Episode 246
“So you’re finally moving. I thought I was going to die of frustration.”
The Grand Temple of the Holy City of the Holy Kingdom.
Two people sat facing each other in the Corridor of Glory, where the top players of the Holy Body Faction reside.
“But what do you think of our amazing Singer?”
Ranked 9th, Xiaohui twirled her blue hair with her hand and asked a playful question.
Sitting in front of her was a brown-haired woman.
It was Ranked 5th, Everett.
“Call me ‘Singer’ one more time. I’ll hold a press conference and just scatter photos of you crying around.”
Everett spoke, moving only her green eyes slightly.
Xiaohui, who had been momentarily stunned, reacted belatedly.
“…How did you get that?”
“Your sister and I are kind of close, aren’t we?”
“Ugh, damn it!”
With wide eyes, she quickly moved her hand to send a message to her sister.
Watching this, Everett let out a smirk.
“I heard she’s going to France? She probably won’t even be reachable.”
“Haa, that’s all my money.”
Xiaohui let out a sigh at this fact she hadn’t known before.
Leaning over the gleaming table, she tapped her fingers and said,
“Anyway, that guy. What do you really think?”
“Keep what?”
“It’s the Black Dragon’s first death, isn’t it? There’s no way Uncle Sirius would fail. Didn’t the Goddess of Silence prepare something?”
“Hmm…”
Everett pondered for a moment at the repeated question.
A top-tier player almost unknown not only within the Holy Body Faction but even within the Holy Kingdom.
Sirius, the pinnacle among them, was a being of a different caliber, yet it was difficult to even guess the principles behind his power.
Perhaps the only thing known was that the location where he received the oracle was different.
“Logically speaking, he should have succeeded. But the opponent is the Black Dragon, just as you said. You never know what kind of bizarre trick he might pull.”
“Come on, still, surviving against the number one ranked player is strange.”
“If you’re curious, just watch the broadcast.”
“I don’t like looking at other people’s screens because it makes me dizzy… but well, I’m bored, so shall I watch?”
Changing his mind, Xiaohui quickly turned on the recorder and entered the Black Dragon’s broadcast.
“Good decision.”
“See? I said it was a success, right?”
On the screen, Sirius was plunging his sword into the Black Dragon’s chest.
But then.
“Did you think you were just going to die?”
Suddenly, the Black Dragon smirked and plunged a twig into Sirius’s neck.
At that, vines extending from his neck attached themselves to the trunk of the World Tree and began to assimilate.
“Huh?”
Startled, Xiaohui leaned his face closer to the screen.
Sirius’s voice followed immediately.
“…Excellent wit.”
“Whoosh—!”
With those last words, the Black Dragon’s body was engulfed in flames.
At the same time, the Black Dragon’s broadcast cut off.
“He’s… dead, right?”
Xiaohui, who had been staring blankly for a moment, turned his head and asked.
Everett, who had been asked the question, was just as puzzled.
“In the end, it seemed like Sirius was trapped by the World Tree, too. For now, the situation…”
*Pow!* Just
then, a human figure appeared from inside the corridor accompanied by a light.
It was Sirius, who had been on the screen just moments ago.
He looked somewhat different from usual, though the reason remained unclear.
“Mister, you killed the Black Dragon, right? Right?”
Xiaohui rose to his feet and approached him.
However, Sirius shook his head with an expressionless face.
“He didn’t die.”
“What? He burned to ashes and vanished. You mean he didn’t die?”
“There were no rewards for PK, nor were there any gold or item drops due to penalties. The oracle received is still valid. He truly vanished right before my eyes.”
“…?”
Despite the nonchalant explanation, Xiaohui could not understand.
Everett, who had been watching the conversation, took his eyes off the now-ended broadcast screen.
“The Goddess of Silence must have used her power, right?”
“I cannot be certain. Perhaps it is a situation that even the Black Dragon did not anticipate.”
“…I couldn’t have predicted that, but it means you ultimately escaped death. The plan went awry.”
The players of the Grand Temple had sought to verify the death of the Black Dragon and the changes appearing in the RP.
The top-ranked players, who had never received an oracle regarding the Black Dragon’s intervention before, believed this was the starting point for action.
However, that massive plan, initiated by none other than the No. 1 ranked player, ended in failure from the very first step.
“Isn’t the oracle a bit strange?”
Just then, Xiaohui spoke, frowning.
“What do you mean?”
Sirius’s voice was sharp as he asked back.
However, the person who spoke did not notice.
“I see. What have we gained from the oracles targeting the Black Dragon so far? Even when opponents far weaker than us were deployed, it was always a bust. Isn’t it time we made our own judgments and moved?”
“Do you mean to defy the words of the Goddess of Turmoil?”
“On the contrary, we are listening to her even more. We are acting for the Goddess’s victory, after all. What will you do if we lose like this?”
“We will not lose.”
“It’s not a matter of such confidence…”
“It is not a matter of mental fortitude. I shall possess a power that transcends the principles of this world. This is the grace bestowed by the Goddess.”
Whoosh—
Sirius left the corridor, leaving those words behind.
Watching his retreating figure, Xiaohui spoke in a bewildered voice.
“What? Is he sulking? He’s even putting on a show.”
“Sirius wouldn’t lie in the name of the Goddess. He must have a way.”
“That makes it even stranger. Aren’t we on the same side? Why is he getting stronger using a method only he knows!”
“I don’t know.”
The players of the Adult Faction received the oracle and grew in their own ways.
In particular, the top-ranked players had been walking a golden path, enjoying the benefits of incredibly efficient quests, dungeons, and hunting.
This was all done within the Holy Kingdom's special territory, a place even the Investigation Corps could not enter.
However, Sirius seemed to be planning a different method altogether.
“Anyway, it’s over.”
Everett turned off the black screen and stood up.
At that moment,
*ding*—an
alarm went off, and a golden message appeared before his eyes.
[Player Black Dragon has succeeded in becoming an Investigation Corps member with the shortest episode count.]
[Players who have cleared the existing Episode 7 will be granted an opportunity to reset and replay.]
[The 2nd update for the Record Project will proceed.]
“Huh? What is this? An update? They’re doing it again?”
Xiaohui’s eyes widened upon seeing the same message.
Everett was just as surprised.
Not only had the first update happened not long ago, but there had been absolutely no prophecy regarding this situation.
“Let’s go to the Pope.”
Turning around, Everett hurriedly moved out of the corridor.
Xiaohui, who had been looking at the golden sentence, also hurriedly followed behind.
***
'What is this now?'
Standing on the shore, Hanbit frowned as he looked at the golden message.
It was because of the news of the second update that had appeared so suddenly.
No matter how much he thought about it, the change was far too fast.
Whoosh—
While he was lost in such thoughts, the approaching Elf ship came to a halt.
He saw the people on board transferring to a smaller boat.
“Let’s go!”
Charlotte, who had been watching the ship, took the first step.
Hanbit, having closed the World Message, followed her.
Splash—
As the small boat docked on land, people disembarked.
Several investigation team members other than the twins and Pingpong.
Nearly ten Elves disembarked one after another.
“Everyone is awake. That’s a relief.”
Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her friends’ faces.
Kyle was the first to approach.
Stride—
He took a long stride and stood directly in front of the two.
Then, he placed his right hand on his chest and performed the Elven bow.
“I heard you prevented a terrible atrocity. I sincerely thank you.”
Kyle’s words carried two meanings.
One was that he had saved the Elf village from being overrun and destroyed by external forces.
The other was gratitude for stopping him from nearly killing his own kind.
Hanbit, too, had no desire to witness such a tragedy.
“It was the right thing to do.”
“That is a difficult decision. I will never forget this favor.”
Hanbit knew the sincerity hidden in that calm voice.
As Kyle bowed once again, a familiar voice rang out.
“Lord Black Dragon!”
The waiting twins and Pingpong approached.
Hanbit gestured to distance himself from Charlotte’s group.
“I didn’t expect you to counterattack there! So that’s how you use the World Tree’s branches?” “When the streaming was interrupted, I thought something major had happened. Isn’t it a bit unfair for the number one ranked player to show up so
suddenly?”
Haneul and Pingpong spoke up, reflecting on the situation from earlier.
The Black Dragon seen on the broadcast screen was certainly nothing more and nothing less than death.
“What will happen with the second update? It hasn’t even been a few days yet.”
Noeul said, recalling the golden message once again.
Even thinking about it again, the time gap was far too short.
“There must have been a major variable during the progression of this episode. It will be announced, so let’s wait and see.”
Both the first and second updates coincided with Hanbit clearing his Episode.
In other words, the player known as the Black Dragon was the only entity making significant changes to the game so far.
The players of the Holy Body Faction, acting on the Oracle, were likely using the Episode element merely as a tool for obstruction.
It felt as though they would clash much more frequently after this update.
'It’s a relief I obtained the power of the World Tree.'
Although many things had happened, Hanbit eventually acquired the legacy of the World Tree.
His future role was to explore unconquered areas untouched by the Investigation Team.
Ultimately, the goal was to head to the Demon Realm located underground. At
their current pace, this was not a distant prospect.
“Ah, you guys still have main quests left, right?”
Hanbit suddenly thought of this and asked the three of them.
This was because no one had been involved in what had happened in the World Tree Realm.
“Our main quest content was different starting from number 9. It was about helping the elves recover. So number 10 was to come here.”
Haneul continued speaking while looking at the quest window.
Listening to the conversation, Hanbit looked at the arriving members of the Investigation Team.
One person among them caught my eye.
[Rowald, Commander of the Investigation Squadron 3]
It was Rowald, who had been confrontational on the airship.
I hadn't encountered him in the Elf village, so it seemed he was protecting the Elves in the forest.
“Listen carefully. You will likely be investigating inside the World Tree with Rowald. You just need to obtain a clue regarding the Investigation Team’s unconquered zone there.”
“The World Tree? He seemed so prickly; will he let us in?”
“It’s fine. We reached an agreement. Anyway, the clue is located in a space called the False Root. It’s a place even the World Tree itself doesn’t know, and its location is…”
Hanbit gave the three of them a detailed explanation.
If this achievement were added to the accomplishments made in the Elf village, they would surely be able to become official members of the investigation team.
“You three. Come over here.”
Just then, Rowald, who had been talking with Charlotte, called out to the group.
His gaze toward Hanbit had softened considerably compared to when they were on the airship.
“I’ll be back.”
“I’ll try to finish as quickly as possible.”
The twins, who had been crouching while listening to the explanation, stood up.
At that, Pingpong, carrying a shield, grinned and said,
“Just trust me. I’m actually good at finding my way.”
“Mister, you got lost in the village too.”
“I was a bit… in the Cube of Hell, too.”
Pingpong showed confidence, while the twins looked suspicious.
Watching their retreating figures, it seemed they were quite close now.
‘I’ll have to do the rest tomorrow.’
It was already past 2 AM.
Considering the immediate top priority of conquering the private zone, staying up all night was pointless.
They needed to get outside first for preliminary preparations.
Since Ibella would likely arrive here tomorrow, it was best to travel by magic.
There was no need to turn on the stream right now, either.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t checked the rankings.’
He wasn’t particularly interested in the rankings that updated every midnight.
Or rather, should I say the timing was awkward for him to pay attention?
Curious about other players’ rank changes, Hanbit went to the homepage.
‘The rankings… huh?’
Hanbit's gaze, which had been about to scan the list, fixed on the center of the homepage.
A new announcement had appeared there.
[Revealing the major changes for the second update.]
