Chapter 109
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Aftermath and Rewards
Back on the deck of the Black Dragon.
Everyone was exhausted and weary, but there were still things to be done.
Seong Yu-jin went down to the cabins with Park Han-yeong to wash Choi Yu-ra and change her clothes.
Yang Jun-gyu returned to the cockpit to pilot the Black Dragon back to Sicily, and Kim Kang-san, worried about the lack of news from Oh Ha-na, headed for the stern.
Kang-seok, slumped on the deck, took another look at the Thunderclap in his hand.
It was an unremarkable red hammer, but it was a true Divine Artifact that had created an island in the sea.
He was lucky to have retrieved it. What would have happened if he had truly lost it in the vast, open ocean?
Visions of the priests of the Red God and the God of the Hunt charging with bamboo spears flashed through his mind.
“Like the ‘Morning’s Glory,’ it’s out of power for now. There’s no guarantee it will fly back like before, so please don’t throw it.”
Sekhmet, who had remained on deck with Kang-seok, said emphatically, as if giving a stern warning.
The Divine Artifacts, Morning’s Glory and Thunderclap.
Kang-seok looked back and forth between the two artifacts before lifting Thunderclap slightly. He made a light motion of striking the air.
“This is truly incredible.”
A single swing of the hammer had created an island, albeit a small one.
Although he had been the one to do it, thinking back on it now, it was an absurd amount of power. With this power, what else could he accomplish?
Sekhmet, who had quickly raised her hands as if worried about the hammer, cleared her throat with a cough and spoke.
“Dark Des… Sir Choi Kang-seok, no, Kang-seok, you know you’re amazing too, right? No one has ever used Thunderclap to perform a miracle of this magnitude since Lord Little Tree.”
“Well, I feel like I was just pushed into it.”
Would another miracle occur if he swung it again?
It seemed unlikely, even after Thunderclap and Morning’s Glory had recovered enough divine power. Today’s miracle had only been possible because of the gods’ permission.
‘So they really do exist in this world. Gods.’
The Four Great Gods.
The principal deities of this world, worshipped by nearly all of ‘humanity.’
He had acknowledged this fact several times before, but their existence felt new and profound once again.
The two Divine Artifacts had played a decisive role in the second World Quest.
The Four Great Gods had intervened in the World Quest. Did that mean they were truly the ones who caused the Great Summoning?
Pushing aside his complex thoughts, he looked up to see Sekhmet giving him a thumbs-up.
“Still, you’re the one who figured out how to use the Divine Artifact, Kang-seok, so you should be proud. I, a top candidate to be Lady Tehenut’s successor, approve.”
Charmed by her cute and adorable appearance, Kang-seok unconsciously reached out and patted Sekhmet’s head, letting out a small laugh.
“Why are you being so nice today?”
“Because you’re the hero who resolved this crisis. The Red God Cult or even my Yellow God Cult might even proclaim you a saint.”
He had used a Divine Artifact to perform a miracle that could not be dismissed as coincidence, so he was certainly qualified.
But a saint?
Kang-seok shivered as if just hearing the word gave him goosebumps, then secured Thunderclap to his waist. As he leaned his back against the deck railing, the Black Dragon began to move as if on cue.
The second World Quest, the Divine Artifacts of the Four Great Gods.
Perhaps because the tension had finally eased, his eyes closed on their own. If he let his guard down now, he felt he would pass out and sleep for at least a full day.
‘Why not?’
He was worried about how he would smell when he woke up, covered in seawater and sweat, but that was a problem for later.
Kang-seok closed his eyes, surrendering to the blowing wind. But just before he drifted off, a sudden thought made his eyes snap open.
“Oh, Kang-seok?”
Sekhmet, who had been squatting and watching Kang-seok with a warm expression, was so startled that she fell back on her bottom. Instead of helping her, Kang-seok shot up from his spot and looked out at the sea.
The massive body of Sea Emperor Vepar, split in two, had long since sunk into the ocean. The beautiful woman’s body, presumed to be its true form, had shattered before Kang-seok’s eyes and scattered in the wind, leaving no trace behind.
“Looting… what about the loot?”
The act of acquiring items from the corpses or remains of defeated monsters.
Kang-seok let out a long sigh, while Sekhmet, clueless, just blinked repeatedly.
But it was at that very moment.
***
“Are you alive?”
“Evangeline.”
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor, who had been floating on his back on the now-calm surface of the sea, came face-to-face with Evangeline. Possessing the powers of both vampire and human, she spread the large bat-like wings that sprouted from her back. She stood in mid-air as if on an invisible glass floor, extending a hand to him.
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor stared blankly at her hand, then let his body go limp again.
“I’m exhausted.”
It wasn’t a refusal, but a lack of strength even to grasp her hand.
Evangeline blinked, somewhat taken aback, then burst into laughter. Using telekinesis, one of her vampiric abilities, she lifted the Heavenly Dragon Emperor from the water’s surface. She held his limp body in her arms as if carrying a princess.
“So you’re human after all.”
Instead of denying it, the Heavenly Dragon Emperor simply entrusted his body to Evangeline. He had been using a ki circulation skill while floating like a jellyfish on the water, but his internal energy was so depleted that his condition hadn't improved.
“What about Choi Kang-seok?”
At the expected question, Evangeline gave a wry smile filled with various meanings. Readjusting her hold on the Heavenly Dragon Emperor, she slowly ascended into the air and replied.
“Well, probably resting on his airship? I saw him heading toward that black airship in his lover’s arms.”
The phrase ‘in his lover’s arms’ made Evangeline briefly think of her current situation with the Heavenly Dragon Emperor, causing a slight flush of embarrassment, but like the seasoned vampire she was, she maintained her composure on the outside.
“I’m telling you now, we’re not going to that airship. Just rest for now.”
Though the situation might have been heart-pounding for some, the Heavenly Dragon Emperor’s gaze was fixed on the Black Dragon, its presence clear under the bright moon.
When Evangeline spoke so firmly, the Heavenly Dragon Emperor nodded readily instead of being stubborn. There was nothing they could do even if they met now, as both sides were exhausted.
“Evangeline.”
“What is it?”
“As always, thank you.”
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor said bluntly, his face impassive. But whether it was because she was wearing rose-tinted glasses or because she knew he was naturally expressionless, Evangeline’s lips curled into a slight smile.
“If you know, then treat me well.”
“I will.”
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor replied as he always did. But Evangeline, unable to bear the awkwardness, finally looked away. She gazed elsewhere and changed the subject.
“Anyway, the World Quest. Right, you cleared it. Did you get anything? Besides Kron or whatever.”
It seemed Players received something called experience and Kron when they defeated monsters, but that was useless to Evangeline, an adventurer.
Something visible.
A tangible reward she could hold in her hands.
Instead of answering immediately, the Heavenly Dragon Emperor gazed into the air. He moved his fingers—the only parts of him he could move—to review the characters of light that had appeared after the quest.
Thanks to defeating the Demonic Beast Allocen, earning MVP, and playing a major role in the fight against Sea Emperor Vepar, more than twenty lines of light-text had accumulated.
“There is one unusual thing.”
“What is it?”
Something he couldn’t show Evangeline.
But something the Heavenly Dragon Emperor had definitely obtained the moment he defeated Allocen and became MVP.
“A dungeon key. To be precise, a key to a Demonic Beast’s chamber.”
“A key?”
“Yes, a key.”
The image of a key made of light formed in the Heavenly Dragon Emperor’s mind.
***
[Do you remember when we discussed how each of the Demonic Beasts might have its own dungeon?]
At Iris’s question, Kang-seok thought about what came next.
The reason Iris had asked such a question in the first place.
“The place where the monsters came from.”
Where had the monsters that attacked Sicily come from? Could so many of them have appeared through summoning magic?
No. The monsters had simply walked out of the place where they originally resided.
The tutorial location, Dungeon Labyrinthos. The many monsters that filled it.
Sea Emperor Vepar surely had a dungeon as well. If more than five Demonic Beasts were present besides Vepar, its scale would naturally be vast. It wouldn’t be strange for thousands of monsters to have resided within it.
As Kang-seok quickly grasped the situation, a cheerful lilt entered Iris’s voice.
[We estimate there’s a dungeon entrance near Sicily. Perhaps there are individual chambers for each Demonic Beast inside?]
Among the things Kang-seok had obtained for becoming the quest MVP was something called ‘Key to Sea Emperor Vepar’s Chamber.’ It wasn’t a physical object but was represented by characters of light, almost like a title.
Kang-seok nodded slowly. Since the monsters had emerged from beneath the sea, the dungeon entrance was likely underwater as well. And there were probably very few monsters left inside.
Only a few Players were selected as MVP and VP, but even those who weren't named received varying amounts of Kron and experience as rewards based on their contributions.
The RTS Player, Jang Tae-san, was a good example. Though he hadn't been named in any of the Demonic Beast subjugation quests, he had made a significant contribution to the second World Quest itself, earning more Kron and experience than the average Player.
Regular Players would also be able to acquire various goods from Sea Emperor Vepar’s dungeon.
It was a natural reward, when he thought about it.
It was a large-scale battle with over five hundred Players participating.
While the Kron and experience rewards were appealing, it was also true that they felt insufficient on their own.
If only a very small number of Players could obtain items or goods, ordinary Players would have much less motivation to participate in World Quests.
The Key to Demonic Beast Vepar’s Chamber.
As the MVP for both the Sea Emperor Vepar subjugation quest and the entire second World Quest, Kang-seok’s Kron reward was massive, but he still couldn't pass up on items.
He didn’t know what might be in Sea Emperor Vepar’s chamber yet, but a smile naturally formed on his lips.
Quest rewards that not only satisfied one’s material desires but also provided a sense of accomplishment were important for motivation.
[So you don’t have to worry anymore.]
[Rest easy and get some deep sleep. Okay?]
At Iris’s sweet, coaxing voice, Kang-seok nodded. He gave a slightly apologetic smile to Sekhmet, who was tilting her head in confusion since she couldn't hear Iris, and then happily closed his eyes.
***
Reality was different from games, where everything ended once the boss was defeated.
The Shangri-La Navy mobilized its one remaining airship to recover the deceased, while putting all its efforts into rescuing the naval soldiers and Players who had been on the crashed airship.
The Players, seeing it as their own problem, also pitched in. Most of them rolled up their sleeves and actively participated in the rescue efforts, except for those like Kang-seok, Choi Yu-ra, and the Heavenly Dragon Emperor who had fainted from exhaustion.
With only one naval warship, Evangeline’s airship that the Heavenly Dragon Emperor had arrived on, and the Black Dragon remaining intact, Yang Jun-gyu had no choice but to completely revise his plan to sleep until his back ached.
He gripped the controls until dawn broke and the morning sun rose, busily flying back and forth between Sicily and the sea.
Kim Kang-san, along with Park Han-yeong, rescued the naval personnel and Players who had fallen into the sea. Thanks to the Yellow God’s Divine Artifact, Morning’s Glory, the sea had become calm, allowing them to save nearly everyone except those who died when the airship crashed.
Sekhmet worked with Players capable of healing magic to treat the injured. Seong Yu-jin also greeted the morning sun without a moment’s rest.
The number of Players who lost their lives as a result of the second World Quest was 87.
This was a smaller number than the roughly 150 calculated from the change in the ‘number of Players challenging the quest,’ which included those who had fainted or collapsed during battle, but it was only a relative comparison.
Around noon, ships from the mainland began to arrive at Sicily one by one, and the post-battle cleanup proceeded at a rapid pace.
And then, the next morning.
The entrance to Sea Emperor Vepar’s dungeon was discovered.