Chapter 267
Chapter 267
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 267
>Chapter Title: The Empire Quest Opens
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Ding-
[The Arnis Empire's 'Empire Quest' has opened.]
[The Emperor, 'Baharun de Arnis,' has commissioned all Empire users to conquer the 'Forbidden Labyrinth.']
....
[The user who opened the Empire Quest is 'Kaiser.']
"Man, talk about quick on the draw."
-Lizariza.
As soon as he stepped out of the imperial palace, Do-hyun chuckled at the welcoming alert.
He stroked Eliza's head with his index finger as she bobbed in agreement, and the conversation with the emperor came back to him.
-...What did you say? The Abyss is there now?
-Yes, Your Majesty. There were over ten statues that had seen the Abyss, and traces of it lingered. But above all, that last thing I saw... we'll need a full raid team for it.
-...I see. If the Forgotten Tomb held an Abyss beast, it's no surprise that a labyrinth emitting the same aura would have traces of the Abyss too.
The emperor, stroking his chin with a displeased hand, answered without hesitation.
-I can't stand for blasphemous things to hold out in my empire. I'll take your word and commission the apostles to conquer it.
-...Thank you.
-But there's one thing I'd like you to do separately. Will you hear me out?
-Of course.
That ended the recollection.
Who else but the famously decisive emperor? He'd opened the Empire Quest right after Do-hyun left.
However, it wasn't a quest just any apostle could join.
[Conquer the Forbidden Labyrinth]
-Rank: Empire Quest
-Description: One day, the Forbidden Labyrinth suddenly appeared in the Empire.
Something ominous seems to be happening inside.
The emperor, unwilling to let anything endanger the Empire, has commissioned qualified apostles to conquer the labyrinth.
Conquer the labyrinth in accordance with the emperor's will.
-Conquer the Forbidden Labyrinth (0 / 1)
-Clear Rewards: 30,000 Gold, a large amount of EXP, differentiated rewards based on conquest ranking.
-Failure Risks: Empire Quest deletion and drop in emperor's favorability.
[Participation Requirements: Those acknowledged by the emperor, those who have passed the imperial knight order's qualification exam.]
[Empire Quest participation deadline: 3 days]
'Only I'll have the emperor's acknowledgment.'
The latter requirement was obviously for max-level users at minimum.
Likely only the top ranks among them would be granted entry.
Letting just anyone in would only cause chaos, so the emperor intended to form a raid of proven elites.
'That's the right call.'
Even so, a huge number would participate.
Either way, this solved Do-hyun's dilemma.
With top users joining the conquest, he wouldn't need to recruit his own raid team.
'And to get what I want, it'll be easier to move solo anyway.'
That wasn't all.
Do-hyun had another quest no one else did.
[The Prince's Illness]
-Rank: Sudden Quest
-Description: Second Prince Eden de Adnis is suffering from an incurable disease of unknown origin.
The Empire's finest physicians examined him but couldn't even identify the cause, and searches across the continent yielded no cure.
The only discovery was that gold faintly suppresses the worsening symptoms.
Thus, the emperor believes there might be a clue in the Forbidden Labyrinth—the one place he hasn't investigated.
Search for any potential clues.
-Clue to the Second Prince's Illness (0 / 1)
-Clear Rewards: Special event triggered, 10,000 Gold, a large amount of EXP, linked quest generated
-Failure Risks: Special event deletion and drop in emperor's favorability.
At the very end, as Do-hyun was leaving the audience chamber, the emperor entrusted him with the quest and earnestly implored him.
-Don't tell anyone else. Investigate it alone. That includes fellow apostles and your own countrymen.
Remembering those words, Do-hyun gazed at the quest with a complex expression.
'Hmm. Does this mean the emperor has no ties to the Abyss?'
The palace corridors gleamed with gold not for luxury, but seemingly to stave off the Second Prince's worsening condition.
His reaction to the Abyss talk had been irritation rather than guilt.
'Circumstantially, the Second Prince seems suspicious... Sigh, it'd be nice to meet the First Prince too.'
It was a shame the guy was nowhere to be seen, always wandering off somewhere.
Lost in thought like that—
Murmur murmur—
The city was unusually bustling, even compared to normal, with users especially whispering excitedly.
"Whoa, what's this Empire Quest about?"
"No way. World Quest and now Empire Quest too?"
"Hey, but the entry conditions look brutal. Gotta pass the imperial knights' exam—basically rankers only, right?"
"Ah... Yeah, true."
Do-hyun looked awkward at the snippets mentioning his name.
His fame had spiked after the World Quest, and now it seemed like everywhere he went, people were talking about him.
-Kehm!
-Lizariza!
"...Why are you two so proud?"
-The master's fame is our fame, right? Keruk!
-Liza!
As Do-hyun shook his head at the two puffing out their chests and clearing their throats—
"But seriously, isn't it insane? Beating Sina and causing all these massive incidents lately."
"Hey, watch it. Don't jinx it and get assassinated."
"Pfft, as if anyone below Kaiser level could do anything. I'm not making stuff up."
Do-hyun shut his mouth at the conversation cutting into the Empire Quest talk.
'...Caught Sina?'
That was recent—how did they know?
A message arrived via the friends list right then.
[Astr: Hey man! What the hell did you do this time!?]
[Astr: Empire Quest is wild enough, but you caught Sina? How the... No, that's not the point right now.]
[Astr: Too much to comprehend, but moving on. Be careful with the Empire Quest. The vibe's off.]
[Astr: Those Top 10 Guild guys are seriously hostile now that you nabbed Sina. No telling what they'll pull inside the labyrinth.]
[Astr: Better stay sharp. I'm joining too, so hit me up if you need backup.]
"Eugh...."
A storm of messages poured in.
Still the same nagging machine Demirok's Kkukku had dubbed him—timeless.
Still, it gave him the lay of the land, so he was grateful.
He replied with a casual "Got it," then checked the community boards.
'As expected, someone spread the rumor.'
Sure enough, posts about his fight with Sina dominated.
The photos uploaded as proof showed he'd covered his tracks just shy of breaking rules—pro-level work.
'Hidden spectator? No one was around at the start... Maybe someone passing by hid and watched.'
He'd relied too much on Eye of Truth and slacked on vigilance.
It pierced systemic hides, sure—a cheat trait—but not players ducking behind terrain.
'Gotta be more careful from now on.'
Do-hyun clicked his tongue and closed the quest window.
He'd stoked their hostility, but the situation wasn't all bad.
'Catching Sina was gonna leak anyway.'
A stage with Top 10 Guilds and tons of rankers.
They'd care about him, but they'd crave the spotlight most.
The more they fixated on him, the harder they'd prove their edge.
'Spotlight? You take it.'
Do-hyun curled his lips slyly.
'The more you do, the easier it is for me.'
While they bought time, he'd snag what he wanted. Perfect.
Grinning, Do-hyun turned on his heel.
One thing left to do.
'The solo dungeon's that way.'
Max out growth before the 3-day countdown ended.
Time for explosive leveling.
* * *
Three days passed like that.
Past midnight, under a bright morning sun—
"Whoa... Look at all the Top 10 Guilds gathered."
"How many is that?"
"Hidden by the big guilds, but those players are all big names."
Deep in the southern forest, crowds packed in.
Over ten thousand strong, easy.
"Three thousand at least from the top ten thousand. Obviously."
"Three thousand raiding a dungeon? My chest swells just thinking about it."
"Can't sneak in?"
"That'd get you blacklisted by the emperor. See those supervisors at the entrance with the lists?"
"Ah. Pass then."
The result of participants and spectators for the Forbidden Labyrinth conquest.
Some who'd missed the World Quest buzzed with excitement, and the southern forest was swarming like never before.
"Four Top 10 Guilds... Kinda feels like missing out being in the New Continent."
"So many incidents lately."
"Gonna sting for those guys."
Demian stayed silent as Leon snickered.
The words grated.
Missing out in the New Continent? Empire's the place to be?
'One guy shaking the Top 10 Guilds' balance.'
Since when did the Top 10 Guilds get pushed around by others?
They reigned at Revos' peak.
They influenced players to follow—not the other way around.
'This is our duty. Time to show those fools we're superior.'
No more nonsense.
Make them realize anew that the Top 10 Guilds are the strongest.
Even if it got messy.
[The recruitment period for Conquer the Forbidden Labyrinth has ended.]
[The Empire Quest 'Conquer the Forbidden Labyrinth' has begun.]
[Would you like to enter the Forbidden Labyrinth?]
"Let's go in."
"Right."
Demian stepped forward without hesitation at the message popping up as he smirked.
Xiao followed with a snort, Demian and Leon in the lead.
"...Stick close. Report any funny business immediately."
"Yes, Master."
Astr glared watchfully, issued a curt order, and followed.
With the four Top 10 Guilds entering, thousands of waiting rankers filed in like sausages.
"Wooo! Raid's starting!"
"They're streaming, right? Please stream!"
"Not the time—log out quick!"
"But where's Kaiser? No sign of him?"
"Huh? Yeah. Was he in the crowd? Don't think so."
"Eh, it's Kaiser. He'll handle it. He's the one who triggered the Empire Quest."
The official start of the Forbidden Labyrinth conquest.
And right then—
As they said, Kaiser was prepping to enter.
Just not from the forest—the blacksmith workshop.
"You're here. Take it."
"Perfect timing for completion."
"Heard you got a commission from the emperor, so I pushed hard."
Artlam, handing over the bulky box, grinned boyishly on his wrinkled face.
Proud as could be.
Do-hyun's eyes widened as he opened it at the urging gaze.
Evidently thrilled, Artlam asked,
"How is it?"
"...Honestly, this surprised me."
"Heh, of course. Even I was shocked. I can say with certainty."
Artlam's boyish smile turned uncle-ish as he chuckled confidently at Do-hyun's genuine awe.
"My masterpiece of masterpieces."
Do-hyun didn't disagree.
[Master Craftsman Artlam has created a work transcending masterpieces.]
[Artlam releases his long-held grudge.]
[Recorded in the Book of Adventures.]
[Title 'Max Favorability from the Start?' amplifies favorability gain.]
[Artlam's favorability greatly increases.]
'Beyond expectations. Dying to test it out.'
The text overhead proved it.
He couldn't wait to hit the labyrinth.
Meanwhile, as Do-hyun itched to dive in—
Step.
Deep in the southern forest.
After the users cleared out, a woman appeared at the now-quiet labyrinth entrance.
"Hmm...."
Tall for a woman at 170cm.
Long, jet-black straight hair and black eyes.
Dressed in flowing black garb blending martial robes and a dress, she exuded an aloof aura towering over others.
"Go to a meeting and it's over, now not even a fly buzzing around."
Late again, it seemed.
Only lost the way three times this time, yet they couldn't wait that short bit.
"They don't even know the beauty of waiting."
Clicking her tongue, the woman straightened regally and stepped into the entrance.
Her figure vanished.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult—one of the Top 10 Guilds—its leader, the Heavenly Demon, had slipped into the labyrinth unnoticed.