly strange about Osian using a shield.
His primary weapon was his sword, and he actually fought well with it.
For a man who introduces himself as a knight, it's only fitting that he carries a shield to match his sword.
Those who had been suspicious of what he was up to before now could only stare at him in awe.
“That's all I need, the rest is up to you.”
Osian shrugged, as if he wasn't really interested.
‘Two useless items, and a shield that no one else covets.’
‘And yet you don't show any sign of regret. Is there no such thing as greed in the first place?’
Terence was just as wary of Osian's behavior.
‘I knew he was strong, but did he really have to go so far?’
No, it can't be.
This is not the same man who seduced Elise Denarova.
A man like that, picking just that out of a pile of artifacts that would make anyone's eyes glaze over?
Terence didn't want to admit it, but he couldn't help but think about it.
'Is he not greedy?’
Honestly, no one could blame Osian for picking only the most expensive or valuable items here.
Sure, they might complain inwardly but the right to choose had been earned by Osian himself.
Even the other proud cadets of the Academy would have recognized his right.
Still, Osian didn't.
‘He didn't choose the magic tome over there, or the precious catalytic staff, or the disc with the special blueprint, even though he could have earned a great income from it.’
The only things he chose were things that no one else would even look at.
He couldn't help but think, “No way, did he just pick those things on purpose to give us a break?”
He would understand if it was just to look good but Terence was convinced that wasn't the case.
‘It's not like he was trying to impress us. If he’s that good, he'll get treated well anywhere.
Does that mean those things have some effect they don't know about, and Osian's powers of discernment allow him to see it?
That's impossible.’
Terence could say with certainty that it could not be.
“The second is......Terence Progenen.”
Terence watched Osian's back as he walked away and couldn't help but feel defeated.
Not physically, not in appearance, not in mind.
He couldn't help but feel defeated by the man.
It was a feeling shared by Thalia.
'I thought he was a bit unusual.’
His lack of greed, his unassuming demeanor.
It's not that he doesn't show it on purpose, but it's the kind of reaction that only someone who's really not thinking would have.
‘Nice.’
Thalia felt like she was seeing a real adult.
Or not, Osian thought to himself.
'A windfall, I never thought I'd find this here.’