novelzi Chapter 75
Chapter 75
Chapter 75
‘The Abyss...!’
What exactly was the Abyss?
Wasn’t it the decisive force that led humanity to defeat in the war against the gods?
A being so dangerous and feared that it was erased from history.
Now that the original humanity had vanished, only a very small number of people in God of Savior truly understood the existence of the Abyss.
Even among the players, it was no different.
‘Only something like the Ironblooded Dragon might know about it.’
While it’s possible to encounter the Abyss in the tutorial, that only applies to those who pursued the hidden piece.
Ordinary players didn’t even know what the Ironblooded Dragon was.
Even for those who knew its identity, it was much the same.
‘They’d probably just think, “Oh, so there’s something called the Abyss.” That’s what I thought at first too.’
Most people probably wouldn’t know much about the Abyss.
Even Kang Do-hyeon only learned of its existence after becoming the successor of Kashiar.
And yet, here it was, appearing already—just a short while after he learned the truth of the world’s lore.
‘How can the timing be like this?’
It was such impeccable timing that it almost seemed like someone had orchestrated it in advance.
Before that, why did the name appear here of all places?
This was a temple.
Not just any temple, but one located in the second city of the main continent.
While it was a Grand Temple renowned even in the Empire, the mention of the Abyss was unexpected.
What made it more startling was that the quest suddenly changed to this.
‘The quest changed when the “Top Graduate” title triggered a reaction. It seems to be a kind of hidden synergy quest....’
It appeared to be a synergy quest that triggered when a player with the Top Graduate title obtained the quest item, Ominous Energy.
Such quests weren’t unheard of.
They often came with tricky conditions, as if to mock the players by daring them to obtain them.
‘Hah, what a way to stumble upon this.’
He couldn’t decide if he should call this sheer luck or attribute it to the influence of the Eye of Truth.
Whatever the case, it was a boon for Do-hyeon.
Since it was a hidden piece, the rewards were likely amplified as well.
For a moment, he wondered if Gamillion knew that traces of the Abyss existed in Brion, but he chose to focus on the present.
‘They said it was our duty to deal with this trace, right?’
That meant they were among the ‘few’ who knew about the Abyss.
It was somewhat puzzling.
‘If you think about it, the Abyss was created because the gods invaded. Wouldn’t they know that much?’
Then again, the current humanity blindly believed in and followed the gods.
With the truth of human history erased, the Abyss would simply be portrayed as villains, while the gods took on the image of benevolent fathers.
As a result, the power and influence of the gods only grew stronger.
“The Abyss, which has existed since the beginning of time, was so dangerous that even the omnipotent gods were wary of it. Their ability to corrupt was far from ordinary. Thus, the compassionate god, Lair, entrusted us with the duty of erasing their traces so that the innocent lambs would not be deceived.”
As expected.
Hearing Gildetti’s words about the benevolent god and the primordial existence, Do-hyeon nodded along appropriately.
Now that he knew the truth, the gods’ brazen attitude left him speechless, but the Abyss was still a universal enemy.
It wasn’t an entirely false statement.
“And so... hm.”
Was it too obvious that he wasn’t impressed?
The High Priest’s eyes glimmered strangely as he paused to observe Do-hyeon.
“Normally, one would be astonished... Do you know about the Abyss?”
“...I’ve heard a little.”
“...! An outsider knows of the Abyss?! How far has this spread already...!”
Do-hyeon’s candid response was met with an outburst from behind.
It was the blond knight from earlier.
Was this what it meant to have one’s eyes flipped in rage?
Thinking about it that way, Jihad seemed to be in a similar situation.
‘No, wait. That guy forgot about it and moved on.’
While Do-hyeon was briefly lost in thought, Gildetti continued speaking.
“Still, he’s an admirable child. He didn’t collapse under the weight of it and achieved the youngest knighthood in Brion at the age of 14. Now, at 19, he serves as the High Priest’s personal knight. There’s a reason Sir Lebed has chosen him as the next candidate for the Holy Knights’ captaincy. Isn’t that right, Sir Taxinel?”
“...Though he still has much to learn, his potential is undeniable.”
Taxinel, while sounding reluctant, couldn’t completely hide the pride in his voice.
Hearing this, Do-hyeon’s perspective on Zerdic shifted as well.
‘The youngest knight and a future Holy Knights captain... So that’s why his nameplate was red.’
While his current strength was uncertain, it was clear that Zerdic was an NPC brimming with talent.
Brion’s Lair Holy Knights, affiliated with the Grand Temple, were renowned as one of the strongest knightly orders.
This was largely due to the presence of their captain, Sir Lebed.
‘Wasn’t it said he split a tidal wave with a single sword strike? The community went crazy about it, I think.’
Lebed had demonstrated his strength in a single event in front of players, and his power was still discussed even a year later.
His name appeared frequently in NPC strongest character debates, even if he wasn’t one of the Seven Strongest.
He was definitely a powerhouse comparable to them.
To think that Zerdic was a potential successor—it showed his incredible promise.
“I’ve digressed too much.”
Gildetti’s voice brought Do-hyeon out of his thoughts.
The High Priest extended his hand toward Do-hyeon.
“The traces of the Abyss are always the highest priority. We will handle this here, but could you investigate if there are any corrupted monsters nearby?”
“Understood.”
“Monsters that are in advanced stages of corruption will visibly appear as mutants.
However, those in the early stages won’t show outward signs, so please collect their blood for analysis.”
Ding.
[Would you like to accept the linked quest, “In Search of Abyssal Traces”?]
[In Search of Abyssal Traces]
– Grade: Rare+
– Description: Abyssal traces are highly dangerous and provocative.
When low-intelligence monsters consume them, they are quickly corrupted, exhibiting extreme aggression, which in turn endangers citizens.
Gildetti seeks to uncover why these traces have appeared.
Investigate whether there are mutant monsters, and collect Orc blood.
– Condensed Orc Blood (0 / 50)
– Explore the Salt-Rock Forest (0 / 1)
– Quest Rewards: Increased favorability with Gildetti, Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket, and the generation of a linked quest, “???”
– Quest Failure: Linked quest becomes unavailable.
‘Oh... an Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket!’
The quest’s grade had risen to Rare+, and the rewards were significantly upgraded.
The reward had changed from a Low-grade Skill Draw Ticket to an Intermediate one!
A smile crept onto Do-hyeon’s lips.
‘This feels good.’
If he was already getting an Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket, the rewards for the final stages would surely be even greater.
The quest’s content also suited him.
Since he was already working on a main quest requiring him to hunt a thousand monsters, this was a two-birds-with-one-stone situation.
In that sense, collecting blood was less tedious than the materials he had to gather in previous quests.
“All right. I’ll check it out and return soon.”
“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”
After exchanging farewells, Do-hyeon stepped outside, only to hear a cold voice.
“Hey.”
“?”
Turning around, he saw a familiar face.
A handsome man with sleek blond hair, Zerdic, was leaning against the wall.
‘What now?’