Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Reward Time (2)
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He Who Follows in the Footsteps of the Giant God
Rank: Myth
Grade: C+
Description: A quest granted to those who have obtained fragments of the power held by the primordial giant gods, now erased from the memories of most. To those who follow in their history and power, their abilities shall be bestowed.
Goal: Collect the full Giant God skill set (2/5)
Time Limit: 1,000 years
Success: Race change to Primordial Giant God. Legacy of the Primordial Giant Gods.
Failure: This quest permanently disappears.
It should have been something to celebrate, but a sigh escaped my lips first. Another thing to collect had been added to my list.
'Collecting all 24 of Lucifer's wings is already going to drive me insane.'
Still, I consoled myself that at least I only needed three more for this one, then closed the quest window.
Oddly enough, it had a time limit, but 1,000 years was more than enough time for a human like me to reincarnate several times over, so I let it slide.
A newbie hunter who had entered the Abyss less than a month ago was holding two Myth-rank quests and on the verge of acquiring a third one. What a ridiculous situation...
"While I'm thinking about it, maybe I should check that first?"
The main event had been flipped on its head. From the start, I'd taken on this quest to obtain this item.
I opened my inventory and pulled out the worn and dirty ring. It was a simple band, just large enough to fit on a head.
But its true value lay elsewhere. It drew forth Lucifer's mana of pride. From that mana, it extracted the dark, aggressive essence.
Demonic energy, the exclusive domain of the demon race. Even before my regression, tales of the demons had occasionally surfaced.
They were the ones who, in competition with the devil race—the subordinates of the Thrones of the Seven Deadly Sins—spawned villains known as fiends.
Naturally, they weren't friendly toward humans. Just looking at the atrocities committed by their fiends made their nature all too clear.
The only reason humans on Earth couldn't do anything about them was that they were far too powerful and mighty to oppose.
'Though I hear neither demons nor devils have much interest in Earth.'
Amusements, playthings. That was all Earth and its humans were worth to them—and even then, only a tiny fraction of devils and demons ever made contact with us.
'Lucifer has no subordinates under him.'
According to ancient texts, Lucifer was so immensely proud, and possessed power and abilities worthy of that pride, that he reigned alone.
He overwhelmed the lords of the other Seven Deadly Sins without employing a single subordinate.
That was why I was so desperately gathering Lucifer's wings and striving to claim his power.
The moment the demonic energy touched the ring, it began to react. The worn, cracked, and filthy parts restored themselves, gradually regaining its true form.
"What the hell?"
A variable. It didn't seem bad, so I left it alone for now.
The ring's form continued to change. Its worn, black hue deepened into something not flashy, but possessing both elegance and beauty.
It was the emperor's crown. The crown granted only to the emperor of myriad spirits. Despite the variable, it matched exactly the form I remembered.
Before my regression, the guy who obtained this item from that hidden piece was convinced it held a secret—and it took him over a year to uncover it.
But for me, it wouldn't be difficult. Having knowledge of the future came with such advantages.
And sure enough, the moment the Emperor's Black Crown fully manifested, my demonic energy was sucked in all at once, imprinting ownership. The long-awaited quest appeared.
Deepest Underground of the Holy Kingdom
Rank: Myth
Grade: EX+
Description: You have obtained a crown of unknown origin. A chance to inherit the power of a great being has been granted to you. Follow where the crown leads.
Goal: Investigate the Holy Kingdom's underground secret (Not Achieved)
Success: Hidden Job Quest (2) generated, ???
Failure: Hidden Job Quest permanently disappears, Item: Mysterious Crown [Common-S] disappears
I furrowed my brow. Something was off. Things had changed.
"This isn't the quest I remember."
My expression soured involuntarily. Why the Holy Kingdom all of a sudden?
A variable. My future knowledge had become useless. The original quest chain consisted of 66 steps, each annoying but not overly difficult.
And at the end lay the job: Emperor of Myriad Spirits [Myth-S+]. Considering that even scouring all of Earth in the future revealed only two people with Myth-rank jobs, its value was immeasurable.
But... this variable had skyrocketed the difficulty. The original quests started at Myth-F- and ended around Myth-E, but this kicked off at EX+ right away.
Of course, a quest's rank and grade didn't perfectly represent difficulty. A true Myth-EX+ stage would be impossible even for the Thrones occupying the highest stages.
A quest's rank and grade held slightly different meanings. Rank signified its value within the Abyss, while grade measured its danger level.
The first Myth-rank quest—gathering Lucifer's wings—had an A-grade danger level. Collecting the Giant God's remnants sat around C+.
Thinking a low danger grade meant it was a breeze would be foolish. It wasn't difficulty, but danger. Even E- was risky at my level.
Of course, danger grades weren't perfectly accurate. No matter how advanced the system was, it couldn't predict every variable or the player receiving the quest.
Take the underground capital monster-slaying quest: E+ danger, but I cleared it easily thanks to the Signing Sword and mental protection abilities.
From what I knew, anything B- or higher required risking your life.
Lucifer's wings earned an A-grade because you had to contend with invaders and other wing-hunters.
Naturally, higher-value (higher-rank) quests came with elevated danger, so even an E-grade Myth-rank one could threaten your life. That was my cautious estimate.
If that weren't the case, items granting Myth-rank quests from Stage-0 wouldn't be hidden. The system would impose restrictions and exile you to higher stages.
But an EX+ danger grade... That was practically a death sentence. "Go ahead and try if you dare."
'At least it doesn't pit me against a god directly, so that's something?'
I clutched my head. With a sigh, I closed the quest window. It wasn't a problem I could solve by pondering right now.
I had to return to Earth anyway, and reaching the Holy Kingdom would take considerable time.
I pushed aside the headache-inducing variable and began checking the remaining rewards to lift my spirits.
The rewards poured in. As expected from slaying a god's fragment, their caliber was beyond imagination.
"They give authorities as rewards?!"
My surprise was compounded by another message that left me flustered.
Kiiiaaak!!
The newly acquired authority was reduced to a mere meal for Equivalent Exchange. But the next messages made me nod in satisfaction.
'Azazel tried to pull a fast one.'
No need to guess who that "someone" was. It had to be Azazel, the original owner of the authority. Equivalent Exchange had anticipated that and absorbed it anyway.
Probably...
Either way, Equivalent Exchange's abilities had improved, and the authority's power was fully inherited. No harm done.
Still, Sacrifice Descent? "Sacrifice" likely meant offerings, and "Descent" implied inviting a god into one's body. A variant of the Altar of Sacrifice?
I had no idea. I'd check the details later—first, the rest.
The next reward was for clearing the hidden stage—the final one I'd receive.
As expected, the system deemed it impossible, and for a low-stage with Myth-rank stature, the rewards scaled accordingly to insane heights.
This was the one I anticipated most.
With bated breath, I slowly read through the messages. They contained the system's gratitude—not just for my survival, but for handling the god's fragment that had descended via exploit, shattering its balance.
The praise dragged on for a while, and I began frowning. Aside from the very last message, everything was fluff.
Did the system have an ego or something? Why write such a lengthy letter? Not that it was bad.
By dealing with the god's fragment that bypassed the system's balance for a low stage, I'd earned its favor.
In this Abyss, currying favor with the system meant zero downsides.
Finally, I reached the last message—the reward. Now I understood why it all fit in one.
An Origin-SSS grade rune. For accomplishing the impossible, the system bestowed a reward beyond imagination.
I gazed at the rune in my hand. It was small—less than half the size of the two ancient-grade runes I'd obtained before.
Yet the power and mystery within were overwhelmingly profound. The rank of Origin—the very essence of a concept—had taken root in me.
Thus, through my first Abyss expedition—amidst great peril—I had secured the foundation to soar brilliantly.