The Sealed Sanctuary
After shifting all the blame onto Sadiq, Tae-hyun checked on the hostage. The hostage NPC, completely oblivious to the fact that he had almost been incinerated by Sadiq's Flame, cried out with pure innocence.
"I knew you would come to save me! Of course someone had to help, but when no one showed up, I was starting to wonder what was taking so long."
You have discovered the missing hidden son of Count Besgo!
Thwart the Hostage Plot
The Idergo Cult planned to take the children of influential nobles hostage to manipulate them. Prevent this heinous plot from succeeding!
The wicked Idergo Cult was taking hostages to control the continent's prominent figures... Wait, taking hostages wasn't something only other cults could do. Though risky, if he took them hostage himself...
'No, this is insane.'
He understood the quest to rescue the hostage, but he hadn't expected a prompt suggesting, "Hey, let's take some hostages of our own while we're at it!"
Of course, Tae-hyun ignored it.
You have abandoned the quest.
He wasn't short on gold, nor was his cult in any danger, so why on earth would he resort to a hostage situation? Under different circumstances, maybe...
"Um, first, could you give me something to eat and drink? Those smelly bastards never gave me anything decent."
Count Besgo's son held out his hand, demanding food and drink. His attitude was arrogant, as if Tae-hyun owed him a living.
However, Tae-hyun decided to be generous. For now, the boy might still be useful.
"Hmm. I'm not sure if I have anything suitable."
Tae-hyun picked up a stray iron chain rolling around the floor and began to knead and mold it.
—Akiersus's Authority Cooking!
Akiersus's Authority Cooking
Transforming all things in the world through the power of Akiersus...
It was a skill that shattered the stereotype that you needed actual ingredients to cook. A skill that could make even the dirt on the street edible!
...Of course, taste was an entirely different matter. Especially when whipped up so carelessly, one had to make allowances for the flavor.
"It looks like it'll be exceptionally rich in iron."
Having crafted a Cast Iron Rice Ball, Tae-hyun handed it to the Count's son. It was a rare display of kindness from him.
"...Are you out of your mind?!"
Slap!
The Count's son slapped Tae-hyun's hand away and barked.
Honestly, a perfectly natural reaction! Even the Idergo Cult had brought him stale bread and smelly water; they hadn't said, "Hey, try chewing on this iron chain."
"Did you just slap my hand?"
"You're supposed to give me food, not this crap... Are you mocking me?! If you came to rescue me, do it properly!"
"Sadiq's Flame. Flame Whip."
Whoosh!
Tae-hyun summoned Sadiq's Flame and shaped it into a whip using Word Magic. Since Sadiq's Flame was a divine authority, it consumed very little MP, so he used it often. On the other hand, Word Magic consumed a massive amount of MP, so he usually saved it.
But as for why he used it now...
"Aaaaargh!"
"Haha. My hand slipped."
Crack! Crack!
You are currently threatening the son of Count Besgo! If this fact becomes known...
Several warning windows popped up, but Tae-hyun ignored them. As long as he didn't get caught, it didn't matter.
"Do you have any idea how many of those Idergo Cult bastards I had to clear out to get here? What? The food doesn't taste good?"
"Argh! Aaaaargh! Please stop!"
"There are slaves in this world who work their asses off while eating all kinds of garbage, you brat!"
You possess the Supreme Eloquence skill.
Persuasion Successful!
The Count's son was utterly terrified and hung his head. This guy is a complete psychopath!
"I'll eat it! I'll eat it!"
"Good. Eat it with gratitude. It looks like you've been locked up here for a long time..."
As he spoke, Tae-hyun felt a sudden wave of doubt. Count Besgo didn't really seem to be actively searching for this son of his...
'Did he give up on him?'
Maybe he couldn't find him and just forgot and gave up, or maybe he didn't care much from the very beginning. Tae-hyun decided not to say it out loud. It was a bit too pitiful.
"Intruder! How dare you—"
An Idergo Cult warrior suddenly appeared from behind, only to be sent rolling with a single strike of the fire whip.
"Aaaaargh! The fire! The fire! My plague barrier!"
"Since you've been locked up here for so long, do you know if there's any important place around here?"
"Huh? Uh..."
The Count's son stole a glance at Tae-hyun's hands. A sword in one hand, a blazing fire whip in the other. If I can't think of anything, is he going to lash me with that?
"Th-there is a sanctuary in the center of the temple where only the high-ranking members gather to pray... Wouldn't that place be important?"
"Hmm. I feel like I've already burned down a lot of it... but sure, let's go check it out."
Tae-hyun felt like he had already burned plenty of prayer sanctuaries and statues, but he decided to go anyway. He had nothing to lose.
And above all...
'Carbanog. It just occurred to me, but this might not actually be an Archisus temple.'
"..."
Normally, if it were an Archisus temple, some trace of the Archisus Cult should have turned up by the time he burned this much of it. But there was nothing of the sort here. It just looked like a plain old Idergo temple!
'Well, whatever. What's done is done. Might as well wipe out the Idergo Cult completely.'
"That is an exceptionally positive way of looking at things."
Tae-hyun's party cleared the Idergo temple in a textbook fashion. It had been a while since they had done a proper dungeon run! They entered a room, wiped out the enemies, moved to the next room... and set everything on fire along the way.
'But is there no boss monster here?'
Tae-hyun cleared the enemies with a puzzled expression. From what he could tell, the enemies' levels didn't seem to exceed 200 or 300... Shouldn't they be a bit higher level if they were capable of kidnapping a Count's son?
You have arrived at the Secret Sanctuary of Idergo in the center of the temple!
If you burn down this sacred place, the Idergo Cult will become extremely enraged...
"Sadiq's Flame!"
Since their relationship was already as bad as it could get, there was nothing to hesitate about. It wasn't like things could get any worse!
"Aaaaargh! You intruder! We will never forgive you! May the curse of Lord Idergo be upon you!"
"Once the slave returns, you will..."
"?"
Tae-hyun looked at Cain. The others also looked at Cain.
"I-I'm not the only slave in the world, you know."
"Well, that's true."
Whoosh—
The fire Tae-hyun set quickly enveloped the central sanctuary, burning it rapidly. Various items and decorations of the Idergo Cult turned to ash in an instant.
"It burns well."
"...But seriously, is there really no boss monster?"
Not only Tae-hyun, but the others were also slightly bewildered. Was there really no such thing in this dungeon?
Crack! Crash!
The central statue of the Idergo Cult has collapsed!
The divine flames have cleansed the corruption of Idergo!
The path to the sealed area has been opened!
The Ancient Temple of Archisus has appeared!
"Huh?"
"??????"
As the central statue collapsed, an underground door appeared beneath it! Tae-hyun was the most shocked of all when the Temple of Archisus actually showed up.
"...I knew it! Those Idergo Cult bastards! How dare they occupy the Temple of Archisus and pretend they didn't know!"
To be precise, they had built a new temple on top of the Archisus temple, but...
The Idergo Cult discovered the ancient temple of Archisus and attempted to break inside, but failed. Instead, they sealed the entrance and built their own temple over it to cover it up.
However, thanks to you, their heinous plot has been thwarted!
You have successfully wiped out the wicked cultists and uncovered the space where the ancient temple of Archisus rightfully belongs.
As the rightful Avatar of Archisus, step inside!
"...!"
In short, this temple had been built specifically to seal away the ancient temple of Archisus! Looking at the Idergo NPCs, it seemed this had happened so long ago that even they didn't realize that was the temple's original purpose.
'If it was sealed so tightly that even the Idergo Cult NPCs couldn't get in, just how heavily fortified is it?'
Tae-hyun opened the door to the ancient temple.
The solemn judgment of Archisus is testing you!
Without the permission of Archisus, terrifying dangers may befall you.
Message windows popped up with every step he took.
'Ah. I see.'
Tae-hyun realized what kind of place this was. It was a space similar to when he used his skills. A place where a luck roll was made at every single moment, and if you failed, you were cursed!
Unless you were someone qualified like Tae-hyun, even if you managed to pass a few times by sheer luck, you would eventually be completely destroyed.
"Everyone, wait outside. If you come in carelessly, you might end up in a world of hurt."
Tae-hyun descended inside. What on earth would be inside an ancient temple of Archisus?
'Hmm. Honestly, nothing would surprise me at this point.'
"I agree."
The inside of the temple wasn't very spacious. The square underground chamber contained nothing but a few simple chairs and a wall engraved with the crest of Archisus.
'I was hoping there'd be at least a few expensive statues...'
You have discovered the Sealed Chest of Archisus!
'Right. There has to be at least something like this.'
Tae-hyun pointed at the chest with a satisfied expression. Traditionally, Archisus was a god with excellent compatibility with gacha. Since he had made it all the way here, surely something decent would come out!
"Look closely. That is not a gacha; it is simply a chest meant to imprison something."
"...Ah, I see."
So it wasn't a random drop, but a chest that sealed something away!
'But still, shouldn't there be something good inside?'
The Avatar of Archisus can undo this seal in the name of Archisus.
Would you like to undo the seal and take the contents of this chest?
"Yes."
Flash!
The seal of Archisus has been undone!
Clank, clank, clank—
The chest, which had been bound by numerous seals, instantly unlocked and swung wide open. A powerful energy surged out from within.
◈ Description: A powerful and highly sacred relic of the Idergo Cult. This relic, which contains the essence of Idergo, cannot be handled by just anyone.
◈ Effect: The true power of Idergo is sealed within!
"...?"
Tae-hyun was slightly taken aback. He had expected to receive an item related to Archisus...
'No, thinking about it, this temple might have been built specifically to seal away the Idergo bastards.'
Normally, one would destroy such a thing, but keeping it neatly preserved in a chest was indeed very typical of Archisus. Tae-hyun picked up the Fragment of Idergo. He knew it was a powerful item, but could he actually make good use of it?
Idergo is enraged and demands that you remove your filthy hands from him!
"!"
Startled, Tae-hyun dropped the fragment.
"Incredible! I was wondering where Idergo had gone, but to think he actually sealed himself inside his own fragments!"
After the massive clash between the demon dukes and the gods, both sides had completely departed the continent. Only exceptions who hadn't even participated, like Carbanog, remained. It was safe to assume all the major gods had left.
But Idergo was different. Instead of leaving, he had split himself into fragments and scattered them across the continent.
This way, he could evade the surveillance of the other gods and demons, and if he gathered all the pieces later, he could resurrect himself!
It was a cheap trick, but a remarkably bold one.
Of course, losing a fragment was a massive blow, and if it fell into someone else's hands, he would end up sealed like this.
"That seems like an incredibly stupid thing to do."
Tae-hyun criticized him bluntly. It seemed far smarter for the other gods to leave the continent and simply grant power from afar. What was he going to do about the consequences if he pulled a stunt like this and failed?
Idergo threatens you, warning you to fear his followers. He claims they will gather the fragments once more and resurrect him...
"No, but you've already been caught like this."
...