Records of Dungeon Travel

#99. The Frost Treants’ Branch

It was already the third time Kim Jin-Woo had visited the Eternal Treasury, but it felt completely different from before. The realm, which had seemed threatening enough to even suck away its own master’s soul in the past, was now neither hostile nor tempting toward its master.

“You’ve been fully recognized by the Treasury. After all that, it would be ridiculous for the Treasury to deny your qualifications when you’ve already claimed Valh?ll.” Mimir added that it had been a while since he’d seen the Treasury so docile, and seemed almost moved by the fact.

“Aren’t you going to say anything this time around?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

Mimir, who had gently retreated to the side to pave the way for Kim Jin-Woo, cautiously answered, “If I may, I’d like to caution you to not stay inside too long. The brilliance of the precious artifacts is certainly pleasing to the eye, but sometimes, one may forget one’s purpose after being blinded by their enchanting glitter.”

Having said that, Mimir quickly added with a look of embarrassment, perhaps feeling ashamed that a mere Treasurer like him had dared to speak something so redundant to the true master of the Eternal Treasury, “Of course, if you, as the rightful master, are pleased with what you see, the Eternal Treasury will rejoice with you.”

Kim Jin-Woo smirked upon hearing Mimir’s answer before walking up to the entrance of the Treasury. He remarked, “If this Treasury is indeed as great as you made it out to be, I may take some time inside. You don’t have to wait for me here, so focus on matters on the surface.”

Mimir bowed his head in response, but didn’t respond. Apparently, the greedy imp wanted to see with his own eyes what treasure Kim Jin-Woo was going to bring out of the Treasury.

“I’ll be back.” Kim Jin-Woo clicked his tongue before taking a step beyond the entrance to the Treasury. The seemingly quiet entrance began to tremble, before sucking him in without any warning.

“Mm.” He groaned at the unfamiliar sensation as his entire body was sucked into the Treasury.

[You have finally set foot into the treasure trove that has been passed down since ancient times.]

[The Eternal Treasury is as mysterious as the castle of the Highlords, and is a treasure trove of goods that will never be seen again in the history of the Underworld. Had it not been for the Eternal Treasury, the One-Eyed Lord and his war zealots of Valh?ll might have lost heavily.]

[Ahead of Twilight, the greatest war, the One-Eyed Lord opened his Treasury to others just once. The weapons that flowed out from the Treasury at that time were so great that every single one of the Ancient Lords’ soldiers was armed for the final war.]

[Unfortunately, they still lost the war, and the master of the Treasury was slain by the terrible beast, ‘Night’.] 𝐟𝘳𝐞ℯ𝚠e𝑏𝒏𝑜𝙫𝘦𝙡. c𝑜𝐦

[As a result, most of the weapons that were released at the time were not recovered.]

The messages appeared as soon as Kim Jin-Woo traversed into the Eternal Treasury.

[Some of the lost weapons were recovered by the diligent Eternal Treasurer, but no matter how diligent and resourceful he may have been, the recovered weapons and treasures are far from the total number that were present during the prosperous season of Twilight.]

[The Eternal Treasury seems to want its new master to reclaim those stolen items.]

“Ah…”

History hadn’t been kind to the Eternal Treasury. Kim Jin-Woo sighed with relief as he looked at the Treasury beyond the painful number of messages that appeared before his eyes.

He couldn’t distinguish between the ground and the air, as even the boundaries between light and shadow were vague in this realm. He couldn’t tell where they started and ended.

The empty world felt hollow, and yet it was bursting with all sorts of artifacts.

[The Giant’s Belt, Megingj?re.]

[This belt was used by the Giant King, who was the most powerful enemy of the One-Eyed Lord. The Giant King tore apart countless Einherjar with the mighty strength that flowed from this belt, and brought great trouble to the One-Eyed Lord.]

[However, in the end, the Giant King was deceived by the Death Crow and White Raven, and was driven before Valh?ll’s spire and slain by Mj?llnir.]

[The only thing that remains as proof of the valiant giant’s existence is this belt, the symbol of the Giant King who stood toe-to-toe with the One-Eyed Lord.]

[Giving its wearer the strength and toughness of a giant, this belt is a treasure worthy of its own, but unfortunately, it is too heavy and massive for any other non-giants to wear.]

[The One-Eyed Lord attempted to use this belt several times in combat, but it seemed he did not like it. Soon after, this rare treasure was tossed into the Treasury and forgotten.]

The belt that was big enough to cover Kim Jin-Woo’s entire field of vision was filled with such immense power that his body trembled just by looking at it.

Normally, a treasure of that caliber would command total attention, but there were plenty of other treasures that would rival the belt around him; thus, Kim Jin-Woo turned away and looked for other treasures.

[The Dwarf’s Chain, Gleipnir.]

[Made to forcibly hold the sun and the moon’s waning slant, these chains will not melt even in the hottest of flames and will not freeze in the coldest of chills. Unfortunately, the sun and moon set before the dwarves could complete it, and it has since been used to bind the beasts and prisoners of the Underworld instead.]

[This chain, unbreakable by even the toughest teeth and claws, is a powerful weapon in its own right.]

[The only problem is that it clangs so loudly that your enemies will know that you are in their presence.]

Swords and shields, whips and spears, bows and armor. Everything in sight was precious and treasured, and truly godly in their own right.

However, there was one item that stood out to Kim Jin-Woo. Unlike the other glistening armaments, there was one unsightly tree branch that was bent and crooked, looking so shabby that it had no brilliance and looked out of place. But nevertheless, he couldn’t take his eyes off the tree branch that looked best suited to be a walking cane for an old man.

[Spear Made from the Branches of a Frost Treant]

[A spear made from the branch of the youngest tree among the Frost Treants that once flourished in the Underworld in the past.]

[Outwardly, it is so thin and slender that it looks barely capable of being used as a cane, but the truth is that this unassuming spear is what the One-Eyed Lord—the most powerful Lord—feared the most, and he stored it into the Treasury and never took it out ever again.]

Unlike other weapons, the spear only came with a brief explanation that detailed no history about it. However, Kim Jin-Woo found himself reaching out and grabbing the tree branch before he knew it.

[You have become the master of the spear made from the branches of a Frost Treant.]

***

“Milord!”

As expected, Mimir hadn’t left his spot and was waiting outside.

“You’ve come out faster than I’d expected.” Even as he spoke, Mimir’s eyes darted around as if he were searching for something.

“Oh! That’s the chain made by the dwarves, and isn’t that the howling horn?” Mimir quickly recognized the two artifacts in Kim Jin-Woo’s possession and exclaimed loudly.

“I might be tooting my own horn here, but that chain is the most powerful item that nothing can break. The price I paid to get it back was truly exorbitant,” he boasted. It was impossible to tell whether Mimir was describing the object or praising himself.

“The horn actually has a master, and it belongs to the Dawn Rooster who’s under the control of Milord. What was lost in the chaos, I’ve found again. One thing’s for certain—if you give this to the Dawn Rooster, he’ll definitely like it,” Mimir explained. After saying so, Mimir continued his self-praise disguised as explanations for all the various items Kim Jin-Woo had brought out of the Eternal Treasury.

“But it seems you didn’t particularly find anything that you really liked. I thought Milord would at least return with something that could outfit the entirety of your Naga army,” he remarked.

At the same time, he slipped in a complaint Kim Jin-Woo hadn’t asked for. “Well, I’ve wandered everywhere across the vast Underworld, but I can’t say that the Treasury of today is the same as the Treasury of the past. It’s possible that there are many items missing that could have been to Milord’s liking.”

“No, contrary to what you’re saying, there were many things I liked. It’s just that I have one body, so I couldn’t bring them all out at once,” Kim Jin-Woo replied.

In fact, he had found himself unwilling to step foot out of the Treasury. That was because it was full of weapons that could immediately prove their worth if they could be brought out of the Treasury. As he had stated, however, that depended on whether he could actually bring them all out.

However, his regret was short-lived. He had discovered an unexpected ability of the Treasury.

“I’ll relocate the Treasury,” he suddenly said.

“Sorry?” Mimir raised his brows in surprise. He asked, “What do you mean, you’ll relocate the Treasury?”

“It’s literally what I said. This place isn’t easy to defend. So I’m going to relocate the Treasury into Valh?ll,” Kim Jin-Woo replied.

“I-is that even possible?” Mimir asked.

Kim Jin-Woo nodded. When he had started feeling a sense of regret at being unable to take out all his desired items out of the Treasury, it must have sensed his feelings, as it had surprisingly taken the initiative to ask him if he wanted to relocate it. Of course, it was a no-brainer that he would want to do so.

“Right now, I’ve only taken what caught my eye, but I’ll take out all the weapons to equip the Nagas in one go after I relocate the Treasury,” he explained.

“Ah…” Mimir had barely been able to hide his delight after seeing Kim Jin-Woo bring out fewer items that he had expected from the Treasury, but his expression started to turn dark upon hearing Kim Jin-Woo’s explanation.

But with the master of the Eternal Treasury wanting to relocate it, there was no way a mere Treasurer like him could say no.

“I’m sorry,” Kim Jin-Woo began.

“I-it’s okay. Milord is the rightful master of the Treasury, after all. Whatever you do, it’s your choice,” Mimir replied hesitantly.

“No, that’s not what I’m talking about,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

Mimir was anxiously biting his lips, finding himself getting more nervous despite not knowing what Kim Jin-Woo was talking about.

“If I relocate the Treasury, this place will cease to exist. After all, this place was built based on the power of the Treasury, so once it’s relocated, the place will no longer exist. Well, in any case, I’m sorry,” Kim Jin-Woo explained.

Only then did the Treasurer realize the meaning behind the apology, and his jaw dropped.

Thud.

Mimir collapsed onto the ground with a look of despair on his face.

“If you wish, I’ll allocate a space for you and the Black Merchants within Valh?ll,” Kim Jin-Woo added.

Mimir frowned as he looked at Kim Jin-Woo, who was speaking brazenly without a hint of apology in his demeanor. He wanted to swear and curse at the Highlord, but he couldn’t, and all he could do was sulk.

“Think carefully about what you’re going to do and look for me. I’ll be in Valh?ll for a while, so you can find me there,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

Totally disregarding what the Treasurer might feel despite just having his Treasury completely taken away in front of his eyes, he left the Eternal Treasury without even looking back once.

“You cold-blooded…” Left alone, Mimir gritted his teeth.

The greedy new master of the Treasury didn’t know what satisfaction was, and it was clear that he wasn’t satisfied with taking away just a few weapons from the Treasury. So, he had taken the entire Treasury away for himself.