Chapter 997)**
〈Achievement: Kuzgunak’sh’s Last Wish (S+)〉
Congratulations!
You fulfilled the desire of the Ancient red dragon 『Kuzgunak’sh』.
“I have dedicated my life to liberating the queen. Even when accused by all dragons, including my kin, the Red Dragons, under Onyx’s command… I worked for the future of the Chromatic Dragons. However, due to my shortcomings, I let the queen be manipulated by trifles like the Demon King’s Fragment. It’s miserable and resentful that I couldn’t create an opportunity to serve a truly strong queen free from Onyx’s oppression… It’d be better to kill me. Kill me and reseal our incomplete queen once more. If Le were to place my head before the queen, even in death, I wouldn’t truly die. If you, who now hear my wish, join forces with me, you won’t have to witness the queen being manipulated in death. I believe my unfortunate kin will surely understand me.”
Even at the moment when his Dragon Heart was shattered and he saw his head severed from his body, Kuzgunak’sh expressed concern only for the Chromatic Dragons. His final wish, until the moment of his death, for a better future for the Chromatic Dragons was to kill Tiamat!
He succeeded in assaulting her from within Tiamat as promised. The damage Kuzgunak’sh inflicted on Tiamat was akin to the greatest harm you inflicted during your lifetime.
As the oldest among the Red Dragons and the most eccentric among the Chromatic Dragons, evaluations of Kuzgunak’sh among the Chromatic Dragons will gradually change.
Reward: 30 Stat Points
Gained the authority to request a ceasefire during a battle with a red dragon.
(This is an achievement without a Hall of Fame.)
“Kuzgunak’sh… It’s no surprise that my accumulated damage ranking against Tiamat is number one.”
It was an aspect not easily understood by others who experienced the Tiamat battle, including Leeha himself.
Why was he ranked first, despite not actually causing any damage?
Was it because Leeha’s 〈White Reaper〉 exploded at the moment Tiamat’s Dragon Heart was destroyed, and Onyx was absorbing the heart’s power?
From that perspective, it doesn’t explain the actions of Bailephus, who ranked second, and Alexander, who ranked third. And, of course, it was a reasonable conclusion.
“Who would have guessed that the damage caused to Kuzgunak’sh while alive would transpose to damage inflicted on Tiamat?”
Leeha was ranked first for a simple reason.
He was the one who destroyed Kuzgunak’sh’s Dragon Heart.
It made perfect sense that Bailephus, who strove tirelessly to create such a situation, and Alexander, who sustained the restraint on Kuzgunak’sh for a long time, ranked third, with no other users ranking below that.
Lark’s swift control of the atmosphere in the hall and his intention to head towards the Vatican treasure chamber was not something Leeha would let go unnoticed.
“Lark-ssi, we should at least finish our discussion first. We can always choose items or rewards before departure, right? We need to decide how many teams to split into and who will be in each team first. Afterwards, it’s better to select rewards.”
Leeha could not leave users not targeted for a reward waiting indefinitely, nor did he want to hear Lark’s thoughts.
Lark was one of the users who understood Chiyou’s personality well and one who could engage in a ‘battle of wits’ with her.
What was he thinking?
Lark listened to Leeha and looked a little troubled.
“Well, I don’t have a perfect plan, but each of you here must have thought of something while hearing Ha Leeha’s ‘team division’ idea.”
“What were you thinking, Lark-ssi?”
Lark replied without hesitation to Fernand’s question.
It’s not about dividing into teams and appointing leaders immediately, like he’d thought.
It was a much more primitive and fundamental thought. He considered their perspective of Chiyou’s standpoint to attack them.
“Who does Chiyou think possesses it? Since she can’t attack twice or thrice, she’ll choose without fail. She’ll make the safest and most definitive choice.”
Who is the most likely to possess it?
It was only natural that the eyes of the Vatican office users focused in one direction.
Even the Pope sharing their gaze was somewhat surprising to the users.
“It would be… Ha Leeha.”
“That is correct, Your Holiness.”
Upon the Pope’s words, rarek nodded. Nonetheless, Leeha, the one identified, had a bewildered expression.
“Me? Oh? No, no! Chiyou is no fool! The first priority is Master Kay! It’s that Kijung guy, the second is Alexander, and the third is Fernand in order—.”
“Ha! I knew this would happen. Knowing oneself is hard, they say! Ha Leeha needs a more detailed assessment of himself.”
Leeha intended to briefly mention potential team compositions and leaders for the 〈Laputa〉 trip, but Lark interrupted him.
“What do you mean…”
“I can assure you, Chiyou… among all the users present here, she wouldn’t be intimidated by anyone. Whether it was an ambush or anything else, with her information network and financial power, she would find a way to trouble us. Even against Alexander, she might believe she could win.”
Alexander, along with Bailephus, looked displeased as they glared at Lark, but Lark did not even glance in their direction.
Lark’s face, which had relaxed at one side of his mouth, was steadily becoming more focused.
His fierce gaze was directed at only one person.
“However, not against Ha Leeha.”
Despite maintaining a jovial tone even within the papacy, there was a different intensity and resolve in his demeanor now.
“You hold me in such high regard? Even Chiyou?”
“Rather than high regard, how should I say…”
Lark scratched his head before replying.
“Ambiguity, uncertainty, indeterminacy, perhaps?”
“What?”
“Chiyou is the kind of user who has her information network spread across the entirety of Minis. What she fears most is something she doesn’t know. I’ve heard about the awakening of Pyrot-Cocri as well. Even if it meant giving the Demon King’s Fragments another tool, she wanted to know about it… And the user closest and most informed about it. To Chiyou, Ha Leeha is someone who is ‘unintelligible and unpredictable’. Therefore, she would seek to exploit you.”
Could it have been through Petyr that he heard?
Leeha was surprised to learn that Lark already knew about the dealings between Pyrot-Cocri and Chiyou, but there was no time to marvel over that.
His words resolved a mystery related to 〈Laputa〉.
Even if Chiyou acquired 〈Key of Jannate〉, how could she reach Laputa? Now, they must have learned about it from the very individual who dealt with Pyrot-Cocri.
‘Using 《Arcane Bullet》 might break through the barrier.’
There was a time when he dispelled Elizabeth’s weapon. If the deletion by Arcane Bullet applies even to inanimate objects…
The barrier of Laputa shouldn’t be immune either.
Lark’s assertion contained this idea, although very few users comprehended its full scope.
Listening to the sudden dialogue between Lark and Leeha, Kijung hesitantly spoke up.
“Well, then— what Lark means is… that Leeha-hyung shouldn’t have 〈Key of Jannate〉, right? Since there’s a high likelihood of Chiyou’s assault, it means it should be passed on to another team, doesn’t it?”
What was the conclusion embedded in Lark’s assertion?
Was he saying that because there was a higher probability of Chiyou attacking Leeha, it should never be given to him?
Hearing Kijung’s question, Lark pondered deeply.
“It’s like playing rock-paper-scissors and announcing ‘I’ll throw rock’.”
“Hmm? What?”
“It’s a matter that can’t be decided by mere prediction. Ah, have I said enough? Then, Your Holiness! By the way, how many item rights might you grant me? Ideally, it’d be nice to have five or six to equip a full set.”
“L-Lark!”
“If I acquire a lot, that’s also good for Nara, right? Isn’t it?”
Lark cheerfully approached the pope.
Despite Shin Nara’s embarrassment, attempting to dissuade him, the pope merely smiled awkwardly.
“Rock-paper-scissors… it implies a never-ending chain, I suppose.”
“Hmm, I also agree with Lark’s words. There’s nothing more dangerous than recklessly predicting an enemy’s decision.”
“First, the key thing seems to be distributing our forces. How many will participate, who will go, and into how many teams to divide them….”
Although they wanted to determine who would carry the key to Laputa, at this point, dividing users or forming teams was challenging.
Ultimately, the users gathered to receive 〈Key of Jannate〉 couldn’t decide on anything presently.
They could only focus on setting a deadline for participant discussions to delineate teams drawn from that.
After some discussion, they set a deadline of 15 days.
Fifteen days in Middle Earth’s timeframe, with a consensus to leave for Laputa within 72 hours in real-time.
“Alright then, let’s go receive our items! Your Holiness?”
“Of-of course. Haha… Such enthusiasm is invigorating indeed. Then, in the name of the 〈Sacred Alliance〉, I officially express my gratitude.”
While Lark was being playful, Shin Nara felt deeply embarrassed.
Anyway, Lark’s attitude was not wrong. Thanks to the fastest reward demands from the top contributors in the Tiamat battle, not only Leeha but also the players involved in the battle received an official notification.
Regarding the battle against Tiamat, the “Sacred Alliance” extended their announcement.
All participants who have defeated at least one Chimera in the war are scheduled to receive rewards differentiated by combat merit. Please visit either the Ezwen Papal Square on the Rope Continent or the Juma City “Sacred Alliance!”
General Headquarters on the Erika Continent for combat record verification prior to claiming your rewards.
『User: Ha Leeha, White Reaper』
He was the player with the top accumulated damage to Tiamat.
Granted authority to acquire two items within the Ezwen Papacy Treasure Vault.
Restriction: items of Legendary grade only.
He was ranked 683rd in accumulated Chimera kills.
Buff: “Ahlo’s Embracing Touch” applied for 20 days.
“Ranked 683rd? Well, I haven’t really hunted many Chimera.”
If it were Manticore or Chromatic Dragons, it would have been different, but Leeha had not directly killed many Chimeras.
Though mildly disappointed with the mediocre ranking, Leeha did not need to be greedy, knowing he wouldn’t reach the top ranks in the Chimera list anyway.
The significant part was being able to obtain two items from the papacy’s vault!
“Alright… What should I take?”
Leeha pondered as he exited the papacy. Was there an item he needed urgently right now?
“With Black Bass in such condition, I definitely don’t need weapons.”
An item that could drastically boost his MP would be considerably beneficial. Nevertheless, he also recognized that he didn’t have many spots left to equip gear.
“Well, since I have two days, first… I should ask what’s necessary.”
Therefore, Leeha’s choice wasn’t strange. Why be greedy if he didn’t need to be?
He decided to bring it to someone who truly needed the item. Someone he cherished, not just anyone.
“Hwayeon!”
Leeha couldn’t hide his smile the moment he saw Ram Hwayeon. It was the same for Ram Hwayeon too.
Her eyes were still in shock, but her mouth revealed her true feelings.
“Leeha, uh, what’s the matter?”
Regrettably, she couldn’t express herself more due to the setting.
Since there was no longer any need for her to oversee on-site activities, she was attending to miscellaneous duties in her fortress’s large office, where not only paleo but also many guild “Hwahong” users had newly transferred.
Leeha could feel the intimidating gaze of Hwahong users on him.
“Ahem, well, you see… I have something important to discuss…”
“Is that so? Then, let’s talk inside. Any important matter should be discussed privately.”
Reluctantly taking Leeha’s word, Ram Hwayeon pointed to her private office installed in one corner of the office.
Leeha and Ram Hwayeon awkwardly maintained their distance as they crossed the office.
They could occasionally hear the sound of turning pages and the conversations of superiors and subordinates giving orders, but Leeha and Ram Hwayeon understood.
Every living being in the room was concentrated on them.
Creaak…
As they entered Ram Hwayeon’s office and just as Leeha awkwardly cleared his throat to speak—
“Why did you take so long!”
Ram Hwayeon hugged Leeha.
“Uh, uh?”
Leeha was the most startled of anyone.