Chris’ resurrection point was set to Frontier. He had moved his home with the determination to bury his bones in the Chaos Mountains.
“...What? That’s it?”
The moment he was resurrected, he rushed to the Chaos Mountains where he encountered great frustration. It was because he received the news that the battle with Agnus was reversed and Agnus killed after being attacked by Zednos, Laella, Faker, and Katz. There was also Vantner and Pon, who arrived one step late. Zednos’ confession that they would’ve missed Agnus if he hadn’t done his best in the first place was a big shock.
‘He still had that much strength even after fighting with me.’
He gritted his teeth. Baal’s Contractor—unlike other cla.s.ses, it was absolutely evil regardless of the player’s inclination. The a.n.a.lysis ‘it is natural to be the strongest based on the role’ had been around for ages, but he hadn’t expected it to be at this level.
‘He only became a legend relatively recently...’
Baal’s Contractor was a cla.s.s that needed to gradually grow its rating. Unlike other cla.s.ses that started out as a legend from the beginning, Agnus had to grow it, but he received fewer level penalties. Even so, no matter how small the penalty, it must be in the 300s. Considering all the circ.u.mstances, it was highly likely that Agnus’ level wasn’t even in the late 300s. No, to be honest, considering Agnus’ personality, it was likely that he wouldn’t have even reached the mid-300s.
Meanwhile, Chris was over level 400. He might have a normal cla.s.s, but his stats went through the fourth awakening and he acquired many new pa.s.sive skills. There was more than three times the difference compared to his level 399 self.
It was as Chairman Lim Cheolho had stated. The value of normal cla.s.ses skyrocketed over time and Chris predicted that the gap between normal and hidden cla.s.ses would be significantly narrowed from the fifth cla.s.s advancement. He expected the golden era of balance where hidden cla.s.ses didn’t have a higher concept than normal cla.s.ses. Both hidden cla.s.ses and normal cla.s.ses had strengths and weaknesses.
This was why he became more attached to a normal cla.s.s. The biggest reason why Chris rejected the eight epic cla.s.ses and three unique cla.s.ses that he discovered over the years was because they were jobs not related to the ‘greatsword.’ The next biggest reason was his hope for the normal cla.s.ses. How much fame would he gain if he stood shoulder to shoulder with the strongest talents such as Grid and Kraugel as a normal cla.s.s?
The future Chris drew was brilliant and confident. This was how he focused on the tiresome hunting for a long time. Yet today, Chris’ hope turned into despair. He realized that the future he previously drew was stuck in a ditch. Baal’s Contractor—the strongest cla.s.s encompa.s.sing all ratings that took away one’s dream...
“Kukukuk! Puhahahat!”
...Absolutely not. Suddenly, Chris burst out laughing. A legendary cla.s.s? He still wasn’t eager for it. He was enthusiastic about pulling his future out of the ditch.
‘More and more... I will become stronger than you are now, Agnus.’
If he became one step ahead of Agnus, then he would be the strongest person to stand side by side with Grid.
‘Then I’ll take you down.’
In fact, it was difficult for Chris to have a compet.i.tive mentality with Grid. The great affinity he felt for Grid meant he regarded Grid as an idol rather than a rival. This subconsciously puts a brake on Chris’ enthusiasm. Now there was a firm position called Agnus. It was good for Chris to have a clear goal. Chris’ pa.s.sion for becoming the strongest with a normal cla.s.s developed into a stronger tenacity than ever.
“I have to go hunting.”
After identifying the damage to Frontier, Chris climbed the mountain alone while leaving his teammates behind to discuss the combat strength that Agnus showed and to look for solutions. As long as he was present, Agnus wouldn’t be able to easily appear in the Chaos Mountain. Every time Chris died, Agnus needed to be prepared for death as well.
***
[Mumud"s Soul Liberation]
[★ Hidden Quest ★
As a disciple of the legendary great magician Braham, Mumud excelled as a genius.
But genius is short-lived.
His heart was weak since he was born and he would die before he turned 30. He didn’t reveal his illness to anyone and devoted himself to researching and creating a magic system that anyone could easily use. It was his achievement as a magician.
It might be a short life, but he was happy and felt fulfilled at contributing to the development of the world. He could humbly accept death. But it was only for a moment. His achievement was taken away by his master, Braham, causing him great shock. Mumud burned with anger and vowed to get revenge on Braham.
He would create a new magic formula that transcended Braham, leading him to Siren to obtain a powerful orb. However, he didn’t carry out his revenge in the end. His life was too short.
He would rather spend it on happiness instead of revenge. He fell in love with a water clan woman he met in Siren and happily closed his eyes. But he is suffering even after death. His body was taken away by Baal’s Contractor and used to commit acts of slaughter that goes against his soul’s will.
You have saved the Siren that Mumud loved and know Mumud’s story. Use this newly obtained strength to release Mumud’s crying soul.
Quest Clear Conditions: Destroy Mumud’s lich that is in the hands of Baal’s Contractor, ‘Agnus,’ and liberate the soul.
Quest Success Reward: The growth type legendary cla.s.s ‘Mumud’s Successor’ will be acquired. All of Mumud’s magic will be opened.] [1]
When did she receive this quest?
‘It is a quest given by the spell book acquired in Siren so roughly...’
It wasn’t easy to measure how many years ago it was. It was a quest she had received so long ago that she had to trace it back. It was actually a quest that she had given up on. It was almost impossible to destroy Agnus’ most cherished weapon, Mumud, while fighting against Agnus who could summon and reverse summon the lich and death knights at will. If Grid helped, then they could dominate Agnus skillfully. However, if Agnus made up his mind, then Euphemina would never be able to clear this quest in her lifetime.
This was why Euphemina refused several times despite Grid’s offer to help. She didn’t want to drag Grid into something that wasn’t feasible and would trouble him. Therefore, she tried to solve it by herself. Along the way, she learned about Agnus’ past and felt compa.s.sion. Then things only became more twisted...
‘...The result turned out well.’
A sad smile spread across Euphemina’s face as she stared at the sparkling, clear blue soul in front of her. In the end, she couldn’t forget Agnus’ last appearance as he chose to be alone. He was a poor man to the end, and he was also a pure man. He handed over Mumud’s soul with the idea that he could break the bond as long as he repaid the grace.
Perhaps the reason why he showed an unstable appearance, and his personality and att.i.tude changed every day he met her, wasn’t because he was crazy. It was actually because he possessed an innocence that was more easily affected by the surrounding environment.
‘...No, no.’
She shouldn’t think too deeply about Agnus. She shouldn’t try to think positively. Agnus was the enemy of the Overgeared Kingdom. It was the result of Agnus’ own choice. Euphemina was a member of the Overgeared Kingdom and was obligated to deal with Agnus, no matter her feelings about him. Euphemina felt no hesitation about her obligations.
Dozens of minutes ago in the Chaos Mountains, she had been ready to deal with Agnus as she walked toward him. If it wasn’t for her, Agnus wouldn’t have been easily defeated no matter the exquisite cooperation between Vantner and Pon. No matter what, Euphemina was a member of the Overgeared Guild. She had no intention of disappointing Grid who trusted her and waited for her.
‘In the future, I just have to repay Grid’s grace.’
Grid absolutely trusted Euphemina. He always believed that her skills were the best. Grid’s belief placed a great burden on Euphemina. There was a limit to the number of skills that could be copied per day and the limitations of the Duplicator against cla.s.ses with a higher rating were clear.
It was true that the Mumud-style magic she gained later allowed her to exert a greater combat power, but it was difficult to play an active part against those with the highest level skills. Euphemina was stagnant for a long time compared to her reputation, but things would change in the future.
“You’ve suffered a lot, Mumud.”
At Frontier, where a sharp blizzard was blowing...
Euphemina stood on the high walls and sent Mumud’s spirit to the gray sky. “I hope you return to Heaven and rest with your wife.”
Mumud had died at a young age without fulfilling his ambitions, but his end was happy. He spent the last years of his life with his beloved woman in Siren. Euphemina smiled warmly only for her eyes to widen. It was because Mumud’s soul refused to ascend. He was no longer owned by anyone, but he stayed still in the sky by his own will.
It took only a short time for Euphemina to notice why. “Braham!”
Mumud’s teacher—a villain who was jealous of his student’s talent and intercepted his achievements. In fact, he was the one who made Mumud a lich. It was a truth that was revealed when the ‘Braham and Mumud’ quest occurred.
His body was taken away by Baal’s Contractor and the soul left in the body was attached to him, becoming a doll of slaughter different from his will—the information that Euphemina got from the Mumud liberation quest was only the record that the world knew and it was old information that was far from the truth.
That’s right—Agnus never made Lich Mumud. He just seized Lich Mumud who existed from the beginning to be used as a killing weapon.
‘Why is Braham here?’
Euphemina didn’t want Braham and Mumud to meet. It was insane to create a situation where the two people were reunited when it was obvious that Mumud’s hatred for Braham was larger than a mountain. Therefore, she deliberately tried to liberate Mumud’s soul before returning to the capital.
Yet Braham appeared at this time. Braham didn’t give her a single glance. He pa.s.sed by her while only staring at Mumud’s soul. The moment Braham pa.s.sed her—
“......!” Euphemina’s eyes widened.
It was a very small voice, but Braham clearly said, ‘Thank you.’
[Bra...ham...]
Mumud was resurrected as a lich and repeatedly killed people. The reason he had been suffering for hundreds of years while maintaining his intact mind was because he had a mental power that transcended the scope of a genius. If he was an ordinary existence, then he would’ve lost himself by going crazy.
Braham floated into the sky. His eyes were cloudy as he floated in the sky of Frontier and stood facing Mumud, who exuded hatred and killing intent after recognizing Braham instantly.
“Disciple.”
[Braham!]
“I’m sorry.”
[......!]
“I... I’ve always regretted taking away your reputation. To reverse that regret, I resurrected you as a lich. I was going to place you by my side and increase your reputation.”
[......]
“...Now I know it was just my wicked heart.” Thanks to Grid, he understood human beings and their minds. He realized his faults and felt greater regret. “I can’t ask you to forgive me. Just... however, if I find you once you are born again one day, I will live for you.”
[......]
Mumud’s soul, that was just s.h.i.+ning quietly, started to shake like a flame. Hatred, anger, emptiness, and sadness seemed to intersect. The soul was silent for a time before scattering and disappearing. Then Euphemina inherited Mumud’s knowledge in accordance with the laws of the quest.
OG Voting Page
[1] Changing descendant to successor because it fits better. I will probably also change Pagma’s Descendant to successor now that I’ve found out about the ma.s.s search and replace function