Chapter 110
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: The Heavenly Dragon Emperor's Challenge
Leading the search for the dungeon entrance was the mage Player, Salome, commander of the 11th Unit and guild master of the Chosen Guild.
He, who was also the MVP of the quest to defeat the Demonic Beast Decarabia, actively shared information with other Players, especially the mages in the 11th Unit.
Room keys named after the demonic beasts were delivered to each quest’s MVP.
This fact led to the deduction that a dungeon existed. Players began an intensive search centered on the monsters' appearance points and, in a remarkable feat, discovered the dungeon entrance within hours.
Five doors, located at a point about ten meters below the sea’s surface.
All were circular, with a diameter of roughly three meters.
Almost half a year had passed since the first Great Summoning. The Players were already aware that defeating monsters didn't yield items as easily as in a game.
This world was reality, and it was absurd to think that real monsters would carry around items for humans that they themselves couldn't use.
Climbing a mountain to hunt a bear, only to get a sword and shield instead of meat and hide? No one would expect such a thing in reality.
But even so, the Players showed great enthusiasm for exploring the dungeon.
There were quite a few Players who were experiencing a dungeon for the first time since coming to this world.
The weapons and armor used by humanoid monsters were perfectly usable, and there might even be treasure troves filled with various goods.
And one more thing.
Among the Players summoned by the Great Summoning, there were production-class Players.
It wasn't necessary to obtain finished products from monsters. It was enough to get materials like magic stones or the metals used in the monsters' weapons.
Production-class Players could create powerful and excellent items usable by Players based on these material items.
Many people had died in the second World Quest.
Every single member of the Shangri-La Navy was not an NPC, but a real, living human being.
Having witnessed so much death and misfortune, the Players instinctively wanted to shake off the gloom.
The reason Salome, the guild master of the Chosen Guild, shared information about the dungeon was that he wanted to create a situation where everyone could have a boisterous, enjoyable time.
An hour after the dungeon entrance was discovered.
The Players, divided into teams, began their dungeon exploration.
* * *
I opened my eyes naturally and just stared blankly for a moment.
When had the habit of instinctively fumbling for the phone I kept by my bedside as soon as I woke up disappeared?
“Ah.”
Only after letting out a slightly dazed sound did Kang-seok fully come to his senses and sit up. It was a cabin on the Black Dragon.
Kang-seok wasn't alone in the small cabin. Seong Yu-jin was sitting on a chair right next to the bed. Dozing off, she didn't even notice he had woken up and looked incredibly tired at a glance.
He remembered falling into a pleasant sleep on the deck. And just how long had he slept? His aching back suggested it had been at least twelve hours.
‘I stink.’
Just as he had worried before falling asleep, a terrible smell emanated from all over his body.
After a moment's hesitation, Kang-seok carefully stood up. The cabin, narrow but long, had another bed. It was just as Kang-seok reached out to lay Seong Yu-jin on the bed.
“Ah.”
Making a sound similar to Kang-seok's, Seong Yu-jin woke up and blinked. Kang-seok, who had been about to lift her, retracted his hands and perched on the edge of the bed.
“You’re awake?”
“Oh… yeah. You’re awake.”
Seong Yu-jin, still sounding groggy as if not fully awake, suddenly covered her face and cleared her throat with a cough. Now that she was awake, she was embarrassed by the situation—especially the drool mark tracing down her chin.
“Uh, you don’t happen to know what time it is, do you, Yu-jin?”
“No, no. It’s probably a little past noon. I don’t think I was dozing for that long. Yeah, that’s right. It must be.”
Answering in a fluster, Seong Yu-jin cleared her throat again to compose her voice. She spoke quickly, as if to preempt him.
“You were asleep for a full day, Kang-seok. You must have been really exhausted.”
“What about you, Yu-jin? You don’t look like you slept well.”
The fact that he himself had slept for a whole day meant Seong Yu-jin had also had more than a day to rest.
But the Seong Yu-jin before him had dark circles under her eyes and looked more haggard than usual.
Seong Yu-jin gave a bitter smile and told him what had happened while he was asleep.
The rescue operations by the Players and the Shangri-La Navy.
Treating the injured.
These were the natural processes that followed a major battle.
Since everyone had been working busily without sleep while he alone had slept soundly, Kang-seok's face was full of apology. As if not to give him a chance to feel awkward, Seong Yu-jin chattered on with other stories.
“You don’t have to worry about Yu-ra’s condition. Sekhmet checked on her several times and said she’ll be fine. Mr. Min-gu… no, Min-gu and Christian are also safe, so don’t worry.”
At the news that no one related to the Adamas Guild had died or been injured, Kang-seok let out a fresh sigh of relief.
Seong Yu-jin continued.
“And this morning, the Players discovered the dungeon entrance. They’re probably in the middle of exploring it now.”
“The demonic beasts’?”
“Yeah, I heard from Iris. You got the key to Vepar’s room as an MVP bonus, right?”
“So the dungeon is structured with rooms for the demonic beasts inside?”
They were talking slightly past each other, but the conversation itself flowed smoothly. This was only possible because Kang-seok and Seong Yu-jin could already understand each other with just a look.
Seong Yu-jin nodded.
“It seems so. So don’t think you need to rush right now. The dungeon isn’t going anywhere. And since they gave out keys separately, it must mean a key is needed to enter a demonic beast’s room, right?”
You don’t have to worry about other Players taking the goods or items in Vepar’s room. So don’t rush when you haven’t even recovered.
It was a neat summary, but Kang-seok couldn't bring himself to nod right away.
“Um… the entrance won’t be sealed like it was with Labyrinthos, will it?”
The dungeon Labyrinthos, which they couldn't return to after clearing the tutorial.
Seong Yu-jin's eyes widened like a startled rabbit's for a moment, as if she hadn't thought of that, but she quickly regained her composure.
“It’ll be fine. If it were like that, the Players wouldn’t have been able to explore the dungeon in the first place.”
“True, that makes sense.”
As Kang-seok relaxed, Seong Yu-jin continued speaking.
“Christian went to explore the dungeon with the Players selected as VPs for defeating the Demonic Beast Murmur. He might even be inside Murmur’s room by now.”
Christian was selected as the MVP of the Demonic Beast Murmur defeat quest.
Given Christian's personality, it was natural for him to share the items and goods with the VPs.
Although he had come this far with them, Christian wasn't a member of Adamas, so what he did with the MVP bonus—the demonic beast's room key—was his own decision.
‘It’s a bit much to feel upset about it.’
Kang-seok smiled wryly and asked Seong Yu-jin.
“What about Hana?”
“She’s resting in her cabin. I asked her while we were working together yesterday, and it seems she’s thinking about joining our guild. Jun-gyu was the most excited to hear that.”
Oh Ha-na, the RTS Player.
To be honest, as a guild master, Kang-seok coveted Oh Ha-na's abilities.
He hadn't had an in-depth conversation about her abilities yet, but just imagining the possibilities was enough.
What if they built the production facilities from Galaxy Wars on Mount Sauerland?
Wouldn't their guild hideout, already in the process of being semi-fortified, become a true fortress?
‘She’d get along well with Antonio, too.’
Kang-seok chuckled, briefly picturing the meeting of NOGADA and NOGADA GIRL.
The image of an all-weather base capable of what gamers called a ‘cosmic defense’ naturally came to mind, making his heart flutter slightly.
“What are you thinking about that’s so fun?”
Seong Yu-jin asked, tilting her head, and Kang-seok opened his mouth to put the blueprint in his mind into words.
But just then.
“Kang-seok, you’re awake?!”
Yang Jun-gyu appeared, flinging the cabin door open. With a booming voice that could wake the dead and a flushed face, it was clear that something was up.
“What is it?”
As Kang-seok got up from the bed, Yang Jun-gyu took a deep breath. He pointed up toward the ceiling and said.
“The Heavenly Dragon Emperor is here to see you.”
The one they called the strongest Player.
Recalling the face he had seen briefly during the fight with the Demonic Beast Allocen, Kang-seok nodded. He was someone Kang-seok would have had to meet eventually anyway.
“Let’s go.”
At Kang-seok's words, Yang Jun-gyu quickly turned and led the way. Unlike the excited Yang Jun-gyu, who was like a spring colt, Seong Yu-jin followed behind Kang-seok with a somewhat worried expression.
* * *
The Black Dragon was floating on the sea, some distance from the island of Sicily. As with Raum's tower, this was to reduce unnecessary contact with other Players.
When he went up to the deck, an airship almost identical in size to the Black Dragon came into view.
It was the Ascalon, the airship of the Heavenly Dragon Emperor—or more accurately, of the Nurturing Adventurer, Evangeline.
Facing the Ascalon, which resembled a well-crafted silver sword, were not only Kim Kang-san and Park Han-yeong.
Oh Ha-na and Sekhmet were sitting on the deck, while Go Min-gu stood next to them, taking an intimidating stance. Among them, the one who caught Kang-seok's eye was Choi Yu-ra.
Having recovered her strength somewhat, Choi Yu-ra stood proudly with her arms crossed, engaged in a staring contest with Evangeline, who was on the deck of the Ascalon. The atmosphere was clearly tense.
“Kang-seok is here.”
It was Yang Jun-gyu's voice that broke the fierce battle of wills.
Everyone except Choi Yu-ra, who was still in her staring contest with Evangeline, turned to look at Kang-seok.
And among those gazes was that of the Heavenly Dragon Emperor.
He had come face-to-face with him during the fight with the Demonic Beast Allocen, but only for a moment. Kang-seok calmly met the Heavenly Dragon Emperor's gaze.
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor, dressed in a black dobok, looked ordinary.
His dark blue hair and green eyes were noticeable, but among Players, that hardly counted as a unique trait.
An average build and a serene face.
But his aura was anything but. Just by standing there, he exuded an immense pressure. It was like facing the Demonic Beast Raum.
Kang-seok took a deep breath. He took a light step and stood beside Choi Yu-ra.
There had to be a reason why the Heavenly Dragon Emperor had come all this way.
But it was hard to believe he had come to confront him about being left to fight the Demonic Beast Allocen.
Something else.
A reason beyond a simple introduction.
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor didn't wait any longer. He spoke directly.
“Dark Destiny Lord, I wish to request a duel with you.”
Was that the same expression worn by the Captain of the Knights Templar, Edward Price, whom he had faced in Wiesbaden?
Kang-seok also harbored a competitive spirit toward the Heavenly Dragon Emperor, who was called the strongest Player. However, it wasn't to the extent that he wanted a direct confrontation like this.
As if he already knew Kang-seok's inner thoughts, the Heavenly Dragon Emperor didn't give him time to answer. He spoke again immediately.
“I will wager the key.”
Seong Yu-jin's and Choi Yu-ra's expressions changed in an instant.
Because at this moment, there was only one key worth mentioning.
“You must have also received a demonic beast’s room key as an MVP bonus, right? If I lose, I will give you the key to Allocen’s room.”
“You wouldn’t run away, would you?”
As soon as the Heavenly Dragon Emperor finished speaking, Evangeline added spitefully.
At the blatant provocation, Choi Yu-ra laughed fiercely. Yang Jun-gyu swallowed dryly with eyes full of excitement, while Sekhmet and Oh Ha-na turned to Kang-seok with tense faces. For some reason, Go Min-gu found himself looking for non-existent popcorn.
Seong Yu-jin, who knew Kang-seok better than anyone else here, let out a long sigh. It was because she knew exactly how he would answer.
“When?”
At Kang-seok's short reply, Yang Jun-gyu cheered silently. Choi Yu-ra clenched her fists and glared at Evangeline.
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor replied.
“It would be best for both sides to be fully prepared, so there are no regrets. Let’s meet in two days, at noon.”
As if he had said all he needed to, the Heavenly Dragon Emperor turned away.
Evangeline exchanged a few silent curses with Choi Yu-ra through their eyes before following the Heavenly Dragon Emperor into the airship.
It was a short while later that the Ascalon departed from the Black Dragon's side.
* * *
The source was unknown, but word of the duel between Kang-seok and the Heavenly Dragon Emperor spread like wildfire among the Players.
Because it was a matchup that would interest anyone who had participated in the second World Quest, crudely made flyers were even circulated amidst the ongoing exploration of Sea Emperor Vepar's dungeon.
And so, it was only natural that a betting pool opened up over the outcome of their duel.