Chapter 67

◈ Chapter 67. Akshar's Legacy (1)

The noble Granfel would never consider the effort or sincerity of those who came to see him.

'No matter who it is.'

Inazuma.

Though they have now descended to Gaon, they were once a prestigious guild that maintained a top ranking in the guild rankings for a long time.

Hisagi Kazuma?

Ranked an impressive 6th in the player rankings.

His level was even higher than Nam Taemin, who stood beside me.

In the early days of the Great Cataclysm.

I still vividly remember the sight of him wielding a single spear and felling the monsters that appeared in Tokyo.

Everyone was shocked—

Yes, they were clearly very surprised by what I said.

But I couldn't help it.

If I had cared about such things,

'I wouldn't have turned away the senior mages of the Magic Tower in the first place.'

Who are the seniors of the Magic Tower?

They are not only powerful players but also so strong that they can hardly be compared to Granfel.

I have the experience of inviting even such senior mages with great effort...!

"I have committed a grave offense."

Did he notice my stubbornness?

Hisagi bowed his head again and said,

"Then, may I come at this time tomorrow?"

Tomorrow.

It wasn't difficult to make time,

But did I really need to meet him?

'I have a rough idea of his purpose.'

Inazuma has not only severed ties with the Japanese government but has also declared that they will leave Japan. Hisagi must be considering Yusra Kingdom as a new settlement.

'If that's his goal,'

It would be more appropriate for him to meet King Hakuna of Yusra.

I have the 'authority' over the Yusra Kingdom.

In fact, the entry inspection for Inazuma could be handled by my authority without any problem.

However, as they say, everything has a procedure.

"It would be better to talk to King Hakuna."

Yes, Yusra Kingdom is ruled by Hakuna.

I have only used that 'authority' when Hakuna requested help.

Like during the Shadow Mercenary Corps incident.

"......I appreciate your consideration."

"Thank you!"

"......Wow, look at their manners."

The Inazuma guild members bowed deeply again.

Nam Taemin stuck out his tongue as if in amazement.

It's not a common sight, after all.

Of course, I found their respectful greetings quite satisfying.

Really, it feels like I'm the boss of some organization.

"Did he reform? How did those snake eyes become like that?"

After passing Inazuma,

Nam Taemin seemed oddly pleased.

That could be the case.

Gaon and Inazuma.

Korea and Japan.

Similar guild rankings.

Even the levels of the guild masters.

They could be considered fated rivals.

"If only Hojeol was here! Just saying, I'm confident I can irritate those Inazuma guys! Ah, but if Hojeol wasn't here, they wouldn't have bowed their heads either...?"

He must have had a lot of pent-up feelings.

I listened to Nam Taemin's story in silence for a while.

Then I reached the rift.

"Is the appropriate level real?"

"Whatever it is, the experience points are certain."

"Still, it's a rift, so shouldn't we give it a try?"

There were many people gathered.

Players and Arcanians alike.

Judging from the atmosphere, some players had already entered the rift.

It's very commendable that they are stepping forward to protect the Yusra Kingdom.

[Quirnberg Machine Tower]

[Appropriate Level: Lv.400]

[Collapse Progress: 0.1%]

...But, everyone, didn't your livers jump out of your chests?

The appropriate level couldn't be more straightforward.

No more, no less, exactly level 400.

I was already quite surprised by that.

Nam Taemin added an explanation.

"Quirnberg Machine Tower. I used to wonder what this thing was. I pondered a lot about it. Now, I finally get to see its interior!"

Quirnberg Machine Tower.

It was a tower built in various places across the Arcana continent.

Even NPCs didn't know exactly what it was.

There were no quests related to it.

There was no way to open its tightly sealed entrance.

So, among the players,

There were those like Nam Taemin who had secretly hoped.

"Brothers, who am I? I'll broadcast the interior of the machine tower with all my might. So, before we go in, at least give me some meat soup..."

To the point where net streamers gathered.

The machine towers that sprouted across the continent.

The reason the same-named rifts appeared all over the world.

Of course, the important thing wasn't the reason.

My unhesitant footsteps.

The gazes focused on the sound of my boots.

But at this moment, what was important to me was not the players' attention.

Quirnberg Machine Tower?

No, it didn't matter what it was.

As I said,

"I cannot tolerate unauthorized illegal structures."

If the procedure is not followed, there's no choice but to set an example.

[You have entered the Quirnberg Machine Tower.]

...

...

"......It's desolate."

Nam Taemin spoke.

'Who would have thought he'd follow me into the rift.'

I had no reason to refuse.

A level 400 rift was indeed daunting for me, who didn't have the [Predator Relationship] activated.

But we weren't in a party, right?

So, I wasn't incurring any debt.

'It's just that Nam Taemin voluntarily followed me.'

I spoke boldly.

"Indeed, a strange landscape."

As I said, it was a [strange] landscape.

Complex mechanical devices and gears.

A glimpse of the Yusra Islands.

First, there were no monsters in sight.

"......So, this is what the inside looks like."

"But why is it so empty? It's barren."

"Don't let your guard down. They could jump out at any moment."

Sniff, sniff—

Nam Taemin sniffed.

A barbarian, using his developed sense of smell, I suppose.

Nam Taemin tilted his head.

"......There's no smell of blood or anything?"

Most importantly, there was no sign of an entrance or exit.

Not even stairs leading to the next floor.

'...Definitely strange.'

To the extent that I sensed it,

Other players also felt something was off.

Then,

Creak—!

The gears that had been stationary began to rotate with a loud noise.

Rumble—!

The platform shook from the impact.

Players staggered, losing their balance.

"It's noisy."

Of course, I didn't waver at all.

The dignity that dominated my body.

The formality ingrained in my body maintained my upright posture even in this situation.

After all, I was the one who could ascend and descend the perilous stairs of the Magic Tower without any trouble.

"Starting with a joke, huh."

Thanks to that, I could stand straight and observe the situation.

'...Wait a moment.'

As I watched, I gradually got a sense of it. This?

Nam Taemin, who was looking around, flinched.

"Those gears seem to have become very sharp."

He was right.

Threatening mechanical devices protruded from the walls.

Players shouted.

"Could it be a trap?!"

"Damn. I've never seen such a huge trap!!"

"......Wait, isn't that a portal over there?"

At the far end.

A bright blue light was rising.

'Judging by the detection, interference, and manifestation...'

That's a magical device, or an item-based portal.

It seemed different from the Magic Tower's portal in terms of the interference process,

But I could see that the effect was the same.

Still,

Even though the method is different, it's on par with the Magic Tower, isn't it?

What is this machine tower?

But I was the only one who noticed that fact.

The players were clearly excited.

"From what I can see, we need to break through the trap and reach that portal, right?"

Encouraging their excitement,

A quest window appeared before my eyes.

[Quest: Break Through the Trap]

Avoid the intricate traps and reach the portal.

Rewards will follow based on your ranking.

--Current Ranking

●1st: None

●2nd: None

●3rd: None

"Ho, Hojeol! Did you also receive the quest?!"

"Break through the trap, it's clear."

"I see. The Quirnberg Machine Tower is a competition concept, it seems!"

Quests and rewards are always welcome.

I understood the players' reactions, including Nam Taemin.

But I was sensing something.

Quirnberg Machine Tower.

The ominous feeling I sensed in this space.

Most importantly, those traps were not unfamiliar to me.

To be precise,

They were so familiar that I could skip the [Detection] process.

'Everything is made of silver.'

Sharp gears.

Arrows ready to fire.

All of them were 'silver.'

I recalled the characteristics of silver.

Thanks to the [Reversal Magic], I was now free from durability issues.

But before that, I was sparing in using silver weapons.

Silver weapons had poor durability.

'There's no reason to use them unless there's a special reason.'

Yes, silver is a special mineral.

There's no reason to use it unless it's a special case.

Why did I use silver weapons?

Because I was a demon hunter.

Silver was one of the fatal weaknesses of demons.

To me, who knew this fact,

Those traps were suspicious.

'There's only one reason to make traps out of silver.'

Yes, those were traps to kill 'demons.'

The moment I realized this,

The quest window flashed again.

"......!"

This time, it was a class quest.

[Class Quest: Akshar's Legacy]

The torch of survival has been clearly passed on.

O last demon hunter,

Retrieve your legacy lost to evil.

--Train your weakened body. (Repeat)

--Investigate the final weapon, the Quirnberg Machine Tower. (In progress)

Of course!

I knew there would be something.

But, wait a moment.

'...Something feels off?'

A strange sense of discomfort.

Yes, thinking of the Quirnberg Machine Tower as Akshar's final weapon and legacy...

In my memory, the Akshar base had nothing, absolutely nothing!

'If such a thing existed, players wouldn't have run away!'

The Akshar base, which only had the spirit of hunger to offer.

If such a magnificent thing existed, it should have been shown long ago, right?

Players wouldn't have deleted their accounts and abandoned the demon hunter class for no reason.

'If it had, it would have been less lonely, wouldn't it?'

So, the doubt remained.

Most importantly, it was due to Granfel's talent.

Quirnberg Machine Tower.

The technology felt from the very beginning.

It was a technology that had developed on a different path from the Magic Tower,

But it was so remarkable that it could be compared to the Magic Tower.

'So, the way to resolve this doubt is...'

Ultimately, there's only one way.

Investigate the Quirnberg Machine Tower.

The doubt will naturally be resolved as the quest progresses.

So, at this moment, my task is simple.

"Let's go first."

Pass through the visible traps.

Reach the portal on the opposite side.

If I record a good ranking in the process?

Well, it's a bonus.

'After all, a reward is given.'

Still, a suit and dress shoes.

It's clearly not an appropriate outfit for passing through traps.

But it doesn't matter.

As I said,

All the mechanical devices in front of me are made of silver.

So familiar to me that I can skip the detection process.

So,

Click—

These traps can't even touch a single hair on my head.

*

Quirnberg Machine Tower.

The sudden appearance of quests and traps.

This wasn't just happening in the rift of the Yusra Kingdom.

The [Quirnberg Machine Tower Rift] that appeared all over the world.

The same quest appeared to all players who entered.

"Rewards are given based on ranking?"

"Only up to 3rd place? Wow, that's tough."

"It's going to be a serious competition, isn't it?"

Ranking countless players 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

Just that fact alone is enough to draw attention.

Rising viewership.

The increasing number of viewers for net streamers in real-time was proof of that.

But,

"Hey, but this isn't fair, is it?"

Some lost interest even before the trap-breaking began.

Because the result seemed obvious even without watching.

"It'll just be ranked by agility stats, right? Whatever."

The way to break through the traps may differ by class,

But naturally, players with high agility stats have an advantage in recording high rankings.

Advancing while blocking traps with shields or magic.

Just dodging and advancing.

There will inevitably be a difference between the two.

In that sense, in the chat window,

Some players' names were already being mentioned.

-It's time for our Camilla to shine lol

-If Nam Taemin uses his Berserk, who knows? lol

-But where is Rox? I really don't know

-LOL, this is the most advantageous quest for him, but he's not showing up

-All in on Camilla lol Let's go

But it didn't take long for the chat window to unify.

Because soon, records appeared in the players' quest windows.

--Current Ranking

●1st: 1 minute 01 second

●2nd: 4 minutes 41 seconds

●3rd: 4 minutes 50 seconds

A mere 1 minute.

A record that was 3 minutes and 40 seconds ahead of 2nd place.

The name of the record holder was flooding the chat window.

-Just Hojeol

-Just Hojeol

-Just Hojeol...!