Chapter 190: A Sign of Downfall (3)
After completing his successful squander(?), Ian, who returned to the Pyro Domain and was in the middle of repairing his equipment, was taken aback after seeing an unexpected system message.
• A quest has been shared by ‘Kanjihoonie’ through the master-servant relations.h.i.+p.
• Will you check the quest information?
Ian, who read the message, wore a dumbfounded expression.
‘What the h.e.l.l, since when was I in a master-servant relations.h.i.+p with this kid? Is it because Kaizar’s my retainer that the master-servant relations.h.i.+p of my retainer is also applied to me?’
Ian, who mumbled to himself, smirked as he opened the quest information.
He didn’t expect for it to be a good quest or anything like that.
“Quest check.”
Ring-.
-The Monarch of Darkness Immortal (Hidden, connected quest)-
Omitted…
Quest Difficulty Level: SSS
Quest Requirement: A user that has received acknowledgement by the Spirit of Immortal.
Time Limit: None.
Reward – 200 thousand Fame, Legendary-rank Summoning Equipment Box.
(The reward may change depending on the cla.s.s of the user partic.i.p.ating in the quest.)
The eyes of Ian, who read through the whole quest window, rounded.
“Eh… What the h.e.l.l?”
A hidden connected quest with a whopping triple S-rank difficulty level!
Even Ian had only seen a triple S-rank difficulty level once.
‘The difficulty level is the same as the Selamus connected quest that has a level restriction of 200!’
On top of that, the ‘Legendary-rank Summoning Equipment Box’ was incredibly attractive.
Since the rank of the item was set as a ‘Legendary’-rank, and on top of that, it meant that he could obtain an item related to the Summoner-cla.s.s.
“This… Is incredible.”
Ian, who received a high-quality quest from an unexpected place for free, wore a wide smile.
“if this is the case, I can’t just overlook this!”
Ian immediately opened his friend list and sent a message to Hoonie.
• Ian: Hoonie, where are you right now? It’s been a while, so this hyung wanted to see your face.
And shortly after, Hoonie’s response returned.
• Hoonie: Err… This evil enemy!
Ian smirked as he sent a message again.
• Ian: Why are you being like this? Calling me an evil enemy. Aren’t those too uncourteous of words to be using towards your master?
• Hoonie: Master, my a.s.s! Who exactly is my master?
• Ian: Acting like you don’t know when we know you do. Isn’t this hyung your master? The system message just now kindly let us know.
• Hoonie: …
• Ian: Forget the small talk, and just call out your location. Looking at the difficulty level, I noticed it was a triple S-rank. You can’t do it alone, anyways.
• Hoonie: That’s not the case! I can do it myself!
• Ian: Very funny. I received a quest with a triple S-rank difficulty level just once, but the level restriction is 200. How are you going to do this on your own? Stop the small talk and take the help when it’s offered.
• Hoonie: Err… Errr.
• Ian: If you keep on acting like this, forget helping, but I’ll just come swooping in at the last moment.
As much as it was a shared quest anyways, if Ian just put in a little bit of effort, finding the location of the quest wasn’t even work.
‘Tsk, did I needlessly say that I would help? Now that I’ve said it, I could just go in at the last moment.’
However, Ian, who felt the shadow of his conscience scolding(?) him, decided to help Hoonie, and shortly after, Hoonie also sent a message of submission.
• Hoonie: Hoo, sure, well… Since if a guy like you will help then the success rate of the quest will certainly go up more.
• Ian: Good thinking, kid. This hyung will raise you well from now on.
• Hoonie: Pfft, it’s the central continent 477, 6543. Come over here.
• Ian: Okay. You get ready to fight as well. Since it definitely looks like we’ll be facing dudes that won’t be easy.
Ian quickly finished his battle preparations and headed towards the coordinates that Hoonie told him.
Ian moved on his own, but as he was accompanied by his retainers, it almost looked as if a party was moving.
“I didn’t know that there was such a place in the central continent.”
As they got closer to the coordinates that Hoonie gave them, the colour of the desert sand slowly changed to grey.
And as they went in deeper, the grey sand changed so that it felt like a crumbly cement ground from the beginning.
While looking at Ian, who looked here and there as if he was amazed, Kaizar opened his mouth.
“This place… It’s the land of Immortal.”
At Kaizar’s words, Ian reflexively asked back.
“Huh? Retainer, is there something you know about Immortal? It seemed like you didn’t know about it earlier.”
Kaizar slowly nodded his head.
“It was a memory I originally didn’t have, but looking at the landscape of this place, they’re coming back one by one.”
Ian pressed Kaizar.
“Say everything that you remember. It would be good if we have a little information in advance.”
At that, Kaizar slowly began to explain.
“If we start talking about the conclusion, Immortal is an ally.”
“Huh? What are you saying all of a sudden?”
“Ahem…”
It seemed the memories that he suddenly remembered were confusing, as Kaizar rubbed his temple as he slowly continued his explanation.
And that content was incredibly fresh.
“Immortal is the name of the monarch of darkness that manages the undead like his own limbs. His true colours are incredibly evil. However, a thousand years ago, humanity and the undead stood on the same side and fought against the devils.”
“Devils?”
“That’s right, devils. You could call them the demons of the devildom.”
“Oh-ho…”
Kaizar lightly rubbed the crumbling ground with his feet as he remembered the past.
“The main base of the undead could be called the subterranean, but either way, the fact that they needed to protect this land was the same as with humans. Since the demons were trying to colonize this dimension.”
Not just Ian, but the other retainers were also listening to Kaizar’s story with interest.
“And during the process when humans and the undead were cooperating, the ‘Black Magician’ cla.s.s was created for the first time. You could say the roots of the current Black Magicians are Immortal.”
Kaizar lifted his sword and pointed towards a far away place in front of him.
And in that spot, hidden within the fog, a bizarre-looking steeple stood tall.
“That spot exactly is where Immortal is sleeping. And now that I think about it, the human called Hoonie, who is my subordinate, seems to be a Black Magician with quite a bit of skill. To have been acknowledged by Immortal, that is.”
“…”
Ian somehow felt apologetic towards Hoonie
‘Tsk, he is my retainer, but to have been caught by such an outrageous monster like him… Poor kid.’
As Kaizar had begun to get interested again, it seemed the day that Hoonie would receive freedom(?) grew distant again.
While Ian and Kaizar were talking about this and that, the party pierced through the fog and arrived right in front of the steeple.
And in that spot, Hoonie, who was waiting for Ian, stood there.
“Long time, no see, Ian.”
However, just then, a boy that stood next to Hoonie rushed over and grabbed Ian’s hand.
“Ian, I’m a fan!”
* * *
Meanwhile, in another outskirt area of the central continent.
In the exact opposite location of the point where Ian and Hoonie arrived for their quest, the cloak of one woman flapped as she walked.
Wearing a luxurious robe, the woman held an oddly-shaped staff that was burning red on one end.
She was Red-Flame Magician Remir, who was famous for being ranked 1stplace on the Magician-cla.s.s rankings.
Previously, there was a time when she was recruited by Samuel Jin and was momentarily affiliated with the Oaklan Guild, but currently, that wasn’t the case.
Because Remir was originally a user with an incredibly strong individualistic tendency, ever since the central continent opened up, she left the guild and began to play solo again.
“The Temple of the Sun should be near here…”
After thoroughly checking the coordinates that she wrote and the coordinates that were marked on the map, Remir tilted her head.
“What the h.e.l.l? This is definitely the spot…”
She slowly began to get irritated.
As she had cleared a hidden quest with a whopping triple S-rank difficulty level over the course of several months, the quest’s last stop, where she could receive her reward for clearing the quests, was nowhere in sight for her.
However, just then, a giant shadow began to hang over her head, and sensing that, Remir lifted her head and looked up to the sky.
And her two eyes, which were void of any emotions, began to slightly tremble.
“Dr, dragon?”
Just like the one word that slipped past her small lips, the giant creature that filled Remir’s pupils was definitely a dragon.
It was a red dragon covered in red scales that made it seem like his whole body was burning.
With a spirit like she would shoot magic out immediately, Remir raised her staff, but the dragon had no intentions of fighting her.
The dragon, who slowly approached her, lightly sat down and pushed his giant head towards her.
He slowly opened his mouth.
• You’ve come looking for the Temple of the Sun.
At the voice of the dragon, which was dynamic enough to give off the feeling that the world was shaking, Remir felt her head go blank for a moment, but she soon snapped back to reality and opened her mouth.
“That’s right. I received the calling of the Sun G.o.d and came here.”
While looking at Remir, who spoke without being intimidated even the slightest bit in front of him when he was a giant dragon, he wore a warm smile.
• Indeed, you are the type of human that I would have expected h.e.l.lena to choose.
As soon as his words ended, the giant body of the red dragon was covered in a white light, and its size slowly shrunk.
Whoong-
Along with a low resonant sound, a man appeared in front of Remir.
With bright red hair, he was a handsome man with a beautiful face.
He opened his mouth.
“I am Ranohel, the Sun Dragon that inherited the power of h.e.l.lena.”
Once he finished speaking, he spread his hand out towards the air, and at the same time, a bright white ray of light began to shoot out from his hand.
“…!”
The ray of light that shot out from his hand embroidered the sky white and Remir watched that scene with surprised eyes.
Shortly after.
As the light that blanketed the s.p.a.ce in white died out, in front of the eyes of Remir, who thought that it was just the middle of the desert, a grand temple appeared.
Ranohel, the Sun Dragon, grinned as he opened his mouth.
“Congratulations on becoming the Monarch of the Red Flame.”
The moment that Ranohel’s words ended, Remir’s whole body began to be engulfed in a bright red flame.
However, Remir didn’t feel the heat.
“Finally… Is it the end?”
While thinking of the long journey, she smiled brightly. And system messages began to pop up one after another in front of her eyes.
• You have successfully cleared the ‘Power of the Sun G.o.d’ quest.
• You have obtained 300 thousand Fame.
• You have obtained the ‘Staff of the Sun G.o.d’.
• You have obtained 82.5 million EXP.
• You have leveled up. You have reached lv 177.
• You may cla.s.s-change to the hidden cla.s.s ‘Monarch of the Red Flame’. Will you cla.s.s-change?
Remir, who carefully read through the system messages that popped up, nodded her head as she opened her mouth.
“I will cla.s.s-change.”
As she did so, the bright red flame that was wrapped around Remir was sucked into her heart.
Whoong-!
• You have successfully cla.s.s-changed from the hidden cla.s.s ‘Red Flame Magician’ to the higher-rank cla.s.s, the ‘Monarch of the Red Flame’.
And shortly after.
In front of the eyes of all of the users that were logged on in the central continent, one system message additionally popped up.
• The first legend of the central continent has awoken.