novelraw Chapter 107: Always Anew (3)
Chapter 107: Always Anew (3)
Translator: Dreamscribe
The first floor of the underground labyrinth had become tattered. Even though it was made of solid material, the heroes managed to break through it somehow through enhancement. There were times when not even a scratch would be made, but the heroes found a solution after some contemplation.
“Goddess Drill!”
“Goddess Pickaxe!”
“Goddess Hammer!”
The heroes recalled what Aren had said and asked the clerics to imbue the tools with divine power. Then, the walls and floors that had once been extremely solid began to be pierced with ease.
The Lord of Greed writhed in pain and sent numerous monsters, but he could not stop the heroes who had dug deep beyond the walls. On the contrary, following the compass naturally led them to break through the first floor and continue descending.
Grrraaaaaa!
Wind blew through the tightly enclosed underground labyrinth and swept over the heroes. It was a breath laced with pain emanating from within. As the wind collided with the structures, it produced a sound like screaming, but
“Feels refreshing.”
“Somehow, this feels rewarding.”
"Kuhh!"
The heroes simply enjoyed the sudden breeze that blew in.
The heroes realized that they no longer had to wait for the entrance to the underground labyrinth to open. They could just dig through the floor and break in.
The Lord of Greed clamped his mouth shut, trying in any way he could to block the entrance.
“Please pierce through here and there.”
“Yessir!”
One of the heroes’ strengths was that they came from Earth with various professions.
When the hero with expertise in blasting gave directions, the heroes drilled holes in the floor. HandGenius installed mana bombs in the holes, and the clerics channeled divine power into them.
The heroes stepped back and looked at HandGenius. HandGenius held up a switch with a red button.
“Goddess Bomb!”
Kwagagagaga!
When he pressed the switch, the entire floor shook and then collapsed with a rumble.
“Oh! It broke through!”
“Should’ve done this from the beginning.”
“This level of freedom is insane.”
“Now this is how you conquer a labyrinth!”
The waiting heroes grabbed their tools and dashed inside. Some of them saw this as a chance to become famous.
‘I won’t log out until I find the Fragment of Light.’
‘Ten-year veteran hero’s pickaxe work!’
‘Level 74 advance team! We’re going to the end of the underground labyrinth!’
There were more and more streams with titles like these.
Jinwoo was satisfied as he looked at the Lord of Greed writhing in agony. When he had tried to become a god by devouring Ella’s authority, he must have been overjoyed, feeling as if he possessed the entire world.
He must have waited for over a hundred years for the day he would become a god.
Now scream in agony as you’re eaten alive.
Jinwoo and the heroes would joyfully torture the Lord of Greed.
A few days later, Haebyul and the romance heroes who had ventured deep into the underground labyrinth discovered the first Fragment of Light.
“Wow! We found it!”
The Fragment of Light was buried in a bundle of nerves. When Haebyul scraped the nerve bundle with a dagger, the Fragment of Light revealed itself. The golden-hued, shimmering Fragment of Light was incredibly beautiful.
-Wow! First discovery on the server!
-That’s really pretty
-Haebyul wins! Haebyul wins! Haebyul wins!
The golden particles flowing from the Fragment of Light gently enveloped Haebyul and the Romance heroes. It felt like being embraced by a mother, like lying in a blanket filled with spring sunshine, comforting the heart.
“Oh!”
“My pickaxe is glowing?”
When Jinwoo waved his hand, golden light settled on the heroes’ tools.
[You have discovered a Fragment of Light!]
* For a certain period of time, all nearby heroes’ weapons and tools are enhanced, and all stats increase by 10%.
As Jinwoo used the Fragment of Light to provide buffs, the work progressed even faster.
As time passed, more heroes began discovering Fragments of Light. As Jinwoo had expected, the Lord of Greed was trying to digest Ella’s authority by breaking it into smaller pieces.
‘Then...’
The heroes began returning to the Romance Domain with the Fragments of Light. Jinwoo moved to the location where the staff was embedded and waited.
“Aren! We brought it!”
Haebyul and the Romance heroes had found as many as four Fragments of Light. Counting those discovered by heroes from other guilds and domains, the total exceeded ten.
Jinwoo appeared beside the staff embedded in the ground.
“Amazing!”
When Jinwoo praised them, Haebyul grinned and held out the Fragments of Light. When Jinwoo pulled out the staff and swung it, the Fragments of Light in Haebyul’s hand floated into the air and merged into one.
Fwaaash!
It became a summoning stone imbued with vibrant light.
[B] Low-grade Summoning Stone
A summoning stone made from four Fragments of Light.
A mysterious and powerful force is sealed within.
“So this is a summoning stone!”
Everyone was amazed at the appearance of the summoning stone in Haebyul’s hand.
Jinwoo collected all of Ella’s authority and, in its place, created believable gemstones. He turned all the Fragments of Light the heroes brought into summoning stones.
Now it was time to proceed to the next phase.
When Jinwoo raised the staff, a bright light burst from the lantern, pointing beyond the desert.
“I will now head to the Summoning Temple. Will you come with me?”
Jinwoo looked at the heroes and asked.
[The summoning stone has been completed. As Ella’s authority awakens, the path to the Summoning Temple has opened. As dangers may lie ahead, please prepare thoroughly before departure. Aren will open the way.]
There was no need to hear an answer. Excitement and anticipation were clearly visible on every hero’s face. Not a single hero declined.
Jinwoo had already completed all preparations.
While the Lord of Greed was out of his mind, Jinwoo had absorbed all the energy of Erosion in the desert and installed mechanisms to entertain the heroes in its place.
He even put effort into the production for the first time in a while.
‘Time to return to my main job!’
Jinwoo was already looking forward to seeing how the heroes would react.
“Kyah!”
“It’s launch time!”
“Bring the ship!”
Ships docked at various domains began gathering at the Romance Domain.
The summoning quest had officially begun!
***
Summoning Quest!
The summoning quest, which began in the Romance Domain, attracted a large number of heroes. Even those without a summoning stone could participate, so many heroes wanted to join. Due to a shortage of ships, trade ships and passenger vessels were mobilized, and even heroes without ships crafted small boats to follow along.
Not only the named heroes but also the news network arrived at the Romance Domain with maximum personnel and equipment. It became such a hot topic that it made headlines beyond Arsilan Worlds. Such scenes had now become routine.
“Ugh!”
Haebyul let out a groan.
Although the Romance Domain was the second largest after the Northern Domain of NorthernGrandDuke, the sheer number of heroes exceeded its capacity.
The oasis was as packed as a beach during vacation season, and heroes filled the streets, each working on their own projects. The expression “no room to step” perfectly described the current Romance Domain.
[The Archmage has donated 3,000,000 won!]
Use this to build high-rise buildings.
“Ah! Oh my, Archmage-nim! A whopping 3 million won! I’ll build right away!”
Haebyul gave a heartfelt reaction and immediately converted the donation to Platinum Coins, using it to purchase several high-rise buildings of four stories or more to place in the domain.
Furniture was also arranged thoughtfully to accommodate the large influx of people. Only then did it feel like the congestion eased a little.
-There's something going on around Aren right now?
-Let’s go check it out!
Receiving reports from viewers, Haebyul went to see Aren.
“Huh?”
Haebyul was startled.
Around Aren stood Heina, Tia, Tiris, and several others from Arsilan. Even Helby was there.
Helby smiled as she pinched Aren’s cheeks. Aren looked annoyed but couldn’t resist. Tia grinned and took out a ribbon and a dress.
“Shall we dress him up in this?”
“No, that’s for women!”
Aren cried out desperately while looking at Tia, and Tia’s mouth twitched.
“That’s exactly why it’s good!”
“Various experiences will surely be helpful.”
“This should be fun to watch.”
At Tia’s words, Heina and Helby nodded in agreement. Helby discreetly pulled out a horn and placed it on Aren’s head.
Tia looked at the heroes.
“Right? Heroes!”
The nearby heroes nodded their heads.
‘Save me!’
Aren looked at Haebyul with desperate eyes, but Haebyul didn’t even hesitate. She casually turned away from him and sat down in a good spot to watch.
“Hehehe.”
A slightly vulgar-sounding laugh escaped from her lips.
“All hail the Creator God!”
“This domain’s events are amazing.”
“Grow strong, Aren. Arsilan is a harsh place.”
Aren’s suffering turned into a delightful event.
From this moment on, the heroes became much closer to Aren. The mysterious aura that once made him feel unapproachable now seemed more comfortable.
“Aren! Catch this.”
“Isn’t this a bikini?”
“Hehehe!”
“Have you finally gone mad, hero? Has something happened to your mind?”
The heroes even started teasing Aren by giving him gifts. Aren’s formerly polite manner of speech had become a little rougher.
“Heroes! I will get my revenge one day!”
“You? Pfft!”
“Hehe, that would be cute too.”
The heroes looked at the flustered Aren with fondness.
At last, it was time for departure.
Once all the heroes boarded the ships, Aren climbed atop the leading vessel. It was the ship carrying Haebyul, the Romance heroes, and several other named heroes.
Fweeeet!
From the bow, Aren raised his staff. The light of the lantern rose into the sky and became a star, guiding the direction. As the mana engines ignited, the ships filling the front of the Romance Domain began to set sail.
The voyage was smooth.
Nothing happened as they sailed beyond the trade route and into uncharted territory.
“Yawn! This is a bit boring. Maybe I should’ve taken the passenger ship.”
A hero watching the desert scenery yawned and said so. The passenger ship floating nearby looked quite lively. Music could be heard, and an event was happening at the pool, probably a party.
At his words, the nearby heroes turned to glare at him.
“Don’t say things like that.”
“Why not?”
“Every time someone says that...”
Thududududu!
At that moment, the ship tilted forward heavily. The sand beneath the ship had receded like the ebbing tide, causing the ship to tip forward. A moment later, things grew quiet again, and the ship stabilized. But the heroes stood frozen, staring ahead in a daze.
There was a wall of sand right in front of them. It grew larger and larger, eventually obscuring the sky. A massive wall was approaching the heroes’ fleet.
“...that’s what happens.”
Ah.
The hero who had said he was bored quickly covered his mouth with his hand, but it was already too late.
“A... a tidal wave?”
“It’s a sand tidal wave!”
“Shit!”
A sand tidal wave was coming!
The wave was so massive that even the large passenger ship looked like a tiny grain of sand in comparison.
“Uh....”
-Haebyul, we’re screwed.
-Who dared to say they were bored! The Creator God is angry!
-This is terrifying.
Haebyul was frozen solid.
The Summoning Quest wasn’t even a main quest. Honestly, Haebyul thought of it as a fun side quest meant to introduce content. She had taken it lightly, but something like this showed up right from the start.
“Why, why are you being so serious about this! This isn’t even a main quest!”
Haebyul shouted toward the Creator God.
It looked like Aren smiled at the bow, but it was probably just her imagination.
“Uwaaaaah!”
“We’re gonna capsize!”
“Capsizing is delicious.”
“UruBear-nim, is now really the time to say that? Do you know how expensive this ship is?!”
“Jeez, why are you all yelling at me?”
UruBear shrank back under the heroes’ scolding.
The heroes didn’t know what to do. At that moment, Aren raised his staff.
“Trust me and charge forward at full speed!”
Aren’s voice echoed in the ears of all the heroes.
As the mana engines of every ship ran at maximum output, their speed began to build. There was no escaping the tidal wave anyway. The heroes’ fleet began climbing the wave head-on.
“Hold on tight!”
“U-uwahhh!”
“Kyaaaa!”
Screams erupted from the passenger ship.
Heroes who had been swimming in the passenger ship’s pool dropped outside the ship with a series of splashes. They were instantly swallowed by the tidal wave.
Crackle!
Their bodies were pulverized as if tossed into a blender.
-This is insane...
-Natural disasters are scarier than monsters.
-I’m watching this on hologram TV and I’m about to piss myself!
-Now THIS is a natural disaster movie!
The heroes’ fleet tilted to an almost vertical angle as it followed the massive tidal wave. It looked like the wave would swallow the entire fleet. No, it was certain to happen. It was already too late to get past the wave.
As despair spread across the heroes’ faces.
“Goddess Booster!”
Aren shouted loudly.
Golden light burst from the lantern and infused into the fleet’s mana engines.
KWAHHH!
Bright light erupted from the mana engines as their output rapidly surged.
The wave had already tilted the ships nearly vertically, making forward movement impossible. Instead, as if they had become rockets, the ships shot upward. The heroes’ fleet soared straight up and reached the crest of the wave.
“Huh?”
“We’re… going down!”
“Kyaaaaah!”
The ship that had shot up came crashing down.
Haebyul clung to the railing and looked at Aren. Aren was hanging onto the staff stuck into the ship’s prow, wearing an incredibly serene expression.
“Aren! We’re going to land safely, right?”
Haebyul’s face brightened.
The heroes around her, clinging to the ship with desperation, felt the same. Seeing Aren’s calm expression seemed to ease their worries. But Aren shook his head at Haebyul’s question.
“I apologize. This must also be a Trial of Light.”
At Aren’s composed words, Haebyul’s mouth dropped open.
“Kyaaaah! Do something like a ‘Goddess Landing’ at least!”
“No such thing exists. Thank you for your effort.”
-We’re screwed.
-That’s it, it’s over.
-Goddess Landing ㅋㅋ
All the ships in the heroes’ fleet began plummeting toward the sand. Just before impact, light burst from Aren’s staff and enveloped the fleet.
KUUUUUNG!
The ships landed on the sand. A shockwave burst out, launching the heroes into the air like popped popcorn.
“U-ugh!”
“Blegh! I ate sand.”
Though the ships were buried in sand and the heroes were flung outside, most of them were unharmed. UruBear pulled Haebyul out, who had her upper body buried in sand. Haebyul spat out a mouthful of sand.
“Are you okay?”
From atop the ship, Aren looked down at Haebyul and the other heroes and asked.
“...You said there was no such thing.”
“It was a joke.”
“You’ve gotten meaner.”
“It’s all thanks to the heroes.”
Aren replied with a shrug at Haebyul’s comment.
Though all the ships’ mana engines had shut down, there were no major issues.
“Haha!”
“Now THAT’S a quest!”
“That was fun!”
The surviving heroes laughed as they climbed back onto the ships.
“Wow! That was incredible! It felt like a super high-effort production, surely nothing can top that, right?”
The hero who had previously complained about boredom said that. At his words, the heroes working to restart the mana engines turned to look at him.
“Mm!”
The hero quickly covered his mouth.
A brief silence fell.
“Haha....”
“Yeah, twice in a row would be a bit much.”
“Creator God! We’re good now!”
Just as the mood lightened up.
Aren smiled and pointed ahead.
“We just need to go a bit further to unlock the Summoning Temple. So..., huh?”
Before Aren could finish his sentence, he looked behind him, and the atmosphere turned cold. The heroes followed Aren’s gaze and turned around.
Heroes on the passenger ship, those aboard the massive trade ships, and even the heroes climbing back aboard after falling into the desert all sensed something, and looked back.
Ssssss!
The sand around the ships began to swirl and get sucked into a single point, forming a giant vortex.
“Uh....”
“Q-quick, get moving!”
The ships began to slide backward, drawn toward the vortex’s pull. Heroes frantically tried to restart the mana engines.
-Waaaah!
-The tension is insane
-I told you, natural disasters are scarier than monsters!
-Seems that way.
All the ships hurried to activate their mana engines and accelerate to escape the area.
“Goodbye!”
“Remember us!”
“We’ll go ahead....”
A small ship was sucked into the vortex. The heroes aboard the small ship played instruments or saluted toward the other ships.
The heroes pursued romance even in their final moments.
Fortunately, most of the ships managed to escape the vortex by running their mana engines at full power.
Haebyul and the heroes barely let out a sigh of relief.
“We need to get out of here as fast as we can!”
Aren shouted urgently.
“The Incarnation of Greed... is coming!”
“What? What do you mean...”
Haebyul tried to ask Aren what he meant, but there was no need for an answer.
The vortex calmed down, and the small ship that had been getting sucked in suddenly stopped in place.
“Huh?”
“We’re alive?”
“Guess we got lucky.”
“Haha!”
Just as the heroes on the small ship began to cheer in relief.
Kwagagagagaga!
Something massive shot up from the center of the vortex and devoured the small ship in an instant.
It was a gigantic centipede.
It burst upward as if to pierce the sky, revealing its full form. Its legs writhed like a kraken’s tentacles, and on its head, lined with sharp, venomous fangs, was the face of a pale-white woman.
Dozens of legs stretched out as if to grasp the sky. Each of those legs was massive and long enough to wrap around an entire ship.
[Ah... Aah...]
A voice filled with ecstasy rang out.
A disturbingly high-pitched tone mixed with a low, beast-like growl created a noise more horrifying than anything else.
The centipede, its head raised high, slowly lowered it to look at the heroes. The pale, doll-like woman’s face on its head twitched, and then its mouth stretched wide open.
[My babies. It's meal time.]
KWAHHHH!
Countless baby centipedes, each large enough to devour a person in a single bite, began falling from above. The area where the vortex had been was instantly covered by a writhing swarm of baby centipedes.
“Wow! Centipedes...”
“We’re fucked.”
“We’re so screwed.”
Those words spilled out of the heroes’ mouths without thinking.
-Uh...
-So... there are monsters scarier than natural disasters.
-Creator God-nim, this might be going a bit too far.
-This is main quest-level production...
The sight was so horrifying that some people fainted inside the hologram theater in the game room. Even spectators at the Soul Shop shuddered, their entire bodies trembling with goosebumps.
The countless baby centipedes piled atop the sand drooled as they stared at the heroes.
Fwaaash!
The baby centipedes began to glide across the sand as if dancing, surging toward the heroes like a wave. The mother centipede, which had towered as if to reach the sky, swam through the air toward the heroes.
“I-It’s coming!”
“Aaaah! That’s disgusting!”
“Sh-Should we run away?"
Satisfying!
Aren’s eyes sparkled with joy as he watched the panicked heroes. Of course, the heroes didn’t notice.
*****
For 15 or more extra chapters, you can check out my Patreon here --> patreon.com/dreamscribe
If you enjoy this novel, please review and rate it at Novelupdates. Thanks! 😊
To receive the latest update notifications or report mistakes, join our Discord server linked below.