Chapter 95

“Aaargh...!! We're late!!”

“Ow, ow! S-stop it, you little brat!”

Having finally made it through the portal, Gareth was now busy fleeing Jane's flying fists.

Reconstruction was in full swing when they arrived at Thorn Bach.

Perhaps that was a stroke of luck.

Short on manpower, Thorn Bach offered quests to the players flooding through the belatedly restored portal.

[Side Quest: Reviving Thorn Bach]

The quest window had appeared as soon as they reached the village.

“The rewards are quite generous, too. The Kingdom of Malas must have contributed a hefty sum.”

“I suppose it's thanks to the penalties paid by the Naga Mercenary Company for running away.”

“Indeed. Breaching a contract with a kingdom! Serves them right. I hope this puts them out of business.”

Gareth sounded oddly delighted.

“The Naga Mercenary Company interfered with one of his quests in the Kingdom of Malas a while back,” Jane whispered to Kim Chan.

“Haha...”

He nodded in understanding.

“Still, that fellow really is something... He could have sent a Message when he reached the central continent. Instead, we suddenly hear he's fighting a Black Dragon.” Gareth stroked his chin. “He's truly remarkable. He certainly made an impression as soon as he arrived.”

“He certainly did.”

Unfortunately, they had been unable to learn where Woojin had gone afterward.

Nor were they alone. The community had erupted in a frenzy of attempts to locate Woojin's party, who had vanished without a trace after the Black Dragon's defeat.

“That's why I told you we should hurry! This is all your fault, Uncle!!!”

“Ow! Ouch!”

Jane took out her frustration by poking Gareth in the ribs.

“We couldn't help it. We were in the middle of a quest. The Monster Wave matters, but don't forget we're working on a World Quest ourselves.”

“It was a dragon!! A dragon showed up for the first time ever!”

She bit at her collar and sniffled, as though the disappointment were driving her mad.

“Girl, you're on a World Quest. I only brought you because you wouldn't stop pestering me... The elders will be relieved, if anything. You seem to keep forgetting that you absolutely cannot go anywhere dangerous.”

“Yeees, yeees. Whatever you say.”

“Why, you little...”

As Gareth trembled with exasperation at her sarcasm, Jane promptly scurried away.

“Honestly... She has no idea how important she is.”

Watching beside him, Kim Chan chuckled.

“She's the one, isn't she? The new leader of the Ulda Alliance.”

“That's right. If only she weren't so immature.”

“But perhaps that personality is why she got a World Quest in the first place. Someone like me would never get one.”

“Heh, I wouldn't say that. You were the only one from the Red Tower who came to Thorn Bach, weren't you?”

Kim Chan smiled awkwardly.

“Yes. Which leaves me in a bit of a bind. If the battle were still going, that would be one thing... But it's already over. They've probably returned to the tower by now.”

He was sure to get an earful when he returned to the Red Tower late.

“Not an easy place, is it? The Red Tower, I mean.”

“No. It's just like the rumors.”

Though the Red Tower was the largest magical society on the central continent and produced outstanding results, its reputation was worse than one might expect.

An organization with so many members certainly needed some discipline, but the Red Tower took it to extremes.

What made life even harder for its mages, however, was its head Ratan Gray's favoritism toward Suzuki Hana.

It was hardly an exaggeration to say that the Red Tower invested all its magical research in her. The other mages were little more than laborers working to further her growth.

“It can't be helped. If I had an apprentice with a Trait like that, I suppose I wouldn't spare any expense either.”

The Red Witch's Trait.

[Elemental Fusion]

Most mages generally chose a single element in which to specialize.

That was because the elements had conflicting affinities. A fire mage needed far more time to learn water magic.

For that reason, players seldom bothered learning multiple elements. But her [Elemental Fusion] Trait allowed her to ignore elemental penalties.

Regardless of affinity, she took the same amount of time to learn magic of any element.

There was one reason Ratan Gray invested so heavily in her.

The Great Grimoire, Polsetia.

To open the spellbook said to be kept at the top of the Red Tower, one had to master the highest-level magic of every element.

Perhaps he hoped to fulfill a long-held dream that even he, the tower's head, had failed to achieve—one that no mage might have achieved since the Red Tower's founding.

“Are you very envious?”

“Well... It's fascinating, but I'm not envious.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I suppose I've changed a little, too. It's all your fault, Gareth.”

“Haha! Why mine?”

“I think the experience in the Ice Cave left too strong an impression.”

Gareth nodded in understanding.

“True. That was fun. But I don't think that was my doing.”

“What?”

“It was Khan's, wasn't it?”

“Well... That's true.”

Kim Chan smiled sheepishly.

In truth, he had come to Thorn Bach when everyone else refused because he wanted to see Woojin.

He had hoped that meeting him...

Might offer some new turning point.

“Haha! You look just like an office worker itching to hand in his resignation!”

“... Do I?”

Though Gareth had meant it as a joke, Kim Chan somehow couldn't relax his expression.

“Keep your chin up.”

“Thank you.”

“Want to come with us?”

“...!”

Startled by Jane's sudden appearance behind him, Kim Chan asked, “What?”

“We happened to need a mage. We picked up a side quest in the Kingdom of Esten and were just about to go take care of it.”

“B-but...”

“Hmm. That's not a bad idea.”

Gareth nodded at Jane's suggestion.

“Why not join us? I'll speak to the Red Tower. You can simply tell them we dragged you along against your will.”

Kim Chan could only stare, dumbfounded by the sudden offer.

“It's time for an adventure.”

Jane gave a little smile.

Her words stirred a strange feeling in him.

Come to think of it, he had arrived on the central continent full of anticipation, only to spend all his time cooped up in the Red Tower.

“What do you say?”

Kim Chan gazed at the hand she held out to him.

'Adventure...'

What a thrilling word it was.

* * *

“Master!!!”

“Boss!!”

“There you are.”

As Woojin followed the road, he spotted Peron and Weden waiting in the distance.

“I'm sorry. I wasn't any help this time, either.”

“What do you mean? I reached the Black Dragon thanks to you, didn't I?”

Woojin reassured Weden, who had bowed deeply the moment he saw him.

“You're looking quite the part now.”

“Haha! Not bad, right? It's all standard-issue gear, from the armor to the shield, but every piece was made by Sigmund.”

Peron answered with sparkling eyes, clearly hoping for praise.

“Yes. There are no unnecessary bonuses—just defense and resistance to various status ailments. It's perfect for a tank.”

[Sigmund's 108th Heavy Armor]

Weden's satisfied expression alone made it clear that the equipment performed as well as it looked.

“We're heading to the Kingdom of Tekan. Luckily, Peron was based in that area to begin with, so he'll be coming along... What about you? If you're going to the White Tavern, you could travel with us.”

The [White Tavern], where they could meet the Ulda Alliance, was located in the Antarian Federation's nineteenth village.

It was a shared zone belonging to none of the three small kingdoms, used primarily for trade between them.

“If you'll have me, I'd be grateful to join you!!”

Woojin nodded at his answer.

'We've got a fairly solid party now.'

He looked over the companions gathered around him: Weden, a tank to hold the front line; Peron, a Ranger who could disarm traps; Ruen, their ranged damage dealer; and himself, their melee damage dealer.

'A mage and a priest might make it even better.'

For a moment, Woojin thought of Alteon, whom he had met in Thorn Bach.

The Rare class of high-ranking devotee possessed tremendous healing power.

'It would be nice to have someone like that...'

But expecting the top-ranked priest to join his party now was nothing more than wishful thinking.

“Hmm, a mage...”

Unlike with a priest, however, there was one possible candidate for a mage.

'Come to think of it, I wonder how he's doing at the Red Tower.'

“Let's go.”

Woojin strode forward.

* * *

“Th-the Black Dragon's key?!”

“To be precise, it's for the tomb of the Dragon Knight who followed him, not the Black Dragon himself.”

“Then... Doesn't that mean there's something incredible buried there?”

Weden's eyes shone as he questioned Woojin.

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

Woojin pointed at Weden's face.

“Wipe your drool.”

SLURP

“It's a tomb, so there probably won't be much to it. Wait here while I go collect the rewards.”

“Understood.”

“It's over there. We're almost there now!!”

Karlan, who was leading the way, pointed ahead and called out.

“Wow...”

At that moment, Woojin and his companions gaped at the sight before them.

DING

A notification chimed.

[You have discovered the Tomb of Emperor Kaisha.]

[Trait: Adventurer has activated.]

“... Huh?”

“... What?”

They all looked bewildered.

“Don't tell me... This is the tomb you're heading to, boss?”

“Yes. This is Karl's tomb.”

It was their guide, Karlan, who answered.

“Wait, the name's different... What's going on?”

“Oh! You need to know the continent's history to understand that... It's something Outlanders probably wouldn't know. Karl was Emperor Kaisha's childhood name.”

“... K-Kaisha?”

Having only recently arrived on the central continent, Woojin still knew little about it.

Yet even he knew the name Kaisha.

The conqueror who had swept across the continent before the five great kingdoms existed.

He had ruled the Loran Empire, which possessed the largest territory in the continent's history.

Perhaps they could count themselves fortunate.

Normally, this famous site would have been packed with people, but the Dark Zone had left it deserted.

“... I don't think you'll be getting out of there anytime soon.”

Weden ventured the comment while watching Woojin's reaction.

The others all wore the same look.

Every one of them had received the same notification.

“Haha. That aggravating lizard bastard...”

Woojin swept back his hair and growled at Bensina, wherever he might be.

“You gave me a job, not a reward, didn't you?”

Somehow, he could just imagine the dragon hiding somewhere, snickering.

'Once I'm a Dragon Lord, I'll work you harder than any of them.'

Thanks to that, he was brimming with motivation.

[Would you like to enter the dungeon?]

He looked at the notification.

The problem wasn't that this place was a dungeon.

[This dungeon has not yet been cleared.]

The level requirement was 50.

By the central continent's standards, it was a low-level dungeon.

There was another reason it remained uncleared despite that.

Emperor Kaisha had another name.

And that was...

The King of the Labyrinth.