On Duskrice 4, 1850 AC (Arbiter Calendar), Alistair received three random gifts, one of which was an exceptional reward. He placed two of these gifts—the Learning Book: Sacred Bow Arts and the King of the Sea: Tidebreaker—onto a custom-made treasure chest. Alistair then modified the chest's mechanism to function at either the Late-Stage Aura Transformation Realm or the Peak-Stage Aura Transformation Realm. He added items from his inventory: five Aura Pills for the Aura Materialization Realm, which increase the aura user's Aura Color by one, and five Strengthening Aura Pills recommended for the Aura Transformation Realm and Aura Empowerment Realm.
After adding these four items to the custom-made treasure chest with its new mechanism, Alistair began digging the ground with his aura, using both arms to scoop out soil near a large tree. He shaped the excavated soil to resemble a treasure chest, ensuring it could fit the chest that he had pulled out. He then replaced the soil to make it appear as though he was digging for treasure.
As the sun passed noon, Alistair carried the custom-made treasure chest back to Leaf Village. He thought to himself, "You know, the treasure chest feels light." At that moment, his system chimed in, "It's because you have the Iron Body effect. I should remind you that your Iron Body ability has been upgraded to Enhancement 1, which slightly increases your physical strength." Now understanding the reason for the chest's lightness, Alistair arrived at the Village Gate and encountered the Village Guard, David.
"Good afternoon, Hunter Alistair. Is that a treasure chest? It's quite unusual for our village to have so many treasure chests lying beneath the soil. Where did you find it, Hunter Alistair?"
Alistair explained to David where he had dug up the treasure and sent his men to investigate the location. After a few moments, David said, "Okay, we are done inspecting the site. Thank you for your time; you may go."
As Alistair left, David pondered, "If our village is filled with treasure chests, why haven't our hunters found any? Never mind, I guess it must be a matter of luck or instinct."
Shortly after, Alistair entered the hunter guild carrying the treasure, and all the hunters present erupted in cheers. "Yes, I won the bet! He found a treasure chest on his mission!" Many hunters raised their beers in celebration, while others who had bet against Alistair lamented, "No! I lost my 25 Silver Talers!" They expressed their grief over losing the wager.
Alistair approached the receptionist. "I am here to complete my treasure hunting mission." The receptionist nodded and contacted the higher-ups, realizing that finding such valuable items was significant. Many hunters gathered around the table, eager to see what was inside the treasure chest.
Hunters from outside the guild entered, curious about the valuable items rumored to be inside the treasure chest. Officers who had been working on paperwork on the second floor stopped their tasks and made their way downstairs. This included the Guild Secretary, who had just returned from her trip to the City of Valor, the Vice-Guildmaster, who was finishing his patrol on the outskirts of Leaf Village, and the Guildmaster, who was in her office on the third floor.
At the same time, Alistair's two older sisters, Imseria and Lyra, arrived after completing their hunting missions. An unexpected visitor also joined the gathering: the Village Chieftess, Selene. She had come to deliver a message to the Guildmaster and happened to be at the guild when the commotion started.
"Oh my, that's quite a huge crowd! Is there an event happening?" Selene asked.
Ismeria responded, "Have you heard about yesterday's commotion?"
Selene replied, "Yes, Alistair found a custom-made treasure chest on the outskirts of the Leaf Village. Wait, you mean he found another treasure chest?"
Ismeria nodded. "Yes, I'm also wondering how our Leaf Village could have treasure chests in this location. I remember a group of treasure hunters came to the Leaf Village five years ago, and they claimed no treasures were found. So why is it that my younger brother has had this luck twice? Are you aware that there are actually treasures here?"
Selene shook her head. "No, I was not aware. Even my grandfather, who founded Leaf Village, never mentioned anything about treasure. One thing I can confirm is that no treasure was found in this area. All I know is that when my grandfather established Leaf Village a few decades ago, the land was abundant with resources."
Alistair placed the custom-made treasure chest on the table. His older sister, Ismeria, walked towards it and said, "Let me open the treasure chest, my dear brother Alistair." As she prepared to open it, Alistair smiled to himself, knowing that the chest was designed to only be opened by those in the Late-Stage to Peak-Stage Aura Transformation Realm.
Ismeria first attempted to open the treasure chest with light strength, but it wouldn't budge. She then increased her strength to the maximum, exclaiming, "What the hell? It won't open! Wait, if I'm at Mid-Stage, that means this treasure chest is meant for someone at a higher stage."
Turning to Lady Elowen, she said, "How about you try to open it? Aren't you at the Late-Stage Aura Transformation Realm?"
The guildmaster crossed her arms and smiled. "Sure, I'm excited to see what treasures lie inside."
Lady Elowen first applied a light touch to open the chest, and as it began to give way, she exerted more strength. "It took 50% of my strength to open this," she noted. "This custom-made treasure chest is meant for those in the Late-Stage to Peak-Stage Aura Transformation Realm. If that's the case, the contents inside must be more valuable than yesterday's treasure."
She then looked at Selene. "Why don't you appraise the items inside? Our appraiser isn't as skilled as you are, and one of your abilities is related to Appraisal."
Selene smiled and replied, "Since I have the time, I will accept. I'm also curious about what Alistair found. If the treasure is deemed valuable, I might personally reward Alistair for his contribution, especially since this is only his second day as a hunter."