I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain-Chapter 611

Ian's lips finally curled into a smirk. "So this is that nest filled with gold."

"You remember. Then, I trust you also remember that I abandoned this hobby long ago?" Archeas muttered, looking away slightly.

It added with a low, dry cough, "To explain myself, my kind are born with an unusual greed for material things. It's an instinct that is hard to abandon until one realizes the pointlessness of it all. Now, I just find it all excessively artificial."

"I’m not misunderstanding. I just wanted to ask if I could take some of this gold."

Archeas gave a quiet laugh. "Go ahead. Take as much as you wish. Better it to be used for something meaningful than buried in this pit forever."

"You certainly have abandoned your greed," Ian said with a chuckle and looked back at the golden hill towering beyond the entrance. "So, how are you going to get the equipment out of there?"

"Through a... troublesome and unpleasant process, I suppose."

Archeas smacked its lips briefly, added, "Wait here a moment before you come in. You could be buried alive if you're not careful."

Ian tilted his head slightly and watched Archeas’s back as it walked inside. A faint magic was already spreading over it as it approached the golden hill.

Shhh...

Archeas did not climb the hill. Instead, it burrowed into it, seeping between the glittering treasures and gold.

I can’t believe it just went in like that.

Ian let out a quiet laugh as Archeas vanished completely beneath the surface. The movement had been smooth—practiced, even natural.

Shhrrrrrrr—

Moments later, the entire mound trembled. Then, the golden hill collapsed, cascading down from the top.

Clatter, thud!

A sound, almost refreshing, vibrated through Ian. It was the most beautiful landslide in the world. The gold and treasure instantly flooded the cavern, pouring down in a cascade that flowed in a slope right up to the entrance where Ian stood.

It would’ve been nice if the others could’ve seen this.

Even after collapsing and spreading out, the gold and treasures were still piled as high as Ian's shoulders. The golden tide that had flowed past the entrance was now like a ramp leading up.

Shhh— Clank!

Just then, something burst up from the far side of the pile, along with a spray of gold, and fell back down. Ian easily recognized it as a set of unusual-looking plate armor. Archeas, swimming somewhere beneath the surface, must have tossed it up.

—I’ll bring up whatever looks decent. Then we’ll sort and examine them one by one.

Its voice echoed through the cavern.

—Be careful when you come in. You might sink as if in a swamp.

Ian gathered his magic and said, "Then you could just push me back up if that happens, couldn’t you?"

Archeas’s laughter rang through the cave.

—You are mischievous. I will. But don’t you dare sink on purpose.

Ian chuckled and slowly started walking up the slope. As the dragon had warned, his boots sank with each step, the treasure shifting like sand beneath him. But that hardly bothered him.

Shff, shff—

Within seconds, he was moving with practiced ease. He stopped when he spotted the hilt of a sword jutting from the mound. The crossguard, grip, and pommel were all intricately crafted from gold. It was also an item he could inspect.

Dawn's Flash?

Ian let out another dry laugh as he read the description: Master Ancreart's Masterpiece.

It was a legendary-grade greatsword. It had high attack power and was loaded with an almost burdensome amount of options that he had rarely seen even in the game. The drawbacks of low durability and being irreparable barely even registered.

"You really did squeeze every last drop of talent out of those dwarves, didn’t you?" Ian murmured, letting go of the hilt. He wanted to shove it into his pocket dimension immediately, but this wasn't the time to be greedy for swords.

—They offered them voluntarily.

Archeas said, even as items kept bursting up from the far side.

—It was an age when one could only join the ranks of masters by being acknowledged by a dragon. Offering one's life's work to a dragon was one of the greatest honors for a master. It was an era with a different kind of romanticism than now.

Ian scoffed inwardly and started walking again.

"So, what kind of dragon is the Heaven Defier?"

—Rakhmah. Its name is Rakhmah.

Archeas’s voice dropped.

"I’m not asking for its name, I’m asking for its color. Like how Tahumrit was blue, and you are gold."

After a brief silence, Archeas answered.

—Red. It was the reddest of dragons. Once.

Ian nodded, not at all surprised. In truth, he had asked a question he already knew the answer to. Archeas would find it strange if he started picking out only items with fire resistance from the very beginning.

He bent over to pick up a single plate boot.

—As I've said before, that being is a dragon older than I. That fact remains unchanged, even though it is suffering an eternal punishment. And knowing it, it has surely found a way to accumulate power even in its state.

Archeas’s voice continued. Ian just nodded and set the boot down. It was a relic-grade treasure, but it didn't have the stats he wanted.

—Of course, if I were in perfect condition, I would be confident of victory. But as I am now, I honestly cannot be certain. I have a feeling this will not be an easy fight.

Your intuition is sharp.

Ian stepped onto the golden tide. The lake of gold filling the high, wide cavern was a sight anyone would find beautiful. Of course, it was also enough to make one's head spin. It wasn't just the sheer amount of gold; the items scattered haphazardly on top were all extraordinary treasures.

Swoosh, clank!

Even now, items were shooting up, scattering golden light. Archeas was clearly moving in a spiral, starting from the center. It was probably trying to comb through the entire pile.

—So do not forget: we cannot be overprepared. Even armed with these treasures, do not even think of facing it head-on.

I think I know that better than you.

Faint memories of the game were flashing through his mind. The Heaven Defier was the strongest boss he had faced before he tried to delete his character. It was an opponent that had made him painfully aware of his limits. He couldn't deal any actual damage through normal means, and he saw the game over screen after just a few of its attacks.

If its weakness hadn't been so clear, I would have given up back then.

The creature had been bound by massive chains and impaled with huge stakes driven across it. He could strike the chains to drag it down, or hammer the stakes deeper by attacking them—and that had given him hope. He’d had a feeling that if he could drive the stakes in its abdomen and chest all the way in, something would happen.

That feeling drove him to keep challenging it, even after seeing the game over screen for hours. And his hunch was right. When he luckily drove all the stakes into its abdomen and chest, the Heaven Defier collapsed, incapacitated. It was a victory won at the very edge of his patience, just as he was about to give up.

This is reality now, and it's a later point in time than back then, but...

Still, the most important facts shouldn't have changed. Besides, he was far stronger now than he’d ever been in the game, and this time he’d have excellent equipment along with the Platinum Dragon’s help. As long as he didn’t get careless, his chances of victory were high.

—I know you are fearless. But please do not be reckless. If you throw yourself into it like you did when fighting Tahumrit, you will lose your life.

Archeas added, as if reading his mind.

—If possible, just help me deal ‌the finishing blow. Understand?

Ian bent down, picked up a dark red scale mail, and answered, "I’ve no desire to die, if that’s what you’re worried about. Back then, I just didn’t have a choice."

Whoosh!

Archeas tossed up a pair of bluish chain gloves.

—You mean you'll do it again if another unavoidable situation arises.

Ian threw the armor he’d been holding onto the distant pile and shrugged. "Then let's both try our best to avoid that kind of situation."

Of course, he already had a plan. It was simple. While Archeas drew the Heaven Defier’s attention, he would aim for the stakes. He found himself regretting giving the battlehammer to Mukapa; it would’ve driven the stakes deep in a single blow. But maybe a similar item was buried here somewhere.

Clank—

Everything Archeas sent up was armor. It must’ve thought the dragon-forged weapons Ian already carried were more than sufficient—or perhaps it was simply its way of ensuring its argent didn’t die. Either way, Ian didn’t mind.

Lava Serpent's Leather Boots... these’ll do nicely.

He was busy identifying and sorting the treasures floating on the golden lake. Relic, legendary, and even mythical-grade equipment was mixed in. He had to suppress the urge to shove items, even ones he didn't need right now, into his pocket dimension. If he hadn’t needed to keep some spare equipment ready, he would’ve already done it.

After this is all over, I'll have to ask to come back.

Of course, he couldn't check the information on every treasure. About one in every four or five items was unidentifiable.

Whoosh, crash—

Still, Ian tossed aside the ones he didn’t need without hesitation, throwing them onto a pile. There were simply too many treasures scattered around. With all this gear, he could outfit the finest army on the continent.

—You can tell what each item is at a glance? My agent’s eye for quality borders on the miraculous.

Archeas said, seeming to realize that Ian was sorting items without stopping.

It was now circling the outer edge of the wide lake. Ian didn't bother replying. A completely different thought was crossing his mind. In the game, there had been times when he had stumbled across the entrance to a dragon’s nest. They were just empty, vast spaces, so he'd thought they were nothing but Easter eggs.

Maybe if I’d kept looking, I’d have found one that wasn’t.

Maybe not on this scale, but there could have been secret spaces that only opened after certain conditions were met, places where a dragon’s hoarded treasures were kept. If he’d found one back then, maybe he wouldn’t have tried to delete his character, or he would’ve kept playing for much longer.

Clank!

Of course, it was all just pointless ‘what ifs’ that he couldn't confirm. Shaking off the thought, Ian used his Willful Grasp to toss a pair of plate gauntlets he had just picked up. He dropped them precisely onto the smaller pile of treasures. That was the pile of things he could use.

As he reached for another pair of bracers, he noticed the sudden quiet. Archeas had stopped. The treasure-hunting was done.

Fwoosh...

In the middle of the golden lake, the gold covering the floor trembled. Then, Archeas rose smoothly from within.

It surfaced right between the two piles of treasure Ian had sorted. Ian smirked as he watched it brush back its platinum-blond hair.

"Your swimming skills haven't rusted one bit," said Ian.

"It's been a while since I've received a compliment I'm not happy about," Archeas replied with a slightly weary smile and turned its gaze.

"Now then, let’s see what you’ve picked out."