How to Survive as a Dead Person in the Academy

To read the fully translated 200 chapters, patreon.com/zennin12

Chapter 40

'Is someone talking about me?'

Scratch, scratch.

What the heck, why are my ears so itchy?

"Kamon, are you okay? You've been scratching your ears constantly."

"Oh, I'm fine. They just feel strangely itchy."

"Really? Then rest here. I'll handle the strategy myself."

I shook my head and chuckled at Elliot's confident demeanor.

"No, it's fine. Let's keep going."

And what do you mean you'll handle it yourself? The excavation leader will handle everything, not you…

"Proceed cautiously and keep an eye out. If you notice any movement or change, report it immediately!"

As I thought, the current excavation leader was in charge.

Dranthe's Secret Vault was a massive underground fortress.

Although buried beneath the mountain range, it had multiple entrances.

Thus, at each gate, there were guardians resembling guards to prevent intruders.

'The guardians at the entrances are all bronze golems.'

Krrrrrrr!

"It's a guardian!"

"Move slowly as planned!"

"Yes!"

At the rough shout of a man who seemed to be the excavation leader, the well-trained members started moving.

Soon, they took something out of their pockets.

"Throw it on my signal. One, two, three!"

Whoosh!

At least a hundred glass bottles were thrown at the bronze golem.

And then…

Ssssssss!

"It's melting!"

"They're all… melting."

Knowing the bronze golem would appear, I had prepared the perfect item to deal with it.

'Oxidation solution from the Desert Chameleon.'

It was a precious and expensive chemical that cost five silver coins per bottle.

"Don't hold back, throw them all!"

Whoosh!

Watching the glass bottles flying through the air again, I thought,

'Ha, if we had this during the dungeon exam, we could've saved almost ten minutes.'

I would never forget the convenience that money brings.

Krrrr!

The bronze golem, hit by the oxidation solution from the Desert Chameleon, crumbled and fell like a broken reed.

"What are you doing? Finish it off."

"Attack!"

"Destroy the mana stones! The golems' weak point is always the mana stones!"

Following the orders, the excavation and mercenary teams unhesitatingly destroyed the mana stones embedded in the golems' chests.

Creak!

With the mana stones gone, the bronze golems stopped functioning and turned into heaps of scrap metal.

As we quickly dealt with the guardians at the entrance, everyone looked at Elliot in awe.

"All clear."

"I saw that."

Elliot looked at me with a deeply moved expression and said,

"As expected, following your advice made it easy, Kamon."

"No, it's because your team is outstanding."

"Well, thanks for saying that."

Without further delay, he shouted again,

"Let's move out!"

"Let's go!"

"Let's finish this quickly!"

We began exploring the vault at a rapid pace, encountering traps and attacks from guardians.

"Damn, it's a poison arrow! Everyone, avoid it!"

"Fire! It's a fire spell!"

"What's that? A gargoyle? A giant gargoyle! Don't make eye contact!"

Following my instructions, Elliot ordered the use of pre-prepared items and artifacts.

"Antidotes! We have plenty of antidotes, use them immediately!"

"Use the water barrels. If there's fire, just put it out quickly."

"Didn't you get the petrification antidote?"

Though there was some commotion and difficulty, we used the prepared items appropriately to neutralize the traps and guardians without much damage.

The excavation team's morale soared sky-high as we quickly overcame the guardians and traps.

"With Young Master Elliot, we can definitely win."

"Long live the young master!"

"The true owner of the guild is Young Master Elliot."

Hearing the cheers, Elliot's eyes started to glisten with emotion.

Clap!

I was puzzled when he suddenly grabbed my shoulder.

"…?"

"Thank you, Kamon. It's all thanks to you."

"Huh?"

"You know, no one has ever approached me first to help without any hidden motives. Everyone always wanted something from me. You're the only one who approached me without any ulterior motives."

"Oh, really?"

I was a bit taken aback by his sudden change in tone but responded casually.

"So Kamon, you're my one and only friend."

What? Suddenly?

How long have we known each other, anyway?

Besides,

'I approached you because I wanted something too…'

"Uh, right. Thanks for thinking of me that way. True friends understand each other!"

"Right?!"

Though a small part of me felt guilty seeing Elliot's bright smile,

Well, as long as I'm not harming him, I'll just keep quiet.

No need to stir up trouble.

"Alright, then let's continue…"

Just as Elliot was about to give orders to the excavation team,

"Young Master!"

Someone was seen running towards us from a distance.

"Hm? What's going on?"

Outside the encampment, one of Elliot's subordinates approached in a hurry. Elliot tilted his head in curiosity and asked, "What's going on?" The subordinate, out of breath, managed to speak.

"Lady Diana's team has opened an entrance and started their excavation."

"What, already? Didn't they say it would take at least another day?"

"They blew up everything blocking the entrance…"

"Blew it up?!"

Elliot, looking flustered, turned to me and said, "That crazy bitch Diana has lost her mind. She's trying to bury us alive…"

Just as Elliot said, Diana's method was extremely radical. The vault beneath the mountain range was particularly vulnerable to external shocks, making it prone to collapse. I quickly spoke to Elliot.

"Let's pick up the pace. We need to move before they catch up to us!"

"Right. Everyone, move faster! Keep excavating as quickly as possible!"

At Elliot's command, the excavation team increased their pace. And then…

'So they're coming after us like this? Fine, let's see how this goes.'

Boom!

Breaking through a massive boulder blocking our way, we entered a new area.

Screeech!

"Vampire bats! There are vampire bats in the air!"

Thick, dark clouds of bats seemed to fill the entire vault, flying towards us. Elliot Fren, looking annoyed, shook his arm and shouted.

"Throw the blood we prepared! And cover yourselves with your cloaks!"

Splat!

At his command, the excavation and mercenary teams began splashing red liquid onto the ground. The bats flying towards us immediately dived to the ground.

Screech!

After consuming the blood laced with neurotoxin, the vampire bats let out strange cries and died one by one.

"…Easy."

Elliot, looking at me with a light smile, said casually. I nodded in agreement, smiling back. As we continued our excavation…

"There's a blockage up ahead!"

"And there's something strange written here… Huh?!"

Hearing the voices from the front, I urgently shouted.

"Fall back quickly!"

At my command, everyone hurriedly retreated. From the middle of the blocked path, a bright golden mass began to emerge.

"Wh-what is that?"

"A light?"

"What's happening? Another trap?"

As everyone stared warily at the golden mass, it suddenly burst into a radiant light and transformed into a golden dragon about the size of a human.

"A d-dragon?"

"A gold dragon!"

"But why is it so small?"

Everyone reacted with confusion and fear, and even Elliot next to me stammered with a slightly terrified look.

"A d-dragon among the guardians?"

I shook my head lightly and looked at the golden dragon.

"No, that's not a real dragon."

"What?"

"That's a money bug, or rather, the Spirit of Gold."

Among the various guardians protecting Dranthe's Secret Vault, the most special one was this dragon-shaped creature known as the Spirit of Gold. If you knew how to handle it, it was easy to get past, but…

'If you confront it, it could be the worst enemy.'

[Uninvited guest to my palace, are you a friend? An enemy? Or something else?]

At that moment, the voice of the mini gold dragon echoed, making everyone hold their breath. I quickly shouted.

"We are descendants of the Golden King Dranthe, here to reclaim our ancestral legacy."

[Descendant of the Golden King?]

The mini gold dragon's eyes sparkled for a moment. I swiftly pushed Elliot forward and said,

"This friend here is Elliot Fren, the descendant of Dranthe Fren."

[…]

The mini gold dragon stared at us silently for a moment.

"K-Kamon, what is this…?"

"Just wait a moment."

Clink.

I then took out the fifty gold pieces Elliot had given me earlier.

"As a tribute to the guardian spirit who keeps the treasure, we offer this gift. Please open the way to the legacy."

I tossed the purse of gold towards the small dragon.

Whoosh, thud!

"Kamon, that…?"

"Shh! Just stay quiet."

The golden mini dragon looked at the purse, approached it, and then put its snout inside. After a moment…

[It's been a while since I've seen such a respectful descendant. Very well, I shall open the way for the heir of my old friend, Elliot.]

With a very satisfied tone, the mini dragon returned to its golden mass form.

Zing!

The purse I threw was also absorbed into the light. Soon…

Rumble!

With the entire vault shaking,

"A-a door?"

"A path has opened."

An arched door formed in the middle of the previously blocked wall.

"Let's go."

"Oh? Oh, right. Everyone, through that door!"

Following Elliot's command, everyone began to enter the newly formed door. As they did, I approached the golden mass and whispered something quietly.

In response, it glowed even more greedily…

[Kamon Vade, was it? Very well, I shall be expecting you.]

To read the fully translated 200 chapters, patreon.com/zennin12