"We just want to borrow the passage behind you to reach the Overworld."
"Can't you make an exception?"
"Access denied."
Svarog rejected Evan's request without the slightest hesitation.
"Ah—so that means there's nothing left to negotiate?"
"Seele, take Clara and fall back."
Evan assumed a stance, speaking calmly to Seele behind him.
"What are you planning to do? That's Boss Svarog!"
"He's incredibly strong—I'm no match for him!"
Seele looked at Evan anxiously, her voice tense.
"Relax. Leave it to me."
...
A fierce battle began.
And just as quickly—
a fierce battle ended.
Robot Settlement.
Howling winds and snowstorms ravaged the land.
This was the closest point to the Overworld.
Permafrost that never melted had turned the entire region into frozen ground.
At the outer perimeter of the Robot Settlement, many scavengers had gathered.
They stood before the bridge, not daring to take a single step forward.
Because Seele, with Clara beside her, was guarding the entrance.
And under absolute power, these scavengers would only be a burden.
If they joined the fight, they wouldn't even last against Seele—
it would only add a few more meaningless deaths.
The Underworld didn't have many people left to begin with.
Losing more would be unacceptable.
So Seele held them back.
As for the central core of the Robot Settlement—
the battle there had already ended.
Svarog lay on the ground, his infrared eyes locked tightly onto the man before him.
Evan stood with one foot pinning Svarog to the ground.
In his hand, a Throne of the Moonlight hummed at full charge, its muzzle aimed directly at Svarog's head.
"Tsk."
"Not bad, Boss Svarog."
"You're definitely stronger than those Fragmentum mobs."
"The Herrscher of Reason authority is great in every way—"
"Just a shame my stamina's still lacking."
"So…"
"Can we have a proper conversation now?"
Svarog fell silent.
Not a single word.
This variable far exceeded his predictions.
If Svarog's strength represented the absolute peak of the Underworld—
then Evan stood far above that peak.
At first, Svarog had merely intended to test this anomaly.
But the moment twelve floating cannons—
the Thrones of the Moonlight—appeared around Evan,
Svarog realized he had gravely underestimated him.
Twelve cannons suppressed every possible action.
Evan, meanwhile, used reconstructed pulleys to evade Svarog's attacks—
then manifested an even larger mechanical construct to pin him down completely.
Svarog was given no chance to counterattack.
The red glow in his eyes flickered twice.
Before he could respond—
a hurried voice rang out.
"Please—don't hurt Mr. Svarog!"
The sudden cry caused both Evan and Svarog to pause.
They turned—
to see Clara breaking free from Seele's grasp and running toward them.
She rushed in front of Evan, arms spread wide, looking up at him with pleading eyes.
"Big brother!"
"Please don't hurt Mr. Svarog! He doesn't mean any harm!"
"…Hm?"
"Clara?"
Evan lifted his foot.
The Throne of the Moonlight vanished.
He stepped back, releasing Svarog entirely.
"For Clara's sake—let's call a temporary ceasefire."
Svarog slowly stood up.
His gaze swept across the devastated core.
Under precise, point-blank bombardment from the Thrones of the Moonlight,
the ground had been utterly torn apart.
Cleaning this up would take a long time.
After surveying the damage, Svarog placed a hand on Clara's head.
His gaze then settled on Evan.
"Unquantifiable variable."
"At this time…"
"I acknowledge you."
...
[Beep—beep—beep—!]
[Treasure chest detected nearby. Location marked.]
[Treasure chest detected nearby. Location marked.]
[Location: Robot Settlement]
[...]
The moment Svarog conceded, the system's notification rang out in Evan's ears.
The words he was about to speak died in his throat.
"…Wait."
"What's going on?"
"Why did it trigger twice?"
Evan's expression turned strange.
His gaze shifted—slowly—toward Clara and Svarog.
And then—
the Treasure Hunter's ability activated.
Right before his eyes—
two mist-shrouded treasure chests appeared.
One on Clara.
One on Svarog.
"…?!"
What the hell?!
Even Clara had a treasure chest?!
Then why didn't Seele have one?
Was the system looking down on an honest Underworld welder?!
It was obvious—
these were two silver-tier treasure chests, originating from Clara and Svarog.
This was Evan's first time ever encountering silver chests since becoming a treasure hunter.
Oh—right.
The wooden chest he'd previously obtained at Natasha's Clinic—
the medical supplies from it had already been delivered to the clinic through other means.
After all, the people of Boulder Town needed those far more than he did.
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/nani_kaito