Chapter 414
Chapter 414
Chapter 414
'A staircase. Does it lead underground?'
Zeke hadn't expected to find stairs leading underground like a dungeon, rather than being hidden in a separate secure area.
Pushing aside his puzzlement, Zeke lit up his eyes with Dragon Eye and descended the stairs.
Surprisingly, the wooden stairs weren't artificially made.
'The branches are naturally intertwined to form this shape. Similar to the World Tree I saw in the Naga city.'
Although twisted and withered now, this tree likely served as a massive tower in the past.
Following the stairs that stretched deep underground, Zeke reached the bottom fairly quickly.
Both the floor and walls were spaces created by intertwined branches.
Zeke looked around as he ventured deeper inside.
That's when he saw the glinting eyes of monsters hiding in the darkness.
GRRRR!
The monsters, perhaps frightened after Zeke killed their leader, the foreign species monster, only made threatening sounds without approaching.
When Zeke raised the light of his Holy Light Device, the monsters startled and vanished into the darkness.
'Seems the monsters have made their home in this dungeon-like space.'
Going deeper inside, there were massive pillars made of thick, intertwined tree trunks lined up.
Zeke proceeded past the pillars further inside.
Then he saw something ahead.
'What's that?'
There was an entrance on one side of the pillared space, and when Zeke entered, he found a massive cavity.
In the center of the cavity, which had a ceiling so high it couldn't be seen, stood a single solidified statue.
"Hmm?’’
Zeke approached and illuminated the statue with his Holy Light Device.
It was a statue of a shape he'd never seen before.
The body was like a deer's, the face and tail resembled a dragon's, but it had cow-like hooves. Two massive antlers sprouted from its head like giant branches.
Zeke tilted his head as he looked at the statue.
"Hmm, it somewhat resembles Bucephalus, the dragon horse."
Speaking of which, he decided to summon Bucephalus for comparison.
NEEEIGH!
Summoned after a long time, Bucephalus nuzzled affectionately against Zeke's chest.
Bucephalus, in his dragon horse form, had a body covered in dragon scales and also possessed two horns.
While similar to the statue, it was clearly different in appearance.
"So it's not a dragon horse."
As if responding to Zeke's words, Bucephalus nodded.
As he examined the statue from different angles, he unconsciously reached out to touch it.
That's when it happened.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
Cracks began appearing in the statue, and it started crumbling.
'Oh no...!'
Zeke couldn't help but be startled when the statue suddenly began breaking apart.
But then, a white light burst forth from within the broken statue.
WHOOSH!
The emanating white light condensed and instantly seeped into Zeke's body.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Zeke was surprised when the warm light from the suddenly crumbling statue settled within his body.
Then a message appeared before Zeke's eyes.
―Achievement Quest―
[Release the seal by breathing divine spirit into the sealed Earth God.]
[Quest Mission Reward: Earth God's Blessing / Earth God's Sacred Artifact]
'So it wasn't sealed here? And breathing divine spirit to release it... This is somehow different from the seals I've broken before.'
Through the message, Zeke realized that the Earth God's sealed form existed somewhere else, not in the Forest of the Forgotten.
"So what just entered my body was divine spirit... Anyway, this means the sealed main body is somewhere else, but where?"
Just as he wondered this, a message appeared before his eyes.
[The Sage's Eye has estimated the location of the sealed Earth God through Karma Data access authority.]
[The location will be marked on the map coordinates.]
The Sage's Eye had automatically searched related information to find the location.
"This Karma Data access authority is really something else."
Zeke checked the location marked on the map.
He couldn't help but be shocked.
"This is... where Salmak is?"
When Zeke had previously visited the Salmak headquarters, he had sensed traces of ancient ruins there.
But he never imagined the Earth God's divine seat would be sealed there.
'I was planning to deal with Salmak anyway, so this works out well.'
Zeke decided to first return to the forest house where Nigel was.
However, when he returned home, Nigel was nowhere to be seen.
Zeke found a carelessly placed note on the table.
-I'm going away to hunt monsters in the western forest. It will probably take a long time. If fate allows, we'll meet again.
The Forest of the Forgotten was vast, and even its administrator couldn't know all the beings living within.
It was a constant cycle of staying at home, sensing abnormal reactions, going to resolve them, and returning.
Given Nigel's mention of it taking long, she likely wouldn't return for at least a month.
'That's unfortunate. I wanted to say goodbye to Master.'
Thinking they would meet again if fate allowed, Zeke left the Forest of the Forgotten with lingering regret.
To release the Earth God's sealed divine seat, he needed to go to Salmak in the desert region.
'Going back to Mycenae to lead troops would take too long. In that case...'
A good idea occurred to Zeke.
After leaving the forest, Zeke headed straight for Ishtar's territory.
The Ishtar family who worshipped the Earth God and followed its laws.
Zeke planned to deal with Salmak alongside them.
'Let's have some fun.'
* * *
"What did you just say?"
The Salmak leader, drinking with his youngest disciple, nearly dropped his cup in shock.
His subordinate spoke with head bowed.
"...Zeke Draker has crossed the Yusa region with the traitors and Ishtar's mystics."
The Salmak leader threw his cup at the subordinate as he stood up.
CRASH!
He shouted with a demon-like face.
"Damn it! What were you all doing while Zeke Draker came right up to our doorstep?!"
When the leader raged, his youngest disciple beside him turned pale with fear.
The leader stroked the disciple's face and said.
"It's alright. Don't worry. They'll never make it here."
He ground his teeth and shouted at the subordinate.
"Wake up the waiting Scorpions warriors. Good thing we requested their dispatch in advance. Request more mages from the Scorpion Clan."
The subordinate hesitated before speaking.
"About that..."
"What is it? Speak clearly."
The subordinate spoke with a grim face.
"We cannot contact the Scorpion Clan. It seems... Zeke Draker's side attacked the Scorpion Clan first."
The Salmak leader's jaw dropped at these words.
"The Sc-Scorpion headquarters was taken down? Those tenacious bugs who crawl back up like insects even after being killed? How?"
"We haven't identified the cause yet... but circumstances suggest so."
Learning that the Scorpion Clan might have fallen to Zeke, the Salmak leader realized this was no ordinary situation.
'Damn it... Should have eliminated him before he grew stronger.'
He had sought assassination opportunities through Shadia but couldn't find an opening.
Then recently, Shadia and most dispatched personnel betrayed him and switched to Zeke Draker's side.
Many external operatives scattered across the continent chose Shadia.
He tried to kill them all with the poison implanted in their bodies, but for some reason, the poison didn't work.
The traitors must have found a way to remove the poison.
Since then, the Salmak leader sensed something was wrong and requested mage dispatches from the Scorpion Clan in preparation for possible attacks.
Cold sweat now covered his face.
'This won't do. I need to request their help.'
It was a card he didn't want to use, but he had no choice in this situation.
The Salmak leader got up and headed somewhere.
Entering a room at the corridor's end, only a crystal ball sat waiting in the center.
He immediately approached and activated the crystal ball.
Soon a black shadow appeared in the crystal.
He spoke to the black shadow.
"I'll join under the conditions we discussed before. I need help immediately."
The black shadow on the other side of the crystal rippled.
Without further words, the crystal turned off and the black shadow disappeared.
'What's this? Why did the communication end without another word..’
As he wondered this.
"The Salmak leader must be in a hurry. Contacting us so suddenly."
Someone had appeared behind him in what was clearly an empty room.
When the Salmak leader turned, a man in a black suit stood holding a bag.
It was Rahim, leader of Nostra Family's The Six.
His face bore terrible scars from barely surviving Zeke's corruption power, and his left eye was clouded with a white film, giving him a grotesque appearance.
Unlike before, madness swirled in Rahim's one remaining eye of his now gaunt form.
Rahim approached the Salmak leader.
"When Salmak and the Nostra Family become one, we'll be an even more powerful organization."
The Nostra Family had been pushing for a merger with Salmak for some time.
Their rival Red Eye's influence had grown stronger, while the beastkin clan Crostel had expanded by forming a western alliance with the bird tribes.
During this, the Nostra Family had weakened after losing core members Dario and The Six in conflicts with Zeke Draker.
This led Nostra Family to continuously pursue mergers with Scorpion and Salmak to replenish their depleted strength.
Salmak, independent for hundreds of years, had previously ignored Nostra Family's proposals. But as their situation rapidly deteriorated, they reached out first.
The Salmak leader said to Rahim:
"Zeke Draker has wiped out the Scorpion Clan."
Rahim's eyes flashed at those words.
"The Knight of Salvation... I too have a deep grudge against him."
Rahim couldn't forget the pain of the corruption power dissolving his flesh and bone.
He said to the Salmak leader:
"Now that you've joined with our Nostra Family, even Zeke Draker won't be a problem. Together we can devise a way to kill him..."
The Salmak leader cut him off, shouting:
"You don't understand! He's attacking here right now! With Ishtar's mystics!"
Rahim's face hardened at these words.
'Zeke Draker is coming to attack Salmak directly? Why in this situation?'
It was an incomprehensible move logically.
In his mind, there was no reason to attack Salmak's well-defended headquarters.
Additionally, Salmak's base was a natural fortress that had repelled external invasions for centuries.
While luring out the Salmak leader would be a surer way to kill him, Zeke Draker had chosen the more disadvantageous battlefield.
'Is he confident he can take down Salmak easily? No. A cunning one like him wouldn't... Then perhaps there's something else here that he wants...'
As Rahim pondered, the Salmak leader said with cold sweat:
"We need the Nostra Family's forces here right now. He could burst in here any moment...!"
BOOM!
Suddenly, a huge tremor shook Salmak's headquarters.
The Salmak leader rushed out the door in panic.
"What! What's happening?!"
Salmak's assassins were moving frantically.
A subordinate approached and said:
"Zeke Draker! He-he's here!"
The Salmak leader raised his voice in disbelief.
"He's already passed through the Yusa region?!"
RUMBLE!
Another huge tremor struck.
The Salmak leader urgently shouted at his subordinate:
"What are you doing?! Quickly summon the Scorpion warriors inside to stop him!"
He turned to Rahim and said:
"Please, We need the Nostra Family's help! The Six should be able to stop him..."
Just then.
"To all Salmak personnel. Those who surrender now will have the poison removed from their bodies and their lives spared."
Zeke's voice echoed throughout Salmak headquarters.
The Salmak leader's face turned pale.
'Zeke Draker, that bastard...'
Watching from behind, Rahim adjusted his glasses, set down his bag, and opened its lock.
CLICK!
Inside were dozens of syringes filled with black liquid.
Rahim spoke to the terrified Salmak leader:
"Do you want to stop Zeke Draker?"
The Salmak leader nodded vigorously.
Rahim took out a syringe and handed it over, saying:
"I didn't bring this to use, but given the situation, we have no choice. This will be your lifeline to catch him and save Salmak. However..."
He said with a cold expression:
"You'll need to prepare compensation for this."