The Crown of the God
p>The sound of hammers rang out from the factory.
pAt its center stood a massive rock that could have housed a small kingdom.
pOnly the executives of the Crossfire Guild could access the entrance.
pBut even among those leaders, only a handful knew the truth about the NPC watching from the peak of that rock.
pThe time has come…… It is time to awaken the dream……
pThe NPC appeared as an old man in a black robe.
pAs usual, the old man gazed down at the factory and workshops below, muttering to himself.
pThen it happened.
pA few players stepped out from below the rock.
p“Elder.”
pA veteran of the Crossfire Guild.
pAmong them were the guild master, Acalese, and the highest-ranking executives.
p“You have come.”
pThe old man in the black robe turned.
p“How is the progress of the work?”
p“We repelled the Dwarven Resistance ambush and put every captured dwarf to work. We have extracted 530 mithril, 108 orichalcum, and 33 elementium.”
p“We are on the way back with the offerings.”
p“The altar construction is going well.”
pOnce the old man finished speaking, a system window appeared.
p[Dimensional Gate Opening Ritual]
p- Ritual progress: 29/100% → 31/100%
p- Mana required for opening: 18/100% → 19/100%
p“Oh, glory be to our god.”
pThe old man raised both arms toward the sky.
p“O God, receive our offerings and bestow your blessings!”
pThe black-robed old man bestows the blessings of the universe.
pYou have leveled up!
pAll stats have increased by +10.
pThe effectiveness of the [Divine Realm Expansion (Legendary)] skill has increased by +3%.
pThe stat-boosting effect of the [Power of the Other World (Legendary)] skill has increased by +1%.
p‘Hehe.’
pA smile curved Acalese’s lips.
p‘Let Iron Blood Guild and Five Star Guild fight each other all they want.’
pGuilds that have died countless times and risen again.
pThe only prize they ever obtain is control of the kingdom.
p“They are just frogs in a well, after all.”
pAcalese opened the quest window.
p[Ascension]
p- Grade: God (Mythical)
p[Objectives]
p- Create a dimensional gate so the god of the other world can descend to the mortal realm. (0/1)
p- Gather all fragments of the other-world god and create the god’s flesh. (0/11535)
p- Reward: First Apostle position of the god of the other world
p- Description: The god of the other world that once failed in the distant past is now trying to open the world’s gates again. Perform the duties of an apostle.
pAn absolute god-rank quest!
pEssentially a jackpot hidden quest for a scam map.
p‘If this goes well, at least one thing is guaranteed to be fun.’
pSo far everything had gone smoothly.
pAs long as no one fell from the sky to interfere, it would continue like this.
p“Speaking of which, how has collecting the god’s remains been going?”
p“I apologize. Our power is still insufficient to defeat the golems.”
p“Tsk……”
pThe old man’s lips twisted for a moment.
p“You still haven’t killed the golems!”
pHis hoarse voice echoed through the surroundings.
p“Fools…… The day of the great opening is here, and you want to go even faster!”
p“I apologize. Our strength is not enough……”
p“He knows. He knows who is the lamb and who is the wolf.”
p“……”
pCrunch. Acalese’s teeth ground together.
p‘Even as an NPC, the trash……’
pHe had tolerated this only once before.
pNow he felt like a pig sitting beside it, listening to every complaint.
pHad it not been for the god-rank quest, he would have slaughtered the old man long ago.
p‘I’m learning patience I couldn’t learn in real life right now.’
pAcalese swallowed his anger quietly.
pThen the old man suddenly recalled something and asked.
p“Right…… By the way, you sent adventurers into that place, didn’t you?”
p“Yes. We sent every approaching adventurer party.”
pEven though the place was where the god’s remains had fallen,
pthey had not strictly forbidden entry.
pAfter all, there was nothing worth obtaining there, and even if the monsters fought back, no one could kill them anyway.
p“Seven parties have entered…… and five parties have already been wiped out.”
p“Two parties remain…… Who are they?”
p“Manbyeong…… I mean, Manbyeongjiwang Kim Cheol and Fafnir.”
p“Kim Cheol and Fafnir…… Has it been six days?”
p“Yes.”
p“Those fools have lasted longer than expected.”
pFor them, there was no downside.
pIf they failed, the secret would stay hidden.
pIf they succeeded, they would simply need to learn the strategy at a reasonable price.
p“If even one fragment can be obtained thanks to good luck, Master will be satisfied.”
p“Then……”
p“Catching fish is less valuable than knowing how to catch it. If anyone obtains the method, make them reveal it.”
p- A new quest [Obtaining the Strategy (Rare)] has been created.
p“Understood.”
pThere were already too many quests to be irritated by.
pBut Acalese accepted it without showing his feelings.
p“Ugh……”
pAfter the meeting ended, Acalese descended with his subordinates and said,
p“Do not contact Kim Cheol. Leave him alone.”
p“Understood.”
pKim Cheol, the Manbyeongjiwang, was a time bomb of a player.
pIt was better to leave him untouched than to risk casualties.
p“And Fafnir?”
p“He is still there.”
p“Still……?”
pThe period for which the hunting ground had been rented was seven days.
pYet they had not left the place for six days?
p“Perhaps he really intends to catch them.”
pAcalese gave the order.
p“When the deadline arrives and those two friends catch about three, I will genuinely apologize.”
pThree?
pThe place where even one was impossible to catch.
p“Just in case, prepare a suitable gift.”
p“Understood.”
p“Prepare a tail that will bow in apology in advance.”
p“Yes.”
pIt was already becoming tedious, but preparing insurance against the problem was worth it to avoid future regret.
p***
p“Time is limited, so let’s move quickly.”
pFafnir had no time to admire the sight of the Creator.
pWith the Crossfire Guild’s guarantee, his party could monopolize the honey-hunt area without interference.
pThe only important thing was to use the strategy they had investigated as efficiently as possible before time ran out.
pYou have gained experience.
pYou have leveled up!
pYou have gained experience.
pYou have acquired [Universe Shard (Unique)].
pThe crystal golems in the site of the fallen star were notoriously difficult.
pFafnir had hunted them thoroughly according to the strategy devised by the three of them, and the tattoo and potions were always maxed out.
p‘With all this effort, I cannot afford to waste a single drop.’
pEven when the other two took breaks, Fafnir would leave alone to hunt the golems.
p“Wow…… He really fights well……”
pThe two sisters watched in admiration.
p“How do you know all this?”
p“You just watch and it becomes obvious.”
pFafnir answered calmly.
p“Observe the monster’s behavior. Why is it acting that way? Then, based on the cause-and-effect, adjust your actions accordingly.”
pDragon hunters fought dragons that were each far beyond imagination.
pTo defeat such monsters required not only simple control but also painstaking research.
p“Is this really game talent?”
pSihyun scratched her head.
pSince the Orc Fort, the way she thought up and used the strategy.
pIt would have been the same during wars or when Ludius broadcasted.
pMoreover, Fafnir had even secretly “multi” it.
p‘If the hunt can be done with just three, there is no need to equip the skeletons with gear as support, right?’
pOriginally he had planned to assign the crystal golems to them as roles.
pBut since Fafnir, Bell, and Sihyun could hunt alone, they had nothing left to do.
pFafnir sent the skeleton soldiers around to hunt the monsters.
p‘It’s better to give them something to do than to leave them idle.’
pThe soldier’s heart that wants to order when they are bored!
pSkeletons do not even need rest, and there are no labor contracts, so they can be commanded freely with no side effects.
p“Louis, you command and handle it.”
p“Eh? Y-yes! Understood, Master! Uahahaha!”
pLouis trembled with excitement at the first command from above.
p‘This is an opportunity! I will leave a deep impression on Master……!’
pUntil now Fafnir and Penelope had given orders, but it was time for Louis to accumulate experience too.
p“Advance the unit! Follow me!”
pLouis charged on a skeletal horse with enthusiasm.
pThe tattooed skeleton soldiers fought the surrounding monsters in roughly equal battles.
pIt was originally an impossible feat.
pThanks to Sihyun’s master blacksmith equipment and Siyeon’s buff tattoos, their specs had risen dramatically.
pWhile the hunt progressed smoothly, Fafnir’s level rose by 20 and reached 199.
pWhen combined with the experience from the Dampyr job, it was over 340.
pEven with daily PvP, he could not achieve this efficiency.
pMoreover,
p‘I never thought a skill would appear just from eating……’
p[Metal Consumption]
p- Grade: Rare
p- Classification: Passive
p- MP Consumption: None
p- Duration: Varies by metal.
p- Effect: When consuming metal, temporarily obtain HP recovery and various buff effects depending on the type of metal consumed.
p- The higher the metal power, the stronger the effect.
p- Skill Level: 1
p- Acquisition Condition: Metal Damphir
pSince becoming Metal Damphir,
pFafnir had secretly eaten metal whenever he had a moment during hunts.
pA new skill was born from that.
pA skill that restores HP by consuming metal.
pIt might seem meaningless since there are potions, but it is not.
pLow-level potions are made from herbs or monster blood, but high-level potions require divine power.
p‘When drinking potions, HP decreases due to divine power and debuffs are applied.’
pBlack mages or human necromancers can accept potions thanks to the god’s protection, but for Fafnir, a high-level potion is poison itself.
pThis skill instantly solved that problem.
p‘It is actually far more useful than most combat skills.’
pA massive experience jackpot plus additional benefits.
p“Right, the habit you told me…… You were right.”
pWhen they followed the advice Fafnir gave on the first day, Sihyun’s skill noticeably improved.
pIf someone had asked the same advice at the Sword Guild or among users, it would have cost tens or hundreds of millions of won.
p“If you have equipment problems later, send me a whisper. I don’t know if it will work, but I will try my best.”
p“Me too. Since the jackpot is here, if it is Fafnir-nim, I can serve you at any time!”
pWhile performing various tattoos, Siyeon could also accumulate countless experience and skill levels.
pItems were no different.
pUniverse Shards and Mana Crystals piled up 100 and 90 respectively.
pEquipment items dropped things like Crystal Dress (Unique) and Mysterious Crystal Ring (Rare).
pWhile experience kept piling up, another happy notification appeared.
pYou have leveled up!
pYou have reached level 200.
pYou have reached the Necromancer class master level.
pAll stats have increased by +10%.
pYou have achieved the new achievement [Mastering One Class].
pYou have obtained the new title [Class Master].
pWhen the title is equipped, all stats increase by +3, and skill casting speed and cooldown are reduced by 10%.
pClass master at level 200 at the same time!
pThe bloodline traits of the Dampyr are activated.
pThe Metal Damphir job is activated.
pIn addition, the existing Metal Damphir job was now fully opened.