Chapter 61

Carpe followed her into the office. It was still a simple yet tidy space.

"Would you call Tina as well? The story I'm about to tell is also related to her."

Carpe nodded at her words and summoned Tina and Mokhyang.

After confirming that everyone had gathered, Altair let out a short sigh and continued.

"Phew. I have a lot to say, but first, I should reward your efforts."

Ding.

[You have completed the 'Sap Bug Elimination' quest.]

[You completed it perfectly without the help of other factions. Your reward has been enhanced.]

[Altair's favor has greatly increased.]

[You have gained the recognition of the Elf Queen. You can now use the facilities in the Elf Village and receive quests from the elves.]

"Syrius."

"Yes, Lady Altair."

"Bring it over."

Syrius, who had been standing behind Altair, bowed respectfully and brought a small wooden box from somewhere.

"It seems like a scene from yesterday..."

Yesterday, two acorns had popped out of that wooden box... Could the reward be acorns?

"That's unlikely."

Altair, guessing what Carpe was thinking, said with a look of disbelief.

Click.

As the wooden box opened, a fragrant grass scent filled the room.

"Now, it's yours."

Inside the box was not an acorn, but a somewhat simple bracelet made of grass.

Of course, that didn't mean its stats were simple.

[Naiges Grass Bracelet]

[Grade: Hero+]

[Equip Restriction: Those recognized by the elves]

[This bracelet is made from Naiges grass, which only grows near the Sacred Tree Ludram. It contains a powerful life force and grants vigor to the wearer.]

- HP + 4

- MP + 4

- HP + 150

- MP + 30

- Additional Option 1: 15% increased HP/MP recovery speed

- Additional Option 2: Very low chance of casting 'Heal' on self when performing a physical attack (This function can activate even without learning the Heal skill and does not consume MP)

* Non-tradable

"Huh? A bracelet?"

-Oh, it's Hero+ grade. The options are quite impressive. I'll use this for a while.

Carpe carefully picked up the bracelet.

It was an upgraded version of the bracelet he had borrowed to complete a hidden quest in Fergus. He had felt a bit disappointed when it was promptly reclaimed after the borrowing period ended, but to get another bracelet, and one that was much better!

-It even has a self-heal option. If I'm going to go this route, I might as well focus on hit spells.

'Indeed. If magic can burst out just by swinging a fist, it would be amazing.'

Carpe called items that activated certain options when used in combat 'hit spells.'

There was actually a meta where players would set up their entire gear with hit spell items and hunt by bursting out free options, which was highly efficient.

First, the maintenance for hunting was incredibly good.

Since the skills activated by hit spells didn't consume MP.

If he had just one item with a self-heal option, theoretically, he could hunt infinitely without using potions.

-Of course, they are hard to obtain.

However, such hit spell items were not easy to come by. Not only were they rare, but their performance was also exceptional.

-Getting two hit spells before my second class change... and one of them is a top-tier legendary... Well, I should focus on that hidden piece first...

Inspired by the hit spell, the Demon King began to envision his future plans, lost in his own world.

"Originally, I intended to reward you with a high-quality bow used by the elves, but since you did better than expected, I decided to change the reward."

"An excellent choice. As expected, you have the discerning eye of a leader."

Surprised by the better reward, Carpe's tongue smoothly praised Altair.

An elf-made custom bow would certainly be good, but it wasn't worth giving up a legendary weapon for.

'An accessory item is much better.'

It was a perfect reward, highly versatile yet hard to obtain.

"I'm glad you're pleased. I chose this item carefully, so I hope you find it useful."

Altair smiled slightly but then stiffened and continued.

"Carpe. I need to confirm something. Did you encounter a fragment of Gaizer while eliminating the sap bugs?"

"Um, yes. While chasing the bugs, I found a grasshopper-like creature in a cave. It was incredibly strong."

"Of course. Even a fragment of the Four Evils is no joke. It's truly remarkable that you returned alive."

"Four Evils?"

The Four Evils. Four calamities.

It was a familiar term.

In fact, he had seen one of them recently.

The cause of the sudden earthquake at the reinforcement site.

The blue snake that had proudly stood on the horizon of the coastal city Luana was one of the Four Evils.

"Was it the Sea Dragon King? You mean that ice grasshopper is the same as the monster sea snake?"

"Not exactly the same. The creature in this forest is a fragment of it. Compared to the actual calamity, it's like a newborn baby."

"A newborn baby..."

Yet it was still that strong. He couldn't help but laugh.

"In the distant ancient times, beyond the reach of historical records, four calamities arose with the birth of the world."

There were countless names for them.

Eastern Sea Dragon.

Western Ice Emperor.

Southern Wind Demon.

Northern Flame Venerable.

In modern times, most of the races referred to them and feared them by these names.

"There are countless legends about these creatures."

One story said that a single flap of the Southern Wind Demon's wings could destroy a nation.

Another rumor claimed that the Eastern Sea Dragon's breath shattered a massive island into several smaller ones.

There was also a tale that the land where the Western Ice Emperor and Northern Flame Venerable fought for three years became a barren wasteland where no life could survive.

"Since they are shrouded in mystery, most of the stories are likely exaggerated... but one thing is certain."

The Four Evils exist and are absurdly powerful.

All creatures on the continent must always fear the unpredictable disasters they might bring.

"If such monsters exist, shouldn't all races unite to fight against them?"

"Fight against them? You're amusing. Let me ask you this. Can humans fight against typhoons or earthquakes?"

"...No."

"Exactly. They are no different from natural phenomena. That's why they are called calamities."

While natural phenomena can sometimes be predicted, it was impossible with these creatures.

Their actions had no discernible pattern.

Sometimes they would sleep for over 500 years without doing anything, and other times they would wipe out a nation every year.

They were unpredictable. Some even believed that these creatures lacked reason.

"At this point, it's a wonder the world hasn't been destroyed."

"They are not entirely bad. It's said that species without natural predators easily go extinct in small crises. The ones that survive multiple times from their predators eventually create brilliant civilizations."

Tina, who had been listening silently, spoke up.

"As Altair said, the calamities don't always bring negative effects. Our Arcram has even benefited greatly from them."

"Benefited? From those monsters?"

"Eight hundred years ago, the Venerables united to challenge the Northern Flame Venerable."

This was shortly after the Arcram Empire had unified the continent. Invaders from another world appeared and invaded Arcram, sparking the 'Venerable War.'

"Even back then, the Four Evils existed. It was a situation that the Venerables, who sought to control everything on the continent, could not ignore."

The ruthless invaders would never tolerate the existence of uncontrollable, massive powers.

The invaders decided to exterminate the Four Evils and challenged the Northern Flame Venerable, who was closest to them.

"Three Venerables of the 9th rank and fifteen Venerables of the 8th rank united to fight the Northern Flame Venerable."

"...Suddenly, the scale became immense."

Eighteen 8th rank or higher invaders fought?

But what was truly astonishing came next.

"The eighteen Venerables who challenged the Northern Flame Venerable failed to inflict any significant damage and were defeated. The 9th rank Venerable 'Hercules,' who led them, died."

"...Wow."

-Insane. Really? Oh, that's why no player managed to summon Hercules in ten years.

In the world of Lase, famous legendary figures and heroes from Earth often appeared as invaders, but strangely, no one had ever managed to summon Hercules, one of the most well-known named characters.

Many had wondered about this, but they never imagined such a backstory was hidden.

"That event significantly weakened the Venerables. Without the Northern Flame Venerable, Arcram would have fallen much sooner to the invaders."

"9th rank invaders are said to be around level 400. So, what level are the Four Evils?"

"The scholars of Arcram estimated them to be between 700 and 800 levels."

"...A real battle of the world's strongest beings."

His heart swelled... no, wait a moment.

"So, you're saying that a fragment of such an unbelievable monster is in this forest..."

Is this okay?

Is it really okay to share the forest with a bomb that could go off at any time?

"Shouldn't we move to a new location?"

"It's impossible. The elves cannot continue their lineage without the World Tree."

To relocate, the elves needed a seed that could become a new World Tree.

The fruit of Ludram, the treasure that the Woodgard clan must protect with their lives.

"In a week, the fruit will be fully matured."

Altair looked out the window at the massive World Tree Ludram.

At the end of a long branch hung a single, fresh fruit.

"However, the fragment of the Western Ice Emperor will not wait until then. Mage King's descendant, you must have noticed... that its body was not normal."

"Come to think of it..."

When he read the information with the Dragon's Eye, the creature's HP and MP were only at 33%.

"In the past, our clan fought against it with the help of the previous Mage King. We pushed it to the brink of death but ultimately let it escape."

At the point when the Venerable War was dragging on and humanity was on the verge of defeat.

The Mage King Dretsch visited the elf forest to obtain materials needed for his final puppet and helped the elves fight the fragment of the Western Ice Emperor.

"Indeed, that's why..."

The fragment's abnormal state was due to the aftereffects of that battle.

Afterward, it hid secretly and spent 800 years gathering the forest's mana by controlling sap bugs.

However, even after such a long time, it had only recovered 30% of its strength.

"The fragment will surely target Ludram's fruit."

The fruit of the World Tree is the source of life and a concentration of pure mana.

It instinctively knew that the fruit of the World Tree was the ultimate elixir to heal its wounds.

It would undoubtedly invade to steal the fruit.

"This time, our clan has no choice but to seek the Mage King's help again. Carpe, please help us."

Ding.

[The Mage King's Second Relic (2)-2]

[Category: Job Scenario Quest]

[The Elf Queen has asked for your help. You must sever the 800-year-old grudge and help her drive away the fragment of the Western Ice Emperor.]

[Quest Completion: Obtain the Mage King's Second Relic, gain the title 'Savior of the Elves,' and the 'Elf' race will appear in the world.]

[Quest Failure: Fail to obtain the Second Relic, and the appearance of the 'Elf' race will be significantly delayed.]

[Quest Rejection: Immediately obtain the Second Relic, but the favor with the 'Elf' race will be set to the worst level.]

* Quest Tip: If the favor with a faction is at the worst level, the probability of the faction disobeying orders will significantly increase.

"Huh? Rejection?"

A slightly different type of quest appeared compared to the ones he had encountered before.

A 10th rank player who had become stronger through the gacha system.