n

n

n

"Holy crap...

" Said John as he stared at what laid in front of him

nA treasure room, it was a treasure room. A giant room with piles of gold lying around everywhere. Clean white walls and a floor, no lamps to be seen but the room was dimly lit up.

n

"Whoa... John, Look at all this gold!

" Said Serena as her eyes sparkled from staring at it

n

"How many sweets can we buy with all of this...?

" Ariel asked

nIn the middle of this sea of gold coins floated a large purple cubic stone. John felt a high amount of magic power being emitted from it but it was still less than the Soul gem, a lot less.

nIt's probably the dungeon's core. John thought to himself

nThe core seemed to be slowly but surely growing dimmer, seeing this, John decided to speak up

n

"The core is growing dimmer, we have to... hurry...

"

nHe gradually slowed down once he noticed that everyone had already gone exploring.

n

"Alright then.

" Said John as he tried to hide his pain

nSeeing as how everyone was already doing what they wanted, John decided to do the same.

nAs he walked to the piles of gold, he got to see first-hand what money could do to someone.

nThe easily annoyed Serena jumped straight into the pile of gold coins. But if he was being honest, he would have done the same.

nMeanwhile, Ariel was just staring at the amount in front of her without moving, John couldn't tell what she was thinking, but didn't really want to.

nAnd Lastly, Master Sylvia had laid down on the gold and was moving her arms and on the pile as if it were snow.

nBut since her expression was unchanging, she didn't look like she was having much fun.

n

"Hm... Since the dungeons going to collapse...

"

nAs John got closer to the gold, he noticed that there were gems and other valuables inside them.

n

"What... What is this...!?

" John suddenly exclaimed as he grabbed on to his arm

nBefore he grabbed it, that same arm was slowly moving towards the pile of gold coins. It wasn't some sort of spell, but rather, his desire. John was never the type of person to overthink or worry about money, he was a kid after all. But when being presented with such a huge amount of something the human mind associates with power and happiness, it begins to show one's true self.

nMoney... Is... Scary... He thought to himself as he let out a loud sigh

n

"Well then, dimensional ring, show us what you can do.

" John pointed the ring at the pile of gold in front of him

nAnd seconds after, it was all dragged inside into the ring. It happened rather quickly; the money was covered in a purple light before it disappeared. John could feel the weight of the ring increase so he knew that it was safely stored inside.

n

"I feel like this ring is one of the proudest things I've invested on.

" He muttered before doing the same in another area

nJohn went around the area, storing the piles of gold inside of his ring. The piles had other treasures, but he'd rather go through it in a safer area where he knows the dungeon won't collapse.

nAs he continued to do these things, he noticed that there was a door on the other end of the room. It seemed to lead to another room.

nAs he reached Ariel's area, he noticed that she had crouched down and was quietly muttering

n

"340... 345... 350... 355...

"

nShe's counting the gold...?

n

"H-Hey, Ariel, it's fine, there's no need to... Ariel...?

"

nAs John placed his hand over her shoulder, and saw her face, he noticed that she looked like her soul was seeping out of her.

n

"A-Ariel?

"

nSuddenly, she snapped back to reality before hastily looking around and asking

n

"Eh? Where am I? I had this weird dream where there was... gold everywhere...

"

nAs she continued to look around, she suddenly asked

n

"It wasn't a dream, was it?

"

nTo this, John simply shook his head as he said

n

"No, don't worry. You're not the only one, look at Serena.

" Said John as he pointed to their left

nSerena's body was submerged in the pile of gold and her head was the only thing poking out

n

"Serena...? Are you okay?

" Ariel asked with a worried expression once she noticed

nSerena who somehow managed to hear this, nodded and shook her head at the same time.

nNo seriously, does this girl have super hearing? Or is it some sort of spell?

n

"This... This is what money can do to a person...

" John muttered as he gradually began to lose faith in humanity

n

"Wha- Did you say something John?

"

n

"No, not at all. More importantly, give me a second, I still need to get this pile and then the other piles.

" Said John as he stretched out his hand clenched into a fist

nAnd just like that, it was covered in a purple light before it disappeared and was stored inside of the ring.

nAriel looked amazed by the ring, John didn't often use it for things such as these.

n

"Let's go Ariel, Time to collect the rest.

" Said John as he began heading towards Serena

nSeeing this Ariel nodded, took area where there had been a pile of gold before following behind.

nThere was still a few pieces of gold on the floor left behind, but they didn't have any time to waste.

nOnce John finally reached Serena, the three just stared at each other.

n

"So, how long are you going to stay in there for?

" John asked as he stared at Serena

nSerena moved her eyes away before saying

n

"I'm stuck.

"

nBut she didn't seem embarrassed or unhappy about it. She looked like someone who had spent years looking for their home, only to realise it was right in front of them.

nNot happy, nor sad, just neutral.

n

"Do you need help?

" Ariel asked

n

"No, there are still other piles, come back for me later.

" Said Serena

nHearing this, Ariel moved closer to John before whispering

n

"John... Serena's acting weird, maybe there's some sort of spell or monster to this pile of money...

"

n

"There isn't. I've checked, and don't worry, this is just what money does to people. It's dangerous.

"

nAs she heard this, Ariel got slightly worried about the thought of being consumed by the desire for money in the future.

n