Record of a Thousand Lives

Chapter 32

They ran into people a few times, but most of them?were so focused?on their own excavations that they did not even notice the?pair?passing by.

Once they had reached a certain level below ground,?Kang Yoon-Soo said,?“Let’s do it here.”

“Do what?” Shaneth asked.

Kang Yoon-Soo?passed her a shovel and said, “Dig.”

“…”

“Dig this spot,” Kang Yoon-Soo reiterated.

“…”

Shaneth was covered in sweat as she?dug,?while?Kang Yoon-Soo?excavated?the walls of the cave with a pickaxe. Multiple old and rusted artifacts started to appear one by one as they dug.

[Old Bone]

Value: 3

The bone of an ancient creature. Its age makes it difficult to tell what?creature it?comes from.

[Rusty Sword]

Value: 14

It is a sword that was used a long time ago. The edges?have?dulled, so restoring it will be difficult.

[Belt of a Noble Child]

Value: 42

A belt that looks to have been worn by a noble child. It is well preserved.

Most of the artifacts could not be used if?they were?not preserved properly,?but the higher their value rating was,?the more contribution?points?one could?receive. There were some excavators?who had come across highly valuable artifacts and become rich overnight, but those were extremely rare cases.

Kang Yoon-Soo stuffed the artifacts that were?in good?condition?into his bag.

As?Shaneth was diligently shoveling?dirt,?she felt something at the tip of the shovel. As she dug further, she found?something that looked like an amulet.

[Moonlight Amulet]

Value: 177

An amulet that has?not lost its luster through the ages. It is an artifact?that holds?value both historically and artistically.

“Look! Look at this!”?Shaneth shouted in surprise, but she froze on the spot when?Kang Yoon-Soo?turned around. He was in the process of pulling out a large artifact from the wall.

[Golden Horn Goblet]

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Value: 557

A goblet that was used by a Viking leader in the past. It is?so?well preserved that it could be used right now. It holds tremendous archeological value.

Kang Yoon-Soo tied the goblet to his waist while Shaneth was looking at him with a stupefied?expression. The backpack?had been?filled to the brim, and there was?no more?space for more artifacts.

The?pair?left the excavation site and went to the main tent?that served as?the headquarters of the Red Rock Excavators. The gazes of those?in the area?were?fixed on the?two who had brought back?a backpack full of artifacts.

“What the? The two of them dug all that up?”

“The artifacts look quite valuable too.”

“It seems they excavated all night without resting.”

It was actually not easy to find anything?of?value?even if one stayed up digging all night, and all they usually got after working all night were?several?rusted spears or torn leather boots.?Excavating artifacts?was a very laborious and difficult job without the help of any?high-level?detection skills.

The people around the?pair?looked at them with?envy-filled gazes.

“We came to submit the artifacts we’ve excavated,” Kang Yoon-Soo told the attendant. He?passed on all of the artifacts they?had?excavated, including the Golden Horn Goblet and the Moonlight Amulet.

Ramax’s eyes were wide,?as if he could not believe what he?was seeing.?“Are you telling me you excavated all these artifacts in less than a day?” he asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied?dryly.

Ramax sat in disbelief,?but?then he took out a magnifying glass to inspect the artifacts.?“Hmm… These are quite well preserved… and?they hold?historical significance too. You could gain a handsome sum of contribution points with these.”

[You have submitted valuable artifacts to the Red Rock Excavators.]

[Your contribution points have increased by 1,328.]

[Current Contribution Points: 1,328]

“You can exchange your contribution points?for?items or money over there,” Ramax explained. The way he looked at Kang Yoon-Soo and Shaneth?had?changed. He looked at the two with?a gentle gaze, and his?tone?was?soft-spoken.

He gazed at the two before he suddenly proposed something.?“Are you two by any chance interested in becoming official members of?the?Red Rock Excavators? I think it would be a waste to leave you two?as temporary members. If you become official members of our association, we’ll reward you even more for the artifacts you bring.”

[Ramax of the Red Rock Excavators has made a proposal.]

[The contribution points you gain will increase if you become an official member. However, you will have to?remain?with the association at all times.]

[Do you want to advance to the class?of?Excavator?]

Once, in a?past life,?Kang Yoon-Soo had become an?Excavator. He had not just been?an ordinary?Excavator; rather,?he had established the largest excavator association?on?the continent and?led it?as its leader. However, he had no plans to become an?Excavator in his 1,000th life.

“I refuse,” he said.

“It’s?a nice offer, but I have no plans to be an excavator?either,” Shaneth said?politely.

Ramax looked a?little?disappointed and?replied, “Oh, that’s a shame… Let me know just in case you guys change your mind.”

A cabinet that seemed to be made out of steel came into view.?Kang Yoon-Soo pressed the middle button on the cabinet, and?a list of items that could be exchanged for contribution points suddenly popped up in front of him.

[Which item do you wish to exchange for?using?your contribution points?]

[Staff of Lightning: 100,000 CP]

[Magic-Amplifying?Bracelet: 50,000 CP]

[Expert’s Pickaxe: 45,000]

[Precise Appraisal Magnifying Glass: 40,000 CP]

It was a list of rare items that could not be purchased at a normal shop, especially the ‘Staff of Lightning’ that cost an astounding 100,000 contribution points.

‘The ‘Staff of Lightning’ is a very good item at the?moment,’?Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

A magic staff not only increased the magic power of the user, but also greatly increased the power of?any spells cast. It was actually very difficult to find decent magic equipment?on the continent, and that?was?why even?normal-rated?equipment related to magic fetched a hefty price.

However, 100,000 contribution points?was?a huge amount that would still not be enough even if?one?combined the contribution points of numerous excavators. There were numerous excavators?who?had?been digging for years, but no one had?managed to get the ‘Staff of Lightning’.

Kang Yoon-Soo scrolled down to the bottom of the list.

[Phoenix Feather Candle: 1,800 CP]

[Dimension Bag: 1,200 CP]

[Alloyed Shovel: 700 CP]

Kang Yoon-Soo used his contribution points to exchange for a ‘Dimension Bag’.?The backpack was too small to fit all of the artifacts,?but?the ‘Dimension Bag’ had almost an endless amount of space?and?could store a lot of items in it.

Kang Yoon-Soo stored the tools he had bought in the dimension bag and said, “Let’s go.”

“Okay,” Shaneth answered.

The?pair?went back to the excavation site and?diligently?started to excavate more artifacts. Their speed and efficiency?in?digging artifacts?was somewhat?slow compared to other people that had the Excavator class, because of the?class' unique?skill that allowed them to easily locate artifacts. However, they were still able to find valuable artifact after artifact with relative ease.

[Brooch of a Child Prodigy]

Value: 155

A brooch used by a prodigy from a noble family. There are traces of dried blood on it.

[Pearl Belt]

Value: 279

A belt adorned with large pearls. The pearls are?in excellent?condition, and you might be able to remove the pearls and sell them separately.

[Mysterious Pumpkin]

Value: 417

A multi-colored pumpkin. A mysterious creature is preserved in it. A skilled scholar would be able to identify the pumpkin and the creature inside.

[Exquisitely Adorned Sword]

Value: 247

A sword used by an ancient noble. It is used?as a ceremonial?sword, rather than for actual combat. A skilled blacksmith would be able to repair it.

Their results were?because they were digging only in places Kang Yoon-Soo?indicated.?Shaneth forgot about her fatigue and kept digging happily as the dimension bag started to fill up as well.

‘I want to dig more, but these are the only artifacts left in good condition. The rest would require repairs or repair magic to be of any value. I should stop being greedy,’?Kang Yoon-Soo thought to himself.

Just when they started walking toward the surface…

“Kirigryaaaaah…!”

A loud vibration reverberated from the lowest floor of the cave, and a deafening sound akin to a monster’s roar?filled the air.?At that moment, the situation felt ominous.

Shaneth looked back?upon hearing?the ominous sound, but she did not dare?to stop moving as she?followed behind Kang Yoon-Soo.

Ramax exclaimed once again as they submitted the artifacts they had excavated, “You did it again! Do you guys really have no plan to join our association? It’d be?a shame to lose such skilled people.”

They rejected Ramax’s offer this time as well, and the old man looked quite disappointed by their refusal.

[You have submitted valuable artifacts to the Red Rock Excavators.]

[Your contribution points have increased by 1,917.]

[Current Contribution Points: 2,045]

Kang Yoon-Soo purchased another dimension bag, and he gave?it?to Shaneth.

Right at?the moment they were about to head to the excavation site?again,?a loud scream?emerged?from the excavation site.?“Aaaahk!”

People were scrambling out?of?the entrance?to?the excavation site with pale, horror-stricken faces. There were some?who?were covered in blood, and some had grave injuries as they huffed and puffed on the way out?of the excavation site.

“What’s going on?!”

.

“What happened?!”

The people in the area started to gather one by one. It seemed something big?had?happened in the excavation site.

A disheveled and?haggard-looking?woman?who had been crying screamed at the top of her lungs, “Don’t come in here! No one should come?to this?excavation site from now on!”

The?onlookers?started to look at each other with?puzzled expressions. One man?in?the crowd asked,?“Why?”

The woman explained,?“A?boss monster appeared from the basement of the excavation site. It was a large flying monster, and it started attacking people left and right. That’s why the people at the bottom of the excavation site?who was?excavating for artifacts got trapped…?sniff!”

The people looked at each other with puzzled?expressions.

A boss monster? At the excavation site?

The?horror-stricken?faces of the survivors told the?others?that they did not seem to?have been lying,?and the?bloodstains?and severe injuries?they had sustained?gave credibility to the story. A few?people?started to shout out orders to the?others.

“Call the leader!”

“Is there anyone who has healing skills? There are injured people here!”

A man hurriedly approached the survivor?and asked, “What happened to?the people?who?were excavating inside? Are they all dead?”

“Nobody has died yet, but the boss is circling around the excavation site. No one should?enter; otherwise, they’ll undoubtedly die!”?the?survivor?cried out?fearfully.

The members of the association, including Ramax, ran out of their tents.?Ramax had a serious?expression?as he pondered the situation after hearing the woman’s story. Eventually, he decided,?“Cease all?operations?at the excavation site right now! The excavation site is?off limits?from?now on! All outsiders, including the temporary members, are requested to leave this place at once.”

Ramax then looked toward the members of the Red Rock Excavators and said, “We’ll now organize a search party. A boss monster is rampaging in the excavation site, but there are still survivors trapped inside. The fault of not properly investigating the excavation site lies heavily with us, and we won’t be able to receive any support from the city if any victims die at the site. We have to rescue the survivors at all?costs.”

Suddenly, a?member?awkwardly raised?an?opinion.??“But boss, as you said, we haven’t investigated that excavation site and we don’t know the interior that well. How do you propose?we find and rescue the people trapped inside??In the worst case scenario,?we might also?be trapped inside…”

“Hmmm…” Ramax?had encountered a?dilemma. It was a cold and heartless opinion, but it made perfect sense. Rushing into the excavation site while?a boss monster was rampaging in it could actually put more people in danger.

He?sighed as he said?regretfully,?“If only there were?someone who knew the interior of that excavation site well enough…”

“I know it,” someone suddenly said.