The Treasure Hunt Begins!

Leo stared into the depths of the cave, gripping his bow tightly. The air grew colder, and the further he looked, the darker it became.

Ancient Slime Core…

He checked the quest log again.

> [Objective: Obtain Ancient Slime Core]

[Hint: Only found in the deeper cave regions]

Leo scratched his head. "Damn it. Looks like I won't find it here."

The Ancient Slime only appeared in the deepest parts of the cave, a zone meant for higher-level players.

And he was only Level 9.

Leo sighed, crossing his arms. "If I go deeper, I'll just get wrecked by stronger monsters."

Ralf hovered beside him, flashing an emote.

[Ralf: (・ε・) Weaklings don't belong in deep dungeons.]

Leo groaned. "Yeah, yeah, rub it in."

Right now, he wasn't strong enough. He needed to level up first.

But there was another problem.

Leo leaned against the cave wall, checking the time.

In real life, his girlfriend's birthday was coming up.

"Oh, right… I need money."

Yes, he had a girlfriend. You got a problem with that?

Ralf popped up another emote.

[Ralf: (⊙_⊙) You? A girlfriend?!](A little jealous)

Leo frowned. "Shut up, Ralf."

He had to buy her something nice, which meant he needed cash.

And the fastest way to make money in the game?

Auctioning rare beta items.

---

A Plan to Make Money

Leo opened his inventory, scrolling through his loot.

> Fire Crystals? – Not valuable enough.

Iron Ore? – Too common.

Rusty Dagger? – Still needs to be repaired.

He had nothing worth selling.

"…Damn. What now?"

Then, his eyes landed on a peculiar item in his inventory.

A Compass.

> [Mysterious Compass]

[Effect: Detects the location of hidden Ssles Towns.]

Leo blinked. Oh. Ohhhh.

He remembered—he bought this from Eve's shop!

And Ssles Towns were special pop-up areas in the game that sold hidden treasures!

Leo grinned. "Jackpot."

If he could find one, he could buy an ultra-rare beta treasure and flip it for a fortune.

He quickly exited the cave, stepping into the open air. The sun was setting, painting the sky orange.

Pulling out the compass, he gripped it tightly.

"Alright, let's go find some treasure."