Chapter 173 …
One week.
To some, it’s a short time. To others, it can feel long.
Time that could feel completely different depending on the person. And if [Do-hyeon] had to choose, he was confident he would firmly pick the latter.
Because the past week had felt like an eternity to him.
To be precise, it wasn’t the time itself—it was the quests that had been unbearably long.
“Oh, you’ve already gathered them? Good. Then the next material is…”
“…Again?”
“Again? There’s still plenty left.”
“…”
Every time he managed to collect the materials, he would immediately be assigned the next quest as if they had been waiting.
The first quest had been manageable. A few materials could be bought at the shop, and others were just basic loot from bosses, easy enough to get.
Things really started to get intense with the second quest. That’s when he began raiding the troll settlements in earnest.
“Oh, nice. You gathered them well. Then this time, let’s raid another settlement.”
“…Why?”
“Because we need it. Aren’t you going to check the info?”
Sigh.
It seemed like he had gotten a taste for it, because after that he was sent to raid three more settlements in a row.
And that wasn’t all—just how many materials did he need to collect? Each one had a name he had never seen before, and unsurprisingly, not a single one appeared in the auction house.
In the end, he had to grind them out himself.
The fifth quest was the most absurd.
“Good. The next material is a Cartimac, a jewel considered extremely rare… Among collectors, its value is in its name. Bring it from the troll settlement.”
“The trolls have that? Why? Why on earth?”
“How should I know? Maybe collecting jewels is their hobby. Those guys love gathering random stuff anyway.”
What, were the trolls supposed to be some kind of Doraemon-like magic pocket?
They weren’t dragons or goblins, just these rugged-looking guys—collecting jewels? Ridiculous as it was, Do-hyeon managed to get it.
Thus, after experiencing something akin to Hercules’ twelve labors, he successfully completed seven grueling quests.
“If it weren’t for the Eye of Truth, it probably would have taken months…”
Do-hyeon realized why the time limit had been set so short—less than half a month. Even he wouldn’t have managed without the Eye of Truth.
Anyway, he had done it. And then he received this:
[Angela’s Secret]
Rank: Hero
Description: The wandering NPC Luriel will tell you a story about Angela if you meet all her conditions. Follow her to hear the details.
Reward on Completion: 300 gold, a certain amount of experience, triggers linked quest
Risk on Failure: The wandering NPC Luriel will consider you a very strange person.
Time Limit: None
Finally, he had earned the right to hear the secret about Angela.
But that wasn’t his only gain.
[Player: Kaiser]
[Level: 67]
[HP: 7,650 / 7,900]
[MP: 3,760 / 5,040]
[Stamina: 630 / 1,240]
[Class: Last Adventurer <Successor of Kashiyar>]
[Titles (12)]
Max Affinity from the Start?
First Slayer
…(expand)
[Stats]
<Strength: 140(+116)> <Agility: 150(+116)>
<Stamina: 5(+130)> <Perception: 60(+104)>
<Magic: 90(+105)>
Remaining Points: 32
From level 60, the climb is notoriously slow—the “Cursed 70th Floor.” Months of effort would normally be required, yet he had scaled to the 67th floor in just one week.
It was the benefit of a ridiculous number of grinding quests.
Anyone hearing this might mutter, “Damn, if you’re gonna lie, at least make it convincing.”
But to Do-hyeon, it felt only natural.
“I should get this much.”
Normally, he would have received the experience over months, but now it was all at once. Whether he attached 5,000 doll eyes over three months or in one week, the reward was the same. The sheer speed of hunting made it possible.
“Still, growth is faster than I expected.”
Considering he had been in Fratel for less than two weeks, his pace exceeded expectations. He never imagined he’d hear about Angela only at this level—but now, it didn’t matter.
Step, step.
Now, all that remained was to hear the story.
“Strange… you were in such a rush before, but now you don’t rush at all while walking.”
Do-hyeon’s calm attitude seemed to surprise Luriel.
“Aren’t you curious where I’m taking you?”
“We’ll see when we get there.”
“Hmm~”
Do-hyeon replied indifferently. Luriel snorted lightly, shrugged, and stopped worrying—it seemed she agreed with him.
“I’d be lying if I said I’m not curious.”
Though he pretended disinterest, he was indeed curious. They had been walking for 20 minutes, yet there was no sign of arrival.
Huff, huff… Master… c-could you go a bit slower…
Hmm… where does a young girl get that kind of stamina…
Riza! Riza!
Twenty minutes might sound short, but at Do-hyeon’s standard, it was a considerable distance. Jihad was struggling, panting heavily, and Eliza was cheering from his robe pocket.
“So she really does have commander-level specs.”
Maintaining that speed without faltering in breath—impressive.
Still, the question remained: where exactly was this extraordinary girl taking them? If she said she would talk about Angela, why were they walking for over 20 minutes?
Thud, thud.
Unfortunately, that curiosity remained unanswered for now.
“We’ve come just over halfway.”
“…Half?”
“The path is tricky, so we had to detour a bit.”
Even after all that walking, they had only covered half the distance. Jihad looked defeated, like a citizen who had lost their country, but Do-hyeon felt bright and upbeat.
“Walking in silence is boring… You asked about Angela, right? I’ll tell you some while we walk.”
Returning by a path they had never taken, Luriel began to recount Angela’s story. It was far more interesting than expected—so engrossing that Do-hyeon barely noticed the rough terrain.
“That’s all I can tell you. We’ve arrived, so see for yourself.”
Perhaps because of that, they reached the destination slightly faster than it felt.
But upon arrival, what lay before Do-hyeon left him genuinely shocked.
“What…?”
What he saw was nothing like he expected.
Angela von Marier.
The late wife of Gilberun, the greatest king in history, also known as a saintly woman. Some even admired her more than the king himself.
Yet her origin was humble, contrary to popular belief.
The eldest daughter of the fallen noble Remra family—a title without wealth, essentially no different from a commoner, possibly poorer than ordinary citizens.
This was Angela von Marier. She could never have approached the king on her own, yet destiny intervened.
Even in her family, she had a secret ability.
“The power to see the flow of mana and the source of souls.”
A rare talent, one in a century. And King Gilberun was born with immense royal mana, a vessel destined to become the greatest king in history.
But his overwhelming mana became a curse—it was too much for him to control.
A fool with too much mana. Flashy outside, rotten inside. Congenital mana control disorder.
Mocking labels always followed him.
The daughter of a fallen noble hid her gift, and the prince of immense mana suffered control issues. Their meeting was nothing short of fate. They complemented each other. Gilberun protected Angela’s family and gave her a new castle; Angela regulated Gilberun’s mana.
“Everything was perfect and happy…”
They flourished, admired for their kindness and charisma. All seemed destined to be blissful… until.
Until one day, Angela obtained a strange, mysterious necklace.
This is where Luriel’s story ended. The problem came afterward.
Swish.
Luriel moved aside, revealing…
“…A woman?”
A woman in her thirties, fair-skinned, blonde, beautiful, lying neatly inside a transparent glass coffin.
“Sleeping Beauty…? Why is she here?”
Even seeing it firsthand, it was hard to comprehend.
A woman sleeping in a glass coffin in the middle of a forest rarely visited by humans—it was mystical, yet eerie.
Ding-
And what startled Do-hyeon most:
[Eye of Truth activated.]
“…?”
A red light emanated from the woman. Slowly, Do-hyeon began to confirm the suspicion he had unconsciously held.
“No… it can’t be.”
But ominous premonitions rarely lie. The message confirmed it:
[Discovered a woman in eternal slumber: ‘Angela von Marier’.]
“….”
Her identity—none other than Angela.
“Crazy…”
“R-Riza…!”
“Uh…!?”
Jihad’s jaw dropped, Eliza peeked from his robe pocket frozen in shock, Charlie looked uneasy, and Do-hyeon was equally stunned.
But the shock wasn’t over:
[Found the key to the Fourth Fragment of Destiny.]
[She alone can restore the ‘Broken Necklace of Truth’ to its original form.]
“…Wow.”
No other words came to mind.
