100% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full? - Chapter 266

Chapter 266: Chapter 266 – Treasures
Silence did not come all at once.

It arrived in fragments. In the lowering of weapons, in the ragged breaths finally released, in the way no one dared move too quickly as if the world itself might snap again.

The portal remained.

It looks like a vast, torn wound in space. Its edges shimmered with light. Beyond it lay darkness… and the path outside.

And somewhere beyond that—

The Red Dragon and the Dark Shade.

Alive.

That knowledge settled over the chamber like ash.

Some stared at the portal with hollow eyes.

Others clenched their fists in silence.

A Lunareth maiden exhaled slowly.

“…They escaped.”

A Starforge engineer laughed once.

“Escaped? No. They retreated.”

“That’s worse,” someone replied quietly.

No one argued.

They all understood what had almost happened.

And what would happen… eventually.

Everyone wore a strange face.

The black-robed leader stood apart from the others, his back half-turned to the battlefield.

Lucien noticed him immediately.

His shoulders were tense.

Frustration.

Lucien approached without hostility.

“You’re disappointed,” Lucien said quietly.

The man didn’t deny it.

“We contained it,” the leader replied. “We should have ended it.”

Lucien followed his gaze to the portal.

He understands his frustration.

The man studied him for a moment longer.

Then he sighed.

It was the first time Lucien sensed something unmistakable from him.

Conviction.

The black-robed faction wasn’t evil.

They were ruthless but principled.

That distinction mattered.

…

Voices rose again as attention returned to the rift.

“It’s stable,” Arctyx from the Obsidian Collegium said, scanning the distortion. “Not permanent… but it’ll last hours.”

“Hours?” someone echoed.

“Yes,” he confirmed. “Long enough.”

Those versed in space-law exchanged grim looks.

“This isn’t just an exit,” a Starforge Cartel representative muttered. “It’s a declaration.”

The portal stayed.

The world would notice.

And when the Red Dragon and Dark Shade emerged again—

It wouldn’t forget who stood against it.

Those that were part of a sect were calm.

They had Eternals. Backers. Protection.

But the independents—

They were not so steady.

Lucien saw it in their posture. In the way hands hovered near weapons even now.

“They’ll come after us first,” someone whispered. “There’s no banner behind us. No protection.”

Fear spread.

And then—

The senior sister from the Scarlet Sect stepped forward.

“Anyone who fought here,” she said firmly, “is welcome under our protection.”

The Dawnblade Order followed without hesitation.

“So are you,” the Radiant Acolyte added. “No questions.”

The Lunareth Sect nodded.

The Starforge Cartel offered contracts.

Even the Obsidian Collegium opened recruitment writs.

These were not charity.

But alliance.

Trust forged under fire.

For the first time since the chamber fell silent—

Relief appeared.

…

The Celestial Race proxies finally descended.

Their wings folded as they stood among the groups.

“You acted against a threat,” one of them said. His voice carried authority, not threat. “That act has been recorded.”

A murmur spread.

“We will report everything,” the second proxy continued. “Those who fought here will be protected.”

A pause.

“And if the Red Dragon oversteps again…”

Their eyes hardened.

“The Celestial Eternals will answer.”

That single sentence did what no spell could.

It steadied the room.

…

Lucien returned to Verdant Veil.

Marie’s mobile suit descended beside him. The cockpit hissed open.

She stretched and grinned tiredly.

“That was terrifying.”

Conversation sparked around them.

It was then Lucien realized something odd.

“Not everyone came this way,” someone said.

The Obsidian Collegium scholars came to meet them.

They nodded at the group.

“We were actually headed left at the crossroads. We heard the roar and came to investigate.” Arctyx said.

“Left?” Marie echoed.

Cyranor smiled thinly.

“If we are right, then that place must be a treasury.”

Silence followed… and understanding spread.

Those who were absent had made their choice.

They chased treasures instead of standing here.

Marie’s gaze drifted toward a figure standing quietly at the edge of the group.

“Wow,” she said, tilting her head. “Didn’t expect the bald guy to value people over loot. Guess you’re not as bad as I thought.”

Every eye turned.

Vorren… the man once branded the shaved-head traitor… stiffened.

“…Ahem,” he muttered, clearing his throat.

The tension eased.

Some smiles appeared. Others simply nodded.

Vorren looked away, ears faintly red, pretending sudden interest in a cracked pillar.

What none of them knew—

Was that Vorren had felt it clearly.

The real opportunity here had never been the treasure.

It was the alliances forged in blood and resolve. The names that would remember him when the world turned cruel.

Connections like these were worth more than artifacts.

And one day—

They would save his life.

But Vorren said nothing.

He merely coughed again as if brushing dust from his throat, and let the moment pass.

•••

They did not linger.

The rift to the outside still hung in the air. Those versed in space-law gave the estimate quickly.

“Two… maybe three hours,” Arctyx said. “No more.”

That was enough.

And not nearly enough.

“Then we move,” Lucien said.

No debate followed.

They doubled back.

Every faction retraced their steps toward the crossroads. Their boots crunched against fractured stone and lingering crystal dust from earlier battles.

The atmosphere was different now. It was lighter but edged with urgency.

When they reached the fork, the truth became unmistakable.

The left path—

A treasury.

They moved forward

What awaited them silenced every voice.

Even Lucien stopped.

The corridor widened… and widened… until it opened into a vast chamber that dwarfed everything they had seen so far.

And inside it—

Spirit Crystals.

Not chests. Not veins. Not deposits.

The entire chamber was made of them.

Mountains of spirit crystals rose like frozen waves. Walls glittered with condensed essence. The air itself hummed, saturated with raw energy so dense it made skin prickle.

Millions of them.

No… More.

Billions of Spirit Crystals.

For a heartbeat, no one moved.

Then Lucien whispered,

“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”

They were not alone.

That was the second shock.

The chamber was already crowded.

Hundreds of practitioners were scattered across the crystal field.

But instead of joy—

There was frustration. Also despair.

Lucien noticed it immediately.

He soon find out the reason why.

Their storage rings were glowing.

Every single one was full.

Some people were desperately swapping rings, stuffing crystals into secondary containers.

Others were simply sitting on crystal mounds, staring blankly.

“Why… why isn’t it going down…?” someone muttered.

Because even after all this—

The mountains had barely changed.

The newly arrived groups didn’t rush blindly.

They moved together.

Verdant Veil spread out first, securing positions. The others followed suit, naturally forming loose zones without conflict.

Marie didn’t hesitate.

She leapt straight onto a nearby crystal ridge.

“Mine,” she declared cheerfully.

Her ring flared.

The crystal mountain collapsed inward, drawn into her storage like a tide reversing.

In seconds, her ring overflowed.

She laughed.

“Oh this is beautiful.”

Lucien stood still.

Then—

He smiled.

Slowly.

For the first time since entering the ruins, Lucien felt something dangerously close to pure joy.

“This place,” he murmured, stepping forward, “was made for me.”

He didn’t run.

He walked.

And as he did—

Crystals vanished.

They were auto-collected, flowing seamlessly into his inventory.

Step by step.

Pile by pile.

His asset counter climbed so fast it blurred.

Thousands.

Millions.

Tens of millions.

Lucien grinned like a man who had just discovered the world’s greatest loophole.

Around him, storage rings continued to reach their limits.

Frustration spread.

“How is it still this much?!”

“I brought six rings!”

“I brought ten!”

And yet—

The floor was changing.

Slowly at first.

Then faster.

Crystal mountains shrank.

Ridges lowered.

The ground beneath began to show.

Someone noticed.

“…Wait.”

Another voice followed.

“It’s… disappearing.”

No one could tell how.

No spell was cast. No formation was activated.

The crystals were simply being removed.

Marie glanced toward Lucien.

She remembered. Unlimited storage, he had said once.

Her grin widened but she said nothing.

Lucien, meanwhile, was having the best day of his life.

He walked.

Auto-collect did the rest.

He didn’t even bother hiding it anymore.

By the time the chamber noticeably cleared—

He had already taken more than most kingdoms would see in a lifetime.

And still—

There was more.

Eventually, the impossible happened.

The last crystal mound vanished.

The hum in the air softened.

The chamber exhaled.

What remained—

Was the real treasure.

The floor was revealed.

And every single person present felt their heartbeat stop.

Because beneath the sea of spirit crystals…

Was something far rarer.

Far more dangerous.

And far more valuable.

The true heart of the treasury had finally been uncovered.

And whatever it was—

It had been hidden beneath billions of spirit crystals for a reason.

The room fell silent.

And Lucien’s smile slowly faded.

“…Oh,” he said softly.

“This is going to be interesting.”