Chapter 99: A secret I discovered

Ragon Phlek stared at the young man with black hair standing before him.

The man, looking at him indifferently, parted his lips.

“Your name?”

Just from hearing his voice, Ragon’s whole body trembled.

When he hesitated to answer, a spark of lightning flickered from the man’s fingertips.

Flash!

Crackle!

A truly overwhelming display of magical skill.

Even within that small flash of electricity, there was enough power to obliterate everything around.

Thanks to the Dragon God’s Body, he possessed resistance properties far beyond an ordinary human, and over time, he had steadily increased that resistance.

‘If I get hit… at the very least, I’ll be knocked out.’

That magic was on a level beyond common sense.

It would take at least Dragon King level to wield mana with that kind of proficiency.

A lower-ranked Arena participant, and a newcomer at that, should never have been capable of such a feat.

That’s why this situation made even less sense.

Was a top ranker coming down?

Was there a bug in the Arena?

…

…

Ragon Phlek had so many questions he wanted to ask. But all he was permitted was to answer, not to question.

Crackle!

As the lightning surged even stronger, he hurriedly opened his mouth.

“R… Ragon Phlek.”

“Where are you from?”

“I’m from the Rotes Kingdom on the Ingraum Continent.”

“How long have you been in the Arena?”

“About half a year.”

“Then why is your skill only at this level? Shouldn’t you be stronger? After half a year, you should’ve already collected all ten Sacred Relics, right?”

Ragon Phlek frowned at how easily the man spoke.

Typical of those who don’t know anything.

People always make it sound easy.

But anyone who’s experienced it firsthand knows just how difficult it really is, and they inevitably shut up.

“It’s not that easy. Everyone’s at about the same skill level, so as you win and lose repeatedly, the ones who gather Sacred Relics and move up are truly rare.”

“So, in other words, those with real skill move up, and those who fall short get weeded out.”

That’s true in a broad sense.

But there were damned beings in this Arena.

“Yes. It would be nice if things were that simple. But as you climb up, you’ll run into those guys.”

“Those guys?”

“The Gatekeepers. Even if you manage to collect all ten Sacred Relics and try to move up, those bastards wait like sentinels and snatch the Relics away.”

At that, the man tilted his head.

“So, if you collect ten Sacred Relics, you don’t just become a Dragon King?”

“If it were that easy, everyone would be a Dragon King. Collecting ten Sacred Relics is just the qualification requirement. I heard that only by entering the higher Arena do you get a hint on how to become a Dragon King.”

“There are different kinds of Arenas?”

“Roughly lower, intermediate, and upper. Lower is for newcomers and those who aren’t Dragon Kings yet. Intermediate is for Dragon King class. The upper Arena is for those with power beyond that.”

“So those Gatekeepers are basically keeping people from reaching Dragon King class?”

Ragon Phlek nodded vigorously at the man’s words.

“Yes. Even if you collect ten, you can’t go up.”

“Not because your skill is lacking?”

Stung by those words, Ragon’s lips jutted out.

“It is lacking, sure. But the Sacred Relics they have are broken-level. Even if you’re skilled, the power of those Relics is so overwhelming that if they’re intent on blocking you, you just can’t get through.”

“Broken-level Sacred Relics?”

“Yeah. If you clear a Main Quest, you know. The Sacred Relics you get as rewards are at best lower grade. They only boost your stats a little.”

At that, the man looked surprised and asked back.

“You get a Sacred Relic for clearing a Main Quest?”

“What?”

This time Ragon Phlek asked in return.

“Wait. How did you even get here without knowing that? Don’t tell me you found all five Sacred Relics by hand?”

“Yeah.”

“Heh…”

A hollow laugh escaped him.

Sacred Relics weren’t something you could just find if you wanted to. It was a bit easier since there were Sealed Sacred Relic Boxes available, but…

Passing those trials was incredibly difficult.

For those using the lower Arena, it was not something easily cleared. At minimum, you had to be Dragon King level to have a shot.

‘So that’s why he’s so strong.’

If everything he’d said so far was true, then it all made sense.

Ragon Phlek spoke up, wanting to confirm one more thing.

“What Main Quest are you on right now?”

“Number 22.”

“…Insane.”

The Main Quest was designed to support the growth of the Dragon Lord’s Successor Candidate.

The faster you grew stronger, the more the process would be skipped.

If your growth was slow, the process became that much longer.

That’s why people would judge talent by the Main Quest number when entering the Arena.

‘I entered in the 70s and people said I was talented…’

Even those Gatekeepers blocking the lower Arena above were monsters who’d entered the Arena in their 50s.

But here was someone on a level not even worth comparing to those guys.

He had heard there were people like that on occasion.

Even the current number one, said to be the closest to becoming Dragon Lord, was a similar case. But even he had entered the Arena in the early 30s.

“But why did you ask about the Main Quest?”

Ragon Phlek conveyed to the man all the information he knew.

Things like the flexibility of the Main Quest.

The Arena’s talent measurement and the like.

“Oh, so that’s why I don’t have any Sacred Relics.”

“The Guardians you have with you must be amazing, right?”

“Well, not bad.”

“And the Sacred Relics you possess aren’t Replicas, but all genuine, right?”

“There are Replicas too?”

“Yeah. The ones you get from Quests are replicas.”

“Alright, I think I understand now. Thanks for the info.”

“If you’re grateful… could you at least spare the Relic…?”

The man grinned slyly.

“Sure. I’ll pick out something appropriate.”

“Ah… No! You said you’d pick out something appropriate. You damned scoundrel…”

As Ragon Phlek disappeared, a message appeared.

[You have won the duel.]

[You have obtained one Sacred Relic previously held by Ragon Phlek.]

[Sacred Relic: Orb of the Lowly has been acquired.]

[Orb of the Lowly (Sacred Relic)]

-An orb once used by Lutec, who was called a mage with only a 1-Circle spell.

-Greatly increases the power of basic attribute magic.

-Greatly increases basic magic understanding.

Compared to what I currently had, its effectiveness was definitely inferior.

Still, among what Ragon had, this was the best, so I had no choice but to pick it.

It wasn’t completely useless.

If applied to the Golden Tower, it would pair nicely with the Archmage’s Hat.

[Sacred Relic: Registering Orb of the Lowly.]

[The basic magic power of those belonging to the Golden Tower will increase. The speed to reach 3rd Circle will accelerate.]

I smiled at the performance, which was quite to my liking, and checked the next message.

[You have entered the lower Arena.]

[Win duels and collect ten Sacred Relics to enter the intermediate Arena.]

[To participate in a duel, you need a Duel Ticket.]

[Duel Tickets can be obtained by defeating Fallen Apostles or Apostles.]

That was the end of the message.

Whoosh!

A pure white light spread and engulfed the surroundings. As the light faded, I was back where I’d started.

“If it’s Fallen Apostles, then I have to clear Red Dungeons to get tickets.”

With just four more tickets, I could reach Dragon King class.

I pulled out my phone and checked the current number of Red Dungeons in Korea.

All the recent ones had already been cleared.

There were no more Red Dungeons left to tackle.

It would take some time for new ones to appear.

‘If I just alter the flow of time…’

If I spent a day in the Dragon Lair and returned, there would be an enormous number of new Red Dungeons.

But to do that, I had to deal with the Black Order first.

It wasn’t possible to change the flow of time at will. When you do change it, you have to be careful and precise.

“Hmm.”

In situations like this, you’d normally have to give something up and accept some losses.

But after thinking it over, it didn’t seem like there were no solutions.

“If I just collect ten Sacred Relics, I’ll qualify for the intermediate Arena.”

By using the Sealed Sacred Relic Boxes to collect ten Sacred Relics, and then obtaining a single ticket to challenge the intermediate Arena…

In theory, with just one ticket, I could reach Dragon King class.

Additionally.

There was a surefire way to get a ticket.

A lower-ranked Apostle.

On Earth, there were two lower-ranked Apostles. If I used the Eye of Bluecat, I should be able to easily find one of them.

“That’ll do.”

With all the problems solved, there was only one thing left to check.

The content that opened alongside the Arena.

The Transcendence System.

To check it, I opened the status window. For the first time in a while, I saw a new category labeled Transcendence.

When I selected the category, a message appeared.

[Transcendence System]

-By using Sacred Relics in your possession, you can wield a limited portion of Dragon power.

-The more Sacred Relics you collect, the more restrictions disappear.

-Gather many Sacred Relics to seize even greater power.

It was similar to the Dragon’s Blessing given to Guardians.

An effect that temporarily increased your rank and power, so to speak.

-Currently holding 6 Sacred Relics.

-Bonus ability upon use: Double the efficiency of Dragon God’s Body.

Dragon God’s Body was a skill that allowed a human body to wield Dragon power.

Increasing its efficiency meant…

That much less restriction, and that much more mastery over Dragon power.

‘So you gain additional abilities for every five you collect.’

With this, I could deal with the Black Order even if I wasn’t Dragon King class.

I’d just gather the Sacred Relics and clean up the Black Order first.

Association President Yoosaki of the Japan Hunter Association checked the official letter from the Korea Hunter Association.

As he scanned through it, a particular phrase caught his eye.

-Minimum participation requirement is the Sealed Sacred Relic Box.

The moment he read those words, the corners of his lips curled up.

The inclusion of that phrase meant that Goblin knew about the Sealed Sacred Relic Box.

“Looks like, just as you said, they’ve taken the bait.”

A chuckle came from behind Yoosaki.

“Yeah? Successors really do lose their minds over Sacred Relics.”

A lower-ranked Apostle, draped in a crimson cloak, walked over and sprawled on the long sofa in front of Yoosaki.

Yoosaki set down the official letter in his hand.

“As you said, I threw out the bait of the Sealed Sacred Relic Box. But what’s your plan for hunting Goblin with it?”

“I have two plans. First, to use the Sealed Sacred Relic Box to terrorize Korea.”

“…Terrorize?”

“We’ll intentionally detonate the Sealed Sacred Relic Box. Boom.”

“That’s dangerous.”

“Didn’t you want to wipe out Korea?”

“If it fails, Japan could be erased from the world instead.”

“Relax. Don’t worry. Japan won’t be the target. This bait was cast for this very purpose.”

“…Ah.”

A flash of insight crossed Yoosaki’s mind.

Sealed Sacred Relic Box.

Korea had made it a requirement for entering the SS Rank Red Dungeon.

Which meant…

Korea was, in effect, declaring their intention to tackle the Sealed Sacred Relic Box.

There’s no way they would accept a useless object.

“They asked for it and received it… and in their greed, they released a calamity?”

“Exactly.”

The lower-ranked Apostle clapped.

“Even if it fails, there’s no risk. If anything, it’s a chance to hunt Goblin. Goblin, who brought disaster in his reckless pursuit of Sacred Relics—it’s the perfect excuse to go after him.”

Yoosaki ran his hand over his lips.

It was indeed a sound plan.

But it wasn’t like he’d never considered it before. He’d imagined it in his mind dozens of times.

Still, there was a clear reason he’d never tried it.

The calamity wrought by the Sealed Sacred Relic Box.

That disaster had wiped out half of Mexico from the face of the earth—a memory no Hunter could ever forget.

“Still… as a human, there’s a line…”

At Yoosaki’s words, the lower-ranked Apostle chuckled, his eyes flashing.

A wave of dread engraved itself in Yoosaki’s mind.

“All you have to do is obey me. Got it?”

“…Urgh.”

“You promised, didn’t you? I hunt Goblin, and in exchange, you do whatever I want.”

Drooling, Yoosaki nodded.

“Alright… enough… please… enough.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll put the world in your hands. Just trust me and follow along.”