The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] Chapter 1260: Another Man’s Treasure

As someone who grew up well aware that being born a noble was both a great advantage and a heavy responsibility, Deputy Officer Curtis Karswell had always been urged to work hard and learn how to achieve things with his own hands, lest he grow complacent and eventually doom himself.

Given all the advantages he already enjoyed, including the simple knowledge that his basic necessities would always be taken care of, it would’ve been a real shame if he couldn’t make the most of his privilege.

With that mindset firmly instilled in him by his parents, Curtis had managed to crawl his way up until he was personally handpicked by the Marshal, recognized for his tenacity, grit, and reliance on what he could accomplish rather than what his family name represented.

Safe to say, he was used to contributing to a solution and being rewarded for his rightful participation.

So now, after being faced with one incomprehensible thing after another and somehow getting rewarded for simply existing in the same space as everyone else, Curtis really had no idea what he was supposed to do!

Just moments ago, they’d all had a rather cathartic moment after being told to make sure everyone got at least one hit in on any monster, just to be safe.

Curtis’s shock after watching their own Imperial Princess Nina manifest snow over a small portion of a monster, wearing such a determined expression while doing it, had almost made him slip in sheer surprise!

Because even the little one could do that already?!

But apparently, that was simply the norm around here, and maybe he was the only one having this much difficulty adjusting.

Eden certainly hadn’t needed to be told twice.

The Tech Specialist had practically unleashed all her frustration and general disposition toward life on the same unfortunate corrupted monster, hacking away at it with her tendril with a fierce vigor Curtis honestly hadn’t seen from his cherished recluse in a good while.

Still, as a Deputy Officer who was relatively good at following directives, he’d managed to do exactly as he was told.

And now, he was witnessing a scene that probably no one else in the entire Empire could even imagine—

Like him, someone who really hadn’t done much of anything worth being proud of that day, suddenly receiving what was apparently a High-Grade Spiritual Energy Crystal as large as his fist.

An honest-to-goodness

One that gave off such an immense concentration of spiritual energy that Curtis was fairly certain this scenario wouldn’t even be possible if he went and ransacked the Imperial Vault!

And yet, what exactly was doing holding one with his two undeserving hands?!

Much to his absolute horror and awe, just as Curtis turned around to ask what in the world he was even supposed to do with something that had his breath hitching, he realized that he wasn’t the only one casually holding what might as well have been a planet’s annual budget right in his palms.

They were apparently clutching one!

"..."

The little Queen Bee, who, much to Curtis and Eden’s suspension of insane disbelief, had somehow turned out to be Minister Kordell’s grandchild through the Chief of Staff and his surprising partner, Jax, was even holding a similarly sized crystal like it was some kind of toy!

Curtis stared.

He really, needed to take a seat.

Or maybe take a very long nap.

Especially when his eyes returned to the title he’d somehow acquired despite doing practically nothing:

[Title Acquired: Legendary Challenger]

[Awarded to those whose performance vastly exceeds the parameters of the assigned difficulty.]

[Effect: Additional rewards from subsequent first-time simulation clears.]

Crazy, really.

When Curtis had first seen those words earlier, before receiving the actual items behind them, he honestly hadn’t thought much of it.

But now that a crystal that could probably be said to be more expensive than his very soul had literally landed in his hand, he couldn’t believe there was even a possibility that he could receive rewards like this the next time around!

Heck, Curtis still couldn’t even get over the fact that there apparently going to be a next time!

But if the conversations happening all around him were to be taken at face value, then there would, in fact, be a follow-up to this.

"..."

Curtis slowly looked down at the absurdly valuable crystal still sitting innocently in his hands.

Just what exactly had he and Eden signed themselves up for?!

Weren’t they supposed to go and check on the pirates?

Then again, maybe screw the nap he was well aware wouldn’t happen anyway, because perhaps what Curtis really needed was a few fast-acting heart pills!

Especially when he nearly shrieked in surprise after suddenly feeling a heavy hand clap onto his shoulder.

"Lord Curtis—!"

"Ack!"

The startled soldier practically leaped out of his skin!

The giant crystal he’d been holding, cupped carefully and high in his palms like some kind of holy artifact, rattled dangerously in his hands, sending Curtis into a frantic, heart-stopping scramble to clutch the thing tightly against his chest before it could fall to the floor!

Luca, immediately realizing he’d just scared the daylights out of the man, offered him a sheepish, apologetic smile.

"I’m so sorry! I just realized I haven’t gotten the chance to explain anything to you and Lady Eden since you got here. I felt really bad about it!"

The young dungeon owner bowed his head slightly, genuinely feeling like he’d been terribly remiss.

No wonder Curtis and Eden looked so completely lost when everyone else was already casually following D-29’s loud instructions to redeem their respective rewards!

Finally managing to regain some of his composure, Curtis hurriedly extended his hands, attempting to offer the largest and only Spiritual Energy Crystal he’d ever seen in his entire life right over to Luca.

"Please, Young Lord Luca, take this—"

"Oh, no! That’s your own reward!" Luca immediately pushed Curtis’s hands back with a warm smile. "You should save it for something useful later on!"

At a complete loss for words, the Deputy Officer practically stumbled over his own tongue.

"B-but this is definitely too much! We haven’t even done anything to deserve something like this just yet!"

Luca paused, tilting his head in thought for a brief moment before his golden eyes softened with earnest logic.

"Then think of it as a tool to help you do your mission better. After all, if everyone is in great condition and has the right resources at their disposal, wouldn’t that be better for all of us in the long run?"

"..."

It was utterly impossible to argue with that kind of logic.

Especially when it was being delivered by a pair of wide, golden eyes looking almost pleadingly at him when, clearly, Curtis should’ve been the one doing all the begging around here!

Defeated, the older soldier eventually let out a long breath and nodded, mentally filing the fist-sized crystal away as some ridiculously extravagant work-issued subsidy.

Yes.

That sounded better.

It was for work!

Only, just when he was finally starting to feel somewhat better about holding something so outrageously precious, the Kyros heir suddenly leaned closer, his entire face practically beaming with excitement.

"Have you managed to figure out how to use the Random Crystal Core Voucher already?"

"...?"

Curtis’s mind went blank.

He’d honestly almost forgotten about that other prompt!

But with Luca’s eyes sparkling right at him and the Imperial Crown Prince standing stoically behind his wife, looking for all the world like some kind of bodyguard ensuring things went a certain way, how exactly was Curtis supposed to say no?!

Maybe he should’ve looked around the room first.

Maybe he should’ve paid more attention to the wild exclamations echoing from everyone else, just so he could understand what exactly he was about to walk into.

But flanked by those two imposing figures as they walked him toward a suspicious wall where they could apparently access something called the Trove, Curtis simply lacked the remaining mental stamina to resist.

So with one numb finger, the nearly floppy Deputy Officer blindly followed the prompt.

[REDEEM RANDOM CRYSTAL CORE VOUCHER?]

[YES] [NO]

He tapped [YES].

Curtis stared blankly at the floating display as the result materialized before him, his thoroughly exhausted mind taking one long, agonizing moment to actually register what he was seeing.

There were a lot of things displayed there, but out of all the letters he could make out, his eyes immediately honed in on one small line written in bold, glowing characters.

[S-RANK CRYSTAL CORE OBTAINED]

"..."

Curtis’s vision swam.

His knees buckled.

And without so much as another word, the Deputy Officer "quietly" passed out cold.