Primordial Villain With A Slave Harem

I can't hold it back any longer as despite my best efforts a manic cackle escapes my lips, echoing through the underground chamber and soon erupting into a full blown hysterical laughter.

What a legendary find- quite literally.

My greed has paid off in a magnificent manner.

A healthy dose of greed has never hurt anybody…

Now if the three of us manage to get out I would already consider this mission an astounding success.

Though, my guffawing soon dies down as I step closer to the [Veil of Aetherius] and when I finally get a better look at the artifact, my excitement falters for a moment.

This thing is massive.

It's easily as tall as me- two meters (6'6")- and nearly as wide. The artifact has a sleek, almost otherworldly design, with a surface that seems to ripple like liquid metal, shimmering in shades of deep blue and violet. Strange, ethereal runes are etched across its surface, pulsing with a faint, otherworldly light.

It's not just large, though; it's clearly heavy and unruly, the kind of object that doesn't just get carried out casually, at least not in the hands of a single person and through so many steps on the staircase leading to the outside world.

The damn thing looks like a monolith, standing ominously in the center of this hidden chamber.

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Its base is anchored into the ground by thick, reinforced adamantite plates- at least I assume it's adamantite because it looks to be made from similar material as the trapdoor- and the overall structure is bulky, with intricate machinery visible beneath the translucent surface humming with raw magical energy.

"Shit…" I mutter, running a hand through my hair. How the hell am I supposed to get this thing out of here?

I circle the artifact, trying to gauge its weight and consider my options. It's clear that this isn't something I can just sling over my shoulder and haul out, even with my 30 stat points in Strength. The thing looks like it weighs a ton at least, and is secured to the ground firmly.

I let my eyes scan its surface, hoping for another primordial miracle as I'm desperately searching for any clue on how to move it. As I reach the back, something catches my attention- a small, almost inconspicuous button embedded into the smooth surface. It's barely noticeable, blending in with the surrounding patterns of the artifact.

Now what's this? I whisper inwardly while narrowing my eyes as I crouch down to examine it from up close. Why would something so advanced and magical have such an archaic-looking mechanism? A simple button on a legendary magical artifact?

My instincts scream at me to be cautious. For all I know, pressing this button could trigger a trap, or worse, destroy the artifact, but I also know that I can't afford to waste any more time down here, and it's not like I have a better option at the moment.

Even if risky, I absolutely refuse to leave such an item behind due to some theoretical danger it may or may not pose.

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I take a deep breath and extend a finger towards the button. My hand hovers for a moment as I hesitate, weighing the risks, but then I press it down with a firm click.

For a split second nothing happens and I start to think that I've made a huge mistake. What if it closes the adamantite door on me, trapping me inside like a dumb little wannabe thief?

However, in the next moment the entire artifact begins to hum with energy with the runes on its surface glowing even brighter than before. My heart skips a beat as I brace myself for an explosion or some sort of magical backlash.

Instead, the artifact begins to shrink before my very eyes.

The massive, towering monolith contracts, its shimmering surface rippling like water as it condenses down to a fraction of its original size. In a matter of seconds, it's no bigger than the palm of my hand, a sleek, compact version of its former self. It even released its holds on the floor automatically.

"What the-" I blink in disbelief as I open my palm wide to welcome the artifact, which seems to wish to be placed in the hand that pressed the button. How luxurious, I don't even need to pick it up from the ground… I turn it over in my hand, marveling at how something so large and powerful has been reduced to this size.

Well, that's convenient… I chuckle with a grin, tucking the artifact safely into a pouch on my belt. I can hardly believe my luck.

No time to waste, though. With the artifact secure, I break into a sprint, dashing back towards the entrance of the hidden chamber.

Just as I step out into the outside world, I get a familiar notification.

[Thief lvl 5 → 22]

"W-w-w-what?!"

17 Levels??? Just what the fuck is the real value of this legendary item? I knew that such a rarity was beyond valuable, but to this degree…?

Warrior was my highest level class at 10, and I had to murder so many existences to get it to that level- existences that were sometimes even higher level than me.

Goddess save me.

Our criminal debut as Devil - Ghost - Blade trio will have us go from random no-names to being the straight up most wanted in the whole kingdom- if the information leaks that it was us who took the artifact that is. Thankfully we've been wearing our masks and robes throughout the entire ordeal, so our real identities should be safe from the kingdom even if someone does know that it was us.

If they begin sniffing around our criminal aliases, we just have to move to another duchy and don a new mask.

Be that as it may, it's time I return to the surface and decide whether I want to go down the cave to accomplish the reason for our presence here, or move back to Braedon with the mission having been failed successfully.