The Sacred Relics of Archisus

Tae-hyun’s mind spun rapidly. The countless experiences of cheesing quests he had accumulated over his gaming career came to his rescue.

An answer slipped out of his mouth instantly.

"…There ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is a way to resolve this."

The four heroes gasped in surprise.

Each of them had insisted on a completely different method of testing, yet the Pope claimed to have a solution that could satisfy everyone?

As expected of the Pope of the Archisus Church—he truly was on another level!

"W-What is this method?"

"A hero's strength, swordsmanship, magic, and eating ability... well, I suppose eating is a capability too. At any rate, there is a trial that can test every single one of these diverse talents."

Overcoming trials was the ultimate proof of a hero! The greater the trial one overcame, the more magnificent the hero.

"It is none other than a trial to retrieve the sacred relics of Archisus, which the Hungry Chaos stole and sealed away."

"Ah...!"

"The Hungry Chaos stole the sacred relics of Archisus?"

The innocent heroes swallowed Tae-hyun's words hook, line, and sinker. They genuinely believed that the Hungry Chaos had stolen and sealed the sacred relics.

Ba-eorma tilted his head in confusion and asked, "When exactly did the Hungry Chaos steal the sacred relics of Archisus?"

"I believe it was during the era of the Ancient Empire, though I'll have to look up the exact year later... Regardless, the important thing is that he stole them."

"I suppose that makes sense."

"???"

Drekal, the vampire swordsman, wore a highly skeptical expression. But the moment his eyes met Tae-hyun's, his face stiffened.

"Is there a problem, Drekal? Do you want me to summon the Counts?"

"N-No, not at all!"

Drekal instantly shut his mouth.

"In any case, considering how scattered the sacred relics of Archisus are, it is undoubtedly the work of the Hungry Chaos. Those bastards are always committing all sorts of heinous deeds."

"Indeed... If it is the Hungry Chaos, it is highly plausible."

Wardpeng nodded. Hearing it laid out like that, it sounded incredibly convincing!

"They are difficult to find because the minions of the Hungry Chaos are actively interfering. However, with the caliber of the heroes gathered here, you should easily overcome their interference and retrieve them."

"Wait a moment, Pope."

Wardpeng spoke up, having noticed a slight inconsistency.

Tae-hyun tensed. Did... did he catch on?

"If we all happen to find them at the exact same time, how will the victor be decided?"

"…An excellent question. In that case, the one who brings back two relics will win, obviously."

"But how are we to know where the sacred relics are located?"

"Deducing their locations is also part of the trial. If I were to simply hand you the answers, it wouldn't be a fair test, now would it?"

Tae-hyun didn't have a clue where they were either, but he smoothly brushed it off.

"However, I can offer you one clue. I have heard rumors that in the Zaion Mountains, a Demon Duke who has crossed over to the continent is currently in possession of one of Archisus's sacred relics."

"...!"

"A Demon Duke!"

The four heroes' expressions turned grim. Even for them, a Demon Duke was a formidable opponent.

Would they march into battle against a Demon Duke to seize the relic, or would they search for other relics scattered across the land?

Making that strategic decision was also a test of a hero's capability!

"?"

[?]

Tae-hyun and Carbanog were utterly dumbfounded.

Wait, I threw this quest out just to send these four guys as far away from each other as possible. Why is it popping up for everyone else?!

"Huh? A church-wide quest for the Archisus Church just popped up?"

"What is it? A title quest?"

"Whoa, the rewards look insane."

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠players affiliated with the Archisus Church began buzzing with excitement.

Typically, church-wide quests were notoriously difficult, but they offered equally spectacular rewards. It was impossible not to get excited over a quest issued to the entire denomination.

"The sacred relics of Archisus... that sounds incredibly tempting. Won't we get some crazy passive effect if we hold one?"

"Like, making random boxes 100% guaranteed to hit the jackpot...?"

"!"

Now that was a reward worth dying for!

Even the players operating the Goblin crafting machines nearby perked up their ears.

"Hey, did you hear? Apparently, the sacred relics of Archisus are absolutely broken."

"How broken?"

"Just having one in your inventory makes low-grade random boxes yield rewards as good as top-grade ones."

"F-For real?!"

The Valley was a place where rumors spread like wildfire. Of course, wild fabrications spread just as quickly.

As a result, the Valley began to swarm with players blinded by pure greed.

We must obtain the sacred relics of Archisus!

They came from all walks of life.

Combat classes, crafting classes, artistic classes—everyone lusted after the sacred relics of Archisus!

If Tae-hyun had witnessed this scene himself, he would have been deeply moved.

Ah, to think ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the day would come when Archisus is this popular!

"Gusirek, is your strength recovering at all?"

"If that fortress weren't there, I would be recovering much faster."

The Demon Duke, Gusirek, pointed at the fortress and grumbled.

The fortress, imbued with the power of various gods, constantly radiated holy energy into the surrounding desert. For a Demon Duke, it was an incredibly agonizing structure to be near.

"Well, nothing can be done about that. Just bear with it and focus on recovering."

Tae-hyun casually brushed him off.

It was obvious that once Gusirek fully recovered his strength, he would immediately flee back to the Demon Realm. While he was obligated to lend his strength when fighting other Demon Dukes, he had no such obligation for anything else.

If Tae-hyun were in his shoes, he would have bolted back to the Demon Realm at the first opportunity too. Who would want to linger here after being summoned out of nowhere and captured by the minions of the Hungry Chaos?

What was truly surprising was that Gusirek barely even asked about Gusion. It was the epitome of hands-off parenting.

Well, I might as well squeeze out every drop of utility from him while I can.

"Alright, Gusirek. Help me craft this."

"To make me perform such lowly, menial labor... Ah, no! I told you to stop spraying that holy water! Treat me with proper respect! I am a Duke, one of the sovereign rulers of the Demon Realm!"

"I am a King and a Pope. I outrank you."

The sheer, unadulterated shamelessness of comparing a Central Continent kingdom's noble title to a peerage of the Demon Realm!

Gusirek was left utterly speechless by his audacity. How could someone be this shameless?

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Tae-hyun was currently forging an upgraded version of his signature weapon.

At this point, it could no longer be called a mere "Roughly Made Unstable Steel Sword."

With the buff provided by Demon Duke Gusirek, the buff from the Hungry Chaos, and all the cumulative bonuses Tae-hyun had amassed over time, he was receiving a unique set of multipliers that no other blacksmith on the continent could ever hope to replicate.

Sssssss—

The high-quality steel folded in an instant, rapidly taking the shape of a blade.

Tae-hyun checked the other sword he had crafted. Its stats were slightly different.

"..."

This one was heavily focused on fire attributes!

The other sword had stats geared toward demonic power.

Interesting. Since I threw in a bunch of different ingredients, are the attributes determined randomly?

In an ideal world, he would have loved for all the options to be packed into a single sword, but that was honestly asking for too much. That would be completely shameless!

Besides, he could just swap weapons depending on the situation. He was more than capable of managing that much.

...Well, Sadiq's Flame is technically holy-adjacent, so it counts.

Because he had focused on adding Chaos options, infusing the Demon Duke's power, and forging it with Sadiq's Flame, there simply hadn't been any room left to squeeze in other stats.

It was quite ironic that a weapon crafted by the Pope of the Archisus Church didn't have "Archisus" or "Luck" anywhere in its name.

"...Would you get the hell away from here?!"

"W-What...! Didn't you tell me to help?!"

Gusirek was furious. Instead of being honored that a Demon Duke had personally assisted in the crafting process, this human dared to speak to him like that?!

"Ugh. That bastard Gusirek probably rubbed off on it."

Tae-hyun grumbled. But there was nothing he could do about it now. The crafting buff provided by a Demon Duke was simply too good of an option to pass up.

He might be called a Demon Duke, but no one on the continent could handle one as casually as Tae-hyun did and walk away unscathed.

If he told any other blacksmith, "Hey, I summon a Demon Duke to get a buff whenever I craft items," they would look at him and say, "What kind of absolute nonsense is that?"

"Hmm... Da-bi. Where is the most scenic, peaceful, and beautiful place in Pan-On?"

Now that he had dealt with the heroes trying to tear down his fortress and finished crafting his swords, Tae-hyun was planning to take a break for the first time in a very long while.

Of course, while he called it a "vacation," his actual plan was to head there and grind the skills he had been putting off...

That basically counts as resting.

Until the dragon egg hatched, he wanted to show it only the most beautiful sights and let it hear only the most pleasant sounds!

"Let's see... There are plenty of tourist destinations, but..."

Starting from the Erangs Kingdom, there were countless places worth visiting.

"The Valley actually has quite a lot of highly positive reviews."

"Not the Valley," Tae-hyun said firmly.

He was the lord of the Valley, but no matter how he looked at it, the place felt incredibly ominous! He was terrified that bringing the egg there would have a terrible influence on it.

"But just looking for a 'scenic place' is a bit too vague. I think we need to decide on a specific direction."

"Hmm."

She had a point. There were all kinds of terrains: forests, plains, oceans, deserts, volcanoes, and glaciers. Which of these would be best?

"Since it's a Red Dragon, wouldn't a desert or a volcano be the most fitting?"

"But to help it overcome its elemental weaknesses, a glacier might actually be a better choice..."

"Maybe a temple would work too. Oh, should we go on a temple pilgrimage? I still have a bunch of contribution points stacked up with the other churches..."

If the bishops of those churches heard this, they would have fainted on the spot. Fortunately, they were currently on their way back.