Chapter 194 - Black Seed (2)
I sheathed my sword.
Sticky drops of blood scattered in all directions.
He died, reduced to a piece of flesh, unable to retain a single limb.
"Wow, what power."
Supreme Dragon's Slash.
It seems like it will be a useful skill in the future as well.
I cleaned the blood off the sword before sheathing it. The black knights, including one man, were already lying on the ground. It was a subjugation mission, but there was no need for us to intervene.
"Who are you...!?"
The knight at the front advanced.
'These guys can see us too.'
Not only the enemy but also our allied NPCs can see the heroes.
It was one of the changes that came with ascending the floors.
"Are you affiliated with the Order Army? Declare your loyalty!"
The knight pointed his sword at me.
I smiled and replied.
"Think about it. Would I be here if I were affiliated with the Order Army?"
"You insolent...!"
"Wait." Someone emerged from the siege.
A familiar face. He wore a helmet adorned with the symbol of an eagle, and beneath the helmet, the youthful face of a young man was visible. The young man looked back and forth between me and the knight and said:
"This man is the hero who helped us in the battle a week ago. Remember? A man who slaughtered the commanders of the Order Army in one fell swoop. Without him, we would have been buried there."
"Could it be...?"
"Yes. Our benefactor."
The young man bowed to me.
"I meet our benefactor for the second time. I am Adele Ladasteri. A knight of the Asynis branch."
"Han Israt. And they are..."
I pointed to the group members standing awkwardly in a corner.
Jenna waved awkwardly.
"They are my comrades."
"It seems we have much to discuss. Here is chaos, so let's arrange for a meeting. I will also inform the captain and the princess of our benefactor's arrival. Follow me."
Adele gestured, and the soldiers disbanded the siege.
Adele looked at me as if to follow him, then began to walk ahead.
[Ding!]
[The mission type has changed.]
[Mission Type - Exploration]
[Master, there is a possibility of a long-term mission!]
[Even if you log out, the mission status will continue to update. You can replay missed mission videos from the menu.]
The mission window updated.
Exploration and a long-term mission. It meant it wasn't something that would end in one or two hours.
I looked back. The members were following me, scanning the mission window with their eyes.
The place we arrived at with Adele was a large barracks.
Made of leather and wood, it was closer to being a finished building than a barracks. Adele, who had shown his identification to the guard, led us to the third floor of the barracks.
"Captain, I have brought the hero."
Adele knocked on the door of the third floor of the barracks.
Soon the door opened, and just as Jenna was about to enter first.
"Excuse me, but I have business for everyone except the leader."
"Business?"
"There are things to investigate."
Belkist looked at me.
I nodded. Anyway, it was enough for only me to speak.
The other members went down with Adele.
Beyond the door was the captain of the Lion Army.
I'll find out once I enter. I went in.
On the wooden desk.
A girl with a simple mask was sitting there.
The girl with gray hair down to her back looked at me, wrapped in a white fur coat.
"..."
"You seem to have seen it all."
A neutral-toned voice leaked out from behind the mask.
The captain I saw on the 40th floor didn't have this appearance.
Different height, voice, gender.
"That guy was demoted. From now on, I am the captain of the expedition."
The girl smiled faintly.
[Firstborn of the Asynis Family]
[Delphine Von Asynis]
"As you can see, it's not easy to show my face."
Delphine touched the white horn protruding next to the mask.
Indeed. Is she heavily mixed with non-human blood?
"Are you Han Israt?"
"That's me."
"Sit down. I need to talk about the situation we're in."
Delphine offered me a chair.
As I sat down, Delphine began to speak.
The context of the battle on the 40th floor. And the goals of Priacis and the expedition team, and the current situation.
"That's the explanation."
The corner of the mouth under the mask curved.
"If you have any questions, ask. I'll tell you as much as I can."
"Here is..."
"The floating island of Asrank, at the western end of the Taonier continent. It is located thousands of meters above the ground. We came here on an airship to find the last key."
Delphine continued.
"Since then, as I explained earlier. We tried to retrieve the key with Priacis's help. But suddenly, they appeared. It was an ambush."
"..."
"Originally, we had no intention of interfering in this matter. We thought the key was just a myth, and we didn't care much about what happened to the sought-after Priacis. But the circumstances have changed."
Delphine narrowed her eyes.
"Those guys are up to no good. They have completely changed since ten years ago. The prince, the order, and the other families too."
That's right.
I crossed my arms.
Taonier's reset point seems to be ten years from now.
The heroes turned into monsters seem to have some memories. That's why they desperately pursue Priacis, issuing a bounty and sending assassins.
I briefly organized Delphine's explanation in my head.
The Asynis Family, which initially had little confidence in Priacis, left her alone, but as she began to find the keys one by one, and her prophecies of destruction began to match, they changed their minds. And when it came to the last key, they provided significant military support and airship squads.
The place where the third key is hidden is a gigantic floating island on the west side of the continent.
There, Priacis and the expedition team encountered obstacles. It was the Order Army.
This was the context of the battle on the 40th floor.
"Do you know... the reason?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Just curiosity."
I shook my head.
Backgrounds like the origins of the ghosts were information this NPC didn't need to know.
Anyway, the mission estimate for the 45th floor was more or less established.
Retrieve the last key. In the process, the Order Army will attack mercilessly. According to Delphine, a tremendous number of troops are gathering behind the floating island.
"I don't understand. Why are they interfering like this?"
"..."
"I've heard of your bravery. I've seen it in magical images. With that level of skill, you will definitely be part of our force. Cooperate in retrieving the key."
"I was going to do that anyway."
Like it or not.
That will be the mission.
"Thank you. The assault on the Order Army fortress will begin in a week. I will prepare a place for you in the strategic meeting. Feel free to share your opinions. Just speak to Adele for accommodation and meals. We will prepare the best."
"I'll do that."
After finishing the meeting with Delphine, I left the barracks.
The main camp of the Asynis expedition to which we were summoned. The sight of hundreds of barracks spread out over a vast plain was quite spectacular. Far away, in a place that looked like a port, airships carrying troops and supplies came and went diligently.
'Have we gained allies?'
In the next mission, we will fight shoulder to shoulder with them.
Well, that doesn't mean the difficulty level will decrease.
I smiled and walked towards the place Delphine had indicated.
Floating Island of Asrank.
A small continent floating thousands of meters high.
The air felt thin for some reason.
It is said that the third key is guarded deep underground in Asrank.
However, the path leading there is heavily fortified by the Order Army. In this section, we will have to deal with them and steal the key.
I walked along the trail.
The landscape gradually changed. A pale mist obscured my vision.
Indeed, this was not mist.
'Clouds.'
I passed through the clouds.
At some point, the clouds disappeared, and I could reach an endless cliff.
Beyond it, the pale landscape of the continent revealed itself before my eyes.
"...You've arrived."
Priacis, standing at the edge of the cliff, turned to look at me.
Wrapped in a fur coat, she somehow looked haggard.
"What are you doing? You look lost."
"I was just thinking for a moment."
"Thinking?"
Priacis handed me a brooch with an eagle feather drawn on it.
"Do you know what this is?"
"I don't know."
"It belonged to Lord Darkan, who ambushed me to kill me this morning. I picked it up next to his body."
"..."
"He was my bodyguard, appointed when I was five years old. He always protected me."
Priacis tilted her head.
"I don't understand..."
I kept my mouth shut.
She doesn't remember anything.
Priacis smiled bitterly.
I stood beside Priacis and looked down from the cliff.
The landscape of the Taonier continent was clearly revealed.
'Where is it?'
I quickly scanned the landscape.
Delphine had said. The entire empire and even the order had reasons to help Priacis.
My eyes passed through cities and towns, forests and swamps, seas and rivers. It didn't take me long to find that reason.
"...This is madness."
That word was true.
I took my forehead.
A headache was starting to form.
"Priacis."
"What's wrong?"
"When did that appear?"
Pointing there, Priacis responded tensely.
"It started appearing about a week after we found the second key."
"Is that so?"
It's been quite some time.
Well, it's obvious just by looking.
I looked down again.
[Chaos Seed Lv.???]
The estimated size is several hundred meters.
Emerging in the middle of the forest, it took the form of an egg.
Inside the sparkling shell, black eyes constantly twisted.
'Damn...'
Called the Fragment Series.
It was the main culprit in turning floors 80 and above of Pick Me Up into hell.
This thing was among them, a boss-level...
'The Chaos Crystal.'
Estimated level: in the 300s.
It was a monster with no attribute that appeared above floor 80.
It was immune to both physical and magical attacks, and its patterns were evil enough to play with six-star maximum level heroes.
The fact that it was pre-hatching was fortunate.
If it had appeared in its adult form, everything would have been over, even with the ability of the Conqueror's Spirit or the Black Dragon's Blood.
But looking at its condition, it won't be long before it hatches.
"That's it."
Priacis said with a determined expression.
"They plunged Taonier into destruction."
"That makes sense."
If such a thing were to appear in the middle of the continent, it's natural for opinions to change.
According to Delphine, the Asynis Family sent an expedition to deal with it, but the Order Army and the Imperial Army blocked their way. And they proclaimed this seed as a gift from the peace goddess to the continent.
A gift from the goddess, huh.
They're delusional.
'There's no time.'
I bit my lip.
If it hatches, the mission success rate will exponentially drop.
It's like a final raid boss monster appearing in a low-level area. With our current skills, we wouldn't be able to inflict any damage on it.
Krooong!
The egg filled with flesh trembled violently.
Black blood poured out of the holes in the shell like a waterfall.
'It looks terrible.'
Seeing it in person made it even worse.
I sighed and looked at Priacis again.
Priacis was silently gazing at the egg, her lips firmly pressed.
"Can you stop that?"
Priacis nodded.
"If we complete the key, we'll be able to tear a dimensional breach. We plan to send it back to where it came from before it hatches."
"But there are many obstacles."
"Unfortunately."
The ghosts of Taonier, or monsters, have some purpose.
Having gone through numerous missions and analyses, I could tell. While other accounts had missions in a chaotic format, Taonier had a clear direction.
It seems they're plotting some petty schemes together.
Anyway, the task remains the same.
'Destroy them all.'
I grabbed the sheath.
