Chapter 173
Chapter 173
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 173
>Chapter Title: Angela's Secret
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Chapter 173
One week.
A short time for some, long for others.
It varied greatly depending on the person, but Do-hyun was certain he fell squarely into the latter category.
The past week had felt like an eternity to him.
To be precise, it wasn't the time itself—it was the damn quest that dragged on forever.
"Oh, you already gathered them? Good, then the next material is..."
"...Again?"
"Again? We're still far from done."
"..."
Whenever he scraped together the materials somehow, it would immediately hand out the next quest, as if it had been waiting.
The first quest had been manageable, at least.
Some could even be bought at shops, and others were junk items and materials easily obtained by just killing the boss.
Things started getting serious around the second one.
That was when he began seriously raiding troll colonies.
"Oh, good job. You got them well. Now let's raid a different colony this time."
"...Why?"
"Because we need them. Aren't you going to listen?"
"Sigh."
It was like it had gotten a taste for it—after that, it made him raid three more colonies in a row.
And not just that. The amount of materials it demanded was insane.
Every single one had a name he'd never seen before, and sure enough, searching the auction house turned up nothing.
In the end, he had to grind them out himself, one by one.
The most ridiculous was the fifth quest.
"Good. Now the next material is something extremely rare called a Kartimak stone, treated as a precious gem... To collectors, its value lies in its name. Bring it from a troll colony."
"Trolls have that? Why? Why the hell would they?"
"How should I know? Maybe collecting gems is their hobby. Those guys love hoarding junk anyway."
As if troll colonies were some kind of Doraemon pocket.
He wasn't a dragon or goblin, but these burly brutes were collecting gems?
It was utterly absurd, but somehow Do-hyun got it.
Thus, experiencing the Twelve Labors of Heracles firsthand, he brilliantly completed all seven quests.
'Without Eyes of Truth, it really might've taken months...'
Having navigated the whole ordeal, Do-hyun now understood why it had estimated half a month at shortest.
Even he wouldn't have been confident without Eyes of Truth.
Anyway, Do-hyun had done it.
[Angela's Secret]
-Rank: Heroic
-Description: Wanderer NPC Luriel will tell you about Angela now that you've met all her conditions.
Follow her and hear the full story.
-Clear Reward: 300 Gold, a certain amount of EXP, Linked Quest Occurrence
-Failure Risk: Wanderer NPC 'Luriel' will think you're a very strange person.
-Time Limit: None.
He had finally earned the right to hear Angela's secret.
And the gains didn't stop there.
[Player: Kaiser]
[Level: 67]
[HP: 7,650 / 7,900]
[MP: 3,760 / 5,040]
[Stamina: 630 / 1,240]
[Class: The Last Adventurer [Heir of Kashyar]]
[Titles (12)]
- Max Affinity from the Start?
- First Slayer
...(Expand)
[Stats]
[Strength: 140(+116)] [Agility: 150(+116)]
[Vitality: 5(+130)] [Senses: 60(+104)]
[Mana: 90(+105)]
Remaining Points: 32
Levels had been crawling painfully since 60, the infamous 70th floor wall where months were poured in.
He had blasted through to 67 in just one week.
The benefit of all those grindy quests.
Anyone hearing this would mutter, "If you're gonna grind, at least do it properly, you punk."
But to Do-hyun, it felt only natural.
'I deserve this much.'
It was like compressing months of EXP into one week.
Sticking 5,000 doll eyes over three months or one week—same amount, right?
His overwhelming hunting speed made it possible.
'Still, the growth is faster than expected.'
Considering it hadn't even been two weeks since arriving in Pratel, it was beyond expectations.
He just never imagined it'd take until this level to hear about Angela.
But now, none of that mattered.
Crunch, crunch.
Now all that was left was to listen.
"You're awfully calm. You were rushing me earlier, but now that we're walking, you haven't nagged once."
Perhaps Do-hyun's mindset showed as composure, because Luriel looked at him with surprise.
"Not curious? Where I'm taking you?"
"You'll see when we get there."
"Hmm~"
Do-hyun replied indifferently.
Luriel let out a brief hum, shrugged, and lost interest. She agreed with him.
'Not curious, my ass.'
Truth be told, though he'd answered like he didn't care, he was curious.
They'd been walking for what felt like 20 minutes already, but no sign of arrival.
-Gasp, gasp... Master... Pl-please... slow down...
-Ugh... Where does that little girl get such stamina...
-Liza! Liza-liza!
Twenty minutes by his count, but at a pretty brisk pace even by Do-hyun's standards—that was serious distance.
In fact, Gehard was dying inside, his ragged breaths showing no sign of easing.
From Gehard's pouch, Eliza peeked out, cheering enthusiastically.
'Guess the Knight Commander-level specs aren't just talk.'
Maintaining that speed without his breathing faltering once.
That made him even more curious.
These girls, every one radiating an extraordinary aura—what was she leading him to?
She said it'd be about Angela—what could require walking over 20 minutes to show?
Step, stop.
Sadly, the curiosity wouldn't be sated just yet.
"We've done a bit over half now."
"...Half?"
"The path is tricky, so we have to go around."
Even walking this much, and only halfway?
Gehard looked like a refugee at "only half," but Do-hyun's expression brightened.
"Walking silently is boring... You asked about Angela, right? I'll tell you some on the way."
As they wound through unfamiliar paths, parting foliage, Luriel began the story about Angela that he'd been dying to hear.
The tale was more captivating than expected.
Enough to focus purely on it, ignoring the rough terrain.
"That's all I can tell you. We're here anyway—see for yourself."
Thanks to that, perhaps,
Do-hyun's group reached the destination feeling faster than expected.
But upon arriving and seeing what lay before them,
Do-hyun couldn't help but be genuinely shocked.
"This is...?"
It was something utterly different from what he'd imagined.
* * *
Angela bi Marie.
The late wife of history's greatest sage-king, Gilberun, and a woman hailed as a saint.
Some even said they respected her more than Gilberun himself—a name admired by all.
But contrary to what people knew, her origins were humble.
Eldest daughter of the fallen noble house Remura.
A noble in name only, no different from commoners in reality.
By assets alone, perhaps even worse off than commoners.
That was Angela bi Marie's true identity.
A position where she couldn't even approach the king—yet she became queen thanks to a fateful encounter.
Back when she was with House Remura.
Though she never told anyone, Angela bi Marie possessed a special ability.
"The ability to see the flow of mana and the source of souls."
Qualified as a Guide, a talent appearing once every hundred years, if that.
And King Gilberun was the man who bore the royal blood most purely, the vessel for history's greatest king.
Born with the overwhelming mana unique to the royal line, without need for training.
But contrary to the expectations of many, that immense mana became poison to him.
Too vast for one person to handle, impossible for fine control.
Mana-rich dimwit.
Flashy exterior, rotten inside.
Congenital mana control disorder.
Mocking epithets trailed him like a tail.
The fallen eldest daughter born as a Guide's vessel, hiding it.
The crown prince with overwhelming mana, crippled by control issues.
Their meeting could only be called fate.
They complemented each other's weaknesses.
Gilberun protected Angela's house, granted them a new name, and Angela regulated Gilberun's mana flow.
"Everything was perfect and happy."
A meteoric rise.
As if heaven had gifted them to each other.
They overcame any adversity, earned people's recognition, and won admiration with their benevolent yet charismatic natures.
Everyone thought they'd live happily ever after.
"Until they obtained that."
Until the day they chanced upon a necklace harboring a strange aura.
That was the end of Luriel's tale.
The problem came after.
Swish.
Luriel clicked her tongue, finished speaking, and stepped aside, revealing something.
"...A woman?"
It was a single woman.
A beautiful woman, seemingly in her thirties, with striking white skin and golden hair.
More fragile and pure than the typical Western beauty, which only drew the eye more.
'Sleeping Beauty in the woods or what? Why's she lying here?'
Partly because she lay straight in a transparent glass tube.
No, setting that aside.
He could only gape in disbelief at the sight.
'I thought it'd be some hidden item or secret field... What is this...?'
A forest path hard to find even knowing it, devoid of any human presence.
In its heart, a transparent glass tube with a sleeping woman?
Mystical, yet eerie.
Ding-
But what shocked Do-hyun most was something else.
[Eyes of Truth activates.]
"...)?
A cheerful alert rang out, and red light leaked from the woman.
At this point, Do-hyun couldn't help but grow certain of the hunch nagging at him unconsciously.
'No way. It can't be.'
He tried denying it, but bad feelings never lied, or so the saying went.
Proving it, a message appeared.
[You have discovered the woman in eternal slumber, 'Angela bi Marie.']
"..."
Her identity.
It was none other than Angela.
-Insane...
-Li, Liza...!
-Huh...!?
Shocked, Gehard's mouth hung open, Eliza froze peeking from his robe pouch, and even Charlie looked stunned.
Do-hyun was no different, but the shock didn't end there.
[You have found the key to the fourth piece of fate.]
[Only she can restore the 'Shattered Necklace of Truth' to its original form.]
"...Whoa?"
No other words came to mind.