magic egg
Chapter Fourteen: The Egg and the Sword
The cave walls were covered in dust, and pebbles filled the winding floor of the cave.
A strong shiver ran through my body.
Damn, I didn't realize it would be this terrifying.
Everything inside was silent. As if the cave itself was watching.
No matter how much I moved, I felt something observing us, but no matter how much I looked, I couldn't find anything.
"Are you okay?"
Mary asked if I was okay, but I replied that I was fine. I didn't want to waste this precious opportunity.
"Let's keep walking."
I moved forward quickly, not caring if there was anyone inside the cave.
I would get it no matter what.
Finally, I arrived.
The hidden piece—the treasure Liam obtained in the game.
At the end of the cave, a huge egg was placed, pale white in color.
And beside it, as if deliberately placed, was an exceptionally well-crafted sword. A dark red sword, pristine and elegant. Its black hilt was adorned with ancient engravings, and its sharp blade could cut through anything.
Mary suddenly stopped, gasping audibly.
"Impossible..." she whispered, then ran toward it. "This... this is a Rank C weapon! How was it placed here?!"
Even if it was the best academy, all the weapons they could give us were Rank F, and graduates only received Rank D weapons. But a Rank C weapon was so valuable it could be considered a treasure for a noble family of baron rank.
As for counts, they possessed Rank B weapons.
Dukes and archdukes owned secret weapons of Rank B, A, or even S.
And the royal family possessed weapons of Rank SS and Mass SS, with one weapon of Rank SSR belonging to the current empress.
She knelt beside it, her eyes greedily scanning its details, like a child who had found an expensive doll in the middle of an empty street.
Her eyes were filled with greed at that moment, but when she looked at me, her expression disappeared and turned to one of concern.
She didn't touch it.
She looked at me, waiting.
There was a clear rule:
If a rare item is found by more than one student at the same time, neither can claim it without agreement.
When she looked at me, I couldn't help but smile.
She looked very cute in that state.
I wasn't interested in the sword, but I was interested in her worried reaction.
"Give me the sword, and I'll give you anything you want."
When I heard her say that, I smiled inwardly.
I wouldn't get the piece I wanted, but I'd gain a favor from the villainess of the story.
"Alright, but you'll have to give me that egg and fulfill any favor I ask of you."
"Are you joking?" she asked slowly, some of the excitement fading from her voice. "You... want that egg?"
I nodded.
She looked at me with deep surprise, then at the sword, then back at me, as if trying to understand the logic behind my choice.
"You're insane," she said, her voice filled with disbelief, as if she had encountered some strange creature.
Maybe she thought I was an idiot.
There wasn't a single person in the world who would trade a Rank C weapon for a worthless egg.
She might have understood asking for a wish, but why the egg?
Everyone who had found one before left it where it was. Because, simply put, it never hatched.
Some stories said it took thousands of years.
But I was smiling inside.
Because I knew... this egg, specifically, would hatch in just two weeks.
I could even speed up the hatching process because of my experience as a former player of the game.
In the original version of the game, "Liam" and "Sylvia" would have found this cave days later, discovered the egg, and begun a side story that ended with Sylvia confessing her love for him after a long journey.
But now?
I was the one standing before it.
Mary, despite possessing a rare weapon, hesitated.
She wasn't regretful, exactly. But... perhaps she felt she had chosen the "better" thing, while I had chosen mere trash.
I looked at her and smiled faintly.
"The sword is yours. As for me... I want this."
She said skeptically, "Are you sure? It's just... an egg. Maybe it'll never hatch. I mean, you're giving up a weapon that could save your life right now—one you could even sell to live in luxury for the rest of your life—for a mysterious shell you can't eat or use."
I laughed a little.
"I know. But I like mysterious things."
"I think it'll be beautiful."
I had no choice but to lie.
"Thank you."
I heard her mutter something.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing..."
She stared at me with suspicious eyes, but behind them, there was a hint of admiration she couldn't hide.
"Well... insane, but noble," she said, then lifted the sword.
The blade glowed for a moment, as if approving of its new owner.
As for me, I bent down in front of the egg and touched it gently.
It was warm... pulsing.
"System," I called inwardly.
[Item identified: Egg of an Unknown Creature – Status: Inactive]
[Storage possible in Spatial Pocket – Maximum Capacity: 2 cubic meters]
"Nice."
I placed it inside the pocket. A soft light flashed, then it disappeared.
Just as I turned back to Mary, the cave shook.
A roar.
The stone wall trembled. Small rocks fell from the ceiling.
Mary froze, then slowly turned her head.
She looked at me, but this time, her face wasn't fearful... but excited.
"Looks like we have unwelcome visitors."
We quickly left the cave, both ready.
And the monster appeared.
A massive, crawling beast, its skin tinged with blackish-green, its head like a crocodile's but far uglier. Its small eyes oozed malice, and its irregular teeth jutted from its mouth as if growing haphazardly.
"System, I want you to display its stats."
[Request confirmed]
[{Salamander Sam}]
Rank: Evolved B
Strength: 42
Speed: 30
Intelligence: 10
Mana: 38
Favorite Food: Monster Eggs
It moved slowly, exhaling faint yellow smoke from its nostrils, each step leaving a mark on the ground.
"A Rank D monster," Mary whispered.
She looked at me, her smile returning.
I thought she was really good since she could determine the monster's rank without a system.
Even though I was a professional player, I never attacked without checking the stats first.
Because there were always anomalies in this world, like the sandworm I encountered on my way to the academy and this monster, which never appeared in the academy's test at all.
"Alright, Kim. Cover my back, and let me test out this beautiful weapon."
I stood beside her, raised my weapon, and said calmly:
"Got it."
She moved.
As if she had been waiting for this fight.
She leaped straight at the monster, the sword gleaming in her hand.
Her first strike left a gash on its neck.
But the monster didn't retreat. Instead, it opened its mouth and roared, shaking the nearby trees.
I fired a warning shot at its side to distract it. Mary didn't wait—she moved as if reading its thoughts.
Strike, dodge, jump, spin...
She danced around it, and I moved behind her, watching her back and firing when necessary.
But suddenly, the monster lashed out with its tail, hitting Mary and sending her flying several meters.
I screamed and ran toward her.
"Are you okay?"
"Damn, I think at least one rib is broken."
But she stood up and spat blood on the ground.
"I can keep fighting," she said, then looked at the monster and smiled a crazy smile.
"This just... made it more fun."
She charged back at it.
The fight was brutally intense. I watched her back as she struck. Every time danger approached her, I fired. And every time the monster focused on me, Mary sliced off another part of its body.
The battle lasted a full five minutes, feeling like an eternity.
Finally, the monster fell.
Its head was severed, and blood boiled from its fatal wound.
We were panting.
Sweat poured from our brows, and our clothes were torn and stained with blood.
But we were still standing.
"Are you okay?" I asked her, my heart pounding.
She looked at me, then laughed.
A short, exhausted laugh, but a genuine one.
"I'm the one who should be asking that... You were behind me the whole time. Thanks, Kim."
I nodded. "You're the one who saved me last time."
We sat beside the massive corpse of the monster, and silence returned.
No one spoke.
But I was thinking—why had this monster appeared here?
Was it possible someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes?
End of chapter
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I hope you enjoyed the chapter.(◠‿◕)
Honestly, I think no one reads the novel, and that's sad. Of course, you can at least leave a comment or a rating, and you can also drop an energy stone.😭