Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Hell Gate
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"It's done!!"
"We finally finished!!"
Waaaaaaaaah―――!!
Waaaaaah―――!!
As the alert window rang out, the Genesis Unit members gathered there erupted in cheers all at once.
"Quiet, everyone."
The noisy members fell silent in an instant at the voice of the man standing on the platform.
"You've all worked hard. Hunting down ten thousand demonic beasts was no easy task."
The man, dressed in a pure white robe like some cult leader, looked down at the hundreds of members and spoke.
"It would have been absolutely impossible without you."
The man was Karyu, the leader of the Genesis Unit.
"Now then."
His pale skin and long, straight black hair gave him a mystical appearance, but it occasionally sent chills down the spine.
As he reached toward the jar on the platform, a purple mist began to rise.
Swoooooosh―――!!!
Red lights poured from every corner of the temple like an aurora, only to be sucked into the jar in an instant.
"Hm."
Karyu gazed at the dark red liquid in the jar, a satisfied expression on his face.
He then pulled a coin from his pocket and dropped it into the jar.
"Kuh?!"
"Kyaaak……!!"
The members clutched their ears at the ear-splitting scream.
"Solitude Poison is the deadliest of deadly poisons. They say even demons bow to this one brewed from souls."
Karyu's lips twisted oddly as he stared at the bubbling Solitude Poison in the jar.
"The quest isn't over yet. We will head to a new world."
Waaaaaaaaah―――!!!
The members cheered as if entranced by his words.
"Everyone, come forward and place your grave goods into the jar!!"
At his command, the members began ascending the platform one by one.
"Only when all the grave goods are filled will the Hell Gate open."
Madness beyond joy gleamed on their faces as the alert appeared.
"Damn……."
But one person couldn't laugh in this situation.
Colson.
'To think they'd use grave goods like this…….'
His face grew stiffer with each member climbing the platform.
Unlike other quests, there was no choice here.
'What do I do? If the leader finds out I don't have any grave goods…….'
If the quest failed because of him…….
He didn't even want to imagine the consequences.
He might never set foot on the Central Continent again.
No, knowing the leader…….
He might even have to quit the game.
'I absolutely can't let that happen!'
Gulp.
Colson swallowed dryly in tension.
'The good news is not all the members who went hunting demonic beasts have returned yet.'
Squeeze.
He clenched his fist tighter.
'I have to get those coins back from him somehow…….'
"Boss."
It was then.
Someone quietly approached the anxious Colson from behind.
"We got word that Peron was seen leaving Agen Trading Company at dawn today."
"Agen Trading? You mean Hundred Flowers Valley?"
"Yes. That's right."
"What the hell is that guy doing there?"
"We'd have to check, but…… maybe he's preparing to head to the Central Continent?"
"Him?"
Colson frowned and shot his subordinate a glance.
'A guy who's been clinging to us because he had no backing until now, suddenly?'
One question popped into Colson's mind.
'Come to think of it, he was the one who sold the Dragon Horse Stone at the black market in Moretti not long ago.'
After losing his grave goods in the Blood Cave, Colson had tried contacting Peron again, but there was no response.
On top of that, Peron had disbanded the Blanc Clan that Colson had created, so he'd been harboring suspicions all along.
'Someone's definitely backing him now.'
In that moment, Woojin's face flashed in Colson's mind.
The absurdly strong guy who overwhelmed them despite being low-level.
'If Peron's latched onto him…… but time-wise, that guy couldn't have leveled up enough to reach the Central Continent already.'
"I see. So that's it."
Colson nodded with a sinister smile, as if he'd figured it out.
"That bastard…… it was a sub-account."
That made sense.
His unbelievable strength, and the reason Peron was heading to the Central Continent.
"Yeah, that's it. He has a separate main account. A Central Continent character over level 50."
It felt like all the puzzle pieces had fallen into place.
Elated at finding a solution, Colson urgently beckoned his subordinate.
"Report to me immediately when Peron heads to the Central Continent. Who he meets, what he does—everything, down to the last detail."
"Got it."
'No matter what, I have to get those grave goods back.'
Grind.
Colson slipped out of the temple quietly with his subordinate.
"What do you mean it's weird? What are you talking about?"
Setsuna, who had come up with Woojin, began wandering around the ship.
-It's just…… I don't smell any death scent.
"Death scent……? What's that?"
-The smell of dead people.
Woojin's face hardened slightly at Setsuna's words.
"So you're saying no one's died here?"
-Yes. At least, as far as I can tell.
'This is strange. Chalson clearly said the captain died and the ship came back alone…….'
So what happened to the captain?
'There has to be something hidden on this ship.'
Remembering Setsuna's words, Woojin opened the door to the wheelhouse where the ship's helm was.
The ship hadn't been sailed in ages, but it had been the sailors' lucky charm, so it was impeccably maintained.
-And the wood used in the ship is Sea King Wood.
"Sea King Wood?"
-Yes.
A golden glowing book appeared in Setsuna's hand.
She then recalled the memories absorbed from the item in Chalson's warehouse.
'Ancient Wisdom has this function too, huh.'
He'd thought it only extracted experience from artifacts, but apparently it could pull up related information as well.
-They say only the Bolton family can handle Sea King Wood.
"Bolton family…… Chalson, do you know anything about them?"
"Bolton? Of course. The captain of this ship, the Lady Ship, was from the Bolton family."
"Really?"
"They were a seafaring family that roamed the oceans in the past. But they're extinct now."
"You know much about the family?"
Chalson shook his head at Woojin's question.
"No. They were gone before I was even born."
"Hmm, I see."
Considering the gnomes' long lifespans, it might have been an ancient family older than expected.
"What the hell possessed him?"
Woojin muttered softly and casually placed his hand on the ship's helm.
"……Hm?"
A strange sensation under his fingers.
[Light guides the way.]
As he lifted his hand, an engraved phrase on the helm caught his eye.
"Light, huh……."
Creak.
He turned the helm 180 degrees.
Another phrase was engraved on the bottom part.
[The ship advances only toward the light.]
'Light means lighthouse. And this ship heads toward one.'
The thought made him certain this ship was linked to the uncharted Black Fog area.
But that was all he could uncover.
He left the wheelhouse and inspected the ship everywhere, but found no other peculiarities.
"Khan!! Are we setting off right now?"
Chalson, waiting for him, shouted from the harbor.
"No. We'll go after a bit more investigation."
"Hmm…… Alright, do as you please. The day's started, so I should head back to the trading company."
"See you later."
"By the way. An uncharted area means we haven't explored it, right? I doubt there's more to investigate."
Chalson looked at Woojin worriedly.
"There is."
Unlike him, Woojin smiled meaningfully at the blue window before his eyes.
"A method only for outsiders."
It was the in-game community window.
-Hey, any brave souls gonna攻略 the Black Fog?
-Give it up. Even top rankers have given up for a reason.
-Is it that tough?
-Nah, you can't even enter to begin with.
The posts that came up when searching Black Fog in the community window were mostly worthless.
"Can't even enter to begin with, huh……."
But even such posts held information.
'There must be entry conditions. And it's probably…… this ship.'
Sitting in a restaurant by the harbor, Woojin glanced at the docked ship.
-A guy who grinded Black Fog for a year and made it to Central Continent.
Then a post caught his eye.
-I've given up, but I'm leaving the info I gathered in case it helps.
"Author…… Ack? Keruga?"
Woojin was surprised by the unexpected name.
'Well, no rule says top rankers can't use the community…….'
Maybe because of his major achievements.
Keruga's name was something like an object of awe to players.
Woojin held him in high regard too, so he couldn't help but be interested in his post.
1. To reach Black Fog, you need a ship. I bought and tried every ship at the shipyard in Hundred Flowers Valley, but fog blocked entry.
2. I suspect a special ship is required.
3. Probably something like the goddess-statued ship owned by the trading company docked at the harbor. But since I can't acquire it, maybe not.
'Sorry, but there was a way to get it.'
Woojin chuckled and scrolled down.
4. There's a drunk in the brothel alley talking about Black Fog.
5. Inside the plaza, under the brown roof, there's a kid begging to be taken to Black Fog.
6. Near Black Fog, there's a field boss: Ghost Ship.
"This…… is more impressive than I thought?"
The remaining three points in Keruga's community post were things even Woojin didn't know.
Especially the Ghost Ship—he wouldn't have known without going out to sea himself.
"Trailblazers have their advantages, but so do latecomers. Thanks for saving me time, Keruga."
It was then.
The city buzzed at the alert echoing from the sky and the records that appeared.
"Whoa……! Did the Phoenix Unit finally clear the 10th floor?"
"It took them almost 2 hours? That's the longest so far, isn't it?"
"Insane……."
Proof of a fierce battle, perhaps.
People couldn't hold back their admiration looking at the dungeon board records.
"As expected…… Trailblazers have their own strengths."
Woojin closed the community window and smirked at the sky alert.
Though they'd never met, the two were strangely aware of each other bit by bit.
"Luen."
"Mmm…… Mmph! Ah, yes? Yes!!"
She, dozing off across from him with her head nodding, jolted awake at Woojin's voice and replied.
"Let's go. Place to check."
"Ah, yes! W-wait a sec!"
She stuffed the uneaten pie into her mouth as she stood.
"Why are you so out of it?"
"……Sorry."
"Didn't sleep last night? What were you doing?"
"No, it's just……."
Luen floundered at Woojin's question, unable to answer.
-She says she pulled an all-nighter worrying about Master.
Luen, flustered, put her index finger to her lips and signaled Setsuna to shush.
"What?"
Woojin stared at her in surprise at the unexpected answer.
"Let's go!! Hurry!"
Not even hearing the direction, Luen started walking away like she was fleeing.
"Don't do unnecessary stuff next time. Just sleep."
Passing her, Woojin said it casually.
His tone was curt.
Luen nodded meekly, head down, unable to say a word.
"……Won't collapse again."
Luen looked up.
It was a curt tone not directed at her as he looked ahead, but strangely, she believed it.
"Yes!"
She followed behind Woojin.