The Hidden Path to Liberation

"A hidden quest?"

It was none other than a hidden quest. Information visible only through Dragon Eye had popped up above the grudge spirit's head.

"Two Epic-grade titles, no less... whoa!"

Crack!!

Caught off guard by the unexpected info, Vulcan had zoned out for a split second, but the hulking skeleton that had snuck up on him got counter-smashed instead. Even without Power of Fire or any other buffs, a single blow shattered its joints, crumbling it to pieces.

"You scared the shit outta me, asshole!"

Vulcan grumbled, kicking away the bony remains. No need to worry about regeneration, though. The endless respawns only lasted until full clear—once everything reset to the starting point, they wouldn't revive infinitely.

- I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!

In that gap, a grudge spirit lurking nearby charged in—not at Vulcan, but at the undead remains. The spirit was a refugee slain by that very monster in life.

'Liberation, huh...'

It wasn't like he could do anything to the already-dead souls, and grudge spirits lacked physical form anyway, making it a futile struggle. Still, Vulcan paused, staring at it thoughtfully. He couldn't quite grasp what the hidden quest meant by "liberating" them.

'Just dissipate them? Or is there another way?'

Though intangible, holy power could probably erase them. But was that really "liberation"? He doubted it. Plenty of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠priest-class users must've hit this instance dungeon before, and they surely would've tried it.

'Yeah, probably the latter.'

Gamers weren't normal folk. They did the forbidden shit first and dug into unmentioned stuff anyway. Some must've wiped out not just undead monsters but grudge spirits too. Yet no rumors of broken quests meant dissipation wasn't the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠answer. Sure, maybe Epic title holders kept quiet, but...

'These guys are trapped here forever, so dissipation might count as liberation... but I can always try that later.'

For now, Vulcan sidestepped the spirit without harming it, ensuring his power didn't affect it, and scanned for the next target.

'Shouldn't be too hard.'

The grudge spirits might complicate hunting, but luckily, no big issue. They harbored rage from their past deaths but also fear, so they stayed put until Vulcan silenced the undead completely.

Thus, he could sweep the monsters, then snag loot and move when the watching spirits stirred—blitzing the dungeon efficiently.

"Ugh! Undead XP is the best. If only they dropped decent loot."

His rapid pace piled up massive experience. Undead traits: stingy drops, but generous XP to compensate—way more than same-level mobs.

Vulcan vacuumed them up, and since they were already 20 levels below him, the bar filled fast. Not even a full lap around the dungeon, yet multiple level-ups already. The Wailing Cave's recommended level was 180 for a 4-5 player party—soloing meant hogging all that XP.

- Snagging levels this easy off weaklings? World's so damn unfair. Back in my day...

Even Tud ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clicked his tongue at the inequality. In the pre-Immortal era, NPCs grew through endless effort and self-training. Combat helped, but not this fast. Vulcan, though, outpaced all Immortals.

"Hmm. Smooth sailing, but something feels off."

Blasting through levels at insane speed, yet the hidden quest nagged him. Half the cave cleared, grudge spirits liberated: still 0. Dragon Eye offered no hints.

- Hmm. Feels familiar somehow... what is it?

Tud, with his superior Dragon Eye, sensed it too—but no answers. Vulcan had to figure it out himself.

'Lifting the curse might solve it all at once?'

Not certain, but logical. To free them, break the cave's curse first. Maybe then all spirits—undead or grudge—escape, completing liberation.

Vulcan accelerated, shredding zombies, skeletons, ghosts en route to the end he knew. His absurd attack power outsped a full 5-man party.

'Boss might last a bit.'

Only the boss left. Maybe it'd drop something special, let him feel the fight before folding.

Before entering the boss room, though, Vulcan scoured for curse/liberation clues. Lore hinted at something in the cave itself, but bosses often wielded or hinted at it.

'It's got something, but...'

A bright yellow glow pulsed inside it—Rare item equipped. But Vulcan tempered expectations. The time-rewind power couldn't be just Rare gear. Still, worth checking; might be a key item, not always dropping.

Needing more levels anyway, he'd reset and farm if needed. He charged.

"Fresh plaything!"

Verdina spotted him and lashed its whip—over 5m long, infused with binding power. Taking a hit would restrict movement.

'Bind's breakable with raw strength, but chains could combo.'

Tree vines erupted, wrapping him. Snappable, but it'd slow him, risking whip barrages. Low damage, but the whip dropped mental stats, forcing submission. Multi-hits triggered 'Puppet'—losing control to attack allies or self-harm.

Stabbing himself with +9 Blessed Sun Sword? Even Dark Hunter set couldn't tank that.

Thwack!!

The whip struck empty ground, writhing snake-like, but futile. Vulcan, with Agility Enhancement, closed in instantly.

"Power of Fire!"

Whip's reach was an advantage at distance—up close, useless. Verdina raised the handle to block, but...

Slash!

Overwhelming power severed it partially. Tough, sinew-twisted material—only a third cut, not destroyed.

"Kiyaaaaaaaah!!!!"

"!!"

Its mouth gaped. Poison? No—pale wraiths spewed out.

"Tch."

A mind-reeling wail accompanied them: grudge spirits, more vicious than cave ones. Mental assault plus impact hurled Vulcan back.

Ash Blessing blocked terror, but spirit impacts still drained mental strength. Normally, it'd lead to whip combos and trouble. But Vulcan stayed sharp, batting away every lash.

'So that's it.'

He grinned instead. He'd cracked the quest. "Liberation" meant freeing the spirits bound inside Verdina, not the cave's wanderers.

"Simple now."

His mind cleared—no more overthinking. Goal clear, path set.

"Puke 'em all out till you're empty!!"

He charged again. Whips flew wildly, but Dragon Eye tracked trajectories—he parried or dodged.

'Telekinesis.'

No Agility Enhancement cooldown, but telekinesis helped—nudging whip tips off-course at key moments.

"Peekaboo!"

"Kiyaaak!!!"

Pattern repeated: whips failed, close-range spew-pushback. Liberated count soared; Vulcan toyed, testing limits.

"Ki... kiya..."

When only drool came, he stabbed deep for the finish.

"...Huh? That's it?"

Level-up confirmed death, plus Greedy Man's Belt (Rare, buckle-heavy). But Vulcan's face darkened. No clear despite emptying spirits.

Quest showed complete— so what failed? What'd he miss?

- Resets everything anyway.

"Ah...!"

Tud's offhand answer hit. Right—however many freed, time-rewind undid it all.

"So curse lift clears both."

Avenger needed curse-break too. But how? No clues despite searching.

'Can this even be cleared? Need special item?'

He backtracked, circling—no dice. Only original cave spirits plus 125 freed trailed him (over 200 total). Eerie, but harmless, so ignored. No point sword-dancing for "enlightenment."

- Consistently dumb.

If invisible, it's hidden. "..."

Back at boss room, Tud's koan-like words. Vulcan listened—dragon advice.

Superior Dragon Eye might see it.

"Wait, maybe?"

Recalled lore: normal till refugee massacre by demon army, then souls trapped. Demon army trapped too meant pre-existing power activated by event.

Core likely deepest—boss room. Nothing visible? Underground maybe.

"Gotta dig?"

- Want me to?

Decision made. Grabbed shovel from inventory, dug deep for dungeon heart.

Crunch! Crumble—

"Huh...?"

1m, 3m, 5m... Deep down, soil collapsed into void.

"Legendary?"

A familiar-yet-strange glow appeared.