Chapter 306: The Fifth Return, Earth (2)

People quickly read through the quest window that appeared. Kim Hwiyeon’s expression was one of mixed emotions—both pleased and somewhat uncertain.

“Hmm… South Korea, China, North Korea, and Japan… So that’s it? But are there still players alive in North Korea?”

“I thought they were all dead since no posts have been coming up in the community,” Jung-geun murmured. Kim Hwiyeon frowned.

“It’s not bad, but…”

Japan was included in the quest. She had communicated extensively with Ichijo Eika, the leader of Japan, exchanging a lot of information. Naturally, her relationship with Japan had become close.

However, China was also part of the quest—an entirely different matter. Players from other nations treated them as if they weren’t even allies, completely ignoring their presence.

“At least this time, we know the destination.”

Their destination was Mount Baekdu, situated between China and North Korea. Although it wasn’t far, there were other complications.

“How is Japan supposed to get over here…?”

If the destination was Mount Baekdu, Japan had no choice but to travel inland. The issue was that Japan, being an island nation, had to cross the sea.

And the sea was teeming with monsters.

Kim Hwiyeon pressed her forehead in frustration. “I talked to them about it, but who knows how this will turn out…”

Since the quest seemed likely to proceed on the continent rather than Japan, they had previously discussed having Japanese players cross the sea to Korea. But there was no guarantee of success or how long it would take. Taesan spoke up.

“I can go help.”

“You, Taesan?”

Kim Hwiyeon was briefly startled before realizing something. “Come to think of it, Minerva said you could part the sea…”

The players in Jeju Island had frequently spoken of it. Minerva had parted the sea, displaying godlike power.

Even those who revered Taesan as a deity found it hard to believe. Parting the sea? That was nothing short of a divine miracle.

Taesan nodded. “I can do it.”

“Hah…”

Kim Hwiyeon couldn’t suppress her gasp. The idea of parting the sea was hard to believe, even hearing it directly. Taesan continued.

“I’ll leave Varkaza and Minerva here and go alone.”

“What? Without Minerva?”

“I can manage on my own. Besides, they need to stay here.”

Who knew what schemes the gods might attempt? But Minerva and Varkaza were enough to hold them off.

If a monster too powerful for the two of them appeared, its impact would reach Taesan, even as he headed to Japan. He would be able to respond adequately.

“They said they’re gathering in Fukuoka, right? Manage things there while resting.”

“Ah, thank you, Taesan.”

Before Kim Hwiyeon could even finish her thanks, Taesan’s body disappeared. She let out a wry laugh. Even as the strongest player in Hard Mode, she couldn’t follow his movements. It was monstrous strength.

“Let’s go.”

Taesan stepped outside and stomped the ground.

[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]
[You have activated Leap.]

With a deafening roar, his body soared into the sky.

—

“Phew.”

Eika wiped her sweat as she advanced slowly. Fukuoka was just ahead. After days of hard-fought battles against monsters, they finally had their destination in sight.

However, their expressions were not bright.

“Eika, what do we do now?”

“Well…”

Their destination was Mount Baekdu, deep inland. As planned, they had to first cross Japan and head toward Korea.

Even a flight would take nearly an hour. Now, they had to rely on their physical abilities alone.

“What should we do…”

Swimming was out of the question.
The deep sea was home to monsters. Attempting to swim across would mean certain death for most of them.

“Damn this island nation,” Eika sighed deeply. “Do we have to build a ship…?”

They needed a sturdy, large vessel capable of carrying everyone. Unbeknownst to Eika, Japanese players in their past lives had crossed to the mainland that way.

During the fifth return, the interval was quite long. By then, players had grown strong enough to deal with the sea monsters.

This time, there was no time limit for the quest. While there were a few ships left intact in Fukuoka, there wasn’t enough fuel for more than 400,000 players. They would have to cut trees, melt iron, and build several massive ships.

They had no choice. Building ships from scratch in their current situation would be arduous, even for superhumans. Eika groaned and said, “Let’s decide once we reach the port. We’ll figure out the ships and the sea conditions and proceed step by step.”

“Understood.”

With grim determination, they nodded and continued toward their destination.

—

“The sea…”

Someone murmured as the ocean came into view in the distance. Their journey was daunting, but they finally reached the coast.

“…Huh?”

A man at the front, gazing at the sea, suddenly widened his eyes.

“Is that… a person?”

“What?”

Hearing his words, Eika turned her gaze. As she focused, she saw a figure near the shoreline.

“…What?”

“Wait, who is that? Did someone get here ahead of us?”

The group, bewildered, approached the figure. When Eika recognized who it was, her eyes widened in disbelief.

“Taesan…?”

Kang Taesan, South Korea’s Solo Mode player, stood on the beach.

“You’re here. Took you long enough. I’ve been waiting for days.”

“Why are you here, Taesan?”

“To help.”

Taesan gave a short reply. Eika asked, her face filled with astonishment.

“Did you cross the sea alone…?”

Taesan nodded in response.

Eika couldn’t hold back her exclamation.

He had crossed the sea. Alone. His strength was beyond comprehension.

Japanese players, who belatedly realized Taesan’s identity, felt both awe and gratitude. He had crossed the dangerous sea alone, just to help them.

“Thank you, Taesan.”

Eika expressed her sincere gratitude, her face lighting up with hope.

“With Taesan here… we might be able to cross the sea much faster.”

While Taesan dealt with the sea monsters, they could build ships without interference and make their way to Korea. If everything went as planned, the time needed to construct the ships could be significantly reduced. It was even possible they might reach Korea within three months.

“No.”

However, Taesan spoke firmly.

“We’re crossing now. Prepare yourselves.”

“Now? Right this moment?”

Eika was taken aback. Crossing the sea immediately? It seemed impossible. Just as she was about to object, a memory flashed through her mind.

Players from Japan and Korea often communicated through the community. The proximity and cultural similarities between the two nations provided solace in their despair.

And much of what Korean players spoke about revolved around Taesan.

Some of the stories were so exaggerated that she dismissed them outright—like the one about Taesan parting the sea.

Taesan fixed his gaze on the horizon.

The waves rolled gently. There was no sense of will in them.

They were merely a natural phenomenon.

If so…

Taesan spoke with determination.

“Part.”

[You have activated Declaration of Dispelling.]

“Huh?”

Eika’s pupils dilated.

The murmuring crowd fell silent.

“The sea…”

Eika stared at the ocean as if entranced. It wasn’t just her—everyone else was equally stunned.

Before their eyes, the water’s surface split apart.

Beyond the horizon, the deep ocean floor was exposed, creating a path for them.

Fish flopped around on the bare seabed, visible in their astonished gaze.

No one spoke.

They could only stare blankly at the parted sea.

Breaking the silence, Taesan began to walk.

“Let’s go.”

“O-Okay…”

The Japanese players hesitated but eventually stepped onto the ocean floor.

They flinched as they walked past the walls of water, feeling as though the walls might collapse at any moment and engulf them.

“I never thought I’d see the ocean floor like this…”

Eika muttered absently.

Parting the sea to create a path—this was a divine miracle.

And the one who performed it was Taesan.

‘Is this truly the power of a human?’

Eika quietly marveled. She already knew Taesan was strong. His overwhelming presence when he crushed Amelia was a power she could never hope to reach.

But this was beyond that.

To part the sea spanning the distance between Korea and Japan…

“This is… something else entirely.”

Eika had heard of Korean players revering Taesan as a god.

She also knew his power was so overwhelming that it was easy to mistake him for one.

But this was beyond what she had imagined.

Taesan’s strength defied understanding.

For Japanese players witnessing his power firsthand for the first time, the impact was even greater.

Though they had heard tales of Taesan defeating Amelia, few had actually seen it.

When Korean players spoke reverently about Taesan’s power in the community, they assumed it was exaggerated.

But it wasn’t.

If anything, it had been downplayed.

Rumble!

Monsters beyond the sea thrashed their tentacles, trying to attack, but Taesan waved his hand.

[You have activated Decarabia’s Twisted Vegetation.]

Boom!

Roots surged from the ocean floor, shielding the players and crushing the attacking monsters.

“Taesan…”

Their faith in him deepened. Those searching for someone to rely on began to believe in Taesan.

[Your Divine Power Mastery has increased by 1%.]

It took them mere hours to reach Korea.

Considering it had taken them days to battle their way to Fukuoka, the speed was incomprehensible.

They stumbled as they set foot on Korean soil. Taesan led them to Seoul.

One day.

That was all it took for the Japanese players to cross the sea and arrive in Seoul.

Kim Hwiyeon’s eyes widened in shock when she saw them.

“You’ve already arrived?”

Though startled, she guided the Japanese players to places where they could rest. Still dazed, they followed her instructions.

Soon, as they recovered from their shock, they exclaimed:

“Taesan…!”
“He’s a god! Truly a god!”

Their fervent cries grew louder. Joining with the Koreans who already revered Taesan as a deity, they began to offer prayers together.

[Your Divine Power Mastery has increased by 1%.]
[Your Divine Power Mastery has increased by 1%.]

“It keeps rising.”

Taesan murmured to himself. The number of Japanese players was ten times that of the Koreans. With more people worshiping him, the growth in Divine Power Mastery accelerated.

This return might even push his Divine Power Mastery past 60%.

Minerva, watching the scene as she dealt with the monsters, spoke in disbelief.

“I’m surprised, Master. Where did you get that power? It’s a power not permitted to mortals.”

As a Spirit King, Minerva possessed knowledge beyond mortals, making her question the origins of Taesan’s power.

“I don’t know.”

Even Taesan didn’t know. To uncover the truth, he would first need to understand what Spiritual Ascent truly was, but even the immortal Green Witch had no answers.

That realization would likely come much deeper into the labyrinth.

Meanwhile, Eika, having regained her composure, began discussing matters with Kim Hwiyeon.

As Japan’s leader, she couldn’t afford to stay in awe forever.

“Japan has 450,000 surviving players. Among them, 110,000 are in Hard Mode.”

“That’s ten times our numbers…”

Kim Hwiyeon clicked her tongue. Though she had heard it before, it was still overwhelming. Eika gave a bitter smile.

“It’s not something to be proud of. Korea’s situation was unique.”

Because of Taesan, the so-called gods had focused their attention on Korea.

The gap between Korean and Japanese Hard Mode players was substantial.

“Then, now…”

“Yes.”

Kim Hwiyeon nodded.

“The biggest problem remains.”

This quest was a joint national quest. All players from the designated nations had to gather in one place.

And they had to face the Chinese players, who hadn’t responded even once from Mount Baekdu.

“How many of them have survived in China?”

No one knew how many were alive, what their attitudes were, or if they were hostile toward other nations.

But they had to proceed regardless.

Two days later, after discussions and initial exchanges among the groups, they set off for Mount Baekdu.