Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Wrath King (1)
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[You have acquired the Ancient Desert Emperor's Secret Manual.]
[You have acquired the Blood-Soaked Desert Heart.]
[The Blood-Soaked Desert Heart reacts with the Blood Mark.]
[The Blood Mark effect is enhanced.]
[Miraculous feat! You have defeated the Desert Emperor single-handedly.]
[You have acquired the title 'Desert Sovereign.']
[You are the first to acquire this title.]
[Desert Sovereign][Epic]
You have defeated the Desert Emperor, Scorpion King, single-handedly. All beings in the desert will fear you, the one who slew the terror of the sands.
[Effects]
-All attack power and defense +30% in desert terrain
-Non-aggression effect against all desert monsters
-Fear and intimidation effects enhanced against all desert monsters
-Flame Resistance +30%
-Poison Resistance +20%
Hunting the Scorpion King yielded more than just an epic-grade title.
He had also obtained the Ancient Desert Emperor's Secret Manual, detailing the method to craft bloodstones, as well as the Desert Heart, a treasure known as the jewel of the sands. And then, something unexpected happened.
The Desert Heart, infused with the power of blood from the bloodstone creation process, reacted with Rokan's mark, permanently enhancing the Blood Mark effect.
Life steal on hit (3%) was boosted to life steal on hit (7%)—more than double the effect.
It was a blatantly overpowered ability. Rokan's lips curled up to his ears.
On top of that, simply possessing the Desert Heart boosted his stats and warded off heat.
"Time to head back."
With that, Rokan returned to Taimura with a light heart, having claimed everything available from a single pyramid clear.
He wanted to exploit the non-aggression effect to farm powerful monsters and finish leveling up, but disappointingly, the Scorn Desert lacked anything stronger than the pyramid's internals.
"It's getting pretty crowded now. About time they started crossing over."
Taimura was already buzzing with users upon his return. While Rokan had been off on his side venture, players from the Central Continent had begun filling the city.
At this rate, the pace matched his past life closely. Rokan had simply been abnormally fast.
However, whether due to bad timing or his warning, no Hellhound guild members were in sight.
"The magic circle should be finishing up soon."
That might mean the intercontinental teleport circle was nearing completion too.
Progressing the Taimura questline naturally led to quests connecting the intercontinental teleport circles. The more people completed them, the faster the circles finished.
Of course, one could intentionally skip them, but they weren't solo efforts, and the generous experience and gold rewards made them too tempting to ignore.
Many would end up doing them because if they didn't, someone else would. Others might dive in thinking, "Someone's gonna do it anyway—might as well let our guild monopolize it."
"But not just anyone can use it anyway."
Even if completed, the intercontinental teleport circles weren't free-for-all.
You needed a minimum level, and the usage fees were exorbitantly high.
In the end, common folk without cash would opt for the cheaper fares on the safe regular ships that would start running alongside the circles' activation.
And...
"The scale of profits will be on another level."
They'd line Rokan's pockets again. Just like those who'd advanced to the Central Continent were already doing via the 'Visitor Shop.'
Watching the players hustle through quests around the city, Rokan headed to his own shop first.
He didn't know how far their expansion had gone, but he couldn't risk running out of stock.
"Summon Vendor."
He quickly restocked the shelves and collected his earnings, then summoned one more vendor.
This one was for the so-called 'gacha' or 'gamble.'
His weight gauge was maxed out with the 'Ancient Item' series. Time to unload them.
"What's this?"
"A new NPC?"
"What is it? Whoa! Items that need appraisal to identify. No way—there's a gacha system in The Lord too?"
The vendor interface was a semitransparent window visible only to the owner, same for regular customers, so no one suspected Rokan. Instead, they swarmed the new NPC with interest.
As the crowd tangled and milled about, Rokan's presence faded into obscurity.
"Summon Vendor."
Seizing the moment, he summoned another—a vendor with appraiser abilities.
No need to go far; it could appraise on-site, albeit at a slightly higher fee for extra profit.
If someone hit big, their joy would spread to the hesitant ones.
"Ugh, what to do... Screw it, let's try."
"Hell yeah, a man's gotta go for the big one. Hold up—I'll crack it!"
Thanks to them, Rokan advertised the gamble vendor with zero effort.
"Blind."
And one more thing: he actively used the special skill from the Shadow Trader title.
Special skill: Blind.
It sealed items in an unidentified state—perfect for gacha fodder.
Limited to 30 uses a day, but that was plenty. Gacha was gacha, but 'limited edition' made people lose their minds.
For the initial hype, he mixed in some high-end items he'd stockpiled, renamed the blinded ones to fit the 'Ancient' series, and slipped them to the top of the sales list. The other twenty-nine? Junk.
"It's out! I got it!"
Before long, a winner burst onto the scene dramatically. The reaction to item gacha was hotter than expected.
'They're losing it.'
Watching live as everyone jumped into the probability pit, Rokan moved on to his next stop.
The council. To meet Carbon.
* * *
"You did it! You actually did it! I thought it was just a legend, but you pulled it off. I'm impressed!"
Handing over the high-grade bloodstone, Carbon practically jumped for joy. It was a failed method in the end, but packed with deep insights on immortality and resurrection—perfect fuel for the human quest 'Revival of the Ancient Emperor.'
'Though he's probably happier about solidifying his own position.'
Carbon's influence in the council would surely grow after succeeding what was deemed impossible.
"I have a request."
"A request? Of course—anything. I'll help with whatever I can!"
Naturally, Rokan's role would be omitted in the report. Knowing this, he hadn't handed over the Ancient Desert Emperor's Secret Manual.
If Carbon took it and wiped his mouth clean, Rokan would get just a pittance in contribution points.
"Please arrange an audience with His Majesty the Emperor. I have something urgent to report."
So, he'd report this directly to the Emperor.
It might sour things with Carbon and invite scrutiny, but they wouldn't dare act rashly. By then, Rokan would have the Emperor's attention.
No matter how strong the council's pull, it was powerless before the Emperor.
"An audience with His Majesty?"
Carbon openly scowled at the sudden Emperor mention.
Rokan was a noble now, not just a knight—honorary or not—so Carbon could introduce him as a promising prospect. But this nobody with no connections suddenly wanting to see the Emperor? Suspicious and unsettling.
On the flip side, he couldn't imagine a mere honorary baron skipping him to report directly—unless they wanted to get on the bad side.
Reluctant but amenable—low-tier nobles often begged for a glimpse of the Emperor—he agreed.
"Very well. I'll arrange something soon."
"Thank you."
Thus, their non-transaction of a deal was sealed.
However, citing the audience arrangement, Carbon offered no extra reward for the high-grade bloodstone.
Not even experience points—the pettiness was blatant, but Rokan didn't care. He already had far more.
A bit of experience was a drop in the bucket at level 250 anyway.
"We'll abandon this place soon."
After Carbon, Rokan visited Linai Territory. He gave the lord a quick report and surveyed the lands.
The second mine still hadn't yielded a single proper ore chunk.
It was hemorrhaging money, and the monster byproducts Rokan had hunted were mostly sold off—the territory's warehouses were emptying.
"Hm, no news yet?"
Confirming this, Rokan eyed the lord's castle with regret.
Contact was overdue, yet silence.
He toured the territory a bit more, circled the cave where Sinbi slept a few times, then left Linai.
To wrap up loose ends while awaiting the 'event.'
"Now, who to pick..."
To choose his target, Rokan pulled out his magic map.
Partly for navigation, partly to check markers.
Corrupted monsters, courtesy of the survey team's map addition.
"These two look good."
He selected a pair for hunting. One more after these would earn him the survey team's bracelet.
One was already tied to him by a minor connection.
"Wrath King, huh..."
The episode quest sparked by the Wrath King's letter from the bandit den. Time to trigger it and devour the beast.
"Perfect timing to swap gear too."
He hadn't planned to tackle it immediately, but at level 250, it was ideal. The Wrath King's Rage Axe was top-tier for that bracket.
Axes were rare on the market anyway; a top-grade one was a steal. Rokan prepared to depart at once.
No more delays from the level restriction.
He took the Wrath King's letter straight to the council, filed the report, and claimed the related quest.