Chapter 375
Chapter 375
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 375
Chapter Title: Against Heaven (2)
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“Now it’s a real countdown.”
Rokan, who had passed out briefly from the aftereffects of using Super Transcendence, had been flying piggyback on Kai’s back for quite a while.
In the meantime, airborne monsters had buzzed around them, but most fled with their tails between their legs after Kai’s roar.
A few had charged in, but they were repelled by his overwhelming size and the elemental power bolstered even further in the Spirit Realm. Kai didn’t bother chasing them.
Right now, what mattered wasn’t hunting one more monster—it was protecting his master.
Without pushing too hard, they flew on, and soon a city appeared in the distance. It was a border region of the Celestial Clan’s territory, one of the places known as the free cities.
[You have entered the Free City Pismil.]
“A free city, huh...”
But this wasn’t a disputed border zone between the Celestial Clan and demons.
The border guarded by Torikan was solely to protect Celestial Clan lands from external monsters. The residents of the free cities weren’t allied with anyone in particular and weren’t especially aggressive.
The atmosphere in the free city was peaceful and bustling instead.
There were aggressive types and even races labeled as troublemakers, but their basic disposition was neutral and self-defensive.
Various races that were enemies of the heavens had gathered here, forming a unique chemistry.
“Interesting.”
Among them were races even Rokan—who prided himself on having stayed in the heavens for quite some time—had never seen before.
The streets teemed with so many diverse intelligent races that he wondered if there were really this many in the heavens.
“Titan?”
Shockingly, there were even Titans, whom he’d only known as a race of destruction and ruin.
“Buy some flowers! Fresh and beautiful flowers aplenty!”
The Celestial Clan’s hunting ground guardian had been a Titan too, but here one was straight-up selling flowers.
Not with their signature destructive, domineering aura, but radiating a gentle, soft vibe—and selling real ornamental flowers, not man-eating ones.
At this point, even Rokan’s worldview was starting to waver.
“A Titan selling flowers...”
The shocks didn’t end there.
There were Jo-in tribesmen delivering mail, orc alchemists, and countless other races working jobs that didn’t suit them at all.
“This isn’t some illusion, is it?”
“Kyut!”
Kai seemed just as flustered.
Having reverted from his great peng form and perched on Rokan’s shoulder, he let out an agreeing chirp.
So bewildering was the scene that Rokan forgot what to say or do, standing still and observing for a while.
How had this absurd ecosystem even formed?
For now, he started gathering information bit by bit.
“I see.”
This neutral zone, or free city, had been born from minority races banding together to survive.
As the demons and Celestial Clan grew stronger, expanding their territories and overwhelming with raw power and numbers, these races had begun pooling their strength to defend their homes.
It wasn’t enough on its own, but as even reclusive races felt the crisis and joined, they gained some deterrent power.
And since the threat was ongoing, minor disturbances cropped up, but nothing big enough to make a single race bail.
On top of that, once their alliance’s strength was recognized, even the demons and Celestial Clan extended olive branches for exchange.
The Nether Realm, Spirit Realm, and Illusion Demon Realm were too busy sticking together internally and checking each other to pose a threat.
And so, the free cities emerged as buffer zones that kept everyone in check.
“Then the prey...”
It was good news, but Rokan wasn’t thrilled.
So what was he supposed to hunt to grow stronger? Most decent races were affiliated with the free cities, so touching them would rile up the alliance.
But the solution turned out to be surprisingly simple.
“Huh? Really? That works?”
In the case of individuals, if they sparked a dispute with a specific race, mediation was possible but not enforcement.
If it involved Celestials, demons, spirits, elementals, or illusions, their affiliations could cause issues, but for unaffiliated free citizens, personal grudges or fights were left for them to settle on their own.
[You have registered as a free citizen.]
No reason not to become one, then.
As long as you upheld the oath to lend strength if the free cities were attacked by outsiders, there were no other binding obligations. That oath was easy enough.
They took 10 million coin as a registration fee, but that was pocket change for Rokan.
“Heh, shall we start the hunt, then?”
Now a free citizen—and having bought a map exclusive to them—Rokan immediately plotted his route.
He marked spots with the most efficient hunting and the most appealing prey, then mapped out the path.
“Hm?”
As he pored over the map, planning away, something odd caught his eye.
An X mark on a location he hadn’t indicated himself.
Like a treasure map.
“Hold on, could this be...”
Rokan hurriedly opened his quest window, searching for something.
“Nope. So this must be it?”
The Moteron’s Grudge quest was completed and gone. But the reward—the archaeologist’s legacy—wasn’t in his inventory anywhere.
It wasn’t auto-pickup.
Makes sense—an soul couldn’t carry items. Still, Rokan instinctively knew this mark was tied to that reward.
Fitting for an archaeologist, maybe he’d hidden his legacy like buried treasure?
It was oddly far from Celestial Clan lands, but on second thought, hiding it near a free city outside their influence made sense to keep it from other Celestials.
“Not expecting much, but... let’s check it out.”
No reason not to claim it. Checking his route, it was conveniently next to one of his planned hunting spots.
Coincidentally, near a Titan tribe.
‘Titans...’
A race with deep ties to Rokan and Gwangpung.
He’d seen them as hunting ground guardians under the Celestials and selling flowers in Pismil, but he couldn’t erase memories of them on the surface world or ruling as overlords in the heavens’ outskirts.
Those impressions were too strong.
He held no mercy or pity for them.
Plus, he had titles and options that shone against Titans—perfect prey.
At minimum level 400 powerhouses, they were rare game for leveling up and stacking divinity.
Now that he knew Majesty Mastery’s secrets about divinity, grinding thousands of level 350 monsters paled against hundreds of level 400+ ones.
“Kai, let’s go.”
Rokan mounted Kai and took off.
“Nearby” was relative on the massive heavenly landmasses—Kai beat Gwangpung’s wings for time saved.
[You have discovered the Giant Mountains.]
The Titans’ village lay in the Giant Mountains.
A longstanding homeland for the Titan clan.
Trees, fruits, beasts—all massive to sustain their diet—Rokan almost felt like he’d stumbled into a giant nation.
Only Gwangpung’s incarnation or Kai’s great peng form felt fitting scale-wise.
Surveying the colossal folk who defied perspective, he first sought Moteron’s legacy spot.
Just an X mark, no exact coordinates, but pinpointing it was easy. He had the Compass of Desire.
No multi-layers, so direction alone sufficed.
“Here?”
The site screamed ruins at first glance.
Seemed unused now, but littered with oversized Titan relics from the past.
“Hold on, not just ruins?”
Confirming no Titans nearby, Rokan landed and circled the entrance, sensing something off. The ruin’s shape was suspicious.
“Could this be...”
Too big to tell at ground level, but from the air, it clicked.
A god’s altar.
Like Gwangpung’s—built to honor a deity.
Titans worshiped gods too? Stroking his chin thoughtfully, something shiny caught Rokan’s eye.
A secret passage mechanism.
His title activated after ages, hinting at the hidden device.
Rumble, rumble.
He triggered it, and a small passage opened atop the altar.
Boom, boom, boom.
With that, fierce tremors approached from afar. Titans heading this way.
“Tch.”
Might as well bag one while at it—but irregular vibrations soon dashed that.
Not one. Multiple Titans converging.
Rumble. Boom.
Rokan dove into the secret passage.
Fighting was fine, but collapsing it would screw him over.
It slid shut behind him, and tremors rocked above repeatedly.
They didn’t find it, just milling around.
Exiting later might mean a brawl, but that was no issue. Rokan ignored the surface, focusing on the secret chamber.
“No traps?”
Archaeologist legacy—could be rigged like a mage’s dungeon with traps and mobs. Surprisingly, Moteron’s showed up quick. Just a secret storeroom.
Bell of Truth confirmed no traps.
“This all?”
Disappointing haul, though.
True to form, mostly books on shelves—no ancient gear in sight.
Scattered tools and stone fragments aplenty, but books were 99% of it.
[Moteron’s Archaeologist General Theory Vol. 1][Epic]
A whopping 36-volume set.
Maybe skillbooks mixed in? Skimmed—nope. Basically The Lord’s lore bible.
Packed with racial histories, god tales.
Sure, weaknesses or quest hooks for some, but many extinct races—catnip for lore nerds.
“Ugh, this is why writers...”
Rokan was genuinely let down.
Hoped for ancient items, treasure maps, divinity hints—lore books instead.
Dejected, he idly flipped through.
Grabbed the Titan volume at least.
“...Huh?”
Then spotted content utterly alien to what he knew.