Chapter 1105

After the Battle of Last Fortress, the Allied Forces took some time to regroup and recover.

The battle against the Holy Alliance was so intense and grueling that the toll it took on the troops was beyond severe. At the very least, they needed three full days of rest to recover physically and mentally.

And Siegfried was no exception.

“

Ugh...

I think I need to take a break.”

“Yes, you do, darling.”

Overwhelmed by sheer exhaustion, Siegfried was forced to log out and rest in the real world.

His fatigue had piled up far too much that he was struggling to continue playing the game, let alone maintain his focus.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

“You really went through a lot, oppa.”

“

Eh,

it’s nothing.”

Once he logged out, Tae-Sung spent some quiet time with Yong Seol-Hwa before falling asleep. After getting some much-needed rest, Tae-Sung hit the gym, the sauna, and went to bed early.

The next morning..

‘

Ah, now I feel much better,’

he thought with a smile, feeling that he had somewhat recovered. He loved playing the game, but taking care of himself in the real world was just as important. After all, there was no point in doing well in the game if his real body was suffering.

Refreshed from his rest during his time offline, Tae-Sung logged back into the game and immediately convened a meeting.

“Congratulations on your glorious victory, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Congratulations on your victory, Your Imperial Majesty!”

“Congratulations on your victory, Your Imperial Majesty!”

“Congratulations on your victory, Your Imperial Majesty!”

One after another, the commanders of the Allied Forces bowed to Siegfried, offering their congratulations for the victory.

“This victory is thanks to all of your efforts. All of you have worked really hard,” Siegfried said, acknowledging the commanders. Then, he added, “Just a bit more. Please hold on a little longer. Once the war is truly over, I’ll make sure each of you is properly rewarded and given time to rest.”

The war was not over yet, but it was as good as won.

However, they still had to capture the Holy Alliance’s capital, arrest the pope, and subjugate the remaining forces.

Until that was done, the war was not truly over.

Thus, they still had to push toward the Holy Alliance’s capital.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!”

Taking Siegfried’s words to heart, the commanders vowed to see this through to the very end. As he said, the war would only truly be over once the enemy capital and leaders were seized.

“Major Hansen.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty...”

“In recognition of your achievements, I hereby promote you to the rank of Colonel.”

“...!”

“Please continue to serve the Proatine Empire with all of your strength.”

Hansen immediately prostrated, deeply moved by the promotion, and cried out, “I... I am eternally grateful, sire!”

“How much rest do our troops need?” Siegfried asked.

“Two days should be enough, sire. We should be able to begin marching toward the enemy capital,” Hansen replied.

“Good. Ensure the soldiers get enough rest, then we will march on the enemy capital.”

“As you command, sire!”

“If anything unusual comes up, report to me immediately–”

But before Siegfried could finish his words—

A messenger rushed in and reported, “Your Imperial Majesty! We have received an urgent message from the Guardians!”

“What is it?”

“A barrier has been erected around the Holy Alliance’s capital.”

“

Hm?

”

“The capital is completely locked down. They say even satellite observation is being blocked by the barrier.”

“Those bastards... So they’re making one last desperate move...” Siegfried muttered, grinding his teeth.

It was the only logical conclusion.

The Holy Alliance had suffered a total defeat in the war.

A comeback? That was no longer possible.

They lost their entire army of one million troops, so how were they supposed to recover from that? Despite that, they raised a barrier over the capital, and it could only mean one thing—they were planning something big.

Unfortunately, Siegfried had no idea what that big thing was.

“What should we do, sire?” Hansen asked.

“Cut the troops’ rest to a day. We will immediately move toward the Holy Alliance’s capital. No need to march, we will use mass warp to move our forces.”

“As you command, sire.”

Siegfried wanted to charge in right this second, but he had to restrain himself for one simple reason—the troops were still too exhausted from the last battle.

“But what the hell are they planning now...?” Siegfried muttered to himself, grimacing with unease.

For some reason, he had a very bad feeling. The Holy Alliance’s schemes were always dangerous. Thus, Siegfried had no other choice but to take them seriously.

***

Afterward, Siegfried returned to the Proatine Empire.

The reason he returned was simple...

‘

I wonder what kind of quest master will give me...’

In order to overcome the wall, he had to complete Deus' awakening quest.

This was the reason he returned to the imperial palace, where Deus resided.

‘

Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not going to be easy,’

he thought.

Honestly, he felt a bit anxious.

A quest personally given by Deus was bound to be harder than anything he had ever faced.

In fact, Deus had hinted that Siegfried would need to risk everything for it, so he was already on the edge.

But he couldn’t let fear stop him now.

Determined to break through the wall, Siegfried made his way to the place where Deus was staying.

“You’re back.”

As always, Deus sat by the small lake within the palace grounds, calmly fishing for something.

“I greet my master,” Siegfried said, bowing low to the ground.

“Judging by how you’re here, it must be time,” Deus replied without even looking at him.

He could tell Siegfried’s current level without even looking.

“Yes, Master. Your disciple has reached the wall and seeks your guidance,” Siegfried said, bowing low to the ground once again.

“Guidance...” Deus muttered, glancing sideways. Then, he smiled and said, “I’m always willing to give you guidance.”

“Thank you, Master.”

“So, you want to break through that wall?”

“Yes, I do, Master.”

“Are you prepared?”

“P-Pardon me?”

“Are you prepared to lose everything?”

“That is...” Siegfried paused for a moment. Then, he answered in a resolute voice, “Yes, Master. I am ready to risk it all.”

“

Oh?

Are you really ready to stake everything? Everything you have?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Your powers, your kingdom, your allies, your wife, and your child. You can lose them all. Are you truly prepared to risk all of that?” Deus pressed again.

“Yes, master!” Siegfried shouted with firm conviction.

‘

If it’s a quest master personally gives, then it’s bound to be incredibly difficult.’

Siegfried interpreted Deus’ warning as a metaphor for how tough the quest would be. He assumed that risking everything was more about mindset and commitment than literal consequences for failing the test.

“If you are ready to risk everything... then I, myself, will test you.”

“Yes, Master.”

“The test is really simple.”

“What must I do, Master?”

“All you need to do is land one clean hit on me.”

“...

Eh?”

Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. Then, he asked, “Do you mean to say that I am... supposed to hit you, Master?”

“That’s right.”

“The test is for me to land a single strike–”

“You might just become one of the greatest Grandmasters if you do that,” Deus said with a grin.

Siegfried sweated nervously as he asked, “But how could I possibly land a hit on you, Master? That is just impossible–”

Boom!

But before he could finish, Deus gave Siegfried a knuckle sandwich right in the head.

Despite it looking like he just gave him a light tap, the blow was so intense that Siegfried felt like his skull was dented in.

“

Gahk!”

Siegfried collapsed, gasping from the impact. His nose was bleeding as well.

[Alert: Status Ailment!]

[Alert: Your character is confused!]

For the first time in ages, Siegfried saw stars twinkle before his eyes. The light tap had rattled his brain.

“You foolish punk. Is that how I taught you?” Deus scolded sharply.

“

Huh...?

”

“You say you want the power of invincibility, yet you don’t even have the guts to challenge me?!”

“...!”

“Were you planning to stay in my shadow forever?!”

“T-That was not what I meant–”

“If you truly seek power without limits, then you should have been prepared to defeat anyone who stands in your way, including me!”

“

Argh!”

Siegfried groaned in agony and covered his ears.

Deus’ words alone were more than enough to deal damage to him.

Was it because Deus was nagging him with the truth?

No, that was not the case.

Plop...!

Deus’ roar had pierced Siegfried’s eardrums like a sharp stake, causing blood to trickle down the side of his face.

“I told you before, right? If you wish to pass my trial, you must be prepared to risk everything you have.”

“Y-Yes, Master.”

“That wall of yours will come crumbling down if you land even a single blow on me in our duel.”

As soon as Deus uttered those words...

Ding!

A quest notification popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.

[Alert: An Epic Quest has been triggered!]

[Alert: You have received the Epic Quest – Crossroads of Life and Death!]

[Alert: Will you accept this quest?]

[Input: Yes/No]

***

The quest details were as follows...

[Crossroads of Life and Death]

[A warrior will only receive enlightenment once on the edge between life and death.]

[Land a single clean hit on Deus in a one-on-one duel to become a Grandmaster.]

[Type: Hardcore Epic Quest]

[Progress: 0% (0/1)]

[Rewards: +1 Level, Class Up!]

[Warning 1: Your character will be deleted if you die during this quest. Proceed with caution!]

[Warning 2: Once deleted, the character can no longer be restored, and your game account will be erased. You will permanently lose access to BNW.]

“

H-Hiiiik!”

Siegfried shrieked in horror the moment he read the quest details.

‘

Is this what he meant by risking everything?!’

A chill ran down his spine. It seemed that the Hardcore Epic Quest was similar to the hardcore modes often found in games, where all progress would be lost once the character was dead.

This meant that this quest was not only difficult, but it also came with a brutal punishment for failure.

‘

Does this mean... I’ll really die if I fail this quest?’

Siegfried realized that failing the quest meant his game character, Siegfried von Proa, would die. It would also be a death sentence to him, Han Tae-Sung. He had turned his life around and was at the absolute peak of his gaming career.

What if his character was suddenly deleted? His life as a gamer would end.

He would have no choice but to retire and live out the rest of his life on the money he had earned until now, which meant that he would become jobless.

‘

This is batshit crazy...’

Siegfried couldn’t move a muscle after reading the brutal punishment for failing Deus' trial.

Deus said, “It seems you’re not ready yet, my disciple.”

“M-Master? That is not it. It is just...”

“Come find me again when you are truly ready.”

“Master...”

“Come back only when you’re prepared to lose everything.”

With that, Deus turned his gaze once more toward the lake.

“...”

Siegfried couldn’t say anything in response.

Why?

It was all because he knew that it was true.

He was not ready to risk having his character deleted in the event he failed the quest.

“I will... come back, Master.”

Siegfried bowed low at the waist before quietly stepping away from the lake.

‘

This quest is just crazy...’

he thought, at a loss for words. Having his character deleted did not simply mean losing access to the game. It would mean that he, Han Tae-Sung, would lose everything he had painstakingly built so far.