He could hear the heavy thud of giant feet stomping around the room above, then the sound of something massive clawing and tearing at the very floor, searching for them.
Neraxis 's heart hammered against his ribs. He pressed his back against the cold wall of the narrow passage, his breath was ragged. Lilian crouched silently behind him, but he could feel her getting anxious.
Slowly, his eyes began to adjust. Faint silvery-blue light glowed from patches of moss growing on the walls, they were in a small cavern beneath his territory.
The monstrous sounds from above began to fade as the beast either gave up or moved on and the cavern became totally silent, only the sound of his breathing and water dripping from somewhere were heard.
"My Lord, are you alright?" Lilian asked softly
"I'm fine," Neraxis whispered back, though his body was trembling with leftover adrenaline. "We're safe, for now."
He slowly scanned his surrounding. The cave was small, no bigger than the room above it. The stone steps they had descended were steep carved. He felt disappointed. He had hoped for a hidden escape tunnel
But then he saw it.
In the far corner of the cavern , partially hidden behind a pillar of rock, was a source of light. It was not the pale, ghostly glow of the moss. This was a bright, clean, and powerful light, pulsing softly with a steady, rhythmic beat, like a sleeping heart. It cast sharp, clear shadows across the cave floor.
Driven by a powerful curiosity that overrode his fear, Neraxis cautiously made his way toward the light. Lilian followed a step behind him, her hand glowing faintly with a sphere of dark energy, ready for a fight. As he rounded the rock pillar, Neraxis stopped dead in his tracks, his breath catching in his throat.
There, sitting on a natural stone pedestal as if it had been placed there by the gods themselves, was a treasure chest.
But this was no plain wooden box bound with bronze. This chest was a work of art, a thing of impossible beauty. It was crafted from a material that looked like solidified starlight, a crystalline substance that captured and refracted the light from within. Intricate, flowing patterns of what looked like pure, polished silver swirled across its surface. And at its center, on the lid, was a single, flawless, exquisitely cut diamond the size of his fist. The diamond was the source of the light, pulsing with an inner fire that sent waves of palpable power washing through the cavern.
Neraxis who had played lots of games knew exactly what he was looking at. It was the legendary treasure chest.
[You have discovered a Diamond Treasure Chest!]
The blue text from the System confirmed it, Neraxis was incredibly excited. All the fear he felt the last few minutes had all disappeared. The possibility of finding a treasure chest of this grade is zero to non especially this early in a game. Then,
"BOOM"
A deep sound echoed through the world. It wasn't heard with the ears, but felt in the soul, a great cosmic bell tolling, was heard by every Lord in the Immortal World at the exact same moment.
Following the sound, a new announcement seared itself into his vision. It wasn't the normal blue text of the system. This was a royal, majestic purple, the letters themselves seemingly on fire, burning with an imperial light. It was a World Announcement.
[WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT]
[Let the chimes of fate ring! A miracle has been unearthed from the deep places of the world!]
[The first Diamond Treasure Chest of the Age has been discovered by Lord 'Neraxis ' in the Northern Whisperwood Region!]
[Praise be to his fortune! Let his name be known! For with great reward comes great envy. The hunt is on!]
Neraxis stared at the burning purple words, and the joyous laughter died in his throat. His blood ran cold.
"No," he whispered, his voice trembling. "No, no, no."
The System had not just given him the ultimate prize, it made him a huge target and to make things worse they announced his general location to every single ruthless Lord in the entire world.
His vision was suddenly filled with notifications as the World Chat, which he hadn't even had open, exploded with rush of activities unlike anything he had ever seen.
[Gaius_Magnus]: A Diamond Chest?! In the Northern Whisperwood? That's my region! Men, find me this 'Neraxis '! I will have that chest
[Willow]: Oh my. Neraxis , the one who fought the Shriekers… I hope he's careful. This is terrible news for him.
[DragonSlayerXXX]: A HUNT! I love a good hunt! Anyone in the Northern Whisperwood want to form a party? We split the loot 50/50 after we kill him!
[Princess_Peony]: Someone found a Diamond chest? That's so wonderful! I hope they share…
[ShadowStalker]: Target identified: Lord 'Neraxis '. Location: Northern Whisperwood. Reward for his head or the chest's contents has been posted on the DarkNet board. All assets in the region, converge. Observe. Wait for the barrier to fall.
Neraxis's hands began to shake violently. ShadowStalker, Gaius Magnus. These were names he recognized from the leaderboards, powerful Lords with high-rank units and established guilds. His seven-day protection period no longer felt like a shield. The moment that barrier fell, he wouldn't be fighting off stray monsters. He would be fighting off organized armies and ruthless assassins, all of them coming for him.