Part 2, Episode 128.
Thump.
One step.
Another step.
Dohyeon’s mind was racing as the ominous sense of dread gripped his entire body whenever he drew closer to that horrific figure.
‘… … I wonder what it could be?’
Seeing that the mysterious egg, which had been reacting to the abyss all along, reacted, is it the abyss?
Considering this unknown ominousness and goosebump-inducing sensation, it seems highly likely.
However, even calling it an abyss was questionable.
Judging by the fact that it is standing still, it must be an object or a non-living thing, like the remnants of the abyss… … .
It’s strange that you valued it more than the remnants of the abyss.
From what I heard from Rupalo, it seemed that nothing was more important to them than the remnants of the abyss.
It was questionable in many ways, but the thought was short-sighted.
Because soon we will be able to confirm what that is.
Swoosh.
Dohyeon pushed through the bushes and went a little deeper, and stopped after walking about ten steps.
It has arrived.
This is it!
In the place where the unidentified figure is.
“What? Why did you stop? Is this the place? I can’t see anything.”
“Look at him, it looks like he’s watching with those deceitful eyes again.”
“Hmm, it looks like it’s hidden so hard to find unless you’re an explorer.”
“That guy isn’t even an explorer, but finding everything hidden with just one trait is seriously cheating.”
“Hey old man, you get especially aggressive whenever I talk about traits.”
“Of course. You can’t even get that with money, can you? You can’t have it even if you invest 10 billion won, so how can you not be jealous?”
Judging by the grumbling of Ast and his colleagues behind him, it seemed that nothing was visible to them.
-Liza?
Yeah, I’m curious too.
-Hmm.
It seemed the same for the Guardians, and Dohyeon found that deeply regrettable.
‘crazy…….’
Because it meant that no one but himself could see this terrible figure right before his eyes.
How should I explain this?
It feels just like looking at filth that is alive and breathing with a self.
It feels as if thick rust is clumping together haphazardly and flowing down on its own.
And yet, it didn’t completely melt away and somehow managed to maintain its shape… …it was unpleasant because the shape looked as if it were creating a skull.
[An unknown substance has been discovered.]
[The unidentified egg reacts violently.]
Seeing that it happened repeatedly, not just once, it was clear that there was something going on.
I wanted to grab it right away, but…
“… … I feel a bit uneasy about catching it.”
Its appearance and aura instinctively provoked revulsion, and I hesitated, wondering if it was okay to hold it in my hand.
It felt more unpleasant than scary.
But that’s only for a moment.
As Dohyeon composed himself and reached out to pick it up, an indescribable, terrible sensation traveled through his hand.
It feels squishy and sticky, like touching something that shouldn’t be touched.
The moment you struggle to hold back goosebumps.
Ding-
A message popped into his head, and Dohyeon couldn’t help but frown.
[You have acquired the source of the disaster hidden in Elanis, ‘???’.]
[???]
– Grade : ??
-Description: An unknown object whose form is unfathomable. A terrifying energy conceals its true nature, making it impossible to know what it is used for.
It seems like there needs to be something to erase the energy in order to confirm its identity.
“No, what is this?”
I was curious about what on earth this was, so I picked it up despite the uneasy feeling, but what on earth is this?
Not only is there no proper explanation, but even the name is hidden.
I was beyond disappointed; I was practically devastated. However, I decided to think positively.
Still, it meant that if we just got rid of this terrible energy, we could confirm its identity.
Sigh, fine. Well, if I keep it for now, I suppose it will come in handy someday. It is certainly not ordinary, so it might be useful later on… … .
I decided to comfort myself in that way, even if it was just that.
“Ugh, what is that? It looks horrible.”
“Oh, it looks just like it was molded from the slushy filth in the sewer.”
“……I don’t think such a detailed analogy was necessary, though.”
-I know…….
-Lizariza… … .
Is it because I acquired it myself?
Just then, as if the group could now see his appearance, everyone was frowning in unison.
[An unidentified egg devours the energy of ‘???’.]
‘……hmm?’
Before I could even react to the sudden notification, the unidentified egg in my inventory swallowed that terrible object.
“Hey, hey. What are you doing!”
-Huh? Th-what is that?
-hmm!?
“Eggs? Did you have eggs too?”
“Judging by its form, it looks like an egg containing a monster or a guardian…… To think an egg devours something on its own—I’ve never seen or heard of such a phenomenon.”
Not only Dohyeon but also his companions screamed in surprise at the unexpected sudden situation, but Al did not stop swallowing.
At that, Dohyeon hurriedly tried to stop him by grabbing him with both hands, but it was already a step too late.
[The unidentified egg has absorbed the energy.]
[Consuming concentrated energy significantly increases satiety.]
[Current satiety is 70.]
Oh my goodness.
In the end, the egg swallowed that unknown substance.
Dohyeon’s eyes turned hollow.
I even resented that this damn egg, after coming out after such a long time, ended up causing a major accident.
I don’t know what that is, but there must have been a use for it!
“… … Haa, let’s think positively.”
Still, since the gauge went up a lot, I decided to think of it as a good thing.
Now, only 30 satiety points remain until hatching.
In just a little while, we will be able to find out whether what this egg has incubated is a Guardian, a monster, or something else entirely.
I couldn’t help but have one lingering regret.
Considering that I had never seen my satiety level rise by more than 20 at once even when encountering the Abyss, it is a huge deal that it went up by 30.
“That means the energy of the Abyss was that strong, doesn’t it? If I had taken it to Rupalo, I think I would have found out something… *Sigh*.”
It was when I was licking my lips in regret.
… … Spits!
“Pfft?”
“?”
I heard a sound that shouldn’t have been there, so I snapped my head and saw it.
The unidentified egg, which had been floating in the air as if in a good mood, suddenly gurgled and spat something out.
It was the ‘???’ that I had swallowed just moments ago.
“……Eat and spit?”
“Eat and spit out in a situation like this? Check it quickly before that.”
“Hoho, what kind of egg is that it’s swallowing and spitting out before it even hatches? How mysterious.”
“Wait, but that object looks a bit different.”
Dohyeon’s eyes widened as he examined the object at the Empress’s words.
Isn’t her appearance different, just as she said?
The filth has disappeared?
The terrible atmosphere that flowed thickly like old rust has disappeared, and it is clean.
Is it thanks to that?
What had previously looked like nothing but a lump of filth now appeared as a proper form.
However, its form was also extraordinary.
That appearance is definitely… … .
‘……eye?’
Because it was close to a reptile’s eye.
It was hard and rough, like touching the shell of a crustacean, rather than an eye, but that long, slit pupil and its appearance were clearly an eye.
I was spaced out for a moment, but then a message popped into my head, snapping me back to reality.
[Traces of Lucia have been found.]
[You have obtained an item related to the eye that swallowed the sky, ‘Rag Behemoth’.]
[You have obtained an item related to the Continent Quest.]
‘……what?’
Traces of Lucia? Items related to Behemoth?
Continental Quest?
They were all eye-catching words, but the most shocking thing was the identity of this ‘???’.
[You have acquired the source of disaster, ‘The Ruler’s Eye’.]
[The Ruler’s Eye]
-Description: This is the Eye of the One with the Authority of a Ruler. It can identify the locations of all remnants of the continent’s abyss, and the owner of the eye can move to those locations.
It also guides the owner of the eye to the place where the source of the disaster is.
‘her?’
… … It seems like I’ve obtained something incredible.
* * *
Cough-!
A mournful death cry.
A sound like that of a young puppy echoed, unbelievable that it came from the evil beast of the abyss that instills instinctive fear in all living things.
Crack!
As the debris shattered, a message appeared accompanied by a pleasant sound effect.
[Smashed the remnants of the abyss.]
[This will be reflected in the score of the prerequisite quest ‘Remnants of the Abyss’.]
“Oh, there were quite a lot of them this time.”
“There were an unusually large number of demonic beasts guarding this remnant. Three times as many as before… compared to the first remnant, it seems to be almost double.”
“How many times is this already?”
Only then, as they loosened their bodies stiffened by repeated battles, the comrades exchanged words one by one.
At that, Dohyeon glanced at the system window in front of him.
[Remnants of the Abyss]
– Rank: Prerequisite Quest
– Description: At the entrance to the Abyss, destroy as many Abyss remnants as possible that maintain the rift.
– Clear Condition: Destroy the Remnants of the Abyss (19 / ??)
– Upon quest success: Rewards are determined by the number of Abyss materials destroyed, and the triggered events vary.
– If the quest fails: You get closer to Elanis’s Calamity.
[This is the result of far exceeding the normal clear conditions of the prerequisite quest. Rewards and linked quests may change upon clearing.]
[The prerequisite quest can now be completed.]
19.
“Whew. You smashed a ton. Didn’t you just destroy that in about 3 or 4 hours?”
Destroyed 19 debris blocks in just 3 hours?
If Rupalo had heard it, he would have adamantly refused to believe it, telling him not to lie.
The number of monsters guarding the remnants varies from the fewest, one, to the exceptionally large nine this time.
In other words, to destroy 19 of them, it means you had to defeat at least 30 boss-level monsters… and the fact that this was accomplished in just 3 to 4 hours was an absurd amount of time to begin with.
No, even before that, it was even more impossible because of the travel time.
“The Ruler’s Eye? If I hadn’t obtained that, it would have taken a few days.”
“Certainly. It’s easier now that travel time is gone.”
“Getting a fraudulent eye with a fraudulent eye. Hahaha.”
“……Hey old man, you weren’t serious about that, were you?”
“Why? Isn’t it funny? I thought I cracked a little.”
“…….”
It was all thanks to the eyes of this ruler that this was made possible.
This was because it went beyond simply locating the site of the debris and transported the owner to that location.
Even the range of users being moved was the entire party.
It would have been faster if it weren’t for the cooldown of the old man’s one-shot burst damage.
Thanks to that, Dohyeon and his party continued fighting battle after battle without rest, smashing through the remnants, and the result was the current outcome.
“I am a bit tired. Since I’ve been fighting non-stop, my magical power is slowly running out.”
“Yeah, right. I think I need to get some exercise for a bit, too.”
“Hey, why are you suddenly changing the subject?”
“It would be good to take a short break. Or perhaps it would be fine to go back to Rupalo now.”
“hey?”
Watching the two people grit their teeth and ignore Ast, Dohyeon also joined their ranks.
“I know, right. I’m starting to reach my limit.”
“Wow, even you? You shouldn’t do that.”
-… … Hey, old man. Come over here. I think you’re my type, too.
“What’s with those pitying eyes?”
-Lizarija.
Ast’s face filled with disbelief, as he had never imagined in his life that he would be pitied by a goblin.
Eliza, patting him with her small, blunt hand as if she felt sorry for even that.
The middle-aged man moved his lips a few times, but realizing that saying more would only make him look miserable, he soon closed his mouth.
Then, shall we head back now?
“Oh, what a surprise. I thought you’d be the type to say, ‘Let’s see this through to the end.’”
“Kaiser, once that guy starts something, he really never finishes it half-heartedly.”
Dohyeon chuckled at the Empress and Sword Saint’s unexpected reaction.
It’s not like I’m ending it because I want to, either.
“then?”
The snow isn’t reacting anymore. It looks like there are no more remnants. At least not around here.
There’s one more.
Dohyeon nodded as he watched the Empress speak while glancing to the side.
This was also included in the reason for intending to return without any lingering regrets.
Because there were not one, but two remnants here.
It’s not for nothing that there were as many as nine demon beasts guarding this place.
There was one thing that was a bit puzzling.
The difficulty was much easier than expected.
All that appeared while I was destroying as many as 20 remnants were monsters.
Not to mention the leader of the intruders, even their subordinates did not show their faces.
“… … Is this really okay? I heard the remnants are quite important to their plan.”
Even though Dohyeon and his party had obtained the Ruler’s Eye and were destroying things at an unexpected speed, it was a bit strange that there was no response to this extent.
Maybe this remnant isn’t as important to them as I thought?
I don’t know. I’ll find out once I go see Rupalo.
Dohyeon shook off his thoughts, approached the remnants, and swung his sword.
[You have currently destroyed ’20’ Abyss Remnants]
With this, the number of destroyed remnants is 20.
I was inexplicably more satisfied because it rounded neatly to the nearest ten.
However, I had no intention of going right away.
I should rest for a bit before I go.
His comrades were exhausted from the repeated battles, and Dohyeon was also running out of both stamina and magic power.
Since the conditions were met faster than expected, this much leeway should be fine.
It was just as I was thinking that and about to sit down on the floor to rest.
[Destroyed all nearby remnants of the Abyss.]
[Hidden conditions have been met.]
[A sudden event occurs.]
