Chapter 142
Chapter 142
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: Corrupted Colluders (1)
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The sole issue dominating The Lord right now was the scattered corrupted monsters.
They charged aimlessly, leaped into villages, or entrenched themselves in hunting grounds to play king, forcing users to hunt them down just to stabilize the fields.
However, some users with a bit of leeway turned their attention elsewhere.
To why they had appeared and what this corrupted power even was.
Those who hadn't even known about the main scenario quests were starting to catch on, bit by bit.
Even if they had to restart from the bottom quests to get solid info, it was only a matter of time for those who'd already reached a certain level—they could catch up to the quest lines in no time.
'A month at the fastest.'
Rokan figured that was about the timeline.
That was factoring in the quest segments that required level-ups. It was because he'd just unlocked a new phase of quests.
Breaking through the main scenario quests wasn't something that applied only to him personally.
Info on some group handling corrupted power, along with tracking quests, would pop up for everyone. If he didn't rack up results in the meantime, he might even fall behind.
'How to draw these guys out...'
But Rokan had a powerful weapon: information. He didn't know everything about this secret group, but he had the rough details and structure.
'Fanatics or colluders. Which one's better...'
They split into two main factions.
Fanatics worshiping 'some god' that desired the world's destruction, and colluders scattered across the world, looking to exploit that power for themselves.
He could advance quests through either, so he hesitated.
'For now.'
After mulling it over, Rokan made up his mind.
To leap ahead to a place others couldn't follow, he started moving.
"Guess I need to grab that first."
[Tower of Proof, Floor 1. The trial begins. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.]
The place Rokan sought was none other than the Tower of Proof.
When he'd first arrived in Taimura, he'd set a record at Floor 54, then completely forgotten about it.
In the meantime, the rankings had updated—the top spot went to some unknown, with floors even higher than his record. But he wasn't too bummed.
Tower of Proof ranking rewards came in random boxes anyway, so the odds of anything truly good were slim. In fact, his Season 1 top reward had been junk-tier.
That's why Rokan climbed the Tower of Proof not for rankings, but for the guaranteed items every 10 floors.
[You have climbed to Floor 80 of the Tower of Proof.]
[New record achieved! Results reflected in rankings.]
[Current Ranking: 1st (Floor 80)]
[Tower of Proof rankings reset monthly, with rewards for top 100.]
[Time until Tower of Proof reset: 29 days]
Once Rokan set his mind to it, reclaiming first place was child's play.
He shot straight past his old record to Floor 80. Even though he had no intention of taking first, he set an untouchable mark and claimed it—because his desired guaranteed reward was there.
[Acquired Phoenix's Tail.]
[Phoenix's Tail][Consumable][Unique]
A feather imbued with part of the phoenix's immortality. Revives the target from death.
- Effect on use: Full resurrection of target
What he got was the Phoenix's Tail.
Top-tier among consumables. It brought the dead back in perfect condition.
Unlike elixirs that cleared debuffs and maxed out HP and mana, this had a whole different value.
The one downside: couldn't use it on yourself. But its worth was boundless, more than making up for that.
In battles, how often did a painstaking plan crumble because a party member died at a critical moment?
In the late game, saving one high priest who could cast 'Resurrection' meant you didn't have to restart the fight from scratch plenty of times.
That's why acquisition was tough—even Tower of Proof Floor 80 counted as one of the easier ways.
"Whew, got it."
Even so, the upper floors taxed even Rokan. He'd skipped Berserk to save it for travel right after.
His foes were 280+ level monsters specialized in one-on-ones. He could've pushed to 83-85 with some strain, but mission accomplished, so Rokan coolly called it quits.
He stowed the hard-won Phoenix's Tail safely in his inventory and headed elsewhere.
'Good thing I kept this separate.'
Using a teleport magic circle, Rokan's destination was unexpected: a human territory, ruled by a full-fledged count no less.
'Count Astape, right?'
Even among counts, they ranked upper, mid, or lower based on tenure and territory size.
Count Astape was middling, unremarkable. No wild gambles or overt greed, so even Rokan had overlooked him in his past life.
All he recalled was a typical noble content with the status quo, clinging to his privileges.
But his name was in the 'ledger.'
'Some might've cut tails and hidden, but... this should boost progress plenty.'
Rokan's ledger was the record of trades for orbs infused with corrupted power, made by Molok.
A human noble—a count, no less—being involved wasn't shocking. It happened plenty in his past life.
Not just humans—gnomes, dwarves, half-elves. Even undead, trolls, orcs, goblins had feet in the 'corrupted' group.
Every race had joiners, so a greedy-prone human? Expected.
'Makes sense, in a way.'
Why a middling count like Astape? Rokan pondered, then figured it was logical.
Top-tier counts, marquises, dukes had no need to risk it for power. Bottom-feeders lacked the base to wield it properly even if they got it.
Recalling what he knew of Count Astape, Rokan soon reached his lord's castle.
"Halt. State your business."
"I'm Count Rokan von Regalia. No appointment, but I have business with Count Astape. Send word."
Rokan stated his demand calmly to the blocking guards.
The massive gap—count versus grunt—meant no need for honorifics.
He matched their lord's rank, so no reason to. Using them might even raise suspicion.
His full name had changed too. He'd used Linai County—bought outright—as his base, going by Rokan von Linai. But now, with an emperor-granted territory, that was his anchor.
Refusing would've slighted the emperor, and names didn't matter anyway, so he declared it boldly.
"L-Lord Regalia Count, one moment! No—my buddy here'll guide you. I'll notify inside. Please wait!"
The guards paled. They'd heard of Rokan.
A powerhouse who crushed a master without being one.
A merciless berserker sparking massacres wherever he showed.
Rose above counts with one axe, then made his blood-soaked front-line fief his seat—a mad ghost.
Some exaggeration, but rumors rooted in truth had them tense, fearing backlash.
Even foreign soldiers could face summary execution for irking a noble—and their lord wouldn't protest to this emperor-favored young count.
"You waited long! The lord says to escort you. To the lord's chamber... my buddy'll guide you!"
After a short wait, the vanished guard rushed back, glanced nervously, dumped guidance on his pal, and bolted under pretense of gate duty.
Figured he'd cause friction if he stuck around.
'No, already caused?'
The suddenly assigned guide, face still ashen, shuffled ahead awkwardly, tripping midway in a minor fiasco before reaching the audience chamber.
"Count Rokan von Regalia has arrived!"
Safely there, he bellowed, then fled like a rabbit the instant Rokan entered. Rumors would spread—no one'd linger nearby.
'Perfect.'
Satisfied, Rokan stepped in.
The room was empty too.
A few knights stood formally aside, but they knew. Even if half the tales were true, they were no match.
No close-guarding to irk him from the start. Purely ornamental.
"Welcome, Count Regalia. To what do I owe this unannounced visit?"
"Haha, do friends need reasons to chat? I rose to count so fast, never properly greeted you. Thought we'd talk."
"Greet me?"
Rokan smoothly parried Count Astape's probing. He'd long since toughened up on noble dealings.
A middling noble like him getting a visit? He'd heard no rumors of Rokan mingling, so it flustered him—but he soon composed, dissecting every word.
"Well... appreciated. So, what tales you wanna spin?"
"Hmm, all sorts, but... how about this? Thirty orbs."
"......!"
Count Astape blanked briefly, then his eyes shook at the notebook Rokan pulled. He recognized the symbol on its cover.
"Sounds fun—care for a private chat?"
Before the rattled count could decide, Rokan proposed first. Dismiss the knights, just the two of them.
"...Very well. Everyone out. No approaching till I summon—no one gets near!"
Count Astape hesitated, then decided. Attacking Rokan here was pointless.
No clue what demands that notebook might bring, but no choice now.
Soon after, the audience chamber—and every floor above and below—held no life but the two men.