Chapter 28

◈ Chapter 28. The Ryan Heart Knights (1)

There's a saying that a dog that has been in a school for three years can recite poetry.

"Well, it's not quite three years, but..."

Even so, my mind is better than a dog's.

Thanks to that, I could recall.

The lessons at the Ackshan base.

- The Seven Sins. They are beings called great evils, just like the Demon King.

The Seven Sins.

Indeed, they are the commonly known seven sins.

Pride, Greed, Envy, Wrath, Lust, Gluttony, and Sloth.

Yes, the scent of a great evil emanates from those words.

They are different from ordinary devils, starting with their names.

- You won't encounter them immediately, but be aware and cautious. You will surely face these great evils someday.

The Ackshan demon hunter said as much.

Great evils are naturally strong.

Back then, it wasn't the right time for them to appear.

There was no need for further explanation.

But that was a story from twelve years ago, wasn't it?

'Sadly, that's all I know.'

I had folded the Arcana away.

The twelve years of blankness pierce my bones...!

But for now, it's enough.

'I'm sure of it.'

The quest window.

And the message just now made me realize.

[Yusra Island is beginning to be tainted by Greed.]

[Progress of Collapse: 1/10]

The great evil lurking in Yusra Island.

It is one of the Seven Sins, 'Greed.'

Then, the progress of collapse makes sense.

'When the progress is full, the great evil will awaken.'

...Wait a moment.

I almost got goosebumps.

Suddenly, I recalled the setting of Yusra Island.

'...This is a perfect trap, isn't it?'

Isn't this too advantageous for the great evil?

Yusra Island was the legendary Treasure Island.

Even without considering Greed.

People would naturally want to find the legendary treasure.

Just like now.

The murmuring players.

One of them shouted.

"It was Shining! They already cleared one island?!"

"Wait, if that's 1/10, what does that mean...?"

"Right. It seems the progress of collapse increases each time an island is cleared. By the way, what did they get? The treasure, I mean!"

"Are you crazy? They won't reveal that easily. But it seems they did get the island's treasure."

Yusra Island, composed of ten islands.

One of them was cleared by the Shining guild.

As a result, the progress of collapse increased.

'That's right.'

No, it was certain.

The moment all ten islands are cleared.

The great evil, Greed, sleeping in Yusra Island, will awaken.

But, isn't that too petty for a great evil?

"Despicable."

To set such a trap, even though they are a great evil.

"But despicable, they are devils, after all."

That was my impression upon realizing the truth.

And the moment I realized the truth.

"!"

The quest window flickered.

[Class Quest: Dawn]

The curtain rises, and the beacon fire rises.

O last demon hunter.

Illuminate the world shrouded in evil.

- Train your weakened body. (Repeat)

- Investigate the great evil in Yusra Island. (Success)

- Prevent the resurrection of the Seven Sins, Greed. (In Progress) ▲

●Ensure the island's treasure is not tainted by Greed. (In Progress)

Fortunately, it's not to kill Greed.

Still, whether to kill or prevent,

the challenge is the same.

'I won't just stand by.'

I shifted my gaze back to the players.

"Hurry up. The island's treasure, or something. We need to get one too!"

"...But is it okay to touch it? It looks like the progress of collapse will increase."

"Senior, what do we know? It won't be solved by doing nothing. Other players won't care about the collapse and will just search for the treasure."

I had no particular thoughts.

That was the normal reaction of people.

People aren't saints, after all.

If they came to find treasure, they should find it.

'And they don't know it's a trap.'

So, I didn't feel like criticizing them.

It's not just those players.

At this moment, all players in Yusra Island must be thinking the same.

That's why it feels so daunting.

I thought realistically.

'Persuasion? Absolutely impossible.'

They won't believe me just like that.

First, they won't believe I'm a demon hunter.

They'll say, "There's no such class in Arcana."

Even if there is, they'll say, "You must have deleted your character ten years ago."

Then...

There's only one way.

I have to take the island's treasure!

The quest's goal is always to ensure the island's treasure is not tainted by Greed.

So, if I can get the treasure without Greed, that should work, right?

Of course, that's something only a saint could do.

But I know.

That saint is right here.

『To Granfel Claudius Arpeus Romeo, wealth was fleeting. Born as the successor to a great family, he had tasted the pinnacle of prosperity and had no reason to be obsessed with wealth and fame.』

Yes, even in front of 1.1 billion.

Even in front of a unique material item, a pure emerald crystal.

Not to mention Greed.

I didn't even twitch my lips.

So, I didn't hesitate.

"I need to hurry."

All for the sake of preventing Greed's resurrection.

I must monopolize... no, I must take the island's treasure.

*

Shining.

Rocks confirmed the message.

"...Progress of collapse? Camilla, Dmitri."

"Yeah, I got it too?"

"Me too~"

The world's top guild, Shining.

Rocks, ranked second among players.

His talent and accumulated experience told him.

"It seems it's because we obtained this treasure."

Rocks shrugged.

Yes, Yusra Island wouldn't hand over treasures so easily. The main game would start after all ten islands' treasures were obtained.

"Is the countdown starting?"

"Ugh. I was hoping for a smooth ride."

"By the way, Jesse, when will you be back? Ow!"

Be a bit gentler, please.

Dmitri treated his injury.

Even if Jesse was absent from the magic tower's regular meeting.

It wouldn't cause a significant problem for Shining's strength.

Even without Jesse, they were in the process of defeating the named monsters on each island and obtaining the island's treasure.

"I'm not sure. I haven't heard from her yet."

Jesse hadn't contacted them.

But Rocks had a rough idea of what happened at the magic tower.

The world's top guild, Shining.

Even without Jesse, there were plenty of players capable of attending the magic tower's regular meeting.

Those guild members all said the same thing.

'After all, it was a good idea to mark him as a dangerous person.'

Lee Ho-yul.

His actions were not ordinary.

Of course, the magic tower incident was beyond Rocks' imagination.

'I've never even been to the upper levels.'

Of course, he had never even talked to the chief magician.

So, he needed to clarify this.

"What stance should we take?"

Friendly or hostile.

They needed to decide their stance on Lee Ho-yul.

Rocks brushed his fallen bangs.

"I want to be friendly if possible. What do you think?"

"Agreed. Even one scar is tiring."

"Me too~ Just dealing with Scal and Jesse is enough to give me a headache."

So, there's no particular reason to be hostile.

As Rocks muttered, Camilla whispered.

"Most importantly, if you don't want to upset Jesse, everyone should be careful. It's not normal~ Her eyes are sparkling. It's like when I first fell in love..."

"That's just because of some strange skill, right? Jesse's eyes only sparkle at those times."

"...You really kill the mood, don't you? And do you understand women's hearts? If you did, you wouldn't have rented out the hotel lounge and gotten dumped."

"...Are you crazy? Hey, are you done talking?!"

Anyway, the moment Shining decided their stance on Ho-yul.

Another message appeared.

[Yusra Island is beginning to be tainted by Greed.]

[Progress of Collapse: 2/10]

It's really starting.

It must be that the Heaven Unification guild obtained the island's treasure.

Rocks, leaving the bickering duo behind, said.

"Let's move. To the next island."

*

[Yusra Island is beginning to be tainted by Greed.]

[Progress of Collapse: 2/10]

Perhaps because there's a definite reward.

The progress is fast.

So, my grand ambition to monopolize the island's treasure.

I have to modify it.

'At least for this island.'

I must obtain the island's treasure.

Of course, even one is a challenge.

Not only top guilds like Shining and Heaven Unification.

But even the top-ranked player, Scal, is likely to move.

That means competing with such players to obtain the island's treasure.

Fortunately, obtaining one island's treasure is enough to prevent the great evil's resurrection.

'If even one is missing, the condition can't be met.'

...Still, I'm curious.

What kind of item is it?

What is called the island's treasure?

'Is this what Greed is?'

Of course, I won't be swayed by this Greed.

Why, even in life-threatening situations, I didn't waver.