◈ Chapter 67. Akshan’s Legacy (1)

Dear Mr. Grandfell.

I don’t think you’d consider the trouble and care I’ve taken to find you.

‘Whoever it is.’

Inazuma.

I’m only now coming under the Gaon umbrella.

For a long time, it was a prestigious guild that held the top spot in the guild rankings.

Kazuma Hisagi?

Sixth in the player rankings.

A higher level than the South Korean next to me.

In the early days of the Calamity.

The image of him holding a spear and slaying a monster that appeared in Tokyo was still vivid in my mind.

Everyone was shocked─

Yes, they were very surprised by my words.

But I can’t help it.

If you cared about that.

‘You wouldn’t have treated the senior mages of the Magic Tower so badly in the first place.

Who are the senior mages?

Mages who can’t even be compared to Grandfell, let alone players.

I have experience with even those senior mages……!

“How rude of me.”

As if he had noticed my stubbornness.

Hisagi bowed once more and said.

“Then tomorrow. May I come at this time?”

Tomorrow.

It wasn’t hard to find the time.

Why would I need to meet him?

‘I can roughly understand your purpose.’

Inazuma had not only cut his ties with the Japanese government, he had declared his departure from Japan. Hisagi sees the Kingdom of Yusra as a new home.

“If that’s what you mean.”

You should meet with the King of Yusra, Hakuna, rather than me.

I have ‘authority’ over the Kingdom of Yusra.

In fact, it’s just an immigration check for Inazuma.

It shouldn’t be a problem if I handle it with my authority.

But as I said, there is a procedure for everything.

“Perhaps you should speak with King Hakuna instead.”

Yes, the Yusra Kingdom was ruled by Hakuna.

I’ve only ever used that ‘authority’ when Hakuna asked for my help.

Why, like with the Shadow Mercenaries.

“I’d like to thank you for your consideration, …….”

“Thank you!”

“……Sir, see how polite you are.”

Everyone bows again.

The Inazuma Guild members bow their heads respectfully.

Just as Nam Tae-min sticks out his tongue.

Not an easy sight to see.

Of course, I’m the one who’s grateful for the burdensome greeting.

I wonder if this is what it’s like to be the boss of an organization.

“Does it mean that I was born with a dog? How did those snake eyes become like that?”

Now that I’m past Inazuma.

Nam Tae-min looked amused for some reason.

It could be.

Gaon and Inazuma.

Korea and Japan.

Similar guild rankings.

Even the level of the Guild Master.

They could be said to be destined rivals.

“If only you weren’t here, I’ll tell you what, I’m pretty sure I can scratch the back of one of those Inazuma bastards! Oh, but then again, if you weren’t here, they wouldn’t have to bow their heads, would they……?”

I guess he’s got a lot on his plate.

I listened to Nam Tae-min’s story for a while.

I reached the crack.

“Is this a proper level true story?”

“Whatever it is, it’s definitely an experience point.”

“Still, it’s a crack, so we should try it, right?”

The crowd was large.

Players and arcaners alike.

Judging by the mood, it seemed that……. It looks like some players have already entered the rift. It’s good to see that they’re willing to step up and defend the Yusra Kingdom.

[Quernberg Machine Tower]

[Recommended Level: Lv.400]

[Collapse Progress : 0.1%]

……You’re liver is sticking out of your stomach, y’all.

The level requirements couldn’t be more straightforward.

No more, no less, just level 400.

I was surprised enough with that.

Nam Tae-min explained.

“Quernberg Machine Tower. I used to wonder what it was all about, but now I can finally see the inside!”

The Quernberg Machine Tower.

It was a tower that dotted the continent of Arcana.

None of the NPCs know exactly what it is.

Nor is there a quest for it.

There was even no way to open the tightly closed entrance.

So some of the players.

Some, like Nam Tae-min, were secretly looking forward to it.

“Brothers. Who else am I? I’m going to sacrifice my body to relay the news from inside the machine tower. So, before you go in, pay me the price of a six-piece…….”

Netizens flocked to the site.

Machine towers rose across the continent.

There was a reason why cracks of the same name were created all over the world.

Of course, it wasn’t the reason that mattered.

It was the sound of footsteps.

Gazes focused on the sound of those shoes.

But what mattered to me in this moment.

It wasn’t the players’ attention.

The Quernberg machine tower?

No, it didn’t matter what it was.

As I said.

“Unauthorized and illegal construction will not be tolerated.”

If you don’t follow procedure, we’ll make an example of you.

[You have entered the Quernberg machine tower].

.

. https://pindangscans.com

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“……That’s a nice view.”

Nam Tae-min spoke up.

“By the way, I didn’t realize you’d accompany me to the crack.

I had no reason not to.

I didn’t have [Natural Enemy] triggered, and a level 400 crack was a bit much for me.

But it’s not like I’m in a party, right?

So it’s not like I owe him anything.

It’s just that Nam-tae-min voluntarily followed me.

I said shamelessly.

“Indeed, a strange scene.”

As I said, it was indeed a strange landscape.

Amongst complex machinery and cogs.

The Yusra Islands at first glance.

For now, there were no monsters in sight.

“……This is what it looks like inside.”

“But what’s missing? What’s wrong?”

“Stay alert. It could come out at any moment.”

Sniff.

Nam Tae-min wrinkled his nose.

A Barbarian, using his advanced sense of smell.

Nam Tae-min scratched his head.

“… … What, doesn’t it smell like blood?”

He couldn’t see any entrances or exits.

Or even a staircase to the next floor.

“……This is definitely weird.”

As weird as I felt.

The other players sensed something wasn’t right, too.

It was then.

Tsk, tsk, tsk!

The cogs began to spin with a loud noise.

Kugugugung─!

The stepping stones shook from the impact.

Players tumbling off balance.

“It’s noisy.”

Of course, I didn’t waver in the slightest.

The dignity that rules the body.

The dignity that permeates my body allows me to maintain an upright posture in this situation.

Even without it, wasn’t I the same person who walked up and down the dizzying staircase of the pagoda without a care in the world?

“It was a joke from the start.”

Thanks to him, I kept my head upright.

I could see the situation.

“…… Stop.”

As I watched, I realized something was going on.

Nam Tae-min glanced around.

“It looks like it’s turned into a really sharp cog.”

He was right.

A series of hideous mechanical devices jutted out from the wall.

The players screamed.

“No way, is this a trap?!”

“Crazy. I’ve never seen a trap this big!”

“……Wait, isn’t that a portal?”

The other end.

A burst of vivid blue light.

“Judging by the degree of seeking, interference, and manifestation…….

That’s a magic tool, a portal utilizing items.

The process of interference seemed to differ from the portal in the Magic Tower.

I can see that the effect is the same.

By the way.

Even though the method is different, it’s on a similar level to the magic tower, right?

What is that, a machine tower.

But I guess I’m the only one who noticed.

The players were excited.

“So it looks like we just need to get past the traps and reach that portal?”

As if to fuel the excitement.

A quest window popped up in front of me.

[Quest: Break Through Traps].

Avoid the elaborate traps and reach the portal.

You will be rewarded according to your rank.

─Current Rank

1st: None

2nd place: None

3rd place: none

“Ho, Ho-yeol, did you get the quest too?!”

“Breaking through the trap, I’m pretty sure.”

“I see. The Quernberg Machine Tower must have been a competition concept!”

Quests and rewards are always nice.

I understood the players’ reactions, including Nam’s.

But I was feeling it.

The Quernberg Machine Tower.

The uneasy feeling in this space.

And those traps were not unfamiliar.

To be precise.

It was an object familiar enough to skip the 『Exploration』 process.

“Everything is made of silver.”

Sharp cogs.

Loaded arrowheads.

It was all ‘silver’.

I recalled the characteristics of silver.

Now, thanks to the Reversal Magic, I was free from its durability.

Before that, I had avoided using silver weapons.

The durability of silver weapons was terrible.

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

Yes, silver was a specialized mineral.

Unless there was a special occasion.

A mineral without the slightest reason to use it.

Why did I use such a silver weapon?

Because I was a demon hunter.

Silver was one of their fatal weaknesses.

I knew that.

That trap was bound to look suspicious.

“There’s only one reason to make a trap out of silver.

Yes, it was a trap to kill the Demon.

The moment I realized that.

The quest window flashed once more.

“……!”

This time it was a class quest.

[Class Quest: Akshan’s Legacy].

The message of survival was clear.

You are the last of the Demon Hunters.

Reclaim your inheritance that has been destroyed by evil.

─Train your weakened bodies. (Repeat)

Investigate the Quernberg machine tower. (Ongoing)

That’s it!

I knew there was something there!

But, wait.

‘……something wrong?

A strange sense of déjà vu.

Yeah, it’s weird to think of the Quernberg machine tower as Akkshan’s ultimate weapon and legacy……. I mean, the Akkshan bases in my memory were pretty spartan without anything……!

“If it had something like this, players wouldn’t be running away!”

The Akshan base had nothing to show for it but a hungry spirit.

If they had something this cool, shouldn’t they have shown it?

It wasn’t as if players were deleting their accounts for nothing.

“It would have been less lonely.”

So the question was never really answered.

More than anything, Grandfell’s talent recognized it.

The Quernberg Machine Tower.

From the very beginning, you can feel the technology.

It was a different kind of technology compared to the Magic Tower.

It was so great that he dared to compare it to the Magic Tower.

‘So there’s only one way to solve this question…….’

In the end, there’s only one way.

Investigate the Quernberg Machine Tower.

As you progress through the quest, the question will be answered.

So, in this moment, what I needed to do was simple.

“Go first.”

Pass the trap in front of me.

Reach the portal on the other side.

And if I got a good ranking along the way?

Well, that’s all well and good.

“Whatever it takes, there’s a reward.”

By the way, a suit and shoes.

Clearly, you’re not dressed appropriately for a trap.

But it doesn’t matter.

Like I said.

The machinery up ahead is all made of silver.

I didn’t even bother exploring.

It’s a familiar object.

So.

And each one of them.

With a trap like this.

You can’t touch me with a ten-foot pole.

* https://pindangscans.com

Quernberg Machine Tower.

Quests and traps came out of nowhere.

It wasn’t just the cracks in the Kingdom of Yusra.

Quirnberg Machine Tower Cracks spawned all over the world.

All players who entered them were presented with the same quest.

“Rewards based on rank?”

“Only up to third place? Wow, that’s tight.”

“This must be some kind of competition.”

We lined up a bunch of players in first, second, and third place.

That alone was enough to generate interest.

Rising viewership.

The rising viewership on Netubers in real time was proof.

But.

“Hey, but that’s not fair, is it?”

Others lost interest before the trap was broken.

The outcome seemed obvious even without watching.

“I’m just going to be ranked by my agility stat.”

The way you get past the traps depends on your class.

It made sense that players with higher Agility stats would have an advantage.

Advancing while blocking traps with shields or magic.

Dodging and weaving.

There’s bound to be a difference between the two.

In that sense, in chat.

Several players’ names were already being mentioned.

-My sister Camila, it’s time for you to play.

-When Nam Tae-min goes on a rampage, you don’t recognize him?

-Where is Rox doing? I don’t know.

-Lol, it’s the most favorable quest for him, but he’s nowhere to be seen.

-I’m all in on Camilla…let’s go get her.

But until that chat window is unified.

It didn’t take long.

Soon, a record appeared in the players’ quest window.

─Current Ranking

1st place: 1 minute 01 seconds

2nd place: 4 minutes, 41 seconds

3rd place: 4 minutes, 50 seconds

Just over a minute.

A whopping 3 minutes and 40 seconds ahead of second place.

His name was all over the chat.

-Just Homen

-Just Homen

-Just Homen……!