abcnovels
Chapter 155
Chapter 155
Chapter 155: The Holy Empire
? ROUND 10 ?
Main Quest
?Complete at least one sub-quest within 10 hours in the other world.
Sub Quests
?Multiple ????
[All Areas]
?Participants: 550,528
?Achievers: 0/137,632
[Specific Area C3-ESKA001]
?Participants: 2,760
?Achievers: 0/690
Players tense up upon reviewing the quests.
“Complete at least one sub-quest?”
“In the other world we visited before?”
“Given that it says more than one, there must be several available?”
“So, completing just one out of many counts as completing the quest?”
“Then isn’t that too easy?”
Such thoughts of ease were fleeting.
People quickly corrected their thoughts.
‘It can’t be this easy.’
Especially since the angels had made it sound challenging.
“Each sub-quest must be incredibly difficult then.”
Perhaps it was this muttering that she overheard.
Angel Nel let out a laughter that bordered on scorn.
[The sub-quests aren’t difficult, humans. While there are variations in difficulty, most are easy enough to tackle alone. Don’t be too scared.]
“Then, what part is supposed to be difficult…?”
[What I meant wasn’t that the quest itself is hard. Passing the round won’t be easy because the achievers’ positions will be filled based on who completes the most quests.]
“Ah…”
People started to wonder how many quests they could finish.
Such a statement was nothing short of instigating competition.
No one knew how many would need to be completed to be safe.
Of course, not everyone was in the dark.
At least those who had heard Ryu Min’s prophecy were not visibly anxious.
‘You need to complete at least four sub-quests to be in the top 25%. To be within the top three in this area, you need seven.’
To be sure of securing first place, completing ten quests was considered safe.
Ryu Min intended to complete ten quests this round.
[You might have guessed, but let me explain. This round allows you to roam freely in the other world for ten hours, finishing sub-quests located in various places. As you can see, completing at least one sub-quest counts as succeeding in the main quest, and you can complete as many more as you like until time is up.]
“Ten hours is quite a long mission, isn’t it?”
[You need to keep moving. While there’s a ten-hour limit, your passage will depend on how many quests you complete. Make sure to complete at least one. Of course, if you don’t complete any, you’ll simply vanish.]
“This is going to be fierce, huh?”
“We’ll have to tackle the quests intensely.”
There’s a time limit, but no limit on how many quests can be achieved?
Naturally, competition was inevitable.
‘You’d feel anxious not knowing how many quests you need to complete. It will be stressful and tough. But tough is different from difficult.’
Ryu Min said this tenth round was difficult not just because the competition was fierce.
‘Really, the level of sub-quests is difficult.’
Just as the angel said, there are easy quests.
But only about one in ten is easy.
Five out of ten are difficult to complete alone.
The rest can barely be completed.
The angel’s claim of ease was a lie.
‘So, managing to complete four in ten hours is actually impressive, given the players’ current level.’
Ryu Min wasn’t worried about the difficulty.
‘It’s a walk in the park compared to the Tower of Trials.’
Completing ten sub-quests in ten hours might even be easier than breaking through the 60th floor of the Tower of Trials.
[Once you’ve completed a quest, you can’t retry it. Of course, other players can attempt it, though. Just so you know and plan accordingly. If you have any questions, now’s the time to ask.]
“Can you tell us the difficulty level of each quest?”
I boldly raised my hand with the question, but the response was dismissive.
[That’s such a foolish first question. Makes me want to explode your head.]
“…….”
[It wouldn’t be fun if I told you that. Any other questions, human?]
“Can we give up on a quest if it gets too hard during the progress?”
[A good question. You can give up. There’s a quit button in the quest progress window. Just press that, and you can retry as long as you haven’t succeeded in the quest yet.]
“Oh, then it sounds doable?”
“If a quest is too hard, we can just give up.”
[But keep in mind, we won’t give you back your time. And you can only quit once per quest. You only get one chance to retry the same quest.]
“Ah……”
Players who had thought they could try multiple times stopped in their tracks.
[Now that the briefing is over, let’s proceed with the round!]
As Nel spread her wings, the same message appeared before everyone.
[Please touch the area you wish to start in.]
? 1. Albitz Kingdom
? 2. Braham Kingdom
? 3. The Holy Empire
? 4. Elsorium
[If you do not choose within the time limit, a random selection will be made.]
[Time remaining until selection ends: 00:00:59]
Players were flustered by the sudden prompt to choose a starting region.
A player with decision paralysis swung their finger back and forth in the air, panicking.
Yet, not everyone was flustered.
Ryu Min’s group, who had been forewarned through a prophecy, was composed.
‘1, 2, and 3 are human cities, and 4 is an Elf city.’
Given Ryu Min’s favorable reputation among the elves, he would receive great treatment if he went to Elsorium.
But he excluded option 4.
‘It’s not time yet. There will be plenty of opportunities to meet the elves later.’
Above all, Ryu Min’s focus was elsewhere in this round.
Not on the sub-quests.
‘I’m going to the Holy Empire, number 3.’
Before selecting, Ryu Min looked at Min Juri.
He wanted a buff, and she was already hastily distributing them among the people.
“Get your buffs before we leave! Black Scythe, you too!”
“Thank you.”
“I don’t know where everyone will be, but let’s all do our best!”
Still, Min Juri was distributing buffs and cheering, having become somewhat acquainted.
‘Shall we go then?’
Ryu Min’s finger tapped the air.
*
The fantasy continent has five kingdoms and one empire.
Of these, two kingdoms are Albitz and Braham, previously mentioned.
The rest are minor kingdoms, not even considered starting points.
And fittingly named the Empire, the Holy Empire is a vast city.
‘It’s not called an empire for nothing.’
With walls so tall they could make one dizzy and numerous buildings and temples within, bustling with activity, it was almost too lifelike to distinguish from reality.
‘I’ve turned hostile here after killing the archbishop in round 8, but there’s no worry if I don’t show my title.’
Ryu Min admired the surroundings without any title displayed.
If he did, the guards would try to arrest him.
‘If they arrest me, it’s the least of it. They might just kill me on the spot.’
But Ryu Min wouldn’t just die to such trash, though he found the nuisance of flies bothersome.
That’s why he avoided showing his title.
As Ryu Min looked around, he noticed people in familiar attire.
They were players.
Whether it was a feature of being in the fantasy world or not, their nicknames were not visible.
‘Good that nicknames aren’t visible. It’s easier to act alone.’
Ryu Min transformed into a LostYak in a secluded spot, just in case he ran into someone he knew.
[Starting Location: The Holy Empire]
[Ongoing Sub Quests: None]
[Completed Sub Quests: None]
[Time Remaining Until Round Ends: 09:58:21]
The quest progress window indicated that time was ticking away.
The real round was beginning.
Ordinarily, one might rush about seeking quests, but Ryu Min was relaxed.
He was confident he could easily achieve the ten quests.
‘Right now, sub-quests aren’t what’s important.’
Ryu Min’s steps led him to the central square of the Holy Empire.
He waited by a statue engraved with angels, soon to meet a familiar face.
“Master!”
Yamti, who knew the face of LostYak, ran up happily.
“A bit late.”
“Sorry. It’s so big here I needed to know where the central square was.”
“You could’ve simply asked a guard.”
“Oh! Would they have answered?”
“They would, unless your reputation is hostile.”
Ryu Min had arranged to meet Yamti here in the Holy Empire.
Not for any trivial reason but because her charm skill was needed to enter the temple.
“Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
“The temple.”
“Why the temple?”
“You ask too many questions.”
“Sorry.”
Yamti looked down, dejected.
Being a slave who executed orders without question, Ryu Min hadn’t felt the need to explain, but it seemed right to at least tell her their purpose.
“There’s only one reason why you’re here.”
“Because you need me to charm someone?”
“Right. The largest temple in the Holy Empire has an altar where oracles are given. Normally, it’s not accessible to just anyone. But with the Rune of Charm, it’s a different story.”
“Oh, so you need me to get to the altar where the oracle is given.”
“That’s right.”
“But can NPCs be charmed too? I’ve never tried it…”
“They can.”
And not just that.
‘Thoughts can be read too. Like they’re real people.’
They might even be real people.
Existing in another dimension, just like us.
But he couldn’t dismiss the assumption they were NPCs.
‘What if each entity is an AI whose thoughts are well-programmed?’
It can be seen as a virtual human, or NPC created for this game.
‘If they can transfer 1.8 billion human souls to the other world, they must have the technology to create such AI.’
Thus, Ryu Min stopped speculating.
He acted solely for growth and survival up to round 20.
Now was the foundation for that.
“But what are we going to do at the altar with the oracle?”
“What do you think?”
Ryu Min’s lips twisted into a smirk.
“To kill an angel.”