Chapter 327
Chapter 327
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 327
Chapter Title: Treasure of the Heavenly Barrier (2)
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The materials needed to open the portal to the Void were quite diverse, but those that could be handled through sheer volume were covered by the territory's might and financial power.
The rest had to be acquired personally.
Among them, the Essences of Power—stacked up from hearts of level 350 and above—didn't require any worry since they were already piling up on the surface. But even beyond that, there were essentials that absolutely had to be obtained.
The Claw of the Dimensional Monstrosity, the Potion of Chaos, the Treasure of the Heavenly Barrier, and the Compass of Desire were among them.
"Hmm, what to go after first."
First, use the Claw of the Dimensional Monstrosity to weaken the dimensional forces leading to the Void, then lure it with the Essences of Power to make the Void open the door itself.
Slip through that gap, and stage one is complete.
Before that, apply the Potion of Chaos to every corner of the body to prevent Void corrosion and full-body decay. And for contingencies, carry the Treasure of the Heavenly Barrier to endure within the Void itself.
Surviving inside the Void like that marks stage two.
Then, finding the path forward is stage three.
At this point, use the Compass of Desire, which points toward what you seek—but since it only indicates direction, crossing the Void properly requires a fair bit of luck.
Finally, use the Claw of the Dimensional Monstrosity once more to weaken the dimensional barrier and escape the area to succeed.
To complete this simple yet difficult task, securing plenty of materials was essential.
Especially the Potion of Chaos and the Claw of the Dimensional Monstrosity—the more, the better.
So, what to prioritize.
The order didn't matter in the end; everything had to be gathered. But time and difficulty needed consideration.
If he was in the middle of settling in and hunting, only to head off to meet the Russian guilds, wouldn't that kill the momentum and waste time getting back into it?
With that in mind, the priorities narrowed to two.
The Treasure of the Heavenly Barrier and the Compass of Desire.
Rokan chose the Treasure of the Heavenly Barrier among them.
He already knew all the locations where each item could be obtained, but the Compass of Desire was held by pirates, so bad luck could mean it taking quite some time.
"Hmm, where to go."
But he couldn't move right away. The Treasure of the Heavenly Barrier wasn't just one item, nor was it a drop.
The easiest method was to get it directly from the creator.
But the barrier sorcerer Limonan moved between several bases, changing locations frequently, so that was a pass.
The remaining option was to seize it from others who possessed it.
Celestials, demons, and other races.
Among those who had received the Treasure of the Heavenly Barrier directly from Limonan or stolen it from others, who to target.
None were easy, so Rokan deliberated carefully.
"Polymorph. Use Heavenly Rune Book."
And he settled on one spot.
One of the Celestial bases, the large-scale city of Kasarax.
He infiltrated disguised as one of the Celestials he had killed.
'Hmm.'
Was it because of him and Gomoltan? The once-relaxed Celestial base now had a chill in the air. More like a sharpened edge.
Celestial soldiers stood guard as if preparing for war at any moment, thoroughly inspecting those entering the interior.
They weren't even allowing entry to users who hadn't transferred to the Heavenly Realm or neutral-area NPCs.
It was as if they were hiding something inside; the security was tight.
He bowed his head politely.
But Rokan was the exception. Because he had Polymorphed into a pure Celestial, not a regular one.
They couldn't even fathom that during his alliance with Gomoltan, Rokan had used Polymorph to cause havoc, so their treatment of pure Celestials remained unchanged.
Out of their pride, they never imagined Rokan would dare appear in the guise of a pure Celestial.
'Where could it be.'
Thanks to that, Rokan entered the city interior smoothly and scrutinized the place closely.
Where might the Treasure of the Heavenly Barrier be.
Two places came to mind.
The lord's castle, the city's core, and the walls and towers that needed the sturdiest defenses.
The Treasure of the Heavenly Barrier could not only defend against the Void but also generate a grand barrier with powerful physical and magical defenses, so it was likely placed where it would be most useful.
'Start with the walls, then.'
So he headed to the walls first.
"What brings you here, sir?"
"Should I report to you?"
As he climbed the walls, a Joined Race member who had chosen the Celestial faction spoke up, but Rokan snapped back venomously.
Pure Celestials were supposed to have this kind of personality, so unless it was another pure Celestial, ignoring and scorning them—nay, he had to, to avoid suspicion.
"N-No, sir."
Perhaps because of that, the Joined Race backed off at the sharp retort, bowing lightly and making way for Rokan.
It was the same as he patrolled the walls. Celestial soldiers avoided the pure Celestial-disguised Rokan or wouldn't even meet his eyes.
They probably thought he was there to monitor and catch them slipping up.
'Not here.'
After slowly strolling with hands behind his back, checking the walls and each tower, Rokan concluded the Treasure of the Heavenly Barrier wasn't here.
Defending the city was good, but they likely prioritized defending the inner castle where pure Celestials gathered.
Confirming that, he turned away without lingering.
Now the real challenge began.
He had chosen to transform into a mid-tier High Master-level pure Celestial to avoid anyone recognizing him if he used the form of a high-ranking one he'd killed.
That meant there could be higher-ranking Celestials in the inner castle who might notice odd behavior. So caution upon caution.
He tensed his body, ready to release Polymorph and unleash his full power at any moment, and entered the inner castle.
A quick glance.
The entrance was a pass this time too.
Watching the inner castle entrance from afar, he nodded curtly in silent greeting like the other pure Celestials, and they allowed entry without suspicion.
'Let's see, if it's anywhere... yeah, there?'
The most likely spot for the Treasure of the Heavenly Barrier was one: the lord's office.
An item treated as a treasure even in the Heavens—they wouldn't leave it just anywhere less secure.
He considered shrinking down with Kai for an Ant-Man infiltration, but Celestial mana sensitivity would likely detect them unless he drew eyes elsewhere.
So Rokan memorized the interior layout as best he could and approached as close as possible to the lord's office.
"Halt. What business here?"
"State your affiliation."
About halfway up the lord's castle, they blocked him—areas no ordinary pure Celestial was allowed.
[Kasarax Elite Guard Dolmotan][Lv 388]
[Kasarax Elite Guard Igar][Lv 389]
Pure Celestials serving as guards.
Rokan pondered an excuse, then spoke lowly.
"I am Ilivants, priest of the Heavenly God. I have urgent words for the lord."
"Priest of the Heavenly God?"
"You?"
Naturally suspicious. Rokan's attire differed slightly from a priest's.
But when he pulled out the Heavenly God Priest Mirror from the recent battle, their eyes softened a bit.
"Yes. Still an apprentice..."
"Hmm, what is it? The lord is busy."
"I cannot say. It's of utmost importance..."
At that, the guards' eyes narrowed again.
Words only for the lord's ears—what could it be?
But they couldn't treat him lightly. Even among Celestials, with differences in power, a Heavenly God priest wasn't someone a regular Celestial could bully.
A high priest, and they would've bowed immediately.
"...Understood. Wait here."
After deliberating, the guards split roles.
One went to report to the lord, the other led the faux Heavenly God priest—Rokan—to a waiting room.
It was close to the lord's office anyway, so whatever the response, it was a win for Rokan.
'Time to prepare.'
He followed silently but readied himself for combat at any second.
The closer to the office, the higher the guards' levels—even spotted three over 400 already—but he wasn't particularly tense.
That one was 400 too, a Grand Master.
Rokan, with his off-the-charts power, had never lost to peers, so he even felt a thrill of anticipation.
What level was the lord? Could he win?
Heart pounding, the departed guard returned with the lord's reply.
"He'll see you. Mind your manners."
The lord had granted an audience.
With permission, Rokan formally handed over the Heavenly God priest staff he held and headed to the office.
They wouldn't think a mere Heavenly God priest could harm the lord, but it was protocol—and they didn't know he was a user, a visitor.
With inventory, surrendering a weapon meant nothing.
Creaaaak.
Finally, the lord's office door opened, and Rokan's eyes darted around.
[Treasure of the Heavenly Barrier][Epic]
He spotted the gleaming gem orb embedded in the lord's throne. As expected, the lord kept it.
'Have to smash it.'
There might be a way to extract it cleanly, but no time.
Rokan planned how to claim the Treasure of the Heavenly Barrier and first bowed his head.
"I greet the lord."
"Rise."
The Celestial lord gazed down sternly at Rokan.
Rokan sneaked a level check, his expression turning subtle.
[Lord of Kasarax, Kashin][Lv 453]
A being beyond Grand Master. Breaking 450 and adding three more levels—it started to tense him up.
Someone might say "just three levels," but as levels rose, gaining even one became brutally hard, right?
Rokan himself had just passed 400 and already felt the grind intensely. At 450, worthy foes for EXP would be scarce.
So not an easy opponent. Worry crept in: could he win?
'This is getting fun.'
But that's why Rokan smirked under his bowed head. Fights with the strong were always welcome, any time, any situation.
450 levels. His first real shot at a Majesty Master.
"Yes. What business does a Heavenly God priest have with me..."
"Release Polymorph."
Fwaaah.
He straightened toward the haughty questioning lord and dropped the Polymorph.
"Gale Incarnation, Supreme Physique, Blood Awakening."
Unleashing all his power, he charged at full throttle from the start.