Siegfried was flustered the moment the effect of Treasure Hunter kicked in. [A title given to those who had obtained a lot of treasures] [Effect: +50% Chance of finding treasure rooms.] The only time this would happen was when— ‘There’s a treasure nearby!’ There was no other reason why the Treasure Hunter title would suddenly pop up. Finding a treasure here might seem a bit random, but at the same time, it did make sense somewhat. After all, the Death’s Carnival dungeon used the Marchioni Empire’s capital city as the model for it. Since this was the capital of the world’s most powerful nation, it wasn't strange that treasures were scattered throughout the city. “Hold on. I have to go check something out,” Siegfried came to a halt and said. “Why the sudden change of plans? Where are you going?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked. “Well...” Siegfried hesitated. Then, he leaned in and whispered, “I think I just found a treasure vault.” “I have a title, you see? And this title...” Siegfried hurriedly explained. “So you guys can either wait for me here or just go on ahead.” “Hey, do you seriously think treasure hunting is more important right now?” “I know from experience you shouldn’t ignore these kinds of things. It might not just be an ordinary treasure vault, you know?” “Oh, come on. Just be honest with me. This is about the money, isn’t it?” “Do you really expect me to believe you? You, of all people? Come on, quit making excuses.” “Hey, I’m really telling you. This isn’t about the money! We might find something.” “In maps like these, you can sometimes find key objects that will help clear the dungeon if you search through buildings.” Siegfried had first-hand experience to back this up. In one of his dungeon raids, he stumbled upon some vaccines while looting abandoned buildings. The vaccines he found at the time turned out to be the key to clearing the dungeon.[1] This was not just about money. There was a real chance that the treasure that his title had discovered contained something critical to clearing the dungeon. Of course, Cheon Woo-Jin was aware of this, too. “All right, fine. But let’s be honest here, at least with me. You want the treasure too, don’t you?” “N-No! That’s not it!” “I swear! That’s not it, man!” “You’re really amazing, you know that?” “Huh? What do you mean by that?” “How come you never change?” “W-What do you mean?” “Rain or shine, your eyes are always sharp on the lookout for potential profits.” “What did you just say, punk?” “Tsk... I guess that’s the mindset you need to become rich.” Siegfried was about to lunge at Cheon Woo-Jin when— “Just go. We’ll go ahead, so go loot the treasure and catch up with us.” “We’re strong enough. And we’ve got the numbers, too,” Cheon Woo-Jin said, pointing behind him. One thousand three hundred Adventurers mostly Level 299 were standing behind him. On top of that, they had Cheon Woo-Jin and Beowulf. These two were the most powerful Adventurers as far as Siegfried was concerned. Not to mention, there were other top-tier Adventurers like Yong Seol-Hwa, Gosran, Daytona, and Yong Tae-Pung. Even without Siegfried, they were more than capable of handling themselves. “All right, then. I’ll join you guys later.” With that, Siegfried left the group in Cheon Woo-Jin’s hands and headed toward the direction indicated by the Treasure Hunter title. “Kyuuu! Why are you so happy all of a sudden, owner punk?!” “I just feel good. Hohoho!” Hamchi narrowed his eyes and said, “You’re not just excited about finding clues to clear this dungeon, are you? You’re actually more excited about the treasure, aren’t you, owner punk?” “Mehehehe!” Siegfried flashed a mischievous grin. Then, he said, “Making money and finding clues! If this isn’t killing two birds with one stone, then what is it?” “Kyuuu! Hamchi agrees with owner punk!” “Come on, let’s hurry! Treasure! Treasure!” “Kyuuu! Treasure! Treasure, treasure, treasure!” Humming a merry tune, Siegfried and Hamchi happily skipped their way toward the direction that the Treasure Hunter title had pointed out. The Treasure Hunter title brought Siegfried to a large, decrepit mansion. A weathered sign that read “Bloomsbury Publishing & Printing” hung at the entrance. “Kyu! Is this the place, owner punk?!” “Yeah,” Siegfried nodded. Cautiously gripping the door handle, he slowly pushed it open. Surprisingly, the door opened easily. “I wonder what kind of treasure could be hiding here.” “Kyu! Let’s go find it, owner punk!” Siegfried and Hamchi began thoroughly searching the mansion. Unfortunately, there was no sign of anything that could be called a treasure no matter how hard they looked. There were indications that the mansion had long been abandoned. The desks were covered in dust and buried beneath towering stacks of manuscripts, the printing area housed rusted machinery that seemed far beyond repair, cobwebs draped over every corner of the rooms, and much more. After combing through the mansion for a good thirty minutes with nothing to show for it, Siegfried finally arrived at what appeared to be the publisher’s former office. The room seemed to have been decorated and furnished with the finest furniture that befitted the head of the establishment, but time had reduced it to a gloomy relic of its past. Siegfried’s gaze shifted to the massive bookshelf covering the left wall of the room. ‘There’s usually a hidden passage behind bookshelves...’ After all, a secret room concealed behind a bookshelf was like a rule when it came to secret rooms. In mainstream media such as movies, TV shows, anime, games, and novels, hidden rooms were always behind bookshelves. “Help me check the bookshelf. Try pulling the books.” “Kyuuu! Owner punk is stupid!” “Huh? What did I do?” “Kyuuu! Do you really think a secret passage would be that obvious? That’s so cliche!” “Pfft! You just don’t get it, do you?” Siegfried smirked condescendingly. Then, he explained, “Listen up. People who build secret rooms love hiding them behind bookshelves. It’s like an irresistible urge like... I guess you can call it a universal rule?” “That makes no sense! Kyuuu!” Siegfried decided not to argue any further and casually reached for the closest book titled "A Traveler’s Guide to the Nurburg Continent." He pulled it from the shelf and— The sound of mechanical contraptions moving echoed. Then, rumbling noises echoed from the bookshelf as it slid backward. “K-Kyuuu?! H-How did you do that?!” “Hah! Don’t question my powers, punk!” “See?! What did I tell you? Hidden rooms always go behind bookshelves! The people who build these spaces just can’t help themselves! It’s like... an instinct! They do it whether they want to or not!” Siegfried might be talking big, but he was just as surprised as Hamchi. ‘Wow... I can’t believe that worked.’ He grabbed a random book without much thought, and it miraculously turned out to be the lever. In other words, it was a complete fluke. “Kyuuu! You’re amazing, owner punk!” “See? You should trust me more!” “All right, let’s go.” With that, Siegfried stepped into the hidden passage with Hamchi at his side. The inside of the secret passage wasn't too dark. There were a few ceiling lights, and they were spaced evenly, making the place not too dark. Thanks to his keen eyesight, Siegfried could see through the passage as clearly as if it were broad daylight. ‘What could be in here? Hohoho! Maybe it’s something really incredible?’ His mind raced with excitement at the thought of the treasure that was hidden inside the secret room. Unfortunately, that excitement lasted only for a short while. “Hey, owner punk,” Hamchi whispered. “Yeah, I heard it, too,” Siegfried replied, gripping his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp tightly. It was not the sound of footsteps, but something was definitely coming toward them. A few seconds later... A group of undead figures emerged from the darkness. Unlike the ones outside, these undead were not wearing the Masks of the Dead or the Garments of the Dead. These undead were wearing deep navy uniforms that looked nearly black. In their left hand was a crossbow, and there was a dagger in their right hand. ‘Huh...? Why are the imperial intelligence agents here? And why are they undead creatures?’ Siegfried wondered, narrowing his eyes after recognizing the emblem embroidered onto their uniforms, which turned out to be the Marchioni Empire’s Intelligence Bureau. “Halt! Who goes there?!” “How dare you infiltrate this place?!” The undead agents shouted as they glared at Siegfried and Hamchi. The two flinched in shock. After all, Siegfried and Hamchi were still wearing the Festival of the Dead Set. ‘What the hell is going on?’ Siegfried wondered, immediately flashing his Rune of Insight to scan the undead before him. [An agent of the 6th Intelligence Unit of the Marchioni Empire.] [The 6th Intelligence Unit handles the most classified and dangerous missions on the continent. They are exceptionally skilled, possessing immense combat prowess.] [Note: Highly proficient in melee combat. Extreme caution is advised.] The group of Secret Agent 006 before him were on a completely different level compared to the undead monsters that Siegfried had encountered outside. Each of them was a whopping Level 400, so they were definitely strong foes. Of course, Siegfried knew that there was no way mere spies could reach such an absurd level in reality. It was more likely that the dungeon scaled their true level accordingly to make things more difficult. Still, it didn't change the fact that they were formidable opponents. ‘Fighting them elsewhere might be a problem, but it’s a different story in here,’ Siegfried thought, flashing a cold smirk. This was a narrow passageway; this was his ideal battlefield. No matter how strong his opponents were, he could take them down in an instant here, so there was no reason to be intimidated by their levels. One of the undead agents suddenly stepped forward. “You... Are you Siegfried van Proa?” It seemed that the undead still retained their past memories. “You... know me?” Siegfried asked, flinching in surprise. The undead agent flashed a grin and replied, “Do you honestly think the agents of the empire wouldn’t know you?” Then, another undead agent added, “How dare you infiltrate the empire! Even death would not be enough to atone for your crimes, Siegfried van Proa!” ‘Eh? Don’t these guys know they’re dead?’ Siegfried wondered. The way these undead agents were acting made it seem as if they believed that they were still alive and were carrying out their missions. “Um... Excuse me? But I have a question—” Siegfried started. “Death to all who threaten the empire!” “Eliminate all threats to the empire’s security!” However, the group of Secret Agent 006 lunged at him. 1. See Chapters 311 to 312 for reference. Author-nim left this note for us. ☜