Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Divine Artifacts of the Four Great Gods
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[Divine Artifacts of the Four Great Gods]
[On the day the King of Legends departs this world, a disaster shall rise from the northern sea.]
[Find the Divine Artifacts of the Four Great Gods and quell the disaster of the sea.]
[He who overcomes the disaster shall receive the blessing of the Four Great Gods.]
It was a stormy night. Pure white lightning tore through the darkness, commanding the world with thunder, and the towering waves destroyed everything upon the sea.
With each flash of lightning, a being was faintly visible on the jet-black sea. The ocean churned whenever the colossal figure moved. A mad wind blew, shaking the world.
A coastline. A crescent-shaped island. A massive lighthouse topped with a lion's head.
After all these visions passed, what remained in their minds were the images of a great hammer and a golden bracelet.
“Gasp… huff…”
As soon as the vision ended, Kim Kang-san and most of the other guild members collapsed where they stood. Cold sweat drenched their bodies, though they had only witnessed a vision.
A stormy sea.
A gigantic sea monster, likely the final boss of this World Quest.
Kang-seok also swallowed dryly. The instinctual fear brought on by the thunder, lightning, and storm tensed his body.
The second World Quest.
Divine Artifacts of the Four Great Gods.
It was different from the first. The very name of the first World Quest had been ‘Raum’s Tower.’ Its content, too, had been focused on ‘defeating the Demonic Beast Raum.’
But this time, the quest was named Divine Artifacts of the Four Great Gods. Furthermore, the objective was to find these artifacts to overcome the disaster. It was impossible not to think that the emphasis was placed more on finding the artifacts.
‘There are probably two artifacts.’
The hammer and the bracelet that appeared at the end. Could they be the artifacts of two of the Four Great Gods?
It seemed that, once again, he would need the help of this world’s people to confirm the date and location.
On the day the King of Legends departs this world.
Of course, he didn’t know. But he was sure he had heard of the King of Legends before.
The description that appeared when he first had Durandal appraised in the Labyrinthos dungeon.
The wielder of the divine sword ‘Stormcaller,’ the strongest blade in the human realm.
A story included in the book containing information on the world’s eight superhumans.
The father of Green Meteor, the strongest in the human realm. The king of the legendary ancient race of Elders who unified the world a thousand years ago.
For now, Kang-seok cleared his mind.
The date, location, and necessary artifacts for the second World Quest were all things he couldn't know until he spoke with the people of this world.
“Is everyone okay?”
“I’m fine. Ugh, it wasn't like this last time. Is this one special or something?”
Choi Yu-ra pressed her temples and staggered to her feet. Even Seong Yu-jin, who boasted the highest defense and stamina in the group, was pale as if she were seasick.
Kang-seok said.
“For now, let’s pack up and head back to the flagship. Like the first World Quest, there’s a high chance there’s a good amount of time before the second one begins. There’s no need to rush.”
There had been a gap of nearly two months between the announcement and the actual start of the first World Quest. The second was likely to be the same.
The guild members, deeming Kang-seok’s words correct, nodded one by one and began packing their belongings into the leather pouches they had prepared.
After handing the World Tree Staff to Go Min-gu, Kang-seok once again caressed the pouch containing the Divine Beast’s egg. He rolled his eyes, recalling the words of light recorded in System Yggdrasil.
[Second World Quest]
[World Quest Discoverer: Heavenly Dragon Emperor (Male)]
Was this how other Players felt when he discovered the first World Quest?
Although clearing a World Quest was a cooperative task for all Players, not a competition, an inexplicable competitive spirit surged within him.
“Heavenly Dragon Emperor.”
The discoverer of the second World Quest.
Kang-seok etched the name into his mind.
* * *
A land that could only be reached by heading north from the Northern Kingdom, located in the continent's northern region.
Then and now, that place, known as the Demon Realm, was a land where the strong survived.
Orc tribes that worshiped strength.
Fierce and cruel centaurs.
Vicious minotaurs that savored human flesh.
In that place where an ordinary human couldn't last a single day, there stood a half-ruined castle.
According to legend, a thousand years ago, orcs who worshipped the evil ‘Black God’ built a great fortress to stand against an enemy from across the sea.
The fortress's name was Muspelheim.
The Fortress of Purgatory.
After a thousand years, finding any trace of its past glory was a distant hope. The castle walls had almost all crumbled, and more than half of the inner walls had collapsed.
But the power of the evil god was truly resilient, and even now, a fraction of its strength could be felt in the fortress’s depths. And in what could be called the center of that power was the lair of the Demonic Beast Amdusias.
The Demonic Beast Amdusias, with the head of a horse and a single horn rising arrogantly toward the sky, had awakened from a long slumber a month ago and had since reigned through fear over the beings of the vicinity. Reckless orcs sometimes challenged Amdusias in groups, but not a single one was its match. The challengers all paid for their bravado with their lives.
But that was a story from just a few hours ago.
The Demonic Beast Amdusias lay dead, its long tongue lolling out. The soul that had ruled its massive body had been banished from the human realm, never to appear again.
“You really killed it by yourself. Are you satisfied now?”
At the sight of the man perched on Amdusias’s corpse, the six-star adventurer Evangeline let out a disbelieving laugh. But contrary to her tone, her eyes were filled with affection.
Evangeline was not alone.
Although she was an incredibly skilled adventurer, she couldn't do everything by herself.
When investigating untouched ruins or remains, she always hired specialists like trap or curse experts to accompany her.
This time was no different. She had hired not only a trap expert and a curse expert but also a five-star mage proficient in various kinds of magic.
Evangeline was formidable, of course, and the combat prowess of the other three was not to be underestimated. But despite that, Evangeline and the three others had done nothing but watch with their hands in their pockets since entering the Demonic Beast Amdusias’s lair.
It was because of the man sitting before them, who was stronger than all four of them combined.
Dark blue hair and green eyes.
The man called the strongest even among the Players, each one a superhuman in their own right.
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor, who had been sitting with his eyes closed as if in meditation, rose to his feet. He took a deep breath and spoke to Evangeline.
“I’ve seen the clue for the second World Quest.”
“Huh?”
Not understanding immediately, Evangeline blinked. It was a natural reaction for someone who wasn't a Player.
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor continued.
His question wasn't about the clue for the second World Quest.
“And one more thing. The first World Quest is over. It seems the Players have cleared Raum's Tower, the one that rose next to the flying fortress of Avalon.”
Evangeline blinked again.
The story was moving too fast. Wasn't the day Selene and Luminus meet today? Even considering the time difference with Avalon, it meant the tower had been conquered in a single day.
‘Was Raum’s Tower a pushover?’
No. That couldn’t be right.
Evangeline had witnessed the battle between the Demonic Beast Amdusias and the Heavenly Dragon Emperor.
She didn't know where Amdusias ranked among the so-called 72 Demonic Beasts, but as a six-star adventurer—a skilled dhampir who had roamed the world for decades—she could confidently say that Amdusias was strong. It was a being that even a six-star adventurer couldn't guarantee victory against alone.
The quests the Heavenly Dragon Emperor had undertaken so far also proved it.
There was no way a World Quest could be that easy.
Was it because a large number of Players challenged it? Or had the Sword of the Earth who protects the nation of the Sword God—that Captain of the Knights Templar, Athos—personally stepped in?
“Choi Kang-seok. The Dark Destiny Lord.”
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor said.
After a moment of slight confusion, Evangeline was able to recall the name.
The discoverer of the first World Quest. The Player who had defeated Gawain's fledgling, Edward Price, in a spar. Why was his name suddenly coming up?
“Don't tell me?”
She asked aloud, and the Heavenly Dragon Emperor nodded.
“The MVP… The Player who played the most crucial role. He must be the one who defeated the Demonic Beast Raum.”
He had discovered the second World Quest. As a reward, he had obtained a vast amount of Kron and a special item.
But the Heavenly Dragon Emperor’s attention was focused more on the first World Quest than the second.
[World Quest MVP: Choi Kang-seok (Male)]
What kind of person was he?
How strong was he?
What was his fighting style?
Seeing the Heavenly Dragon Emperor’s smile, Evangeline slouched her shoulders as if she couldn't help it. He smiled more brightly thinking of a man he had never even met than when he was with her, but that was what made him more appealing.
“The second World Quest—I'll be able to meet him there.”
Though he didn't know the time or place yet, he thought so. According to the method the Heavenly Dragon Emperor had told her about before, that Choi Kang-seok fellow was probably looking at the name of the Heavenly Dragon Emperor, the discoverer of the second World Quest, at this very moment.
“Thank you, Evangeline.”
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor thanked her out of the blue, and Evangeline couldn't help but smile back. The glares from the others at her side were sharp, but she said it anyway.
“My eyes are never wrong. Heavenly Dragon Emperor, you are the strongest Player.”
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor neither confirmed nor denied it. He simply clenched his fist and turned his gaze to the south.
The wind blew.
A north wind, heading south.
* * *
After leaving the World Tree and boarding the Black Dragon, the party decided to return to the Adamas guild hideout for now.
There was a high possibility that the Avalon Duchy would summon or invite Kang-seok’s party, who had played a major role in conquering Raum’s Tower, but they felt it was better to return rather than wait around considering that possibility.
Contact Vivian, the Witch of the Lake, to find out the time and place of the second World Quest.
And identify the two divine artifacts seen in the vision.
They were also worried about Antonio Choi, who was alone at the guild hideout. It had been quite some time since Kang-seok and everyone else had left the guild, so something might have happened in the meantime.
Kang-seok blinked his eyes once.
The first thing he saw was Yang Jun-gyu gripping the controls, then Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra, sleeping soundly while leaning against each other's shoulders. Park Han-yeong was fast asleep using Kim Kang-san’s lap as a pillow, and Go Min-gu was lying flat on his back, muttering something in his sleep.
They had napped briefly during the day, but that wasn't enough to shake off their fatigue. After completing the chain quest, they had stayed up all night sorting treasure, so their current state was only natural.
“Guild Leader, you should get some rest too. Jun-gyu and I will take care of things.”
Hunt, carrying several blankets in his arms, said gently. Even in his drowsy state, Kang-seok responded playfully.
“I’m really glad we recruited you.”
“I'm also glad I joined the Adamas guild. I'm happy I let go of my stubbornness. Thank you for persuading me.”
After handing a blanket to Kang-seok, Hunt turned and headed toward Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra.
Since there were too many people passed out to move them to their cabins one by one, it seemed he planned to let them sleep on the bridge.
Before covering himself with the blanket and lying down, Kang-seok glanced one last time toward the window. The sun was already rising in the east.
The first World Quest, Raum’s Tower.
And the subsequent discovery of the second World Quest, Divine Artifacts of the Four Great Gods.
Over three hundred Players had lost their lives in Raum’s Tower.
It was a major incident that was bound to change the way Players thought and acted about World Quests.
But still, Kang-seok had no intention of giving up.
If he cleared all seven World Quests, he could return to his original world with his current abilities.
At first, it had felt like a distant story.
But now, it was becoming a reality.
Kang-seok closed his eyes. In the darkness, he reached out and gripped the hilt of Durandal. He quietly drifted off to sleep.
While Kang-seok and all the others were asleep.
Inside a leather pouch placed in a corner of the bridge, the Divine Beast’s egg stirred. It emitted a faint, golden light.