Mason’s Revenge

Chapter 14: The possible outcomes

Yuri felt his heart pound in his chest as he realized something was terribly wrong. His magic items—his most prized possessions—were missing. Panic started to creep in. He patted his pockets, his jacket, even his belt, but nothing. They had completely vanished. *How could this happen?* His mind raced as he tried to piece it all together.

He had already lost the person mentioned in the prophecy, and now his magic items were gone too? Desperation gripped him, and sweat beaded on his forehead. It felt like the situation was spiraling out of control, slipping further and further from his grasp.

‘What is going on?’ Yuri thought, his pulse racing.

Suddenly, a memory from a few days ago hit him. It was that brief encounter with Mason at the convenience store. Mason had casually picked up his ID, which had supposedly “fallen” from his pocket. Yuri had found it strange at the time. Something so secure, something that was always tucked away safely, falling out like that? It hadn’t made sense.

‘Did Mason steal my ID? Could he have taken the magic items too?’ Yuri’s mind raced as the pieces began to fit together. The thought felt absurd at first, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

But even then, Yuri shook his head. ‘No... what kind of person could be that skilled?’ It was almost impossible.

*But there was someone like that.*

Yuri knew deep down that Mason wasn’t just some ordinary person. He had demonstrated time and again that he was more than capable of pulling off the impossible. The more Yuri thought about it, the more he realized how dangerous this situation was. Mason had not only taken his ID, but now it seemed clear that he had also stolen his magic items right out from under his nose.

But Yuri didn’t have time to dwell on it. The research team was scheduled to arrive soon, and they were expecting to inspect the magic items Yuri had stolen from the Crypt. What would happen if he showed up empty-handed?

‘And Ebon Steed too,’ he thought with dread. That particular magic item, Ebon Steed, was a high-level piece that his superiors had been waiting for. Losing that would cost him everything—his career, his reputation, maybe even his life.

He clenched his fists in frustration. *What do I do?*

As if things weren’t bad enough, he started to notice the murmurs around him. Civilians who had been nearby during his conversation with Mason were beginning to piece together bits of the overheard conversation.

"Wait, what do they mean by prophecy and magic items?"

"I heard something about a gold axe earlier. What’s going on?"

Yuri’s eyes widened. *Damn it.* More and more people were starting to get suspicious, and a handful of them even understood the language he and Mason had spoken. They were spreading the information, feeding curiosity and growing the crowd’s interest.

This was the worst possible outcome. His government had strict policies to keep information about the Crypts and magic items hidden from the public. If news of this got out, it would lead to chaos. Yet here they were, in the middle of a public plaza, and Mason had d an magic item right in front of them.

*What was he thinking?* Yuri’s stomach turned at the thought. Mason had carelessly revealed the existence of Crypts and magic items to civilians. It was an outright disaster.

*If the government finds out about this…* Yuri couldn’t even finish the thought. There would be hell to pay, and he would be the one standing at the center of it. He couldn’t afford to let this get out. His original plan had been simple: steal the magic item, keep things quiet, and feed the civilians some false information to keep them in the dark. If that failed, he was ready to resort to more extreme measures. But now, without his magic items and without his weapon, he had nothing. His options were limited, and the situation was spiraling beyond his control.

*What do I do?* The question echoed in his mind, each time bringing a new wave of panic.

A cold sweat covered Yuri’s back as he looked around, trying to come up with a plan. He couldn’t leave the Crypt like this. If he left now, the information would leak, and his career would be over. His eyes darted around, searching for anything, anyone, that could help him. But nothing made sense. Why didn’t Mason care?

While Yuri was caught up in his panic, Mason moved through the chaos with calm precision. None of this seemed to matter to him. He didn’t care if people found out about the Crypts and magic items. To him, it was inevitable. The Great Crypt Appearance was on the horizon, and soon the whole world would know about the Crypts. Hiding them was no longer an option.

In fact, Mason wanted the information to spread.

magic items and Crypts grew stronger through stories—myths, legends, even gossip. The more people talked about them, the more power they gathered. Positive or negative, it didn’t matter. What mattered was the attention. The more awareness, the faster new Crypts would appear, and that meant more magic items for Mason to collect.

‘It’s better this way,’ Mason thought, glancing down at the stolen magic items in his possession. He had already pocketed the ones he lifted from Yuri earlier. A bracelet made of woven rope and a small box with a strange rice cake inside—two items that, at first glance, looked ordinary but held immense power.

As he continued on his path, Mason couldn’t help but smirk. ‘Let Yuri sweat it out. It’s too late to stop what’s coming.’

He had his eyes on the next destination. The Great Crypt Appearance was approaching, and he planned to gather as many magic items as possible before the world learned of their existence. The more chaos, the better.

The so-called bracelet was a rope tied in that shape, and the green rice cake looked like a round ball. Yuri had probably placed it in the box himself.

Mason knew what these magic items were. ‘Does Yuri know about the local legend of the Sun and Moon?’

The Sun and Moon legend told the story of siblings who became the sun and the moon. This strange rice cake was likely the one the tiger had begged the mother for, and the rope was probably the one that descended from the sky. Neither magic item was particularly high in rank, but they were both ful. That meant they were hard to acquire.

Thanks to Yuri, Mason had managed to snatch some ful magic items.

"You received the " Sleight of hands " title, and a system has been revealed."

"Crypt Seeker basic system: Dexterity (F-Rank) has been awakened."