Woff, 13 Years Old ②
This isn’t the Dungeon’s garbage disposal area, but rather the Junkyard.
Although I call it trash, it’s certainly nothing but trash and junk.
Strictly speaking, it’s not like anyone discarded this stuff.
The trash consists of broken swords, broken spears.
Shattered axes. Staffs snapped in two. Torn scraps of cloth.
Damaged leather armor. Pierced iron armor.
Pouches with holes. Worn-out robes.
Degraded Potions.
Dried-up medicinal herbs. Charms, and so on.
These are the equipment and tools that belonged to Seekers who died in the Dungeon.
They all gather deep on the first floor.
It’s not like someone gathered them and brought them here.
Apparently, they gather here automatically, unbeknownst to anyone.
And there are no corpses.
Only the equipment and tools accumulate here as trash.
That’s a relief.
It would be awful if organic waste were mixed in.
What happened to the corpses?
Some say they were devoured by monsters, others that they were absorbed by the Dungeon, but I think both are probably true.
Since bones occasionally turn up, the former might be the correct answer.
Also, there’s no money.
However, money sometimes turns up inside the bellies of monsters when you carve them up after defeating them.
It seems some monsters mistake it for food and eat it.
I wonder if they eat it despite not needing to because of their pseudo-personalities?
Dungeon monsters are different from ordinary ones.
The raw husks created by the Dungeon are imbued with emotions, like pseudo-personalities.
They attack and eat, but since they lack excretory organs, they don’t excrete waste.
Speaking of pseudo-personalities, does that mean they’re like AI?
Are they truly alive, or not? It’s hard to say.
There are also no small, sparkling jewels or anything like that.
However, among accessories, there are things like rings, bracelets, and necklaces.
There were already several children scavenging in the Junkyard.
Adults are seen occasionally, but they’re usually searching for mementos of the deceased.
If you help them search, they give you a reward, large or small, so it’s actually quite fortunate when that happens.
The Dungeon’s Junkyard has long been a place where children work.
Especially for children aiming to become Seekers.
It’s worth coming even after paying the 300 Oro entrance fee, which is by no means cheap.
Sometimes, you can even earn back more than the fee. The Junkyard is a treasure trove.
However, there aren’t that many children here.
That’s because it’s a place where the risk to one’s life is significant.
“Ouch!”
“Hey. Be careful.”
“Why the heck is there a sword here?!”
The voices came from slightly uphill. A few people.
“How should I know? That’s why I told you to be careful.”
“A Broken Copper Sword, huh? Looks like it’s not poisoned, thankfully.”
“Copper, huh? It’ll sell even if it’s broken.”
“How’s the wound?”
“It’s just a scratch.”
“Wrap it with a bandage anyway.”
“Yeah…”
That was a perfect example.
Most of the trash is weapons and armor from dead Seekers.
Weapons, in particular, could be hidden anywhere in the junk pile.
It’s common for kids to die from carelessly rummaging through the junk and getting impaled by a sword or spear.
Also, due to poor hygiene standards, many die from tetanus.
Four people died this month. That’s one fewer than last month.
There’s a rule about stripping the corpses naked before removing them from the Junkyard.
Outside the Junkyard, they vanish without a trace by the next morning.
The reason for stripping them is that the bodies disappear faster that way.
It also carries the meaning of looting them.
Corpses don’t need treasure.
The boys, one of them injured, left the Junkyard carrying several broken copper swords.
…
I carefully activate my Relic [Danger Detection].
My vision changes, and ‘Dangerous Points’ within the Junkyard are highlighted.
‘Dangerous Points’ are color-coded.
White indicates safe points.
Red indicates dangerous points.
Black indicates points where death is certain.
Thanks to this, I’ve been able to navigate the junk pile without injury so far.
Incidentally, trash has been accumulating in this Junkyard for ages.
The area directly beneath the pile is pitch black.
I wonder if something that guarantees death is buried down there.
Or is it just because the junk is packed so densely that you’d be crushed?
Well, there’s no point worrying about it.
Focusing only on the white points, I climb the junk pile.
My task in this junk pile is simple.
Find things that sell. Treasure hunting. That’s it.
The copper swords those boys took earlier are an example.
Copper sells. Scrap metal sells too.
According to Dungeon Law, whatever trash you find in the Junkyard belongs to you.
For example, if you find a golden sword, it belongs to the one who found it.
However, even though you technically have the rights, there’s absolutely nothing protecting the owner.
Still, the fact remains that there’s treasure to be found, and such possibilities aren’t non-existent.
That’s why it’s treasure hunting.
Alright, I suppose it’s time for me to search for treasure too.
Activate Relic [Wheel of Fortune].
Then, a ‘Glow’ is added to the points already color-coded by [Danger Detection].
Some of the points glow green and yellow.
Green light means Rare. Yellow means Super Rare.
And blue signifies the incredibly scarce Super Ultra Rare.
I search for green and yellow glows among the white, safe points.
I look around, and there they are.
One green light. Two. Three. Four.
One yellow light. Two.
No blue ones. That’s to be expected; they’re incredibly rare.
Guess I’ll check the nearest yellow glow first.
“I hope it’s something sellable.”
The Relic [Wheel of Fortune] shows me the location of rare items.
However, it doesn’t reveal what those items actually are.
Even rare items can be unsellable or difficult to sell.
I carefully probe the spot emitting a yellow glow within a white, safe point.
I remove a battered shield and take off a damaged gauntlet.
Finally, I pull out a warped armor plate…
The yellow glow gradually shrinks.
The target is close now.
The yellow glow converged on a single point… I found a small cloth pouch.
Inside the pouch were five rings!
It’s treasure!