Chapter 32: 32

They ran into people a few times, but most of them were so focused on their own excavations that they did not even notice the pair passing by.

Once they had reached a certain level below ground, Kang Yoon-Soo said, “Let’s do it here.”

“Do what?” Shaneth asked.

Kang Yoon-Soo passed her a shovel and said, “Dig.”

“…”

“Dig this spot,” Kang Yoon-Soo reiterated.

“…”

Shaneth was covered in sweat as she dug, while Kang Yoon-Soo excavated the walls of the cave with a pickaxe. Multiple old and rusted artifacts started to appear one by one as they dug.

[Old Bone]

Value: 3

The bone of an ancient creature. Its age makes it difficult to tell what creature it comes from.

[Rusty Sword]

Value: 14

It is a sword that was used a long time ago. The edges have dulled, so restoring it will be difficult.

[Belt of a Noble Child]

Value: 42

A belt that looks to have been worn by a noble child. It is well preserved.

Most of the artifacts could not be used if they were not preserved properly, but the higher their value rating was, the more contribution points one could receive. There were some excavators who had come across highly valuable artifacts and become rich overnight, but those were extremely rare cases.

Kang Yoon-Soo stuffed the artifacts that were in good condition into his bag.

As Shaneth was diligently shoveling dirt, she felt something at the tip of the shovel. As she dug further, she found something that looked like an amulet.

[Moonlight Amulet]

Value: 177

An amulet that has not lost its luster through the ages. It is an artifact that holds value both historically and artistically.

“Look! Look at this!” Shaneth shouted in surprise, but she froze on the spot when Kang Yoon-Soo turned around. He was in the process of pulling out a large artifact from the wall.

[Golden Horn Goblet]

Value: 557

A goblet that was used by a Viking leader in the past. It is so well preserved that it could be used right now. It holds tremendous archeological value.

Kang Yoon-Soo tied the goblet to his waist while Shaneth was looking at him with a stupefied expression. The backpack had been filled to the brim, and there was no more space for more artifacts.

The pair left the excavation site and went to the main tent that served as the headquarters of the Red Rock Excavators. The gazes of those in the area were fixed on the two who had brought back a backpack full of artifacts.

“What the? The two of them dug all that up?”

“The artifacts look quite valuable too.”

“It seems they excavated all night without resting.”

It was actually not easy to find anything of value even if one stayed up digging all night, and all they usually got after working all night were several rusted spears or torn leather boots. Excavating artifacts was a very laborious and difficult job without the help of any high-level detection skills.

The people around the pair looked at them with envy-filled gazes.

“We came to submit the artifacts we’ve excavated,” Kang Yoon-Soo told the attendant. He passed on all of the artifacts they had excavated, including the Golden Horn Goblet and the Moonlight Amulet.

Ramax’s eyes were wide, as if he could not believe what he was seeing. “Are you telling me you excavated all these artifacts in less than a day?” he asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied dryly.

Ramax sat in disbelief, but then he took out a magnifying glass to inspect the artifacts. “Hmm… These are quite well preserved… and they hold historical significance too. You could gain a handsome sum of contribution points with these.”

[You have submitted valuable artifacts to the Red Rock Excavators.]

[Your contribution points have increased by 1,328.]

[Current Contribution Points: 1,328]

“You can exchange your contribution points for items or money over there,” Ramax explained. The way he looked at Kang Yoon-Soo and Shaneth had changed. He looked at the two with a gentle gaze, and his tone was soft-spoken.

He gazed at the two before he suddenly proposed something. “Are you two by any chance interested in becoming official members of the Red Rock Excavators? I think it would be a waste to leave you two as temporary members. If you become official members of our association, we’ll reward you even more for the artifacts you bring.”

[Ramax of the Red Rock Excavators has made a proposal.]

[The contribution points you gain will increase if you become an official member. However, you will have to remain with the association at all times.]

[Do you want to advance to the class of Excavator?]

Once, in a past life, Kang Yoon-Soo had become an Excavator. He had not just been an ordinary Excavator; rather, he had established the largest excavator association on the continent and led it as its leader. However, he had no plans to become an Excavator in his 1,000th life.

“I refuse,” he said.

“It’s a nice offer, but I have no plans to be an excavator either,” Shaneth said politely.

Ramax looked a little disappointed and replied, “Oh, that’s a shame… Let me know just in case you guys change your mind.”

A cabinet that seemed to be made out of steel came into view. Kang Yoon-Soo pressed the middle button on the cabinet, and a list of items that could be exchanged for contribution points suddenly popped up in front of him.

[Which item do you wish to exchange for using your contribution points?]

[Staff of Lightning: 100,000 CP]

[Magic-Amplifying Bracelet: 50,000 CP]

[Expert’s Pickaxe: 45,000]

[Precise Appraisal Magnifying Glass: 40,000 CP]

It was a list of rare items that could not be purchased at a normal shop, especially the ‘Staff of Lightning’ that cost an astounding 100,000 contribution points.

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‘The ‘Staff of Lightning’ is a very good item at the moment,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

A magic staff not only increased the magic power of the user, but also greatly increased the power of any spells cast. It was actually very difficult to find decent magic equipment on the continent, and that was why even normal-rated equipment related to magic fetched a hefty price.

However, 100,000 contribution points was a huge amount that would still not be enough even if one combined the contribution points of numerous excavators. There were numerous excavators who had been digging for years, but no one had managed to get the ‘Staff of Lightning’.

Kang Yoon-Soo scrolled down to the bottom of the list.

[Phoenix Feather Candle: 1,800 CP]

[Dimension Bag: 1,200 CP]

[Alloyed Shovel: 700 CP]

Kang Yoon-Soo used his contribution points to exchange for a ‘Dimension Bag’. The backpack was too small to fit all of the artifacts, but the ‘Dimension Bag’ had almost an endless amount of space and could store a lot of items in it.

Kang Yoon-Soo stored the tools he had bought in the dimension bag and said, “Let’s go.”

“Okay,” Shaneth answered.

The pair went back to the excavation site and diligently started to excavate more artifacts. Their speed and efficiency in digging artifacts was somewhat slow compared to other people that had the Excavator class, because of the class' unique skill that allowed them to easily locate artifacts. However, they were still able to find valuable artifact after artifact with relative ease.

[Brooch of a Child Prodigy]

Value: 155

A brooch used by a prodigy from a noble family. There are traces of dried blood on it.

[Pearl Belt]

Value: 279

A belt adorned with large pearls. The pearls are in excellent condition, and you might be able to remove the pearls and sell them separately.

[Mysterious Pumpkin]

Value: 417

A multi-colored pumpkin. A mysterious creature is preserved in it. A skilled scholar would be able to identify the pumpkin and the creature inside.

[Exquisitely Adorned Sword]

Value: 247

A sword used by an ancient noble. It is used as a ceremonial sword, rather than for actual combat. A skilled blacksmith would be able to repair it.

Their results were because they were digging only in places Kang Yoon-Soo indicated. Shaneth forgot about her fatigue and kept digging happily as the dimension bag started to fill up as well.

‘I want to dig more, but these are the only artifacts left in good condition. The rest would require repairs or repair magic to be of any value. I should stop being greedy,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought to himself.

Just when they started walking toward the surface…

“Kirigryaaaaah…!”

A loud vibration reverberated from the lowest floor of the cave, and a deafening sound akin to a monster’s roar filled the air. At that moment, the situation felt ominous.

Shaneth looked back upon hearing the ominous sound, but she did not dare to stop moving as she followed behind Kang Yoon-Soo.

Ramax exclaimed once again as they submitted the artifacts they had excavated, “You did it again! Do you guys really have no plan to join our association? It’d be a shame to lose such skilled people.”

They rejected Ramax’s offer this time as well, and the old man looked quite disappointed by their refusal.

[You have submitted valuable artifacts to the Red Rock Excavators.]

[Your contribution points have increased by 1,917.]

[Current Contribution Points: 1,917]

Kang Yoon-Soo purchased another dimension bag, and he gave it to Shaneth.

Right at the moment they were about to head to the excavation site again, a loud scream emerged from the excavation site. “Aaaahk!”

People were scrambling out of the entrance to the excavation site with pale, horror-stricken faces. There were some who were covered in blood, and some had grave injuries as they huffed and puffed on the way out of the excavation site.

“What’s going on?!”

“What happened?!”

The people in the area started to gather one by one. It seemed something big had happened in the excavation site.

A disheveled and haggard-looking woman who had been crying screamed at the top of her lungs, “Don’t come in here! No one should come to this excavation site from now on!”

The onlookers started to look at each other with puzzled expressions. One man in the crowd asked, “Why?”

The woman explained, “A boss monster appeared from the basement of the excavation site. It was a large flying monster, and it started attacking people left and right. That’s why the people at the bottom of the excavation site who was excavating for artifacts got trapped… sniff!”

The people looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

A boss monster? At the excavation site?

The horror-stricken faces of the survivors told the others that they did not seem to have been lying, and the bloodstains and severe injuries they had sustained gave credibility to the story. A few people started to shout out orders to the others.

“Call the leader!”

“Is there anyone who has healing skills? There are injured people here!”

A man hurriedly approached the survivor and asked, “What happened to the people who were excavating inside? Are they all dead?”

“Nobody has died yet, but the boss is circling around the excavation site. No one should enter; otherwise, they’ll undoubtedly die!” the survivor cried out fearfully.

The members of the association, including Ramax, ran out of their tents. Ramax had a serious expression as he pondered the situation after hearing the woman’s story. Eventually, he decided, “Cease all operations at the excavation site right now! The excavation site is off limits from now on! All outsiders, including the temporary members, are requested to leave this place at once.”

Ramax then looked toward the members of the Red Rock Excavators and said, “We’ll now organize a search party. A boss monster is rampaging in the excavation site, but there are still survivors trapped inside. The fault of not properly investigating the excavation site lies heavily with us, and we won’t be able to receive any support from the city if any victims die at the site. We have to rescue the survivors at all costs.”

Suddenly, a member awkwardly raised an opinion.  “But boss, as you said, we haven’t investigated that excavation site and we don’t know the interior that well. How do you propose we find and rescue the people trapped inside? In the worst case scenario, we might also be trapped inside…”

“Hmmm…” Ramax had encountered a dilemma. It was a cold and heartless opinion, but it made perfect sense. Rushing into the excavation site while a boss monster was rampaging in it could actually put more people in danger.

He sighed as he said regretfully, “If only there were someone who knew the interior of that excavation site well enough…”

“I know it,” someone suddenly said.

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