◈ Episode 67. Akshan’s Legacy (1)
The noble Lord Grandfell.
As if he would ever take into consideration the effort or sincerity of someone who came to visit. ‘No matter who it is.’
Inazuma.
Though they had now fallen below Gaon,
they had long been a prestigious guild that held a place at the very top of the guild rankings.
Hisagi Kazuma?
A player ranked no less than 6th.
His level was even higher than Nam Taemin’s beside me.
In the early days of the Great Cataclysm.
The sight of him appearing in Tokyo with a single spear and cutting down the monsters there still remained vivid in my memory.
Everyone was shocked—yes, they seemed extremely surprised by my words.
But there was nothing I could do about it.
If I had cared about things like that, then, well. ‘I wouldn’t have turned away the senior mages of the Magic Tower at the door in the first place.’
Who were the seniors of the Magic Tower?
Powerhouses difficult to compare not only with players, but even with Grandfell.
And I had experience making even those senior mages come to me three times to plead for an audience…!
“It seems I have committed a discourtesy.”
Had he noticed my stubbornness?
Hisagi lowered his head once more and said,
“Then tomorrow. Would it be all right if I visited at this time?”
Tomorrow, huh.
Making time itself wasn’t difficult.
But was there any need for me to meet him? ‘I can more or less guess his purpose.’
Inazuma had not only severed its connection with the Japanese government, but had also declared that it would leave Japan. Hisagi must be thinking of the Yusra Kingdom as their new place to settle. ‘If that’s his purpose.’
Then it would be proper to meet Hakuna, the king of Yusra, rather than me.
I held “authority” over the Yusra Kingdom.
In truth, something like Inazuma’s immigration screening
could probably be handled through my authority without issue.
However, as I said, there was a procedure to everything.
“Rather than that, it would be better to speak with King Hakuna.”
Yes, because the Yusra Kingdom was ruled by Hakuna.
I had only ever used that “authority” when Hakuna asked for help.
Like with the Shadow Mercenary Corps, for example.
“……
Thank you for your consideration.”
“Thank you!”
“……
Whoa, look how polite they are.”
Everyone bowed again—the Inazuma guild members respectfully lowering their heads.
As Nam Taemin clicked his tongue in disbelief,
it was surely not a sight one could easily witness.
Of course, I found that burdensome greeting quite satisfactory.
Truly, I wondered if this was what it felt like to be the boss of some organization.
“Does this mean they’ve turned over a new leaf? How did that snake-eyed guy end up like that?”
Now that we had passed Inazuma.
For some reason, Nam Taemin seemed to be in a good mood.
It was understandable.
Gaon and Inazuma.
Korea and Japan.
Their guild rankings were similar.
Even the levels of their guild masters were close.
They could be called fated rivals.
“If only you weren’t here, Hoyeol-ssi! I would’ve said something to them. I’m pretty confident when it comes to getting under Inazuma’s skin! Ah, but if you hadn’t been here, they wouldn’t have bowed their heads in the first place, would they……?”
It seemed he had quite a lot built up.
I listened quietly to Nam Taemin for a moment.
Then I arrived before the rift.
“Is that recommended level for real?”
“I don’t know what it is, but at least the EXP’s guaranteed.”
“Still, it’s a rift, so wouldn’t it be worth challenging for us too?”
A large crowd had gathered.
Players and Arcanians alike.
Judging by the atmosphere…… it seemed some players had already entered the rift? Their willingness to step forward and protect the Yusra Kingdom was very desirable.
[Quirnberg Machine Tower]
[Recommended Level: Lv.400]
[Collapse Progress: 0.1%]
……
More importantly, were all of you insane?
The recommended level couldn’t be any simpler.
No more, no less, exactly level 400.
That alone was enough to surprise me,
but Nam Taemin added an explanation.
“Quirnberg Machine Tower. There was a time when I really agonized over what that thing was all by myself. Now I finally get to look inside it!”
Quirnberg Machine Tower.
It was a tower erected in various places across the Arcana Continent.
Even the NPCs did not know exactly what it was,
nor were there any quests related to it.
There was not even a way to open its firmly shut entrance.
So among players,
there seemed to have been some, like Nam Taemin, who secretly looked forward to this.
“Hyungs. Who am I, really? Even if I have to sacrifice this body, I’ll make sure to broadcast the inside of the machine tower properly. So, before I go in, maybe at least cover the cost of my yukgaejang……”
To the point that NetTubers had flocked here.
Machine towers that had risen all across the continent.
So there was a reason rifts with the same name had appeared all over the world.
Of course, the important thing was not the reason.
My dress shoes stepped forward without hesitation.
Eyes gathered on the sound of those shoes.
But at this moment, what mattered to me
was not the interest of the players.
Quirnberg Machine Tower?
No, it did not matter what it was.
As I said.
“Unauthorized illegal structures cannot be tolerated.”
If procedure was not followed, then an example had to be made.
[You have entered the Quirnberg Machine Tower.]
……
“……
It’s bleak.”
Nam Taemin opened his mouth. ‘To think he’d accompany me all the way into the rift.’
From my perspective, there was no reason to refuse.
[Natural Enemy Relationship]
Since it had not activated, a rift with a recommended level of 400 was admittedly burdensome.
But we hadn’t formed a party either, had we?
So this was not a debt.
‘Nam Taemin simply followed me voluntarily.’
I shamelessly opened my mouth.
“Indeed, it is a strange sight.”
As I said, it was a [『strange』] sight.
Between complicated mechanical devices and gears,
the view of the Yusra Archipelago could be glimpsed faintly.
For now, there were no monsters in sight.
“……
So this is what it looks like inside.”
“But why is there so little here? It’s empty.”
“Don’t let your guard down. We don’t know when something might pop out.”
Sniff, sniff—Nam Taemin’s nostrils flared.
As a Barbarian, he was likely making use of his developed sense of smell.
Nam Taemin tilted his head.
“……
Well, I don’t smell blood or anything?”
Above all, there was no entrance or exit in sight.
Not even stairs leading to the next floor.
‘……
This is definitely strange.’
Just as I sensed something odd,
the other players also realized something was unusual.
It was then.
Chiiiiik—!
The gears that had been still began rotating with a deafening noise.
Rumble—!
The impact shook our footing.
Players lost their balance and staggered.
“How noisy.”
Of course, I did not sway in the slightest.
The dignity that ruled my body.
The etiquette ingrained in me allowed me to maintain a straight posture even in this situation.
Aside from that, had I not become someone who could climb up and down the dizzying stairs of the Magic Tower without batting an eye?
“To start with a prank.”
Thanks to that, I could hold my head upright
and observe the situation.
‘……
Wait.’
As I watched, I began to get a sense for it, didn’t I?
Nam Taemin, who had been looking around, flinched.
“It feels like they’ve turned into really sharp gears, doesn’t it?”
He was right.
Mechanical devices with ominous appearances protruded from the walls.
The players shouted.
“Don’t tell me it’s a trap?!”
“Crazy. I’ve never seen a trap this huge!!”
“……
Wait, isn’t that a portal over there?”
At the opposite end.
A vivid blue light surged upward. ‘Judging by the level of exploration, interference, and manifestation……’
That was a portal made using a magic tool—in other words, an item.
It seemed different from the Magic Tower’s portal in the process of interference,
but I could tell its effect was the same.
But wait.
Even if the method was different, that meant it was at a level similar to the Magic Tower, didn’t it?
What are you, Machine Tower?
However, I was probably the only one who realized that fact.
The players were clearly excited.
“From what I can tell, we just have to break through the traps and reach that portal, right?”
As if to fan that excitement,
a quest window appeared before our eyes.
[Quest: Break Through the Traps]
Avoid the elaborate traps and reach the portal.
Rewards shall be given according to ranking.
─Current Ranking
●1st Place: None
●2nd Place: None
●3rd Place: None
“Ho, Hoyeol-ssi! Did you get the quest too?!”
“Break Through the Traps, it has appeared clearly.”
“I see. Quirnberg Machine Tower must be a competition concept!”
Quests and rewards were always welcome.
So I understood the reactions of the players, including Nam Taemin.
But I could feel it.
The unusual sign coming from this space,
the Quirnberg Machine Tower.
Above all, those traps did not feel unfamiliar.
To be precise, they were so familiar that I could skip the process of 『Exploration』 altogether.
‘Everything is made of silver.’
The sharp gears.
The loaded arrowheads.
All of it was “silver.”
I recalled the characteristics of silver.
Now, thanks to 『Reversal Magic』, I was free from durability concerns,
but before that, I had been sparing in my use of silver weapons.
Because silver weapons had terrible durability.
‘Unless there’s a special reason, there’s no reason to use it.’
Yes, silver was a special mineral.
Unless it was a special case,
there was no reason whatsoever to use it.
The reason I used silver weapons?
That was because I was a demon hunter.
Because silver was one of a demon’s fatal weaknesses.
To me, knowing that fact,
those traps could only look suspicious.
‘There’s only one reason to make traps out of silver.’
Yes, those were traps meant to kill “demons.”
The moment I realized that fact,
the quest window flickered once more.
“……!”
This time, it was a class quest.
[Class Quest: Akshan’s Legacy]
The beacon of survival has been delivered with certainty.
Last demon hunter.
Recover your legacy, lost to evil.
─Train your weakened body. (Repeat)
─Investigate the decisive weapon, Quirnberg Machine Tower. (In Progress)
I knew it!
I knew there had to be something!
But wait. ‘……
Something’s strange?’
A subtle sense of discomfort.
Yes, to think that the Quirnberg Machine Tower was Akshan’s decisive weapon and legacy was…… because in my memory, the Akshan base had absolutely nothing to its name……!
‘If they had something like this, the players wouldn’t have run away!’
The Akshan base, whose only selling point was its hungry spirit.
If they had something this impressive, they should have shown it long ago, shouldn’t they?
It wasn’t for nothing that players deleted their accounts just to quit being demon hunters.
‘If they had, I wouldn’t have been so lonely.’
So my doubts did not fade.
Above all, it was because Grandfell’s talent had recognized it.
The Quirnberg Machine Tower.
The level of technology that could be felt from its very entrance.
It was technology that had developed along a different branch from the Magic Tower,
but that meant it was remarkable enough to dare be compared to the Magic Tower.
‘Then the only way to resolve this question is……’
In the end, there was only one.
Investigating the Quirnberg Machine Tower.
As I progressed through the quest, my questions would naturally be answered.
So at this moment, what I had to do was simple.
“I will go first.”
Pass through the traps before me.
Reach the portal on the other side.
If I recorded an outstanding rank in the process?
Well, that would simply be a nice bonus. ‘Whatever it is, they said rewards will be given.’
But still, a suit and dress shoes.
No matter who looked at it, it was not appropriate attire for passing through traps.
However, it did not matter.
As I said,
the mechanical devices before me were all made of silver.
To me, they were so familiar
that I could even skip the process of exploration.
So.
Click—
With traps like these,
they could not touch even a single hair on my body.
*
Quirnberg Machine Tower.
The sudden quests and traps that appeared.
That was not something happening only in the rift of the Yusra Kingdom.
[Quirnberg Machine Tower Rifts] had appeared all across the world.
The same quest had appeared for every player who entered them.
“Rewards are given according to ranking?”
“Only up to third place? Wow, that’s harsh.”
“The competition’s going to be insane, isn’t it?”
Countless players would be lined up as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.
That fact alone was enough to draw attention.
Rising viewer ratings.
The real-time increase in the number of viewers for NetTubers was proof of that.
However.
“Eh, but this isn’t fair, is it?”
Separately from that, there were also those who lost interest before the trap breakthrough had even begun.
Because the result seemed obvious without needing to watch.
“It’ll just rank people in order of highest Agility stat. What else?”
The method of breaking through the traps might differ depending on class,
but it was only natural that players with high Agility stats would have the advantage in recording a high rank.
Advancing while blocking traps with a shield or magic.
Advancing while simply dodging.
There was bound to be a difference between the two.
In that sense, in the chat window,
the names of several players were already being mentioned.
-Our big sis Camilla’s time to shine has come lololol
-If Nam Taemin uses Berserk, you never know, right? lol
-But where is Rox and what is he doing? I seriously don’t know
-For real lol this is the quest he’d have the biggest advantage in, but he’s nowhere to be seen
-I’m all in on Camilla lololol let’s go with the favorite
But it did not take long
for the chat window to become unified.
Because before long, records appeared in the players’ quest windows.
─Current Ranking
●1st Place: 1 minute 01 seconds
●2nd Place: 4 minutes 41 seconds
●3rd Place: 4 minutes 50 seconds
Barely over a minute.
An overwhelming record, no less than 3 minutes and 40 seconds ahead of 2nd place.
The owner of that record was being spammed across the chat window.
-Just Homen
-Just Homen
-Just Homen……!