Chapter 192

Аrсаnа, the pеrfесt hеаrt and most cruсiаl locаtion of thе Кingdоm оf Sinsiniеl.

Тhe onе who estаblishеd the Аdvеnturеr’s Аssоciаtion in Аrcanа аnd disсоvered сountlеss adventurers wаs Shаrk.

As usual, while handling wоrk in thе Association Сhiеf’s office of the Аdvеnturer’s Assоciаtiоn, Shаrk hеard the words of А-Rank Huntеr Ulb whо hаd comе tо visit аnd asked bаck in a disbеlieving voice.

“Тhе King of Sinsiniеl is dеad…?”

“Yеs, that’s cоrrect.”

“Arе yоu surе?”

“Yes, even though I saw it with mу own еуеs, I cоuldn’t believе it, but thе еntire Roуal Раlасе was аnnihilаtеd.”

“This is аbsurd… Тhe Royal Palace has knights comparable to A-Rank adventurers, and Eldamon, the King’s Escort Knight… Are you saying it was truly annihilated?”

“Yes…”

“Survivors?”

“After checking using Mana, there are no survivors.”

“So, total annihilation?”

Ulb nodded.

He was an A-Rank adventurer of Arcana and simultaneously an Assassin.

The specialty of an Assassin is killing the target quietly, stealthily, and cruelly.

A Class that utilized such strengths was highly specialized in reconnaissance.

‘Seeing Ulb speak like this, it’s certain the Royal Palace has fallen. If everyone in the Royal Palace is dead… the system of the Kingdom of Sinsiniel will begin to crumble one by one.’

With the Royal Palace fallen, the collapse of the noble system was only a matter of time.

Actually, the system wasn’t the problem.

“How large was the scale of the Monsters?”

“It was an even more tremendous level than I had thought. Hundreds of A-Rank Monsters… Moreover, I saw about two S-Rank Monsters as well.”

“The identity of the Monsters?”

“Since they were Monsters I was seeing for the first time… they were Monsters I had never seen in Gates or the Ancient Tower.”

“Then how can you be sure they were A-Rank or S-Rank?”

“Wouldn’t it be obvious just by looking at their movements? Their movements were incredibly fast, and they destroyed everything around them. I barely managed to return alive.”

“…Good work, Ulb. If it weren’t for you, no one would have been able to investigate the Royal Palace.”

“Not at all.”

“Go and get some rest now.”

“Yes, I’ll take my leave then.”

Ulb slightly bowed his head in greeting and then left the Association Chief’s office.

Left alone, Shark sat in his chair, let out a deep sigh, and muttered.

“Phew, this is maddening. If we can’t continue to conquer the Ancient Tower like this, the number of Monsters will increase exponentially, and the Monster invasion will extend to Arcana and nearby cities.”

The reason the ordinary Kingdom of Sinsiniel changed drastically was precisely because of the Ancient Tower that appeared here about two hundred years ago.

Ever since the Ancient Tower appeared, a warning in text would appear before the eyes of those near the Ancient Tower.

The warning’s content was mainly that if the corresponding floor inside the Ancient Tower wasn’t conquered within a few months, Monsters would emerge into the world.

All residents of Arcana could check or turn off this message whenever they wished.

‘It’s already been several years since we failed to conquer the 90th floor. The Archmages of the Magic Tower are conservative folks, so no matter how much I talk, they have no intention of leaving the Magic Tower…’

Even now, a message appeared before Shark’s eyes.

[5 days 12 hours 10 minutes until conquest of Ancient Tower 90th floor]

If the conquest failed, a Penalty was given every month.

Ever since the Penalty was given two months ago, contact with the Royal Palace had been lost.

Having a bad feeling, he sent Ulb to check, and the result was that the Royal Palace was annihilated.

‘If we fail to conquer the 90th floor this time as well, A-Rank or higher Monsters might appear even in Arcana. No, if things go wrong, the world could be destroyed in an instant…’

It’s already been over twenty years since Shark established the Adventurer’s Association, but he has hardly seen anyone worthy of being called an S-Rank adventurer yet.

‘To conquer the Ancient Tower’s 90th floor, at least five or more S-Rank adventurers are needed.’

However, there are currently only exactly two S-Rank adventurers in Arcana.

First, one is Shark himself, the Association Chief.

And the other one is Rianna, who operates the largest major guild in Arcana.

Despite being a woman, Rianna was a remarkable adventurer who had reached the realm of an S-Rank adventurer.

“Phew, just me and Rianna are hopelessly insufficient. A-Rank adventurers can’t even hold out on the 90th floor and just die…”

Shark had once gone to conquer the 90th floor with Rianna and twenty A-Rank Hunters.

But the result was the total annihilation of everyone except Shark and Rianna.

Shark and Rianna also suffered major injuries at that time and had to focus solely on recovering their bodies for a while.

Since then, Rianna never challenged the 90th floor conquest again, and Shark also couldn’t set foot on the 90th floor again.

“We need stronger adventurers. Or rather, the Archmages of the Magic Tower should come…”

The Archmages of the Magic Tower are such arrogant folks that they probably won’t even listen to him.

Then, the hope lies with the adventurers.

‘I have to hope that an adventurer stronger than me comes to Arcana.’

But would an adventurer stronger than himself suddenly appear in Arcana? The answer is no.

“Phew… This is just my wishful thinking.”

Shark began to ponder deeply how he could conquer the Ancient Tower’s 90th floor, for which the Penalty had only 5 days left.

* * *

The dream-like situation that had occurred about three months ago suddenly came to mind.

“He was incredibly strong back then…”

The adventurer of Arcana, Evan.

Three months ago, he had entered a Gate and almost died.

The reason he barely managed to survive was because Khan saved him and his companion.

“Sir Khan was truly immensely strong, but Sir Byutek was also incredibly strong. Lady Sharin said she was Sir Khan’s Disciple, so she must be incredibly strong too…”

Even though it was already three months ago, Evan still vividly remembered that scene.

Because the Magic Khan used was real Magic on a different dimension from adventurers who call themselves Mages.

[5 days 12 hours 8 minutes until conquest of Ancient Tower 90th floor]

Since Evan is also a member of the Adventurer’s Association, he roughly knows all about the current situation.

That’s because the Adventurer’s Association’s Association Chief, Shark, has been tirelessly broadcasting the current situation of Arcana and the world in real-time.

A few days ago, Shark had once gathered all the adventurers belonging to the Adventurer’s Association.

‘Everyone! Your strength is desperately needed! We must all join forces to conquer the Ancient Tower’s 90th floor!!’

‘I don’t want to die, Association Chief!’

‘Me, me too!’

At first, they thought Shark was trying to take all the adventurers of the Adventurer’s Association into the Ancient Tower to block the Penalty, but that wasn’t it.

‘I know too! To conquer the Ancient Tower’s 90th floor, you need to be at least A-Rank or higher… no, you need to be an S-Rank adventurer like me. I didn’t gather you all here to force such a simple-minded method.’

‘Then what for?!’

‘Aren’t you all adventurers who have explored numerous places?! In the world, there are reclusive masters as strong as me… no, even stronger than me! The Archmages of the Magic Tower are probably my peers or even higher right now! So! You will promote Arcana on its behalf!’

‘Promote?’

‘Yes, exactly! To call adventurers from all over the world to Arcana, you go to nearby cities and villages and promote Arcana! Then new adventurers will continuously flow into Arcana!’

That was the plan of the Adventurer’s Association Chief, Shark.

Listening to the story at that spot, Evan immediately thought of Khan, Byutek, and Sharin upon hearing it.

“Rio and Lumina probably think the same as me. If they come to Arcana… it might not be impossible.”

If the Ancient Tower’s 90th floor isn’t conquered within 5 days, the world could be destroyed.

Since the Royal Palace is already annihilated, next, the entire world will be destroyed.

“Phew… I wish Sir Khan would appear and help like back then. Should I go to a nearby village first?”

He had been visiting nearby villages and cities daily lately to promote Arcana.

Hoping for that very small possibility that Khan might be staying in a nearby city or village.

* * *

Already a month had passed since receiving the Main Quest.

That means it’s been a month since Khan has been wandering to find a Hidden Skill.

So, how many Hidden Skills has Khan found so far?

‘This is truly maddening…’

Khan was checking the Main Quest message appearing before his eyes once again.

• [Acquire one Hidden Skill.]

• Will you accept the Main Quest?

• If refused, future Quest progression will be impossible.

• Reward: A certain amount of Experience Points, progression to the next Quest

He never imagined he wouldn’t have cleared the Main Quest received a month ago.

‘I have no idea why it’s not there.’

The places where Khan originally knew Hidden Skills were located had nothing.

‘Somehow… something has clearly changed a lot, or is changing.’

There was a possibility that someone else had snatched the Hidden Skills, or that the locations of the Hidden Skills changed as Khan entered the game.

‘Only one last place remains. Please, this skill must be there.’

The places Khan precisely remembered were exactly fifteen locations.

He visited fourteen of them but couldn’t obtain a single Hidden Skill.

Khan was heading to the place where the last Hidden Skill he remembered was hidden.

“Hyungnim, why do you look so displeased? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

“Hmm… That’s right! Master, do you have some worry perhaps? Please tell us!”

“It’s nothing.”

It was a journey to find a Hidden Skill, but as time passed, Khan’s expression grew darker and darker.

Thus, Byutek and Sharin asked Khan such questions every day.

Each time, Khan only repeated the same answer.

‘This last skill is also absolutely necessary for me going forward. Moreover, if I can’t find a Hidden Skill this time, there’s a high possibility the Main Quest will be completely blocked, so there must be a Hidden Skill this time without fail.’

The place where the last Hidden Skill was hidden was the summit of Seori Mountain, located northwest of the Kingdom of Sinsiniel.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Before they knew it, upon arriving at the entrance of Seori Mountain, the Coachman shouted.

“Lord Khan, we have arrived at the destination!”

All that remained was to directly ascend Seori Mountain and find the last Hidden Skill.