Chapter 61 …
Even after more than 30 minutes of waiting in front of the warp gate, there was still no sign of Kaiser.
Still, they waited.
It was possible he wouldn’t come over immediately—it might take some time.
There was no one here who would give up impatiently after waiting a little for a big catch like Kaiser.
But when one hour passed… then two… then three…
They had no choice but to realize it.
“…Is he seriously making us run in circles right now?”
“Damn it, feels like he’s deliberately coming in late.”
Kaiser was clearly stalling on purpose.
It was one of the tactics scouts hated most—dragging things out before an interview to wear them down.
Or waiting for the right timing to get what you want.
And it was also something they experienced often.
Proud, high-nosed types always used this method to start from a favorable position.
“Ah, screw it! Just stay put. Rotate shifts and keep waiting—what’s he gonna do, never graduate?”
“Let’s see who wins. Anyone with free schedules… no, clear them if you have to. Gather at least five people. We rotate every eight hours.”
“Guild Master, it does seem like stalling. Yes. Understood.”
Naturally, no scout was willing to give up over something like this.
If anything, their competitive spirits were ignited.
If I land this performance, I’m getting promoted immediately.
At least three months of peace from my wife.
Hye-yeon keeps singing about Jeju Island… I’m definitely landing this and taking her.
Please… I’m behind on my loans.
Thus, while each of them carried their own desperate motivations, a fierce battle of patience unfolded.
Even then, the Top Ten guilds didn’t budge.
At most, a few large guilds cautiously began to join in.
And then there was the Hero Guild—one of the few capable of challenging the Top Ten.
Inside its office—
“…It does appear to be stalling. Yes.”
Player Berge, who always ranked within the top five of the Guild Master popularity rankings, listened to the report.
Though his handsome appearance often overshadowed it, he was a man who had become a hero possessing power and influence that rivaled even major guilds.
He was hearing all of this through someone he had planted in advance.
“For now, just keep watching. Contact me immediately if variables arise.”
—Yes. Understood.
He cut off the communication orb indifferently.
On the surface, he looked completely unmoved by the situation—almost cold.
But anyone who knew him would know better.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
When he became serious, he had a habit of tapping the desk with his index finger.
After a brief moment of thought, the first thing he did was summon someone.
“You called, Guild Master!”
“Yes.”
Berge smiled warmly, like a scene from a spring photoshoot—
—but the two men facing him wore stiff expressions.
They knew.
When their master smiled, that was when he was most dangerous.
“BastardSword… and OjinunSeonggiSapsnida… Your names are always quite unique.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Tap. Tap…
The quiet office filled with the soft tapping.
Though the sound itself was light, to them it felt like it was pounding directly into their brains.
The document their guild master was reading also made them extremely uneasy.
Did we make some kind of mistake?
No way… that thing? No, that shouldn’t have been exposed.
If it had, he wouldn’t have called just the two of us.
Gulp.
Their mouths went dry.
Just as BastardSword swallowed nervously, Berge spoke.
“The Raven assassination—proceeding smoothly?”
“…Of course.”
They flinched for only a moment before answering immediately.
Berge stared at them, then nodded.
As his lips slowly parted, the two men focused with cold sweat running down their backs.
“You may leave now.”
“…Pardon?”
It was so unexpected that both men froze.
They even ended up looking at their guild master with pleading eyes.
Instead of repeating himself, Berge simply smiled.
Belatedly regaining his senses, BastardSword bowed.
“Ah—yes, sir. We’ll take our leave.”
“Then…”
“This way, please.”
The secretary escorted the two men out tactfully, leaving Berge alone in the office once more.
When the secretary returned, Berge greeted him kindly.
“Good work. I gave you quite a lot today, didn’t I?”
“Not at all. It’s my job.”
“Then can you do just one more thing before you leave?”
“What would you—”
The secretary’s expression was cautious despite his large build.
Berge answered lightly, as if it were nothing.
“Remove the two you just escorted. And bundle them into the Raven assassination case.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Would you like me to repeat that?”
“N-No. I’ll carry it out.”
“Good work.”
After sending the secretary off with that familiar smile, Berge’s expression turned indifferent again.
“There are always idiots who think they won’t get caught.”
People who believe the world they see is everything—and blindly trust that narrow view.
He tossed the report onto the desk and turned his chair toward the window.
A bright sky came into view.
He liked looking out the window from here.
The clouds were clearly visible.
“Outside or inside… it’s all the same.”
A smile crept onto Berge’s lips again.
But this smile was different.
Not the warm spring breeze from before—
—but something colder.
On the paper carelessly thrown behind him was a detailed evaluation of one individual.
[Presumed to be Izer.]
[Class: Swordsman-type]
[Unconfirmed. However, presumed Weapon Master.]
[Other information: None][Additional Notes]
[Highly likely Kaiser had conflict with the Assassin Boy party… Guild member BastardSword also… Assassin Boy… possible damage to guild image… (truncated)]
Kaiser… not a name I particularly wanted to hear.
Looking at the clouds beyond the window, Berge thought.
How would this man—who never moved as expected—act?
He couldn’t know for certain.
But he could guess one thing.
Whatever happened, it would create massive repercussions.
And it might entangle him in something troublesome.
Probably just paranoia.
It was, after all, an excessive concern.
He was the head of the Hero Guild, a force challenging the Top Ten.
Meanwhile, Kaiser was merely the faded glory of the past.
Ranking first in Raven proved his skills were still alive—but there was no need for caution.
Brion won’t be easy for him.
His glory would end in Raven.
If he hadn’t fixed his old habits from the Demrock days, then with Brion as the next stage, it was practically certain.
In that place… even you won’t be able to do anything.
Partly because of Brion’s nature—
—and because he himself firmly held Rank 1 there.
No matter how great Kaiser was, he wouldn’t surpass him in Brion.
The fallen hero would soon be forgotten.
With that, Berge erased Kaiser from his mind.
There was far too much to do.
He had no time to worry about someone still low-level.
[Indiscriminate PK… A hero is needed.]
[Unending distrust and shattered faith… Is the Hero Guild the only solution?]
[Countless hands of salvation reaching toward the Hero Guild…]
[Hero Guild declares itself the hero!]
The world was full of trash—
—and just as full of people who wanted it cleaned up.
Berge.
The fortress he had built over many years.
Meanwhile, Dohyun—who had suddenly become the center of the world’s attention—
“…Li-za…”
“Ugh… dizzy.”
While Eliza and Jihad struggled to steady themselves after the spatial transfer, Dohyun alone calmly surveyed the surroundings.
It wasn’t because players were immune to warp sickness.
[You fall into the status abnormality ‘Motion Sickness’ for 5 seconds.]
[Trait: Hero activates.]
[Immune to mental contamination due to Hero trait.]
The only drawback of spatial transfer—motion sickness.
Since it counted as mental contamination, his Hero trait blocked it.
An unexpected advantage.
As long as he had the Hero trait, Dohyun could use spatial transfer more efficiently than anyone else.
But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
Where is this?
The marble floor under his palm was cracked—and it wasn’t just the floor.
From the walls to the ceiling, the entire place felt worn down by time.
This place was a temple.
Doesn’t seem like the Grand Temple.
However, it didn’t look like Brion’s Grand Temple at all.
The Grand Temple was said to overwhelm viewers with sheer holiness.
So majestic it could awaken faith in nonbelievers.
There was no way to mistake it.
And this place… frankly speaking…
At best it was a temple.
In reality, it was basically a ruin.
The atmosphere and decorations barely made it recognizable as a temple—otherwise he might not have realized at all.
…Is this really Brion?
He had heard Brion had other temples, but one this run-down seemed unlikely.
Just as a reasonable doubt arose—
[You have entered the second city of the main continent, ‘Brion, City of Promises.’]
[Brion is also called the City of Divine Sanctuaries. Meet your god with the help of priests.]
[You can receive class quests in Brion.]
[Tip: If you wish to lower your Karma, seek the blessing of a High Priest!]
A welcome message for first-time visitors confirmed it.
Honestly, with that crazy god, he had been genuinely worried he’d been sent somewhere random.
Just as Dohyun let out a quiet sigh of relief—
“What was all the commotion…? Ah, so today was the day.”
A heavy, low voice echoed.
Though it sounded quiet, it rang clearly throughout the entire space.
It was hard to even tell where it came from—
—but Dohyun quickly found the source.
“It is earlier than the prophesied day… but this too must be fate.”
The man was already approaching.
Despite the weighty voice, he was short.
Barely over 160 cm, small build, and skin wrinkled with age.
Just an old man in ragged robes—
—but the aura he emitted was anything but small.
Master, be careful. The energy from that one is not ordinary.
Li-li…
…Yeah. I can tell.
Even without Jihad and Eliza’s warning, Dohyun could feel it.
The air grew tense against his skin.
An enemy?
No.
He didn’t feel hostility.
Judging by the situation, he seemed like an NPC—but the nameplate reading “???” made Dohyun wary.
In all his time playing, he had never seen this before.
However—
The moment the old man approached, that caution vanished.
The old man bowed politely.
“I knew it… I have been waiting. Successor who inherits His will…”
“Ah.”
“My name is Gamilion Adran. As a member of the Adran family that has served the royal line since the beginning, I have awaited this moment.”
The old man raised his head, eyes calm—
yet filled with unmistakable excitement and emotion.
In response, Dohyun’s eyes slowly widened.
Because he could see it.
[You have encountered Hidden NPC ‘Gamilion Adran.’]
[Recorded in the Adventurer’s Journal.]
[Class Quest ‘One Step Toward the Truth’ has begun. Hear the erased history of mankind from him.][One Step Toward the Truth]
– Grade: ???, Class Quest
– Description:
The last human and final adventurer, Kashiar.
One who inherits his will deserves to know the true truth. Hear it from Hidden NPC ‘Gamilion Adran.’
– Success: Linked to ‘Gamilion’s Trial’, Main Stream triggered
– Failure: Class quest deleted and class revoked[Quest cannot be refused.]
[Main Quest tab will open upon success.]
“Hidden NPC…? Main quest…?”
Even while staring straight at it, he could hardly believe what he was seeing.
Forgetting to respond, Dohyun muttered blankly—
“…This is insane.”
It was the moment the first Main Quest in God of Ascension had been discovered.
