Chương 35: Reborn as the Dragon: — Chapter 35 - The Silver Treasure Chest Explosion Tragedy

Players brave enough to leave the safe zone weren't just Haruta Motono. In this game, players had near-total freedom, they could go wherever they wanted. Yamaguchi Mura Chicken was one such player, and he came with a reputation to match: eldest son of one of Sakura Island's most prominent crime families. He hadn't entered the game alone. Three of his bodyguards had come in with him.

While most players were still hovering nervously inside the safe zone, Yamaguchi Mura Chicken was already swaggering through the streets with his entourage, marching with the entitled gait of a man who owned the world, straight into Silvermoon Forest.

"I came, I saw, I conquer!" He stood on a large boulder, looking out over the trees below, and delivered his declaration of world domination to no one in particular. Behind him stood three hulking men, all Priest class, all holding enormous warhammers, all wearing expressions that suggested they enjoyed hurting people professionally. These were the Yamaguchi family's sworn retainers. Yamaguchi Mura Chicken himself was shirtless, a longsword in hand.

Dense tattoos covered him almost completely, you could barely tell where the ink ended and the man began. On his slightly pudgy belly, rendered in careful (if somewhat warped) detail, was a seductive dancing girl with a pipe in her mouth.

"Our Sakura people," he announced to the forest, "have been driven by the spirit of exploration since ancient times. We seize resources. We strengthen ourselves. This is aggression, and it is self-improvement!"

"Follow me into battle!" He raised the sword and charged into Silvermoon Forest. The four of them were all level five, and versed in Sakura swordsmanship besides. Hardly comparable to some ordinary player stumbling around without a clue. From his occasional experience with games, Yamaguchi Mura Chicken understood how starter zones worked, monsters were divided into areas by level, arranged neatly for players to grind through. Whatever they ran into out here wouldn't be above level five. He was confident about that.

HUFF. HUFF. The sound drifted from somewhere behind a thicket. Yamaguchi Mura Chicken's team stopped. The noise was oddly familiar, the same heavy, rhythmic breathing you heard from someone doing reps at the gym. He tensed. His gaze found one of the men behind him.

"Mori Yama Yaren. Go see what's in there." Mori Yama Yaren accepted the order and moved toward the bushes, warhammer in hand, stepping carefully through the undergrowth. HUFF. HUFF. The breathing grew louder with every step. He pushed the grass aside. A gnoll stood in the clearing, easily two meters tall, built like a wall of corded muscle, doing squats while holding a wild boar over its head. Without Appraisal Art, he could only get a rough reading: [Gnoll, Level 8] Just a level eight?

Mori Yama Yaren studied the gnoll's back, where something ominous seemed to flicker beneath the fur, and had a brief existential crisis. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Then he noticed what was sitting on the ground beside it: a silver treasure chest and a black iron treasure chest, placed neatly side by side. His heart jumped. That's, those are game treasure chests. He'd been watching the world channel. Players from the Hua region had opened a crane mount.

Players from Beautiful Country had pulled alloy great shields. People were already showing off their hauls everywhere. And a silver chest was right there. Right in front of him. Mori Yama Yaren felt the weight of destiny settle on his shoulders. This was Sakura Island's moment. He had to get the young master his moment on the world channel. He crept back to Yamaguchi Mura Chicken's side without making a sound.

"Yaren-san — what's in there?" Yamaguchi Mura Chicken's impatience was obvious.

"Report, young master. One level eight monster. Looks impressive. But beside it, there's a silver treasure chest and a black iron treasure chest."

"Silver treasure chest? Yoshi!" Yamaguchi Mura Chicken's eyes lit up. Three parts greed, three parts ferocity, three parts manic enthusiasm, and one part grudging caution. A vicious smile spread across his face.

"Then what are we waiting for? A level eight is nothing. Four of us, all brave and fearless Sakura Island warriors. Kill it. Take the chests." They reached an agreement and crept carefully into the bushes, only to find the gnoll was already gone. Just the two chests sat alone in the clearing, like two perfectly grilled cuts of meat laid out to tempt hungry wolves.

"Young master — what do we do?"

"The monster left. Understandable, really." Yamaguchi Mura Chicken stroked his chin, a look of profound wisdom on his face.

"This is a real world. Monsters have their own lives. The game part is just our perspective."

"Young master is wise! So — what now?"

"I'll open the chest. You three keep watch. If that level eight comes back, hold it off. Don't let anything interrupt me until I'm done. Understood?!"

"Yes!!" Yamaguchi Mura Chicken waved his hand. The three bodyguards fanned out immediately and took up positions around the perimeter. Then he turned back to the silver chest, licked his lips, rubbed his hands together, and stepped forward.

"May His Majesty the Emperor watch over me."

"May the warrior spirits watch over me."

"I, Yamaguchi Mura Chicken, open this silver treasure chest today, to restore the glory of the Yamaguchi family!" He placed his hand on the chest with great reverence. [Treasure chest key missing. Opening a silver chest requires a silver key. Spend 1, 000 Invasion Points to purchase?]" Nani? One thousand Invasion Points? Damn it all!" He frowned, then turned to his bodyguards.

"You, transfer me your Invasion Points. Now. Fast." The three bodyguards didn't dare hesitate. They transferred every remaining point they had without complaint." Yoshi! I'm giving you all raises when we get back."

"Exchange a silver key." [Treasure chest key exchanged.] Yamaguchi Mura Chicken stared at the key in his hand. He breathed. He steadied himself. He inserted the key into the lock with careful precision, his expression solemn and full of reverence, and gave it a gentle twist. The chest opened. White light bloomed from within, bright, then brighter. And with it came a smell. Foul. Sharp. Unmistakably like gunpowder." Nani?!"

Yamaguchi Mura Chicken stared blankly at the chest, his brain one second behind the situation. BOOM! The shockwave hit like a freight train. It launched Yamaguchi Mura Chicken, chest and all, clean off his feet and straight into a tree trunk. He crumpled. He did not get up. His entire body was slathered in sticky, reeking filth. [Congratulations on obtaining the purple building blueprint: Flame Arrow Tower] A blueprint blazing with purple light tumbled to the ground and lay there, unclaimed.

The three bodyguards stared at each other. Then at the tree. Then at each other again.

"... The young master is gone."

"Take the reward back for him. Nobody knew there was a trap. That's all we can do." Mori Yama Yaren nodded and bent down to pick up the purple blueprint. A massive foot came down on his hand. He looked up slowly. Over a dozen gnolls stood before him, each more than two meters tall, every one of them built like a professional strongman. They were breathing heavily and cracking their knuckles. One was swinging a knocked-out black water python around like nunchaku, howling "WAAAH WAAAH AOWWW" at the sky.

One was still doing squats, two spear pigs balanced across its shoulders. One had its back against a tree, a leaf-rolled cigarette dangling from its lips, watching the scene with lazy enjoyment. Vicious. Every single one of them." Ptooey," The lead gnoll, elite rank, if the aura radiating off it was any indication, spat directly into Mori Yama Yaren's face. Then its massive, fur-covered hand closed around his head and lifted him off the ground entirely. (Author's note: fingers took a bit of a beating today. But this chapter had some real style to it.) ➤ Next: Scraping the Bone to Heal the Wound (Not Really)