“I do not know whether you are aware, but the demonfolk cannot exert their full strength in our world. Merely existing in this land consumes their mana moment by moment. The reason they stop their offensive at some point despite holding overwhelming superiority stems from that trait.”
Captain Amada’s explanation continued.
“Because of that, the demonfolk artificially create an environment called a ‘Demon Realm Domain,’ where they can exert their power. It is a space that changes our world to resemble the Demon Realm.”
“And within that Demon Realm Domain, the demonfolk recover their strength and repeat their invasion. Unless we remove the Demon Realm Domain, their supply line will never be cut.”
The adjutant standing beside Captain Amada helped explain.
“It goes without saying, but defeating an enemy whose supplies are never cut off is nearly impossible.”
“Of course, the enemy’s supplies are not infinite either. If we only destroy the Demon Realm Domain, the demon legion, which will have lost its means of supplying the Demon Realm’s power, will collapse just like that.”
Whether we could eliminate the Demon Realm Domain or not. That fact would decide victory or defeat on this front.
“This is the mission I wish to entrust to you. I want you to infiltrate the enemy camp alone and destroy the Demon Realm Domain.”
“We have already completed the investigation into the method of destruction. If you destroy the Demon Realm Core at the center of the Demon Realm Domain, the core, the Demon Realm Domain will lose its supply from the Demon Realm and collapse as a whole. However.......”
“The Demon Realm Core is believed to be heavily protected at the center of the enemy garrison. Even after the battle begins, a considerable force will likely be guarding the Demon Realm Core.”
“......The one with the skill to defeat demonfolk soldiers alone and destroy the Demon Realm Core they are protecting is only you in this base, no. On this battlefield, Kylo.”
It was truly an impossible challenge.
However, Captain Amada and his adjutant turned their eyes filled with expectation toward me, the player.
“Of course, we will not force only you to taste hell. Today, when the battle begins, every soldier on this Eighth Supply Front will launch an all-out offensive. You will use that chaos to infiltrate the enemy camp.”
They were not recklessly forcing an impossible challenge onto me. Captain Amada emphasized that the entire base would act as a diversion and draw the demonfolk’s attention.
“This is an operation that stakes the lives of everyone in this Eighth Supply Base. In a situation where we do not know whether we can even survive today, this is the only chance left.”
Would I die together with them in this hell? Or would I die opening a path of survival in another hell?
“I am sorry, but we must each risk our lives in different hells. What do you say?”
Captain Amada’s choice offered only two options.
Either one carried the weight of hell.
“Will you risk your life for humanity’s survival?”
It was an extremely desperate situation, and the difficulty was genuinely high.
From this point on, the hidden quest’s difficulty rose sharply, so even among the experts I knew, many people here got exhausted and raised the white flag.
But.
“Understood.”
I lightly nodded and accepted Captain Amada and his adjutant’s proposal.
I was someone who had already conquered this quest to the end. A difficult quest? It was only good for getting my feelings back.
“Thank you, Hero Kylo......!”
“I thank you for your decision, Kylo!”
When I accepted the operation, Captain Amada and his adjutant bowed their heads in gratitude.
[Accepted linked quest!]
[Hidden Quest]
[Destroying the Cornerstone of Medusius’s Demon Realm Domain]
◆ Grade: Heroic
─[The Eighth Supply Front is on the verge of annihilation. Infiltrate the Medusius Army’s base, destroy the Demon Realm Domain’s core, and save the soldiers of the Eighth Supply Front.]
◆ Objective
─[Destroy the Demon Realm Domain Core]
◆ Reward
─[Medusius weakened]
─[Linked quest occurs]
BWOOOOOOO─!!
That was when it happened. No sooner had I accepted the quest than the horn inside the base began to sound.
“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”
“The demonfolk forces are advancing again!”
The end of the Eighth Supply Front was approaching.
“I am sorry I cannot explain in more detail, Kylo. Follow the adjutant’s guidance for the rest! Adjutant! Guide him to the secret passage, then rejoin us!”
“Understood! Kylo, are your preparations complete? Once you depart, you may not be able to return!”
[If you proceed with the quest, you may not be able to return to the base.]
[Continue?]
[Yes / No]
This was the final preparation section of the [Medusius] hidden quest.
This was the last chance for general preparations, and after this, shops and the like could not be used separately.
‘What do I need to check.......’
Even when I tried to check something, since this was the tutorial section, there was not much to prepare separately.
It was probably a term prepared so people could exchange for a few more consumables, but I had not farmed, and I had already exchanged everything I needed to.
At most, what remained was checking how many potions I had left.
Even most of those had been scattered at other players, so only around ten or so remained for me to use. Not that I particularly needed potions anyway.
Other than that.......
‘Hm?’
That was after I lightly checked my inventory. One item in the hologram UI before my eyes had a red light on it.
‘Ah, the title.’
Come to think of it, I had not checked the [Massacrer] title yet.
[Massacrer]
◆ Grade: Legendary
◆ Effect(Permanently Applied)
[Attack damage increases each time you defeat enemies consecutively. Damage +1% when effect applies(Maximum +5%)]
[The more you attack consecutively, the less easily your posture collapses. Stagger resistance +1% when effect applies(Maximum +5%)]
[Inflicts intimidation on humanoid enemies and NPCs.]
─[A massacrer who cut down countless enemies. Each time you swing your blood-soaked sword, the instincts of the massacre make the sword dance beyond the body’s limits.]
‘Still the same.’
[Massacrer] was one of the high-performance titles that had received great reviews even on the old original server.
Its overall effects were subtle, but its strength was that because it was a title effect, you could receive it without any restrictions. The numbers were low, but it also gave stagger resistance, which was a precious effect.
The fact that it intimidated humanoid enemies, made them flee more easily, and could trigger intimidation events with NPCs was.......
good, but considering the difficulty of obtaining it, it was more like a white elephant.
There were easier event-type titles to obtain for that purpose, so people usually substituted those instead.
In any case, all of its effects were good, and the only drawback was that its acquisition condition was extremely difficult.
Because the acquisition condition was to kill several hundred humanoid enemies alone, without a party.
‘To think I’d get that through PVP.......’
Originally, it was a title you could only obtain after killing hundreds of humanoid monsters, so you could only get it quite late in the game.
Even then, because you had to kill monsters in large numbers, it was hard for melee classes to obtain even after several seasons, while magic and area-of-effect classes were said to have an easier time getting it.
Magic and area-of-effect classes had an easier time obtaining it, but the title description made it sound like it belonged to a class that used blades, so people often said things like “blood-soaked sword(never swung).”
‘Getting this right after starting the game.’
It felt like starting a single-player game with an item you could only obtain after the ending through a cheat code.
Well, good things were good.
‘Hm, in any case, that’s about it.’
I had finished checking the newly obtained title, and I had checked my remaining potion count too.
I answered the adjutant.
“My preparations are complete.”
“I will guide you! This way!”
Then the adjutant ran ahead, and I followed after him.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
“Watch out!”
“Magic is coming!”
No sooner had we come out of the base than enormous stones and lumps of mana flew from the sky. Maybe because the graphical effects were better than before, the screen even stuttered and cut off slightly.
BOOOOM!
“The watchtower has been destroyed!”
“Give up on it! Archers, prepare to fire! Mages, stand by to cast!”
In an instant, the base was turning into a scene of pandemonium. The soldiers barely began responding, but at this rate, there was no telling how long the base would last.
FSSSSSSSSHHH!
Beyond the supply base’s walls, the [Medusius Serpent]’s poison breath flashed, burned the surroundings, and shot into the sky.
RUMBLE!
The aftermath of the breath spat out by the [Medusius Serpent] shook the entire area, but fortunately, the wall endured the [Medusius Serpent]’s breath.
“The wall is at its limit!”
“Hurry with repairs and antidote enchantments!”
To reinforce the wall ruined by the breath, soldiers with free hands ran toward it.
“This way!”
When the quake from the breath stopped, the adjutant began running through the base again. How long had I followed him?
We arrived at the entrance of the secret passage.
“The passage is a single path. If you keep going forward, you should emerge in the middle of the plains. You will need fire.”
After finishing his brief explanation, the adjutant took a torch hanging nearby and handed it to me.
“I will now rejoin the captain. I wish you fortune in battle, Kylo!”
RUMBLE, RUMBLE! BOOOOM!
The attack of a monster army. Leaving behind the roars, screams, shouts, and impacts, I headed inside the secret passage.
‘So the quest begins in earnest now.’
From here, interaction with NPCs ended, and an underground dungeon, at least for this passage, began.
‘I just need to go step by step.’
In the blind spots of an enclosed dungeon like this, you never knew what kind of traps might be hidden. Acting hastily in a dark place was forbidden.
‘Here, I might die even if something just grazes me.’
In this section where the character’s level was fixed at 1, everything was an instant-death trap. It was important to proceed carefully, even if it was slow.
Of course, judging by the situation, it looked like the base would fall and the NPCs would be massacred at any moment unless I quickly blew up the Demon Realm Core, but.......
‘There actually isn’t a time limit.’
Surprisingly, this quest had no time limit.
Had they judged that adding a time limit on top of being level 1 would make the difficulty too harsh?
On top of that, the specs of the weapon granted also varied greatly depending on the completion rate.
Splash, splash.......
That was while I advanced through the dark passage, relying on the torchlight. The ground began splashing, and puddles appeared one by one.
My boots got wet, and an unpleasant sensation began to register.
‘I should be able to change this in the settings.’
I opened the settings menu and found the sensory simulator item. Then I turned the “feet getting wet while wearing boots” option OFF.
Splash, splash.
Then I only felt the sensation of walking through water puddles, and my feet no longer got wet. It was completely waterproof, as if I were wearing thick boots.
Splash, splash, splash.......
As only the eerie sound of water echoed through the dark passage.
“GrrrRrr.......”
At some point, the breathing of a monster mixed in for a moment.
‘It starts here.’
I activated the Supply Sword and held it in my right hand, which was not holding the torch.
It was quite classic, but what would happen from now on was that. A jump scare where a monster suddenly popped out and went “Boo!”
Splash.
“GRAAAA!!!!!”
Sure enough, as soon as I took a few steps forward, a goblin rushed at me from up ahead.
“Hup.”
SLASH!
Without any need to parry, I sliced the goblin flying through the air into two pieces.
Of course, if it ended here, this hidden quest zone would not have been called vicious.
“GraAAaa!”
“KRAAA!”
“GRAKAaAA!!!!”
The remaining goblins, having heard their companion’s death cry, began rushing in one after another from the front.
A section where many enemies rushed in while lighting was limited was quite difficult. Right now, my specs were low too.
The difficulty itself could not compare to the early Goblin Rider or the [Medusius Serpent], but in a chaotic battle like this, there were cases where you died after getting grazed by mistake. It could be considered a section where mistakes were likely.
But, well.
‘If I make a mistake at this level, I can’t play.’
CLANG!
I took a stance while holding the torch and Supply Sword. Then I jumped toward the swarm of goblins rushing in.
“GRAKA!!!”
SLASH!
I split the lead goblin into two pieces again. Carrying that momentum, I rotated my body and seared the face of the goblin charging in next with the torch in my other hand.
FWOOSH!
“GKRAKAKAAaaak!!?!!!??”
Slice!
I stabbed the body of the goblin writhing in pain as its entire face was burned. And while lifting the entire body of the goblin skewered on my blade and using it as a shield.......
“Haaaaa!”
I used that momentum and charged forward.
Goblins were representative lightweight monsters. Rather than getting scared and using evasive movement for no reason, it was safer to unleash a stronger heavy attack because that could cancel their attacks.
Even if that heavy attack was this reckless charge using a single goblin corpse as a substitute shield.
THWACK! THWACK! THUD! CRASH!
“GRAK!?!?!”
“KArAk?!”
The gathered goblins could not withstand the momentum of the charge and were flung in every direction. I did not stop and continued charging.
Splash, splash, splash, splash! THUD!
Then soon, I collided with the cave wall and the charge stopped. The passage had changed direction partway through, causing me to crash into the wall.
I quickly shook off the goblin stuck on my sword.
SPLASH!
“GRrrA!!”
Then the thrown goblin corpse struck other goblins and knocked them down.
I swiftly swung the torch and sword wildly around me, cutting off the goblins’ attacks before they could begin and cutting the goblins down.
SLASH! SLAAASH!
“Whew......!”
I was out of breath, probably because I had used my stamina to the limit. To recover my stamina, I withdrew my offensive.
“GRrrr......!”
“GrrraaKA......!”
About half the goblin swarm had collapsed, but quite a few still remained. Due to this quest’s structure, there was no need to wipe them out.
I watched the goblins behind me so they could not stab me in the back and continued walking through the passage.
The water puddles gradually disappeared,
FLASH......!
and bright light stabbed into my eyes. There were holes in places along the passage’s ceiling, and light was entering through them.
‘Is this almost the end?’
The fact that outside light was entering meant the passage’s exit had come close before I knew it.
In truth, after this, if I only broke through the final gate, this passage dungeon would be over.
And if it was the final gate of such a dungeon section in a game, there was naturally only one thing.
“Hmph. I thought there was an impressive cave, and as expected, it was a side path for rats.”
A sneering voice with a gloomy tone reached me. One character was walking toward me from the exit direction.
It was a Dark Elf, a hostile race often seen in Elysium. Their outfit was light armor commonly seen on Assassins.
[Dark Elf Assassin].
That was the boss of this passage dungeon.
Step, step.
Despite being an assassin boss, the [Dark Elf Assassin] approached me without any intention of hiding their footsteps.
“I do not know what scheme you have plotted, but the superiority of the [Medusius Army] is clear. It means that no matter what you rats attempt, our victory is certain. Do you understand? And you will die by my hand here. I will take that meaningless, worthless life of yours here.”
SHING!
The [Dark Elf Assassin] drew their sword and entered the combat stance. The start of a typical boss fight.
[Hidden objective unlocked!]
As if announcing that beginning, an objective unlocked.
◆ Additional Objectives
─[Prevent the ‘Dark Elf Assassin’ from attacking the Eighth Supply Base.]
─[??????]
A newly opened additional objective.
It looked like nothing special, but in truth, this objective was also an important checkpoint in this hidden quest.
‘The quest isn’t to kill him, but to block him.’
In truth, that [Dark Elf Assassin] was a boss difficult to defeat within this hidden quest.
With standard play, you could not kill him here, and it was closer to a gimmick where you had to “run away” while responding to his attacks.
Therefore, the hidden objective that had just opened did not describe killing the [Dark Elf Assassin], but only something closer to obstructing him.
So it was technically possible to ignore him and proceed quickly. However.......
‘That can’t be called real clear.’
If you ignored the [Dark Elf Assassin] and passed by here, the [Dark Elf Assassin] and monsters would use this secret passage in reverse and attack the Eighth Supply Base.
And because of that, the NPCs of the Eighth Supply Base would be wiped out more quickly, and the latter half of this hidden quest’s story would change.
Therefore, somehow obstructing the [Dark Elf Assassin] here and preventing him from attacking the Eighth Supply Base was closer to the “real” strategy.
And of course,
‘I succeeded in blocking him before too.’
I had already succeeded in this real strategy before.
Therefore, obstructing the [Dark Elf Assassin] here would be easy, but.......
‘I’d like to have some footage to show for that Legend Video or whatever, you know.’
Since my gameplay footage was going to be shown to others anyway, wouldn’t it be better to show a slightly more perfect performance?
Clack.
I pointed the Supply Sword toward the [Dark Elf Assassin].
‘Shall I do it?’
I decided to defeat the [Dark Elf Assassin] outright.
A boss that, ordinarily, could not be killed.