0.
The capsule opened, and Seong stretched as he stepped out.
It felt as though he hadn’t moved for ages.
“Ugh, I guess long sessions really take a toll.”
Still, it had been worth it.
He’d acquired numerous new skills and even had the chance to test them out. His builds had expanded significantly—evolving from a corpse-and-poison explosion build to now incorporating blood and darkness builds.
The variety alone made him infinitely more versatile.
What’s more, all three builds focused on area-of-effect (AoE) abilities. That meant a significant advantage in the upcoming large-scale event.
“Their performance exceeded expectations.”
While the skills were impressive, what truly stood out was Noctrynnium’s utility.
Not in combat—that wasn’t its strong suit.
In fact, even Barfur was more effective in direct fights.
Thinking back to past battles, Seong remembered how even Fiora had been an overwhelming opponent. Yet against Noctrynnium, he’d managed to maintain an advantage.
But where Noctrynnium truly excelled was outside combat:
Its ability to scan and locate nearby enemies, provoke them, and herd them into clusters had been invaluable.
That strategy had allowed him to gain three more levels, pushing him to 95.
Even so, leveling was undeniably slowing down, a natural part of progressing to higher levels.
Still, between Noctrynnium’s contributions and the powerful new skills he’d acquired, things were looking promising.
The Sands of Reversal—a skill that reset cooldowns—had been instrumental in testing out his new abilities. Every skill he tried proved to be exceptionally strong, adaptable to various situations.
Most importantly, one skill stood out above all:
“I made the right choice with Writhing Darkness.”
This skill added a guaranteed hit effect to all dark-attribute abilities, forming the backbone of Seong’s new darkness build.
Skipping lunch and playing all day had allowed him to climb an additional three levels.
“Didn’t realize it had gotten so late.”
It was already evening.
His stomach growled in protest, reminding him that skipping lunch hadn’t been intentional.
As he stepped out of his room, holding his rumbling stomach, he noticed his sister, Yu Mina, emerging from her capsule in a similarly disheveled state.
“Hmm, I really need to shower,” Seong thought, glancing at himself.
Mina seemed to pick up on his thoughts.
“You were just thinking something rude, weren’t you?”
“Huh? No.”
“Then what?”
“I thought I looked as bad as you and needed to shower.”
“...Most people would call that rude, little brother.”
Mina smiled faintly, her tone sharp, while Seong chuckled at her reaction.
Though the two had a strong sibling bond, they still bickered like any other siblings.
With their parents, Lee Na-gyeong and Yoo Gwang-jin, out for a couple’s gathering, Mina took the lead.
“Hmm, jajangmyeon, maybe?”
“Sure. I’ll take jjambbong.”
“I’ll get jjamjja.”
After quickly confirming their orders, Mina used an app to place the delivery.
As they sat at the dining table waiting, Mina spoke up.
“You’re participating in the event, right? You were 79 yesterday, so you’re probably mid-to-high 80s now?”
She didn’t bother specifying which event—it was obvious.
Seong nodded casually.
“Of course. It’s because of me the event’s happening.”
“...What?”
Mina stared at him, confused.
“Oh, it’s nothing major. It turns out the event is linked to my main quest.”
“??????”
Mina’s expression grew even more perplexed as Seong explained further.
Even as someone with an Almighty-class profession herself, she had never encountered a main quest capable of triggering such a massive event.
While some players might keep such quests a secret, Mina was certain no Almighty-class player she knew had experienced anything similar.
“I mean... I guess that makes sense?” she muttered uncertainly.
“Yeah. It’s tied to the former Overlord, Helena. One of her subordinates is leading an invasion, so it triggered the event.”
“Hah... makes sense, I guess.”
Helena had once wielded enough power to be called the Demon King, after all.
Even so, the scale of the situation was hard for Mina to fully grasp. She scratched her cheek, processing the implications.
“I did read that most of the continent’s strongest died during the Demon King subjugation. That’s why so many player professions have direct ties to the past.”
It was daunting to think that the person responsible for the bloodshed of that era was now Seong’s predecessor.
As Mina mulled this over, Seong decided to tease her.
“Anyway, leveling’s definitely getting slower.”
“Pfft! Makes sense. Level 80 is the start of the grind.”
“Yeah. Even after hunting all day, I barely reached 95.”
“...What?”
“If not for clearing a main quest and jumping 13 levels in one go, I wouldn’t have made it.”
Mina’s expression froze—her face practically a statue.
Seong couldn’t help but laugh as the doorbell rang.
While Mina remained motionless, Seong fetched the delivery.
Still frozen, Mina barely noticed when Seong set the food on the table.
Finally, she broke her silence.
“Wait, so you’ve gained 16 levels since yesterday? And completed a main quest, only to immediately get another?”
Seong smiled at her mutterings.
“Eat.”
“Huh? Oh, right.”
Snapping out of her daze, Mina grabbed her jjamjja and chopsticks, though confusion lingered on her face.
During their meal, Mina brought up another topic.
“So, you’ll probably run into Eclipse Order’s rookie.”
“Eclipse Order? A guild?”
“Yeah. They used to be ranked third but dropped to fourth when we overtook them. They’re decent but don’t have any Almighty-class players like us.”
“Huh, that’s rare?”
“Extremely. Counting you, there are only about ten in total.”
Nodding, Seong felt the rarity of his class sink in.
Curious, he asked about the rookie.
“What’s this rookie like?”
“Hmm, I met them once during negotiations with Eclipse Order. Let’s just say they’re... loud and brash. Like, really loud.”
Seong tilted his head, puzzled. Mina simply grinned and resumed eating her jjamjja.
As they finished their meal, the impending event loomed ever closer.
1.
[Announcement]
「We are providing details regarding the large-scale event taking place in 『Dune Wild Trail - Western Plains』.
So much so that many employed players rushed to request time off just to participate.
The significance of the event wasn’t lost on anyone. It wasn’t every day that top-ranked guilds declared their participation in unison. Events of this magnitude were rare even within Eternal World.
This was an opportunity.
Guilds knew that ranking highly in this event would give them future dominance. The notion wasn’t far-fetched; the players emerging from this event could lead the frontlines in upcoming battles. Establishing control now would pay off later.
This was why Eclipse Order, the fourth-ranked guild, saw the event as a golden opportunity.
“What’s Rapid Guild’s status?”
“No movement yet. They haven’t announced their participation.”
“Hmm. Could it mean they don’t intend to send the Demon King?”
Eclipse Order was closely monitoring Rapid Guild’s actions, their tone sharp and defensive.
It was understandable.
Rapid Guild, with significantly fewer members, had surpassed them to claim the third rank.
Having been pushed down, Eclipse Order couldn’t ignore their rivals.
The mere idea of Rapid Guild deploying their standout player, the Demon King (Seong), unsettled them. If Rapid Guild produced yet another overwhelming star, Eclipse Order’s position would be in jeopardy.
“Even if they send him, it won’t matter. We have Mayrin.”
“The Demon King? Ha! He’s the newest rising star, but we’ve got Mayrin.”
“Clearing the Past Citadel was impressive, but there’s no way his leveling pace can match Mayrin’s.”
This content is taken from freёwebnovel.com.
“There’s no chance the Demon King can surpass her in this event.”
“Honestly, it’s unlikely the Demon King has even reached level 80. It hasn’t been long since he defeated Anemore or cleared the Past Citadel.”
Their logic wasn’t unreasonable. They doubted Seong could have leveled up significantly since his recent major achievements.
Still, deep down, they knew the reality.
Clearing the Past Citadel was no small feat, and Mayrin hadn’t accomplished it yet. That difference gnawed at their confidence, even if they refused to admit it aloud.
Mayrin, hailed as Eclipse Order’s next-generation leader, was the source of their pride.
Though she didn’t hold the elusive Almighty-class profession, her Legendary-grade class, Spear Sovereign of Dawn, was one of the best.
She had already established herself as the guild’s star player and a promising contender for leadership.
Mayrin’s reputation extended beyond the guild.
“In terms of control, Mayrin is top-tier.”
“Right. She’s from a renowned martial arts family in China, isn’t she?”
“That’s what I heard.”
Her future was bright, and her guildmates believed that even if Seong participated, Mayrin’s unique class attributes would make her the likely victor.
The timing couldn’t have been better for Eclipse Order.
Neither the first nor second-ranked guilds had notable rookies participating.
Their direct rival, Rapid Guild, likely couldn’t field their standout player, Seong, since he hadn’t reached level 80.
Victory seemed inevitable.
While Kurosawa Ren and Junhyuk posed minor threats, they were considered manageable.
“At least the Demon King isn’t participating.”
“The timing worked out perfectly.”
“We’re lucky.”
Though they outwardly dismissed Seong as a threat, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of avoiding a direct confrontation between Seong and Mayrin.
Deep down, they were thankful things had aligned in their favor—for now.