Chapter 293
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 293
Chapter Title: The Owner of the Great Forest
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Using the Great Absorption Technique.
Acquired experience points.
All stats have increased.
The Great Absorption Technique could be used even after a monster's breath had stopped.
Of course, it only worked on those that had died recently, so Jeong Hoon finished up by casting it starting from the boss and moving to the regular monsters after completing the subjugation.
You have completed the quest.
Acquired 30,000,000 experience points.
You can now undertake the next quest.
He completed the quest after erasing an additional 17 dungeons.
The number of dungeons had noticeably decreased, stabilizing to the point where they could only be found deep inside.
"Thank you! His Excellency the Grand Duke will be absolutely delighted!"
Jiron couldn't hide his joy as he embraced Jeong Hoon.
It made sensewhen cracks first appeared in the barrier, they had braced for the worst.
With not a single casualty, they had overcome the crisis. How could he not be thrilled?
"Yes. This should keep monsters from appearing for a while."
"I see! Then let's head back at once!"
"Yes."
With the quest finished, Jeong Hoon returned to the Grand Duke's castle alongside Jiron.
However, even after returning, no quests were available anywhere.
'The next quest requires time to pass, right?'
That was correct.
To undertake the next quest, a crisis had to strike once more.
A dungeon that couldn't be cleared at present.
When a problem arose in that dungeon, Delphos would plunge into danger again.
Only then would the quest be issued.
'That will be the final quest.'
Jeong Hoon was shown to the room where the guests were staying and allowed to rest.
"If anything is inconvenient, please let us know at any time."
One of the servants kindly explained everything before stepping out.
"Whew, bro. Can we finally get some rest now?"
Bong-gu had already flopped onto the bed.
"Hey, wash up before lying down."
Ha-jin pointed out Bong-gu's behavior.
"Can't I rest a bit first? We haven't properly rested since arriving here."
"Well, that's true, but..."
Ha-jin trailed off, agreeing with that point.
"Wash up."
Of course, Jeong Hoon wasn't about to just watch.
"Yes!"
At Jeong Hoon's command, Bong-gu sprang up like a spring.
Only after cleaning up thoroughly could they finally rest.
'Whew, time to catch a breather at last.'
Jeong Hoon lay on the bed and closed his eyes.
How long had it been since he last relaxed like this?
He hadn't slept a wink for over two months while acquiring the ultimate power.
Even afterward, he had pushed on without rest in pursuit of more opportunities.
Even with divine healing to alleviate physical and mental fatigue, he had reached his limit.
Perhaps that's why.
The moment Jeong Hoon closed his eyes, he fell into a deep sleep.
"He must have been exhausted."
Ha-jin, lying on the other bed, murmured while looking at Jeong Hoon.
Bong-gu, overhearing, chimed in.
"He seemed incredibly busy, so of course he's tired."
"Shh, don't wake him. Let's sleep too. Who knows when we'll get another chance if we don't now."
"You're right."
They would have to move again once Jeong Hoon woke, so they needed to rest as much as possible now.
Bong-gu hurriedly slipped into bed and closed his eyes.
When Jeong Hoon woke, nearly a full day had passed.
"That was a long sleep..."
He sat up and stretched.
Master, has the fatigue eased?
'The others quietly stepped out. You're alone here.'
As Anima said, Ha-jin and Bong-gu were nowhere to be seen.
They must have woken up and left to avoid disturbing him.
Yeo Sun-woo was in his own room, while his mother and Yeo Min-ji shared another. He wondered if they were resting well.
Curious, he opened the door and stepped out.
A servant was diligently cleaning the hallway outside.
"Oh! Did you rest well?"
The servant stopped cleaning and greeted Jeong Hoon.
"Yes. Thanks to you, I slept soundly."
"That's a relief. Just in case, we prepared a meal in advance. Shall we serve it now?"
He had gone a full day without eating.
His stomach felt like it was sticking to his back.
Jeong Hoon nodded.
"Please do."
"Everyone is gathered in the dining hall. Please head there."
Guided by the servant, he arrived at the dining hall.
As she said, everyone was seated, engaged in conversation.
"Son! You're here?"
His mother spotted Jeong Hoon and waved.
"Yes."
Jeong Hoon sat in the empty seat beside his mother.
"Ha-jin said not to wake you, so we left you be. Did you sleep well?"
Now he knew why no one had come looking for him.
Jeong Hoon glanced at Ha-jin, who quickly spoke up.
"You were sleeping so soundly, I just wanted to let you rest."
"Yeah. Thanks to you, I did."
Jeong Hoon chuckled.
It wasn't time for the next quest yet anyway.
Better to rest nowwhen else would he get to relax like this?
"Bro! The food here is amazing!"
Bong-gu gave a thumbs-up, popping the last piece of meat into his mouth.
Soon, food was placed before Jeong Hoon as well.
Wow! Master is finally eating something delicious!
'It's a wonder he held out without eating before.'
Jeong Hoon started by slowly sipping the soup.
It was warm and incredibly tasty.
He then picked up the baguette beside it.
Unlike a typical baguette, the crust was very fluffy.
He tore off a piece with his hands, dipped it in the soup, and took a bite.
'Good.'
How long had it been since he last ate so peacefully?
Jeong Hoon picked up his knife and fork to cut the meat.
But the happy moment was short-lived.
The dining hall door burst open as Grand Duke Delphos rushed in.
"Disaster!"
Jeong Hoon stood from his seat, fork paused midway to his mouth.
A question mark blinked above Grand Duke Delphos's head.
Episode Quest: Fall of Delphos
-Restriction: Search for the Shadow over the Grand Duchy (2) completed
-Reward: ??
-Description: A colossal being writhes to devour Delphos. Hasten to eliminate it and restore peace.
The final episode quest.
James Marcus's party would fail this one.
To be precise, they gave up right before challenging it, resulting in failure.
'A level 1,600 monster lying in wait, right?'
Level 1,600.
At that time, it would have been an impossible foe for them.
Judging by level alone, it was comparable to a Lord-class.
Subjugating such a beast went without saying in terms of difficulty.
Even so, it had to be done.
'I want to know what the reward is.'
A quest to slay a level 1,600 monster.
It was certain to yield the grand duchy's most precious reward.
And he needed to complete the collection.
Fleeing wasn't even an option in Jeong Hoon's mind.
Jeong Hoon accepted the quest and asked,
"What happened?"
"A problem has occurred in one of the dungeons beyond the barrier! You must flee the grand duchy immediately!"
"If we do that, the grand duchy will be utterly destroyed, won't it?"
"...Yes. It would."
Grand Duke Delphos couldn't hide his despair.
"We'll subjugate it."
"Pardon?"
"Subjugating it solves everything, doesn't it?"
"Well, yes, but... that dungeon is said to be exceptionally ominous, unlike the others. They say just facing it was overwhelming."
The search had been done by Jiron.
Even a Sword Master like him was overwhelmed just by confronting the dungeon, so Delphos had lost his will to fight as well.
"Don't worry too much. We'll subjugate it and return."
"I-Is that possible...?"
"Yes."
After Jeong Hoon and his companions departed, Grand Duke Delphos sat in his office.
Before him stood three knights, including Knight Commander Jiron.
"Your Excellency, wouldn't it be better to evacuate?"
Jiron asked cautiously.
Bang!
Grand Duke Delphos slammed his fist on the desk.
"Are you telling me, the lord of this land, to flee now?"
"......"
Jiron fell silent.
"The hero has gone to subjugate it. How could I, in such a situation, abandon the castle?"
"My apologies."
"Jiron, lead the knights and evacuate the territory's people to safety."
"Pardon?!"
"Don't make me repeat myself."
"How could we evacuate and leave Your Excellency behind? Please reconsider!"
The Seibro Knights were the order tasked with defending the grand duchy.
And Jiron was their commander.
That meant serving the grand duchy's lordhow could they evacuate without him?
He could never carry out that order.
"Then you're saying we should just abandon them!"
"They will succeed in the subjugation!"
"Are you certain?"
"Yes. I am certain."
Jiron was one of the few who had witnessed Jeong Hoon's prowess up close.
That was why he could be sure.
He would definitely succeed.
Owner of the Great Forest
A dungeon with only a boss.
More precisely, the great forest where a Transcendent resided.
They had entered that great forest.
"Hoon..."
"It feels suffocating, like I could die..."
"What kind of aura is this..."
Jeong Hoon was fine, but the others were not.
Overwhelmed by the great forest's aura, even standing still was a struggle.
"That's why I said I'd go in alone."
Before entering the dungeon, Jeong Hoon had stated he would go alone.
But they had insisted on coming along, unwilling to burden him with everything.
Of course, Jeong Hoon had anticipated this and hadn't objected.
The oppressive pressure had been felt even from outside the dungeon.
For the future, his companions needed to endure at least this level of pressure.
'Only then can they stand against even stronger foes.'
Jeong Hoon slowly advanced.
Rustle
The bushes parted, clearing a path.
'Is it inviting me in?'
How confident must it be to act so leisurely?
'Fine. If that's what you want, I'll come.'
Jeong Hoon's lips twitched.
"L-Let's go together!"
"Is it okay to just go?!"
Everyone hurried after Jeong Hoon.
Rustle
But the bushes shifted, blocking the path.
"What the!"
Ha-jin swung his sword, only for it to clash against something and rebound.
It seemed a barrier was blocking them.
"Everyone, stay put. It looks like it wants only me to enter."
Jeong Hoon raised a hand to stop them.
"Son, are you sure?"
His mother looked at him with worry-filled eyes.
Jeong Hoon smiled brightly and nodded.
"Of course. I'll finish it quickly and be right back, so just wait a moment."
"...Alright. Got it."
With his mother's permission, the others nodded as well.
Jeong Hoon turned and proceeded forward.
Rustle
The bushes parted with each step he took.
Thanks to that, it took only 15 minutes to reach the center, where the owner of the great forest awaited.
"Are you the owner of this place?"
Jeong Hoon looked up at the massive tree.
More precisely, at the eye embedded between the branches.
A green eyeball.
"Indeed. Human, you carry the same scent as us."
"Ah, so that's why you called only me?"
Jeong Hoon had reached the ultimate realm, beyond even the heavens.
In terms of rank alone, he matchedor surpassedthis great forest's owner.
"Human, you've suffered greatly in your struggles."
"......"
"But those struggles are futile. You already know, don't you? No matter what you do, you can't change your fated destiny."
"Shut up."
Jeong Hoon flipped it the middle finger.
The green eyeball twisted unpleasantly.
"Out of pity, I kindly informed you, yet your attitude is most displeasing."
"Quit yapping and end this already if you're going to."
"Fuhuhu, human. Know your place."
At that moment, the forest began to resonate.
True to its nature as the great forest's owner, the environment overwhelmingly favored it.
Even so, confidence brimmed on Jeong Hoon's face.
'Its level is Lord-class worthy. But it's not truly Lord-class.'
A true Lord-class was something like Baal.
This great forest's owner was Demon King-class, just shy of Lord-class.
That was why he was confident of victory.