Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Zone 5 - Abelloss Minor Nation (5)
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The familiar meadows of Zone 1 stretched out the moment I crossed the city limits.
But smack in the middle of those meadows stood something utterly out of place.
A bizarre structure I hadn't seen before.
It was a massive stone statue, towering well over human height.
I slowed down and approached it.
Up close, the Zone 1 statue didn't resemble a slime at all. It was more like an obelisk, etched with abstract patterns.
'So this is the teleportation stone for after the zone expansions.'
Judging it to be the teleportation stone described by that middle-aged NPC decked out in jewelry,
I reached out and touched its surface.
A system window popped up in front of me.
But without any zone expansions unlocked, there was only one option—and it was useless right now.
Just a hunk of rock for the time being.
I pulled my hand away without a second thought and turned around.
Zone 2, Wolves' Paradise.
This place had changed too.
Near the forest entrance, in a quiet spot few people frequented, stood a statue like the one in Zone 1.
Its surface was intricately carved with leaf motifs symbolizing the forest's vitality,
and abstract depictions of wolves.
I passed it by without stopping.
The hunters focused on their prey didn't notice me zipping past.
Zone 3.
As expected, this one had a clearing midway to the outpost,
with another statue planted right there.
It gave off a creepy totem vibe, spiked with sharp thorns.
Perfectly capturing Zone 3's dangerous, cunning atmosphere.
I took in the subtle changes across the zones without slowing down further, then stepped onto the magic circle leading to Zone 4.
Zone 4, Skeleton Domain.
Racing along the canyon, I headed to the deepest part of the domain.
Beyond the massive boss castle, to somewhere even further.
The very end.
Even before, Zone 4 had five main roads plus one narrow, treacherous side path.
That path used to end at a cave mouth,
but a transparent barrier divided the zone, blocking entry.
'There it is.'
I scaled down the cliff and stood before the cave entrance.
The transparent barrier was still there, but deactivated.
A damp, cool breeze wafted from inside.
Mixed in with Zone 4's dry air was a strange humidity and earthy scent.
I stepped straight into the cave's darkness.
The barrier let me through,
and the cave's unique air brushed my skin.
I wasn't expecting a first-entry achievement. I'd noticed from Zone 4 onward that the system's achievement directions shifted a bit.
The cave interior was pitch black, not a speck of light anywhere.
A normal person would need a torch or magic to see an inch ahead.
But at my level,
darkness was no obstacle.
My Agility stat over 50 let me perceive things in the dark like it was broad daylight.
My pupils dilated on their own, hearing and touch sharpened.
Stalactites, puddles on the floor, moss creeping along the walls—
everything mapped clearly in my mind.
I pressed deeper without hesitation,
and spent quite a while in the cave.
And now,
a faint light glimmered far ahead.
I sped up instantly,
rushed toward it, and burst out of the cave.
A wide-open view greeted me, along with a world utterly unlike anything before.
'. . .'
I stopped for a moment to take in the scenery.
Zone 5, Abelloss Minor Nation.
This place exuded a completely different vibe from the previous zones.
Gentle hills rolled across what felt like endless plains.
The sky, unlike the others, was clear and blue—mysterious with a subtle purple tint, not quite like Earth's.
Yet it felt somewhat artificial.
The hills were unnaturally uniform,
and amid beautiful flowers grew bizarre plants.
It sometimes felt like crash-landing on an alien planet.
Overall, though, Zone 5 appeared peaceful.
No monster presence here, unfortunately.
It was too quiet.
And the air felt thick with something,
so I activated a skill right away.
My senses expanded, the world reconstructing into flows of energy.
Mana particles in the air became vividly perceptible.
As expected.
The mana density here was far thicker and heavier than in Zone 4.
This peaceful-looking land was a danger zone brimming with high-concentration mana.
I deactivated the skill and returned to normal senses.
Anticipation swelled.
In an environment like this, the monsters had to be powerful.
Before properly exploring Zone 5,
I opened the system window to check the new quests.
Six in total.
As I scrolled through them, something caught my interest.
[Mongrel Hunt - Common Quest]
Go to Zone 5 and hunt 5 Mongrels
0/5
🎁 Reward: 100 EXP, 1,000 Gold
[Abellan (Common) Hunt - Common Quest]
Go to Zone 5 and hunt 5 Abellans (Common)
0/5
🎁 Reward: 200 EXP, 2,000 Gold
The common quests were split into Mongrels and Abellans—two distinct types.
This was the first time peer-level quests were so clearly separated.
And from the names alone, a hierarchy was obvious.
Mongrels were likely low-tier specimens or slave class.
As for Abellans...
Given the zone's name, Abelloss Minor Nation, they had to be the rulers and core monsters here.
I skimmed the rest.
[Abellan (Elite) Hunt - Advanced Quest]
Go to Zone 5 and hunt 5 Abellans (Elite)
0/5
🎁 Reward: 200 EXP, 2,000 Gold
[Abellan (Veteran) Hunt - Elite Quest]
Go to Zone 5 and hunt 1 Abellan (Veteran)
0/1
🎁 Reward: 200 EXP, 2,000 Gold
[Abellan Patriarch Hunt - Boss Quest]
Go to Zone 5 and hunt 1 Abellan Patriarch
0/1
🎁 Reward: 4,000 EXP, 40,000 Gold
Advanced quests, elite quests, boss quests... all targeted Abellans.
Clearly, Abellans were Zone 5's primary monsters, like slimes, wolves, goblins, and skeletons in their zones.
And with the "minor nation" naming, they likely had nation-level civilization—far more intelligent and organized than goblins or skeletons.
I paid little mind to the quest rewards themselves.
Hunting yielded far greater returns anyway.
My gaze lingered on the last one, the raid boss quest.
[Philist Subjugation]
Go to Zone 5 and hunt Philist
0/1
🎁 Reward: 20,000 EXP, 200,000 Gold
Raid boss.
A new tier of quest.
The first thing that hit me wasn't the name or worries about its strength.
It was the party limit implied by "raid."
The nuance screamed multi-player cooperation required.
I wondered,
the system wouldn't force solo impossibility, right?
Like needing a minimum party size to enter, or gimmicks uncrackable alone.
My old tower event theories were resurfacing here, hinting at validity.
If true, it'd be a headache.
Hunting it would be ridiculously inefficient.
But that was something to test firsthand.
I closed the quest window.
Finding monsters came first.
Mongrel or Abellan, they had to show up to progress quests.
I crouched low and dashed across the plains.
Whoosh!
The grass parted like it was bowing to the wind, clearing my path.
The deeper into Zone 5, the more the landscape shifted.
Gentle hills steepened, rocky mountains dotted the view.
Still no monsters.
Unlike Zones 3 or 4 teeming with them, this was sparse.
Too serene, too empty.
I pushed my speed harder.
Even without Divine Charge, my raw physical prowess cut through the air like wind.
Scanning as I crossed the plains, still no monster signs.
'Too vast.'
No time to measure exactly,
but Zone 4 felt about 50km across—huge for a hunting ground, fitting for superhumans.
This place dwarfed it.
Potentially more monsters overall, but hunting efficiency would suck.
Especially compared to Zones 3 and 4's linear paths packed with mobs.
The terrain here was open, no dense forests or canyons for clusters—yet nothing in sight.
Monsters were probably clustered in specific areas or had stealth skills.
'If they're not clustered in this huge zone, worse efficiency than Zone 4...'
I might need to revise plans.
Maybe expand Zone 4 and herd-farm it repeatedly.
To counter this, blindly roaming and wiping was inefficient.
Better to scout efficient spots.
Target dense settlements or elite high-EXP ones specifically.
Zone 5 demanded new hunting routes.
Of course,
this was just the entrance.
Too early to judge.
Their base had to be somewhere in this expanse.
Plus, beyond hunting, I had special quests in mind.
[Anillon's Introduction]
I needed to check the upper Haweshim River from this quest.
But after gathering basic monster intel first.
I shook off distractions and intensified the search.
Senses maxed, Energy Separation pulsed intermittently to track mana flows.
After cresting dozens of hills,
a faint presence finally registered.
I halted and turned toward it.
Far off, along a road, a group clustered.
I approached the monsters cautiously.
As distance closed, their forms sharpened.
Humanoid upper bodies, but scaly skin and serpentine tails for legs.
Scales covered torsos too, faces reptilian.
Snakefolk?
They wore crude leather garb, wielding spears or clubs.
Mixed among them were wolfmen and bearman-like variants.
About twenty in total.
Different races mingled?
Then these were the quest's Mongrels?
Assuming so, I observed from afar a bit longer.
True to "Mongrel," they were a motley, mismatched bunch.
Disorganized rabble.
But Zone 5 standards meant even these outclassed Zone 4 skeletons.
Too far for precise stats.
Unknown foes first—better gauge their level remotely before diving in.
Even if I could overwhelm, no need for close-quarters unless necessary.
Safer and smarter from range.
I touched the red gem ring on my finger.
My go-to ranged attack from the tower, used plenty.
Channeling mana, a sharp crystal shard formed.
I aimed for the group's center.
Shriek—!
The familiar shard sliced air, self-correcting trajectory to land overhead.
Boom!
It cratered the ground, unleashing a massive shockwave.
Bombardment-level power.
Blast radius spanned dozens of meters, sweeping all inside.
Dust settled to reveal carnage.
Bodies shredded beyond recognition.
Not a survivor.
I checked the system messages impassively.
. . .
Mongrels gave pathetically low EXP.
Disappointment and confusion hit simultaneously.
Zone 5, yet rewards this stingy.
Same-tier monsters, but varying EXP puzzled me.
Quest check: All counted as Mongrels.
Figuring this was Zone 5's gimmick, I resumed hunting.
Later, more packs across the plains—same results.
Miserable EXP only.
Mongrels were just fodder for numbers.
Disillusion grew.
If Zone 5 was this lame, no point coming here.
Quest efficiency was decent, though.
Mongrel hunt rewards were generous for the difficulty—doable for sub-10 stat weaklings, juicy payouts.
'Promised land for newbies and low-rankers.'
System seemed to designate Zone 5 fringes for them.
I decided to ignore Mongrels and push deeper.
Real EXP lay with Abellans.
After more travel,
the plains scenery shifted noticeably.
Fields of unknown crops appeared.
Farmland.
Clear sign of intelligent life.
'Abellan territory starts here, not Mongrel turf?'
I heightened alertness.
Could be Mongrel work too.
Skeletons ruled a castle, after all.
Following the path through crops, I spotted a small hut.
White smoke rose from the chimney.
Someone inside.
I suppressed my presence and approached.
Demi-god power slightly roused, just in case.
The door was ajar.
Clattering sounds and savory aromas wafted out.
I eased the door open and slipped in.
Spartan interior.
Wooden table and chairs, blanket in the corner.
Pot simmering over the hearth.
A small figure stood with its back to me.
It noticed and turned.
I froze for a split second.
It looked like a human child, around ten years old.
Innocent face, tiny hands and feet.
But closer inspection revealed differences.
Eyes faintly glowing, pale scales on neck and arms.
Abellan.
This kid was one.
But more shocking than the human-like appearance
was the child's words.
"Who are you?"
Clear pronunciation, perfect human speech.
A monster that could talk.
In human language, no less.