Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 75
>Chapter Title: The Abyss...!
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‘Abyss...!’
What was the Abyss?
The decisive entities that caused humanity’s defeat in the war against the gods, weren’t they?
Beings so dangerous and terrifying that they had been erased from history.
Even now, with original humanity long gone, it was said that only a tiny few in God’s World truly understood the Abyss’s existence.
That was just as true for users.
‘I only know about the Iron Blood Wyrmspawn.’
You could encounter an Abyss entity in the Tutorial, but only if you cleared a Hidden Piece.
Ordinary users didn’t even know what the Iron Blood Wyrmspawn was.
Even those who knew its identity were the same.
‘They’d just think something like, “Oh, there’s this thing called the Abyss.” That’s how I was at first.’
Most people probably didn’t know much about the Abyss.
Even Do-hyun had only learned of it after becoming Kashyar’s successor.
And yet, it had appeared so soon after he’d heard the truth about the world’s lore.
‘How is the timing this perfect?’
It was so exquisitely timed that it felt like someone had orchestrated the whole thing.
But before that—why was that name coming up here of all places?
This was a temple.
The temple in the second city of the main continent, no less.
It was a grand temple whose fame reached the Empire itself, but he hadn’t expected anything about the Abyss to come up.
The quest changing suddenly to this only made it more bewildering.
‘The top graduate reacted, and it changed. It’s a kind of Hidden Piece synergy quest...’
It seemed to trigger when a user with the ‘Top Graduate’ title obtained the quest item ‘Ominous Energy.’
Quests like this popped up sometimes.
The kind that slapped on a bunch of tricky conditions and seemed to mock you: “Go ahead, try getting it if you can.”
‘Heh, and it hooks me just like that.’
Was this just good luck, or should he credit his Eyes of Truth...?
Either way, it was good news for Do-hyun.
As a Hidden Piece, the rewards would be amplified even more.
He briefly wondered if Gamillion knew about traces of the Abyss in Brion too, but decided to focus on the present.
‘She said earlier that dealing with this trace is our duty, right?’
That meant these people were among the ‘few’ who knew about the Abyss...
It was a bit odd.
‘Come to think of it, the gods invaded and created the Abyss in the first place... Don’t they know that far?’
Well, the current humanity blindly believed and followed the gods, or so he’d heard.
With humanity’s true history erased, the Abyss was probably painted as the villain and the gods as benevolent fathers.
That only made the gods’ forces and power even more unshakeable.
“From the dawn of time, the Abyss has been so dangerous that even the omniscient gods had to be wary of them. Their corrupting influence isn’t ordinary. Thus, the benevolent God Lyr tasked us with erasing their traces so that the young lambs would not be led astray.”
It was just as he’d expected.
Do-hyun nodded along appropriately as Gildeti spoke of benevolent gods and primordial beings.
Now that he knew the truth, the gods’ brazen attitude was infuriating, but the Abyss was still a common enemy.
It wasn’t wrong.
“And so... Hm.”
Was his indifference showing?
Gildeti paused and looked at Do-hyun, a glint in his eyes.
“Most would be shocked... but you know about the Abyss?”
“...I’ve heard the basics.”
“...! An outsider knows of the Abyss!? It’s already spread that far...!”
Do-hyun admitted it readily, and a shout erupted from behind.
It was that blond knight from earlier.
Was this what they meant by eyes rolling back in rage? Do-hyun inwardly clicked his tongue at Zerdik’s highly agitated, fuming state.
‘What a personality...’
He barely swallowed the urge to call it a pain in the ass, furrowing his brow—only for intervention to come immediately.
“Zerdik.”
“...My apologies.”
Seeing him shrink back so quickly, it didn’t seem like he was inherently bad...
Or was he?
If anything, it made him seem mentally unstable.
Like someone with bipolar disorder.
Even a mere merchant would dodge someone like that, but with a red name tag to boot, it was even more annoying.
“...I’ll step out.”
“Yes, that would be best.”
“Understood. Excuse me.”
As if he’d heard Do-hyun’s thoughts, Sir Zerdik said he’d leave on his own.
As he brushed past Do-hyun on his way out, he muttered under his breath.
“...Sorry for the unsightly display.”
“?”
Do-hyun instinctively turned to look at Zerdik, his expression turning strange.
It was unexpected.
He hadn’t thought the knight capable of an apology. Zerdik strode past without a care and opened the door to leave.
“Tsk tsk, poor boy.”
The High Priest clicked his tongue sympathetically at the spot Zerdik had vacated.
He looked genuinely regretful.
“He’s a sharp kid at heart. But whenever the Abyss comes up, his eyes roll back... Please forgive him.”
“Sounds like he has a story.”
It had slipped out casually, but now Do-hyun was genuinely curious.
What could make him flip out like a berserk button every time the Abyss was mentioned?
“I shouldn’t speak out of turn about the boy’s circumstances... but he lost much to the Abyss at a young age. He lives with the sole resolve to wipe them from the world.”
“...Has the Abyss appeared before?”
“The Abyss can manifest anywhere, anytime. Through the bodies of the corrupted.”
“Ah.”
Now that he thought about it, he remembered.
The Iron Blood Wyrmspawn he’d met in the Tutorial had been summoned by a summoner contracted with the Abyss.
But what Gildeti was saying was slightly different.
“Abyss entities can only survive in the Abyss itself. So they scatter their traces everywhere and manifest through the bodies of those corrupted by them. In those cases, it’s somewhat controllable... The problem is the contractors.”
He sighed and continued.
“There are those who occasionally fall and contract with the Abyss.”
“Those who abandon their humanity.”
That was when Taxinel, who had been silent until now, chimed in.
“People who offer part of their body to the Abyss for symbiosis, gaining immense power in return... It’s common among high priests and mages. Fools beyond belief. They’re just walking a path that ends in ruin. Because of that idiotic choice, Zerdik lost his family... Tsk.”
Taxinel’s voice grew heated before he cut off with a tongue click.
But that was enough.
‘Lost his family to one of those contractors, huh.’
A common tale.
The knight who loses family to the enemy and burns for revenge. But it seemed that hit too close for Zidhard and Eliza.
‘Ah, that explains the attitude... Damn, now it’s kinda sad. Why does he have to have a backstory?’
‘Liza... Liza-liza!’
‘...He’s got a soft heart under that prickly exterior.’
The way his nose twitched as he rubbed it said it all.
For all his tough looks, the guy was surprisingly sensitive.
Eliza made sense too—she’d lost her master for 150 years, after all.
Come to think of it, Zidhard was in a similar boat?
‘No. He just forgot about it all this time.’
Lost in thought for a moment, Do-hyun snapped back as Gildeti continued.
“Still, he’s a commendable boy. He didn’t crumble—earned the title of Brion’s youngest knight at 14, and now at 19, he’s the High Priest’s guard knight. No wonder Sir Lebed has marked him as a candidate for the next Holy Knight Order Commander. Right, Sir Taxinel?”
“...He has many shortcomings, but his potential is undeniable.”
Taxinel answered grudgingly, but a hint of unmistakable pride shone through.
Do-hyun’s view of Zerdik shifted anew.
‘Youngest knight and future Holy Knight Order Commander... So that’s why he’s red-named.’
His current strength was another matter, but his talent as an NPC was unquestionable.
Brion’s Lyr Grand Temple Holy Knight Order was one of the strongest knight orders, renowned across the land.
And that was thanks to none other than Holy Knight Order Commander Lebed.
‘Sliced a tsunami with one sword, right? The forums went nuts over it.’
Lebed had once demonstrated his power before users during an event, and even a year later, that feat was still legendary.
His name popped up frequently in casual debates about the strongest NPCs...
Not one of the Seven Strongest, but certainly on their level.
A prodigy who could one day claim such a seat—his potential was immense.
“I’ve prattled on.”
Gildeti’s voice pulled Do-hyun from his reverie.
The High Priest extended his hand toward him.
“Traces of the Abyss are always top priority. We’ll handle this one, so could you check if any monsters have been corrupted?”
“Got it.”
“Those fully corrupted will look like mutants at a glance. But for ones still in progress, it won’t show—bring back their blood.”
Ding-.
[Will you accept the linked quest ‘Searching for Traces of the Abyss’?]
[Searching for Traces of the Abyss]
-Rank: Rare+
-Description: Traces of the Abyss are extremely dangerous and provocative.
Low-intelligence monsters that consume them become instantly corrupted, displaying extreme aggression—which soon endangers the citizens.
Gildeti seeks to uncover why the trace appeared.
Search for any mutated monsters and bring back orc blood.
-Concentrated Orc Blood (0 / 50)
-Fetid Rocky Forest Exploration (0 / 1)
-Quest Success: Gildeti Affinity Increase, Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket, Linked Quest ‘???’ Generated.
-Quest Failure: Linked Quests Impossible.
‘Kuh... Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket!’
The rank had jumped to Rare+, and the rewards were vastly improved.
The reward had upgraded from a Basic Skill Draw Ticket to an Intermediate one!
A smile tugged at Do-hyun’s lips.
‘Feels good.’
An Intermediate ticket already—this boded well for even greater rewards at the final stage.
Plus, he liked this quest’s content.
In the middle of his main quest requiring 1,000 kills, this was killing two birds with one stone.
Compared to the previous one where he’d had to hunt down annoying materials, gathering lots of blood suited him better now.
“Understood. I’ll get it sorted quickly.”
“Then we’ll leave it to you.”
They exchanged farewells, and as he stepped out the door, a cold voice rang out.
“Hey.”
“?”
Turning around revealed a familiar face.
The glossy blond handsome man, Zerdik, was leaning against the wall.
‘What now?’