Game of Divine Thrones

The rescue operation had been relatively successful. As soon as Woohyuk had stabbed Inoue in the neck, causing him to shriek endlessly, many of the enemy players had decided to escape with a Return Stone.

In the middle of all the confusion, Ted tried to escape after killing Huang Dongwhan, but failed.

He was eventually executed by Woohyuk.

The red marker that would have arisen from such a situation, was absolved due to using a Pardon card.

Pardon card that he had obtained from Killing Kang Taejun back in the Vampire bat cave.

After returning to the Fortress with what remained of his party, Woohyuk assigned his prisoners of war to forced labour.

From the viewpoint of his Faction, it was another great achievement, but for Woohyuk’s party, this was a heavy loss.

The death of their teammates couldn’t be forgotten.

There were just four survivors, Lee Jaesung, Jung Sanghoon, Yoo Kayoung and Song Anna.

‘The loss was really too big this time.’

He had no idea that Ted was in possession of a Pardon card, because they had been on different attack paths in the past.

On the Fortress’ outskirts, he gave his fallen teammates a warrior’s funeral, staring into the distance with a sad expression.

“I’m sorry, Boss. I shouldn’t have….”

Lee Jaesung who was standing next to him spoke in between sobs.

Even Jung Sanghoon was trying to hold back tears, they all felt responsible.

“No, it isn’t your fault.”

If anyone were to be blamed it would be this cursed world. A ridiculous game system that constantly pitted them against one another.

“I’ll be gone a few days, so you guys take the time to rest up and use the Fortress’ facilities as much as you’d like.”

“You won’t be staying in the Fortress?”

“No, I have something to take care of.”

He couldn’t afford to stop and grieve for the ones they’d lost. If anything, they only added to the burden he had to carry.

To put an end to this travesty of a game so that these kinds of tragedy never occurred again.

After the small funeral they held for their fallen teammates, Woohyuk went to the Mountain Range to hunt down some Griffons.

Using Nakron’s Grimoire, he managed to achieve an overwhelming victory against them. Now, all that was left was the final destination, the Twilight Tower.

The reason he required these Griffons was that he was planning to try something different this time.

If he tried climbing it the regular way, starting from the first floor, it was unlikely for him to reach the top.

‘If even Logan failed, it would take me far too long.’

He already knew that Nakron’s treasure was left on the final floor, so he had to change his way of thinking.

‘A new approach.’

Since it was a test given to Nakron’s successor, he had to take full advantage of a Necromancer’s abilities.

Recently, after investing hours upon hours of pouring through the Grimoire, he had finally managed to learn a spell that strengthened the body of a Summon.

He wasn’t sure if it would be enough, but at the very least it was better than nothing.

“Wait for me here.”

“Are you really thinking of trying that?”

Looking up at the Twilight Towers that pierced the clouds, Leifina couldn’t help but have a worried expression.

Even if he were to fall from halfway, they wouldn’t even be able to find traces of his bones.

“There’s no other way.”

Despite it being beyond dangerous, he had to step up to the challenge.

All in order to put an end to this nightmare.

Woohyuk climbed onto the back of an Undead Griffon. 

“Empower”

With that spell alone, the Griffon’s body donned an Ebon Armor enhanced with the Darkness attribute.

The red eyed Griffon then soared into the sky, with a vanguard of undead Griffons and Gargoyles leading the charge.

“Kiyaahak”

Gargoyle statues that adorned the outer walls of the tower, came to life as they were instructed to attack the intruder.

Suguk

Grandia’s blade glowed with a faint light, as it cut down one Gargoyle after another. 

Countless of them continued to descend from the tower, but the numbers of undead troops under Woohyuk’s command also wasn’t small.

As the sun began to set, he was still making his way to the top of the tower. It was a situation where he could only hope for an entrance to exist. Although the possibility was low, this was a world that tended to reward unusual behavior, so his instincts were telling him that it existed.

Woohyuk managed to briefly catch his breath, as the Gargoyles continued to rain down from the sky.

* * *

“Huuu…”

Woohyuk let out a sigh as he leaned back against the cold stone wall. Fortunately there had been an entrance at one of the upper floors, so all had worked out.

He had even tried to fly higher, but there was no other entrance. The outer wall of the tower had such a high durability, that it was impossible to break his way in by relying on Grandia.

‘I’ll have to start here.’

As he walked up to the door inside, he saw the number 95 engraved upon it. Woohyuk couldn’t help but smile to himself.

Considering the towers total height, there would probably be 100 floors, but there was no set of stairs leading down from this 95th floor.

In other words, if one were to climb up the tower using the orthodox method, they wouldn’t be able to reach this floor.

From the very start, it was a place that only Nakron’s successor had any hope of coming to.

‘Will this place have a different level of difficulty?’

The kind of place that only the very strongest could obtain the Hidden treasure, such as the Calm Sea in the Primordial Forest.

Perhaps there exists a path even beyond what I’ve discovered.

As his thoughts reached this point, Woohyuk became filled with energy.

[Come over]

[Yes, Master]

In a flash of bright light, Leifina and her pink hair appeared next to him.

The Iron Maiden’s ability to appear by his side. Since it could be used every hour, he didn't have to be as stingy with its use compared to Call to Arms.

“This place…”

“We’re inside the tower.”

Even if he wanted to explain in greater detail, Woohyuk simply had no advanced knowledge about this area.

Back then the highest they had climbed was the 30th floor, and that had been in conjunction with the other SIlver Crowned leaders.

‘I barely even survived that time.’

Due to the high level of difficulty, casualties continued to stack up the further up they climbed.

The first clear rewards were also shared among the many Sectors, so even if you managed to clear a difficult floor after a bitter struggle, the reward might not even be worth it.

Because of that, pretty much everyone had decided to give up climbing towards the middle part.

Even if they performed exceptionally well, they were still sure to have casualties.

“Shall we go in?”

“Yeah!”

Leifina replied enthusiastically as she drew Argent.

Woohyuk opened the door as he thought back to his past.

Chawak

They were bathed in a bright light.

* * *

As they opened their eyes, a white landscape came into view.

Snow fell gently from the night sky, as Woohyuk had an expression of interest.

‘Is this a new Stage?’

Obviously they had entered the 95th floor of the Twilight Tower, but rather than a dark stone room, a new World greeted them instead.

Even he couldn’t help but be confused.

Still, Woohyuk managed to remain calm because he had encountered many such situations in the past.

‘It is simply connected to another dimension.’

In the case of Historical Sites, it was possible to hold an independant world within them. In other words, they acted as a medium between the two dimensions.

Woohyuk was lost in his thoughts as he left his footprints in the snow.

‘There must be some trigger I need to discover.’

If there weren’t any obvious guides to hand out the quest like Eve, then it was likely that one had to first fulfill certain requirements before being given the quest.

For now, he would need to gather some information.

“Fina, wear your Veil.”

Leifina’s beautiful appearance was sure to attract unwanted attention. 

Whether it was in the East or the West, beauty would always be a source of conflict.

At first, Woohyuk had also suffered greatly because of her. It was one of the main reasons he had acquired the Banshee’s Veil for her. That way they could avoid any unnecessary problems.

“Are you going to call over your team?”

“It’s no longer possible.”

They were now in a completely different dimension, having travelled across space and time.

It was impossible to use Call to Arm or use any Return Stones until he exited the floor. The Silver Crown above his head had disappeared, and the Unity Ring was disabled so he couldn’t even communicate with them.

‘Of course I never planned on bringing them along either.’

Their numbers had already been reduced to just the four, and anyways they weren’t yet at a level where they could help him out.

It was better to leave them back at the Canyon, where they could influence the result.

“You’ll be in trouble if you remain trapped in this world.”

“I only need to return before the end of the Canyon Battle.”

“Well, you’ve already conquered all the other areas.”

“Everything before can be considered as simple appetizers, while this is the main course.”

When compared to the Twilight Tower, the Banshee or Naga’s Temple couldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath.

One of the few Sites that had never been conquered, even in his past 40 years.

Due to its limitation of only being accessible during the Canyon Battle Stage, the Twilight Tower had always been rated as the highest difficulty Site.

These were the challenges that Woohyuk, as a returner, would have to overcome in order to achieve new heights.

It was best to put aside any thoughts about the Canyon Battle for now.

‘Hong Yuri will manage to keep the balance.’

Because the opposing faction had already suffered considerable losses, she could single handedly press forth and destroy their Guardian Stone if she’d wanted.

In fact, the game was already basically over.  But, in order to give Woohyuk the time to conquer the Twilight Tower, the Canyon stage had to be dragged on for as long as possible.

Thinking of the party he had left behind, Woohyuk picked up his speed as he spotted a village in the distance.

* * * 

Woohyuk and Leifina were currently thawing their frozen bodies inside a warm tavern. This was a small town, so it would be the best place to gather information.

As the sun had set, the men that had finished their day’s work gathered for drinks, and there was a lot of conversation he could pick up on.

“Monster sightings have begun to increase near the Northern Gate.”

“It probably has something to do with Winter, maybe the Kingdom’s soldiers are just panicking for nothing.”

Not much seemed to catch his interest. Most of what he heard were stories from hunters and their encounters with monsters.

“Lord, some of them seem to be looking at us strangely.”

Leifina was covering her face despite being indoors, and the two of them were outsiders. Even if they were keeping to themselves, they were bound to attract attention.

“Nevermind, if something happens I’ll deal with it.”

He had been fortunate enough to have managed to snag a purse on the way here. It wasn’t much, but at least it should be enough for a room tonight.

They should proceed cautiously until they receive the Quest.

“Hey there, it’s my first time seeing you in these parts, where are you from?”

A drunk, blond haired man came over to strike a conversation with Woohyuk. From his appearance, he was also a hunter.

Woohyuk only answered his question because he might be of some use.

“From far away, maybe you can help me out?”

“If you have any questions, feel free and ask. The name’s Robert, I’m a local and I know all sorts of things, what are you interested in?”

Robert pulled up a chair and sat down, then pointed at his empty glass which he placed down on the table.

The meaning was clear, if he wanted his questions answered, he would need to pay for the man’s drink first.

Woohyuk nodded back as he ordered him a beer.

“What is the most popular topic in town these days?”

“Popular… hmm, there are quite a few of them, but if I’d have to pick one, it’s this talk about a Werewolf in town right?”

Robert turned to ask one of the hunters who was sitting nearby, waiting until he confirmed in annoyance.

“A Werewolf?”

“Right wolves are normally active at night, and there are rumors that during the Winter, if they struggle to find prey, they might even attack human settlements.”

After accepting his glass of beer, Robert continued to talk about his story of Werewolves.

The other day a murder occured in a nearby village, and the doctor’s examination revealed that it was done by a large beast.

The night of the incident many villagers testified to hearing the howling of wolves, and even the chicken that they raised had gone missing.

Although they investigated thoroughly, all that came up were a set of wolves’ footprints in the snow.

“Amazingly, the footprints were only in pairs, meaning it walked on its two feet, half man, half wolf.”

“Has your Lord prepared any countermeasures?”

“Unfortunately Baron Bernin is bedridden due to falling ill.  Also, problems with wild animals have always been an issue in these parts, although this is certainly a special case.”

It seemed like the Lord didn’t investigate much since it might just have been rumors.

As he was considering how to continue, a white text appeared before him.

[New Quest]

Name:         Get to the bottom of the rumors.

Type:         General

Content:    Investigate the night murders in Baron Bernin’s village, and try to minimize their losses.

Reward:    Dependent on the level of contribution and results.

Other:         Time limit of (3 Days) Once failed, cannot be retaken.

‘As expected.’

There seemed to be many restrictions, but it was a Quest that he absolutely had to succeed in order to proceed to the next level.

Woohyuk felt that he had to learn more from Robert.

“I’d like to hear some more, let me buy you another drink.”

“Really? I have nothing to complain about!”

Robert smiled as he continued to talk.

* * * 

While sitting down on the inn’s bed, Woohyuk organized in his mind what he had learned from Robert.

Legend about a Werewolf

Eyewitness testimony

Unusual activity of monsters

Missing Hunters.

Although he wasn’t exactly sure what it all amounted to, he at least had an idea on how to proceed.

“Lord, what kind of food is this?”

“It is combat rations that are usually given to soldiers.”

Since he had to buy Robert a few beers, they didn’t have enough coin to eat anything back at the tavern.

Leifina, who was busy eating beef bibimbap with a spoon, looked up at Woohyuk in surprise.

“Is this really what your soldiers eat? It’s better than I expected….”

“....”

Leifina’s taste buds were simply not that of the usual nobility.

Woohyuk sighed as he watched her eat contently.

“Fina you never change.”

“Huh? What is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, forget about it.”

They weren’t so close that he could tell her everything just yet.

Compared to the deep bonds they had forged over the 40 years of adventuring together, theirs was now just a superficial relationship.

Even if they would live together from now on, it would take some time to break the barriers in their hearts.

“Lord seems to know me very well.”

“Do you dislike it if I call you by that nickname?”

“Fina… I don’t hate it….”

Leifina’s face blushed as she hesitated to answer. 

Woohyuk replied as if understanding her thoughts.

“You must be embarrassed to share the same room.”

“If it’s the Lord’s wish, then I won’t say no.”

Lately Leifina had been reading romantic literature, regarding the passionate love between a man and woman. It was no surprise to him that she had misunderstood.

Woohyuk couldn’t help but smile as he’d experienced similar situations with her in the past.

“You don’t have anything to worry about, I have no intention of touching your body.”

“....”

“I know you must have had some reason to choose to serve under me, and I will do my best to help you achieve it when the time comes. All I ask is that you be by my side when I need you most.

That was all, at least for now.

Leifina’s expression became complicated.

“Lord...I…”

“You don’t need to explain anything.”

After all, he already knew her almost as well as she knew herself.

As the two of them finished their meal, the howling of wolves rang out in the night.

Aaooo!

“Hurry, it’s shown up.”

It was late in the night, so not many people were out on the streets.

As they came out of the Inn, they saw a few people holding torches and gossiping among themselves.

“Robert’s dead.”

“Oh dear lord…”

The attack had already occurred, and the Werewolf was long gone.

“What happened?”

“Robert was attacked while he was drunk, he was quite unlucky.”

From the way he heard them talk, this time around there hadn’t been any eyewitnesses. 

While the guards searched the area, Woohyuk walked up to Robert’s corpse.

The gash was done by a sharp nail, and going by the fresh prints left in the snow, it was safe to assume that it was the work of a Werewolf.

“It seems like it is out for blood.”

It wasn’t merely hunting to satisfy its hunger, but an indiscriminate attack. There was also the possibility that it couldn’t differentiate between its victims due to being caught up in a frenzy.

“Is there some mastermind behind all this?”

“Well that’s what I’ll have to figure out.”

He only had 3 days to get to the bottom of it. Not to mention that the Canyon battle was still in progress, so he had to wrap this up as soon as possible.

Woohyuk pushed his perception to the maximum as he followed the trail of footprints.