"Where's the exit?" the chubby young man whispered.
"I don't know... Maybe that guy over there knows," the blond-haired young man said, pointing toward Liam.
Noticing that many people were looking at him expectantly, Liam pointed toward the distant lake.
"I think this is the direct way out of this cave."
"Are you kidding me? That's just a lake," the chubby young man responded, a bit skeptical.
Liam wasn't too surprised. It seemed they had forgotten how they had been captured.
"This is an underwater cave... I think that's where the monster comes out."
Hearing that, everyone seemed a bit shocked. They gradually understood the situation and nodded, following Liam's directions.
"Hey... There's treasure over there..!" A skinny man, with a somewhat greedy look in his eyes, stared at the pile of treasure near the monster.
Hearing this, Liam frowned slightly and whispered, "Time is short. We should prioritize saving our lives."
James and the blond-haired young man nearby also nodded in agreement with Liam's point of view. However, their eyes still flickered with desire when they glanced at the treasure.
The chubby man, drooling slightly at the sight of the treasure, said, "It'll only take a little time." Then, he glanced at the monster and added, "Look, that monster is sleeping like the dead. If we grab that treasure, we'll be able to live safely for the rest of our lives in the areas protected by the great families."
Liam was a bit surprised to hear this for the first time. James, standing nearby, whispered into his ear:
"The areas controlled by the great families allow commoners like us to live there, as long as we pay a hefty annual tax."
Liam hesitated, weighing the rewards against the consequences. He glanced at James, as if seeking advice.
"I'll follow your lead..." James replied calmly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. After all, Liam had saved him, so no matter what Liam decided to do, James would follow.
Liam sighed. After a few moments, he finally gritted his teeth and made a decision.
"Fortune favors the bold..."
It seemed that gold was highly valuable in this world, and it would be a shame not to take it when it was right in front of them.
The skinny man and the chubby man were the happiest when they saw this. They spoke in unison, "So, what's the plan?"
Liam smiled at the two greedy men and said, "Each of us should try to take as much treasure as possible. If the monster wakes up, we'll all scatter and run as fast as we can." He added, "If anyone is unlucky enough to get chased by the monster, you can only blame your own fate."
The two greedy men gulped and asked, "This is the plan?"
Immediately, the blond-haired young man started moving slowly toward the pile of treasure.
"Whoever gets there last gets nothing."
***
"Damn it! If my space ring was a higher grade, I wouldn't have to put each item in one by one," the skinny man grumbled as he carefully placed each piece of treasure into his ring.
"Shut up! If you wake the monster, I'll kill you," the chubby, rugged man growled angrily.
"Hmph," the skinny man grumbled, but continued his task. He thought to himself, "If I make it out of here alive, the first person I rob will be you."
Liam, standing nearby, kept a close eye on his surroundings while quickly transferring the gold artifacts into his ring. One item in particular caught his attention: a skeleton, with a red leaf-shaped tattoo on the corner of the skull's forehead.
"Strange... Could he be from my clan?" Liam approached to inspect it more closely. The skeleton had clearly been dead for a long time, as it was decayed and worn. Around its neck was a necklace holding a strange medallion. It resembled a coin, with an intricately carved sun at its center. Additionally, there was a small glowing point in the middle, but it seemed as though it could fade out at any moment. Liam yanked it off the skeleton's neck and stared at it.
"It looks a lot like the emblem that Uncle from the Smith family gave me… but there are a few differences." He quickly placed it into his ring. "I'll study it later."
Time was running out, and he would have to leave his curiosity for after they escaped this place.
"BOOM... BOOM..." The sound of breaking rocks echoed as stones fell from the ceiling. At that moment, the sleeping monster opened its eyes, its pupils scanning the area. When it saw its prey stealing the treasure, it let out an enraged shriek.
"Gra...gra." The sound, resembling that of ancient reptiles, echoed throughout the cave, startling everyone.
"Damn it... Why is this happening?" the chubby, rugged man roared in frustration.
From afar, a voice called out.
"Sorry... It's all for survival," the young blonde man shouted, smirking. Then he immediately dived into the lake beside him.
Liam frowned, realizing he had been played. The treasure was too vast, and he couldn't keep track of everyone. That guy had been clever, taking advantage of the moment when everyone was focused on gathering treasure to slip closer to the exit, waking the monster to make his escape.
The giant tentacle sliced through the air, aiming at its prey with lightning speed.
"Everyone scatter and run!" Liam shouted before being thrown aside by the force of the monster's tentacle. He scrambled to his feet and motioned for James to follow him.
"If I find that blond guy... he's dead," the chubby man growled as he ran toward the lake, glancing regretfully at the shattered treasure. He glared at the weak-looking skinny man and shouted angrily, "Don't follow me!" before diving into the lake.
The skinny man, with an indifferent expression, immediately jumped into the lake not far away.
"BOOM... BOOM..." The cave shook as the monster slammed its massive arm down onto the stone floor after missing Liam.
"Damn it!... How did we get so unlucky? Why is it chasing us?" James shouted as he ran alongside Liam. Then he turned to Liam, his voice frantic, "There's a dead end ahead..."
Liam focused on a deep hole in the wall of the cave and quickly said, "Run into that hole."
James frowned slightly. The exit was clearly by the lake, but seeing Liam's confidence, he trusted that it was their way out.
The monster, now on land, moved a bit more slowly but didn't lose any of its ferocity. It swung its massive arm toward them, but they managed to evade it. Finally, they slipped into the hole at the far end of the wall. The monster refused to give up, furiously clawing at the stone. The stone crumbled easily under its sharp claws, like butter being sliced by a knife. But after a while, it gave up, realizing its prey had escaped. Enraged, it let out a deafening roar.
"Gru...Gru..."
The monster's scream reverberated throughout the cave, causing it to shake violently. It then turned toward the lake, continuing its hunt for the remaining prey.
***
Feeling the cold water, the blonde man hid behind a rock underwater. He cautiously stuck his head out, observing the surrounding area.
"There it is..." he muttered to himself before quickly ducking back down. His heart pounded as he saw the massive monster swimming downward. He prayed that it wouldn't notice him. After a few minutes of silence, he cautiously glanced around and saw no signs of the monster. Realizing this was his golden opportunity, he quickly slipped out from his hiding place and swam to the surface.
It turned out he hadn't swum away to escape the cave but had been hiding behind the nearby underwater rock.
Looking around and seeing no signs of life, he felt safe enough to climb ashore. A manic grin spread across his face as he saw the shattered pile of treasure in the distance, destroyed by the monster's earlier rampage.
"The treasure is mine!" he shouted gleefully and sprinted toward the hoard.
Feeling the hard gold in his hands made him tremble with excitement. After he had collected as much as he could, he said with slight regret:
"It's a shame the rest of the treasure is still in that monster's belly."