Chapter 194: The First Universe Quest (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 194: The First Universe Quest (4)
"Good heavens."
Ariana let out the breath she had been holding.
Tuvalt had lost.
It wasn't just a loss; it was an overwhelming, crushing defeat.
Kang Jun-hyeok had kept his word. He hadn't used magic, martial arts, divine power, or esper abilities. He had started the battle with a single skill and emerged victorious.
Rift Movement? What on earth is that?
She couldn't read it. She couldn't grasp the logic behind it. It was a power she wouldn't be able to respond to either.
Ariana wasn't the only one reeling. Every player from Planet Volanta was in a state of shock, while the players from Earth were struggling to suppress the proud smiles tugging at the corners of their mouths.
They, too, were top-tier players. They weren't stupid; in fact, they were quite sharp. They were well aware that they were lacking compared to the players of Volanta and that the reception they’d received hadn't been particularly warm.
They had been feeling intimidated, but seeing their representative display such absolute dominance made it impossible not to feel a surge of pride.
Shink.
Kang Jun-hyeok withdrew his sword. Tuvalt staggered and collapsed, his gaze trembling uncontrollably as he looked up.
"You... you, you..."
Ignoring him, Kang Jun-hyeok spoke to the empty air.
"You might as well come out now."
As soon as he spoke, two rifts in space tore open.
"Yahoo! Hello!"
A black-haired girl appeared. The players from Earth gasped—it was the Administrator of Earth.
Then, another girl appeared. She was the mirror image of the Earth Administrator, identical in every way except for her snow-white hair. This time, it was the players of Volanta who gasped.
She was the Administrator of Planet Volanta.
The Administrator of Volanta looked extremely grumpy, whereas the Administrator of Earth looked ecstatic.
"I knew I could count on you, Kang Jun-hyeok! I knew you could do it!"
She was in a truly magnificent mood.
How much had she been teased by the other Administrators until now?
She had been mocked, told her planet was useless and that it would never achieve anything. They had sneered, saying that while a Perfect Player was impressive, he wouldn't be able to change anything alone.
The Administrator of Volanta had been particularly relentless, constantly bragging about her planet's strength and Tuvalt's talent.
Having lived under that constant ridicule, seeing Kang Jun-hyeok thoroughly knock her rival down a peg was the greatest joy she could imagine.
"See! I told you! I told you he was special! Even more so than that guy you were so proud of! How about that? How about that!"
"..."
The Administrator of Volanta ground her teeth, unable to retort. She shot Tuvalt a sharp, irritated look.
"I'll deal with you later."
Tuvalt flinched, his entire body trembling.
The Administrator of Earth laughed and raised her hand.
"Now then, since the leader has been decided, it's finally time for the first Universe Quest to begin!"
At that moment, the world flipped upside down.
"Huh? What?"
"Where are we?"
Voices erupted from all sides. Not only the top two hundred players but also the lower and middle-ranked players had all appeared.
They had been transported to a massive, medieval-style city.
A golden barrier surrounded the city, completely cutting it off from the outside world. The Administrator of Earth shouted loudly.
"The leader is Kang Jun-hyeok! Move according to his orders! The quest's detailed system window will explain the rest! Good luck, everyone!"
With those words, the Administrators vanished.
The crowd murmured as they looked around. It was a magnificent city, large enough to accommodate everyone without issue. After observing the surroundings for a moment, one player muttered.
"A temple city...?"
The city resembled a grand temple dedicated to a god. If so, which god did it serve?
The answer was immediately apparent.
"Ah..."
"Ugh."
The players who looked toward the center of the city froze, their mouths hanging open. Those who turned their heads after seeing the others' reactions were no different.
There, a golden entity in the shape of a human stood.
It was colossal, tall enough to reach the city's ceiling. It was like a giant. But that wasn't what truly mattered.
"Oh..."
People instinctively bowed. They knelt and lowered their heads, pressing their hands together in prayer. Everyone assumed a posture of worship toward the golden human.
It was an overwhelming divine majesty that compelled one to worship just by facing it.
[It has been a long time.]
The Master of All Weapons muttered. A voice tinged with bewilderment echoed in Kang Jun-hyeok's mind.
[What are you all?]
[First Universe Quest.]
[Eliminate the [Black Beings] alongside the Loser of the Great War, Vibraham, the God of Protection.]
[The quest will last for one month.]
[Rewards will be determined based on performance.]
* * *
"...A god."
While climbing the tower, the players had encountered altars to gods a few times. The players from Earth were aware that they existed, and those from Volanta had known even before that.
However, this was the first time they had seen a god's form directly.
The people didn't dare lift their heads. Fearing they might commit sacrilege, they bowed their bodies and trembled. A being that inspired awe and fear in mortals simply by existing—that was a god.
The only ones who remained composed were Tuvalt, Kang Jun-hyeok, Kim Ha-young, and Yoo Jin-ha.
Kim Ha-young was an Apostle of Yulsir; he already served a higher power. Yoo Jin-ha hunched his shoulders slightly and showed respect, but he stopped at that.
"It looks like that being is Vibraham. I need to talk to him. Follow me."
"...Are you giving me orders?"
"You lost to me. Shut up and follow."
Tuvalt's face contorted with rage, but he didn't refuse.
The four of them headed toward Vibraham. Tuvalt tried to bring Ariana along, but she refused in terror. Left without her, Tuvalt looked slightly anxious, though he tried his best to hide it.
As they approached Vibraham, a voice boomed toward them.
[What are you?]
"Mmph."
Their souls shook for a moment under the weight of that intense will. Even Kim Ha-young, who had dedicated himself to Yulsir, froze momentarily.
Kang Jun-hyeok was the only one who remained unfazed after hearing the god's voice directly.
Tuvalt gritted his teeth and stepped forward.
"Greetings, Vibraham, God of Protection. I am Tuvalt Shadowstar, a Half-Human Half-Demon of Planet Volanta. I have come to assist Lord Vibraham according to the tower's quest."
[...Ah. You came from that place created by the Victors? I wondered what was happening when you suddenly appeared. So they are playing these kinds of tricks now.]
Vibraham clicked his tongue, then looked at Tuvalt and let out a faint exclamation of surprise.
[You. You are strong. You possess considerable talent. Such talent is rare to see.]
"Thank you."
Tuvalt, having received recognition, flashed a bright smile. He then glanced at Kang Jun-hyeok as if to say, How's that?
Kang Jun-hyeok simply shrugged without a word. Vibraham then looked at Yoo Jin-ha.
[The same goes for you. It is rare for a mortal to possess such talent. However... you are mentally immature. That is a pity.]
"Th-thank you?"
Yoo Jin-ha blurted out his thanks in confusion.
Then, looking at Kim Ha-young, Vibraham spoke in a distasteful tone.
[Yulsir? An apostle of that fellow? You must not be sane.]
"Thank you."
Kim Ha-young smiled broadly.
Finally, when Vibraham looked at Kang Jun-hyeok, he paused.
[...You. The Perfect Player. You're that fellow.]
"You seem to know me."
[The whole universe is buzzing about you; how could I not know? And...]
[It has been a long time, Vibraham.]
[It is good to see you.]
The Master of All Weapons and Eldiria offered their greetings. Vibraham replied with a hint of awkwardness.
[It has been a long time for both of you. Eldiria, and... are you now in a state called the Master of All Weapons?]
For a moment, confusion flickered across the faces of the others. From their perspective, it sounded like he was calling Kang Jun-hyeok by different names. Vibraham continued, unbothered.
[Seeing the two of you attached to him, it seems the rumors are true.]
[What rumors have spread?]
[The rumor that he can change everything.]
[It is still only a matter of possibility, but I will not deny it.]
Vibraham muttered with an interested voice.
[Is he truly that much?]
[At least in my eyes, he is.]
[Now I am curious as well. I suppose I can see for myself this time. Have you come here to help me?]
"Yes."
[That is fortunate, as I was struggling. If I were in my original state, I could have settled this immediately, but my power is currently scattered across the universe. Because of that, I cannot even easily repel these trivial things.]
"What exactly is the problem?"
[Do you know of our history?]
Kang Jun-hyeok nodded.
The Great War that staked the survival of the universe. The beings of the universe had been defeated there. The players were climbing the tower to clean up the aftermath of that failure.
[We were defeated. But losers cannot simply sit still. We have been attempting to purify the stolen planets one by one while avoiding their gaze. Though, seeing as you are here, it seems they were aware of everything. I wonder what the Master of the Universe is plotting.]
Vibraham grumbled and pointed a finger.
[What you must do is simple. Eliminate those things.]
With those words, the golden barrier surrounding the city became transparent.
The players gasped in horror.
Black entities in human form were clinging to the barrier. They were stuck to every inch of it, so densely that the outside was barely visible. Kang Jun-hyeok narrowed his eyes.
Black Beings.
"Wh-what are those?"
[One of the Victors of the universe.]
Vibraham answered the terrified Yoo Jin-ha.
[We call them Black Beings.]
"W-wait a minute. The numbers... the numbers..."
The city was vast. It was large enough to hold hundreds of thousands of players with room to spare. And the barrier surrounding such a city was covered in Black Beings without a single gap.
Vibraham replied.
[There are probably about a million of them.]
"A... million."
[Their strength is roughly equivalent to the lowest rank of the First Rank. They are about on par with two of those apostles of Yulsir over there.]
"..."
Kim Ha-young was strong. Though his floor was still low, he had been granted great Authority, making his power top-tier even on Earth. Even including Planet Volanta, there were likely fewer than a hundred players stronger than Kim Ha-young.
And yet, he was only capable of handling two Black Beings.
And there were a million of them. Vibraham continued in a low voice.
[Since this planet was already ruined, that is a fairly small number. Those things multiply by consuming life. Normally, their numbers reach into the trillions.]
Black Beings multiplied by consuming the beings of the universe. The problem was that there were no restrictions on this. They could multiply instantly just by devouring a single fly. In other words, a powerhouse equivalent to the bottom of the First Rank could be born from a single insect.
[Those are what you must face, Players.]
"..."
At that revelation, Kim Ha-young, Yoo Jin-ha, and even Tuvalt fell silent.
The universe had lost, and they had been given a chance. They knew that fact, but they had only just seen a glimpse of what they were truly supposed to face. While Victors occasionally appeared in the tower, they had never shown themselves directly like this. Cases like Kang Jun-hyeok's were exceptions.
And now, through the Universe Quest, they were facing their enemy for the first time. They felt a wall. A sudden, intense sense of helplessness washed over them.
"A million, you say?"
Only Kang Jun-hyeok muttered with a composed face.
"That certainly is a small number. I can clear them all out."