Chapter 546
“Groooar!”
A roar that shook heaven and earth.
Clouds split apart and the ground trembled.
Three dragons faced the cliff, gathering terrifying magic.
“To think you’d dare interfere in the affairs of dragons…”
“And you think you’ll get away with it?”
[The dragons activate ‘Fear’!]
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
A murderous aura filled the air.
It was rare to see dragons, whose emotions barely wavered, reveal such fury.
On the other side stood a giant figure wreathed in blazing fire.
It was the Fire Spirit King, ‘Igni’.
Igni, wielding a long sword of flame, was facing off alone against three ancient-class dragons.
“Wow…”
“What is this…”
“Incredible.”
“So many dragons…”
Everyone watching stared with their mouths agape.
Ever since they learned they were glimpsing a memory from the past, they knew something unusual was coming…
But to think it would be something this outrageous.
Crash! Boom!
Flames scattered everywhere, carving jagged wounds into the cliff.
It was as if two colossal natural disasters were colliding head-on.
Once.
Twice.
And a third time.
As the exchanges continued, the balance held firm.
“Those who call themselves a noble race have done unspeakable things, yet your mouths never stop flapping… I wouldn’t have gotten involved if you hadn’t done something that would bring calamity to the Tower.”
At Igni’s words, Jinhyuk’s eyes trembled slightly.
A secret the dragons never wanted to speak of.
This was about that.
As Igni growled, the dragons moved even more desperately.
“Silence!”
“I’ll rip that mouth apart right now!”
“We’ll make sure you’re trapped in the Spirit Realm forever!”
Three different breaths converged on a single point.
Magic of all colors combined, turning a deep indigo.
“No matter what you do… it won’t… happen…”
And just as Igni was speaking—
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[If you proceed any further, you will learn the secret of the Dragon Race.]
[If you learn the secret of the Dragon Race, all targets will become enemies of the dragons, and each will be branded with a ‘Mark’. (Unless the Dragon Lord removes it directly, the effect of the Mark is permanent.)]
Red status windows flashed before everyone’s eyes.
This was a warning.
If they crossed the line now, there would be no turning back.
Perhaps everyone understood that. The mood instantly tensed.
“The wrath of the Dragon Race, huh?”
“This won’t be easy.”
“Hyung. Noonims. You’re all thinking the same thing, right?”
“Of course!”
“Agreed. No need to make more enemies. The risk would be too high.”
Everyone nodded.
They’d glimpsed the memory anyway, so the linked quest requirements were mostly satisfied.
Even if it counted as a failure, that was still better than taking on this kind of risk.
With the 33rd floor conquered, they could give up a reward any day.
However—
[You have chosen to continue.]
The final decision in a linked quest isn’t decided by a vote.
It’s the exclusive right of the party leader who accepted the quest.
“Man, it’s always the most fun listening to other people’s secrets. I really wonder what it is.”
Jinhyuk’s eyes sparkled.
“You’re crazy…”
“No, don’t—!”
“Hyung!”
“Sigh…”
“This is such a headache. Still… that’s just what I’d expect from my contractor.”
Everyone let out a collective sigh of despair.
A madman who shatters all common sense.
Their biggest mistake was underestimating Jinhyuk.
[The memory resumes.]
What followed…
…were dragons unleashing their breaths in a frenzy.
And Igni, taking it all on alone.
And then.
Finally, from out of the darkness, appeared purple tentacles.
Nyarlathotep.
The primordial being floating along the stairway blocked Igni’s path.
“Really, what a nuisance. It’s already hot enough, but now I have to face a ball of fire? This is the worst.”
Nyarlathotep scratched his head.
His voice, full of laziness and annoyance, betrayed his irritation at being summoned here by the dragons.
“Having only incompetent fools is the real problem, isn’t it?”
The dragons flinched and shuddered.
“We’re sorry.”
“We tried to handle it ourselves…”
“But since it’s a Fire Spirit, our breaths don’t really work…”
“That’s enough. I should’ve stepped in from the start. Tsk.”
Nyarlathotep pulled out a long staff.
[‘Primordial Authority’ – Silence is activated!]
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The tentacles surged all at once.
Waves of purple began forming a massive tide.
“I didn’t want to go this far either, but you’ve really crossed the line.”
“Is seeing what’s behind the dirty curtain a crime? I suppose if it got out that someone other than a dragon chose the Dragon Lord, it’d cause a huge stir.”
Igni responded by pouring fire into his massive sword.
Fwoosh!
Flames completely engulfed the blade.
Despite its size, the sword’s movement was impossibly smooth.
The sword, slicing gracefully through the air, formed a perfect stance.
“And if people found out that creating the soul stone that symbolizes the Lord requires sacrificing a thousand residents’ lives, the noble dragons and the absolute authority of the 50th floor would both be finished.”
“Hahaha. Running your mouth since you’ve got nothing to lose. Still, you’re exactly right. Not a word of that is wrong. So… you must understand why you have to die here?”
“I have no intention of falling so easily. Not even to you.”
“That’s what everyone says—at least, until they’ve tasted my tentacles.”
A massive shockwave followed.
Cracks like a turtle shell appeared along the cliff, and everything visible began to shatter.
That was the last thing anyone could see.
[The memory ends.]
[As the price for peeking at the secret, a penalty is applied!]
[You have obtained +1 ‘Fragment of Fire’!]
With the status window flashing again, it was all over.
—
When the world turned dark and then back again, what appeared was not a fierce battlefield, but the scene after many years had passed.
“Man! To think the dragons had such a secret… and I’d get to witness that memory with my own eyes.”
Jinhyuk clenched his fists tightly.
On the other hand, the rest of the party looked stricken.
Secret or not, none of it mattered.
From now on, not only the Dragon Race but the pursuit from the 50th floor would be added on top.
They already had plenty of enemies, but now there would be many more things to worry about.
“Ha… because of you…”
Chun Yoosung barely held back a curse.
It was pointless to say anything.
Getting mad would only make things worse, as always.
“Forget it. I’m not going to say anything. I’ll go clear my head, so let’s talk about what to do next later.”
“I need some real sleep tonight too. Hopefully when I wake up, this will all have been a dream.”
“Sigh. You get some rest too, Hyung.”
Yoo Yeonhwa and Lee Tae-min waved their hands and left.
Hmm. Seeing everyone so down does make me feel a tiny bit guilty.
Still, they’ll be grateful later.
If you make enemies of primordial beings early, the potential rewards get much bigger down the line.
‘Anyway…’
Jinhyuk’s gaze landed on the fist-sized ball of flame.
The burning fragment was the ‘Fragment of Fire’ left by Igni.
Just having this meant Igni would seek him out first.
Now that they shared a common enemy—the dragons and the primordial being.
Jinhyuk carefully stored the Fragment of Fire in one corner of his subspace inventory.
With that, the immediate crisis on the 33rd floor was mostly handled.
Next up was wrapping up business with Olympus and Ragnarok.
[You have requested an audience with the upper faction ‘Ragnarok’.]
Vwooom!
As he tore the scroll, a brilliant light flashed.
At the same time—
Crackle!
A blue thunderbolt fell from the sky.
“Ow… my whole body aches.”
The one who appeared was a giant with a muscular build.
It was Thor, the God of Thunder.
Judging by the dust and blood covering him, he must have just come from a fierce battle.
“Wasn’t the war over?”
Anyone would think it was the end of the world.
“The big one’s over. But small skirmishes keep breaking out. Damn it. All because those filthy bastards won’t surrender cleanly.”
“They’re not the type to back down quietly.”
Even after losing two chief gods, the rest—like Zeus—were still alive and well.
Olympus itself hadn’t suffered any fatal blows.
“So… I really need your help. I’m at my limit holding back the furious warriors from storming Olympus.”
Fair enough. If the battle-crazed warriors desperate for Valhalla are being provoked, there’s no way they’d sit quietly.
If Thor was saying this much, things must be on a knife’s edge.
“You set the meeting place where I told you to, right?”
“Of course. I did everything as instructed.”
“Alright. Let’s head out then.”
“Good. Ahem! Heimdall! You listening? Hey!”
Thor shouted into the air.
Then, another god appeared in the sky.
“My ears are ringing. You don’t have to shout so loud—I can hear you just fine.”
“Haha! I thought you’d vanished again.”
“Are you the only two going?”
Heimdall looked at Jinhyuk and Alice.
“Yes.”
“That’s right.”
[Heimdall summons the ‘Bridge that Connects Dimensions’!]
The rainbow bridge leading to the city of warriors, ‘New Asgard’.
It was finally time to see with their own eyes how the new Norse stronghold had been completed.
⁕⁕⁕
A mountain draped in clouds underfoot.
In the heart of Olympus, a few gods had finished preparing.
Crackle… snap.
Across the campfire sat Ares, God of War, and Artemis, who was in agony over the loss of Apollo.
Finally, Athena, armed with shield and spear, spoke heavily.
“They’ve begun to move.”
“Yes, it’s finally starting.”
Ares showed a hint of excitement.
By contrast—
“……”
Artemis reacted very differently.
She flinched.
The hand holding her arrow trembled.
A chilling murderous intent rose, as if she might dash off at any moment.
“Artemis!”
Athena shouted.
“…!”
“I know you’re angry. But you cannot forget the mission Father gave you.”
“……”
Bloody tears streamed from Artemis’s eyes.
Just seeing Jinhyuk and Alice through the owls’ eyes was almost more than she could bear.
She wanted to forget everything.
To throw it all away.
To kill everyone.
But even that feeling was suppressed by Zeus’s order.
This meeting could completely overturn the future.
So, everyone had to move perfectly according to the script.
“Both the Celestials and Eden have departed for Asgard. You and I will also be going as Olympus’s representatives, but until Ares gives the signal, you must not attack first.”
“You want me to stay put even with the enemy in front of me?”
“The opportunity will come. It will.”
If you shake the Tower from both inside and out at the same time—
No matter how solid their defenses, they’ll have to reveal a gap.