Raided The God’S Warehouse [EN]: Chapter 422

I Raided the Demon God’s Vault – Episode 76

While cleaving through the waves with Sharks toward the sanctuary, Se-un noticed Sharks’ fins were taut, and he was generating mana.

‘This guy’s competitive spirit is flaring up.’

He had told him to pick up the pace, but it was clear Sharks was already pushing his limits.

Anyone else might have suggested slowing down, but Se-un was different.

‘This could be fun?’

He had been wondering if he should just enjoy the ocean scenery, but a race seemed like a fun way to pass the time until they reached the sanctuary.

Thanks to the Sea’s Wrath necklace, he felt almost no restrictions underwater.

As they sped along, Se-un finally managed to overtake Sharks in the reef area.

“Glad you’re okay. This way, right?”

“…Yes, it is.”

Perhaps it was because he had lost, but Sharks’ face was flushed red even in the cold seawater.

Se-un smiled faintly at the sight and looked ahead.

Swish!

Dozens of whirlpools blocked their path like a barrier.

The currents around them raged as if they would tear apart anything that approached.

With currents this strong, one would expect them to affect the surrounding area, but just beyond the whirlpools, the currents flowed peacefully as if nothing were amiss.

Which meant.

‘This must be the destination.’

These whirlpools were guarding Leviathan’s sanctuary.

“Please, try to keep up!”

“We just need to get through there, right?”

“Yes! Just follow me and–”

Crack!

Se-un didn’t wait for Sharks to finish his sentence.

To protect himself from the whirlpools, he activated ‘Lizardman’s Scales’.

He thrust his spear forward to minimize water resistance.

Whoosh!

Se-un shot toward the whirlpools.

He thought he heard Sharks’ panicked shout from behind, but he ignored it.

‘Now that we’ve started, I have to win.’

Sharks wasn’t the only one with a competitive streak.

Se-un wasn’t satisfied with just getting through the reef area first; he intended to reach the sanctuary first.

Thwack!

The rough currents around the whirlpools slammed into his armor. As if that weren’t enough, they dug into the flesh beneath the armor, trying to tear away at his vulnerable skin.

If he didn’t have the Lizardman’s Scales, his flesh would have been torn off before he even entered the whirlpools.

Thud!

After passing through the rough currents in an instant, he plunged into the whirlpools, spearhead first.

The whirlpools were so strong that it was hard to open his eyes, so Se-un kept them closed and relied on his senses to guide him, kicking his legs.

He figured that with the momentum he had, he could easily get through the whirlpools.

However, there was one variable that Se-un hadn’t anticipated.

-The Authority of Jealousy surges from all directions.

-Due to the Authority of Jealousy, Strength is reduced by 5 momentarily.

-Agility is reduced by 5.

-Stamina is reduced by 4.

-Wisdom is reduced by 4.

…

‘The Authority of Jealousy?’

He had thought these whirlpools were just a barrier to keep outsiders out, but they contained Leviathan’s Authority.

He didn’t know what powers the Authority of Jealousy held, but…

-Strength is reduced by 3.

-Agility is reduced by 3.

…

The important thing was that his stats were rapidly decreasing even at this moment.

It wasn’t just the system messages; he could actually feel the strength draining from the hand holding the spear. His body, which had been moving quickly, was definitely slowing down.

The scales couldn’t withstand the rough waves of the whirlpools and began to fall off, and the mana in his circle flickered erratically.

-The Constellation, ‘The Bowed Crow,’ watches the situation with interest, wondering if he will gain ownership of Durendal if you die like this.

-The Constellation, ‘The Hungry Prince,’ savors the remaining eggs slowly, deeply, and sweetly, as if regretting their loss.

It seemed impossible to get help from the two Demon Gods in this situation.

He had to get out of the whirlpools before all his stats dropped and he lost his strength.

‘But how?’

He had already lost all his momentum. Even if he tried to exert strength, it was difficult to pick up speed with his stats already reduced by more than a third.

Even if he tried to use magic, it was difficult to manifest it with a circle that had lost its control due to the decrease in wisdom.

Then.

‘I have no choice but to use Authority.’

-The Vault of Greed has been opened.

[ Yellow Spring Serpent, Reverse Heaven Divine Mother ]

– A spear used by Yue Fei, a famous general of the Southern Song Dynasty. It is said that the serpent demon of Reverse Heaven Cave, which Yue Fei defeated, disguised itself as a spear.

With his stats lowered, it was difficult to use physical or magical power even if he manifested Authority.

That’s why he chose this: to imbue a weapon with ‘Ego’.

Wriggle!

He felt smooth scales on the spear shaft imbued with the power of the Reverse Heaven Divine Mother.

The hard, thin spear wriggled, increasing in size, and the spearhead became two sharp fangs.

A serpent.

The serpent demon of Reverse Heaven Cave, which Yue Fei had defeated, had transformed into its true form.

“Get me out of here!”

“Shaaaa-!”

The monster understood Se-un’s command and lunged forward.

Wriggling its body from side to side like a water snake swimming, it was able to move forward steadily even in the rough whirlpools.

Se-un gripped the serpent’s scales tightly, fighting to stay on.

His Strength stat had plummeted to less than half, causing his hands to tremble uncontrollably. He knew that if he lost his grip, the whirlpool would swallow him whole and tear him apart. He squeezed with every ounce of strength he had left.

Shriek!

Unfortunately, his dwindling strength couldn’t keep up with his willpower.

-Strength decreased by 3.

-Strength decreased by 2.

…

Se-un’s Strength had fallen below one-fifth of what it once was.

He was too weak to hold onto the slippery scales amidst the violent currents of the whirlpool.

‘Damn it, I’m almost there…’

He stared desperately at the edge of the whirlpool, a churning mass of white foam. He had no choice but to release his grip.

While quickly considering his next move, he felt a sharp pain.

Thwack!

Sharp fangs, like the tip of a spear, snapped at Se-un.

Like a mother beast gently picking up her cub, the fangs carefully grasped him without causing injury.

“Shaaa-”

Reverse Heaven Divine Mother [A spear imbued with the spirit of a defeated serpent demon].

The spear, transformed into a serpent, realized that Se-un had fallen and swiftly turned its head to bite its master—to rescue him.

Then, it hurriedly turned its head again and hurled its body out of the whirlpool.

Kwaaa!

The violent whirlpool tore at the serpent’s scales and ripped its skin. Yet, it kept its mouth firmly shut, protecting Se-un, until the very end.

Could this simply be seen as a ‘weapon’?

The whirlpool didn’t stop at the serpent’s scales and skin; it began to encroach on its muscles. The moment its muscles tore, its mouth would inevitably open.

Swish.

Like a dream, the whirlpool subsided.

No, the whirlpool hadn’t subsided. It had passed through the rough whirlpool entirely.

“…Thank you.”

“Shaaa-”

Se-un placed his hand on the head of the serpent, which was now battered and bruised.

It was merely a monster dwelling within the treasure called Reverse Heaven Divine Mother, yet it had risked its life to protect its master.

He had been simply thinking of treasures as ‘tools.’ Perhaps, there was some kind of will within them.

The Reverse Heaven Divine Mother felt Se-un’s touch and flicked its tongue out, then returned to its original form as a spear.

Even then, as soon as it returned to being a spear, its durability reached its limit, and it dissolved into bubbles and disappeared.

-You have escaped from the Authority of Jealousy.

-The temporarily decreased stats are rapidly recovering.

Fortunately, the decrease in stats due to the Authority of Jealousy was temporary.

Before long, all of Se-un’s stats had recovered, and he could feel the returned power as he clenched his fist.

-The Constellation, ‘The Crow Who Bows Its Head,’ is disappointed in your unharmed appearance.

-The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ is disappointed that there doesn’t seem to be anything to eat here.

And he raised his head.

“Is this Leviathan’s Sanctuary?”

The destination finally came into view.

The sanctuary looked completely different from the temples Se-un knew.

The skull of a giant monster was half-buried in the ground, its massive mouth agape.

Perhaps, the sanctuary Shax spoke of lay within.

Before him, fish-men, seemingly all female, stared at Se-un with wide eyes.

“A human…?”

“They have gills and fins, so they can’t be human. Who are they?”

“More importantly, didn’t that person just come through the whirlpool?”

“Even Shax can’t get through the whirlpool, so how…?”

Everyone was flustered by the sudden appearance of an outsider.

Most of the combat-capable fish-men had been left at the spawning grounds to restore the site, so the fish-men here were unable to fight.

Even the male fish-men were small in size, or their forms made it difficult to fight. Among them were quite a few children.

While Se-un hesitated, wondering how to explain his presence…

From afar, a fish-man with a shark’s fin quickly approached.

“Are you alright!”

“You came quickly?”

“What were you thinking, suddenly going through the whirlpool imbued with the Authority of Jealousy!”

“It was more dangerous than I thought. You should have warned me in advance.”

“That’s why I told you to follow me! No, more than that, how did you get through the whirlpool?”

Shax. He was breathing heavily through the gills on both sides of his neck, as if he had arrived in a hurry.

“I used Authority [A divine power]. Even if it’s the Authority of Jealousy, I have two other Demon God’s Authorities.”

“…I see. I regret that I unconsciously underestimated you.”

“Then, I won?”

“You lost. It was definitely a power befitting the contractor of two Demon Gods. If it’s you, I can definitely trust you.”

Having passed through the whirlpool using Authority, there was no way Leviathan wouldn’t have noticed Se-un’s presence.

Yet, Leviathan’s message did not appear before Se-un.

The reason for this was quickly revealed by Shax.

“You will be able to hear the Constellation’s words once you enter the sanctuary. Because it was pushed outside the Tower, the system’s range of interference is limited.”

“So that’s how it was.”

“If you’re tired, how about taking a rest? I don’t know human tastes well, but our cuisine was considered a delicacy even when we were in the Tower [A mysterious structure that connects different worlds].”

-The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ reacts to the word delicacy and immediately grabs the tableware.

“No.”

All the stats that had decreased due to the Authority of Jealousy had returned, so there was no need to rest.

He needed to make a contract with Leviathan quickly, then go up to the surface, finish the tutorial, and enter the Tower.

He didn’t know what kind of punishment the Tower’s system would inflict on a player who didn’t enter the Tower even after the tutorial was over.

He had to resolve the matter quickly and return to the surface as soon as possible.

“I’ll go right away.”

“Hoo……. I understand. Follow me.”

Shax, who had taken a moment to catch his breath, straightened his posture and walked towards Leviathan’s Sanctuary.