Chapter 241
Chapter 241
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 241
>Chapter Title: The Giant Calamity
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>Chapter 241
“? He died?”
“What the hell, it’s only been a minute?”
“What’s going on here?”
The users muttered in confusion at the message that popped up the moment they entered.
And with good reason—it had only been a minute.
Practically dead the instant they stepped inside.
On top of that, the victim was Ripad.
“No way, if it were some random user, fine, but Ripad?”
“……Did he mess up? Or is there some other condition?”
The utterly absurd result left question marks floating in everyone’s heads.
But with the dead guy silent, how were the survivors supposed to know?
“Argh! Screw this. I’ll go check it out myself.”
“This is frustrating as hell.”
Finally, a few impatient users opened the door and went in.
The result was, predictably, a total disaster.
[User Sterin has died.]
…….
[User Assadori has died.]
[Users entering the temple have died, increasing the Catastrophe Recreation Rate.]
[The current Catastrophe Recreation Rate is 59%.]
The sight of users failing one after another like sausages on a string struck terror into the hearts of those still outside.
As their muttering grew louder amid the horror-movie-level scene, one user shouted.
“Hey, hey, Ripad’s on the community boards.”
“What’s he saying?”
“Hang on…….”
The user who’d been listening quietly via whisper wore a puzzled expression.
But it quickly changed.
“……What? Hey, say that again. For real? ……No way, that can’t be right? Alright, got it.”
His face muscles stiffened, turning serious as he double-checked several times before ending the whisper.
“What? What’d he say? A trap? Do we need some hidden piece?”
“……No.”
“Ugh, then what? Don’t keep us in suspense—spit it out.”
“No traps or anything. Just went in for a straight one-on-one with the king.”
“……?”
His companion tilted his head.
“So he went in fair and square for a duel and got obliterated?”
“……Pretty much?”
Even the one relaying it looked like he wasn’t sure if that made sense.
His friend who’d whispered it had sounded the same, so the listener’s reaction was inevitable.
He could only let out a baffled chuckle.
It was unavoidable.
The idea of a boss that could one-shot Ripad in a minute didn’t jive with common sense.
‘You hear what they’re saying?’
‘If that’s true, no one can beat it?’
‘Crazy, it’s real? The boards are blowing up with this.’
‘This isn’t something we should even try for…….’
The other users felt the same.
As they hesitated, unsure what to do,
“Huh?”
“What? Why’s everyone suddenly backing off?”
Users from the back started parting to the sides, and soon even those right up front scattered.
What emerged was a man with blue hair.
A cold, handsome guy in glasses.
Any user here would recognize that face.
“Gasp!”
“L-Lepias?”
The strongest ice mage, Lepias.
Even among direct disciples, there were clear levels of skill.
Lepias ranked in the top tier among them.
Users froze like statues at the sight of this heavyweight whom even Ripad couldn’t measure up to, and Lepias’s pale brow furrowed.
“……Step aside.”
“Ah……! S-Sorry.”
The users belatedly snapped out of it and hurriedly made way.
Only then did Lepias smooth his brow and step forward.
His destination was none other than the door to the Forgotten King’s temple.
He paused briefly in front of it, glanced up, then opened it without hesitation.
[User Lepias has entered the Forgotten King’s Temple.]
“……Holy shit, Lepias just went in?”
“Whoa.”
“Lepias is conquest ranking 3rd, right? If he pulls this off, he’s undisputed number one?”
“Ripad got wrecked—think Lepias is any different?”
“Lepias and Ripad on the same level? They’re both direct disciples, sure, but Ripad wouldn’t last against him.”
The users buzzed with excitement.
Who was Lepias?
The ultimate ice mage.
The Blue Tower Master’s sole prized direct disciple.
The strongest PvP mage.
A mage no one wanted to fight twice.
All titles belonging to Lepias, instilling fear in users.
With him taking the challenge, expectations soared.
And they only grew as time passed.
“Already past 5 minutes.”
“Just hit 6…….”
“This is Lepias? He gonna do it?”
Compared to Ripad’s 1-minute wipe and other users’ 3-second flops, it was overwhelming progress.
“Whoa, past 10 minutes.”
“Insane!!”
And it didn’t stop there—10 minutes flew by.
Just as the mood shifted from excitement to something more,
[User Lepias has died.]
[Users entering the temple have died, increasing the Catastrophe Recreation Rate.]
[The current Catastrophe Recreation Rate is 60%.]
“Ah……?”
“……Huh?”
“Hmm.”
The chilling alert doused their enthusiasm like ice water.
Users stood frozen mid-cheer, greeted by another message.
[The Catastrophe Recreation Rate has reached 60%, widening the seal’s cracks.]
[A colossal calamity rears its head.]
“What?”
“Colossal calamity?”
The questions were quickly answered.
Rumble—
“What, terrain changing again?”
“Looks like somewhere else this time? Nothing’s different here.”
“L-Look over there!”
A user’s urgent shout.
Heads whipped around to reveal a silhouette.
How to even describe it.
“……A mountain?”
Like a massive mountain shrouded in darkness, pocked with countless volcano-like craters.
They realized those weren’t craters right after.
[The colossal calamity opens its eyes.]
[The colossal calamity gazes upon this place.]
“Shit…….”
Every hole snapped open, revealing multitudes of previously shut eyes.
Users froze to the ground at the spine-chilling sight.
Even more shocking: this behemoth had only its head out so far.
One thought dominated their minds.
‘What happens when the whole thing comes out……?’
‘……If that thing fully emerges from the tomb, we’re done.’
For the first time, they considered the possibility of failing the World Quest.
* * *
-No, we’re fucked, guys.
-What the hell is that shit? This ain’t Alphius, it’s a horror flick?
-Why? Because of the Forgotten King? Can’t get in since people are dying, it’s frustrating.
-No, the king ain’t the issue now. His difficulty’s abnormal too, but this is straight-up impossible.
-? What popped up?
-Crazy monster in the World Quest dungeon. If the seal breaks, we’re all dead.
-??
-Fuck, video’s better than words. Check the attachment. (Attached file)
-What the fuck……!
-No way, that’s a monster?
The community boards exploded nonstop.
The unprecedented monster made all prior disasters seem like jokes.
-World Quests are for users only—shouldn’t the difficulty be reasonable? This reasonable? Fuck this 18+ AI.
-Knew something was off since the first monster kill. Difficulty’s bullshit. There’s something we don’t know.
-We seriously can’t clear this? Forgotten King wasn’t enough, now this thing too?
-Who’s tackling the World Quest right now? Halfway wiped already, looks like.
Now users had to seriously contemplate World Quest failure.
Compared to when it first opened, less than half remained.
Especially with Lepias and Ripad dead.
-Guys, think about it. Clear condition’s saving the Forgotten King, right? Beat him and it’s over, no?
-Beat the king before the seal fully breaks.
-Can we even beat him? Lepias and Ripad got wrecked.
-So we all die? We gotta at least try.
The silver lining: as a World Quest drawing top rankers, situational awareness was sharp.
Their best shot now was taking down the Forgotten King.
-Who’s got a real shot right now?
-Babylon, Heaven Beyond Heaven, Leone the King…… That’s it for guilds. For NPC affiliates, Red Tower Master’s disciples maybe?
-Red Tower Master’s disciple? Siana? She’s on Lepias’s level.
-Exclude Siana, leaves Babylon, Heaven Beyond Heaven, Leone…… Problem is it’s one-on-one only.
-When’re the other Top 10 Guilds or direct disciples showing? Infuriating.
-World Quest popped so suddenly. Never progressed this fast in a day, so they’re probably scrambling too.
Quick assessment didn’t change the hopelessness.
Even Lepias lasted under 10 minutes.
Doubts about beating it were inevitable.
Naturally, they sought scapegoats—and one handy target existed.
-Guys, don’t overthink. That thing’s sealed, right? Who broke the seal in the first place?
-Harrington Trollshack.
-Boycott Earnest starting today.
-What happens if World Quest fails?
-Duh, that monster and Forgotten King team up and invade the mainland. Random drops means chaos.
-Earnest is fucked lololol Seal-breaker revealed, Empire won’t let ’em slide.
-One Top 10 spot opening up lololol Later, Harrington.
Bang!
“Damn it!”
Harrington slammed his desk while scrolling the boards.
‘I admit my mistake. Yeah, it was a mistake. But why’s everything my fault?!’
Harrington felt wronged.
Yes, he’d opened the seal door, but if it was that important, guard it properly—why was the guardian AWOL?
The skyrocketing recreation rate wasn’t solely his fault either.
‘And the rate was climbing fast from the start. Why pin that on me too?’
This was just prepping a fall guy.
If the World Quest failed, they’d need a sacrificial lamb to appease the Empire and users.
‘At this rate, I’ll take all the heat and crash into oblivion.’
The jokes about Top 10 Guild disbandment weren’t hyperbole.
It could really happen.
The Empire’s influence was that immense.
With countless imperial citizens dead, who knew if they’d be jailed or executed as examples.
-Rate at 70% now. Insane lololol
-? Someone else go in?
-Always some dumbasses doing the forbidden shit. Probably curious since they won’t contribute anyway.
-Top 10 Guilds trying late control, but rate’s accelerating regardless.
-Dude, at 70% it’s emerging more? Torso halfway out now. Size…… over 20m already?
-Someone, anyone, tackle the Forgotten King.
-Fr, we’re screwed at this rate. That thing out, we fight both? Manageable?
-Argh, losing it.
‘……They haven’t given up yet.’
At least users still clung to hope.
Now, they had to succeed the World Quest by any means.
But how?
Harrington was logged out from death penalty, Top 10 Guilds would take time.
If that thing woke before they arrived, game over.
He frantically messaged contacts, but no real help.
Then—
-Huh? Arthur’s entering.
-Whoa, for real. Too hasty?
-Nah, realistically he’s the best bet now. Evil type hard counter. If his unique slices off a limb and kills, jackpot.
-Huh? Holding longer than expected?
The King’s master.
Arthur, the undisputed top holy knight, was entering,
-Crazy, broke the 10-min record.
No one after Lepias had topped 10 minutes.
The dreaded 10-minute barrier shattered for the first time.
And it didn’t end there.
-20 mins passed.
-24……
-25 insane……
-Wow, 30 mins already?
[The Forgotten King enters Phase 2.]
-Insane!!! Broke Phase 1!!
-Wooo!!
-Chant it: God Arthur!!!
-Arthur! Arthur! Arthur! Arthur!
‘Please, please…….’
Harrington, pride forgotten, straightened up and prayed.