Chapter 199: Star, The King of Fire (2)

[King’s Return]

Type: Hidden.

Description: You have ascended the throne, which had been empty for so long. However, the land that you are supposed to rule over no longer exists, and your people have turned into wandering refugees. Moreover, your sovereignty is too weak to protect them. Strengthen your sovereignty, gather up the refugees using your dignity, and rebuild your land. Only then will you gain the right to revive the fallen .

Time limit: ―

Prerequisite: Heir of the ‘Destruction-Calling Fire Giant’

Objectives:

1. Regain the three elements of a country.

2. People: Take as many fire elemental spirits in the Dungeon as you can under your wings. They are in a variety of forms. Some have lost their minds and have become monsters while some are working as store owners.

3. Land: Complete the Dungeon Quest and conquer all ten stations. These stations will become the base of your .

4. Sovereignty: Make the ten store owners, who are also refugee leaders, accept you as their new king.

Quest Failure Penalty: Revocation of your Title.

Quest Reward: Land Acquisition.

Just as what Chang-Sun had told Surtr, he had no intention of reviving or properly ascending the throne. After all, all he needed was the Fire Giant King’s powers, [Rhaegaren] and [Laevateinn]. In addition, a Giant King’s obligation could create problems when making his next move, so he planned to just leave quietly once he had finished the Dungeon Quest.

However, if Jarapgu and the other store owners wanted, Chang-Sun was willing to keep the Dungeon open and make a deal with them.

‘They messed with me, though,’

Chang-Sun found out from Jarpagu that the store owner named Elspe was behind Louis’ attack.

Elspe was the stationmaster and store owner of the ‘Fire Hell’ station, the final station. He and the store owners on his side put the Team L members in danger just because they thought Chang-Sun would enslave them now that he had ascended the throne of . Chang-Sun would never let anyone who had pointed their sword at him continue living.

‘I had no intention of becoming the Giant King, but if they’re begging me to become one… then I might just give them what they want,’

Chang-Sun sarcastically thought. Perhaps that was the best option he could take right now, anyway.

‘Considering I’ve gotten hints about getting to and [Bestla’s Poem], it might be better to take everything related to Giants.’

If he left them alone, small fries could track them down and bother him in the future. It would be better to monopolize everything related to the Giant King and eliminate that possibility completely.

[Accepted the Hidden Quest!]

[Announce the return of the king to the refugees who haven’t accepted you as their ruler.]

…

[While carrying out the quest, your ‘Giant King’s Talents’ will be at its maximum output.]

[Your ‘Giant King’s Dignity’ has started spreading in the Dungeon.]

…

[The Dungeon monsters have acknowledged you!]

[Monsters whose Classes are far lower than yours bow deeply upon sensing your aura.]

[Monsters whose Classes are lower than yours surrender, surprised by your dignity.]

…

[The old refugees have become quite baffled upon detecting your presence!]

[Some refugees wonder what to do.]

Shaking like an aspen leaf, Canola hurriedly turned his head to look at the ground the moment Chang-Sun accepted the quest. Worrying he would meet Chang-Sun’s eyes again, he sweated hard.

‘W-was it this bad…?’

By accepting the quest, Chang-Sun had begun to move as the new king. His decision greatly influenced the refugees since they were parasitic on Surtr’s corpse for survival. Feeling as if invisible chains were tying up his heart, body, and soul, Canola realized that from the moment he surrendered, he could no longer escape Chang-Sun’s grip. He had completely become one of the new king’s subjects.

[The ‘Burning Hell’ store owner ‘Canola’ has become a citizen of , returning him to his original elemental spirit form.]

Boom!

Canola exploded and transformed into a palm-sized fire elemental spirit. Soon after, he flinched, seemingly just as surprised at the sudden change. Nevertheless, he instinctively knew what he had to do. He dissipated and was absorbed by Chang-Sun’s heart, where the [Laevateinn] was stored.

[The Citizen ‘Canola’ has been absorbed into the ‘Laevateinn’!]

[The ‘Laevateinn’ has become stronger.]

…

[You can now control fire elemental spirits.]

[Your Class is not high enough to put the elemental spirit through Giantification. Nurture the elemental spirit into a great Fire Giant first.]

‘So this is what conquering the station and turning it into my land means.’

The stations were lands, and the store owners were the people. Finally, strengthening the [Laevateinn] meant strengthening his sovereignty. Thinking it wasn’t really difficult, Chang-Sun moved to the next station.

* * *

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

[You have conquered the ‘Sinking Hell’ station.]

[You have conquered the ‘Shattering Hell’ station.]

…

[You have successfully received the management right of the seventh store. You now own or have conquered seven stores.]

…

[The ‘Laevateinn’ has become stronger.]

[The completion rate of the Hidden Quest (King’s Return) is increasing quickly.]

…

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ is completely focused on your performance, thinking you might just actually revive the legendary .]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ upgrades the bonus reward he has previously given you.]

[The Skill ‘Viper Eyes’ has been upgraded to ‘Mamushi Eye’!]

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ is shocked and sends down her surprise gift in a hurry.]

…

[The Celestial ‘Tsunami Bringer’ grumbles that this place is too hot. He wants to cool it down with seawater. ]

[The Celestial ‘Aquarius’ nods in agreement.]

[The Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’ is watching your tyrant-like moves in contentment.]

…

Chang-Sun moved quickly. The desert train had already been blown up to pieces, but he had a Ghost Devil Horse to ride, and the harsh environment of the Dungeon no longer affected him since he had acquired the [Giant King’s Talents]. Moreover, with nothing standing in his path, Chang-Sun could focus on crossing the desert and dominating stations and stores. The other store owners panicked due to how things turned out.

[Witnessing the king’s violent response has divided the refugees!]

Just like what he had done with Canola, Chang-Sun didn’t even try to listen to the store owners’ offer. As soon as he arrived at a station, he immediately made one demand: their unconditional surrender. If the store owners tried to negotiate the terms, they ended up getting blown away along with their stations. That was how the store owners of the fifth and seventh stations helplessly lost their heads.

Thud!

“Wh-what are you going to do about this, Elspe?! Didn’t you say you can definitely stop Lee Chang-Sun? You talked all big about abdication, but were you just bluffing?”

“R-right! Elspe, you’re still fine because you’re in charge of the final station… but we’re not! Come up with a solution!”

Baraguyu and Kimach, the eighth and ninth stations’ store owners respectively, abruptly barged into Elspe’s store and began to throw a tantrum. Up until yesterday, they could never talk back to Elspe, who had the biggest assets among the store owners and was a direct descendant, but the events that had happened over the past several hours were enough to stop them from thinking rationally.

‘Shall I… kill them all?’

Elspe quietly listened to their whining as he clenched and unclenched his fists due to the anger rising up inside him. Patience had never been his strong suit.

Belatedly noticing Elspe’s mood, Baraguyu and Kimach stopped making a fuss. They took a couple of steps backward as they cleared their throats.

“O-of course, I’m sure you have a plan in mind…”

“W-we’re here because we’re o-on the clock, so p-please understand.”

‘Vermins.’?

Elspe gritted his teeth, holding back his anger.

For now, he had to pretend to be composed enough to seem as if he had everything under control. “I know what you two are worried about, but fret not. I am the real heir to the throne, so do you really think I don’t have any countermeasures?”

“Oh, I knew it…!”

“Can I ask what the countermeasure is?”

The two store owners’ faces brightened up.

“Come a little closer.” Elspe gestured at them as if he was going to whisper something to them.

When the two store owners leaned their heads toward Elspe close enough, he whispered, “My countermeasure is to surrender, but he won’t believe it if I just say that I surrender. I have to bring him your heads to make it believable.”

“…!”

“…!”

Realizing what Elspe meant, Baraguyu and Kimach tried to turn away.

Smash!

However, Elspe was quicker. With a knife-hand strike, he crushed their heads like watermelons.

[Acquired the ‘Wretched Hell’ station store management right.]

[Acquired the ‘Gruesome Hell’ station store management right.]

…

[Three stores have been combined into one big store!]

Using the management rights Elspe extorted from the dead store owners, he merged three store windows and quickly scrolled down the item list.

“It’s still too early to use this, but I have no other choice.” Elspe’s eyes gleamed with madness.

* * *

‘He’s changed,’?

Joachim thought as he watched Chang-Sun while following the Team L members.

Due to the wounds Joachim had sustained against the Hellserpent, he could only walk around right now. However, he was certain that his senses were still extremely sharp. That was why he knew that Chang-Sun had changed completely. After disappearing for twenty-four hours, he had definitely gotten stronger, and his eyes were different from before.

Joachim didn’t know how to describe Chang-Sun right now. Chang-Sun smelled like a spiteful, wandering wolf who only thought about combat in the past. Now, however, he smelled like a tiger that could devour and rule over everything. Joachim had seen those kinds of eyes before.

‘The Immortal Overlord… Jacque Valentine from the Revenant Clan has eyes like Chang-Sun’s.’?

Joachim recalled.

Although there were ten Overlords, the only person Joachim truly considered an Overlord was Jacque. However, much to his disbelief, he was sensing a similar aura from Chang-Sun!

‘He’s certainly the only one capable enough to become the goddess’ apostle and lead the Illuminati.’

Joachim gained more reasons to drag Chang-Sun out of the suspicious White Tiger Clan. However, what was important right now was the latter’s opinion about the Illuminati. Judging from what he knew about Chang-Sun’s personality so far, Chang-Sun would never let Louis’ atrocity slide.

The problem was that Chang-Sun wasn’t the only person who would be angry. Once the volunteer Players’ Clan and the French government found out about the truth behind this incident, they would certainly start a war against the Illuminati… Feeling as if he could already smell the blood and hear the screams from the calamity of the upcoming war, Joachim couldn’t help but frown.

However, Joachim could tell one thing for sure. Chang-Sun’s decision after clearing this Dungeon would determine the Illuminati’s fate.

* * *

[Bought ‘Galhorn’s Salivary Gland ×1’ from the store.]

[Bought ‘Blue Ant’s Horn ×6’ from the store.]

…

Riding on a Ghost Devil Horse, Chang-Sun headed to the next station and bought the items he needed from the , which was seven stores combined.

‘The Fifth Elder said… do it like this, right?’

Chang-Sun mixed the ingredients, slowly recalling the mixture ratio that the Fifth Elder had told him.

He was trying to make a solution that could melt the [Nine Circle Demonic Creature’s Reversed Scale], which was frozen solid.

“After … What? Path to ? Wait, didn’t you need Blood Lightning or something? If so, then Retribution Fire would be enough,” the Fifth Elder said, baffled.

“If I’m going to get something anyway, I might as well take everything.”?

“Ha! It won’t end well if you get too greedy.”?

“I’ll be the one suffering that bad end, so that’s my business. I’ll give it up when I feel like it’s too much, but it won’t be bad to have all the information I can have.”

“Well, you’re right… Hmm! This is tricky.” The Fifth Elder stroked his chin.?

“Why? Is there a problem?”?

“You could say that.”?

“What is it?”

“ is in a quite complicated place, haha!” The Fifth Elder chuckled.?

‘I asked about it just in case, but I didn’t know it would be useful,”?

Chang-Sun thought.

?

Although they were all Giants, Fire and Frost Giants were on bad terms, so they didn’t really communicate with each other. However, they were both elemental spirits, which meant they shared an invisible link.

“But there is a way to get there if you truly want to reach it. First, however, you have to get the bridge,” The Fifth Elder instructed.?

“Bridge?” Chang-Sun repeated.?

“Yes, , , and used to be one plane until an incident caused them to split up a long time ago. However, invisible bridges were created to connect the planes just in case… We Giants call these bridges…”?

Pzzzz!

Chang-Sun slowly poured the solution that he had created on the [Nine Circle Demonic Creature’s Reversed Scale]. The scale exuded white smoke as it quickly melted, revealing a radiant red jewel hidden inside it.

“... Bifrost.” The Fifth Elder smiled.?

“‘Rainbow bridge’... It’s quite poetic. Names like that can definitely only be found in myths and stuff,” Chang-Sun said.

[Bifrost]

Part of the bridge that connected , , and , the three fallen planes. Activating the bridge will give access to a certain coordinate stored inside it. However, activating it requires a tremendous amount of power, and there is no telling where it will lead since all connected planes have fallen.

· Type: Ingredients.

· Effect: Dimension Teleportation. Set Coordinates.

In other words, this jewel was the temporary bridge to . However, just as the description stated, it required a significant amount of power to activate and could transport him to any Dungeon in since the plane had already fallen. Fortunately, Chang-Sun had already heard what the stored coordinate in the jewel was from the Fifth Elder. To top it all off…

‘... I don’t really need a power source for this either,’?

Chang-Sun recalled.

Under normal circumstances, he would have to collect enough power to create a Dungeon Gate, but he had an ace up his sleeve for this kind of moment—[Peter’s Key]. Chang-Sun could go anywhere with this golden key.

‘Maybe everything is connected, just like how I got this from ‘Bestla’s Tomb.’’

Chang-Sun put the golden key in the red jewel without hesitation. Although it had no keyhole, he could insert it into the jewel with ease. When he turned it sideways, he heard a clicking sound.

Click!

Woosh―!

At the same time, opaque fog spread out from Chang-Sun and surrounded him.

[‘Bifrost’ has been activated, connecting to the hidden coordinate.]

[An Instance Dungeon has opened.]

Although the fog made it difficult to see anything, a rainbow momentarily showed up before him. The world around Chang-Sun then darkened, and a giant appeared. Endlessly tall and ceaselessly releasing cold, dark fog that smelled like death, this being seemed to be the polar opposite of Surtr, who represented fire and destruction. The only things Chang-Sun could see in the thick fog were… the dim lights that seemed to be the giant’s eyes.

[The king ‘Death-Bringing Frost Giant’ is looking down on you!]

Bergelmir, the last king of , someone already known to be dead like Surtr, appeared before Chang-Sun.