Ch.7878. More Convenience is Always Better

# Hidden Secret Vault of the Zivchak Family

There were numerous items on display that Trash had hidden in this place.

Of course, since these were his personal collections, it was narrow and shabby compared to the previous imperial treasury, but that place was in a different league altogether, so it shouldn’t be compared.

It seemed like he had tried to create an atmosphere, as there were obvious signs of decoration, which gave it somewhat of a museum feel.

The difference from a museum was… the lack of protective cases?

Well, that makes sense since only he frequented this place. He probably never thought someone like me would infiltrate this far.

Thanks to that, it was convenient and easy for me as a thief.

Anyway, the reason I came all this way was because there was an item here that I absolutely needed to secure.

‘Strictly speaking, it’s not absolutely necessary, but…’

The item I could obtain here wasn’t some exceptional weapon or armor that would cover my stats. In a way, it could be considered a convenience item.

So I could do without it.

I could get through most situations by using evasion, parrying, and the inventory I recently acquired, just as I’ve been doing until now.

But when it comes to convenience, the more the better. Regardless of performance or utility, this item was worth taking.

However…

“What? Where did it go?”

The item was nowhere to be seen. It should definitely be here.

There were cases where it might not be here. If it had been taken as a starting item, that would explain it.

But I’ve never seen the protagonist with this item, so it should definitely be here… where on earth did it go?

…I don’t know. Time is running short, so I should collect the clothing money first.

I stuffed all the items displayed in the secret vault into my inventory. There weren’t that many, so I could put everything in quickly.

As I checked while collecting them, there really weren’t any useful items.

…By the way, I said I wouldn’t use my skills for theft just yesterday, and now look at me.

If I had to make an excuse, I could say something.

Originally, these were items that Trash had obtained through auctions in the black market using money he earned illegally.

Since even he wasn’t proud of them, he hid them here. Wouldn’t it be beneficial for Trash if I could use these tainted items to pay for clothes… to pay for Celia’s feelings?

Even if that’s not the case, considering what Diggers did, this much could be considered compensation from a father.

‘In the end, it’s just an excuse.’

But I had no intention of returning the items.

Since I’ve come this far, there’s no turning back, and this family will soon collapse once their secret schemes are exposed.

The moment I put all the items into my inventory, Trash and his knights came rushing in.

With so many people crowding into this narrow space, they completely blocked the exit.

However, none of them dared to make any sudden moves.

In this narrow, enclosed underground space.

If they caused a commotion and the place collapsed, they’d all be buried alive.

Trash also refrained from casting any more magic and just glared at me.

“…What.”

But he seemed to be confused about something, then quickly regained his composure and started questioning me.

“Where did all the items inside go?”

“It was empty when I arrived.”

“Don’t lie.”

“How do you know I’m lying?”

“Then tell me. How can you prove there was nothing in here?”

“There’s nothing here now.”

“That doesn’t prove anything!”

This person doesn’t listen to reason.

Well… I did steal everything, but I thought I could at least stump him momentarily.

I didn’t expect him to be so confident and stubborn. Did I underestimate the temperament of the Zivchak family?

“Hmph, so you’ll keep lying until the end. It’s useless.”

It didn’t seem like anything I said would change Trash’s mind.

Should I try to escape first? As I was thinking that, Trash swept his bangs back as if trying to cool down.

He had quite a plump figure, and as he raised his bangs with his short arms, his sleeves naturally pulled up.

This revealed the bracelet he was wearing.

“…Oh, that.”

And that was the item I was looking for.

That’s a relief. So it was here after all.

But why are you wearing it? In the game, you just left it stashed away.

…Come to think of it, stashing it away would have been more unnatural. It doesn’t make sense to hide such a good item.

So he must have been using it to commit his evil deeds more conveniently. I need to take it quickly.

So… first.

“I have nowhere to run.”

I said that while raising both hands in a gesture of surrender.

“You’re lying. Capture him immediately!”

I was planning to create a distraction and attempt a surprise theft, but I was caught before I could even create an opening.

Well, since he’s wearing that bracelet, it’s only natural.

Still, in this narrow space, it’s easy to make physical contact.

Since all my items are in my inventory, it would appear I have no weapons on hand, so they probably aren’t being too cautious.

I dodged the knights who rushed at me following Trash’s order and ran up to Trash.

He didn’t panic and skillfully pulled his body back to respond, but in the process, I managed to grab his clothes somehow… and immediately put the bracelet into my inventory.

“…!”

“Oh no.”

Trash’s clothes were also sucked into my inventory.

I’m not even surprised anymore.

“My, my relic!”

Seeing that he didn’t care about his clothes disappearing, I decided there was no need to return them and decided to escape.

I passed by Trash, who was now shirtless, and headed for the exit.

Of course, the knights were standing there blocking the way… but I knew this would happen from the moment I entered.

Obviously, I came all the way here because I had a method.

‘Blocking me with your bodies means nothing to me.’

In fact, the cheat-like nature of game characters becomes more pronounced in narrow spaces like this.

Even when everyone is so cramped they can barely move, I can still move relatively freely.

Of course, if I just stand still or act normally, I’d be stuck just like them, but I have evasion, don’t I?

Evasion, which is a judgment that penetrates attacks, can naturally penetrate crowds as well.

If I charge too directly, I might get blocked, but if I dash toward a small gap like this…

“What?!”

Even through a gap too narrow for my body to pass through, I can pass through easily like this.

The five or six knights urgently tried to chase after me, but perhaps because they were packed tightly together to block the exit, they ended up colliding with each other and getting tangled.

Trash couldn’t break through that either, so I was able to leisurely leave the secret vault and head outside.

With the sound of commotion and belated footsteps coming from behind, I had enough time to get away.

As I fled at a moderate pace, I took the bracelet out of my inventory and put it on.

With this, I had achieved the basic purpose of being brought here.

[Ring of Exploration]

[For those unfamiliar with the ways of the world.]

[It ‘explores’ the designated target.]

Since I already knew the function of the bracelet I was wearing, I immediately tested it lightly.

[Ludion]

[Strength: 17]

[Endurance: 8]

[Agility: 21]

[Mana: 11]

[Traits: ■■■■, Good for the body and tasty too]

[You are happy to have obtained the desired item.]

As soon as I used the item on myself, a familiar system window appeared.

Yes. Exploration was, as the name suggests, a function to view information.

Until now, I couldn’t see other people’s stats or detailed information about items, but with this, I could see everything.

Since I already know my stats well, I just glance over them.

The stats that remain at their initial values… and what’s wrong with that trait?

[■■■■]

[■■■ ■■■■■. ■■ ■■■ ■■ ■■■■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■■.]

Looking at the trait description in detail made it even more ridiculous.

I guess this is why Trash suddenly looked confused earlier.

It would be surprising to see this without knowing anything.

But I immediately recognized what this was.

After all, apart from “Good for the body and tasty too” which I got from a failed draw, I only had one trait.

[Irregular]

[This is an experimental feature. Please ensure that actual players do not obtain this trait.]

‘Comparing the number of characters, it matches.’

The trait Irregular, which provides all these functions like evasion, parrying, infinite stamina, game-like vision, inventory, and so on…

It seems the item can’t properly recognize this trait.

Is the text broken because it’s an ability that shouldn’t exist?

Well, it doesn’t matter. I wasn’t particularly interested in this function anyway.

For someone like me who knows the scale of strength and traits better than anyone, this information isn’t that important.

The true value of ‘Exploration’ was actually in what came next.

[You are happy to have obtained the desired item.]

This is it.

A function that describes the thoughts or feelings of others from my perspective.

With this, no matter what the other person is hiding or if they’re secretly planning betrayal, I can quickly find out.

It must be thanks to this function that Trash was certain I had stolen the items, and that he immediately saw through my lie about surrendering.

Even apart from that, simply being able to know what others are thinking or wanting was a significant merit.

I do wonder if it’s okay to just read other people’s thoughts like this… but I guess I can use it consciously. It’s not like I’m going to use it for bad things like Trash did.

Well then… now that I’ve stolen everything, shall I go deal with what they’re plotting?

Avoiding the noisy sounds of pursuit from behind, I started running toward my next objective.

///

Inside the first-year advanced class building of the academy. Three cups were placed on the table in Reina’s research office.

Reina, Celia, and Alkine sat around the round table, continuing their conversation in a rather relaxed atmosphere.

How much time had passed?

After some conversation, Reina let out a hollow laugh.

“…So, you just left him like that?”

“He looked really happy when they took him away.”

They were talking about Ludion being taken away.

The academy, having read the report first, had clearly told them there was no need to comply with their demands, but he was dragged away anyway, putting them in an awkward position.

“Tell him the Chancellor will have a word with him when he returns.”

“I will.”

Well, there’s no use dwelling on what’s already happened.

Really. She wondered what kind of situation it must have been for Celia, who’s always by his side, to just stand by and watch… but hearing it now makes it even more ridiculous.

Alkine, seemingly having similar thoughts, casually joined the conversation.

“It’s quite impressive that you noticed it at that moment…”

Celia gave Alkine a strange look as she corrected her speech pattern in front of Professor Reina, but Alkine continued speaking as if she had nothing more to say on the matter.

“But didn’t you say you’d rescue him today? If we waste more time here, it might be too late.”

So, Celia decided to just go along with it.

“You’re right. Shall we get going then?”

“Wait, Celia. Don’t be too aggressive. The Zivchak family may have a bad reputation, but they have extensive connections.”

“We’ll see about that.”

With that final exchange with Reina, Celia grabbed her exit permit and went outside.

Alkine followed her out and smirked.

“You don’t seem to have any intention of letting this slide, do you?”

Her speech pattern had changed again. Celia figured she should get used to it by now.

With that thought, Celia didn’t bother pointing it out and naturally responded.

“I’m not a nice enough person to forgive someone who messes with what’s mine.”

“Since when has Ludion been yours?”

“It’s just a figure of speech. Oh, right. That restaurant you recommended last time was delicious. Should we have dinner there on our way back?”

Though their purpose was clearly to rescue Ludion, she didn’t seem particularly worried about him.

All they were discussing was what to have for dinner, which says it all.

With no sense of urgency whatsoever, the two left the academy.