Chapter 66 – East of Tartaros (３)

[It is metal condensed from a Monarch’s thought-construct.]

The moment he confirmed the metal, the man narrowed his brow.

Yet, in that brief instant, Gijun could see the greed spilling from the man’s gaze.

It was unmistakable curiosity toward an unknown metal.

“Damn it. Follow me.”

Then, as if conceding defeat, he grumbled and turned around.

[He is no easy opponent. Though this body may have lost its power, I never imagined such a presence would be here, one capable of instilling awe.]

Libre spoke, watching the man’s receding back.

“Indeed.”

Gijun felt it too, clearly.

If that man had moved in earnest, he’d have been reduced to dust long ago.

“I should go back to Mahabi and thank him.”

[Agreed. That one surely possesses Monarch-level power. Even if I were at full strength, I couldn’t confidently predict the outcome of a fight.]

‘That level, huh.’

Gijun resolved himself.

He’d have to be as cautious as possible, careful not to provoke him.

After all, there was no need to make an enemy when endless battles already awaited.

Just then, the man shouted again.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and follow me before I change my mind!”

*

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The place they arrived at, following the man, was at the foot of a volcano.

A small village was nestled at the volcano’s base.

What was astonishing was that the entire village itself was one single workshop.

Inside, over a hundred people moved busily, using lava to continuously craft something.

Among them were household goods, as well as weapons and armor for battle.

“All items for our kind are made here. And every piece of Equipment produced here is used to protect our safety.”

The man said.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t told you my name. I am Tubaku.”

“…Call me Jun.”

“Hmph. Right. As I said, I despise the beings of the Upper Realm… but since Master Mahabi has given you his token, it means you are someone who will be of help to this Underworld.”

He was still gruff, but there was no hostility in his voice.

“And… the fact that you carry this metal means you must have defeated a General of the Underworld. Am I right?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Tubaku.

He nodded.

“I won’t dwell on the squalid past, but one thing’s certain: you and I share the same enemy.”

“I see.”

So that meant this Tubaku also hated the Monarchs of the Underworld.

Perhaps it was only to be expected.

“Of course, I can’t leave this place even a single step. The moment I do, they’ll crush me and my race’s homeland. But if you’re someone who fights them… even if you’re from the Upper Realm, I’ll help you as far as my reach extends.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. This is nothing but a transaction.”

With that, Tubaku resumed walking.

After about thirty minutes more, they reached the base of the mountain.

There, a massive forge and an enormous anvil sat waiting.

Beside the anvil lay a hammer so huge it made your jaw drop.

“This metal can’t be smelted with ordinary heat or force—it’s no common ore. As the Flame Monarch said, it’s the Monarch’s very will. To refine it, you need a special material.”

“A material?”

“Yes. Obviously I can’t go fetch it myself; as I said, I can’t leave this place even a step.”

“Tell me. I’ll bring it back, no matter what.”

Gijun said it with unwavering certainty.

But Tubaku let out a bitter laugh.

“The problem is, it’s a creature your strength can’t easily handle.”

“…”

It stung his pride a little, but he couldn’t argue.

Tubaku was stronger than Gijun in every respect.

How could Gijun refute a being like that?

Still, Gijun spoke again.

“If I can’t do it the first time, I’ll keep trying until I can. I’ll bring it back.”

That was all he could say.

A weapon forged from Irbrium.

He needed that weapon to continue the next fight.

Otherwise, he’d have to pour a mountain of time into raising his stats.

And the longer that took, the more time would slip away.

“Well, if that’s the case…”

Tubaku snorted and turned to Gijun.

“The material you need to bring is Bask’s venom sac.”

“…Bask?”

“Yes. A massive serpent skulking in the Underworld. Kill it and bring back its venom sac. Only that venom can dissolve the Monarch’s will. But that thing is strong—it’s lived for tens of thousands of years down here. Countless have died just from stepping into its territory.”

A warning.

His words held no expectation that Gijun would actually slay the Demon Beast called Bask.

Even so, Gijun answered.

“I’ll bring it back. Guaranteed.”

At that, Tubaku snorted again.

“You’ve got spine. Good. Go on, then—see if you can walk the walk.”

Finding Bask wasn’t difficult at all.

Fwhirr!

The Compass of the Underworld had begun to stir.

“Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.”

Gijun started moving again, following the direction Bask indicated.

Soon he left the volcano’s domain, then Sviha’s territory, and re-entered Tartaros — the battleground he’d fought through before.

Bask’s location lay northwest of Sviha’s domain.

Gijun kept moving.

“But can I even take down this Bask bastard?”

[It won’t be easy.]

Even Libre — who always cheered him on — said so.

“…Maybe I should level up a bit more before heading there.”

His head spun with complications.

Then it happened.

“W-wait a moment!”

A woman’s voice came from somewhere.

“Huh?”

Gijun turned toward the direction of the sound.

‘Huh?’

There was a person there.

Not an Underworld warrior, not a Demon Beast, not any other race.

A clear, unmistakable human being.

Which meant…

‘A Player.’

Gijun knew it instinctively.

That woman was a Player.

And there was only one Player who could be here right now.

‘The Guild Master of Saint.’

Right.

The second Player to obtain Manta’s Jewel.

The Guild Master of Saint herself.

‘…Did she follow me?’

Gijun stepped back warily, on guard.

‘But can I win against her?’

He thought quickly.

If a fight broke out here, what were his odds?

The answer was zero.

The Guild Master of the top-ranked guild — her Level was surely overwhelming compared to his.

And that wasn’t all.

Her Skills and Equipment were likely beyond anything he could compare with.

Just as Gijun narrowed his brow…

“I’m Hera. Don’t misunderstand — I didn’t come here to fight.”

Hera raised both hands in the air.

She had unequipped all her weapons, signaling no hostile intent.

But Gijun still didn’t let his guard down.

“Did you follow me?”

He had to clear up the question first.

Why was she here?

“Yes, I did.”

“….”

Hera answered honestly.

As if she had no intention of hiding anything.

“I tracked your trail from that collapsed fortress over there all the way here.”

“Ah…”

Beache’s ruined fortress.

So she’d found his trace there.

“Let me say it again — I have no intention of fighting right now.”

“‘Right now’ makes it sound like you could fight anytime.”

“That’s true too. If you had ill intentions.”

“….”

At that, Gijun eased his wariness slightly.

He couldn’t be sure exactly what she considered ill intentions.

But at least Hera didn’t seem like someone he couldn’t reason with.

“First, let me apologize. This was sudden, so I was a bit aggressive.”

“No, I understand. Completely. I was the one in the wrong — tailing you like this.”

With that, Gijun stepped forward and offered his hand.

Hera met his gesture with a faint smile and clasped it.

“If you don’t mind me asking… are you on a Quest right now?”

“….”

Gijun held his tongue.

He still couldn’t fully trust Hera.

Letting someone stronger than him know his business felt like asking for trouble.

“…You still don’t trust me, do you.”

“Isn’t that only natural?”

“That’s… fair.”

Hera nodded, as if she understood.

“But let me be clear. I… actually, what’s your name?”

“Ah, it’s Jun.”

“Yes. Master Jun, whatever you’re working on, I swear on my name and my guild that I will never interfere.”

“….”

“You can even record it if you want. It might not mean much to you, but among Rankers, some of us take honor seriously. If I’m lying, I’ll delete my account and disband my guild.”

To go that far.

Even Gijun was taken aback.

Libre chimed in, sounding impressed.

[That woman knows honor. I quite like her.]

“If I’d started a Quest first, maybe I’d feel differently, but I have no desire to steal someone else’s. Not everyone thinks like me, of course… there are plenty of thugs among the Rankers who’d trample on honor for a gain. But I’m not one of them. The Real Spirit I dream of is a world where everyone gets a fair shot.”

“….”

It came back to him.

She’d said the same thing in her interview video.

‘Maybe she really is a good person.’

And now, talking to her face-to-face, he was starting to think she might be trustworthy after all.

“But I do have one request.”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

“Just let me watch from your side.”

“Watch?”

“Yes. You’re a pioneer of this game, Master Jun. A hero breaking new ground. So let me observe… and share it with others. In return, I’ll help you as much as I can.”

“Hah…”

What kind of person even existed like this?

Gijun was speechless.

It felt like he was staring at a living saint straight out of history.

But maybe that was exactly why so many Players followed and admired Hera.

Because pretense or facade aside, genuine sincerity moved people in the end.

Finally, Gijun nodded.

“Alright.”

Then Hera spoke again.

“Oh, and sorry for listening in, but I couldn’t help overhearing you talking to yourself earlier.”

‘To myself…?’

Gijun tilted his head, then it clicked.

‘She can’t see Libre, so she thought I was muttering to myself.’

The conversation he’d had with Libre about Bask.

But since Hera couldn’t see Libre, she must have assumed he was just talking to the air.

“You seem to be planning to hunt a monster called Bask… am I right?”

Gijun nodded.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“But it seems like the difficulty is quite high.”

“Honestly… yeah, it is.”

“Could I help you?”

“Huh?”

“Let me hunt it in your stead. I may not look it, but I’m quite high-level. Please consider it a token of my sincerity for our agreement.”

“…!”

Gijun’s eyes went wide.

‘No way…’

And then he realized it.

The moment his bus¹ had arrived.

1. Bus — Korean gaming slang: a stronger player “drives the bus,” carrying weaker players through content for easy rewards. “Riding the bus” means being carried.