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Unfair. This word did not apply to Athenae. What about the high-level players getting better and greater rewards? They had played the game longer than novice and middle-level players. They deserved that much for devoting time and working so hard in Athenae.

It was like how Minhyuk never considered Helenia’s Fragments’ Hunt unfair even though there was such a massive gap between the Beyond the Heavens Empire and the Luvien Empire.

‘If I can’t do this, then I don’t have the qualifications to sit on that throne.’

One look and anyone could tell that Luvien Empire’s Nerva would become the next Battle God. But Minhyuk found a way to break through. Their opportunity to round up the situation would come once Helenia’s Fragments gathered to give her the power they had gathered.

Minhyuk called for a meeting and said, “It’s going to be dangerous. I don’t know how many variables would appear there either.”

What he wanted to do was to hunt all of Helenia’s Fragments at once. This plan was hazardous. There would be thousands of fragments with levels exceeding Level 600. And there was one thing that they had to be most wary of.

“Just like you said, this would be a perilous venture. ‘Helenia is slumbering.’ This is nothing but an assumption on our part. If she is not slumbering, she will disturb us, becoming even more dangerous. The worst part would be the Luvien Empire joining in. After all, as a nation at war with us, they would not pass up the opportunity and remain on the sidelines.”

Since the enemies would come in droves, the Beyond the Heavens Empire would have to bring their powerhouses to lie in wait. This meant that most of the pillars of the empire would be concentrated in just one place.

In response to that, Minhyuk said, “That’s also true. Because of that, this plan would be centered on the players.”

His expression was bitter. He felt very sorry for them, perhaps because he felt like he would push them to their deaths for his class succession.

The high-rankers of the Beyond the Heavens Empire would have to face huge penalties when forced to log out. If they dropped the best artifact in their possession, then they would not be able to recover that.

However, Locke suddenly said, “Minhyuk, the Beyond the Heavens Empire belongs to ‘us.’

“...”

“...”

His words meant that they all had to carry that burden. Everyone looked at Locke in awe. This was the first time in a very long time that they had last heard him say something so unique and cool.

“Keuhahahahahahaha! How is it? I sounded cool, right?!”

“...”

“...”

Just as they expected, Locke was indeed far from being cool.

Then, Ali also said, “We have all worked together to start the Beyond the Heavens Empire. The Beyond the Heavens Empire’s development is equivalent to our growth and development. Besides, even if things go wrong, no one here would hate or resent you, Minhyuk.”

Minhyuk smiled faintly. It was because of these people that he was able to gain the courage and will to never back down. He began to give his orders, “Haze, go and tell Bichor to manufacture a mighty bomb. Also, tell Mandala to prioritize creating high-class potions for Beyond the Heavens Empire players.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Haze answered in the affirmative.

“I’m also going to ask for the help of the trio who fought by my side during the Succession Ceremony.”

“If you’re talking about the trio, then...” Valentino trailed off.

Since this was an emergency meeting, Valentino was also asked to attend. And Valentino knew perfectly well who Minhyuk was talking about. The trio was none other than the God of Animals, the God of Siege Weapons, and the God of Fetters.

Valentino had ignored them before. Why? One, because he had never heard of them before. And two, because their classes were strange. However, the trio’s teamwork was perfect. And when it came to large-scale battles, the three gods would greatly help.

“They will certainly be a huge boost to our military power. But if we’re going to fight without the pillars of the Beyond the Heavens Empire like Ben, Brod, Elpis, Luo, and the rest, we would still be considered to be unprepared even if our opponent, Helenia, is in slumber,” Valentino stated, laying out the fact that everyone was fully aware of.

This was the truth. Their battle would be very tough, and no one denied this.

“Even so, I will do my best to protect you with my shield so you don’t have to worry too much.”

The reliable and sturdy shield, Valentino, was showing off his tremendous will. Since he decided to become the Beyond the Heavens Empire’s dog, he would do his best to protect them and receive their acceptance.

“Also, tell Brod, Luo, and the others, who are hunting for Helenia’s Fragments, to continue doing what they are doing.”

And finally, they had to tackle the most important thing–finding out where Helenia was. Thankfully, the Beyond the Heavens Empire had a precious talent that could help them find her. This talent was none other than Dungeon Explorer Bran.

***

Dungeon Explorer Bran was once placed second in the Dungeon Explorer Rankings. As someone who did not belong elsewhere before, many kingdoms and empires once treated him as a tool. But his life changed once he moved to the Beyond the Heavens Empire. And it was all thanks to Minhyuk.

Of course, it was not only thanks to Minhyuk. Part of it was also because of the many extraordinary skills that Bran had in his possession. One of these skills was the ability that contributed the most to his jump from second place to first place in the Dungeon Explorer Rankings. This ability was none other than the Ancient Relic Tracker skill.

The Ancient Relic Tracker was a skill that allowed him to check the information about the artifacts and relics that he wanted to find once every five months. And if the relic was found inside a dungeon, he could scan the dungeon for an entire minute.

Of course, Bran continued to grow in the empire and eventually joined the ranks of the players who had achieved Level 600. Thanks to that, he learned new skills from his Dungeon Explorer class, one of which was called “Traces of Fleeting Encounters.”

This new skill of his was an awe-inspiring and jaw-dropping skill. Why? Because he could track down the traces of any monster or NPCs with which he or his allies had come in contact.

Since Minhyuk had come in contact with Helenia, Bran could track her down. However, this skill would only give him clues about his target’s traces. In other words, he would be going after Helenia’s trail and would only be able to find the places she had graced with her presence.

Bran, who had kept going from one place to another, ended up without any wink of sleep. Of course, the places players were not allowed to enter or could not reach were not marked during the tracking process.

‘It’s not like the fragments can go and fly to the sky, right? I’m sure she’s somewhere nearby, ' Minhyuk told him before.

Although it was nothing but mere speculation on his side, Bran trusted and respected Minhyuk more than anybody else. So, he kept on going.

‘It’s almost been three days since then.’

Minhyuk had asked him to locate Helenia’s whereabouts almost three days ago. While he was busy looking for Helenia’s location, dungeons emerged. It was to the point that both the Luvien Empire and the Beyond the Heavens Empire could no longer handle.

‘The others are all fully prepared now too.’

Brod, Luo, Elpis, Ben, and the rest were also without any rest as they continued to take down dungeons. Even Minhyuk continued to attack the dungeons while preparing dishes for his friends and comrades to eat on the day the fragments would gather together.

How many places had Bran visited already? He could not remember. He just continued to move forward with his search. Finally, he reached the Beauden Fortress, located in the ruins of the Alvard Kingdom.

‘Helenia went to a place like this?’

Beauden Fortress was placed in a very remote area where plenty of high-level monsters roamed the path that led to its gates. One reason it was deserted was that the amount of EXP and artifacts that dropped in this area was significantly less than what the players could obtain from other areas.

Bran continued to follow the traces and entered the Beauden Fortress. What greeted him inside made his eyes grow wide.

“Helenia...” Bran murmured. He finally found her! She was currently slumbering inside a transparent sphere made of glass. He approached and placed his hand on the glass.

[No power can destroy Helenia’s Transparent Barrier!]

[Helenia’s magic is protecting her!]

[Helenia’s magic has been triggered!]

[Anyone within Helenia’s three-kilometer radius would receive triple the penalty for a forced log out!]

[With Helenia’s magic activated, the number of people that can enter Beauden Fortress will be restricted! Only 300 people can enter the fortress!]

[With Helenia’s magic activated, anyone within Helenia’s three-kilometer radius will not be able to receive any buffs!]

Bran’s face grew ugly when he heard Helenia’s magic protected her. This might be a variable while they hunted for the fragments. The worst part? Helenia had set a restriction that only three hundred people could enter the fortress. She also tacked on a triple penalty to prevent someone from interfering with what she wanted to do.

‘She knew that there would be someone like us who would think in this direction.’

Bran also found it a bit surprising.

‘Although she had limited the number of people, she still allowed entry inside.’

Perhaps it was also Helenia’s arrogance and self-confidence, telling them, ‘If you can bear to take on that penalty, then come at me.’

Bran immediately sent a whisper to Minhyuk.

***

[The Class Inheritance Quest: Hunt Helenia’s Fragments is underway!]

[The Luvien Empire has hunted 2,049 Helenia’s Fragments!]

[The Beyond the Heavens Empire has hunted 364 Helenia’s Fragments!]

The situation was extremely dire. Cries and wails rang worldwide as Helenia’s Dungeons exceeded 6,000 in several days.

As for the difference between the number of fragments hunted between the Beyond the Heavens Empire and the Luvien Empire? It had already reached an almost six-fold difference.

Of course, Minhyuk, who had always considered using this crisis as an opportunity, had already reached Level 643 during the process. However, that did not mean that the worries in his head had disappeared.

At that moment, Bran’s whisper finally arrived. Minhyuk immediately went to Beauden Fortress with the other players to prepare for the battle that was to come. He had also heard the notifications when he entered the fortress.

“What an unyielding bastard.”

Minhyuk had expected this much. After all, he knew how much the shrewd Helenia loved to drive someone to the brink of despair. Allowing the three hundred people to enter must have been because she wanted them to feel that there was a chance so that the despair that they would feel once they realized that it was futile would be immense.

However, Minhyuk tried to look on the brighter side. The primary purpose of a fortress was to prevent enemies from flooding in, something they could use to their advantage.

“As long as we can set up Bichor’s bomb and detonate it, then everything would be over.”

That was right. The bomb that Bichor created this time was strong enough to blow up and erase a fortress like this from the map. The plan was to plant the bomb, gather all of the fragments inside, use Mass Teleport to take out all of the players, and detonate the bomb. If they could do this, then the game would be over.

However, the plan was straightforward. Anyone could do it. So, what was different in their plans?

“Maybe there’s magic that will prevent the bomb from detonating,” Bichor said as he groomed his white and fluffy hair.

But who was Bichor? He was someone who had reached the level of the gods. With a vicious smile, he said, “But who do you think I am? I am Bichor. I can make a bomb that can ignore that magic and eventually explode. All I need to do is tweak the bomb a bit. Fufufufu.”

Even so, far too many unknown variables were still waiting for them.

“Who does this set of footprints belong to?”

Bran had found a set of footprints. It was proof that someone had entered this long-forgotten and abandoned fortress before Bran. When he saw this, he was sure that this set of footprints did not belong to Helenia. In the first place, Helenia was barefoot. Also, the footprints looked similar to the prints left behind by a knight's boots.

Even though there were too many variables, they could not back down. Minhyuk’s inheritance of the Battle God’s throne, leveling up, and the driving force that would help the Beyond the Heaven's Empire go further than the Luvien Empire depended on this plan.

‘We don’t know what Helenia would do to Athenae in the future if we don’t stop the fragments right here and now.’

Minhyuk also had a hostile relationship with her. On the day Helenia descended with her full power, the first nation she would lay to waste would be the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

“Everyone, make sure that you’re all fully prepared. Get ready to move.”

***

PD Kim Daeguk, who was nursing a cup of coffee after taking his lunch, sighed. “Haa...”

His chest felt stuffy. And this was all because of Athenae. PD Kim Daeguk was also one of the people playing Athenae. But these days, whenever he entered Athenae, the only words that entered his ears were either the death of someone or the destruction of someplace.

‘Things are getting way too out of hand.’

According to rumors from the grapevine, this situation was different from what Joy Co. Ltd. had intended to happen. But if things continued at this rate, Athenae might fall into the hands of Helenia.

“Team– Team Leader! Come, quick!”

“...?”

Kim Daeguk immediately stood up and ran when he heard the unusualness in the voice of the new producer, who suddenly called for him. When he arrived, he saw the notification that appeared on their screen.

[Helenia’s Fragments have begun their journey to return to her arms!]

Most TV screens displaying what was happening inside Athenae showed people fighting against the fragments. But suddenly, fragments started to run like crazy to somewhere else simultaneously. The moment they ran, magic circles appeared right in front of them.

[Helenia’s Warp Gates have been created!]

Helenia’s Fragments ran straight toward the magic circles and disappeared from their screens.

PD Kim hurriedly turned on his phone. He knew that players passed information faster than anybody else.

“Alvard Kingdom? Where is that place?”

“If it's the Alvard Kingdom, then it’s a nation that has been destroyed before!”

“Quick! Send all of our correspondents to the Alvard Kingdom!”

Daeguk grew anxious. This was the first time he had gotten anxious since starting to work as a producer.

‘Were we able to stop them well?’

Hunting as many fragments of Helenia as possible would prevent her complete descent. Were they able to do that?

Not long after, their correspondents started transmitting what they were seeing on their monitor screens. They saw thousands of magic circles appearing in the vicinity of the ruins of the Alvard Kingdom, in the forest, in the river, and even in the skies. Then, the fragments, which came from all over the world, began to pour out.

PD Kim Daeguk and the other officials of the ATV Broadcasting Station jumped when they saw the scene on the screen. They were all rendered speechless. Despite the efforts and hard work the people had put in, the number of Helenia’s Fragments running like crazy on their screen easily exceeded four thousand.

“...It’s over.” PD Kim huffed in despair.

The total number of dungeons created during this episode was 7,104. This information should be accurate since it was published on Athenae’s official webpage. The problem was that they could only hunt and kill less than half of that number. Now, the players would have to think of ways to survive against Helenia once the ten months were up.

Dozens and dozens of drones appeared in the sky, showing thousands of fragments charging toward what seemed to be a fortress. The fortress was shining a bright yet eerie red light. This light was the sign that Helenia was inside and was the one calling for her fragments to enter the fortress.

PD Kim, watching the fragments continue to charge like crazy, suddenly felt the urge to light a cigarette. Not only would the users have to prepare for the worst and find ways to survive in ten months’ time, but they would also have to prepare to say goodbye to the NPCs that they cherished and loved.

“Huh?”

A confused voice rang in the ears of everyone present.

“What was that?”

“Look at the fortress. Why...?”

The fragments were breaking trees and trampling on mountains just to get to the fortress. Then, Daeguk turned to look at the fortress once again after hearing the doubt and confusion in his subordinates’ voices.

“...?”

PD Kim’s eyes grew wide in confusion when he saw the fortress. Why? People who had hidden themselves amidst the trees and the mountains began to appear one after the other.

He saw a woman holding a whip and a fighter cracking his knuckles. Even Athenae’s most outstanding Kick Master appeared alongside the assassin, hailed as the Informant and the little boy who could not get a girlfriend. They showed up one by one.

At the same time, flags fluttered with the wind as they were pulled up on the walls of the fortress, which looked like it would collapse with a single breath. The flag carried the symbol of a fork and knife crossed together.

Then, at that moment, the man known by everyone appeared on the walls of the fortress. He glared coldly at the fragments charging frantically toward the fortress, raised his sword to the sky, and spoke.

[Destroy them.]

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