Chapter 22 of 100

Chapter 22

8 min read1,888 words

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The Pure Knight, Serengeti

If you don't give the egg, the battle with the forest will begin.

But even if you do give it, there will be problems.

"Hmm. What are you doing?"

I extended the Celestial Egg, but as expected, it seemed invisible to the High Dryad.

The egg containing the Celestial Spirit can only be seen by me, which is natural.

Moreover, since it's not a spirit of nature, it can't revive the forest.

Should I really run away?

Although it's painful to lose reputation when a quest fails... If I use the scratch marks to create a barrier and Isabella and Hudson hold on for 30 seconds, I might be able to use the teleportation book.

"Take it, inhabitants of the forest."

While seriously considering running away, Isabella stepped forward.

She then handed the Spirit Egg to the High Dryad.

The High Dryad's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Wind Spirit!"

Wind Spirit Egg.

A Spirit of Nature that can revive the dead forest!

Judging by its size and the aura it emits, the forest will gain more vitality and grow larger than before.

Wind Spirit is more suitable for growing the forest than the Earth Spirit.

The High Dryad's eyes were filled with joy.

"Thank you, truly thank you! You are the benefactors and friends of our forest!"

"O Forest!"

"Hurrah!"

The Dryads watching also cheered excitedly.

At the same time.

<<You have gifted the Wind Spirit to 'Rustling Forest'.>>

<<Sub-Quest: 'Return the Spirit to the Forest' has been completed.>>

<<Reward: Achievement 'Friend of the Dryads', Forest's Gratitude>>

<<A waypoint for 'Rustling Forest' has been added to your 'Teleportation Book'.>>

<<The waypoints currently registered in your Teleportation Book are 3 (Desert Sanctuary, Arcana Sewers, Rustling Forest).>>

The message indicating the completion of the quest appeared.

But the words didn't really register in my mind.

... Honestly, I was a bit surprised. I never imagined that Isabella would so readily give the Spirit Egg she obtained by overcoming the trials at the Spirit Tower.

She couldn't possibly not know the value of the Spirit.

On the contrary, she knows it too well, which is a problem.

"......"

When I stared at her, Isabella shrugged.

As if it was no big deal.

Only then did I realize that this was also part of the 'Service' I had ordered her to perform.

Instead of escaping the desert, Isabella had sworn to serve me for a year.

By giving up her own possession, she showed her dedication to serving me.

"We must celebrate today!"

The High Dryad began to dance joyfully with a broad smile.

<<The Hall of Fame has been updated.>>

<<The ranking for 'Main Quest 3 - Ascend the Tower' has changed.>>

<1st, 240 points. Randolph>

<2nd, 219 points. Gracia>

<3rd, 191 points. MintChocolateTastesGood>

<4th, 188 points. Obsidian>

<5th, 180 points. Carnage>

<6th, 175 points. Slaughter>

......

<<Slaughter's ranking in 'Ascend the Tower' has dropped by one level.>>

<<The level of the privilege 'Guardian Wall' for Main Quest 3 has dropped from 6Lv to 5Lv.>>

Carnage, who was waiting in front of the Tower of Ascension, frowned.

'What the hell is this?'

He was calmly waiting for the person he assumed to be Randolph, but suddenly his ranking dropped.

And with the drop in ranking, the level of the Guardian Wall also decreased.

'I put so much effort into ascending the Tower of the Storm...!'

For Main Quest 3, if you rank within the top 100, you receive the privilege 'Guardian Wall'.

From 10th to 100th place, everyone gets a 1Lv Guardian Wall, but from 1st to 9th place, the level of the Guardian Wall varies.

Gracia spent several months leveling up to ascend the tower to get a higher-level Guardian Wall.

By achieving this, Gracia obtained a 10Lv Guardian Wall with 219 points.

Carnage was the same.

He put his heart and soul into conquering the 'Tower of the Storm' and ranked 5th, obtaining a 6Lv Guardian Wall.

The Guardian Wall protects the 'real' body when logged out.

No matter how high the level in Pangea, if the real body dies, it's all for nothing.

But there are few functions that can protect the real body as effectively as the Guardian Wall, without using the 'Fragment of the Broken Golden Rule'.

Therefore, everyone tried their best to ascend the tower.

Crack!

'Phantom. No, Randolph...!'

I feel like I'm going to die from frustration.

Once a main quest is completed, you can't challenge it again.

If I'm this angry, how must Gracia feel, having lost the top spot three times already?

Gracia spent several months leveling up under the worst conditions to get a 10Lv Guardian Wall.

Despite the limitations of growth without pushing the main quest, she managed to reach level 7.

She even risked her life to ascend the Tower of the Immortals.

Yet, she only got 219 points.

What kind of tower did Randolph, that damn bastard, ascend to get 240 points?

'What kind of trick did he use?'

It's clear that he ascended a tower of a higher grade than the Tower of the Immortals.

It's definitely not a normal tower.

Phantom has mastered all the knowledge of Pangea, so he must have used a bug. Otherwise, it doesn't make sense.

Huff! Huff!

Carnage tried to catch his breath.

"Damn it! What a dog's life!!"

But no matter how hard he tried to catch his breath, his anger didn't subside.

The messages that appeared when I entered the Hall of Fame.

1st place is still 1st, but it's clearly different from before.

'The upgrade of the privilege level.'

By securing 1st place in Main Quest 3, Ascend the Tower, the privilege 'Guardian Wall' was created.

I immediately read the description related to the Guardian Wall.

【Guardian Wall (11Lv)】

★ Protects and warns the logged-out body from danger.

★ The strength of protection varies according to the level of the Guardian Wall.

★ A 11-level Guardian Wall nullifies attacks of 1-star or lower for 30 seconds.

My eyes widened.

'I can breathe a sigh of relief.'

This privilege is one of the most desperately needed things for me.

It means that when I log in as Pangea, the Guardian Wall will protect the real Park Hyun-myeong, and when I return to reality, it will protect Pangea's Randolph.

Moreover, it's an absolute defense that nullifies 1-star attacks or lower for 30 seconds, even beyond level 10!

'The 11th level means that the 10th level was upgraded due to surpassing the threshold score.'

It seems that the privilege level can be upgraded based on the score.

Moreover, 30 seconds is enough time to regroup and return.

'The remaining time of the Fragment of the Broken Golden Rule is now 72 hours.'

The reward for 1st place is not just that.

The remaining time of the Fragment of the Broken Golden Rule has been extended by 24 hours, making it 72 hours. The more remaining time, the better for the future.

"Thank you, Holy Seer. I never dreamed I would obtain a spirit."

While the Dryads were dancing and celebrating, Hudson approached and said.

Hudson had obtained a Water Spirit Egg.

It was a natural result since he had the talent for 'Water'.

"To formally contract, we need to hatch it first."

"Yes. When I return, I need to buy an 'Incubator' first."

The most common method to hatch a Spirit Egg is to use an Incubator.

It can be used for a very expensive fee at the Spirit Association, which exists in a few major cities.

"What kind of egg did you get, Holy Seer?"

"I don't know."

"...... What?"

Hudson blinked at my answer.

But what can I do? It's the truth.

It's a Celestial Spirit, but I don't know its nature.

I don't know if 'Celestial' refers to the Demon World, the Divine World, or another world.

"Keeheehee!"

"Yahahaha!"

"Let's play! Let's spin! Let's dance!"

The Dryads danced in a circle, enjoying themselves.

"......"

And in the middle of them, there was Isabella.

Isabella, who gifted the Wind Spirit, was the most honored guest among us.

But Isabella just stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

'I'm lucky I got two eggs.'

Isabella obtained two eggs while ascending the Spirit Tower.

I had a feeling. She gave one so easily, so there must have been another.

Still, it was a difficult choice. Spirit Eggs are incredibly valuable.

Moreover, the spirits obtained from the 'Spirit Tower' are much more powerful than ordinary spirits.

'Gifting a thousand-year-old mandrake.'

Isabella held a human-shaped plant, the mandrake, in both hands.

It's the best medicinal herb that has absorbed the forest's yang energy for a thousand years.

Eating such a medicinal herb can cause a new talent to bloom.

Of course, I have no more talents to bloom, so it wouldn't make a difference for me.

"I want to hatch it as soon as possible. A spirit will surely help me solve my problems."

Hudson's eyes were filled with excitement.

Is he imagining a future of hunting with a spirit?

The path from 9 to 10. It might be impossible alone, but with a spirit, it could be possible.

"Before that, there's a place we need to go together."

"Is there still a place we need to visit?"

"Yes."

"I will follow you no matter what."

Nodding, Hudson clenched his fist with a determined look.

He seemed ready to follow me to the ends of the earth.

I smiled.

Follow me no matter what?

"I hope you keep that promise."

"......"

Hudson regretted his words about following me no matter what.

He could only stare blankly at the territory in front of him, beyond the warp.

"Wh-Why... this place...?"

"Do you know where this is?"

"The territory of the Wiser Marquess family in the Balan Kingdom...?"

He couldn't help but know.

Serengeti.

The place where she, who had promised a future and held a secret engagement with me, returned from the Grand Expedition with both legs amputated.

Hudson's body wobbled.

He wasn't mentally prepared to meet her.

He hadn't even become a councilor, let alone reached level 10.

But he didn't understand why the Holy Seer came here with him. Could it be that the Holy Seer was trying to arrange a meeting between him and Serengeti?

"Go, we need to go together..."

Swallowing hard again, Hudson asked, and I nodded firmly.

"This is the place."

The Balan Kingdom, consisting of 13 major cities.

Among them, the place known as the 'Garden of Knights'.

But the reason I came here is not for Hudson.

'The end of the Grand Expedition, the day of the battle with the Demon King.'

I participated in the Grand Expedition with 500 knights and lost my lower body while trying to save me, the Pure Knight Serengeti.

She was my closest confidant during the Grand Expedition.

She was also the only witness to my battle with the Demon King.

So she must know.

... About the final moments of Wilhelm, the Knight King, and the situation that was incomprehensible at the time.