Summary:
Finding an armor in the dungeon was a wonderful boon to this poor adventurer, but considering how dangerous the dungeon was recently... was there something more, hidden inside it?--
Being a poor adventurer meant that I wasn't able to buy what I needed, especially when going to a dungeon. As an example, I could decide to get more rations, or to buy glasses that allowed me to see traps. The latter would be a game changer, but what's the use of surviving traps if I couldn't eat afterward?
Sometimes the world was cruel, though. I had heard from the Guild that we had to be even more careful in the dungeon, what with how it was behaving erratically. I ignored that because this was my only way to get money.
It was in the dungeon itself that I ended up in trouble, all because there were a bit too many monsters around. They ended up finding me, and I had to escape. I tried to get back to the surface, but with how many groups there were, I kept having to take smaller roads. Even had to pick ones I had never seen before, as the ones behind me caught up and there were another on the more familiar road--it was an easy choice. I took a leap of faith, believing that I would be able to find my way back.
Still took a while to get away, even as I went deeper and deeper into the unmapped areas. Or maybe it was just the road no one else had taken yet? Hmm, selling the map to a new place could be decent coin... But I would have to find a way to get out fir--My eyes sparkled as I saw it, sitting alone without any enemies around it.
A treasure chest.
I walked into the room, being careful to keep watch on every side, even the ceiling and the floor. There was nothing to see, just a plain, small room. No scratch or scuff marks that monsters would make for making their nest. No piles of bones or adventurers' outfits being placed anywhere. Not even a sickly, sweet smell that would have made me run for the hills.
Even the mere thought made me shudder, knowing it meant there were depraved traps ahead. They weren't deadly, and some people ended up liking it because of that. There were even people deliberately letting themselves be caught in those. Degenerates or stupid, I didn't know which.
Still though, that didn't matter. I walked deeper, closer to the kind of-plain, but still solid looking chest. No weird smell wafting off of it, nor did the entrance suddenly closed. I was free to just leave, if I wanted to. But I... didn't want to. I needed this.
This was a lucky break, and worlds be damned if I didn't take it. Whatever was inside, whether it was an equipment, some sort of weapon, or accessories, or even just jewels--anything was useful. Because it didn't matter it wasn't better than my current weapon. As long as I could sell it, I would have gotten more than my usual foray.
So I knelt in front of the chest, slowly caressing the outer parts. The metal gleamed in front of me, clean, just like every other part of this room. No rust or dust, as one would expect if this room went undiscovered for years.
I knocked against the chest for a moment, being careful that it wouldn't suddenly jump at me. Or bite my head or limbs off. But after a few moments, nothing happened and emboldened me. Because it would be better to bring it back to the Guild, find someone I could pay to unlock it--but the thought of needing to share the loots made me scowl. Or even just lifting the whole thing up. No way I could escape from monsters while lugging this thing around. I had some experience in lockpicking at least.
So I looked at the lock again, gently caressing the metal and noting the cleanliness. More points to the weirdness of a dungeon I suppose, but that didn't matter. I pulled out the few lockpicks I had, ones that any half-decent adventurer always have. No one knew when they would find a half-decent chest, after all.
Being good with picking locks were an important skill, ones many adventurers seek. Especially if you were a little richer than me, and able to afford the better lockpicks that could be used over and over again. I managed to scrounge up some money for disposable oneness, but that didn't mean everyone could. One day, I would get sturdier picks, but that day wasn't today.
I pushed the straight rod first into it, picking the sturdiest out of the few I owned. Then I used the hook, slowly pressing and pushing or pulling it, making little bits of progress with every movement. I was lucky too during this whole thing, as no monsters appeared here despite my defenselessness.
Sweats formed on my forehead as I continued, knowing any sort of mistakes could be fatal. Like breaking the pick inside, which would render opening this chest the normal way as impossible. So I just knuckled down, intent on finishing this as fast as I could.
Maybe it was hours, or maybe it was just a few minutes. I had no idea. My work was a steady progress, each press and twist giving me knowledge of what I needed to do to open it.
The 'click' sound was heaven, and I let out a sigh in relief the moment I heard it. Even falling down onto my butt for a moment. The chest had opened slightly now, and I could just open the box in a moment. I spent a few minutes just breathing, calming down my hammering heart in my chest first of course. The thought of failing was nauseating, and this moment of relief was just an elation that made me felt so relieved. I hope that whatever the treasure was, it would all be worth it.
After all, a metal chest was way more promising than any wooden ones, from what people said. With a reverent look, I slowly lifted the lid up. It was a little heavier than I thought it would be, but not as much as it should be, when it was made completely out of metal.
I inhaled sharply the moment I saw what was inside, my eyes wide. A beautiful leather armor laid inside, complete with a few accessories. Whorl-like pattern formed all over the surface of it, forming patterns that ended up pulling my attention with it. I had to shake my head a little bit to shake my focus, my eyes focusing on with the rings and bracelets, all studded with jewels. I would have to appraise them first before deciding on anything, but these were all very wonderful upgrades and a windfall for me.
So much so that I ended up deciding to change out of my current armor, the longer I looked at it. The way the whorls keep pulling my eyes, the gleam of the leather telling me of its quality--I wanted to wear it. My current armor was serviceable, but I had since grown from back then. Despite the fact it was a gift from my family before I came to the city, this new armor was definitely an upgrade.
I lifted it up with a grin, a little surprised at how light it was. Did I somehow manage to win a jackpot? A blessed armor... Everyone wanted one of those! No one really knew how to bless equipments, except for a few of the best of the best blacksmiths and tailors and what-have-you. Even then, sometimes I wondered if they really blessed it, or it was just rumors twisting themselves out of shape. Still though, any sort of blessing, no matter how weak, was always seen with envious looks.
The patterns all over the armor were definitely pretty enough to be signs of it being blessed though. I had only ever seen one of these kinds of armors once, from afar. When Rafal, the hero of the Eastern Front, had gotten a huge welcoming party by the King. He was wearing it while moving through the parade, riding on top of his horse. His was even more elaborate, with patterns that reminded me of scales. Meanwhile, this one... the whorls were beautiful, and eye-catching, but not in the same way.
Taking off my old armor, I donned the new one on. It was easy, merely needing me to tie the few straps properly across my body. The armor suddenly came to life, tightening itself against my body, seemingly contouring itself against it. My eyes widened at how comfortable it felt against my body, not even giving me a feeling it would chafe against my skin. No, I would say it felt soft more than anything else. If I wished for more, it would be to hope this would be able to do self-repairs. A blessing, but I wouldn't hold my breath in hoping for that.
Nonetheless, even an armor that would follow my body shape was great already. I felt safer, knowing it wouldn't get too tight or too loose no matter what happened. For the rest of the accessories in the chest... I just grabbed and shoved them into my backpack, taking care to cover them with oilcloth.
With those done, it was time to get back to the city. I didn't want to try going deeper with these treasures in my bag and potentially losing them. I didn't know what these accessories did, but I would sell them to the better stores... and I would keep the armor. For my own future. A smile spread on my face as I felt warmth in my chest, at this sudden turn of luck. Money wouldn't be as tight anymore, and that was enough.
But when I left the room, I realized that... I had no idea where I had to go to get back to the entrance. I bit my bottom lip, wishing I had one of those go-home-feather. One of the most handy items to bring to a dungeon-delving, that feather would lead anyone out of there, and even back to the closest settlement. Another thing I ended up not buying because I had to choose between repairing my armor, or ensuring my escape. I regretted the choice now, but I knew there was no choice back then, not unless I could have seen the future.
Deciding to be careful, I took out a chalk and left some marks on the dungeon walls. They would eventually be wiped away, but for my current purpose, it would be enough. I didn't want to find out I was, in fact, looping around until I had walked for too long, which would be a waste of energy and stamina.
Every time I found an intersection, I gave it a mark. Just to give notes where I came from, and where I went. So far, I haven't seen anything though... But I didn't think I was walking closer to the entrance, even though I didn't see any other monsters. They tended to be rarer and rarer the closer you were to the entrance, and this was making me more scared. My hand groped my pants a little bit, gripping my dagger's handle. I would be ready if there was any sudden ambush. Hopefully.
Luckily, nothing really happened as I walked through a few more intersections. None, except for how the dungeons had slowly turned more linear, and the corridors becoming wider as well. Still not going towards the entrance, as I saw the other sign, no other humans around. I should still be on the third floor, a little further than I should be, as a beginner. But not as deep as where some of those crazy strong adventurers went. I remember hearing the 'Wolf Fangs' proclaiming how they had defeated the floor master a few floors below me, perhaps the eighth floor.
