Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Racial Quest (2)
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The Iron Shell Turtle eggs had an extremely long respawn time due to their rarity.
But things were different in the early days, when no one had dug them up yet.
Without even thinking about respawn times, Rokan scoured the coastline and dug up every last one. Soon he had collected nearly two hundred. That was thanks to each pit containing at least ten eggs.
“This should be enough.”
Once no more pits were in sight, Rokan turned away without a second thought.
And instead of heading to Crossroads, he set off in a different direction.
The quest to bring back Iron Shell Turtle corpses had no time limit anyway. Plus, if he stopped by Harban first, that sharp-as-a-ghost bastard would sniff out the eggs and try to take them by force.
So Rokan switched up the order.
“Hup.”
Splash.
Follow the east coast north, and eventually a tiny island came into view, like a mere speck.
That was the nameless uninhabited isle Rokan was making for.
The seas in The Lord teemed with monsters, unlike the real world, making it incredibly dangerous to even set foot in the water. But Rokan showed no hesitation.
He knew this spot was safe, at least.
Because “he” was there.
“Euphu, euphu.”
Even without crashing waves, swimming in the ocean was no easy feat. But The Lord’s universal skill “Swimming” provided a helpful correction, making it somehow manageable.
A real-world expert could swim even faster, of course.
Either way, after a long swim, Rokan reached the nameless uninhabited island.
“He’s probably napping around now.”
The one Rokan sought was the island’s sole intelligent resident.
Stronger than anyone in the area—but belonging to neither the Golden Lion faction nor the Black Dragon Legion—he required caution.
Piss him off, and you might not even recover your bones.
‘Worse, I wouldn’t get “that.”’
So Rokan carefully searched for signs of him.
Fearless as he was, the guy roamed the entire island like it was his personal living room. Pinpointing his exact location was impossible.
‘But I have a way.’
Rather than combing the whole sprawling island, Rokan prepared the area.
He built a fire and placed some butchered Iron Shell Turtle meat atop a shell.
Sizzle, sizzle.
A short wait later, the distinctive aroma of cooking Iron Shell Turtle meat filled the air.
No spices added, yet the delicious scent—free of any gaminess—spread to every corner of the island.
Crunch, crunch.
The signal arrived.
‘He’s here.’
[Lazy Gourmet Taemin][Lv ]
Rokan sensed the shadow of something massive and fixed his gaze on the sky.
Lazy Gourmet Taemin.
Far from the sleek build and sharp beak typical of the avian tribe, this one cut an imposing figure with his bulky frame and somewhat blunt beak. He’d come flying in at the scent of Iron Shell Turtle meat.
‘A bird who prefers grilled over raw meat—what a weirdo.’
“Sniff, sniff. What a fine aroma. Iron Shell Turtle meat is best enjoyed plain! Slurp!”
A true gourmet, no doubt. Taemin nailed the meat type from scent alone. Saliva dripping, he flicked out his broad tongue and zeroed in on the cooking meat.
Sizzle.
All the while, Rokan flipped the meat nonchalantly, as if the guy weren’t even there.
He needed to lure him in, but he knew one morsel of meat beat a hundred words.
As the meat cooked to juicy perfection, the creature grew visibly antsy.
“You there—nothing to say to me?”
“…….”
Ask for a favor, and he’d chomp down a bite as “payment.” But Rokan gave no such opening.
“Come on, you came all this way to my island. Say something.”
“Well. Nothing in particular…….”
With that level gap, Taemin could’ve just seized it by force, and Rokan couldn’t stop him. But the self-proclaimed “gentleman” avian tribe didn’t stoop to such crassness.
So Rokan took his time, waiting for the meat to finish.
How he played this hand of leverage would shape the quests to come.
Pat, pat. Crack.
“Huh……! You—do you have any idea what you’re doing? Wasting Iron Shell Turtle eggs on fries?!”
When the meat was nearly done, Rokan cracked open one egg. Taemin blew up like it was his own.
To him, using such precious ingredients for mere fries was an insult to the food itself.
In response, Rokan said nothing and simply pointed somewhere.
His fingertip aimed at the fire.
More precisely, at the Iron Shell Turtle egg propped up inside it.
“Gulp!”
Roasting a whole Iron Shell Turtle egg over flames was one of his favorite dishes.
And with the meat now browning to the verge of charring, his composure cracked.
“Come on, don’t do that. Isn’t there something I can help with? I rule this island—if you need anything, I’ll make it happen. Or I could fly you back to the mainland…….”
‘Hook, line, and sinker.’
Taemin looked ready to hand over a quest in reverse. Rokan cheered inwardly.
He’d nailed the “Lazy Gourmet” angle perfectly.
“Sky Ticket.”
“What?”
“Hand over a Sky Ticket. All this goes to you, Taemin.”
No dancing around it—Rokan lobbed a straight fastball right out of the gate.
Taemin’s face twisted.
As if to say, “So that’s your game.” His expression chilled, and Rokan casually flipped the meat.
Sizzle.
“No—no! Any more and it’ll burn……!”
Taemin’s face flipped again.
Like a ghost starved to death had possessed him, utterly entranced, his eyes locked back on the meat and egg.
Right then, Rokan produced a large backpack. He cracked open the mouth to peek inside.
“T-That’s……!”
It brimmed with Iron Shell Turtle eggs.
Valuable as magic catalysts or ingredients, they fetched top coin. But Rokan prioritized securing the Sky Ticket for certain.
“No favors, no requests—a straight trade. Worth it, right? A Sky Ticket alone won’t get you much anyway.”
A few more prods, and Taemin stamped anxiously before steeling himself.
“F-Fine. Take it! A Sky Ticket won’t do you much good up there anyway…….”
Trade successful.
Muttering Rokan’s words like self-justification, Taemin confirmed the deal and dove into the near-burning Iron Shell Turtle meat first.
“This tender flesh, these bursting juices! Stamina flooding in with every bite! Ahh, perfection.”
Next up: the egg.
Wielding his long, sharp claws with finesse, Taemin fished the egg from the flames, shelled it in seconds, and popped it in his maw.
“This is it! That chewy-soft texture, infused with such rich flavor!”
‘What the hell’s he on about…….’
Gourmet stuff bored Rokan. He watched in bafflement as Taemin’s raptures dragged on.
“Now, if you please.”
Having watched Taemin devour eggs fried, raw-sucked straight from the shell, Rokan pressed for his end.
Several eggs were already tucked away in Taemin’s gut, but contract-breaking was no concern. The avian tribe weren’t as petty as humans.
“Fine, a deal’s a deal. Usage……? Figure it out.”
Sour-faced, Taemin plucked a single tail feather and offered it to Rokan.
An avian tribe tail feather. Otherwise known as a “Sky Ticket.”
“Thank you.”
Begging for it as a quest would’ve meant days or weeks scrounging ingredients, barely scraping it together—if at all. But by flipping the script and getting Taemin desperate first, Rokan scored it on the spot.
‘Such a grump.’
Taemin acted like the Sky Ticket held some arcane trick, but Rokan needn’t worry.
He already knew. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered coming here.
‘Sky Island’s ours now.’
The avian tribe’s Sky Island was a hidden zone of sorts.
Easy to overlook or skip entirely. But linger, and the gains were massive.
Rokan had zero intention of passing it up.
‘Sky Island’s non-negotiable.’
It was the one place that could drag even those who’d ascended “upward” back down.
With his prize in hand, Rokan swam back to shore, hunted a few more Iron Shell Turtles, and returned to Crossroads.
“Oho, you actually got them. Shells intact too. These’d fetch a nice price……. Ahem, no—the council will be most grateful.”
Quest complete, along with that shady slip.
A new quest popped up.
Pure fetch-grind now, no easy local pickings. But no helping it.
Fastest path to “Council Contribution.” Plus, the errands sent him to level-appropriate hunting grounds—perfect excuse to rampage for solid exp and loot.
After grinding it out several times, Harban offered something a bit different.
[Salsal Flower Gathering][Quest]
The Kensington Council has commissioned you for its research into death and rebirth. Gather Salsal Flowers from the Land of Regeneration.
-Completion Conditions: Salsal Flowers 0/3
-Completion Rewards: 5 Gold, Average Experience
It might look like a risky gathering quest at a glance. But Rokan knew better.
This marked the true start of the “Racial Quest.”
‘The human racial quest revolves around resurrection.’
Every race had its own grand goal. Take the Golden Lion faction: half-elves sought to revive the World Tree, dwarves their ultimate weapon, gnomes an ancient city. Humans were a different breed.
‘Reviving the Emperor and his Crusaders.’
Recapturing past glory meant bringing back the emperor and army from their mightiest era.
Human to the core, in a way. But hardly ideal.
‘No different from undead.’
Defying the natural order was required, after all.
Still just fledgling research for now. But as players progressed the quests, it advanced to impressive heights.
‘It’ll succeed in the end.’
Every racial quest was built to succeed eventually. Disruptions from other races might delay things or tweak the outcome, but that was it.
In his past life, some races had pulled it off, shaking the whole world. Not always perfectly as planned—chaos ensued.
‘Might be fun to rush the human one first this time.’
The memory stirred, and Rokan resolved to complete the human Racial Quest ahead of the pack. A few key nudges from him, and things could get really interesting.
Finishing it wouldn’t end the world or clinch a faction victory. So he set off for the Land of Regeneration, eager to savor it all.