5) The Final Step

The dragon lost its life to Weed.

While everyone was astonished at this sight, some users were diligently moving.

“Will this place be right this time?”

“There is no doubt.”

“Isn’t this the 12th time you are saying those words?”

Zephyr, Romuna, Irene, Surka, Hwaryeong and Bellot were wandering around looking for Weed’s wallet that he hid. The treasure trove was somewhere in the mountains so they couldn’t be lazy.

Zephyr looked around and sighed.

“But it will be hard to find anything hidden in this terrain.”

“No one would come to a place like this.”

A place in the northern continent where no one would come. They crossed swamps and deciduous forests for more than 3 hours.

Well, this was likely to be the place. It would be a headache if the location of the treasure was surrounded by monsters.

But Wed had left this problem to the desert warriors.

-A place no one can find…it would be better if humans are infrequently found there. And no one can know about this treasure.

These were the words of the Great Emperor so the desert warriors faithfully followed it.

“It can’t be villages or cities.”

“It can’t be in a common mountain.”

“What about a river?”

“This is a good opinion but it will be difficult if the items are swept away in a flood.”

Humans, orcs, elves or goblins might find them on the road. They pa.s.sed by volcanoes blowing black smoke and wandering through caves in mountains. And the desert warriors decided on a lake deep within the mountains.

“This place is good.

“No one will find this place.”

“Of course. Several species including humans won’t live around here.”

They didn’t know the name of the lake but the desert warriors placed the entire treasury of the kingdom there. Corruption was rampant in the later stages of the Pallos Empire so many real treasures were diverted here.

After a long time, the lake water turned into dry mud. Bellot raised the hem of her skirt and complained.

“This feels like a tidal flat. It seems like clams will come out.”

The others in the group agreed. They sunk to their knees so it wasn’t easy to move in this wide land.

Pale had specifically not come along on this adventure. A reliable man like that would only be used for labour.

Surka explored and surroundings and said.

“This landscape is terrible. It even seems like demons will emerge.”

There were spa.r.s.ely grown trees without any leaves. There was an eerie sound every time the wind blew through the tree branches.

“Aigoo, not here?”

Romuna dug furiously at the ground with a shovel. Her vitality was weak as a magician but she didn’t give up. A woman’s obsession with treasure was no less than a man’s!

“Well, the treasure is rumoured to be somewhere in the vicinity so let’s continue to dig.”

“Of course!”

The trail of the desert warriors clearly led here.

The treasure had been buried in the lake but it was impossible to estimate the specific location because the terrain had changed considerably. So they could only dig and see.

The sound of wind blowing through the branches.

Hwiriririt.

There was a strange sound like laughter as the win pa.s.sed through gaps in the rocks.

Uhihihihihi!

Everyone was so busy digging to find the treasure that they didn’t notice white ghosts had surrounded them.

-Why are humans…. Ca.s.s, do you know why?

-I don’t know. I think they are looking for something.

-Do they know about us?

-Maybe.

The ghosts were wearing jewellery like earrings, necklaces and rings.

The ghosts attached to the old treasures! In the Pallos Empire, they valued weapons and armour. The treasures seized from enemies or used in combat had been buried and generated large quant.i.ties of ghosts.

“Wrong. Not here either.”

“Irene-nim, you have been doing well so far. We just need to search with a little more power.”

“Acha!”

Weed’s colleagues dug with shovels as they searched for treasures in a remote area.

??????????????????????????

Wy-1 and Wy-3.

The wyverns, Weed’s sculptural lifeforms were resting well at the cliffs near Morata.

In the old days, users would be surprised when seeing them in remote locations. But now the wyverns were celebrities and could often be found on broadcasts.

Especially in the north, the wyverns could often be spotted.

“Mother, it is Wy-3!”

“Wy-3, h.e.l.lo!”

Young users travelling Royal Road with their mother or father would wave towards the wyverns. And the wyverns were moderately friendly with users.

Of course, they originally suffered from an ident.i.ty confusion.

“Aren’t we originally flying monsters that would grab and eat humans?”

“Wy-6, do you think humans are delicious?”

“No, I heard they are delicious. The meat acquired from beasts are fine.”

“So we don’t need to eat humans. We are wyverns with picky taste buds.”

The self-proclaimed wyverns learned this!

“Do you want to eat this?”

But they would come down to the ground when users threw them food like sausages, ham and tempura. Some famous chefs would throw them cooked meat or fish so the wyverns were in heaven.

Their warm nest defended against the cold. They fought here and there and slept until late in the morning.

The war in the north didn’t matter to the wyverns as they hunted moderately and grew.

They had received advanced notice from Weed.

“Even if war breaks out, stay in the background. You don’t need to defend the Arpen Kingdom.”

“Master, what is the reason?”

Wy-1 who was the eldest and most dependable wyvern asked.

Weed’s answer was simple.

“If you come forward then other humans will handle you first. And there isn’t much you can do against a crowd of people.”

A convincing logic!

Thus, Weed commanded the wyverns and all the sculptural lifeforms to stay in the background of the war.

If they emerged in the war then it would be like children collecting money from relatives without their mother present, increasing the danger.

Bingryong, Goldman, Yellowy, Silver Bird and the other sculptural lifeforms needed to be kept safe. Even the sculptural lifeforms obtained from Jigolaths were waiting for one person to appear.

Existing in the current era, the sculptural lifeforms that only followed the founder of the Arpen Kingdom. A job that only existed in legend, the one who inherited the n.o.ble lineage of Emperor Geihar!

“I would like to see Master, gol gol gol!”

“Ummoooooo. Clearly he isn’t bringing us delicious food on purpose.”

??????????????????????????

In the midst of his slow fall, a new message window popped up in front of Weed.

Ddiring!

-Kill Heuller the High Priest of the Embinyu Church.

Heuller is an ageless human alchemist and magician who has been alive for more than 1,000 years.

Heuller is behind numerous plots to spread the Embinyu Church through the continent.

Now is the time to punish his misdeeds.

If high priest Heuller disappears then the Embinyu Church will go deep into the darkness and will be hard to wake up again.

Level of Difficulty: Final Secret Sculpting Technique Quest

Compensation: The final step in this quest.

After completing the quest, you can acquire Time Sculpting.

Quest Restrictions: You have to safely survive the quest.

“Owaahhh! The quest is really ending.”

A scream emerged from Weed’s mouth.

The final secret sculpting technique quest was really long!

“It is like spending half of my life sewing eyes onto dolls. Or being force to walk a path with one thousand directions.”

He just needed to finish this quest to obtain Time Sculpting. He completed the quest in a different manner from Nodulle but it was too excessive even without knowing the significant information.

“Well, whatever. There is a story hidden. And it doesn’t matter if I don’t know the way forward.”

This was the result of the training in Korea! He would become satisfied after gaining Time Sculpting.

There was still a huge battle occurring on the ground but Weed felt like he had received 3 servings of well-grilled marinated pork.

He had hunted the fearful dragon so the Embinyu Church no longer worried him.

“This really feels like the last quest. There is no reason to be a labourer. A labourer isn’t a traitor.”

Weed slowly descended to the ground. He was still at least 700 metres above the ground. But his joy was short lived as he returned to his original self before touching the ground.

“I can’t release my tension. If I’m too relaxed then a mistake may occur at the last moment.”

Many villains failed at the last moment before they received their compensation. Weed had learned countless lessons from them so he armed himself with the Yurbusika Frost Bow.

Purururu!

The arrows that Weed fired made a clear sound like a musical instrument. The sound of his archery skill was different because it was at advanced level 9.

The arrows that shot out with great speed and power took the lives of priests and knights. The Embinyu followers on the ground attempted to avoid it but the colossal arrows didn’t allow it!

“Keeeok! G.o.d Embinyu, give us your will and determination.”

“G.o.d, save us!”

The priests were still shocked by the dragon’s poison.

Those who were directly touched by it were destroyed and the Embinyu priests lost quite a lot of their power due to the destruction of the Embinyu Avatar. The dragon’s breath had a widespread impact on the entire area.

The poison smoke didn’t distinguish between friends and foes.

On the other hand, the prisoners including the humans and elves were detoxified by Ah.e.l.lun’s divine power. Ah.e.l.lun would treat those in danger, give blessings and even powerful protection spells.

However, the Embinyu priests had fought the dragon and had received rare damage. They couldn’t cure the poison or block any attacks heading towards them.

The equipment and strength of the escaped prisoners was pathetic but they used their numbers to defend against the approaching Embinyu monsters. Meanwhile, the elves were shooting arrows at the enemies.

“Have strength. Our victory isn’t far away. Just a little more and we can protect the peace of the continent with our own hands. Take care of your colleagues while fighting. We will go back home alive!”

Hestiger served as the leader of the elves during the fight.

“Great Emperor-nim is victorious against the dragon. We have to handle these guys!”

“Hyung-nim, let’s finish them up.”

Warrior-1 and Warrior-2 ran forward with their scimitars.

There was an outpouring of arrows as Weed came increasingly closer to the ground so the Embinyu Church didn’t know what to do.

The prisoners were escaping and endless amounts of monsters were coming from the outside. The full scale destruction of their Holy Land was enough to break their morale and faith.

High priest Heuller cried out.

“Our original dream won’t be trampled on! All the silly people living on this fallen land will have their flesh torn off and killed!”

The Embinyu Church started moving again at Heuller’s cry. Weed fired an arrow at Heuller.

“Now it is time for the Embinyu Church to disappear.”

“All your attempts at glory will be blocked. Joy of Crus.h.i.+ng!”

The high priest Heuller used some of the divine power he regained to form a protection s.h.i.+eld that deflected the arrows.

“Let’s test it out!”

Weed shot the arrows while using the Rapid Fire and Penetrating skills.

He was quite a distance away from the ground but the heavy arrows aimed straight at Heuller. Arrows. .h.i.t it 15 times before the protective magic finally broke like gla.s.s.

The protective magic would break depending on the skill and level. Thanks to Ah.e.l.lun’s blessing, Weed couldn’t be affected by any curses and was currently in the best physical condition.

Weed had been established as a Great Emperor during the warring period because he was a brutal warrior. When he used force, few people in this era could stop him.

“Kueeok! G.o.d Embinyu will protect this body against a mere human….”

As Weed came increasingly closer to the ground, the Embinyu archers and priests aimed attacks at them. A burst of attacks towards the sky that seemed like fireworks!

“Close Eyes Tightly!”

He had obtained this skill again during the quest as Nodulle. His body was also wearing the G.o.d’s armour.

“Open yourself to G.o.d’s meaning and he will endlessly take care of you. Divine Protection!”

Ah.e.l.lun helped by casting a protective spell.

-Flawless protection magic has been triggered.

Your body’s resistance will increase by 600% for 4 minutes.

The G.o.d’s Armour has reacted to this protection magic.

Defense has increased by 4,938.

There is a 37% probability of reflecting the enemy’s attack.

Weed’s body shone with the splendour of Divine Protection.

“Once again.”

Weed opened his eyes again.

The attacks were melted down or returned by the splendid light in front of him. Weed saw at least 1,000 archers fall like collapsing straw from their own attacks.

The situation automatically caused a hum to come out.

“It will be hard to die.”

Weed continued to concentrate on Ah.e.l.lun, Warrior-1, Warrior-2, Hestiger and the escaped prisoners.

Right now, Zahab had been severely wounded by several curses but he wasn’t in urgent danger due to Ah.e.l.lun’s treatment.

Alverun and Alveren were sculptural lifeforms similar to Alveron but he didn’t dare bring them along despite their growth. Everything couldn’t be a perfect situation.

“I need to take better care of Alveron after returning to the original world.”

A long term plan to make Alveron work!

He was envious that he didn’t have a well-trained saint as a subordinate.

Once Weed was 50 metres above the ground, a significant number of people looked up at him. His charisma, leaders.h.i.+p, fame and honour meant he could exert a more powerful strength in his subordinates.

“Our lord if the desert lion who conquered the continent and hunted down a dragon.”

“Ohh, unbelievable…! I can’t believe how strong he is.”

“A mighty warrior sent by G.o.d to punish the wicked.”

Among the prisoners, some were so overcome with emotions that they prostrating themselves while crying.

Weed proudly raised his head like the director of a company meeting his sub-contractors. The jaw that developed from drinking cider and eating well-roasted pork belly and the droopy eyes that came from waking up late in the morning!

“Handsome.”

“With an appearance like that, women will follow him to the end.”

Warrior-1 and Warrior-2 were filled with admiration.

The winged clothing, G.o.d’s armour and G.o.d’s weapon gave Weed a cool appearance. In particular, the brilliant light that lit up his body gave him a better appearance!

Weed received praise for his dragon hunt, an experience that would be difficult to repeat twice in a lifetime.

Then he heard the sound of Hestiger yelling.

“Don’t relax! We have to defeat them to return home alive. And we need to save those still trapped or caught up in the fight!”

“Of course!”

“We will follow the words of Captain Hestiger who saved us!”

The prisoners cried out as the confronted the Embinyu troops. Hestiger had given a command with the perfect timing to interrupt Weed. In addition, he managed to get the proud elves on his side.

He was like a typical hero of an action movie who overcame adversity and obtained the pretty woman. But at that moment, Weed had a generous heart so he didn’t feel jealous of Hestiger.

“No one is to blame. It isn’t my fault that he failed to be killed early.”

The Embinyu Church had captured a large number of prisoners. They were captured to construct the Sky Tower, as sacrifices, for the sake of experiments or to be mutated into monsters. The prisoners continued running out of the buildings to clash with the Embinyu Church.

The monsters in the Embinyu Church such as ogres were modified. The buildings were unable to withstand the impact as a 9 headed ogre with 5 arms appeared.

“Kuwak! Return my old body!”

The ogres used tremendous force to kick and attack the Embinyu followers.

The Embinyu Church were driven into a corner but they still had a large number of troops remaining.

The confusion caused by the dragon hadn’t settled yet and there was still the Eon of Erosion spell. Once Eons of Erosion occurred, they would all be erased.

Once Weed thought about it, he instantly wanted to run outside the area.

“But they might find a way to survive. Villains are st.u.r.dy so I need to finish Heuller first.”

The goal was Heuller!

Weed cried out in a loud voice.

“All my subordinates, listen carefully!”

“Yes!”

“Master-nim, did you call?”

Warrior-1 and Warrior-2 replied with lightning like speed.

“Please speak, Great Emperor.”

Hestiger placed a hand on his chest and bent his knees slightly.

“We don’t need to kill all the fellows overflowing in this land. They will soon disappear from here so we just need to aim at high priest Heuller!”

“I understand. Let’s go!”

The desert warriors immediately headed towards Heuller after hearing those words. The reckless a.s.sault of the desert warriors!

Weed wanted to finish the battle without wasting any more time.

“You won’t pa.s.s us!”

“That’s what you think!”

Warrior-1, Warrior-2 and Hestiger struck the Embinyu knights with one strike of their swords.

As soon as Weed gave a command, they increased their speed while fully exerting their true abilities.

Even the elves were helping with the arrows and elementals. Their focus was on protecting Hestiger.

“It is my turn!”

Weed glanced at Ah.e.l.lun.

“Excuse me…

“Don’t worry!”

Ah.e.l.lun replied like he read Weed’s mind and strengthened his body with more blessings. It was like a restaurant lady bringing 3 servings of cold noodles before he even ordered.

|