Chapter 357: All In, All Out by Dark Demon (4k)
Since the war ended, demonic currency had completely vanished from circulation.
Most people only kept demonic currency as war trophies.
However, there were two types of demonic currency. One was normal metal currency with serial numbers, while the other was demon king coins!
The value of demon king coins was far higher than ordinary metal currency.
The demon king coins found within this dungeon also carried significant historical value.
Sarah and Emma, who had some knowledge on the subject, were extremely interested.
But the other young magi hoped to find magical artifacts in the treasure chests instead.
As most people displayed disappointment, Sarah and Emma quickly stepped forward and each picked out a demon king coin from the chest for close inspection.
“Why don’t I go look for more chests?” Piston suggested, spinning his eyes.
“Let’s go!”
Tudor waved his hand and led the way enthusiastically.
With these two gone, the atmosphere calmed down significantly.
Diana peered into the chest, reaching for some demon king coins, but Emma gently tapped her, likely to advise caution.
Diana ignored her and stuck her hand into the pile of coins, pulling out a bull’s horn!
This horn was about the size of two palms, incomparable to the dual-headed demonic man’s horns, but it had a translucent and smooth feel, milky white and round, making it quite appealing. Diana exclaimed happily, “Look what I found?”
She lifted the horn to show Dark proudly.
Seeing the horn, Dark’s regret over the dual-headed demonic man’s demise finally dissipated.
At least there were materials dropped, even if in the form of a chest.
He whispered, “Perhaps there might be something else in this chest?”
Emma and Sarah exchanged glances, their eyes sparking with interest before they reached in together.
Emma came back empty-handed, while Sarah smirked, pulling out a bracelet strung with six fangs!
“A bull head, a lion head—these must be lion fangs.”
Saying this, Sarah infused magic power and tried to trigger it.
However, the bracelet was merely a simple string of fangs, not a magical artifact.
“If so,” she turned to the others, “we can divide the six fangs into three portions, two per group. What do you think?”
A girl from Tudor’s group responded, “I’m fine with that.”
Sarah nodded, “That works. Diana’s bull horn will go to Dark’s group since they have four members and did the most work. As for the demon king coins in this chest, let’s divide them equally among everyone.”
Dark smiled slightly, indicating he had no objections.
Sarah’s distribution matched his thoughts exactly.
But there was one more item of loot in the hall.
He spoke up, “Then the weapon of the dual-headed demonic man should go to me, right?”
Sarah gave him a sweet smile, “Of course. I doubt Tudor would mind either.”
Just then, Tudor’s side erupted in cheers.
“Could there be another chest?”
Dark instinctively turned his head and saw Tudor and Piston struggling to drag an old chest from a corner.
They didn’t use a golem to help; they simply pulled hard, breaking the rusted lock.
Tudor triumphantly inserted his finger into the crack and yanked open the lid.
Unsurprisingly, the dust flew again.
But their excitement couldn’t be hidden.
Inside the chest, piles of demon king coins!
Tudor mimicked Piston, reaching into the coins, but all he pulled out was a stone.
“What’s this?”
Tudor looked bewildered at the oddly shaped stone.
Piston examined it closely, equally puzzled.
Clearly, neither had the knowledge to understand its origin.
Piston suggested, “Ask Sarah about it.”
Tudor agreed, “Sure.”
So they rushed back excitedly.
…
“Quite lively,” Dark thought.
The stone Tudor found was very peculiar.
It resembled fused blocks, metallic yet soft like gel, giving off a unique warmth, almost like it was alive!
Dark had a hunch but couldn’t be sure. He turned to Sarah, who knew more about it.
Sarah used her magic to detect it, then exclaimed, “If my judgment is correct, this is living metal. I never expected such rare ore in a chest here.”
Emma was intrigued, “Living metal… is it a biological mineral?”
Sarah nodded approvingly, “It’s called that too. Living metal is a quasi-living metal, bridging the gap between biology and metal. It’s the primary material for puppets.”
“What’s a puppet?” Tudor asked.
Sarah explained, “A puppet is a type of construct. It’s more refined and human-like than regular constructs. They have soft skin and smooth joints; their veins flow with expensive potions; they can metabolize like humans; they possess intelligence above average constructs, roughly between 3.0-3.5.
They can learn simple knowledge and express basic emotions. Without careful observation, they’re nearly indistinguishable from humans.”
“Such things exist? Why haven’t I heard of them?” Tudor wondered.
Sarah replied casually, “Puppets are the entry-level works of alchemy masters. Only high-level alchemists can produce qualified puppets.
The main material, living metal, is a specialty of demons. Nowadays, producing puppets isn’t feasible.”
It made sense he hadn’t heard of it.
“Alchemy master…”
Piston suddenly said, “If we give this piece of living metal to Professor Kazel, could we earn credits?”
Tudor’s eyes lit up, “Piston, that’s a great idea!”
“Great your head!” Sarah scoffed, “What can a small piece of living metal do? A three-inch figurine?”
“Three-inch figurine…”
But Sarah’s sarcasm sparked an idea for Dark. He pondered, “If we use this living metal to craft armor… or even a steel attribute golem, that’s another approach.”
“Alright.”
Dark decided, “If you give me this piece of living metal, I’ll pay credits. How about one thousand per person?”
“One thousand… per person??”
Piston’s eyes widened in shock, “Isn’t that nine thousand credits?”
Tudor nudged him, “No, just one hundred… hey, don’t glare at me! I was just joking! We didn’t contribute much to defeating the boss, so we shouldn’t take the living metal.”
Diana withdrew her gaze, pouting.
Sarah added, “Don’t look at me. I contributed a bit too, so I deserve a lion fang. The rest is up to your group.”
This referred to Dark’s group of four.
In truth, during the boss fight, only Dark’s group and Sarah’s and Tudor’s actually contributed.
Given their statements, Dark wasn’t one to quibble, so he accepted the living metal.
The group searched the hall once more, confirming no more chests, then began dividing their spoils.
Two chests yielded exactly one hundred demon king coins, ten people sharing equally meant ten coins each.
The lion fangs were divided two per group.
Dark took the two fangs, the bull horn, and the living metal, wrapping the bloodthirsty axe handle with cloth, letting Meow carry it.
Meow proudly carried the axe, looking content.
But soon, Meow glanced enviously at the others’ demon king coins.
Dark, holding the group’s loot, planned to distribute later when he saw Meow, carrying the axe, meowing at Heidi, who had her hair tied in two thick braids.
Despite the gray cat wielding the bloody axe, it looked incredibly cute.
Heidi couldn’t resist squatting and extending her hand, and Meow placed its paw in her palm.
“Meow!”
Heidi playfully pressed a demon king coin to her cheek, emitting a cute sound.
“Meow!”
Meow urged.
Heidi willingly placed the coin in Meow’s paw!
…
Dark’s forehead twitched. He injected magic into Meow’s magic card and gave it a stern look.
Meow froze, reluctantly returning the coin to Heidi, then obediently meowed.
Heidi was charmed, raising her opinion of Meow.
Unbeknownst to her…
Meow no longer valued her.
…
The three groups rested in place.
For the young magi, close interaction with students from different houses was rare.
Ten students released familiars to scout, chatting amicably.
Sarah’s and Tudor’s groups had long been curious about the “missing duo.” Now they couldn’t help but ask.
They naturally wouldn’t ask Dark, so they turned to the quiet Emma.
Though reluctant, Emma recounted her group’s encounter.
The more she spoke, the stranger the looks from the other groups became.
When she mentioned Wit and Robert being sent out of the dungeon by a “magic eye,” Heidi finally exclaimed, “My God! Three strikes and you’re out, don’t you know?”
Emma glanced away guiltily, not daring to refute.
Speaking of it, her group’s three near-death experiences were partly her fault.
But Tudor and Sarah’s group, preparing for the boss, had also sought thrills.
In the end, it came down to lack of strength.
Emma clutched the demon king coin, having an idea.
…
Half an hour later.
The three groups resumed their journey.
For all of them, successfully defeating the boss and returning from the dungeon was a perfect ending.
Next, they just needed to return safely to Professor Nina.
The return trip was smooth. The second-floor monsters were no match for first-year elites.
By the time they reached the second floor’s entrance, the sky was still light.
Students under Professor Nina’s protection completed their solo hunts, now gathered around the frog fountain, singing, dancing, and amusing Professor Nina.
The students clearly found new enjoyment, occasionally feeding her.
After this dungeon adventure, Professor Nina’s authority might decline, but her affection would surely increase.
Their return caught attention.
Professor Nina cheerfully approached with a register, but midway her face fell seeing Emma alone.
“Mithras, where are your teammates?” she asked anxiously.
Emma reluctantly reported the disappearance of her teammates.
Professor Nina sighed, her expression worsening.
She was still a probationary professor, not as wealthy as other professors, and the “incident” with two students would lower her standing in Professor Shylph’s eyes, affecting her hopes for passing probation and continuing as a professor next semester.
Thankfully, the two weren’t injured.
…
Wit and Robert’s disappearance, and Meow carrying the bloodthirsty axe, drew students’ occasional glances.
But after registering their return with Professor Nina, the three groups dispersed with smiles.
Dark called Emma over, finally dividing the spoils.
“Besides the materials from ordinary monsters, everything else is here.”
“The items to be distributed are mainly a bull horn and two lion fangs. I already have plenty, so I won’t participate. You three can split them.”
…
[4000/8000]
[Self-assigned task, urging myself to pay off debts, but it will be tomorrow morning.]
