Thanks to proofreaders for their time improving this part: Armada, evilsanta1423, Arvin and Idzuwan 🙂
A wyvern's screech rang out.
Wy-Il flew through the sky with frightening screams. Pale who was riding on his back had to duck further against the heavy winds.
"Let's go slowly."
– No. Master said fly faster. I'll get scolded if I fly slow.
Wy-Il was flying excitedly since it had been a while since he last took a human on a flight.
"K-huk."
Pale logged on to Royal Road after he died to Kaybern. The moment he logged in, Weed's whisper arrived.
– Weed : The continent has fallen in danger. If peace is broken, the novice players will perish rather than people like us with high levels.
Indeed, Pale was concerned throughout the time he was unable to login due to Kaybern.
Pale asked in a voice of resolve.
"So, what do you need me to do?"
– Weed : Hunting. I will entrust Wy-Il to you. Getting rid of just one more monster will protect the novice players. That includes monsters in the northern villages too.
"I have many close friends in the north. I will protect them with my life."
From that day, he hunted day after day!
Romuna, Surka, Python, Seasoned Crab.
It was not just them, but a large number of users participating in the hunt.
Geomchi3 and the apprentices logged onto Royal Road without much thought.
"Fights will be so much more interesting now that there are more monsters."
"I'm gonna train a few skills… Become stronger and duke it out with the black lizard."
"My heart pounded when we fought against the lizard."
The devil's touch had reached them as well.
– Weed : Brothers. I arranged a blind date with the Bamboo Shoot Porridge battalion.
"Ohhhh!"
"Youngest one! What can we do without you?"
Through Yurin, he sent them photos of the Bamboo Shoot Porridge users. Truthfully, the female users accepted the blind date half-heartedly as a joke, but there were differences in perspective.
"This person will be the other half of my life."
"So, the one really did exist in this world!"
"Keuk. I had dropped sweat and blood all to meet this woman…"
They had fallen in love with just a few pictures.
– Weed : However, the continent is in danger and there's a chance that these women could die to the monsters.
"Ahhh."
"No, how could such tragedy…"
"Hell no. Not even if my eyes are carved out… Such a thing can never occur."
"My relationships were always like this. They were all short-straws when I thought it was finally going to work out!"
– Weed : It would be great if there was someone to protect these delicate Bamboo shoot Porridge users…
"I will kill them. Them monsters!"
"Gather all the boys up. We are going now!"
Geomchi3 and the apprentices emitted an aura more menacing than ogres, mobilizing the central continent users under the bull legion.
The users of the bull legion also could not forget the exhilarating chase of the Hermes guild, and the high-level users were not about to step down from a hunt.
"We need to make progress at moments like this. When else would we have the opportunity?"
"Let's row when the tide's coming in. If we are lucky, we can appear on broadcast."
They started out lightly but began to overwork themselves along with the spawn of more monsters.
The northern users of level 100 to 200 were active hunters but were unable to stop the monsters from growing in numbers.
The monsters gathered in uninhabited grasslands, mountains and forests.
If not extinguished, it was only logical that they will multiply to an uncontrollable scale and swarm the cities.
"K-uhhhhhh. I worked so hard, but no one recognized my assistance."
Petrov roamed around the Garnav plains and retrieved drawings.
The surroundings were still full of vestiges of battle, but some locations were abnormally untouched.
< Petrov's watercolor scenic painting. >
The drawings inscribed on the earth distorted the area slightly.
He spread them out and criss crossed the directions a bit, slowing down the pace of the Haven imperial army.
He had conducted this interference when 20 legions mobilized with Weed as the target, and also when the main Haven army was on the retreat from Kaybern.
He could buy only a short period of time, maybe 3 to 5 minutes. However, that could have played a vital role in the war, though no one realized his doings.
"I did a good deed, so I can put it behind me."
Petrov grinned in bitterness and retrieved his drawings.
He observed massive scale combat in the Garnav plains battle.
Sculptors of the north and central continent that were inspired from these battles had begun huge projects.
– Title : Sculptors gather around. We are collaborating for the world's largest project ever.
Garnav War!
Recruiting members for sculpting the war between the great Arpen Empire versus the pathetic and dishonorable Haven kingdom.
This piece that will be created on the Garnav plains will involve sculpting approximately 100,000 sculptures of the valiant northern users, the loyal central continent users, the Hermes guild and the imperial army.
Shouldn't we sculpt the moment of the world's transformation to be recorded in the history of Versailles continent?
We are hoping to recruit at least 2,000 sculptors.
There will be a lot of effort required, so users of different job classes with an interest in sculpting may also contact us.
The Chicken Porridge battalion of the Grass Porridge Cult, the Mapan association and the Gamong association will be sponsoring this project. Basic meal plans will be provided.
The grand dream of sculptors!
The sculptors of the north and Rhodium underwent preparations for an impressive collaborative project.
"I will also create a piece of art."
Petrov was also preparing for the next painting.
"Flaming Meteor Summon falls… People gather, then Weed in the midst of various battles. Even the undead and the duel with Bard Ray."
The paintings were based off true events, but the paintings need to have dynamic expressions of the action.
He thought the 30 or so paintings that he was about to create would be laid down as the history of the Versaille continent.
"I should join up with Weed-nim after I am done with this. There must be something a painter can contribute to defeating Kaybern."
***
Silver Ring, Ben, Elix.
Being famous adventurers, they did not make their way to Garnav.
They went by their first principles, not to participate in the war between users.
"Kaybern has awakened."
"That's a real evil dragon, that one."
"There is commotion everywhere because of that thing."
They were pure adventurers since the pioneer days of Royal Road. Therefore, they knew a lot of information that no one else could.
They roamed the continent at free will and heard the stories of the civilians residing in areas nearby the dragon's nest. They also obtained some transcripts from the dungeons.
< The dragon's nest. >
< Unknown secrets about the dragon. #19 >
< Observations on the dragon. >
These were information that they hogged early before any other user.
"Isn't it impossible to defeat a dragon?"
"Who knows… If it's Weed, wouldn't he have a sliver of chance?"
"I'd say he isn't capable. Not with just strength. The dragon has an indomitable ability."
"There will be other ways to defeat it. From the live footage, it seems that Kaybern also battles rather recklessly."
Conflicting opinions created a divide evenly amongst the Shadows of Earth party.
They also had thoughts of challenging the quest related to the dragon, but not this instant.
In truth, they were around the late 400s in levels. They were mediocre individually.
They were caught up maxing out the adventure skills such as trap install and dismantling, map navigating and digging.
Elix let out a shallow sigh.
"In any case, the continent will become a wreck. Cities will crumble and users will get massacred."
"That doesn't matter to us, does it? I'm already busy going around doing quests and dungeons. The world is vast and there are many quests that have not been challenged yet. We can also set sail on a boat and go out to the far seas."
Ben's words did not comfort Elix's deep concern reflected on his face.
"Still, you want to relax at the city and have a bottle of beer. It's also nice to watch others living a joyful, worry-free life.
"Mmm. I do agree to that."
There was a reason for the Shadow of Earth party not intervening in the war between other influential forces.
They loved adventure itself, but suffered greatly due to the power struggle between prestigious guilds.
The walls and structures of the long-visited city were destroyed. They did not want to witness any more users collapsed on the ground sighing in grief.
Ben thought for a moment and spoke out.
"What if we challenge Kaybern's quest?"
"The quest?"
"We acquired some information long ago pertaining to Kaybern. We buried it away because it was related to the dragon."
"Ah. That's right. It does exist."
Silver ring and Elix dug into their memories.
< The evil dragon's secret plan. >
They got a hold of an old, thin book some time ago. No one knew anything about dragons in the pioneer days of Royal Road.
They realized that there was a high possibility of the evil dragon turning out to be important in the future, so they had stored it away in the vault.
Elix smiled brightly.
"Indeed. It is uncertain that the answers we seek will be in the text, but I agree on starting with any leads."
"Yes. I think it may be too early and a bit dangerous for us to be starting now, but Kaybern is already awake. But, Ben. Why did you suddenly change your mind?"
"Maybe because… Weed will most likely attempt to stop Kaybern?"
Ben referred back to their adventures of having chased the tracks left by Weed in their exploration, after being referred to as the best adventurers.
"I think he will never give up on anything. No matter what kind of quest, he never forfeited and took his time to complete it."
"That is also how he took out the Embinyu cult."
"He is challenging the impossible. The reason for his fame and respect as an adventurer. So, why don't we compete against him, with the dragon as the objective?"
The impossible adventure, competition!
These words lit a fire in the hearts of Elix and Silver Ring.
In the pioneer days of Royal Road, they traveled day and night in their discovery of new cities, dungeons, and terrains.
They roamed the east and north before any other adventurer found routes.
They had visited way before the development of Morata and the establishment of the Arpen Kingdom.
They remembered the excitement and exhilaration from expeditions of the unexplored wilderness.
Ben grinned.
"We were tailing him until now, but now we are on fair grounds with the dragon as the goal. He has fame and his forces, but we have experience and information. If we succeed with the quest, it will also be a good deed for the continent."
"That's right."
"I agree with that wholeheartedly."
The Shadows of Earth party connected well with one another. If it weren't for that, they would not have been able to chase after the most difficult adventures and quests.
"Let's not fall behind Weed this time."
"Then, let us take off now."
"Onwards!"
(To be continued…)
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