Chapter 228
Chapter 228
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 228
Chapter Title: Death's Scepter (3)
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Upon spotting the Death's Scepter, the five Undead Masters immediately signaled each other. They knew it wouldn't be easy to just rush in and grab it.
The moment they approached, something would pop out, or they'd face interference.
It might not even be the real thing in plain sight.
Such tricks were common in The Lord, so they kept that in mind.
'I can't let that happen.'
Rokan hid himself first.
There weren't many places to take cover, and he wasn't afraid of them anyway, but there was no reason to get spotted.
Squeak squeak.
He promptly pulled out the mechanical rat.
A mechanical engineering item equipped with taunt capabilities. The moment he released it, a reaction came instantly.
"Those who covet death, who dares!"
The room, which had seemed empty, filled with spectral entities rising up.
'Whoa.'
Even at a glance, there were over ten High Masters. The number of Masters seemed at least double that.
They flinched.
The Undead Masters, who had been scattering to move, froze in place.
They weren't sure if they'd been made, but they knew things had gone south.
"Damn it, grab it and run!"
"These guys are mine...!"
At this point, losing their judgment wasn't all that strange.
Too tense and flustered to realize it was the mechanical rat's doing, they ended up attempting something reckless.
One would draw attention while another snatched the Death's Scepter.
As long as it went into their inventory, even death wouldn't matter. With that in mind, they threw themselves forward, but the enemies were far stronger than they'd anticipated.
Crack!
The ghost knights, who didn't vanish even after smashing the mechanical rat, switched targets.
They unleashed their Master skills all at once, swarming the five.
Three of them tried to hold out with their own Master skills, but it was futile resistance.
Against foes even Master-level monsters struggled with, all they managed was to stall for a few seconds.
"Go, hurry!"
Even so, they desperately carried out their mission.
If they could sacrifice themselves to secure the Death's Scepter, the quest completion rewards would more than make up for it, and the Undead world would open up.
In a display of uncharacteristic self-sacrifice, they propelled their fastest member toward the throne of death.
And he nearly made it.
"Bombardment."
"...!"
If Rokan hadn't intervened.
Boom boom boom!
Ten hand axes flew between him and the Death's Scepter, striking the space with terrifying destructive power.
Any further, and death was certain. That conviction gripped his ankles.
"Son of a... "
Crack!
With a resounding impact, the last one turned to a lost soul and vanished.
"You shall pay the price for your greed!"
At that, every monster in the room turned its gaze to Rokan. Interfering with bombardment had broken his stealth inevitably.
"Hmph, rider of legends, Gale Incarnation!"
But his opponent wasn't some amateur Master user.
Rokan instantly summoned his Crimson Steed and buffed himself with Gale Incarnation.
"Rampaging Chariot!"
He transformed into a unified horse-and-rider chariot, sweeping through them.
"Jump!"
No, even that was a feint.
As the ghost knights overlapped to block his charge, he sent the Crimson Steed barreling forward while launching himself into the air.
"Flight mode!"
He plummeted toward the Death's Scepter at full speed with the wings of gale.
[You have acquired the Death's Scepter.]
[Death's Scepter][Legend]
A staff brimming with condensed death energy. Its mere presence unleashes powerful deathly forces, turning the surroundings into a land of death and raising the fallen.
Those bound by this power become neither dead nor alive, forever guarding the Death's Scepter.
-Holding it invites Death's Pursuit
-????
-????
-????
But he couldn't use that power to halt the ghost knights or the hordes of undead rushing from beyond the death chamber.
Instead, he became the pursued.
"Bye bye~."
Rokan, however, wasn't flustered at all. He'd hoped for this, but he had plenty of ways to shake off their pursuit anyway.
Pushing himself into a fight to farm High Master-level monster EXP and items sounded good, but escaping safely was the top priority now.
Using his wings, he shot straight up vertically, escaping their range.
Boom! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Of course, there were forces trying to block him.
Master or High Master-level monsters unleashed countless ranged attacks, including spells, to stop him.
But so what?
Even piercing his elemental resistances, the massive damage chipped away at his health, but Rokan had the power of immortality. He ignored it all and broke away from the battlefield.
Gale Wings were new to him, but he'd handled other wing items before, so he navigated the field with swift, precise movements.
'Yeah, come chase me if you can.'
It said holding it invited Death's Pursuit, so they'd gain the power to leave the designated field too, but it didn't matter. They'd face resistance from Black Dragon Legion players and NPCs before reaching him.
Impressive as those undead were, having holed up in their stronghold building strength, the Black Dragon Legion weren't pushovers either.
It would take them considerable time to reach him, and if needed, he could just run again.
'Using this to lure and whittle down the Black Dragon Legion sounds fun.'
The thought crossed his mind briefly, but Rokan dismissed it.
It might accidentally give them a chance to level up.
So instead, he headed straight to the deepest part of the Undead territory.
To complete the Undead race quest.
He hadn't done the prior quests, but would they shun or reject someone holding the Death's Scepter? No way.
Rokan was certain. They'd welcome him with open arms.
And his prediction came true.
"No, this is..."
"The Death's Scepter!"
"How did you...?"
The sudden appearance of an unheard-of figure bearing the Death's Scepter was shocking, but it didn't matter. Their long-cherished wish was on the verge of fulfillment.
If there'd been a couple more steps left, they might have suspected and tested the Undead-transformed Rokan, but in this moment, nothing else registered.
They granted him merits that shot him straight to the top ranks, wagging their tails like pets eyeing a treat.
"For the glory of we Undead, I gladly offer this."
Saccharine words, but they worked perfectly.
The Undead leadership was utterly enchanted, ready to hand over their livers and gallbladders, while Rokan smirked slyly.
His skeletal face hid it, of course.
"Is there anything else I can assist with?"
He broached the subject at the right moment. Despite crashing the finale, he was angling for the main quest reward.
"Hmm, you... Yes, it wouldn't hurt to ask."
The ploy worked beautifully. The final Undead race quest was shared with Rokan.
[Rift in Spacetime][Quest]
Open the Rift in Spacetime and summon the past glory!
-Success Condition: Complete preparations for the Death Lord's resurrection
-Success Reward: +3 Levels, Death's Treasury Access Pass, Massive EXP
The Undead race's final quest. One Rokan had only heard of in passing since he wasn't Undead, it was incredibly special.
Because they had to pass through the Rift in Spacetime.
Crossing the Rift in Spacetime was astonishing. It meant defying time and space to return to the 'past.'
Such quests were rare even across all of The Lord.
No, excluding quests that merely observed the past, this was the only one that could 'change' it.
'Perfect.'
A spark of glee lit Rokan's hollow eyes.
The quest progressed immediately.
Exactly one day. After the preparation period, they declared the Rift would open, and Rokan quietly returned to wait.
Apparently, crazy Undead had attacked their stronghold, but they were holding them off somehow.
Since the attackers' goal wasn't occupation, focusing on pinning them down had slowed their movements considerably.
Meanwhile, preparations to open the Rift wrapped up.
As Rokan and dozens of Undead players waited, several High Master-level Death Knights and Archliches appeared to accompany them.
"Follow closely. Stray, and you could become lost in spacetime."
After warning the players, they took positions at the front and rear, beginning to cross the Rift.
Whoooong.
It felt similar to a teleport magic circle but different, a sensation enveloping his entire body. They were leaping through spacetime to the past.
It was a game, so no real risk of becoming lost in spacetime as they warned, but mishandling it could mean failing to cross the timeline properly, dying to spacetime monsters on the way back. So Rokan followed them silently.
"Ugh."
"Where are we?"
They arrived in a land of utter desolation.
The Undead territory was commonly called the 'Land of Death,' but this was far worse.
Not Undead? Just standing there would corrupt you, fraying your mind in darkness and death.
"Screech!"
That wasn't all. The terrain itself was different. It looked like a massive battle had already raged—crumbled, cracked, twisted landscapes hindering visibility.
Moreover, the sky swarmed with unfamiliar flying monsters, shrinking the players and tensing the NPCs.
"Ah, that's..."
"Bone Dragon..."
No, not quite a dragon—maybe drakes.
Massive bone dragonkin flying undead clashed fiercely with grotesque birds. Not one or two, but dozens.
Monster infighting, sure, but each packed at least Master-level combat power, so the shockwaves were brutal. They had to radiate auras just to vent the pressure.
"Move out."
A Death Knight scanned the battlefield from a high vantage after dispersing the clash's aftermath, then led the group. No point lingering; head straight to the objective.
They might not know exactly where this was, but they had hints, navigating with skill.
'The era when the Death Lord was alive?'
Following behind, Rokan quickly assessed the situation.
How far back had they gone? They were here to meet the Death Lord, but what exactly for?
To save him right before death? Steal his corpse for modern resurrection? Or dig up his relics like with the ancient emperor?
For now, all he could do was follow their lead.
And soon, he saw it with his own eyes.