I fitted the Shattered Tablet of Time piece I obtained from the High Elf into the gap.
[You have activated a Shattered Tablet of Time piece.]
[You have become the true Lord of the Forest.]
[All stats in the Second Forest are doubled.]
[You have obtained the Map of the Second Forest.]
[The timeline is distorted. From now on, time will flow differently between reality and the Dragon Lair.]
[You have activated six tablets.]
[When one day passes in reality, 64 days will pass in the current world.]
[You can reverse the flow of time.]
I ruled over six forests and collected all the pieces.
Now, only one tablet remained.
All I had to do was defeat the Orc that ruled the First Forest.
“…….”
I turned my gaze toward the direction of the First Forest. It looked like an ordinary forest, but the energy I felt from it was unusual.
It felt as if there was a gigantic wall.
There was a strange aura that made it difficult to approach.
Strike while the iron is hot.
I tried to charge into the First Forest right away, but many stopped me.
【You’d better give up on the First Forest.】
【Impossible. The Orc is insanely strong.】
【Even if the five of us went all out, we wouldn’t be able to defeat the Lord of the First Forest. That’s how overwhelmingly strong he is.】
【I also think now is not the right time.】
【Be careful. That place is on another level.】
Including Anne, the four Lords of the Forest all said the same thing.
The being in the First Forest was on a different level.
I didn’t ignore their advice or let stubbornness drive me in.
There was no reason for those who had submitted to me to lie, and they were probably just thinking of my well-being.
But I still wanted to check for myself.
Just how strong was the Orc?
Fortunately, I had a way to find out.
Eye of Bluecat, first stage.
First, I used the second stage of the Eye of Bluecat to locate the Orc. Deepest within the First Forest. I saw the Lord of the First Forest, alone.
He was twice the size of any Orc I’d ever brought with me.
Even though I was observing him through a Sacred Relic, he seemed to sense it, opening his eyes and staring straight at me.
[Using Eye of Bluecat, Stage 1.]
The white light around the Orc was tinged with red.
The Orc, who turned blood-red as if soaked in blood, appeared together with a message.
[If you confront him, you will be defeated without exception.]
With that, the image of the Orc vanished.
“…Defeated without exception, huh.”
I wanted to meet him in person and use the Gold Dragon’s Eye (SS) to see what kind of power he possessed.
If I entered the First Forest like this, though, I wasn’t sure I’d come out alive.
An opponent on a different dimension of power.
Rather than forcing myself to take down the Orc, it seemed wiser to gather more Sacred Relics first.
After all, unless you attacked first, the Lord of the First Forest would never strike first.
“Black Order and Sacred Relics.”
For now, it seemed right to focus on these two.
I had to gather Sacred Relics to reach Dragon level and clear the Main Quest.
And I had to block the Black Order, who would invade in a week, to operate safely in the Sleeping Forest.
“Everyone, gather up. I’ll tell you what we need to do now.”
[You are changing the flow of time.]
[When 64 days pass in the real world, one day passes in the Dragon Lair.]
I looked at the visible message and returned to my small studio apartment.
Time left until the Black Order attacked: about a week.
But now, one day in the Dragon Lair would pass for every 64 days in reality.
“So, I’ve earned about a year’s worth of time.”
I made this decision to easily block the Black Order and have time to grow stronger.
There was just one snag with this arrangement.
Potion production for the Potion Factory supply would be a problem. Producing enough for 64 days in just one day was impossible.
However, I didn’t plan to use all that time.
If I raided the Red Dungeon, made offerings, and used the Eye of Bluecat to collect ten Sacred Relics…
I would immediately twist the timeline again and go after the Black Order.
It would be about a week in reality.
During that time, enough potions to supply the Potion Shop had already piled up in the Dragon Lair.
While I was in the real world, I just needed to focus on Red Dungeons and Sacred Relics.
‘And I need to use the Arena, too.’
If I collected two more Sacred Relics, I could participate in the Arena and use the new system called Transcendence.
Just hearing the word made me feel it was a way to grow even stronger.
It would be best to get whatever I could.
“Should I clear the Labyrinth before heading to the dungeon?”
Until now, I hadn’t been able to descend the Labyrinth as quickly as I was growing stronger. Since you can only enter the Labyrinth once per day, it was hard to pick up the pace.
But now, with the ability to change the flow of time, that problem was easily solved.
If I made good use of the Dragon Lair…
I could reach the deepest Labyrinth floor I’d cleared before a single day passed, in terms of subjective time.
“Teleport.”
I instantly moved to the Labyrinth entrance in the Association’s underground level. I showed the Special Identification Card I got from the Association President to the approaching staff.
“Goblin! You may enter.”
“That’s the Goblin?”
“The atmosphere is no joke……”
Ignoring the stares around me, I threw myself into the massive hole.
[Entering the Labyrinth of Bahart.]
Even when the message appeared, I no longer felt dizzy. Light flashed and I entered the Labyrinth’s interior. I landed lightly and looked around.
Lightning crashed endlessly onto the land.
[Trial of the Labyrinth 28th Floor]
-Eliminate the boss monster in the Labyrinth and find the path downward.
-Thunder Eye 0/100
-Thunder Eyes King 0/1
-Time limit: 1 hour.
A monster with eye-shaped wings.
I closed both eyes and used a detection spell.
Threads of mana spread in all directions, gathering information and delivering it to me.
I analyzed the terrain.
And identified the monsters roaming above it.
Among the scattered monsters, I found the strongest presence.
I stretched my hand toward it.
“Dragon Fang Spiral Spear.”
The mana from my Dragon Heart vanished, turning into a wind arrow. The wind arrow formed in front of my palm and shot forward at high speed.
Paaang!
With a sharp sonic boom, the dragon’s fang flew and devoured the boss monster. In the distance, a massive explosion erupted.
Kwaaaaaang!
Wind charged with lightning shot up into the sky, spreading its effect all around and sweeping away the lesser monsters.
[All monsters have been eliminated.]
I cleared everything in a single blow.
Now, it didn’t even take a minute to clear a single Labyrinth.
“…….This is crazy.”
“What did I just see?”
“That’s the Goblin?”
I heard the murmurs of Hunters from various countries as I used Teleport again.
With the Labyrinth cleared, it was time to claim the Hidden Piece.
Korean Hunter Association President.
Lee Changgeon.
He sat in his office processing paperwork.
Ever since the Goblin took over the Blood Demon’s Labyrinth, who was once China’s member of the Twelve Constellations, he had become even busier.
“Luwenorko Corporation wants to renegotiate the byproduct contract for the S-rank dungeon.”
“As long as they pay the proper price, there’s no reason not to sign.”
“The Infinite Guild from China, having received permission to raid the S-rank dungeon once a month, is now demanding a dungeon from us for free.”
Lee Changgeon paused his busy hands and glanced up at his Secretary.
“The contract payment?”
“They said they already paid when signing with the Blood Demon.”
“That contract was with the Blood Demon.”
“That’s how I replied as well. But they keep sending emails and calling, and our staff are exhausted. Some calls even sounded like threats…”
“Leave that to me. I’ll use it as leverage to pressure China at the World Hunter Association meeting.”
“Understood.”
“And tell them not to take any more calls or emails. Block all communications.”
He couldn’t say he didn’t understand their position.
They had paid the contract fee and were supposed to receive goods.
But then the company was handed to someone else, and now they weren’t getting the goods, so of course they’d be angry.
Still, they should at least show minimal courtesy.
They could come and talk face to face.
Or open discussions for a new contract.
Good words bring good answers.
He had absolutely no intention of renewing a contract with people who openly resorted to threats.
The Goblin wouldn’t want that either.
“Next report: the speed at which Korean Hunters are clearing the Labyrinth has increased dramatically.”
“Must be thanks to the Enchantment.”
“Yes. Thanks to the Enchantment Business run by the Golden Tower, Korean Hunters are clearing the Labyrinth easily. In particular, now that elemental zones have appeared, they’re clearing the tough 20th floors with ease and the numbers are looking very good.”
The Secretary continued.
“And perhaps because word has spread to other countries, major guilds from each country are trying to contact the Golden Tower.”
“Through us?”
“They seem to be trying to make direct contact.”
“Nothing but gangsters.”
“They probably think it’s a special Korean organization.”
“I’ll have to meet Seolha and talk. Jessica also tried to contact us to meet with the Golden Tower…”
“Next, regarding the S-rank Red Dungeon.”
The top Korean Hunters had completed their rehabilitation and finally succeeded in clearing the S-rank dungeon.
Based on that experience, they would now accelerate even more.
“So I think we should increase the S-rank dungeon quota a bit.”
“Let’s discuss it with the Goblin first, then proceed.”
“Understood. That’s all for today’s report.”
“Good work.”
After the Secretary bowed and left, Lee Changgeon finished up his work and took a short break.
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment.
Just then, a special message appeared to everyone.
[You have discovered a Hidden Piece.]
[You are awarded the Hidden Piece Achievement Reward.]
[Dungeon clearing rewards for the discoverer’s country are increased.]
[Trial success rewards for the discoverer’s country are increased.]
[You have reached thirty Hidden Piece Achievements.]
The United States held a total of 28 such achievements.
Now, Korea had surpassed that and become the first to reach 30 achievements.
‘Thirty, huh… I wonder what changes.’
Lee Changgeon waited for the next message. Soon after, a new message appeared.
[From now on, SS Rank Red Dungeons will be generated.]
[SS Rank Red Dungeons will be created from some S Rank Red Dungeons.]
[In SS Rank Red Dungeons, you can obtain special rewards never before acquired.]
The contents of the successive messages were incredible.
Even to Lee Changgeon, who had spent many years in the Hunter industry, it seemed unbelievable.
The very first appearance of an SS Rank Dungeon.
Rewards worthy of it.
Nothing had been properly revealed yet, but those messages alone were enough.
The system messages had never lied.
Ddiririring!
Ddiririring!
All the phones in the office began to ring. Seeing this, Lee Changgeon ran a hand through his hair.
“The whole world is about to be turned upside down.”