As soon as I won the duel, I returned to that initial white space.
A new golden door appeared.
The number 199 and the name of the being I would face were written on that door.
‘Cryo.’
Looking at the engraved emblem next to the name, he wasn’t a deceased soul but someone currently active as a Successor candidate.
If I challenged him now, could I defeat the being beyond that door?
In the Advanced Arena, many things acted as variables: the duel’s location, strategy, Sacred Relics, the number of Guardians, and the special abilities possessed by the Successor. It was difficult to guarantee victory rashly.
However, since I had overwhelmed Rok Brish quite convincingly, I felt I could seize victory even if I challenged Cryo right now.
‘Let’s climb slowly.’
If I entered the Arena now, I wouldn’t be able to fully utilize what I had. If I were to lose because of such a trivial reason, I would have to become a subordinate to that being named Cryo.
Turkan, who would conquer the Demon Realm.
Artina, the Queen of the Lopes Kingdom.
The Goblin training in the Hall of Ten Thousand Poisons.
And Yoo Seolha of the Golden Tower.
It was right to fight after summoning all of them to the Dragon Lair. Most of all, I lacked Arena Tickets. Since ten tickets were consumed for each duel in the Advanced Arena, I couldn’t challenge him with my remaining tickets.
“Let’s go back.”
With my words, the white room vanished, and I returned to the Dragon Lair. Then, a message appeared.
[Sacred Relic: Cross of Resurrection]
– A cross made by a being who tried to transcend death, infused with their own power.
– Can resurrect a target at the cost of one’s own life.
A Sacred Relic that required an immense price. While I understood why the dead troops and Guardians had been revived, I realized this Sacred Relic could truly only be used by a Dragon.
A being with nearly infinite lives. Since they lived for hundreds of millions of years, they would likely use a Cross of Resurrection like this without hesitation.
[Registering Sacred Relic: Cross of Resurrection.]
[Everyone in the Dragon Lair will now endure a fatal deathblow.]
It didn’t mean full resurrection, but rather putting them in a near-death state where they wouldn’t die. This alone was enough. If I fed them the Elixirs Anne made, I could quickly restore their Stamina even from a near-death state.
“A Sacred Relic… I need a Sacred Relic I can use in the Arena.”
I also needed strategies usable in various environments, not just Sacred Relics, if I wanted to overcome the experienced Rankers and climb higher. I needed a strategy that surpassed theirs.
I would set my immediate goal as becoming a High Apostle and find a way to resolve the related issues along the way.
Lately, the influence Korea held was the highest in the entire world.
Dokkaebi climbing past the 50th floor. The Golden Tower’s sale of new potions. The successful raid of an SS-class Red Dungeon. The birth of a new member of the Twelve Constellations. All of these things were happening in Korea.
Correspondents from all over the world flocked to Korea to catch a scoop. Businessmen from all over the world flocked for special material items that could only be obtained in Korea. Hunters from all over the world flocked for new potions. The Republic of Korea was experiencing an economic boom unlike ever before.
“Association President.”
“Yes.”
“Would you like to get some sleep if you’re tired?”
“I can still hold out.”
Hunter Association President Lee Changgeon looked at the work piled up on his desk while drinking dark coffee. In the past, there hadn’t been much to handle, so his workload was light. But now, there was simply too much to do. Since he was in a position to manage everything in the Hunter industry, there was too much to worry about. It felt overwhelming to handle alone as he had until now.
“Is the employee recruitment going well?”
“Yes.”
“I should reorganize the structure around those who work well and increase their authority.”
“Yes. I will reorganize it so that only important matters are reported up.”
At the Secretary’s words, Lee Changgeon pulled out a document.
“New materials?”
“These are the monster byproducts obtained from the recent SS-rank dungeon raid. Since they are new materials, it took a little time to identify them.”
“…It looks like crafting items of S-rank or higher is possible.”
“We estimate that the United States of America has already begun item production.”
“Is it possible for us too?”
“For now… it doesn’t look easy.”
Korea was growing rapidly, but not everything followed at the same pace. Especially the Hunters related to Crafting. Occupations where experience was crucial took a long time to develop skills. They could accept outsiders, but if they accepted just anyone, spies might enter, steal information, and hand it over to other countries. This had happened before on a large scale.
“Let’s send these materials to the Golden Tower’s side. If it’s Seolha, she can do it.”
“Understood.”
“Then is the busy work mostly over now?”
“Yes. Unless Dokkaebi causes another incident, only minor things remain for the time being.”
At the Secretary’s words, Lee Changgeon recalled what Dokkaebi had told him. That a stronger Apostle would come to kill Dokkaebi. That time Dokkaebi mentioned was not far off. He sent a text to speak with Dokkaebi about it once more.
[You have discovered a Hidden Piece.]
[A reward for the Hidden Piece Achievement is granted.]
[The Dungeon raid rewards for the country the discoverer belongs to will increase.]
[The Trial success rewards for the country the discoverer belongs to will increase.]
[100 Hidden Piece achievements have been accumulated.]
[All Dungeons existing worldwide will be strengthened.]
[Monsters in the strengthened Dungeons will become stronger, but rewards will increase.]
[For one week, Boss Monsters with special rewards will appear randomly throughout the world every day.]
Dokkaebi had been finding four or five Hidden Pieces a day, and he finally managed to stack up 100 achievements. Lee Changgeon, who was looking at the messages with a smile, frowned.
“…All Dungeons will become stronger? Randomly generated Boss Monsters?”
“I’ll look into it.”
The Secretary quickly contacted someone. Lee Changgeon remained in his office, weighing what that message meant.
‘If the Dungeons have become stronger, how much stronger are they?’
Also, what would be the level of the special Boss Monsters appearing worldwide? Just as various thoughts were popping into his head…
Beep!
The screen in the office turned on, and a breaking News report flowed out.
– A massive Monster has appeared in the Western United States.
The breaking news was delivered only via text, without detailed information or Photographs.
Most likely, the Twelve Constellations and S-rank Hunters belonging to the United States of America would move to raid the massive Monster now that its presence was confirmed.
Detailed information would be shared through the World Hunter Association after they finished the raid.
Even if they didn’t share it, since they appeared randomly worldwide, every nation would inevitably find out.
“Association President.”
The Secretary, who had gone out to verify, returned 30 minutes later.
“Did you confirm it?”
“They say they’ve become at least twice as strong.”
“Twice?”
“In exchange, the rewards have supposedly become very good. We received reports that a C-rank Skillbook and a B-rank Magic Stone were obtained from a D-rank Dungeon.”
“The source?”
“It’s information obtained by the task force after they personally entered and raided one. It’s determined that Dungeon danger has increased by roughly two times, and rewards have improved by more than three times.”
Is it a kind of event? Since accumulating 100 achievements wasn’t easy, it wasn’t strange for such an event to occur. However, he felt a sense of deja vu. Was it a coincidence that the current event overlapped with a stronger Apostle coming to kill Dokkaebi? While having those thoughts, something flashed through his mind.
“Check if those rewards also apply to Dungeons created after that message.”
“Understood.”
If those rewards only applied to currently existing Dungeons, a massive uproar to claim the strengthened Dungeons would surely break out.
It might be an urgent situation, but he calmly waited for the situation to unfold without rushing.
He tried to look at the situation as coolly as possible, wondering what benefits could be gained and what events would transpire.
While he was observing the current situation, the phone rang.
Tring!
A call from Dokkaebi.
“Can you talk for a moment?”
“Yes, I can.”
“Is what’s happening now perhaps related to the Apostle you mentioned?”
“I’ll have to watch a bit more, but it seems so.”
“What can I do to help you?”
“I’ll move personally. And I’ll use the changed authority of the Twelve Constellations this time.”
[You have accumulated 100 achievements.]
[You have achieved a Great Achievement.]
[You have gained the authority to interfere with the Labyrinth of Bahart.]
[A higher being has blocked the interference authority for the individual.]
[A higher being is directly interfering with the Labyrinth of Bahart.]
Looking at these messages when I collected 100 Hidden Pieces, I realized that Dragon Heart Fragments made up the Labyrinth of Bahart, and it seemed that if I gathered many of these fragments, I would be able to directly interfere with Bahart.
‘A higher being.’
And the higher being that blocked my authority to interfere was surely either the betrayed Dragon Gods or a being on the level of a Supreme Apostle.
“…I’m curious.”
If I gathered more fragments from here, would I be able to ignore that higher being and make the Labyrinth of Bahart mine? To get definitive information, I had to stop by the Dimensional Tavern. I moved to the Dragon Lair and made my way toward the Dimensional Tavern.
Ting!
As the bell rang and I entered the Dimensional Tavern, I saw Rose wiping a glass.
“Lord Jorge?”
“I want to ask something using one Dimensional Tavern Pass. Is that possible?”
“As long as you aren’t summoning a Guardian, you can ask as many questions as that amount of Dimensional Power allows.”
There were many things I wanted to ask while I was here. Like raising the Dragon, or the authority over the Labyrinth that was just mentioned. But between the two, the latter was more important. Asking about raising the Dragon could wait until after I dealt with the High Apostle. After all, it was just repeating eating and sleeping.
“A higher being interfered with the Labyrinth and strengthened the Dungeons.”
“What?”
A startled Rose put down the glass and looked into the air. In an instant, the color of Rose’s eyes changed. Something acted upon her eyes. I didn’t know what it was, but Rose, who had been checking for a while, looked back at me.
“As you’ve probably realized, my lord, the Labyrinth is an Apostle selection testing ground made using Dragon Heart Fragments, and a trap to find the Successor.”
I nodded silently.
“Since it’s operated using Dragon Heart Fragments, a stronger Dragon can interfere with the Labyrinth system.”
“Can I take it away?”
“Yes. And to wage war against the Dragon Gods, you must possess the Labyrinth yourself.”
“Then who is the higher being here?”
“A Supreme Apostle. He has surely decided to eliminate you definitely, my lord.”
Interference from a Supreme Apostle.
“How do I deal with that guy?”
“Dispose of the High Apostle and climb to the top of the Labyrinth. And you must solve the secret of the First Forest.”
“Understood.”
“And I’ll give you additional information about the Monsters that appeared with the Dungeon strengthening.”
I returned to Reality after hearing the additional information from Rose. Just then, my Cellphone’s alarm rang, and a message arrived.
– You can use the authority. However, since the primary raid right for the special Monster subjugation belongs to the United States of America, you won’t be able to catch it even if you go now.
The new authority granted while reorganizing the Twelve Constellations was that one could freely cross borders. So I intended to go and check what level the special Monster that appeared in the USA was.
‘…I have to stop them.’
According to the information Rose gave me, those Hunters in the USA could never catch that guy on their own.