Mason’s Revenge

Chapter 10: Submission

“Just so you know, I won’t hesitate to destroy Mythic Items that defy me.”

The snake trembled at his words.

A blinding light erupted in the cave. Under the pressure of Mason's Aura, the Mythic Item submitted, transforming the snake and the pond into familiar shapes.

They became the real gold Mace and silver Mace.

‘They appeared.’

Mason, filled with dark intentions, seized the Mace shapes, which morphed to fit him perfectly. At that moment, a message flashed before him.

-You have received the title of - Someone who has experienced a Crypt - and a system has been revealed.-

-Crypt Raider basic system Crypt Exploration(F-Rank) has been awakened.-

That message felt familiar. Yet another one surprised him.

-You have received the title of - Cruel Mythic Item Intimidator - and your Aura has increased while your affinity has decreased.-

Mythic Item Aura: A+ (Unique)

Mythic Item Affinity: D- (Poor)

Mason scoffed at the message. While it felt strange to see Aura and affinity displayed like this, the new title caught him off guard.

‘My Aura increased, but my affinity dropped...’

He didn’t worry. A lower affinity could be advantageous.

‘Mythic Items despise close relationships.’

Mason’s experience taught him that Aura was far more valuable than affinity.

‘This should hold true for this one too.’

He examined the gold and silver Maces in his hands. They did not resemble ancient weapons. The gold Mace looked like a modern ice Mace, while the silver Mace resembled a shovel with a razor-sharp blade.

In essence, they resembled a pickaxe and a shovel.

Perfect tools for a Crypt Raider. Mason couldn’t help but laugh.

‘I need to test their usefulness.’

As he prepared to leave, a voice echoed through the cave.

“Damn it! Where is the Mythic Item?!”

Mason quickly concealed himself as Yuri and Mai entered, drenched and disheveled.

“I found it! It’s the pond!”

Yuri sprinted toward the basin at the waterfall's base, excitement shining in his eyes. He seemed to know this Crypt well, as he tossed a jar-shaped Mythic Item into the pond without hesitation.

Splash!

But nothing happened. The gold and silver Maces had already been claimed.

Yuri’s hopeful expression soured as he grew frustrated.

“Why isn’t anything happening?! The seer said to throw a Mythic Item in here!”

No one offered sympathy. Even Mai looked puzzled.

Her ears perked up at the mention of a “seer.”

“Seer? The Japanese Mythic Item user?”

“Tsk!”

“...What kind of Mythic Item does this Japanese seer have?!”

“Why would I tell you?!”

Mai pressed for information, but Yuri kept his secrets tightly held.

From his hiding spot, Mason listened, clicking his tongue.

‘Looks like Japan’s Future Diary user had a prophecy about this Crypt.’

That explained Yuri's knowledge of how to navigate it. The user of that Mythic Item, a regular student, wielded Sho-Toh-Ku's Future Diary, an A-Grade (Unique-Grade) Mythic Item.

‘Higher-grade Mythic Items are always a nuisance.’

Yuri, annoyed by Mai’s relentless questioning, snapped.

“Enough about our seer! The fact that the Crypt entrance opened means someone might have beaten us to it!”

Mai shined her flashlight around.

“There are definitely signs that someone was here...”

“Exactly! I knew someone beat us here!”

Yuri, once focused on the ground, began scanning the area as well. Mason considered his next move. He needed to slip past them to exit the cave. Running into them wasn’t a concern.

Mason contemplated his options, the cold blade of the Egyptian priest’s knife glinting in his hand.

‘Should I eliminate both of them?’

His gaze turned icy as he readied the knife. Anyone he encountered in a Crypt was a potential threat, vying for the same Mythic Item. Betrayal and murder were common among Crypt explorers.

Yuri approached Mason’s hiding spot, unaware of the danger.

“Damn it, check for anyone nearby!”

One step, two steps.

“I need to drag the one who beat Korean back to Japan!”

Mason’s murderous intent surged as he waited for Yuri to draw closer. Just as he aimed the knife...

-Egyptian Priest's Knife (C-Grade(Common-Grade) - Consumable Mythic Item)-

-Remaining Uses (54/100)-

A message floated above the knife. Mason frowned at the limited uses. He glanced at Yuri and Mai and reconsidered.

‘No way I’m wasting two uses on this.’

Creating a scene in this peaceful era could lead to trouble far worse than them recognizing his face. He needed to keep a low profile and focus on the Crypt.

Instead, he picked up a rock and threw it into the shadows. The stone landed on a stone path, echoing through the cave.

Tap, tap!

Yuri and Mai whipped their heads around in surprise.

“What was that noise?”

“Over there!”

Mason channeled his Aura into the Maces in his hands. These Maces were integral to the Crypt, and he had a plan.

“Crypt close!”

With his command, the Maces shimmered, and the ground began to tremble violently.

Kugugu!

“What the?!”

Yuri and Mai screamed as the Crypt began to collapse around them.

“We need to get out of here!”

“But where’s the exit?!”

“Let’s run back the way we came!”

Mason bolted toward the exit while they panicked behind him. Fortunately, the new Crypt lacked traps, making the path to the exit straightforward.

‘There!’

He reached a manhole, the light spilling out. It connected to the nearby shopping district. He didn’t see many people around.

As he emerged from the manhole, he heard the Crypt crumbling behind him.

Booooooom!

The suspicious Crypt, having claimed the villa complex, stirred up dust as it vanished into the ground, seemingly absorbed by the earth. The villas, once hidden, began to reappear.

Though some buildings showed damage, most remained intact due to the Crypt’s low grade. Higher-grade Crypts could rival natural disasters.

Mason watched the villas materialize, then checked the status of the Maces he retrieved. They needed restoration to unleash their full power but were still usable.

He sensed they had something to do with wealth.

‘Well, I guess this counts as a success.’

Mason laughed, but someone else was fuming.

“What did you say? There was a prophecy? It mentioned a Korean who would beat Korean to the Mythic Item?”

Yuri, barely escaping the collapsing Crypt, was on the verge of exploding on the phone. ‘I followed the prophecy right into the Crypt, and now this?’

“Hey! Why tell me this now?! How could you withhold such crucial information?!”

The voice on the other end sounded unfazed.

-You know what kind of person the Future Diary user is.-

“Couldn’t they read the Scripture again?”

-Exactly.-

“Ow!”

Yuri would have hung up on the expensive call if it weren’t for the senior administrator on the line. Blaming him wouldn’t change anything, though. The real issue was the user of Sho-Toh-Ku’s Future Diary.

‘This is all because of that clueless girl!’

Sho-Toh-Ku’s Future Diary was meant to seek out a worthy master, yet it had chosen a high school thug who struggled with even basic texts.

She would break a sweat at the slightest challenge, unable to decipher ancient scripture.

The content of the Future Diary could only be read by the master, driving everyone around her mad.

“We assigned scholars to help her! We told her to copy it down and give it to them if she couldn’t understand it!”

-Well... the content keeps changing because the future is never set.-

“Just tell her to shut up and write it all down!”