Dragged Into Another World Because of My Otaku Friend-Chapter 79: Loot’s Time

Bob’s face flushed red with embarrassment, and he quickly turned away, pretending to be interested in something else.

I chose to ignore him and stepped forward, bowing my head slightly toward Alice.

"Thank you, Alice, for helping us."

Alice smiled, her expression softening.

"Now this is a polite gentleman. You’re welcome, my dear," she said, winking her left eye at me.

My face turned bright red. She’s too beautiful when she does that...

Beltimore cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses.

"It seems both of you managed to complete the trial, even if things got a little messy toward the end," he said. "But I’ll admit, you both pulled off something extraordinary. We honestly didn’t expect you to take down all those beasts."

"Good job recognizing their weakness. And Alan..."he looked directly at me and paused, his voice more sincere now, "I want to apologize for underestimating you. You’ve proven yourself to be a force to be reckoned with. Like they say, ranking isn’t the true measure of strength."

Hearing that made something swell in my chest. I could not help but feel just a little proud.

I could not even remember the last time I was praised. Even back at the office, my boss only ever complimented me when he was about to dump more work on my desk. So I developed a bit of trauma whenever someone praised me. But coming from Beltimore... it felt different.

It felt genuine.

"Let’s get out of this place," Beltimore said, turning to lead the way.

"Wait a minute," Bob interrupted, his eyes fixed on the area where the beasts had fallen.

As the lingering smoke finally cleared, we saw them, glimmering cards, floating in the air, slowly spinning like trophies waiting to be claimed.

Bob turned to me, a wide grin spreading across his face. I mirrored it with one of my own.

Our loots.

We rushed forward to collect the glowing rewards, the fruits of our chaotic battle.

"Mina-chan, grab that one too!" Bob called out, pointing to a particularly shiny card near a collapsed boulder.

Mina zipped over with a sparkle, now proudly serving a double role, healer and loot collector.

Beltimore and Alice gave us the strangest looks as they watched us jump, crouch, and scramble around the battlefield, reaching for things only we could see. I could confirm it now, other people beside us could not see the cards. From their perspective, we probably looked like two idiots doing a celebratory dance over the carcasses of the beasts.

But the loot... was worth it.

There were not many cards, but the quality were more than made up for the quantity.

Total Loot:

8 × Common Cards

5 × Uncommon Cards

3 × Rare Cards

The highlights were:

---

1. [Cave Beast]

Rarity: Rare

Type: Summon (Single Use)

Effect: Summons a boulder creature with high defense.

2. [Coldshire Pickaxe]

Rarity: Rare

Type: Equipment

Effect: Increases chance of yielding rare ores during mining.

3. [Resonator Stone]

Rarity: Rare

Type: Item

Effect: Stores recorded messages.

---

Without hesitation, Bob tossed me the [Cave Beast] card after picking it up. Makes sense because he only focuses on ATK and DEF. Even summoning a goblin would probably make his MP negative.

As for the [Coldshire Pickaxe], I could not shake the uneasy feeling it gave me. It felt like a subtle warning... like foreshadowing a future mining quest. I already felt tired just thinking about it.

The [Resonator Stone] was basically the fantasy-world equivalent of a voice recorder from Earth. Not exactly exciting, but it would come in handy someday.

And finally, we received a new title,

"Defense Shatterer", when equipped, it increases the chance of piercing enemy defenses.

Pretty useful especially against tanky monsters like the cave beasts we just faced.

Overall, I give today’s loot a solid B.

Every day, our card collection keeps growing, whether from battle drops or card packs. Sure, half of them are still a mystery in terms of when or how we’ll use them, but just having options gives us an edge. We believe that someday, some of these cards will become lifesavers.

After collecting all the loot, we made our way toward the cave’s exit. But as we reached one of the paths near the entrance...

Beltimore’s expression changed.

He stepped forward, eyes narrowed at the wall ahead. "Our entrance... it’s blocked."

"What?!" Bob rushed over to the stone wall that used to be our way out. He placed both hands on it, as if trying to will it back into a doorway. "How are we supposed to get back?! Are we going to be trapped here forever?! Noooo! I have a date tomorrow!"

He clutched his head dramatically.

"Please shut up, Bob!" I hissed. "Do you want to attract every cave monsters in this place?"

He froze, gulped, and nodded slowly.

Bob always panicked when trapped, like that time we got stuck in the elevator on the way to the mall. He was the only one screaming inside, along with a baby in a stroller. Honestly, the baby handled it better.

Alice stared at the wall, hand resting thoughtfully under her chin.

"Quite a big one. Must’ve collapsed from the explosions earlier," she said.

"You think you can destroy it with your lance?" Beltimore asked, glancing her way.

She shook her head. "Nope. My lance only works against living targets. Against lifeless rock like this... I’m afraid it’s useless." She shrugged casually.

Bob turned to me, hopeful. "What about you, Alan? You’ve got that lifting ability. Maybe you can move this thing?"

"Ermm... I’m not sure if it’ll work, but I’ll give it a shot."

I stepped up to the massive stone, took a deep breath, and gripped it with both hands.

"Are you sure you can lift it? That rock is huge," Alice asked.

"Don’t worry. This guy can lift heavy stuff like it’s paper," Bob said confidently.

"Is that so? That explains how he was able to swing that massive club earlier. But why not just use your bomb here?" she pressed further.

"No. If we use that again, this cave might collapse. Please refrain from using it any further inside," Beltimore warned.

I knew he said that while looking directly at us. I just nodded without making eye contact, then walked toward the rock.

First, I tried to lift it.

Nothing.

Then I pushed it with all my strength.

Still nothing.

Finally, I yanked it backward with a frustrated grunt.

Nope.

"Huff... huff... it’s not budging," I said, panting and waving at Bob in defeat.

"It seems we need to find another path," Beltimore said.

Bob and I let out matching groans and lazily followed behind him and Alice, our steps echoing through the dim cave.

---

Elsewhere in the cavern...

"What was that explosion just now?" a woman in a dark robe asked, her voice laced with tension.

"Maybe miners nearby? I don’t know," murmured another robed figure.

"Miners? This place has been abandoned for years. That’s exactly why we chose this cave." Another man spoke up, his tone uneasy.

"Shhh. Focus on your task," a harsh voice snapped, cutting through the whispers.

In a shadowy chamber lit only by two flickering flames, a circle of robed figures stood in eerie silence. At the center of their formation was a strange structure, its surface jagged and crystalline, pulsing faintly as if alive. The light from flame was reflected on its uneven surface.

Kaoslith.

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