Terra Nova Online: Rise of The Strongest Player

Chapter 794 A strange encounter

Chapter 794  A strange encounter

After sharing the location of the mana vein with ChaosBringer, Leo continued his exploration of the Gu Clan Chambers until he stumbled upon the patriarch's quarters, where the skill scroll was said to be stored.

The room was located at the absolute dead-end of the Gu family chambers and was, by far, in the worst condition of the entire structure.

Half the ceiling had already caved in, allowing piles of mud and roots to fall through, while all sorts of plants and weeds sprouted from the cracked furniture and moist floor tiles.

Yet, despite its semi-destroyed state, the room somehow retained an undeniable air of authority. Its austere arrangement, coupled with the remnants of intricate craftsmanship, hinted at the power and prestige it once represented.

At the center of the room stood a pedestal carved from smooth obsidian, its polished surface faintly reflecting the dim glow of the purple flowers clinging to the walls.

Resting atop this pedestal was the scroll Leo had been seeking, encased in a crystalline shell that shimmered faintly with an almost otherworldly light.

Inside the casing lay a single piece of paper, seemingly untouched by the ravages of time.

"This has to be it," Leo murmured, his eyes fixed on the scroll.

The palpable energy radiating from it left no room for doubt about its significance as without hesitation, Leo moved closer, his anticipation building with each step.

Standing before the pedestal, he reached out and placed his hand on the crystalline casing.

However, unexpectedly, the moment his fingers made contact, a powerful surge of energy coursed through him, leaving him momentarily breathless.

Suddenly, his surroundings twisted and blurred, the room dissolving into an expanse of boundless darkness as his consciousness was abruptly pulled into another dimension.

When the haze cleared, Leo found himself in an ethereal, seemingly infinite space and before him stood a regal man with a neatly groomed silver moustache and piercing golden eyes that radiated both overwhelming power and a profound melancholy.

The sheer weight of the man's presence was enough to send a shiver down Leo's spine, as Leo had no doubt in his mind that the man was much stronger than him.

[ ????? Sovereign. Lv (????) ]

It was a first time in a long time that Leo had failed to inspect the status bar of a character within the game, as by now he was used to being the strongest in town.

Yet, facing this peculiar man, Leo once again felt like a newbie, for the man was clearly much more powerful than he was.

"You're not a member of my clan… are you?" the man said, his voice laden with sorrow.

His gaze lingered on Leo, scrutinizing him with an intensity that made it feel as though he could see straight through him, as before Leo could formulate a reply, the man raised his hand and waved dismissively.

Suddenly, Leo felt a force unlike anything he had ever encountered before, and in an instant, he was yanked forcibly out of the separate space, his consciousness flung back into the game world.

"What the hell?" Leo muttered, staggering slightly as the room reformed around him.

His mind spun with vertigo, the surreal encounter leaving him disoriented and shaken.

"What was that? Captain Kid's tablet didn't mention anything like this!" he cursed under his breath, as his trembling hands worked to remove the crystalline casing over the scroll.

Afraid, he tried to grab the scroll and leave before he encountered that strange man again, as with trembling fingers, Leo touched the parchment scroll.

[System Notification: You have obtained the skill scroll [Blade Switch] (Semi-Divine).

Congratulations to the player 'TheBoss' for finding yet another semi-divine artifact.]

The system's familiar chime confirmed his possession of the scroll, concluding his quest, as wasting no time, Leo turned to leave, eager to escape the dark, humid chambers of the assassin alliance.

"We got what we wanted, Dumpy. Let's head back," he said, his voice steady despite the lingering unease.

Navigating his way out took 30 minutes, but even as he ascended back to the surface, Leo couldn't shake the memory of what he had just experienced.

The encounter with the mysterious man gnawed at his mind, leaving him with more questions than answers.

"I'll ask Captain Kid about it later," Leo decided, making a mental note as he finally stepped into the fresh air of the forest above.

***********

(A few hours later, The real world, Captain Kid's office)

"You got yanked into a separate space? And met a sentient man there? And he had question marks above his head where the level should be?" Kid asked, his tone a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

Even for someone in his position, what Leo described seemed to tread into unfamiliar territory.

"How do you not know what I just experienced? Don't you design and control every aspect of the fucking game?" Leo snapped, his frustration evident as he glared at the so called Captain of the Arc Ship.

Kid scratched the back of his head awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable under Leo's scrutiny.

"Well… we do control a lot of aspects of the game," he admitted, "but skill scrolls? That's a completely different story."

Leo raised an eyebrow, his disbelief growing. "What do you mean, a 'different story'? You're telling me you can manipulate almost everything else, but not the mechanics behind these scrolls?"

Kid sighed, resigned to Leo's fury.

"Look, the skill scrolls we have in Terra Nova Online aren't exactly our property. They're provided to us by the clans who donate them as part of their contribution to the game world. But here's the catch— they don't give us free rein to mess with their clan secrets. They usually attach special conditions, and those conditions are encrypted. It's part of the agreement we sign when integrating their scrolls into the system. So while you might think I know what happened to you, I actually don't."

Leo crossed his arms, still unconvinced. "So you're saying the Gu Clan encoded their scrolls, and that's why I got pulled into that weird space?"

"Exactly. Think of it as an extra layer of security or maybe even tradition. My best guess is that the Gu Clan added a unique piece of code to the [Blade Switch] scroll, one that activates when someone attempts to claim it. That code likely creates the dimension you were pulled into. What you experienced is entirely tied to the Gu Clan's programming—it's not something we directly control or even fully understand."

Leo's eyes narrowed, irritation flickering across his face. "So, all you've got for me is a 'guess'? That's your big explanation?"

Kid winced under Leo's gaze. "Pretty much. And to be honest, my guess is as good as yours on this one. The clans don't share their methods with us—they only give us the finished product, so to speak."

Leo rolled his eyes, exhaling sharply. "Unbelievable. The 'all-powerful Captain Kid' doesn't even know how half the stuff in his own game works."

Kid shrugged helplessly. "Hey, you're not wrong. But that's how it is when you're dealing with egotistical clans guarding their secrets like treasure. You're lucky the scroll didn't kill you outright for not being a Gu Clan member."

"Comforting thought," Leo muttered sarcastically, his irritation still simmering as he was forced to drop the matter for now.