Chapter 155
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Holy Empire
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◀ ROUND 10 ▶
[Main Quest]
└Complete at least 1 sub quest within 10 hours in the fantasy world
[Sub Quest]
└???? Multiple
[All Zones]
└Participants: 550,528
└Achievers: 0/137,632
[Current Zone C3-ESKA001]
└Participants: 2,760
└Achievers: 0/690
The players who checked the quest tensed up.
“Complete at least one sub quest?”
“In the fantasy world we went to before?”
“Seeing as it says at least one, there must be multiple, right?”
“Then doesn’t that mean finishing just one out of several completes the quest?”
“That would be too easy, wouldn’t it?”
The thought that it was easy didn’t last long.
The people soon changed their minds.
‘It can’t be this easy.’
Especially since the angel had warned them it would be difficult.
“Probably each sub quest is insanely hard.”
Perhaps having heard that mutter.
The angel Nel let out a laugh close to a sneer.
[The sub quests aren’t difficult, humans. There’s a difference in difficulty, but most are easy to tackle alone. Don’t be too scared.]
“Th-then what part is difficult…….”
[What I said was difficult isn’t the quests themselves. It means passing the round won’t be easy. Because the achiever spots will be filled in order of who completes the most quests.]
“Ah…….”
They rank you by how many quests you complete at most.
That was no different from inciting competition among themselves.
Since they had no idea how many they needed to complete to be safe.
Of course, not everyone was in the dark.
At least those who had heard Ryu Min’s prophecy showed no anxiety on their faces.
They knew the cutoff.
‘Minimum 4 sub quests to enter the top 25%. For top 3 in this zone, need to clear 7.’
To secure 1st place, completing 10 quests would be a safe bet.
Naturally, Ryu Min planned to complete 10 in this round.
[You seem to have guessed, but let me explain. This round is about freely roaming the fantasy world for 10 hours and clearing the sub quests scattered everywhere. As you see, completing at least 1 sub quest succeeds the main quest, and you can complete as many more as you want until time’s up.]
“10 hours is a pretty long mission, huh?”
[You’ll need to hustle. Time limit is 10 hours, but passage is by who does the most quests. At least do one. Of course, failing even one means instant elimination.]
“Ha…… this is gonna be brutal.”
“Gotta grind those quests hard.”
There’s a time limit, but no limit on quest completions?
Competition was inevitable.
‘They’ll be anxious not knowing how many they need. Restless and exhausted. But hardship and difficulty are different.’
The reason Ryu Min said Round 10 was hard wasn’t just the fierce competition.
‘The sub quests themselves are genuinely tough.’
As the angel said, there are easy ones.
But only about one in ten.
Half are too hard for solo clears.
The rest are barely doable.
The angel’s claim they’re easy was a lie.
‘So completing 4 in 10 hours is impressive. At the current player level.’
Ryu Min wasn’t worried about the difficulty.
‘Compared to the Tower of Trials, this is a piece of cake.’
Clearing 60 floors of the Tower would be harder than completing 10 sub quests in 10 hours.
[You can’t redo a completed quest. Others can still try it, though. Keep that in mind and move out. Any questions?]
“Could you tell us the difficulty of each quest?”
The bold hand-raiser got scolded in return.
[First question is this idiotic one? Makes me want to crack your skull.]
“…….”
[Telling you would ruin the fun. Any other questions, human?]
“If a quest gets too hard midway, can we quit?”
[Good question. Yes, you can forfeit. There’s a forfeit button in the quest progress window. Press it. You can retry too. If you haven’t succeeded.]
“Ooh, then it’s manageable?”
“If it’s tough, just bail.”
[But we won’t refund your time. And forfeit is once per quest. Only one retry chance per quest.]
“Ah…….”
Players who planned multiple tries grimaced.
[That’s all the explanation. Let’s start the round!]
As Nel spread her wings, the same message appeared before everyone.
[Touch to select your starting area.]
└ 1. Alvitz Kingdom
└ 2. Brahm Kingdom
└ 3. Holy Empire
└ 4. Elsorium
[Random selection if not chosen in time.]
[Time remaining to select: 00:00:59]
Suddenly told to pick a starting area, players panicked.
Those with decision paralysis waggled fingers in the air, freaking out.
But some remained calm, unperturbed.
Ryu Min’s group, who had advance prophecy info.
‘1, 2, 3 are human areas, 4 is elf city.’
With his good elf reputation, Elsorium would welcome him royally.
But he excluded 4.
‘Not yet. Plenty of chances to meet elves later.’
Above all, Ryu Min’s focus this round was elsewhere.
Not sub quests.
‘3, Holy Empire.’
Before selecting, Ryu Min glanced at Min Ju-ri.
He wanted her buff, and she was already rushing around buffing people.
“Get your buffs before we go! Black Scythe too!”
“Thanks.”
“No idea where you’ll pick, but everyone, do your best!”
She was giving buffs and cheers, now that they were somewhat acquainted.
‘Shall we?’
Ryu Min’s finger tapped the air.
* * *
The fantasy continent has five kingdoms and one empire.
Two kingdoms are the Alvitz and Brahm from the options.
The other three are minor kingdoms, not even starting points.
And the grand Holy Empire, befitting its imperial name.
The Holy Empire, a religious order worshiping gods, boasts a scale that makes neighboring kingdoms tremble.
‘No wonder it’s called an empire.’
True to form, sky-high walls that make your neck ache, countless buildings and temples inside, bustling people.
It all felt so vivid, hard to tell if real or not.
‘Killed the archbishop in Round 8, so reputation’s hostile. But no worry. Just don’t show the title.’
Ryu Min admired the surroundings without any title equipped.
Showing it would draw guards trying to grab him.
‘Grab him would be lucky. They’d probably try killing him on the spot.’
Ryu Min wouldn’t die, but he hated pesky flies.
That’s why no title.
Looking around, he saw familiar outfits.
Players.
As expected in the fantasy world, nicknames invisible.
‘Nicknames hidden is good. Easier to act solo.’
In a spot out of sight, Ryu Min transformed into Lost Ark.
In case he ran into someone he knew, hassle.
[Starting Location: Holy Empire]
[Sub Quests in Progress: None]
[Sub Quests Completed: None]
[Time Remaining Until Round End: 09:58:21]
Quest window showed time ticking.
The round truly begins.
Normally, one would dash around hunting quests, but Ryu Min was leisurely.
Confident he could hit 10 even taking it slow.
‘What matters now isn’t sub quests.’
Ryu Min’s steps led to the Holy Empire’s central square.
Waiting before the angel statue, he soon met a familiar face.
“Master!”
Yamtti, who knew Lost Ark’s face, ran up joyfully.
“You’re a bit late.”
“Sorry. Place is huge, had to find the central square.”
“Asking a guard would’ve been simple.”
“Ah! Do they answer?”
“They do. If reputation isn’t hostile.”
Ryu Min had arranged to meet Yamtti in the Holy Empire beforehand.
To enter the temple, he needed her charm.
“Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
“The temple.”
“Why the temple?”
“Too many questions.”
“Sorry.”
Yamtti hung her head sullenly.
She was a slave who obeyed without question, so no need to explain, but he figured telling her the purpose wouldn’t hurt.
“I team with you for one reason.”
“Need someone to charm, right?”
“Yeah. The Holy Empire’s grandest temple has an altar for oracles. No one enters casually. But with charm rune, it changes.”
“Ah, you need me for the oracle altar.”
“Exactly.”
“But do NPCs fall to charm? Never tried…….”
“They do.”
And more.
‘Can’t even read thoughts. Just like real people.’
They might be real.
People from another dimension, like us.
But he couldn’t abandon the NPC assumption.
‘If each is a highly programmed AI with thoughts?’
Virtual humans made for the survival game, i.e., NPCs.
‘Tech to transfer and revive 1.8 billion souls wouldn’t lack that.’
So Ryu Min shelved judgments.
Focus solely on growth and survival to Round 20.
This was a stepping stone.
“But why the oracle altar?”
“Why?”
Ryu Min’s lip curled mockingly.
“To kill an angel.”