Chapter 116
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: The Castle of Steel
About half a year since the Great Summoning.
Of the seven World Quests announced to the Players, two had now concluded.
Among the Players, no one knew the exact number of those still alive.
It had been months since a ‘new Player who cleared the tutorial’—the only real metric for guessing—had appeared.
Moreover, the ‘number of tutorial completers’ displayed upon clearing the tutorial literally indicated the number of Players who had passed it, not the number of currently existing Players.
The rumored number of tutorial completers was around nine thousand.
How many Players were currently still alive?
Players were scattered all over the world, so it was extremely rare for more than fifty of them to gather in one place.
Even for guilds, the typical membership was around ten to twenty people.
Unlike the early days of the Great Summoning, solo Players were now rare, but even then, most only formed small groups of four or five like-minded individuals.
Therefore, the deaths of Players were not easily known to others. There was no internet community for all Players to use, so there was no way to learn about the death of a Player living far away.
The Players right in front of you are alive and well.
That brings a sense of relief. You start to accept life-or-death battles with monsters as ‘daily life’ after adapting to this world.
But in unseen, unrecognized places, Players were dying.
Though it was now very rare, some Players still died by running out of their remaining survival time. Others died fighting monsters, and some took their own lives, unable to adapt to this world.
“I’d guess about seven thousand are left. Maybe a little less.”
Park Chang-ho, Captain of the Seven Sword Knights, muttered with an indifferent expression.
Khalid, who had been reporting on the progress of the second World Quest, blinked.
“Did you say seven thousand?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Park Chang-ho deflected vaguely and sank back into the drawing-room sofa. Despite his wandering thoughts, he gave a bitter smile at the report he had managed to hear.
“More importantly, the Dark Destiny Lord certainly made a huge impact. Just over ninety deaths… that’s less than half the number from the first World Quest. Plus, many Players benefited this time… The third World Quest is sure to attract quite a crowd.”
Roughly ninety out of over five hundred. The number of casualties had indeed decreased significantly compared to the first World Quest.
But it was still ninety people.
Whether because he had experienced a World Quest firsthand or because he was naturally timid, Khalid couldn't help but shake his head. He wanted nothing to do with battlefields that had such a high mortality rate.
Park Chang-ho and Khalid were not the only ones in the room, which served as both a drawing room and a meeting hall. At the end of the sofa, Asuka was dozing off, and by the sunny window, Natasha and Kang Su-ji—known as Park Chang-ho's twin swords—sat with their eyes closed.
The Seven Sword Knights had not participated in the second World Quest. Instead, they dispatched their now over fifty members to hunt nearby monsters while also assisting Count Monton, with whom they had a close relationship, to solidify their position within the kingdom.
It was fair to say they were steadily building a solid foundation.
Khalid quietly observed Park Chang-ho.
Khalid was still afraid of Park Chang-ho. Because of this, he was more sensitive to changes in him.
Park Chang-ho’s demeanor had changed somewhat since the last World Quest.
He couldn't pinpoint the cause. Perhaps it was simply because the Seven Sword Knights were now on the right track, affording him some breathing room.
Asuka, who used to be afraid to even make eye contact with him, now followed him around like a baby bird.
Kang Su-ji also regarded him as a trustworthy leader, and the new guild members, who hadn't gone through the coercive recruitment process of the past, showed more favor than discontent toward him.
“It’s because I’ve come to realize this place is reality, not a game.”
Park Chang-ho spoke suddenly, and Khalid blinked in confusion. He was so surprised that he didn't immediately grasp that Park Chang-ho had just answered his unspoken question.
Park Chang-ho didn't pay it much mind. He chewed on a sliver of wood he held in his mouth instead of a cigarette and gazed at the ceiling.
This world was undoubtedly real. But its structure made it easy to mistake for something else.
Monsters that only appeared in games were real. You could use the same skills from games, and even gain experience to level up.
Battles with monsters were real combat. If you lost, you died. Yet, the dead didn't leave behind gruesome corpses; they vanished into light.
Park Chang-ho considered himself a realist. He thought he had viewed this world as reality, not a game, from the very beginning.
But that wasn't true. Looking back, he realized he, too, had viewed this world somewhat like a game.
His application of negative gaming practices, like controlling hunting grounds, all for the sake of rapidly expanding the guild, was proof of that.
In a game, it wouldn't have mattered.
But this place was reality, not a game.
About ninety people lost their lives in the second World Quest. There were surely Players like Khalid who thought that was an enormous number, but they were likely in the minority.
Humans were foolish creatures who only saw what they wanted to see.
The number of deaths was much lower than in the first World Quest.
More Players distinguished themselves than in the first World Quest.
The deaths of numerous Players in the World Quest were still just superficial deaths happening somewhere far away.
It didn't feel real. Thus, the danger couldn't suppress their desires.
Even Park Chang-ho himself had subconsciously viewed this world as a game. There were probably quite a few Players living with a gamer's mentality.
I want to make a name for myself.
I want to be a ‘hero’ too.
I want to get better items.
I want to keep getting stronger.
Throughout history, countless people had rushed to the battlefield with such thoughts. What more if they still retained a gamer's mindset?
The Players were excited by the news of the World Quest's completion. While some were happy that the day of their return home was drawing closer, many were simply thrilled by the World Quests themselves.
‘And—it’s probably not just the Players who are excited.’
The powerful figures of this world, represented by the Eight World Superhumans.
They had merely observed the first two World Quests. But would they continue to do so?
Park Chang-ho didn't think so.
***
If you were to ask who were the strongest and weakest among the Eight World Superhumans, people would name two individuals without hesitation.
The strongest was the Green Meteor, the Mightiest in the Mortal Realm.
The weakest was the Thief Master, Rebecca Lee.
Thief Master was a title passed down through generations to the continent's greatest master thief.
It wasn't difficult to claim an exaggerated nickname for oneself, but it was hard to be recognized by others and called by that epithet.
The title of Thief Master had been preserved through the generations because each one had possessed the skill to back it up.
The current Thief Master was no different. Befitting the king of thieves, everything about her—age, origin, appearance—was unknown, except that she was a woman. She was strong, fast, and precise.
Though she held the disgraceful title of ‘weakest,’ she was only the weakest among the Eight World Superhumans.
She was stronger than any six-star adventurer and possessed the power to look down on anyone who wasn't one of the Eight.
The first World Quest had not been appealing to her.
But the second was different.
The enormous amount of sea prism stone and various other treasures found in Sea Emperor Vepar's dungeon had swayed her.
The Thief Master began to move. And, as befitting the Thief Master, no one noticed.
In this world, there were adventurers.
Belonging to guilds, they were a privately hirable military force. Adventurers fought monsters, escorted merchant caravans, and protected people—taking on any task that required strength.
In an earlier era, there were ‘mercenaries.’
Mercenaries were providers of a much more comprehensive form of force than adventurers. They fought not only monsters but also humans, and for money, they did not shy away from rather shady jobs.
Though it was a tale from an old era, there had been a time when mercenaries were treated the same as murderers or rapists.
Alvaro, one of the Eight World Superhumans, was the Mercenary King. Neither Alvaro himself nor anyone around him called him the Adventurer King.
The Mercenary King moved only when there was a request and a corresponding reward.
Therefore, the Mercenary King had merely observed the two World Quests.
But that was no longer the case.
A request had once again set him in motion.
***
It was the second day since they left Sicily.
Kang-seok was on the deck of the Black Dragon, hanging laundry.
While the laundry itself needed doing, his main goal was to summon Iris by completing the daily quest ‘Dry the Bedding Until It’s Fluffy and Fresh’—though, of course, the Kron reward for such quests was a meager 30 to 50 at best.
As Kang-seok stared into the air with the pegged bedding in the background, the voice he was waiting for reached his ears.
[Quest Cleared]
[Quest: Dry the Bedding Until It’s Fluffy and Fresh.]
[Hmm, the laundry is in excellent condition. You’ll make a beloved husband in the future.]
At Iris’s slightly flirtatious voice, Kang-seok felt both relieved and dismayed. He asked cautiously.
“Iris, do you remember what happened in Vepar’s room?”
[Vepar’s room? Ah, do you mean Sea Emperor Vepar? I don’t know. Did something special happen?]
It wasn't a clumsy act. Her voice was exactly the same as usual.
Iris had often shown that she couldn't remember things she once knew, claiming her information was restricted. Was this another one of those times? Had her memory been completely erased?
If so, why?
Why would the ‘administrator’ of System Yggdrasil—the one deeply involved in causing the Great Summoning—erase Iris’s memory?
If the Four Great Gods were truly the ones who caused the Great Summoning, why would they hide that fact?
He had grown accustomed to the game-like system. Talking with Iris, accepting and completing quests to earn Kron and improve his stats—it was all part of his daily life now.
But was it okay to become so complacent?
[Mr. Choi Kang-seok?]
“Ah, I was just lost in thought.”
[Lost in thought after you were the one who started talking.]
Her voice held a hint of complaint. Kang-seok gave a weak laugh, placated her, and ended the conversation.
‘Five World Quests left.’
Regardless of who caused the Great Summoning and what their purpose was, there were now five World Quests remaining.
Whether he could trust the fundamental premise that clearing all the World Quests would allow him to return to his original world was another matter, but if he continued to clear them, he would eventually discover the purpose of the Great Summoning.
Steeling his resolve, Kang-seok consciously pushed aside his lingering worries. For now, he decided to focus only on returning the Morning's Glory and getting back to the guild hideout.
What kind of item could he create by combining the aether from Allocen's room and the orb from Vepar's room? In a way, it was a form of escapism, but it was certainly a pleasant thought.
Just as his daydream, which had started as a simple distraction, grew wings and was about to break through the atmosphere…
Kang-seok, who was designing a giant robot in his head, sensed a presence and turned his gaze.
Yang Jun-gyu appeared at the cabin entrance, a very anxious look on his face.
Simple flights that only required maintaining a course could now be handled by Choi Yu-ra or Kim Kang-san, so Yang Jun-gyu had more freedom during flight, but it was rare for him to wander around alone like this. He usually stuck close to Sekhmet.
Yang Jun-gyu, who was looking around as if searching for someone, spotted Kang-seok standing among the laundry and then glanced around again. This time, he seemed to be checking if anyone else was nearby.
At his obviously suspicious behavior, Kang-seok tilted his head.
“Jun-gyu?”
Startled by the call, Yang Jun-gyu flinched and then quickened his pace.
He practically scurried over to Kang-seok, his lips moving several times before he spoke. His face suddenly crumpled as he said to Kang-seok,
“Ugh, I knew you were the only one I could turn to! Help me, Harem Master! Casanova Choi!”
Kang-seok’s face twisted into a peculiar expression.